Of Gunshots and Sorrow

by Moody1656

AU When she has nowhere else to turn, an ex-drug dealer out for revenge is her only hope. Maybe, just maybe a knight doesn't need shining armor to keep Fuu safe from her stepfather. Set in modern time. Rater T for good reasons.

20. Gunshots Ringing

Of Gunshots and Sorrow

Chapter 20

Gunshots Ringing

AN:/

Moody1656: Sorry for the wait! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

Mugen stalked into a closed off alley where a few men circled around a dealer. He pushed one of the men away by the face until he reached the dealer and held a gun to his head. The crowd quickly dispersed while the man shouted out some names for help. "Where's Mukuro?"

"Man, just calm down!" The dealer begged as he squirmed in the man's grip. "Look, I'll give you all I have on me. Just let me go!"

Normally, he'd take the man's offer and then continue to bully him but at the moment all Mugen cared about was finding the bastards that had Fuu. "I don't want your money or drugs! Mukuro. Where is he?"

The man's eyes widened, recognizing the name. "M-Mukuro?" He asked shaking in Mugen's hold. "Wha-what makes you think I know where he is, man? The dude deals nowhere near here."

Mugen pushed him against a concrete wall in the alley, snarling. "If you fucking know he doesn't deal here, then where does he you piece of shit?!" He was loosing his patience. Every minute he spent away from Mukuro was another minute Fuu got closer to her step-father. "So where is he?"

"L-last I heard, he set up shop in Nagasaki!" The dealer confessed, a foul smell reached Mugen's nose at that moment letting him know the man just soiled himself. "I don't know where exactly, but I-I heard he partnered up with some rich idiot from the area."

He narrowed his eyes at the man. Knowing that he was telling the truth he tossed him to the floor. Before he could get another word in the dealer ran off, a trail of piss going down his pants to his shoe.

Mugen scoffed and turned around, striding toward the street. Before he even started looking for Jin's piece of crap car he heard Momo's barking. Seeing them parked nearby he ran over, swung the passenger's door open, and pushed the dog to the back. Without being told, or yelled at, Jin turned the engine on.

"She's in Nagasaki."

- - 20 - - 20 - -

Fuu feel to her knees, she suspected that was the point, when Mukuro shoved her into the small office of the warehouse he and her step-father had adopted as a headquarter. She barely managed to catch herself with her hands, which, unfortunately, made it seem as though she were bowing down to the avaricious murderer in front of her. She looked up at him, as defiant as she could be, and tried to train all the anger she had on him rather than the fear she felt being in his presence again.

Hisoka stood up from the large leather desk chair at the opposite end of the room. "Fuu!" His tone was joyous, familiar, and far-too friendly. He circled around the desk to stand right in front of her. Even looking up, she was stuck staring at his black trousers. She moved up, sitting up first, before pushing herself up to stand. Despite the strength she was grasping for desperately his was natural, the type of confidence a man with power naturally wears like a coat. He looked less manic than the last time she saw him, but raw greed was still sitting in his eyes as a reminder of what he would and could do to get what he wanted.

The man's nose was too small for his large head, it seemed to sink into his features. His lips seemed to have been covered in oil instead of what she assumed was Chapstick, they were too bright and too pink to be considered normal. His hair was short—tidy. The type of hairdo a businessman kept up for appearances. He dressed and behaved like a rich man, but she knew he was poor and worse of than her. That's what angered him most of all and what kept her alive.

He smiled down at her, a tight and forced smile which did its best to hide a scowl. "I'm sure you are glad to be back with me, my dear step-daughter. The horrors you must have faced all this time you have been alone. Don't worry, you're safe now, dear." She wondered who he was playing a part for. Mukuro must know just what kind of sick man he was, and if not he had already suspected it.

Though it angered her to know this from just their last encounter, she already knew Mukuro was an observant man who knew people's characters and weaknesses if not as soon as he met them than soon thereafter. He probably recognized the insane old man in Hisoka long ago, he must recognize the power a man driven mad by greed possessed. Those two things were what kept Hisoka a partner in whatever plans Mukuro must have. He seemed to much like a ring leader to relinquish his role as an alpha male so easily unless he viewed it as temporary while he grew closer to a treasure chest fit for Black Beard.

Fuu noticed then that she had been looking at Mukuro instead of Hisoka when the older man placed his hand on her shoulder in what would seem to be a comforting gesture but changed into a threat when his grip tightened. She turned to face the man behind more than half of the horrors she had faced during the last six months. She wanted to do nothing more than to run to her room, grab her backpack, pull out Mugen's spare, and shoot the bastard between the eyes. "Yes, safe," she said in a steady voice.

He smiled and nodded, clearly content with her cooperation. He turned to face his partner and smirked. Hisoka finally released her and Fuu felt herself stand a bit straighter now that the threat wasn't so near. "Right, though it would be great to catch up I'm sure you are aware, Fuu, that we are here for business."

She heard Mukuro chuckle beside her at the word "business". She nodded expectantly. She knew the goal behind his plans, she just didn't know what the plan was. At least not the portion she would be taking part of and made aware of.

"You may leave us." Hisoka's eyes and voice grew hard as he excused Mukuro. Though she knew Mukuro was angered for being brushed off like a mere lackey she also knew he would do as Hisoka said and was not shocked to hear the door to the office open and close soon after.

He went back to his seat behind the desk and gestured flippantly to a small chair in front of him. She took the chair and waited patiently for him to start what she was sure would be a monologue. "As you know," he started, "Your parents, specifically your idiot father, left you a great sum of money when they passed. Money a girl of your age, experience, and brains has no need for."

Fuu clenched her fists and glared at him. The bastard thought he could just speak of her family and of her like that? "My father was no idiot. The only thing he and my mother ever did that I consider foolish was believe that you were their friend instead of seeing you as the leech you turned out to—" Her words were cut off by a brisk slap.

She stared at him in shock, trembling now that he caused the fear she had been pushing back to take up a larger portion of her mind than her anger had let it before. He looked down at her in distaste before sitting down again. "As I was saying before your lack of manners finally decided to make an appearance." This was the man who had betrayed and killed both her parents. "You have no need for that money, something we are both well aware of. I, on the other hand, am a man of business. Someone who knows how to use money to create more. Your father and mother both saw that quality in me which was why they had kept me close for so long. I helped your father create a name for himself in boxing, not just as a player and coach but as a legend. If you had grown into the role we all planned for you when your mother was pregnant, as a great boxer or as the one who would maintain your father's legacy, maybe I would be able to convince you that you do in fact deserve and need that money. But we both know you still fear going head to head with another person, especially one who may be or is stronger than you." This was the bastard she had once seen as an uncle and accepted as part of her family twice. "I do not fear risks and the power others may have. I am a fighter, much like your dear father. Your mother recognized that in me and married me. I can still uphold the Kasumi legacy by putting his small fortune to good use. Don't you agree?"

Fuu stared at him, refusing to answer. He was not about to let her to try to be defiant and demonstrate her hatred toward him. "Don't you agree?" She broke down as soon as his hand slammed against the desk and nodded.

He took in a deep breath and rolled his eyes at her. "Stupid indecisive brat." He shook his head at her before continuing his speech. "Since we both agree then there is just one last matter we need to address. You can't just give up that money to me. Not yet." The fear inside her grew exponentially at that statement. She wanted to finish any dealings she had to make with him soon, even if she would die soon after. She couldn't imagine spending months or years trapped with him. "We must wait until you turn 18. The money is supposed to be used for your care until you are old enough to be alone. I, as your caretaker and legal guardian, receive $500 a month to provide you with food, clothing, and any necessities for school for the next two years. I cannot withdraw more than that amount, nor can I save any leftover money. I must present bills and receipts to prove purchases at the end of the month and anything left over I must return. It is a complicated and unnecessary system. You understand the problem now?" She nodded despite herself. "So our plan until your 18th birthday, which is approximately 14 or so months from now, is to return to our home. I will take care of you until then, then you will relinquish your inheritance to me, afterward you may choose whatever future you desire for yourself and we will never have to be in a room with the other if you so wish. We will be boarding a train tomorrow evening."

He gave her a minute to let the information sink in. She looked down into her lap as soon as she knew she would not be punished or reprimanded for doing so. She wanted to scream and cry, she wanted to take back time and stay with Mugen. A tear fell onto her fists. She wiped her eyes roughly with her sleeve, there was no use in hiding her fear anymore. He already knew it was there. He already knew how hopeless she truly was. She took a deep breath and managed to ask, "If I don't?"

Hisoka didn't believe she wouldn't follow his orders but he humored her still. "You remember my letter don't you?" Her silence was enough confirmation. "I know everything, Fuu. I still remember Shinsuke and I know about his mother's condition. My knowledge along with what my partner has given me is more than enough leverage over you. I can find that woman's home in which you found refuge in the span of two days and kill her and both children. Her fiance will be trickier to find and kill, but I'm sure once I do I would torture him first. Don't worry I would let you see him one last time to apologize for your selfishness, but only once he was so broken physically and emotionally he will be begging for death. I would save the best for last. That young man you have been traipsing around city to city with will suffer the most and for a longer period of time. From what Mukuro tells me, he will fight for the most time, probably try to save you. I figure he can't do that without all of his body parts and a leg seems like the right type of punishment after all the trouble he's caused—"

"Stop!"

"Afterward I have many plans, all of which include you helping me in destroying him. Not willingly, of course, but I know how to make couples break easier than anything else. Of course, you already know that don't you, Fuu?"

"Please," she begged. "Please, just stop. I've already abandoned everything. I'll do as you say."

He let a moment of silence pass and watched her squirm before he nodded. He leant forward in his chair and stared at her challengingly. She couldn't force herself to look up. "You'll follow me onto the train."

"Yes, sir." Fuu whispered hoarsely.

"You will stay with me without complains or threats to call the cops."

"Yes. Sir."

"And once you turn eighteen you will sign over the money to me."

"Yes..."

"Any questions?"

She raised her head slowly to see the man in the eyes, "What about Mukuro?"

"As long as there are no interruptions he will leave with us too. And everything will be erased that can link anyone to any of the ordeals you've made me go through these last few months." He answered bitterly.

She was soon dismissed and escorted back to her room.

Sometime during the night, as Fuu spent a second sleepless night thinking about the guys and struggling with her hope that they'd come look for her and that they'd do as her letter said and trust her choice and stay away, a noise interrupted the usual dull quiet of the room.

Khoza appeared from the shadows, having snuck in past the guards, Fuu assumed. The girl looked worse than the last time she'd seen her. Fuu took note of the girl's darker than usual eyes and realized that she was not the only one having trouble sleeping.

Khoza timidly asked, "May I come in?"

Fuu wanted to sneer at the question but her conversation with Hisoka had already left her spent. Rather than sneer, she simply shrugged and sat down on the cot she had been provided with. "It won't make much of a difference if you ask, will it? You've already been in here for a while, I'm assuming."

"May I stay, then?"

"What do you want?" She pulled her legs up to rest against her chest and watched Khoza as she moved to lean against the wall beside the door's hinges. Fuu was growing impatient as the girl made no move to speak.

Finally, Khoza answered, "I'm sorry. I don't know and I can't begin to understand how hard this must all be for you, but I want you to know that I truly wish you did not have to go through any of it. If the circumstances were different...I think maybe we could have been good friends."

Fuu stared at the girl confused. She considered what she said seriously, she knew Khoza was being earnest which was what confused her the most. Before, she'd only seen her as Mukuro's sister, a possible spy and someone who might harm her. The fact that she'd snuck into her room at night, something she knew Khoza had to do since Mukuro shouted at anyone who had even behaved politely toward her since she got there, all to apologize left her unsure of the girl's intentions or alliances. "If it bothers you so much, then why do you stay and support Mukuro?"

Though she seemed shocked by the question, Khoza still answered. "He takes care of us, so I remain loyal to him."

She nodded and sat straighter to look at Khoza with her face completely exposed. "You said that before. I just can't believe that "loyalty" is what let's you stand by as he commits heinous crimes and brushes you to the side until he needs you to do some dirty work. He isn't a good person. Not even to you. So why do you stay?"

Khoza remained silent for a long time. This time, Fuu didn't pressure her to answer. Instead, she waited until the other girl was ready. After some time, Khoza sank to the floor, sitting against the wall, and began to speak. "It's not an easy thing to understand. But, he is my brother. And even more, he is Mukuro. Even if I were to leave because of something he did, he would try to find me. We're the only family the other has anymore. I can't leave. I can't leave him, not on my own, at least. Hino always knew that."

Silence filled the room once again.

"You're wrong," Fuu whispered. Khoza watched her waiting for an explanation. "Even if we'd met some other way, I don't think we would have ever been able to be friends. I know you hate the life you're living. You wouldn't have apologized, otherwise. You wouldn't have been so nice to me when you came to our room that last time. You feel guilty, because you won't do anything that goes against Mukuro and because this isn't a life you chose. And if you can be tied down to a life you hate for your entire life and be oppressed to the point where you can no longer tell right from wrong then we could have never been friends."

They kept each other's gaze, Fuu trying to gauge Khoza's reaction and Khoza trying to seek something in the other girl's eyes to feel forgiven. Though she was having a hard time finding that, but what she did see was misery mixed with pity. "I really am sorry."

Fuu sighed, knowing she shouldn't have expected any other sort of explanation from Khoza, but hoped to be proven wrong. "I know."

"He'll come for you."

Fuu's eyes widened, not expecting that last comment at all. Her fears from before returned. She both yearned for Mugen to come rescue her one last time and hoped he'd moved on and searched for his brother and sister instead. She was suddenly furious with Khoza for speaking about Mugen as if she were still really close to the man, as if she could speak for him or about him like a friend would. She had no right, in Fuu's mind. An overwhelming surge of emotions of fear, anger, sadness, care, and everything in between took over her mind. She could no longer handle having Khoza so near.

She felt her eyes begin to sting and her heart become frantic with thoughts of the man she cared so dearly for. She felt more raw and drained than she had since the day she first met Mugen in an alley behind a dumpster. She has no right. The thought rang clearly in her mind as Fuu placed all the blame on Khoza for her own decisions as well as those of the people around her. "Leave."

The command echoed quietly in the silent room. Khoza wanted to apologize again, though unsure for what this time, but left as asked.

After several minutes passed by, and after Fuu was able to calm herself enough to keep her tears falling silently instead of sobbing, she slipped off the side of the cot and sat on her knees with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She placed the pale bundle on the edge of the cot and bent her neck and back until her forehead rested against the fist firmly.

She waited for some time while she pushed any cries that threatened to surface past her control back further down her throat. Finally, she spoke and does the one thing she had avoided since her father's death.

She dug in the back of her mind for the strength and words her father used to use when praying, especially in front of the congregation. "Dear Lord, almighty. I come to you as I break, fearfully and desperately. Forgive me for my sins, dear Father, forgive me for abandoning you when I thought you'd abandoned my family." A shiver through her spine made her pause and consider what she was asking for. She knew what she wanted, she wanted everyone to be safe. She wanted to actually be wrong for abandoning her religion when she believed that the Lord who her father praised for years had turned His back on her family. "I ask that you please prove me wrong." Her thoughts returned to Mugen. Mugen, who had taken care of her for so long and who she abandoned in the end. "I have no right, but if you could just take care of him, sinful as he is, I would really appreciate it. I don't ask this for myself, but for him and his family and all those who have helped me survive until now. If anything, reward him for his courage and his inability to see someone innocent suffer needlessly.

"I know he's a jerk, but if my faith in you in the past was worth anything could you please keep him safe? I'm sorry for all the wrong I've done by you, and I even ask for forgiveness for what he has done. Please, please, just keep him safe. Even if I have to suffer and endure living with Hisoka, can you please keep him alive and let him find happiness? I'm sorry if this counts as a selfish prayer because of what he means to me, but I really do feel that he deserves that at the very least.

"Thank you for letting me meet him and grow to care about him. Really, thank you.

"Amen."

- - 20 - - 20 - -

Mugen recognized the dirt bag who had been the last to kidnap Fuu, even though it was accidental, almost immediately in the underground casino he had broken into months ago. He had recognized Mugen too. The man had tried to run away, vainly, before asking for mercy while crying when he was finally caught by the angry ex-gangster.

He had the large nosed idiot pinned against a wall with one hand and held a gun to his chin with another. "A place like this must have some ties with providers. So don't fucking try to lie to me, you little whisky shit, where the hell is Mukuro?"

The man fainted almost instantly but woke up soon after when he was slapped with the butt of Mugen's gun. "He's at the west end of the city! Please don't shoot!"

Mugen smirked in victory and made the man draw out a map on an old napkin. As soon as he had made sure that the map was correct, by threatening others in the casino, Mugen ran outside to where Jin was waiting. Not before shouting behind his shoulder: "If this is shit, make sure you're far gone by the time I get back!"

As soon as he reached the car, Mugen took control of the situation by opening the door on the driver's side and shoving Jin harshly until he relented and moved to the passenger's seat. "Do you even know how to drive?" The man was mildly concerned on the outside but terrified for what may happen to them soon.

The younger man simply laughed and started the car, "I ain't got a license if that's what you're askin'."

As if to urge Mugen to start driving, Momo barked loudly from the back.

Though Jin was thrown by Mugen's laughter, he found some comfort in the fact that the man's uncanny, and sometimes irrational, confidence was back.

The car lurched this way and that as Mugen made sharp turn after sharp turn while speeding in directions Jin had to trust lead to where Fuu would be. The plan, simple and flawed, was to go to where her step-father and Mukuro were most likely keeping her. Finding Mukuro was the first step, if they could find him they could find her step-father, and if they found him then they would find Fuu.

Mugen had told him that since the two men were working together, and since Fuu's step-father was not from the area as far he could tell from how far her hometown and the city where they all had met was from Nagasaki, they must be in the same place. The ex-dealer was banking on this theory and the idea that Fuu would be easy to rescue, with this came his confidence.

If Mugen was right then it would be a matter of either sneaking past or knocking past Mukuro, Fuu's step-father, their men, and probably Khoza before they could reach the girl. Then, Mugen so eloquently elaborated earlier, he would convince "that stupid little brat" that she was wrong to think she could save him when he'd been doing that for her since they met. He would then either force her to leave with them or they would all walk away from the entire mess easily and look for refuge, once again.

Jin was not at all sure how much trust he could or should put on Mugen's plan, especially since his feelings for Fuu would explain why Mugen didn't take into account the possibility that their adversaries would think ahead and know their intentions, therefore setting up a few surprises for the men. No matter how simple their plan was, the situation, he could tell though he didn't really know it as well as Mugen, was not nearly as simple as their plan.

As a large, apparently abandoned and foreclosed, building came up ahead, Jin took in a deep calming breath and pulled out one of his guns readily. His eyes stayed focused on the increasingly close target and most importantly his mind stayed focused on his task. He was there to help his best friend, though neither would ever admit this. He was there to help his friend save the girl he, either wouldn't admit to or did not yet know, loved.

Because he was so focused on this task, he didn't turn to yell at Mugen when the idiot crashed the car through the front entrance of the building.

Both men opened their doors and got out of the car right after the crash, before the debris had even cleared.

- - 20 - - 20 - -

Fuu's eyes widened at the sound of a loud crash. Her heart beat erratically from both the sound and the feel of the entire building shaking.

No.

It didn't take the yells from outside her room to tell her that Mugen had done one more thing she had asked him to not do. This time, however, the consequences would be dire.

Without realizing she was moving, Fuu found herself slamming her body against her room's door and beating on it frantically. "Hey! Someone let me out! Hey!" Once her brain had caught up with her words and her actions, she was once again thrown for a loop as the door opened. Her senses were flooded from both the increase in light and noise that attacked her so suddenly. Again, she had no time to think over what was happening before she felt herself be pulled harshly by the arm and forced to walk in a path she didn't recognize.

- - 20 - - 20 - -

"Fuck!"

Mugen was seething once the debris and dust cleared, showing a woman ready to fight. The woman's eyes were glassy, but she seemed to be completely aware of her surroundings. Jin couldn't believe the sight in front of him. If her stance and the gun in her hand weren't so perfectly poised and positioned, he would have taken the stranger as a joke.

"You may not pass," she said without a trace of fear in her voice.

Though Jin recognized the woman as a threat, Mugen did not and moved forward. "Yeah right, lady." If it hadn't been for Mugen's always alert senses and almost divine instincts he would have been wounded by his second step.

He looked up at the woman from a crab stance on the floor, with a glare of annoyance. Jin bet if the situation had been different Mugen would have been excited to fight with the woman, but at the moment the idiot only saw red and would be more than capable of acting irrationally out of impatience to reach his goal.

"I will not repeat myself."

Mugen placed a hand on the ground and began to push himself forward, Jin guessed he would dash forward and try to kill the woman before she could do that to him. Mugen expected to be injured but didn't care at the moment. So, before Jin could see their entire plan crumble into nothing in mere minutes, he stepped in front of Mugen while keeping his eyes on the woman.

"Mukuro might be further ahead. I know you wish to kill him yourself."

Though he could not see him, Jin knew Mugen was glowering at him. "I can take this damn chick, Mukuro, and an entire army. I don't need you to fucking—"

Jin turned his head to the side just enough to look over his shoulder and glare at Mugen in warning. His slight pause was enough for him to say one last thing before shooting four times as he ran forward and slipped a dagger out while the woman was momentarily distracted.

"Take care of Fuu."

- - 20 - - 20 - -

Two floors. There were two floors in the building. The bedrooms and merchandise were all on the top floor. Fuu and Hisoka would be in the storage room with some of his men while he and his best men, and Hisoka's best woman, would stay on the first floor to get rid of the trash.

The woman was at the front of the building, at the entrance. His men were spread out throughout the first floor. And Mukuro, he was waiting just past the door that lead to the concrete stairs that lead to the top floor.

Normally, he would join in on the main operations, but he knew Mugen would be coming for him. Their last meeting had left Mukuro humiliated, knowing that Mugen had let him live when he could have just as easily killed him. That along with their history made him choose to stop the damn bastard himself, man to man. It was time for their story to end.

Of course, Mugen would have to get past three of his strongest and the blind woman named Sara first. By that point, Mukuro knew, he would come out on top and finally kill Mugen.

Mukuro thought all of this as he toyed with an old dagger from Ryukyu, his lucky dagger, and listened to the music of gunshots echo through the building. All of this because of one stupid girl. Hell, Mukuro knew that if it weren't for that Fuu girl Mugen would have never changed so drastically from the man he once considered a brother. If it weren't for her it wouldn't be as easy to accept the task of killing his fellow Ryukyan.

Soon the gunshots no longer sounded, not from anywhere in the building. But what Mukuro could hear now were the sounds of Mugen's heavy trots, panting, and slamming doors as he tried to find the girl or stairs. He would be there soon enough.

Mukuro concealed his dagger lazily and pulled out a small pistol he held readily for Mugen's grand entrance.

The door slammed open just seconds after Mukuro had made himself ready. Mugen seemed to have only suffered one injury, judging from the red blotch on his jaw which would surely bruise. Other than that, he was perfectly healthy. The panting and wild look in his eyes was not from exhaustion, it was from worry.

Mugen's gun was aimed at the spot between Mukuro's eyes perfectly, but still Mukuro knew he could win. Mugen had a weakness now.

Drolly, Mukuro spoke, "If it isn't my old friend Mugen." The next sentence he deliberately drew out slowly with each syllable. "What brings you here, business or pleasure?"

- - 20 - - 20 - -

The room was filled to the brim with wooden boxes. If it weren't for Mukuro's reputation she would have assumed that the place was a run of the mill warehouse or storage room.

"Don't let anyone through!" Hisoka shouted as he grabbed Fuu's free arm, causing the man who had been shoving her to finally release, and pulled her to the center of the room.

Ten men surrounded her and her step-father on all sides, in a shaky circle, while carrying heavy artillery. Her eyes widened as she took in the intent behind the men's positions.

She grabbed Hisoka's arm desperately, "Call them off! You can't kill them!"

He looked down at her and frowned, "I most certainly can." To finalize his statement he shoved her off his arm with a grimace. "If you don't cause a scene I promise it'll be as painless as possible."

She searched her brain for anything to stop him. He needed her after all, it wasn't as if he could kill her. The idea came to her immediately. "You can't! If you kill him, you'd lose your leverage!"

Hisoka seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking his head. "Trust me, Fuu. I have plenty of leverage. For example, Shinsuke and I heard one of my men had warmed up to you before I had him demoted."

The room felt like it was shaking and about to break around her. She needed to do something. She could stall or something like that. "At least let me try to convince him to leave. Please."

"Oh, of course." Hisoka scoffed and rolled his eyes at her. He shook his head and stared her down in an almost professional manner, where what he said appeared to not affect him as seriously as it did her. "There's no words that could stop a man in love."

The word struck her deeply like the bullets ringing from below. She had stopped herself from thinking of that word until then, and avoiding that idea was what kept her from becoming as tragic and stupid a woman as Juliet Capulet. That stupid word could lead to both Mugen's and her deaths.

"What if I tell him I don't love him?" She was reaching for something and only catching air. The idea was as cliché as Romeo and Juliet and even more flawed than the couple's deadly plan. Mugen would either not believe her, yell at her for even bringing up something as stupid as love, laugh, or any combination of the three.

The slap that followed her suggestion came as quickly as the floor. Hisoka's snide remarks and berating comments fell on deaf ears. She was in shock. She was in shock and desperate. And all that the slap did was let her fear break through in one fell swoop. Panic made her do one of the most reckless actions she'd ever done in her life.

As she started to stand straight she grabbed Hisoka by the shoulders, pulled him to her, crashed his groin into her knee, hit his nose with the heel of her palm and ran straight into the small gap between two of the men to try to run free. The man to her right managed to grab her by the hair and push her to the floor, the man to her left had acted out of panic like her and accidentally shot his gun off several times when her shove caused him to turn.

The inexperiences gunman managed to kill the first man to his left and seriously injure the second in the shoulder.

The man holding her by the hair spat in her ear as he spoke, "You little shit!"

Two more shots sounded and the man to her left and the man he had injured soon followed their comrade to the floor. Fuu's eyes would not shut as she stared at the three bodies. Her breathing was erratic, she knew, and things seemed to shake more and make less sense than ever. Her world was caving in.

And soon, it would end when Mugen burst through the metal door to the room and joined the bodies on the floor.

AN:/

Moody1656: So I didn't expect this chapter to actually be this long...Sorry guys. Anyways! To make up for the long wait for last chapter and the additional week you all had to wait for this I have two surprises!

One, is a one-shot here:

www . fanfiction s / 8456147 / 1 / Youre _ Alive

The other, is a double preview!

Preview for next chapter, Scene 1:

"I have children as well," Sara's face contorted into a tight grimace. "I can understand why you would do this." She only seemed to gain more resolve. "However, if I am to see my own kids again and become the father they deserve," Jin switched the safety. "I can not die here."

She nodded once in consent, "I feel the same way."

Scene 2:

Mukuro laughed in Mugen's ear darkly, "And once that dumb bastard leaves the house..." He found even more pleasure as Mugen's body turned rigid. "At least I won't kill the girl this time."

Mukuro laughed in Mugen's ear darkly, "And once that dumb bastard leaves the house..." He found even more pleasure as Mugen's body turned rigid. "At least I won't kill the girl this time."

"Bas—tard..."

Moody1656: Nearing the end, you guys!