"I'm gonna find a way to stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Running away from something I should be running toward."

-*-

Letty stepped off the bus on Harajuku street in front of the hotel and sighed. She didn't have any clothes except the things she'd gathered at the garage but she knew it was too dangerous for her and for Sean to try and reclaim her things at his place.

She glanced down one end of the street and then the other. This seemed like one of the Tokyo centers of fashion from what she could see. Maybe she could find something here. She had a good chunk of money saved up. She just had to find a way to retrieve it from her account without having to use her card.

She knew that could easily be traced.

She sighed and walked into the hotel, and up to the counter.

The man behind the counter looked at her with disdain. She realized she was probably dirty, and her hair was probably mussed but she did not like that expression. She growled at the man behind the counter and he shrank back a little.

"Can I help you?" he squeaked.

"I believe you have a reservation for me," she replied, raising an irritated eyebrow at him.

"Name?"

She swallowed and murmured, "Retsu Katsumoto."

A man, well-dressed in a three piece suit, shaking the hand of someone in the lobby, overheard the name and came forward, placing a hand on Letty's shoulder, looking at the man behind the counter. "Tama, this is our VIP guest, don't you remember? I told you about her."

"O-Oh! Of course, sir. Miss, let me get you your room card." He shuffled around behind the desk.

The man smiled and bowed a little. "Konnichiwa, I am Miki Teguchi, Teiichi's friend. We went to Tokyo U together. Shared a dorm. And you're…" His voice dropped down low, "…Leticia Ortiz?"

She nodded.

"Very good. Oh my, is that all you have?" He pointed to her bag.

Another nod.

"Well, Teiichi-kun said anything you need, just ask and he'll pay for it all. So just let me know what you like and I can have a few things sent up to you," replied Teguchi.

"Thanks."

"Miss!" called the man behind the desk and then held out her room card to her. "Here you go. Third floor."

She took it and nodded. "Thanks." Then she started toward the elevator.

"Oh! Miss?" Teguchi called.

She looked at him.

"Place your dirty clothes by the door and they'll be picked up and cleaned."

She nodded.

"Enjoy your stay!" called the man behind the desk.

The elevator dinged and opened and Letty stepped inside, leaning back against the wall and clutching her bag to her. She sighed, and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't hide out here forever.

How can I fix this? How can I make it right?

The elevator dinged open on the third floor and she looked at her card. She went to the room with the number from her card and slid the card.

As she was opening the door to go in, a door on the other end of the hall opened and Mia walked out. She was saying something to Brian, who filed out behind her. She glanced up when she felt another presence in the hall and her eyes widened.

She had only caught a glimpse of the person's profile before they'd disappeared inside their room but she knew who it had been.

Letty.

"Oh my god, Brian!" she hissed. "It was Letty! I saw Letty!"

Brian blinked and turned in the direction Mia had been looking. His brow furrowed and then his eyes turned on his girlfriend, and an expression of confusion painted his face.

"I didn't see anything."

"Ugh, she went into that room! Come on!" She pulled him along to the room and went to knock. But Brian grabbed her hand.

"Wait. Mia, we can't do this. If it isn't her, we'll look like dumbasses. And if it is…what if she's here for a reason? What if she's hiding from something? She's here under witness protection, remember? We could end up blowing some sort of cover."

Mia looked up at him and then sighed and dropped her arm. "But—"

"Let's wait for Dom. Now come on, let's go get something to eat. When Dom calls, we'll talk to him, okay?"

Mia nodded and followed him out, glancing back at the door.

Letty.

-*-

Letty stripped out of her clothes and placed them by the door like Mr. Teguchi had told her to and then turned the shower on. She wrote down her clothing tastes on a piece of paper and then set it down atop the dirty clothes as she waited for the shower water to warm up. And there was a robe she could curl up in until some clothes were sent up for her.

She sighed as she stepped under the spray and wet her long, wavy dark hair. The water sluiced over her tanned skin, down her round breasts, over her hips and womanhood and down over her legs, washing away all the dirt, grime and sweat from her tired, aching body.

This entire situation was stressful. She was being accused of murder and now she'd come to learn that someone was actually killing people in an attempt to find her. Was it Braga?

Of course it was.

Someone working for him had obviously found out about her and was out to get her. The thought frightened her and she felt her chest constrict in fear.

She doubled forward, pressing her forehead against the cool tile of the shower as she tried to catch her breath, as she pressed a palm against her chest and heaved, closing her eyes. She could feel a few hot tears leave her eyes and she pounded her fist against the tile.

"Dammit," she hissed as she slid to her knees. What a mess. What an utterly terribly mess.

The water had run cold before Letty actually stood to wash. She did it quickly but thoroughly and shivered as she stepped out into the open air, wrapping the robe around herself and putting her hair up in a towel. Then she went out into the living area and saw that her clothes had been taken.

There was a knock shortly after that.

She opened the door and a young man with an armful smiled at her.

"Konnichiwa, Katsumoto-san. Your clothes." He held out his armful to her.

She plucked the articles from him and smiled back, nodding. "Uh, arigatou. I, uh, I don't have any cash on me or—"

"It's quite all right, miss." He bowed and then skittered off.

Letty closed the door after that and placed the clothes down, spreading them out. Wife-beaters, t-shirts with cartoonized skulls, t-shirts with cars on them, bras of the proper size, regular panties, thongs, even boxers lay there. There were also baggy cargo pants, denim skirts, hip-hugging black jeans, an array of belts and at least two packs of black socks.

She ran her fingers over all of the clothes and smiled a little. It was like a little taste of the past. She glanced over at her boots. They were scuffed and dirty but they were the only thing she still had that were really part of the past.

She sighed and then plucked a black wife-beater and a denim skirt from the bunch, as well as a pair of normal—albeit lacy—black panties and a lacy bra. Then she pulled her robe off and dressed.

She wasn't sure what to do now. She knew there were a few things she needed to take care of and a few people she needed to find but she had no idea where to start.

Still, she pulled on some of her new socks up to just below her knees and then put her boots on. After that, she pulled the towel out of her hair and tossed it across the room until it was near the door. She stood up and went back into the bathroom.

She found a comb and started to work the knots out of her hair before she pulled it up into a ponytail, a few tendrils dangling down, framing her face. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"What did you ever see, Dom?" she asked and then grinned. "The eyes, right?"

She shook her head and stuffed her keycard into her bra before walking out. Maybe she could find an arcade to hang out in or even a bar. Something.

She made her way to the elevator but was ambushed before she made it inside. There was a hand over her mouth and she was being pulled backward. Oh god, was she being kidnapped? Had they found her?

Dom! her mind cried.

But she was pulled inside a room, hearing the door close, lightly and then she was wheeled around.

Mia!

"I knew it was you!" Mia called and then hugged her, hard, tears falling down her face.

Letty blinked and hugged her back. "Mia, what're you—"

"I saw you go into your room. Brian said not to do anything but I couldn't just leave it alone. I ran back up here and I saw you coming out! I was so lucky because I didn't actually have to bother you. Oh, Letty, it's really you!"

She sobbed and Letty sighed and hugged her tighter. "Stop that crying, Mia. Haven't Dom and I taught you anything?"

Mia laughed and then sniffled. "Oh...Dom, he's—I mean, this is his room but he's not here. He's been gone for a few days. I've been worried…"

Letty frowned. "Mia…I'm sure he's fine. He's Dom, y'know?"

"He misses you."

Letty sighed and let go of the woman, stepping toward the bed and sitting on it. "I miss him too, Mia, but…there's more to this than just him and I. Something big is after me and I can't get anyone else involved. I can't let anyone else get hurt."

"But Dom—"

"Stop it, Mia," she snapped and then sighed. "I want to see him. And when all of this is over, I'm gonna stop running. I'm gonna face up to my feelings, the anger he left me with, and all the love I still have for him. But not now, not yet."

Mia sat on the bed next to her and took her hands. "Letty, Dom would do anything for you. When he thought you were dead, he was in a rage. He killed a man, Letty, for you. He killed Fenix Rise."

Letty's eyes widened.

Dark hands wrapped around a gun, pointed at her head. NOS leaking onto the asphalt. Sirens in the distance.

Death's door.

"Letty?"

Letty was snapped out of her thoughts and she looked at Mia. "He…did?"

"Yeah. And he turned himself in for the hijackings. He thought if he stopped running, he could make you proud one last time. He almost went back to Lompoc."

Letty looked down at her lap. "He did?"

"Yes."

Letty stood up and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mia. I have to go."

"Why is it so hard for you?!"

Letty closed her eyes, tight and shook her head again before she walked out, going back to her room.

Mia sighed and then jumped when the phone rang. She dove for it. "Hello? Dom?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Dom, I was so worried! But, that can wait. Listen, you have to get back to the hotel, now!"

"Why?"

"She's here."

-*-

Letty leaned back against her door and placed her face in her hands, letting out a shaky breath.

"Fuck," she breathed and stood up straight, pacing the room, pulling the ponytail out of her hair to let it fall free, so she could run her fingers through it, nervously.

If Mia was here, that meant Dom could show up.

She couldn't stay.

She'd have to find another hotel to stay at. She couldn't risk Dom. Not when she might have a chance to salvage their relationship after this mess was over. She began to gather up her new clothes and stuff them into her bag.

She went into the bathroom and grabbed some of the little shampoos and soaps. She didn't know where she'd be staying but in case she had to take a bath in a puddle, at least she'd have something to wash with.

Where would she stay? She couldn't go back to Sean's. She couldn't go back to Yamada's and put her mother in danger. Han's place was still taped off because of his alleged murder and all the illegal activity surrounding his cars.

"Dammit, dammit all…" she hissed and then flopped down on the bed.

What was she doing? She had nowhere to go, she had nowhere to belong. She hadn't had a place to belong since Dom had left her. Since all of this had happened. Maybe if she stayed, they could…

No. Not yet. Not until the danger had passed. She was angry at him for leaving her but she loved him too much to put him in jeopardy.

There was a knock at her door.

She sighed. "Mia, go away, I'm not going to change my mind."

The knocking got louder.

"Mia, I'm serious, nothing is going to change!"

Knock, knock.

"Ugh, Mia, you're as stubborn as your brother, I swear!" she growled and stood. "Go away!"

Knock, knock, knock!

She stomped toward the door and yanked it open. "Mia, I told you, I'm not gonna—"

Her eyes widened.

Desperate eyes gazed back at her.

"D-Dom."

-*-

Disclaimer: I own nothing