Author's Note: I couldn't update my Fairy Tail story. I couldn't think no matter how hard I tried, it's rather upsetting. So I decided to update this story instead, maybe it'll loosen up my mind. It usually does! You'll find that in this chapter, a lot of things go through Shizuma's mind, most of them not too pleasant. Will she be able to handle it? Let's find out, chapter 7, Read, Review, Rejoice!

Chapter 7:
Silver Stained Crimson

"Shizuma, Stop!" Nagisa forced her vocal cords.

Her cries were a bit too late. As soon as Shizuma turned her head to console the panicking cherry-head, the man's figure loomed over her. He threw his arm back, teeth clenched and eyes turning red. He swung the limb down with as much force as he could exert.

Nagisa acted quickly and shoved Shizuma to the side, but her vision, misty with tears, was quickly stained with splatters of scarlet. The marauder grinned as he dislodged his knife from Shizuma's shoulder, watching as the insolent girl grimaced and grabbed the wound. Though the gash was painful, even Shizuma could tell that he was aiming for something worse, just barely missing her head because of Nagisa's push. No doubt, Nagisa saved her life.

Nagisa's shrieks were nearly drowned out by the collective gasps and screams from the customers near by. Bursting through their floodgates, her tears surged as she threw her head just barely above the wound.

"Bet that put you in yer place!", he cackled in the uproar. "You should know not to mess with me, I ain't afraid to go back no matter how long they send me. I'll just get back out! I ain't afraid of some little girl with a mouth too big for her to handle. I put 'em in their place and show them where girls belong."

Shizuma placed a hand on her lover's face, caressing her cheek reassuringly and placing a small kiss on Nagisa's forehead. "It's alright. Don't cry, I'm okay." she whispered in Nagisa's ear. "We'll both get out of this, don't worry, don't panic. I promise you, we'll be okay."

The assailant quickly disturbed the peace Shizuma created for her and Nagisa. He gripped a sea of silver and hoisted her up by her hair. He smirked as he saw her face screw in pain. "I don't like being ignored." he growled.

Shizuma mumbled something and her attacker was able to make out a few profanities as well as a "F*** you". He quickly raised his blood-stained knife to the bridge of her neck threateningly.

Shizuma was shaking. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid. Again, she was faced with this impossible emotion she has never felt before. This isn't how it was supposed to be. She and Nagisa were supposed to live happily ever after. They were supposed to be together, accepted by both their parents. No opposition, no worries, that's how she expected it to be.

Why?

Because she wanted it that way. That's what she wanted, so why can't she have it? Why are things suddenly so hard for her? Was it really worth it?

…

She found herself rounding back to the same question, remembering how she had recently asked Miyuki the same thing. After that, her mind went blank. All she could feel was a warm trickle trailing down her cheeks.

"I see you finally get it. Know your place and fear me." The man smirked triumphantly. Suddenly, his eyes darted to his feet as he felt a pressure near his ankle. There, Nagisa clung to his feet weeping but refusing to release him.

"Please don't hurt her. Please. I'll do whatever you want, but please don't hurt Shizuma anymore." she begged almost breathlessly.

Nagisa's pleas boomed in Shizuma's head. Only once in her life has Shizuma felt so vulnerable, like the world moved against her. Was she going to relive the numbing depression? The mental instability? Never did she expect for Nagisa to have to defend and protect her in a situation such as this. She felt like she was strong enough to at least handle the physical aspect, since not the emotional. But, even here, her weakness was proven again.

The man knocked Nagisa off him with a kick. As Nagisa squealed on impact, Shizuma felt her heart sink. This was her fault, she couldn't deny it. She struggled against the man, who responded by tightening his grip.

"You don't know when to give up do ya?" The man snarled. "Fine. Have it yer way then, don't say I didn't warn ya."

With that, his hand moved in a swift motion, slashing Shizuma's throat in a quick moment. He dropped her and watched as Nagisa held onto her, crying and screaming in a panic. Nagisa's tears flowed as freely as the crimson blood escaping from Shizuma's throat.

The silver-haired girl began to cough up blood, keeping her usually high-held head slung low. Her tears washed down the blood from her face.

As the assailant began to cackle, the rest of the customers, whom weren't crying, simply turned their heads and closed their eyes trying to drown out the scene. Their efforts were useless though, as Nagisa's crying echoed through the entire store.

Nagisa pulled Shizuma's head to a slight tilt, so that their cheeks would touch. Shizuma could only slightly tell what was going on. She felt intoxicated, like she was on some kind of psychedelic. She could vaguely hear Nagisa crying, but her lover's tears felt like fire on her cheek. It burned. Burned worst than anything she had ever felt before. Everything looked faded and every corner looked dark.

"Nagisa…", she breathed the young cherry-head's name in a whisper.

It's funny, she was so scared just a few moments ago. But now, she just felt numb. She knew she was badly wounded, she knew those wounds were seeping with blood. She just couldn't feel it. She didn't feel pain. Even as that cursed man stood above her, laughing, she felt no hatred. She wasn't sad nor scared, though she was crying. The only thing she felt was the burning streaks of Nagisa's tears as they stained her face. Other than that, she felt nothing.

The man who was once working the other side of the store made his way to his partner. The bottom half of the man's face was covered with a cloth, but he seemed young. He did a brief scan of the scene before turning to his accomplice, whom was still laughing contently. He gave the man a cold glare that, as if on command, silenced him.

"What kind of trouble are you trying to get us into!" He barked causing the man to flinch.

"Hex-sama, you didn't hear the things she said to me. I have my pride as a man." he answered back uncertainly.

Before he could react, he was punched in the jaw, twisting his neck with a crack. While the blood flanked down his lip, he felt cold steel press against the bridge between his eyes. The once fearless assailant now stared down the cylindrical barrel of a revolver, swallowing air he didn't realize he was holding in.

"What damn pride do you have? Man? You're an idiot. Even worse, you're a dog." The man apparently known as Hex demeaned him. "Nah, even a damn dog can follow orders properly. You're an insect. I should crush you for this."

"Hex-sama, forgive me. Spare my life!" he begged, trembling with fear.

"Blowing your brains out would be a waste of a bullet. Honestly, letting a little girl provoke you. We get caught, I won't hesitate to make sure you never make it out again."

Hex moved toward Shizuma and kneeled in front of her, ignoring the frightened stares from Nagisa's misty eyes. He looked at the wound in her shoulder and then the slash across her neck.

He got up and sweared quietly to himself. "Well, it most likely won't be a murder charge though we could get pegged with attempted murder." He turned back toward his accomplice. "When I say we, I mean you." Turning on his heels back toward Shizuma, he rubbed his chin, then glanced over at Nagisa.

He reached down to Shizuma, Nagisa tightening her grip on her older lover. He lifted her bangs that, at that angle, hid her face from him. Her eyebrows furrowed, she watched him intently as her olive orbs met with those of light blue. He reached to touch her face but his hand was immediately swatted away.

"Don't… touch… me." Shizuma struggled to warn between breaths.

Hex smirked. He opened his mouth to say something before being interrupted by an accomplice at the register. "We have everything!" the man called.

Hex grabbed Shizuma and slung her across his shoulders, cautious of her injuries. Despite the fact that Nagisa was knocking at his feet, Hex continued on. Shizuma didn't have the strength to fight back and could only watch in a daze as Nagisa kept reaching out to her. She felt a tear slip out as the men left the building, carrying her along with them.

…

About an hour later the police arrived, one particular officer stuck with consoling Nagisa who was wailing uncontrollably even now. She hadn't moved a single muscle since Shizuma was taken away from her.

The officer in charge of the unit had finally arrived, a familiar figure whom easily identified Nagisa.

"Aoi-san? Don't tell me you were caught up in all this?" he asked adjusting his glasses.

"Mr. Rokujou's dad!" She ran up to him and threw her head on his shoulder, for the first time attempting to wipe away the misty orbs escaping her eyes.

He escorted her to the police car where another familiar face sat in wait on the passenger's side. He opened the door for Nagisa to take a seat.

"Miyuki-san?" Nagisa asked sniveling as Rokujou's father excused himself.

"Oh my gosh, Nagisa are you all right? Where's Shizuma? Why aren't you with her?" Miyuki questioned.

Nagisa felt her eyes welling up again. "They… They…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"What is it Nagisa? 'They' who? What do 'they' have to do with Shizuma?" Miyuki probed.

"They took her! Miyuki-san they have her and she's injured! They stabbed her in her shoulder and slit her throat, then took her away! Miyuki she's gone!" Nagisa let it all out in one burst.

Miyuki's eyes grew wide as she sank back into the seat. She held her head, shaking it in disbelief. "This is bad. Especially if they find out who Shizuma is." She wiped her face in an attempt to calm herself down, so she could think carefully. "Okay, Nagisa. What I need you to do is calm down and tell me exactly what happened. Can you do that, or do you need some time?"

Nagisa shook her head. "The sooner I say something, the sooner someone can help Shizuma. Right?"

Miyuki nodded in agreement and listened as Nagisa recreated the scene.

"Does something seem off to you?" Chikaru questioned as she watched the hot, stringy cheese stretch as she lifted a slice of pizza.

"So what, you're a psychic now?" Kaname nitpicked.

"Call it woman's intuition." Chikaru winked.

Tamao delivered another box of pizza to their table. Just as she turned on her heels to walk away, Yaya grabbed her wrist, a grin plastered on her face. "Come on, take some time off. Hang with us a bit!"

"I would love to, but it would have to be some other time. I'm working." Tamao answered scratching the back of her head.

"Can't you just ask your boss for some time out?" Yaya whined.

Connecting eyes with Kaname for a brief second, Tamao quickly lowered her head. "It's not that simple Nanto-san." she said nervously.

"Aww, why not!" Yaya whined. She suddenly smirked slyly, nudging at Tamao. "Just tell 'em that you suddenly started feeling sick because it's that time of the month! It's not like your boss would know any better!"

"Like I would give you any time off for that weak excuse." Kaname muttered to herself.

Noticing the glint in Kaname's eyes, Tamao knew it was time for her to cut the conversation and get back to work. Though they have a few other workers, business had been booming since the day they opened and hasn't calmed down since. Not to mention the 'little deal' between Tamao and her employer, Kaname. Tamao lowered her head again, this time as a farewell and then made her way back behind the counter.

"This is a nice place you're running." Chikaru smiled.

"So this is what you've been up to while I was gone. It's funny, I never knew you were interested in the food service industry." Momomi smirked at her partner.

"It's for my brother." Kaname defended.

"Oh him! He'll run this place into the ground in a month or two. The only reason he'll last that long is because of the good job you're doing with the place now." Momomi criticized him.

"True, he'll be in charge starting tomorrow and that's also when Suzumi-san stops working."

"This is still amazing, even for you. I knew you were good, but I didn't know it was to this magnitude." Amane complimented.

"Everything I do, I do it with perfection." Kaname smirked, "Right, Momomi?"

Momomi took the hint and got up out of her chair to sit on Kaname's lap. She lifted Kaname's chin, looked into her eyes, and smiled. "No complaints on my part.", she whispered, seductively licking Kaname's lips.

Kaname quickly returned the favor by pulling her into a deep kiss. As the two explored each other's mouths, far from uncharted territory for both involved, some of the customers simply gawked at the outward display.

Tsubomi's cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Hikari, who's face was also painted red, pointed out quietly, "Kaname, Momomi, they're staring this way."

"So what? This is my business. They have a problem, they can leave."

That's what they all expected Kaname to say, but instead she responded with a low, uncaring groan from the back of her throat, without for a second breaking away from Momomi's kiss. She had been away from Momomi for far too long to deny anything she was getting.

Chikaru, now ignoring the antics of the others at the table, turned to her girlfriend with a small grin. "You've been awfully quiet."

Resting down her slice of pizza, she wiped her mouth carefully before even attempting to answer. "Decent ladies don't talk while eating."

Chikaru muffled some laughter. "I don't think we can hope to be considered 'decent ladies' judging by our company." she joked, motioning her eyes to the couple who's kiss seemed to deepen every few seconds. "It wouldn't be surprising if they make their way to the manager's office any second now. We'd have to leave them though." She was able to earn a rare blush from the stern blonde.

"Still though, some interesting gears are turning." Chikaru smiled to herself.

Author's Note: Excuse me for suddenly changing the mood, I just never planned for this kind of serious plot. To be honest, I know a lot of you are probably going to wonder "What's going to happen next," but even I don't know at this point. Sorry! I'll just write as the scene plays out in my head. Meanwhile, I'm still heavily contemplating whether this story should move into the 'M' zone or not. I want to, but then I don't want to. It's confusing for me since I'm not quite ready to lose my write-ginity but a lot of you have been asking for it. Anyway, while I continue to think it over, look forward to the next update please!