After a while, Hana was out of tears. She laid on the hospital floor feeling numb, staring at nothing. She was too exhausted. Not even her shoulder caused her to move. Erika eventually helped her to her feet and led her over to the waiting chairs. They sat with her as she absently filled out the information on the forum. Once she was finished Walker was the one to take the papers and run them to the front desk. Hana waited, and they waited with her. After a while, she managed to speak up in a faint voice, "Thank you..." They looked to her as she stared at her hands in her lap. "You didn't know her, but you turned against your gang to help save her. Thank you for that."

"The Blue Squares were shitty anyways," Saburo replied lightly.

Hana didn't smile at that. She wasn't sure she could smile her face felt so broken. She felt so broken. "Their loyalty was to me, too..."

"Hm?" Kyohei looked at her confused.

"Kiba... Nozomi... Ryan... They're loyalty was to me, not the Red Stains." Her hands balled into fists. "I knew... Deep down I knew what would happen to them... but I asked them for help anyways..." She sacrificed her family to save her other family. What kind of win was that?

Walker smiled at that, "I know for a fact that if they were sent back in time to tell their past selves about what was going to happen, they'd still make the same choice to help your sister."

Hana glanced up at him, then over to Erika as she said, "That's right. They didn't sacrifice themselves just cause you told them to. They did it for you, and for Saki."

Hana stared at her lap again. That didn't help the pain. She reached up to grasp her shoulder. "Mikajima Hana?" Her head snapped up and quickly stood to face the nurse that approached. "Your sister is stabilized, but she's in a coma."

Her eyes widened in fear. "A coma...?"

The nurse quickly offered a smile and added, "We believe she'll wake soon. Rest assured, Ms. Mikajima."

Hana staggered, nearly falling to her knees again. "Can... Can I see her?"

Kyohei and the others remained behind as Hana was led to the coma patient ward. The nurse told her which curtain was her sisters before leaving her alone. Hana stepped into the room filled with drawn curtains. She walked up to one and peeked it open. She wasn't as prepared as she thought she was. A hand flew to her mouth, new tears swimming in her eyes as she saw her little sister lying in the cot with an oxygen mask on, IV catheter in her arm, monitor beeping along with her heart, and both her legs in casts suspended in stirrups. Hana stepped inside and knelt beside the bed, resting her forehead on Saki's arm as she quietly sobbed.

!

Kida Masaomi made his way through the hospital hallways, forcing himself towards where Saki was after a nurse gave him directions. He entered the room and approached Saki's curtain, but nearly jumped out of his skin as it was pulled back. His eyes went wide as he stared up at Hana's cold gaze beating down on him. There was a redness around her eyes. "Y-you're... Saki's sister... You're Hana, right?" It was a stupid question and he knew it. She stepped out of the curtain and he quickly backed up. Staring at her, the only thought going through his head was, she's going to kill me. That's the vibe he got anyways. He swallowed out of nervousness as she stared down at him.

She then walked away. He blinked, watching in surprise as she just left him unharmed. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Hana walked down the hall with her hands in her pockets. Kida Masaomi... She wouldn't hurt him. He was here. Seeing him she could tell he was just a punk in junior high. He never meant for things to escalate like this. He showed up to see Saki, that's all Hana cared about.

Hearing other footsteps she glanced up and came to a stop. "Mikajima Hana, we meet at last." She narrowed her eyes at the man in a fur trimmed black coat.

"Orihara Izaya?" She guessed.

He smiled at her. "You know my name. Let me guess, was it Saki that told you about me?"

"I'm going to kill you."

"Before you do that," he quickly said and stuck his hands deep into his coat pockets, feeling his knife handle. "You might want to listen to what I have to say first." Hana narrowed her eyes in a dangerous glare. "You're in quite the bind now if you haven't noticed. I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't thought this far ahead yet, seeing as how you just went through a very traumatic experience."

"Three seconds," she warned.

"What will happen to Saki when your aunt and uncle find out?" Hana's eyes snapped wide open. Oh shit. Izaya's smile grew at her expression. "If word of this reaches their ears then they no doubt will transfer her to a hospital closer to them, forcing you to cut all ties with her. We can't have that now can we? Unfortunately Saki used up almost all of your emergency funds on your injured shoulder. Tell me, is it healing nicely? You look better than the rumors said."

Hana glared at him again and growled, "What do you want, Izaya?"

"I personally want Saki to get better," he shrugged innocently. "But it won't do me any good if she's gone. You need money for the new medical bills but you can't possibly turn to your own family for help. So, how will you get the money?" She refused to play his game of banter and stared him down. He approached her, albeit cautiously, and handed her a business card. "I can help you with that. It's a dirty job, but it'll get the bills paid, and you get to keep your precious baby sister."

She didn't glance at the card he offered. "And what do you get out of this?"

He hummed in amusement. "So long as I'm alive, you have a job, and your aunt and uncle won't know a thing about this whole ordeal."

Bastard. She glared down at the card. Filthy, sneaky, brainwashing bastard. She snagged the card and shoved by him. Izaya only chuckled as he watched her go. Hana stayed the night in the waiting room, refusing to leave until her sister woke up. Erika tried to convince her to take it easy before she and the rest of them left. The next day Saki eventually came to and was forced to give a testimony to the cops, putting Izumii in jail. Hana stayed by her side in her new room and Saki sat up in the bed, smiling at her sister. "You look terrible," she laughed lightly.

Hana released a breath and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess I do." She didn't properly treat her wounds and her shoulder still ached something fierce. She slouched in her chair beyond relieved that her sister was awake, and even better, smiling. "No worse than you, though."

Saki laughed more as the door opened. They both looked over and Hana was surprised to see Kyohei enter with Erika and Walker. "Hi there," Saki greeted. "Are you Hana's friends?"

Hana shifted in her seat and stared at them curiously. What were they doing here? "Not exactly," Erika replied, "We're merely acquaintances."

"Saki," Saki looked over to her sister as she said, "They're the ones that helped me get to you." Glancing at them she added, "I'm afraid I don't know their names."

Saki smiled at that, "Geez, Hana, that's just like you. You probably bullied them into helping, you brute," she teased.

Hana closed her eyes, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Erika openly laughed while Walker said, "Wow, big bad leader of the old Red Stains getting told by a little girl!" Hana frowned at him with a groan of annoyance.

Saki smiled at them and said, "Ignore my brooding sister. Can I have the names of my other heroes?"

"I'm Kadota Kyohei," Kyohei introduced them with a smile. "This is Walker and this is Erika. Our friend Saburo is outside in his van."

At the mention of that Saki glanced over at the window. She made a small "Oh," sound and Hana glanced at her, seeing her distracted. Hana glanced over her shoulder and went wide eyed, spotting Masaomi down in the street below. He was just standing there. "What about him?" Saki's voice was quiet.

Hana glanced back over at her, seeing a sad yet loving look in her eye. Honestly, based off what she heard, the kid froze up and didn't come to her rescue. But, seeing her little sister's face and knowing how fond she was of him, Hana sighed and closed her eyes. "He did his best to save you, but the Blue Squares jumped him. He wasn't able to make it in time."

"I see." Looking at her sister again, Saki stared at her hands with a sad smile. Hana couldn't tell if she believed her or not. Saki smiled up at Kyohei and the others and said, "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem," Kyohei replied. "We just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. We're glad you're awake."

"Yeah, me too," she replied with humor.

"Excuse me," a nurse poked her head in. "I'm sorry, but visiting time is up..."

The nurse looked worried. Kyohei, Walker, and Erika were confused until they followed her aim to see Hana glaring daggers at the woman. Saki laughed a bit and reached over to put her hand on her sister's good shoulder. Hana blinked and looked over at her. "Hana, it's fine. You'll be able to see me tomorrow, I promise." Hana frowned at her. "It's not like I'll escape the hospital. Well, maybe I can, but I won't get very far." She gestured to her legs with a laugh.

Hana sighed and her good shoulder sagged. "All right... I guess I'll go home."

"And take a shower while you're at it," Saki added as Hana stood, "You stink."

Hana shoved her hands in her pockets, blushing out of embarrassment. "She's got that right!" Erika said and Hana groaned, pushing past them as they laughed. Since when were people so chummy with her?

Kyohei and them said their goodbyes, but before they followed Hana out Saki added, "Wait... If you could, I'd like you to give a message to Masaomi down there." Looking to her lap again she said, "Could you tell him... That I said thanks? For him coming that far."

Kyohei frowned at her. "He hasn't come by yet?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. That's as far as he's come."

When they left, they caught up to Hana fairly quickly. "She seems like a nice kid," he said to her.

Hana's scowl faded into a small smile. "She is."

Hana stopped by the front desk to work out a payment plan while Kyohei and the others went out. Instead of heading for the van, though, they walked up to Masaomi. "Hey," Masaomi quickly looked up to see the three of them approaching. "You're Kida, with the Yellow Scarves, right?"

"Y-yeah? Who are you guys?" He asked.

"Well..." Kyohei sighed, not wanting to alarm the kid. "I'm not sure how to explain it. You see, my name is Kadota."

Masaomi perked up in recognition at that. "Oh, right, I heard about you. You guys decided to go against your gang and stepped up to save Saki. So, uh..." He lowered his head, "I owe you a big thanks."

"No worries," he replied. "Actually, we were up there just now talking to her. She said you hadn't been by yet." Behind them, Hana stepped out of the hospital doors and looked over at them.

Masaomi glanced at him surprised, but looked to the ground again. "Yeah, well that's my business, not yours."

As Hana approached them, Kyohei said, "I have a message to give you." Masaomi's eyes widened. "She can see you pretty well from the window in her room. She said to tell you thanks for coming this far." He didn't say it too kindly.

Masaomi stared at the ground in shame while Kyohei frowned at the boy. Erika and Walker glanced back, realizing Hana was standing right behind them. Erika quickly grabbed Kyohei's sleeve and pulled him to the side, to his confusion. Masaomi glanced up, and then went wide eyed as they moved away to show Hana staring at him. "H-Hana..."

She stared at him for a long moment, but he quickly broke the contact and looked to the ground instead. Kyohei and the others glanced between the two of them. Hana then decided to speak, "I told her you did your best to save her, but the Blue Squares ambushed you and you weren't able to get to her in time."

Masaomi gasped, suddenly tensing up, "Wa...?" He stared at the ground in disbelief.

Hana let a sigh slip out her nose. "She doesn't seem to be mad at you. Visit her when you can, all right?"

With that she turned away to walk home, but Walker asked, "Hey, need a ride?"

She stared at him, but was then distracted by Masaomi. "Why... Would you tell her that...?" Hana stood and listened as he shouted, "I didn't ask you do to that!"

She looked back at him. "No, you didn't. If you had told me not to, then I still would have told her that anyway." She faced him and stared him down, "I didn't do it for you, Masaomi, I did it for her. She deserves as much."

"You know what really happened, right!?" He looked away, his face twisting up in despair. "I-I ran away... When I got close to her I just froze..."

"Yeah, I know that. And by the looks of it you're still running from her now."

"So what!? What else am I suppose to do!?" He shouted at her. "Lie to her!? I ran away! I just left her there!"

Kyohei and the others perked up when Hana walked forward. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted him up to his tip toes, bringing him to her eye level. "Keep yourself together," she said into his face, startling him a bit. "If you feel guilty about running away then lying to her is the pain you'll have to learn to live with, got it? That's the least you can to do make it up to Saki." Masaomi stared at her wide eyed, forced to stare into the eyes that looked so much like Saki's. "If you don't want to lie to her then stop running. Face what you're afraid of and tell her the truth." She let that sink in before she pushed him away. "If you want to run away from your past then fine. But whatever you do, don't run from the present or worse your future." He was momentarily stunned and she reached behind him, pulling off his yellow scarf and dropping it to the ground.

She left him with that and walked away. "Check it out!" Walker smiled as they followed her. "Titania just said something really cool!"

"Totally!" Erika agreed as Saburo pulled up the damaged van.

Saburo looked over at Hana and she came to a stop. "Need a ride?"

She hesitated, glancing at the broken windshield, but then nodded. "Thank you." They climbed into the van and she told him her address. Hana was quiet, sitting in between the two otakus as they went off on a bunch of other nicknames they could call her after her speech to Masaomi. Kyohei glanced back at her, but she didn't seemed bothered by them. "Hey... Hana," She glanced at him. "I gotta ask... Where have you been the last six months?" Walker and Erika suddenly went quiet as he continued, "After that beat down you gave Izumii you had to know he'd want to get you back. You disappeared and your gang fell apart, and this business with your sister..." He sighed, "Not to criticize, but you could have put a stop to it."

Instead of being angry at his accusation, she was just exhausted. And she had to agree with him. Staring down at her lap she replied, "You're right. I could have."

There was a moment of silence before Saburo spoke up, "There were some crazy rumors about where you went and what you were doing. Some people said you were dead."

Hana took the silence that followed as a prompt for her to explain. She closed her eyes, a sigh slipping from her nose. Seeing as how she was trapped in a van with them stuck in the middle she'd have to explain. Opening her eyes again she gave them the short version, "Izumii had broken the bones in my shoulder. I was stuck in a cast for six months." She briefly wondered if Izaya informed Izumii of that. It would explain why he was so eager to launch a counter attack.

Walker then spoke above her head to Erika and said, "Titania's totally the last minute unexpected hero savior with a bitchin' post battle reflective monologue waiting to burst out!" He flailed his arms in excitement.

Hana closed her eyes again. "I have to disagree with the monologue part."

Walker pouted, but Erika picked back up the hype with, "It would've been super cool if she showed up at the garage with the cast still on," Walker was nodding enthusiastically, "and she'd break out of it, symbolizing her transformation from gang member to superhero, and requiping into her Purgatory armor!"

"No, no, Clear Heart Clothing armor!"

"Oh! Or Heaven's Wheel armor!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

While the two went back at fourth, Hana merely stared at her lap. She blinked. She had no idea what they were talking about. "I couldn't move very well while I was in the cast," she said and they went silent again. "That's why I had to break it off before I left."

"Waaa!" Erika went wide eyed at her. "You did bust out of your cast!?"

Kyohei looked back at her alarmed. "Wouldn't your shoulder still be wrecked?"

Looking back at him, mostly to avoid the odd stares she was receiving from the other two, she replied, "I only had two weeks left."

Walker shared a look of awe with Erika as they realized, "She wouldn't have been able to fight!"

Closing her eyes again she said, "Evidentially that was just a theory." Her hand subconsciously reached up to grip at her stiff shoulder. "The doctor recommended I take physical therapy for some months before fighting again."

Hana's eyes snapped open and she went stiff when Walker and Erika got to their knees and reached over her head, interlocking their hands together and cheering, "Total big sister hero savior dandere type!" Hana quickly closed her eyes, dropping her hand, and refused to respond to that on the grounds that she didn't know what they were saying.

After Saburo pulled up to her house she got out and stopped by his window. Looking to the damage she did that still wasn't repaired she said, "I'm sorry about your van. Kadota said how much it means to you. I'll pay you back for the damages, I promise."

"Oh, I know you will," he replied, but then waved it off. "But don't stress about it. I don't need it immediately or anything."

Hana nodded to him, and then walked back into her house, Erika and Walker screaming some nonsense after her as they drove off. After entering her home, she stood in the darkness of the entryway for a long time. For a while, she didn't think of anything. She just stood while consumed by the darkness and silence. Then she had to make a plan. She'd need to sell the place. She'll get a small two bedroom apartment for when Saki got better to leave the hospital. That'll give her some money for now. But after that...

Admitting defeat, she pulled out her cell phone and business card, giving Izaya a call. He was expecting her. "So, do we have a deal?"

In exchange for Izaya preventing news of Saki reaching their aunt and uncle, she wouldn't kill him, but instead would work for the Awakusu-kai, as another deal he has promised on their end. That's when she met Shiki, and then Akabayashi. She cut off ties to those she knew, going as far as to get a new number. She started a new life to pay for Saki's bills. Whoever stopped by her house would see that it was for sale, and couldn't find news of Hana's whereabouts. Those who saw her on the street typically lost sight of her shortly after. After she paid off Saburo's van damages, she tried to avoid them, too.

For months this went on. Hana became situated in her new routine. She went through the motions with a mechanical numbness.

After finishing her job, she helped herself to the resident's kitchen to wash herself of blood that splattered on her skin. It blended with her jacket well enough. This particular home was trashed, so she had to watch her step when making her way to the sink. Though it was filled with dirty dishes and the place looked like tetanus was born here, she'd rather use the kitchen than the bathroom.

She turned on the faucet and the water that came out was questionable. Without hesitation she reached for a rag that was no doubt filled with bacteria, but wet the cloth to wipe her face. This wasn't the worst home she visited. Her job was dirty, her soul at this point felt dirty, so smearing some disgusting water on her face to wipe away the secret of her occupation was nothing to her. After she finished she shut off the water and tossed the rag to the floor.

She carefully stepped back through the living room, but paused when she heard squeaking. She glanced over at the fresh corpse and saw a rather fat rat already feasting away. Not once in the months she had been working for the Awakusu-kai did she admit to herself how disgusted she was. She buried it all for the sake of helping her sister. She did all this for Saki. But while she watched the rodent chew through the broken flesh her particular numbness was also being eaten away.

If Izaya was spreading information about her to random people, it was bound to reach back to Saki. If she found out what she's been doing all this time...

A sharp wave of nausea hit her like a punch. Her hand flew to her mouth and she ran out of the apartment to the back alley, dropping her pipe to let it clatter loudly on the ground. She braced herself against the cool brick wall and let her sick splatter on the cracked pavement. After a few heaves she spit a few times to clear her mouth. Panting, she rested her forehead against the wall, listening to the nightlife of the city that sounded so far away.

Not once had she questioned herself. She would do her job, collect her payment, then visit Saki with a smile knowing she could stay at the hospital to get the treatment she needed.

"I'm not a murderer,"

"You'd kill for me, right?"

"I would kill for you in a heartbeat, Saki. You know that."

"You won't be much help to your sister if you're in jail for murder."

Words from the past suddenly swarmed inside her head, drowning out the noise of reality. She stayed as she was for a while, staring at her own sick. Saki wouldn't want this. She knew deep down that Saki didn't mean for this. Hana shut her eyes tight. "How did everything become so... fucked?" It was a stupid question that she knew the answer to.

After she took a moment to compose herself, she pushed herself off the wall. She picked her metal pipe back up and forced her feet to move, snaking through the back alleys of Ikebukuro to avoid crowds of people. She realized with mild shame how familiar she was with back roads, feeling the need to hide. As she walked, she glanced over at a child sitting on the ground next to a bench. The kid was eating a wrap, and before he took a bite he glanced up at her curiously. He was foreigner by the looks of it.

Hana was immediately distracted by a flash of headlights on her. She stopped just a few feet from the boy, narrowing her eyes against the harsh light as a van rolled up and came to a park in front of the building right next to them. The three guys that came out didn't seem to care about her presence. "Diggin' the rusty sign."

They examined the entrance of the building while the fat one said, "This is it. This must be the place the Intel broker mentioned."

Hana narrowed her eyes at that. Izaya, that's who they were talking about. The kid glanced over his shoulder, hidden by the bench he sat against as the three guys held blunt weapons, sizing up the place. The only one who seemed to notice Hana was the nicely dressed one with glasses. He looked her up and down and frowned at her, "You got a problem?"

The small one peered around them and looked her up and down. She merely stared at them while he smirked, "Hey there, pretty lady! How old are ya?"

"Forget it, Kanazawa," the fat one frowned at him. "No girls. I don't want gettin' greedy and have you-know-who show up."

Now she understood. They were human traffickers. She glanced at the kid to see him go ahead and eat his meal. "Hey," she looked back at the one with glasses. He faced her and said, "I asked you a question." She wasn't a hero. She had her own problems to deal with. Not to mention if they had a deal with Izaya then if she screwed anything up Izaya could possibly get back at her. Possibly. There was a chance he wouldn't care, but she didn't like to rely on chances. Especially with her current situation. "Hey," the guy barked at her and moved towards her. The kid stopped short of taking another bite and looked over his shoulder again.

Hana replied coolly, "Take another step towards me and I'll beat you to death." She didn't give idle threats, and from her signature expression the man seemed to understand that. He stopped short, but glared at her, mostly annoyed that she got to him. "I don't have any problem. Just on my way home from work."

"Oh?" Kanazawa piped up again, "And what would that be? Do you come down here often?"

"Depends where my job takes me," she replied. "I guess you could call me a mail-man. I deliver messages for the Awakusu-kai." She didn't say it with a threatening tone, but she didn't have to. One mention of the Yakuza immediately set them on edge.

The fat one asked, "This Yakuza territory?"

Resting her pipe on her shoulder she replied, "I'm not at liberty to discuss my company's business." She tucked her other hand in her pocket and continued walking. "But like I said: I don't have any problem."

The three men eyed her, but relaxed once she was far enough away. They continued with their business inside the building of foreigners while the kid continued to hide and eat his food.

!

"Another job well done!" Akabayashi offered the brown envelope and she frowned at his smirk. He always worded it like that to annoy her. She roughly took the envelope from his hand and looked through it to count the money. Not as much, but it was enough. "So, encounter any problems?" He asked from the couch as she stood over him, usually just as a formality. She never encountered any problems, but in her hesitation he perked up in surprise. He brought his glasses down to peer his one eye at her. "Hana?"

She stared at the money in the envelope, weighing her options before replying, "On the way back I ran into some human traffickers."

"I see. Did they try to take you?" He asked curiously.

"No." She closed the envelope and tucked it away in her jacket. "I was passing by while they pulled up to an abandoned hotel. Bunch of foreigners in there I think."

"And?" Her eyes flickered to him as he leaned back against the couch. She couldn't make out his expression when he asked, "What did you do?"

She looked to the pristine white tiled floor. "Nothing." Perhaps she spared the one child, but that was nothing compared to the rest she condemned. She shoved her hands in her jean pockets, feeling uncomfortable. Akabayashi seemed to have a knack for getting things out of her. Maybe deep down she wanted someone to talk to, and Akabayashi was surprisingly friendly despite being an executive to a Yakuza.

Akabayashi smirked at that. "Probably for the best. Though if it were me I'd probably beat those traffickers bloody."

Hana huffed, looking to the side almost annoyed. Always the hero. At times like this it aggravated her. Even a man like this still had higher morals than she did. It made her feel... ashamed. That was what she should have done. That's what she would have done before...

Akabayashi studied her, tilting his head to the side. "You're a good kid, Hana." She glanced back at him. "I'd hate to see the younger generation turn to shit."

She looked to the ground for a long moment. "Just how old are you anyways," she grumbled; her usual response to when he made comments like that.

And as usual she headed out, not looking for an actual response. Akabayashi sighed as he watched her go, but before the door shut he called, "Let me know how that job search goes!"

Hana escaped to the side alley where she hid her weapon, not daring to bring it home with her. She stopped and stared at the metal pipe that was dyed orange from all the stains. "You would've beat them bloody, huh?" Akabayashi annoyed her at times, and often spoke too friendly for her to be comfortable with, but if she was being honest with herself for once; she liked him.

Every week she'd take an average of three lives. For every week of every month... That was a lot of people. There were even more human disappearances done by traffickers. Once in a blue moon they would take her job away from her. There were probably a lot of foreigners in that building...

Her brows furrowed up as she became conflicted. She wasn't a hero, she was a murderer... but maybe this was a chance? To at least start to make up for what she's done? Pressing her lips tight together she snagged the pipe and broke into a sprint.