I'm gonna do review responses at the begining of the chapter this time!

Therasina Dragonwagon- I have not a clue when 11 is coming out. Hopefully soon! I don't know who Ulrich is, probably an odd cross between Stephanie and Morelli. Now all we need is Lula, lol!

Scorpio Serpent- The bounty hunter idea came from Janet Evanovich, but Cowboy Bebop is awesome!

Gohan-chan- De Temps on Temps is French

To everyone who asked- In all honesty, I have no clue why they named the fish de temps en temps. I think it may have been that they knew that phrase in French so they decided to use it. I'm kinda worried about them....

Unfortuneately I have to be the bearer of bad news. As of this weeked, both fish, Sara and De Temps en Temps, have both passed away into the big toilet in the sky. Let us have a moment of silence in their memory. (pauses)
OOOOKAAAY! (claps hands) let's get this chapter rolling!

Chapter Ten: Mobsters, Gangsters, and Thugs, Oh My!

Yumi awoke slowly and blinked in curiosity at the ceiling. Her heart sped up as she realized she din't know where she was. Then her brain caught up with the night before and she relaxed. Easy, she told herself. Your 'stang got blown up so you spent the night at Ulrich's.

Her ears caught the sound of clinking coming from the kitchen. Yumi shoved off the blanket and shuffled into the adjoining room, wincing as her feet went from carpet to linoleum.

Ulrich was at the stove frying eggs. He turned and saw her.

"You like them sunny-side-up, right?"

Yumi nodded. "What time is it?"

"Nine. I usually get up around six or seven, but I figured we needed the extra sleep."

Yumi's eye went wide. Nine?! "Can I use your phone?"

"Sure. It's over there." He gestured to a silver phone resting in it's cradle.

Yumi rushed to it and dialed frantically. Ulrich listened to her half of the converstaion, but didn't hear much of any use. "Sniper? Yumi. I need a vehicle delivered to the apartment complex on Bay View, with clean clothing. Also, sent someone by my place to let P-chan out. Later."

Ulrich wanted badly to ask what a man had to do to get the nickname Sniper, but decided not to ask. "Who's P-chan?"

Yumi looked at him. "My dog. He's a beagle. I thought he might have to use the fire hydrant since he hasn't been out since last night."

"I never pictured you as a dog person."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it gets lonely, you know?"

"Why not get a hamster or something?"

"Because hamsters can't attack guys I don't like." Ulrich gave a nervous laugh at her answer. "What about you? Doesn't the bachelor life get lonesome?"

"I have fish," he answered. It sounded lame, but it was the honest answer.

Yumi laughed. "I bet they're a real comfort on lonely nights."

Ulrich slid the eggs onto plates and transfered the plates to the table. He and Yumi sat down and dug in, finishing their breakfast in silence.

Yumi set her fork down and took the plate to the sink. "So what's the plan today? And don't you dare suggest that I forget about the ruby." She turned on the water and rinsed the plate off, ending the routine by placing it into the dishwasher.

"We are heading back into the dark side. I want to talk to some of my operatives and see what they've got."

Yumi raised an eyebrow. "You have operatives? I'm impressed."

"Sounds like you've got a few yourself. Sniper, for example?"

"Yes." Yumi paused a moment, then confirmed Ulrich's unspoken thought. "And I suppose since we're on opposite sides of the law you wouldn't be wanting to know how he came about that nickname."

"Don't suppose I would. As long as I never hear his name on America's Most Wanted we'll just forget I even know about him." He followed Yumi's example with his own dishes.

"Fair enough. Now let's go down and check out my new ride, shall we?"

Ulrich blinked. "How do you know it's here?"

"Because Sniper is always punctual."

-----

With the rise of the sun the city had awoken, seeming to wipe the slate clean of the night's events. Parked next to Ulrich's Escalade was a shiny black jaguar. Yumi smirked in satisfaction.

"See? Sniper is always prompt. And this is MY car." She walked over and opened the back door, reaching in to pull out a black bag. She shifted through it quickly.

"Clothes, stun gun, car keys. It's all here."

"Stun gun? If you have a .45, why do you need a stun gun? Seems like overkill to me."

Yumi sniffed. "Extra protection never hurt a girl. Beside, wasn't there a can of pepper spray sitting on your counter up there? You're a fine one to talk about overkill."

"Fair enough."

-----

Ulrich was ready to leave when Yumi emerged from the bathroom a half-hour later. Her hair was upswept again, and she wore no makeup. That was not unusual, as she had never worn makeup even in junior high. She had told him once that it made her feel fake.

Ulrich shut the door behind them, being careful to lock it. It seemed kind of like locking the barn after the horses had already escaped, but the gesture was more habit than anything else anyway. It certainly wouldn't stop anyone who truely wanted in.

They took Ulrich's car and drove out into the city streets. They were alive with pedestrians pushing their way to work and shopping. It occured to the bounty hunter that these people had not a clue as to what has happened the previous night. Ulrich envied their ignorance.

In striking contrast to the streets lined with stores and pedestrians, the dark side of town was devoid of all life on the streets. Not even a hooker dared to stand on a corner and crack the veil of uneasiness that had settled over the streets like a think fog.

"Something's not right," Yumi said in a whisper.

"I agree. Something is very not right."

The Escalade screeched to a halt and Yumi was thrown forward against the seatbelt. "Quel était celui?!?"

"There was someone in that alley. We better check this out. Hurry!" The bounty hunter leapt out of the vehicle and raced off towards the alley with Yumi only a few steps behind him. Ulrich rounded the corner and Yumi could hear the sound of metal trash cans being knocked over and then a man's startled cry.

Ulrich had a weasel-ly looking man pinned up against the side of the brick building by the front of his shirt. The thief was shocked to see the fierce expression on Ulrich's normally placid face. His eyes were boring into the other man's with an intensity born of a man on the edge.

"What's going on around here," he demanded.

The man stammered several moments before articulating an answer. "I d-don't know w-what y-you're talking ab-bout."

"Sure you do." Ulrich pressed him into the wall. "No dealers, no hookers, everybody slinking around in the shadows like the rats you are. Something went down last night after we left. Now talk."

The words came out in a rush and Yumi had to think about them before they made sense. "SomebodywhackedVinnieandhisentireganglastnight!Everyonedead,andnobodyknowswhodidit!"

Ulrich released the unfortunate man and he scuttled off back into the shadows.

"Someone took out Vinnie," Yumi said slowly. "What is this, a bad crime novel? (pretty close...) It's like we're back in the 1940's, gangsters and mob bosses! Next you'll come out wearing a pinstripe suit and fedora!" Rant finished, Yumi let the full impact of this information sink in. "What does this mean?"

"Two things. One; Whoever did this is good. The goons you saw last night were only two of Vinnie's people. His posse was the biggest in the area. Somebody thought Vinnie had too much information."

Yumi cut in. "Information on what? The ruby?"

Ulrich nodded grimly. "Probably. It also means that things are going to get rough around here."

"How so?"

"Vinnie wasn't what you might consider your main 'crime boss', if you're going by 1940's standards. He was pretty high up there, but they are a few more big ones, including the biggest and baddest."

"Who is...?"

"Therein lies our problem. I don't know. No one knows. I wa shoping Vinnie had the runy, because if he wasn't behind it our mystery mobster was. But that's not why it's going to get ugly around here. There are going to be a whole lot of thugs wanting Vinnie's place in the bad sceme of things, and they're going to be willing to kill for it. As a freelance thief you've probably dealt with some of these guys before, whether or not you realize it."

"Is it safe to be here?"

"I doubt it. I want to check weasel boy's story out first though. Are you squeamish about dead bodies?"

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Can anyone name the Ranma 1/2 reference in this chapter?