AN: This ended up being shorter than I planned but I hope that you still enjoy it. There are just certain points I felt it was better to end the different parts at.

Chapter Forty Three – I Murdered Someone

Kuon kept glancing at Kyoko's stomach. She really was pregnant and he suddenly felt like an asshole for having been unable to help her with the pregnancy. He had been too busy killing gang leaders and shaking up the order of things in the world of crime. He was now wishing that things had worked out so that he could support his beloved girlfriend through the pregnancy.

"You know, I've told them stories about you so if they can hear," Kyoko said and Kuon looked down. He had to struggle with the choices he was making. He had originally come to find Kyoko to talk to her and give her a proper goodbye before he had to live his new life as the head of a gang but now he had a kid. He wouldn't be able to say goodbye to them without it breaking his heart. His heart had broken enough when he had said goodbye the first time.

"I wish that I could see them grow up," he commented and Kyoko put a hand on his wrist so that he couldn't stand.

"Don't you dare get up. You will be able to see them grow up," she told him before putting a hand to his shoulder. "You don't have to turn yourself into the police. Think of it as self-defense. They usually don't convict when it's self-defense especially when it comes to a gang leader."

Kuon sighed, he closed his eyes and let the pain flow through him.

"What kind of a husband and father would I be if I lived that kind of a life?" he dared to ask and Kyoko kissed his cheek.

"The kind who prioritizes his wife and child and that's a good father. Kuon, after all of the pain that you've gone through, this is something that you're owed. You escaped and hopefully nobody will come after you and you should be able to truly achieve the happiness that you haven't been able to before."

Kuon paused and then closed his eyes, "And you'll still love me?" he had to ask and Kyoko brushed his hair back. She was glad that he still looked like him. She hadn't wanted for him to have plastic surgery and change his appearance forever, though she knew that she would still love him even if that was the case.

"You never have to worry about that," Kyoko told him as she nuzzled his cheek and neck. "There are many things that I swear I will never do but I can never stop loving you. Now, what do you need?" she asked and Kuon sighed, he started to shake his head but Kyoko looked at him with her usual brand of determination in her eyes. "If you don't tell me then you'll upset the pregnant mother of your child."

"A place to train," Kuon said before pushing a hand through his hair again. "Kyoko, I think that there are parts of my mind that have fractured. I'm much more in touch with the man that I was as a teenager. I have one goal that I shouldn't even want to achieve but even so.."

"And what is that?" Kyoko asked as she stood up and moved in front of him. "Kuon, whatever it is. I don't care. I love you unconditionally and I have been missing you for three full months. In my mind, I have already committed myself to spend the rest of my life with you. I am so happy that you're back that nothing you say could change this moment."

Kuon stared at her and took a steady breath in. "I have a desire to murder Rick," he told her and Kyoko nodded. She could understand the way that he felt but she still she wanted to talk him out of it. The Kuon that she had come to know was kind and gentle. Even if he did murder his ex-friend though, she would still love him and stand beside him.

"I understand," she told him, "but I don't want them to take you away from me. If you murder him you really might have to spend the rest of your life in prison. I don't want you to do that. You have something that Rick might never have."

"Really?" he asked before looking away, "a gang leader role waiting for me?"

"No," Kyoko said, "but a girl who loves you. Someone who would protect your life with her life. Someone who would never be able to recover if she lost you." Kuon froze and looked away. He really wanted to keep Kyoko but his anger often had ways of getting out of control. If he kept his head straight though, he could really master anything.

…..

…..

Kyoko had called Kuu who was in Japan doing his own acting because Kyoko needed support with the baby. He was currently working in Tokyo and so it had taken him some time to come here but she was nervous to show him the man that she was still keeping in hiding. She only hoped that Kuon would have told his father.

As Kuu pulled up, Kyoko knelt down on the grass and a domesticated Cain ran over to her, pressing his snout to her cheek affectionately. Kyoko sat up and smiled to her father. "Thank you for coming so quickly," she said before seeing Cain with a strange look on his face. She wondered whether the dog was actually able to smell Kuon's scent.

"Are you cooking something good," Kuu asked as he tried to calm Cain down. "He usually doesn't get this excited, especially when Julie's cooking," he said and Kyoko rolled her eyes. It was true that Julie wasn't very skilled at cooking in fact it seemed that she and cooking repelled each other by a magnetic force but she didn't want to say anything bad about the woman who everyone knew would be her mother in law had things turned out differently.

"No. I mean, I was going to put on some beef but I don't think that's what he's smelling," Kyoko said and Kuu looked at her suspiciously but he didn't know what to question her on. It wasn't a crime to keep hidden the contents of one's house but Cain's behavior did seem different than the dog he had known and taken care of.

"Why did you call me down? Is everything okay with the baby?" he asked as he heard Cain pant. He sighed and let the dog go who bolted into the house to search out the scent he was tracking. "I haven't seen him like this for a long time."

"He's probably smelled something that he couldn't resist," Kyoko joked and Kuu looked at her cluelessly. Kyoko looked down and then slowed her breathing so that she could speak in a calm manner. "He came back," she said and Kuu stared at her. He wasn't sure what she was talking about and he wasn't ready to make believe that his son was back from the dead.

"Who?" Kuu asked before watching Kyoko gesture that he should follow Cain inside the home. Kuu nodded, eyeing her cautiously, before he heard the sound of Cain panting excitedly and barking. Opening the door, he saw Kuon beating up a punching bag that they had made from a burlap sack of straw. In fact, there was straw covering the floor throughout the entire room.

"Kuon?" Kuu asked as he stared at his son. "Are you -"

"Dad?" Kuon said as he stopped and placed a loving hand on Cain's head. He stared at his father who watched him in disbelief. He slowly made his way over to his son and put a hand to his chin. He moved Kuon's head from side to side to truly inspect his son.

"You're alive?" he asked and Kuon nodded. "Oh my god, you're alive. How can you be alive?" he asked and Kuon stared at him weakly.

"I'm the newly recognized leader of a gang," Kuon announced and Kuu nodded slowly. His dislike of that fact wasn't what they should be concentrating on. It was more important to note that Kuon was standing in front of them and he was neither dead or a zombie. "I killed the former gang leader."

"But you're alive," Kuu repeated and Kuon nodded slowly. Kuu laughed and shook his head, "the rest doesn't matter," he said and Kuon paused as he looked between Kyoko and Kuu with wide eyes. What weren't they understanding? He had murdered someone. He had a heavy hand in the death of another human being and they didn't care. This was pretty messed up.

…

…

What Kuon didn't know was that he wasn't being hunted by the gang who was left back in America. He might not think of himself as a gang leader but that didn't prevent other people from viewing him in that light and that capacity. He was strong and intelligent and incredibly skilled and most importantly, they knew that he was the one who had taken down the previous gang leader.

One of the known hitmen in the gang had known the story of Kuon. He knew how he had been an underling but had also not wanted to be there in the first place. There was little chance of him pulling out of this type of life at this point. He had travelled to where he knew the target was. The target that Kuon had wanted dead.

"Hi," Dragon said as he saw Rick at the side of the road. He got out of his car and approached the man who had been responsible for the takedown of their new leader. "I want to talk with you, asshole," he announced and Rick rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you think you know, you don't know," he said and the man laughed.

"I'm not asking you for a google search," he said before pulling out a loaded gun. "I'm asking for your life. You know, to make a present for my boss."

"Your boss wants nothing to do with me," Rick argued, "And even if he did all that he would want is information. That's the deal I made with you. Information in exchange for my life so there's no reason to threaten me at gunpoint."

Dragon chuckled in a menacing manner, "There's been a change of leadership," he announced and Rick raised an eyebrow.

"Who's the new leader?" he asked as Dragon managed to move the gun so that it was resting right upon Rick's temple. Rick shivered as he looked at the hatred in Dragon's eyes.

"Kuon Hizuri," he said before there was a loud bang and it was far too late for Rick.

End of Chapter Forty Three

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Forty Two

EmmaLasagna, Guest, H-Nala, Kaname671, Paulagato