Author's Note: Yay, another update. I'm trying to balance everything in my life and get this fic done at the same time (since I'm getting a job soon and won't have a lot of time to write).
Thus, updates will be posted regardless of new reviews... so, if I don't respond to your review personally, I'm very sorry. Thanks to everyone who's still reading and/or reviewing. It means a lot to me.
Now, time for some super-angst. Because, yeah... this is one of my fanfictions. Needs angst. Last chapter was a little too fluffy; gotta balance that out. Also, more action scenes, because one reviewer suggested that, and it makes sense; Virtua Fighter is a fighting game, and while fighting is not the main plot device of this fanfiction (yet), it should still be in here.
--
"Well Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue,
You should've raised a baby girl,
I should've been a better son.
If you could coddle the infection
They can amputate at once.
You should've been,
I could have been a better son."
Mama - My Chemical Romance
--
As the sun grew brighter with the morning's progress, Akira found himself waking up with some room to move around on the couch.
At first, he panicked. If Aoi was still laying next to him, there shouldn't be that extra 'wiggle' room. Sure, she was tiny, but he was not, and thus, it was just as cramped as if two normal people had been laying on the couch.
"Akira, you awake yet?"
She was in the kitchen. He sat up, shaking his head. He needed to calm down... while Goh's threat still worried him, he needed to remember that Aoi was not defenseless and she did not live alone; her father was the master of their family's Aiki-jujutsu, and her younger sister, Midoriko, had no doubt also trained in it. Aoi herself was one of the most skilled martial artists in the world.
Goh Hinogami wasn't simply going to kick down her front door and kill her at his whim.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up..." he grumbled, pretending to be annoyed. He was actually just relieved... and a little disappointed that she had woken up without him.
But he wasn't going to let her know that; she was his childhood friend, but still a woman. You give a woman the slightest idea that you care, and she takes it as a license to make you her bitch. Akira had seen it happen to many great and powerful men (well, not many. Akira wasn't that popular, but enough).
"Are you hungry?" she called to him.
"Why?" he called back, running a hand through his hair. It was mussed, and a little greasy... but nothing a quick shower couldn't take care of... he rubbed his chin. He needed a shave, too. "Are you cooking?"
"I was thinking about it," she replied. "So, are you hungry or not?"
He chuckled, picking up on the testiness in her voice. "Sheesh, calm down, woman..." he said, standing up and folding the blanket, before placing it on the back of the couch. "Listen, don't cook anything... gimme ten minutes, and we can go out and get something to eat," he told her, peering into the kitchen.
She gave him a funny look. "What for? I can just cook something here. And it'll be cheaper..." she pointed out.
"I know that," he agreed. "But I'm sick of you bending over backwards to take care of me and then throwing it back in my face. So I'm taking you out to lunch, okay?" he said.
For a moment, she frowned, placing her hands on her hips, her mouth opening, ready to let a whole pantheon of insults and retorts loose on him...
until she saw his lips split into a grin, and realized that he was just kidding.
"Fine," she agreed. "You take a shower, I'll get dressed," she said, heading towards her room.
"Get dressed? You are dressed," he said, mildly confused.
"Shut the hell up."
--
Fifteen minutes later, Akira stepped out of the bathroom wearing a dark blue, short sleeved shirt over a white wife-beater, and jeans. He had shaved his face, managing not to nick himself, and he looked... mostly presentable.
He walked up to the door of Aoi's room and knocked.
"Gimme a minute, seriously!" came the awkward, impatient reply.
He was spooked. She was awfully tense about going out for lunch...
and when she finally emerged from the room, he realized why.
She was wearing a light pink blouse, and a matching skirt that hung just above her knees... her hair had been pulled up into a neat and smooth ponytail, and her bangs, brushed to the side. If she was wearing make-up, it was so little that he couldn't tell.
She looked... really pretty.
It made his mouth suddenly go dry.
'Yeah... when a guy asks his female friend out for lunch, that's usually called a date,' he remembered.
"Um... yeah, sorry..." she began to apologize, her cheeks turning the same color pink as her skirt. She began to smooth it out, seeming nervous. "I don't get a lot of opportunities to... go out and stuff... so I thought I'd dress up... sorry..." she said, seeing how dressed down he was.
He shook his head quickly. "No... no it's fine," he replied. "You look great," he added.
She smiled. "You think so?"
"Yeah, I mean it."
They were quiet for a few moments, before someone interrupted them.
"Aoi," it was her mother. "You promised you would pick Shiroi up from school today. Did you forget?" she asked her oldest daughter.
Aoi balked for a moment, eyebrows raising. "I don't remember that..."
"Well, I do."
"Fine," Aoi said, grabbing her purse. "Akira and I will be back in an hour or so. More than enough time for me to pick Shiroi up from school. Okay?" she told her mother.
Akira knew that Aoi's mother did not like him... but she didn't have to go this far. Making up promises? Why would Aoi offer to pick up her sister when her mother was the housewife, and had nothing better to do? "Listen..." he said, looking at Aoi, and then, at her mother. "If you don't want us to go, we can stay here. We can go out tomorrow... or whenever," he tried his best to sound polite, but really, he was just annoyed.
"No. I want to go out to lunch. I'm hungry," Aoi said, anunciating her pronouns clearly. She grabbed his hand, and led him to the front door. "Like I said; we'll be back in about an hour. If we're not, you just go pick her up," she said, opening the door.
"I can't. I have to go grocery shopping," Aoi's mother replied.
"Yeah, okay, mama," Aoi said, pulling him through the doorway.
"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, yo--"
Aoi slammed the door, and dug through her purse for her car keys. When she found them, she exhaled deeply, and said, "Alright, let's go."
--
Since it was Aoi's car, and she was driving, he let her choose where they would go to eat. That, and... he really didn't know of any good cafes in Kyoto. He didn't spend much time there. Her family was the only people he knew in the city.
Aoi chose the Kyoto Diamond Cafe... a two-story building with a patio, overlooking a busy street. The trees planted in front of the cafe were decorated with Christmas lights... in August. It even had valet parking.
"Hope you don't mind. This place has a great view," she said.
And it did, if you liked to watch cars pass by... but hey, most cafes wouldn't even let you see that. The tables were small, made for two (or four, if you really wanted to squish people in), and the chair was large and comfortable. The air-conditioning worked, and the waitresses were dressed in neat black, white and forest green uniforms.
They both had iced coffee to start... and like most cafes, it wasn't worth the price. Small glasses filled with maybe six ounces of coffee, milk and chocolate syrup, and the rest was ice. But that was part of going out to eat; spending more than you should for things that you normally wouldn't eat.
It was after a few moments of silence, both of them looking out of the wide, glass wall, that Aoi asked, very bluntly, "I... took this wrong, didn't I? You weren't asking me out on a date... you just wanted to get something to eat..."
That was the easiest way to sum it up, and Akira wasn't going to lie to her. "Yeah, pretty much..." he agreed. "Sorry."
"Yeah. I guess that was my fault..." she said, and although her tone was calm, he had a feeling that... things were about to get ugly. "I mean, when someone pulls you up onto a couch and falls asleep with you, that close, and then asks you out to eat, that's obviously not a date."
Her voice was quiet, but she wasn't hiding her sarcasm.
"Look, I'm sorry, what else do you want me to say?" he replied. "I don't go on dates. I'm not very experienced with this stuff. I think it's kind of pointless, to be honest."
"Oh, so it was just bad timing on your part?" she replied.
"I know that you're not going to believe me, but yes, it was," he said.
She was quiet, and then said, "Okay... fine. Just stop sending mixed messages, then."
"Mixed messages? What the hell, Aoi?"
Aoi opened her mouth to respond, but their waitress cut them off.
"Hello... my name is Himeko. I'll be your waitress. What can I get you?" she asked them both, looking a little... surprised.
"Beef bowl, please," Akira said, handing her the menu.
"Chicken yakisoba," Aoi said curtly, before handing over her own menu.
"O-kay..." Himeko said. "I'll be back in a bit with your food," she said, leaving them alone.
Once more, they were quiet for a few moments.
When Aoi opened her mouth, probably to provoke another arguement, Akira cut her off. "Don't say it," he warned her.
"Or what?" she replied, both annoyed and amused by his sudden threat. Whatever it was, she didn't think he'd do it.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I'll kiss you again."
"What the hell kind of thre--"
Akira leaned across the table, grabbed her face, and kissed her.
Across the street, at the J'aime Cafe, a man with a scar on his left cheek watched, his lips splitting into a grin. Why? Because he knew that they were finally working things out and possibly getting closer to that happy ending they both secretly dreamed of.
And he would relish, with great joy, putting a quick end to those dreams.
--
"Wow, you guys got into another fight?" Midoriko asked, as she and her older sister sat on the couch, watching a reality television show. Aoi didn't like reality television, but her sister had the remote, and Aoi just wanted someone to talk to. Their parents were obviously out of the question.
"Yeah... I know, I just can't help it. Every time we're nice to each other, I just... start ruining it," Aoi answered, pulling her knees up to her chest. Akira had decided to go somewhere with their father; neither man had said where. It was probably a guy thing.
"You know, there's a word for that little problem," Midoriko said, popping a few wasabi peas into her mouth.
"There is?" Aoi asked, perking up for a moment.
"Yeah, it's called sexual tension, stupid. Why don't you and Akira just do it and get it over with, already? Then maybe mom will bitch more about you and less about me," Midoriko said with a mischeivous smirk.
Aoi picked up a throw pillow and hit her younger sister with it. "Mama bitches about me, too. I think the only one of us that she doesn't bitch about is Shiroi-chan," Aoi said.
"Yeah, whatever. Shiroi's weird," Midoriko said. "But anyway. You and Akira are victims of sexual tension. And there's only one cure for that..."
"I don't know when you grew up..." Aoi began, standing up. "But stop it, or I'm telling mama," she joked.
"Yeah, okay. Where are you going?" Midoriko asked.
"I'm going to go train a bit..."
"You know, working out is like denial in your situation, right?" Midoriko called after her.
--
Aoi's limbs moved swiftly, almost robotically, in the steps and strikes she had learned growing up, but her mind wasn't focused on practicing her techniques. It was elsewhere, and it showed in the subtle flaws in her form. It would take a pro to notice it, at Aoi's level, but it was there.
She was thinking about Akira. Was Midoriko right? Probably so. The girl was a bit flighty and prone to submitting to peer pressure, but she wasn't stupid. In fact, she was a lot smarter about people than Aoi was. Probably because she'd spent her adolescence outside, interacting with others, instead of focusing solely on getting into college and becoming the perfect heir for their father's dojo. Aoi didn't regret deciding to inherit the dojo; but the path she had chosen was vastly different from the one her younger sister seemed intent on.
She and Akira had kissed twice. Both times had been pleasant, to say the least, and she would gladly do it again. She cared about him deeply; she always had, and those feelings wouldn't go away. They certainly hadn't in the ten year span, in which they hadn't seen each other.
Akira seemed to care, as well. He was finally noticing how many things she had to balance; she hadn't been to the college campus in three weeks. If she ever checked her email, she'd probably find emails from her professors, asking her to pick up the work she'd missed. She was avoiding it. She attended a very good college, on a sports scholarship. She and Akira were still very well-known, and Japan prided themselves on... well, anything that they could.
He seemed a lot better than he had been the week before. He wasn't hell-bent on getting a drink anymore, and that was good. Aoi's face flushed; it felt good to make a difference in another person's life. It also felt good to be appreciated for it, and slowly, Akira was coming to appreciate her.
Neither of them could deny that they were attracted to each other now. She had grown up into a beautiful young woman, and he... well, he wasn't bad looking. No, he was good-looking, in a rugged sort of way; mussed hair, wrinkled clothing, and stubble suited him well. Clean-shaven and dressed up, he just didn't look as good. Spending the last ten years apart had made them grow up differently; she was now his foil, and he was hers. Opposites did, indeed, attract.
Midoriko was right, she decided.
But, fixing the problem was the problem; they were finally working things out. She didn't want to complicate things. And she wasn't a seductress. She didn't know how to seduce men, because she had been taught that it wasn't a proper thing to do. And even if she hadn't, she was a straight-forward person; seduction was an art better left to people like Pai Chan and Brad Burns. Aoi's lips curled into a frown, and she made a little snort of distaste as she exhaled and her foot landed on the hardwood floor.
Brad was a womanizer, and Pai was... well, two-faced. Aside from their obviously over-active libidos, those qualities weren't ones she held in high-esteem. Their only saving graces were that they were very skilled martial artists. Even then, in their last match, she had nearly tied Brad... he'd only gotten serious about winning after he'd realized that there was no way in hell he was getting her number.
Brad was also an idiot, and Aoi didn't respect ignorant people.
'You're also assuming that Akira would sleep with you if given the opportunity,' she reminded herself. That was a little presumptuous and concieted. But, then again, he was obivously interested...
Aoi felt her face get hot, and her foot landed wrong as it came down from a kick. She stumbled, for the first time in years, and quietly cursed herself.
"Smooth move," a voice said to her, calmly... but the tone had something deeper in it. Mocking. "I guess you're really not so tough."
She regained her composure and turned around, to see Goh... god, he was creepy! His skin was so pale... that scar and the facial piercings didn't help, either. Neither did wearing blue or black, the two colors that further highlighted his deathly paleness, but perhaps that was the point. Today, he had chosen the black trench coat. He'd dressed up for this occasion, and part of her wondered why.
"What are you doing here? This is private property. The gym is closed today. How did you get in?" she demanded. The gym was connected to her family's home, but there was another entrance that students used to get in. It was locked, however.
"What, that flimsy bolt lock?" he said, opening his fist to show her a piece that had been removed. "Not really that hard, if you know what you're doing. Maybe if you were paying more attention to your surroundings, you would have noticed me sooner," he taunted her, dropping the piece of the lock. It rolled across the floor, stopping a few steps from her feet.
"That's called breaking and entering. Get out of my house now, or I'm calling the police," she warned him, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh, I doubt it. I haven't even answered your first question yet," he said, with a growing grin.
"I really don't care," she said, and then turned towards the door leading back into her house. "Mido--" she began to shout, but he dashed forward, catching her off-guard... thrusting his fist into her abdomen.
She stumbled back, doubling over in shock and pain. She glared up at him; what a cheap shot... "I take it that this isn't a social call, Hinogami," she spat, holding her stomach.
"Unless you consider assassinations social events, not really," he agreed, pulling his gloves down. He figured that at this point, she was going to be an easy kill. She had sisters, after all; she be distracted with thoughts of their safety, and whatever had been on her mind before he'd announced himself. He'd already caught her once. He already had the upper hand.
"Why?" she asked, her voice bitter, as if she expected him to have some personal vendetta.
He laughed. "Because I was ordered to. It's nothing personal... I'm sure that if things were different, I'd love to get you in the sack..." he taunted her, taking a small step to the side to avoid a front snap kick. "But... I guess I'll just have to settle for a bodybag."
"Why me?" she pushed, forcing herself to stand up straight. Her stomach ached from the punch, dull shots of pain rippling through her side. She gritted her teeth. She'd have to fight... if she didn't, he'd probably go after her mother and sisters next. Midoriko was very advanced in their family's style, but she was not match for Goh. Their mother and Shiroi were basically defenseless.
"You're becoming a problem to my superiors. You actually stand a chance in the World Martial Arts tournament. Despite being the smallest female competitor, aside from that under-aged Chinese brat, you have made it farther than any other female competitor, gaining third place during your first entry, four years ago. You've mastered three different martial arts, putting you on par with Sarah Bryant for the most diverse fighter. Unfortunately..." he rolled his shoulders back, grinning again. "My superiors chose her and not you. You have potential. But, unlike Vanessa Lewis, you have absolutely nothing special to offer Judgement 6. Therefore, you must be eliminated before you become a problem," he finished.
How ironic. Because she was skilled, an unknown group had been a bounty on her head. She'd certainly never seen that coming.
"Well..." she began. "I'm flattered. But I'm not letting you kill me or my family."
"I don't give a shit about your family," he said. "My only orders are to kill you. And trust me, you'll be more than enough to satisfy me for the day," he said.
"That makes this a lot easier on me, then," she muttered.
"It'll be easiest on you if you just give up. I promise, it will be quick... I'll even leave you pretty, so that your family can have an open wake," he said, raising his fists.
"No way in hell!" Aoi shouted, enraged. She charged at him, throwing out a punch... things seemed to move slowly as adrenaline filtered into her veins, making her heartbeat faster, making her anxious but confident. She could see his hands moving, ready to grab her wrist and take her down... but she was faster. Goh didn't realize that women were born with faster reflexes, and Aoi had been honing hers since she was a child. And with her adrenaline rush... he'd be lucky if he hit her at all.
"No way!" Her hands locked around his arm, and she stuck out her leg, flipping him over it. He landed on his back, and rolled away from her... his grin was gone, and it gave her a mild feeling of satisfaction.
"So, kitty does have claws..." he hissed. "You just lost your only chance at a merciful demise. Get ready to die slowly and painfully, bitch," he told her.
"Shut the hell up and fight," she replied.
Enraged, he ran forward... but he was sluggish for someone so skilled. Easily, she intercepted him, landing an elbow in his gut, and then, following it with a knee. He stumbled back, but managed to duck her next blow. While she recovered from a missed opportunity, he siezed one by kicking her ankle out, throwing her off balance just long enough to grab her by the waist and plow her into the ground. He heard her try to swallow a whimper of pain... it sent a chill down his spine.
As she tried to push herself up, he walked around her, knelt down, and grabbed her arm. He lifted it up, preparing to land a rib-crushing strike, but she surprised him by pulling up her knees and sliding them forward, thrusting a leg out at his chest. Startled, he dropped her arm and fell back, giving her the time to stand up.
As he recovered, she swung her leg around. Quite easily, he sidestepped it, ending up at her back. His arms came around her waist, picking her up and slamming her into the ground, this time, face-up.
He watched her as she laid there for a moment, prone. He was wary of grabbing her again. Last time, she had retaliated... was she still strong enough to do so again?
She didn't move... He listened to her heavy pants, and then, weakly, she tried to push herself up.
He smirked. No, she was pretty much finished. He knelt down, grabbing her by the hair, pulling her up to eye level. "You should've taken my generous offer... you're fucking pathetic," he laughed at her. "You know... a few days ago, I met your boyfriend in the park. Did he tell you?" he asked. He didn't care for her response. "Heheh... well, I had orders to kill him, too, but that didn't work out so well. My chest still fucking aches because of that asshole..." he continued. "So, I think once I'm done carving up your pretty face, I'm going to take out your heart. How does that sound?"
"You're... fucking disgusting..."
"Oh, it gets better, princess. A few weeks, maybe a few months, after your funeral, once everyone has settled down... hey, maybe even a few years, when he has another girlfriend... I'm going to mail him your heart. And then, as he's staring down into that little package in horror, screaming, or cursing me out, or crying or whatever, I'm going to kill him. And do you know why I'd wait years? Just to fuck with him. Make him paranoid, make him really, really hate me... that way, the look on his face when I stab him in the throat will be so priceless..." He was laughing so hard that he was almost crying.
"You're a monster..."
"Tell me something I don't know, sweetheart," he replied. "But you know what the sickest part about it is? I wasn't born a monster... oh, no, darling, believe me when I say that there are even more disgusting people in the world, and they make monsters like me."
Goh pulled out a knife, the same knife he had intended to kill Akira with, but Aoi had managed to gather some strength while lying there, listening to his little speech. Her hand shot out like a snake striking it's prey, catching him in the throat. He let go of her hair, and tried to get back, but she sat up, and grabbed his wrist. She twisted it around, and turned, forcing him to the ground. He dropped the knife, and she kicked it away with her hand.
He laughed again as he reached into his jacket with his free hand, making no attempt to free himself from her grasp...
It was a little too late when Aoi noticed the shine of metal, and realized what it was.
"Aoi!"
There was a blur of forest green, and someone pushed her back, forcing her to let go of Goh's wrist... she stumbled, landing on the floor, and Goh's arm swung around...
"Mama, n--"
Aoi was cut off by a gunshot.
Her mother didn't scream. In fact, she didn't move for a few moments, as Goh straightened up and realized that the person he had shot was not Aoi.
Ayumi Umenokouji slapped him.
He reeled back, but said nothing... he stared at her blankly, as if asking, 'What was that for?'
"Watch your goddamned mouth in my house..." she said, and then coughed, blood appearing at the corners of her lips. She placed a hand over the wound in her chest, feeling the blood leaving her chest... she pushed down, but she knew she couldn't stop it. It had most definitely been too close to her heart, a fatal wound.
"How dare you... disrespect my daughter..." she said weakly. "I would never see her die at the hands of someone so unworthy... a monster so horrendous... not my daughter..." Her legs finally gave out, and she fell.
Aoi caught her, and gently knelt down on the floor, holding her. "Mama?!" she shrieked, tears pouring down her face. There was a lump in her throat and fear taking hold in her chest. Her mother was dying... there was nothing she could do. But, she couldn't accept that, and began to scream for her sisters. "Midoriko! Shiroi!"
Goh was still silent, as if he didn't know what to do. He had grown up without parents; his mother had deserted him and his father, and then, his father had been killed over a spot at the Olympics. J6 had taken him in as a child, raised him to become a ruthless monster... he had forced himself to enjoy killing, enjoy torturing and maiming, in order to keep doing it, because there was no other way. But, along the way, that lie had become a truth. Now, watching a daughter hold her mother... a woman who had taken a bullet without a sound, and then, slapped him for his rudeness... he was confused. His thoughts spun, and he couldn't raise the gun to fire again at the daughter.
"Aoi..." her mother coughed, looking up at her. Ayumi forced a smile. "I want you to know... that I'm proud of you..." she said.
"Mama... don't..." Aoi said.
"I couldn't... give Ryudo a son... but you tried so hard to become the perfect son and the perfect daughter for us both... and then, for Midori and Shi... the perfect big sister. You tried to be the perfect heir for your father, and still, the model college student for me. And yet, you never thought it was enough... you had to take in Akira, too..." Ayumi coughed again. "You've done so much... for our family... I think it was time that I did something for you."
"Mama... please don't talk like that... you've done a lot, for all of us... you really..." Aoi's tears kept flowing, and she couldn't finish her sentence. She couldn't accept that her mother was dying. Her blood had seeped through her kimono, and now, was staining Aoi's gym clothing, sticky and warm.
"Aoi... promise me that you'll rest now. You don't have to be everything to everyone anymore. You can refuse to inherit the dojo, you don't have to graduate... you can run away with Akira, if that's what you really want..."
"Mama, I didn't mean that one... I just said that to make you mad..."
"I know..." Weakly, Ayumi laughed. "I'm sorry... that you have to watch me die. Will you forgive me, Aoi?"
Aoi knew that her mother wasn't asking for forgiveness for that, but for all of the things she had pushed Aoi to do, for all of the decisions Aoi hadn't been able to make for herself... for all of the fights, for all of the time wasted being angry at each other for no reason.
"I forgive you, mama..."
Ayumi nodded, content to die knowing her daughter didn't hate her. She smiled one last time, and her last breath left her lips, almost a happy sigh.
"... Mama?"
There was no answer, and Aoi's fear was replaced with anger and sorrow. She lifted one hand and closed her mother's eyes... she gently laid her body on the floor, away from the pool of blood... She was also covered in it, staining her jogging pants and t-shirt, but she didn't care. The blood would wash away... but her feelings would not.
At that moment, Aoi hated Goh Hinogami with everything she had... She stood up, and walked to the knife she had separated from him. She picked it up, and felt the solid weight in her hand; it was just a butterfly knife, not heavy at all. She doubted it took much skill to use... which was good. Aoi had never stabbed anyone before, and after today, she wouldn't ever again.
But Goh Hinogami would deserve everyone wound she inflicted on him. He had taken someone precious from her, and had no doubt taken many lives... why should he live? Why should she continue to be a good person and let him go free after all of the sins he'd committed? She was no angel of death, but if she stopped him now, it would be a great service to the public. One less psychopathic murderer. No one would miss him, and no one would blame her.
She walked back to Goh, looking at him with cold grey eyes, rimmed with red.
"Come on... beg for your life, like you expected me to," she said, holding up the knife. She didn't care that he still had a gun. Even if he shot her, she'd kill him anyway... even if it killed her, too. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't slice your sorry ass from sternum to scrotum. You think I won't fucking do it? You just killed my mother... you tried to kill me. You tried to kill my best friend. You're fucking kidding yourself if you think I won't."
"What the fuck ever made you think I'd beg for my life, you stupid little whore?" he retorted.
Aoi didn't care what name he called her... she didn't care that he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of begging for his worthless life... she was going to kill him either way. She raised the knife, ready to strike him...
A pair of arms grabbed her, dragging her back. "Aoi, stop it... it won't make you any better than him..." Akira told her, restraining her arms.
She struggled, dropping the knife to the floor. "I don't care! He killed my mom! THAT FUCKER SHOT MY MOTHER--"
"You think your mother would want you to turn into a cold-hearted killer, too?" Akira whispered in her ear. "Aoi... I won't let you become that person... the same you didn't let me drown myself in booze. It's my turn to save you now. Let me," he told her.
Aoi stopped struggling. "Get the hell out of here!" she screamed at Hinogami. "Now!"
Goh turned and ran for the door. If he shot either of them, the other would snap every bone in his body, without a doubt.
Akira let her go, but she turned around, and threw her arms around his shoulders. She buried her face in his neck and began to sob.
All he could do was hold her until the police arrived... part of him wished that he had let her have her revenge.
But now, they were even.
--
"A man
Has gun
Hey man
Have fun
Nice shot"
Hey Man, Nice Shot - Filter
--
Author's Note: I cried a little bit while writing this... I had planned to kill off Aoi's mother from the beginning. Not because I hate her or anything, but because I like writing really angsty stuff, and I was drained of plot ideas because of my MI fanfiction. The way Ayumi died is a nod to Helena Douglas, of DOA. Helena was awesome until Tecmo decided that she was suicidal. It's also a nod to my good friend Megho, who killed off Kasumi Todoh's mom in her fanfiction. Good stuff.
Anyways, leave a review. I'll try to have the next chapter done soon, but no promises. Busy busy...