Hi guys, I'm back.

SophieStar2: Thanks for reading, here's the next chapter. Hope you didn't wait for too long.

Schectersona: Thanks for thinking it's cute. Here's the update

caspercat22: aw, it's your favorite. yay!

jen: Merci!

Kristall: Hi, how do you do the bandit dance? Can you teach me?

Katana Ishtari: You're welcome!

Sorry, I'm not as cheerful as I ought to be. Switzerland lost their world cup bid a few days ago, and I'm still not over it kasi e. Sniff, they lost to Ukraine. Can't believe it, and they lost to PENALTY SHOOTOUT! When it was clear that Switzerland should have received at least one penalty shot! Barnetta was so tripped in the penalty box by one of the Ukrainians! How unfair, curse you referee!

Okay, that's out, on to the story!

When You Meet Your Match

Chapter fifteen

Tasuki took off his disguise, one of the guard's coats, and wrapped it around Mayumi's naked upper body. She gave him a small smile, a smile that wasn't returned by Tasuki. He looked quite distressed and annoyed with something. Mayumi thought that he looked like he was struggling with himself.

"What's wrong, Tasuki?" she asked croakily.

She was still being supported by Tasuki. When they tried to make her stand once she was free of the chains, her knees collapsed. She winced in pain at that time and they have been resting on the floor for a few minutes. Kouji decided to take out his revenge of taking his 'sister' by knocking the lasher senseless.

"I should have been here sooner," said Tasuki in a hollow voice.

"No, Tasuki -"

"Yes, I should have, and you know it," interrupted Tasuki, looking at her, "if I had come here sooner, you wouldn't be beaten up at all."

"Tasuki-"

"It's okay if you hate me," he interrupted again. "I know that you would."

"Listen to me -"

"I know, I really let you down and you don't deserve to be treated like this -"

"Please, Tasuki, don't -"

"And I should have been here sooner, and you hate me and -"

Mayumi had decided that the best way to make him stop talking was to kiss him.

Kouji had pointedly looked away, and in an effort to have something to do, he trampled on the unconscious lasher.

Mayumi broke the kiss, a kiss that Tasuki returned by the way, and stared at Tasuki. "Does that answer your question?" she whispered.

Tasuki looked back at her. "So you don't really hate me?"

"I'm gonna go out for lookout," said Kouji suddenly. He got bored of beating up an unconscious man. "I'll yell if I see someone."

Tasuki looked awkwardly at Kouji and almost wanted to beat him up when he gave him a rougish wink. Mayumi didn't notice any of this as she absent mindedly nodded and rested her head in Tasuki's chest.

"Can you move?" asked Tasuki.

"Not really much," she answered, giving him a small smile. "I know that you're planning a daring escape involving us running through the guards and all, but I can't stand let alone run." She smiled again. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," said Tasuki, "we'll just stay here until you feel like you can stand again."

"That can take a while."

"If I get bored, I'll carry you out of here."

"Then you won't be able to fight."

"Can you see now why I'm willing to wait it out?"

Mayumi laughed, and then winced. The muscle movement had hit the nerves that were swollen around her waist.

"Don't make any sudden movements," said Tasuki nervously.

Mayumi smiled at him and nodded.

They stayed silent for a few minutes. Tasuki silently scrutinized Mayumi's condition. She was resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed. Her face was full of small cuts and bruises, and her hair was sticky and wet with what felt like her blood. Her body, what he saw of it, was full of sharp long cuts evidently made by the whip they were using on her. But what infuriated Tasuki the most was seeing Mayumi half naked tied up to the wall. Many searing images had gone through his mind the moment he saw Mayumi without clothes waist up, and he had not dared asked if she had been violated in any way, fearing that he would be able to hear the worst.

This was the reason he was beating himself up for not coming any sooner. He felt that he was too late to stop the attacker from raping her, and he had not yet asked for confirmation of his thoughts.

"Mayumi," he began. He had to know.

"Hmm?"

"When I saw you," he began, "you were naked."

Mayumi raised her head and looked at him. He looked at Mayumi's expectant face, the range of emotions she can show in her face was thankfully not hindered by the many cuts that were in her face. She can still look both innocent and wickedly amused at the same time. "Yes, I was," she answered.

"Well, um," said Tasuki, who was struggling for the right words to say, "did, um, he, um, you know -"

"I wasn't rape, Tasuki," she said, deciding to put him out of his misery, "you came just in time."

Relief, warm glorious relief spread all over Tasuki. His shoulders slumped back on the as he held onto Mayumi tighter. He didn't seem to think that saying 'oh, good' would suffice what he was feeling right now, so he didn't say anything. He just held Mayumi tighter.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Mayumi looked past Tasuki and saw in the frame of the door hr uncle, Kito, with a mixture of supressed rage and evilness - there really is no other word for it - in his face. Mayumi and Tasuki both stood, they had no other choice. Tasuki supported Mayumi as she stood, looked worriedly at her, and after making sure that she was okay, or as okay as she could ever be, he turned his attention to her uncle.

Mayumi had never seen him so angry before. Not even when he was ticked off with her.

"So you're Kito," said Tasuki coolly, "the idiotic excuse for an uncle."

Before Kito could answer, a little boy passed through and stood next to Kito. He couldn't have been older than five, as he looked up at Kito, then at Tasuki and Mayumi and then back to Kito.

"Ah, Mayumi, I believe you haven't seen your cousin," said Kito evilly, pushing the boy in front of him. "This is Yori, my son."

Mayumi almost choked at his words. Finding her voice, she said the only thing that came to her mind. "You mean you actually reproduced?"

Tasuki bit back a laugh, as he looked at her. She managed to give him a small wink and despite her painful disposition, still managed to look smugly at Kito, who was shaking with anger.

"Who are they, father?" asked Yori, "and why is she badly hurt?"

"This is a matter that you are not to deal with Yori," Kito said sternly.

"Shouldn't we take care of her?"

"I said, this has nothing to do with you, Yori!" said Kito in a sterner and louder voice. The boy promptly closed his mouth and went away quickly.

Mayumi looked curiously and sympathetically at the boy for a second before he disappeared.

"I'm glad to see you haven't managed to corrupt your son," Tasuki was saying.

"Corrupt?" asked Kito, "He will be just like me and his mother."

"Evil, manipulative bastards?"

"You call it that," said Kito menacingly, "I call it rising through the ranks."

"By killing those on top of you."

"You have a sharp tongue for a bandit, boy."

"And you don't deserve one."

Kito opened his mouth angrily for a remark, but closed it again and looked to his side, at the hallway.

He looked at Tasuki and Mayumi in a satisfied smile and said, "Let's see how sharp your tongue can be now that you'll see this."

With a wave of his hand, two guards came into view.

"Kouji!"

Between them was a trashing Kouji. "Lemme go!" he was saying, trying to pry of his arms from their grip. One of the guards grabbed a handful of Kouji's hair and pulled back his head. Mayumi gasped as she saw a small thin line - made by a knife - drawn across Kouji's neck.

"So, you do know him then," said Kito satisfyingly. "The guards saw him lurking about ahead of me, and they snuck up on him and grabbed him before he can make a sound. To his credit though, he didn't pass out."

Kito then smiled. "I saw him, I must admit I thought that it was Akira, your brother," he smiled became even nastier. "But of course, your brother's dead." Mayumi, without realizing it, had dug her nails into Tasuki's arms. "I saw his body, and for good measure, I cut off his head when you were gone."

Tasuki held onto Mayumi tightly because she was on the verge of lunging herself at Kito. Tasuki couldn't blame her of course, he was more than willing to rip this rotten excuse for a man to pieces.

"But he does look remarkably like Akira, doesn't he?" mused Kito lazily. He then grabbed one of the guard's swords and pointed its hilt at Kouji's neck. "See? I even marked out where I'm going to cut his head, just like your brother's."

"Tell me, Mayumi," he said, looking at her, "what must it be like? Losing your brother, and your - from what I have heard - 'adopted' brother in a short period of time. It must be devastating."

Tasuki glared at him, as Mayumi's nails dug deeper into his skin.

"Let him go," snarled Mayumi.

"Oh, I can't possibly do that," said Kito lazily, "not when you're in the safety of your boyfriend's arms."

"Let him go," said Mayumi, "and I'll do what you want."

"Mayumi - NO!" cried Kouji, who's head was pulled back even more.

"No, Mayumi," said Tasuki, "I won't allow it."

"Of course you wouldn't," said Kito, his eyes gleaming, "but Mayumi had never really followed rules, has she?" He then pressed the sword into Kouji's skin. "You know what, I don't really care for you anymore. I'm not about to let any of you three come out of this house anyway. I should have killed you Mayumi when I had the chance."

"You were too cocky for your own good."

"Yes, that's true, but no matter," he said, "I still have the last laugh. You three don't have anywhere to go, anyone to help you, you're all gonna die a slow and painful death here, and I will enjoy every single minute of it."

As Kito raised the sword and was about to throw it down to Kouji's neck, Tasuki and Kouji both yelled "NOW!", and all hell broke loose.