I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!

Chapter Eight

Liza's Wish

Mugen didn't fully understand what was going on, but he did know that he was angry.

Extremely so.

It had been two weeks since they had gotten off that ship, since Liza had her close encounter with death, and since then she had been…closed off from everyone; Reiko included. Mugen thought that she just needed to calm down, but it had been taking too long and the closer they got to this town the worse she got. She completely shut everyone out and only glared at them. It was a completely different side to the funny, flirty woman they had been traveling with before.

He wasn't angry because Liza was acting this way, Mugen had finally come to understand, he was angry at whatever it was that was making her act like this. He wanted to find the culprit and just beat the hell out of it. He would do anything that would make her feel better, and he had been trying, but nothing seemed to get through to her.

That's most likely the reason why the way she was acting tonight was getting to him so bad.

They had arrived in Bunko and Liza had disappeared almost immediately the moment they arrived. Mugen and Fuu had both demanded answers about the woman's strange behavior lately but neither Ryu not Reiko knew; or rather Ryu didn't know, and Reiko refused to open her mouth about it.

That was really nothing new.

Reiko had gotten a little softer on Mugen lately though, definitely because he had helped save Liza's life, but she still made her dislike of him apparent.

The group had decided to let Liza do her own thing, thinking that she would just return to them when night fell like normal, but a young man had come searching for them in the streets, bearing an invitation to the home of one Tomura Yukimura for the night. Fuu and Mugen had been extremely pleased about a roof and food tonight but Reiko, Jin, and Ryu were suspicious.

Their suspicions grew stronger when they found Liza at the man's house, her flirty and happy nature back. The suspicions grew just like Mugen's anger did.

Tomura turned out to be a young man, gorgeous, with black hair like silk and sharp green eyes. The man was a noble, a skilled painter, and was apparently taken with Liza's appearance. He was exchanging room and board for a chance to paint her, claiming that the beauty of foreigners was much different than those of the women found here in Japan. It reminded the group of the painter that had wanted to paint Fuu months ago, but this Tomura was very different than that other man. He was as much of a flirter as Liza was, and as they sat there at the table for dinner that night, it was proudly proven.

It was the second night that they were staying at that house and as they sat around the table for dinner, it was taking every ounce of restraint from Mugen not to make comments. Ryu was being his rock here, squeezing his shoulder every time his anger almost got the better of him.

The dinner started out pleasant, Ryu and Fuu happily conversing with Tomura, but as it carried on, Liza began to flirt; heavily. Tomura was an attractive man, that wasn't a lie, but to see Liza flirt with him like this, give those giggles Mugen like to hear and the way she touched him, the vagabond hated the painter more and more as time went on.

Mugen didn't understand what was going on with him. Liza was on his mind every second of every day. Her flirting with one man shouldn't be making him angry and yet he found himself furious at the very thought of someone else touching her, let alone seeing it happen right in front of his eyes.

Several times throughout that day Mugen found himself heading towards the room that Tomura was painting Liza. He could hear their voices as they laughed and talked, and he wanted to just barge in there and separate them, but his body would stop just outside the room. He didn't know why but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He…he didn't know what to do anymore.

"I say the two of us hurry out of here," Liza was softly saying, curled up against the young man beside her. "You can finish that painting of yours…and maybe even more."

"I'll happily take you up on that offer," The man replied, running a finger across her neck. Mugen glared at the other man. "We can go ahead and excuse ourselves and-"

Mugen had been about to slam his chopsticks down and make a remark but Reiko had beat him to it, standing from her seat.

"We're leaving, Elizabeth."

The blonde, not even missing a step, gave the man a smirk before sliding away from him. "Sorry, sweetie, but mommy calls."

As Mugen watched the woman separate herself from the painter, he couldn't lie; he felt relief hit him like a brick.

"Aww, don't be like that," Tomura replied with that smile still on his face. "I promise I won't hurt her; you can even join us if you'd like."

"I thank you for your hospitality, but I must refuse your offer," Reiko glared at him as Liza moved to stand behind her. "I don't like the thought of another touching something that is mine."

The man raised a brow. "Surely you jest. Two women such as yourselves can't possibly-"

His words were cut off as Reiko turned, placing her hand around Liza's neck and pulling the other woman's face down to lock lips with her. Liza wasted no time, sliding a hand down the other woman's back. Everyone around the table let their mouths drop open as Reiko's cold, grey eyes peered at their host hatefully over Liza' shoulder.

After Reiko stepped back, Liza gave a huge grin as she lifted the smaller woman up in her arms bridal style. She gave the group a wink with her blue eyes full of laughter. "Looks like I'm the only lucky one tonight, boys." She left the room with Reiko in her arms, snickering as the door shut behind them.

"Holy shit..." Mugen had to swallow the drool in his mouth.

"Holy shit seconded," Ryu gulped himself.

"Third," their host echoed. Fuu gave a sigh and slammed her head down on the table as Jin frowned.

Jin had also noticed the change in the two women that they were traveling but, unlike Mugen, he had a good idea as to what was bothering them. They were getting closer to Nagasaki, and by that closer to where Norika Castle used to stand. Outside of Liza almost dying, the closer they got to what the two of them were trying to run from, the worse things would get. He didn't know anything that happened at that castle, but he knew that it was why the women acted the way they did.

He had almost gotten the answers that he wanted out of Reiko on the ship but he didn't have the heart to wake her up after she had fallen asleep on him. Instead he carried her to the room that he was sharing with Ryu and let her sleep in the bed that he had been using. He would have taken her to Liza's room, but the other woman was still…drying her clothes from her tumble into the ocean earlier and he felt that it was inappropriate to enter that room either way. It was a good thing that Ryu and Mugen were on guard duty and not in the room. He had to sleep in front of the door. When he awoken, however, Reiko was already gone. He didn't know how she had done it without waking him up but that next morning he had sworn he had seen a smile on her face when she had turned from his greeting her.

After Liza and Reiko had left the dinner, things just disported on his own. He knew that Mugen went off on his own and Ryu and Fuu joined Tomura for tea or something like that. Jin had been trying to return to the room that he and Mugen had been sharing and gotten lost. He had paused near the garden, trying to retrieve the route from his mind when sobbing reached his ears.

He went still, barely daring to breathe.

"It's okay, Elizabeth," Jin could hear Reiko's soft voice over the sounds of the other woman sobbing. "Everything is alright now. I'm here. You can go to sleep."

The man felt his breath stop. Elizabeth was crying. What had happened? She was fine not long ago…or was that just an act?

"I...I can't. Every night...his face..."

"I know," Reiko told her softly. "And just like every night I am here to chase him away. Trust me, and sleep."

Jin's blood ran cold. This was what he was looking for. Whoever Elizabeth was seeing in her nightmares had something to do with how Elizabeth had been acting; with Norika Castle.

For some reason, he felt very guilty about listening in on all of this. Part of him wanted to just walk away but the other part made him stand there.

He didn't realize how long he had been standing there, lost in his own thoughts. He must have been so deep in his thoughts not to realize when Reiko had exited te room before him. He did notice the look she gave him before turning to walk off.

He stepped forward the moment she tried to leave him there.

"Is she asleep?"

Reiko glanced at the samurai that stood off to the side. She really wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Why do you linger here? Just leave the two of us in peace."

Jin just stared at her blankly. He should have known by now that she wasn't going to give him what he wanted. He was going to have to work for it even harder than before now.

"Why did you do that?"

She closed her eyes. "Do what?"

"Put on that display," He answered her. "I admit that Liza is...quite flirtatious with everyone but I know for a fact that you...the two of you have not...embraced each other."

Not even a fire could save him from the chill that he now felt in the air around them. Was he making a mistake here?

No, he couldn't double-think himself now. He had to do this if he wanted his answers.

"How do you know we haven't?" She replied harshly. "You know nothing about us."

"I know that you haven't because of what occurred at Norika Castle," At his words he saw the anger in that woman's eyes; but she stayed silent. "Whatever happened in that castle has scarred not only you but that young woman sleeping inside. She may talk big, but the very thought of sex scares her. It scares both of you."

Reiko stared at the man for a moment. Jin saw that her eyes were still that cold grey, yes, but there was something else there right now; a flicker that he had never seen before. It was gone soon after he saw it though, just as her anger returned.

"I don't know what you think you know, four-eyes, but it would be in your best interest to stop making assumptions on what Elizabeth and I do. If you don't then you will undoubtedly find yourself with more than just the Vagabond trying to kill you this time." She turned to re-enter the room that she and Liza were sharing. "No one will be able to save you then."

"It's not me who needs the saving," Jin's words made her pause. "But you; both of you. Asking for help, no matter what kind, is not a sign of weakness."

"But isn't it?" Reiko's voice was soft. "If I cannot protect what I hold dear, am I not weak. If I can't even save Elizabeth from drowning, then what good am I? How can I expect to save her from anything else!?"

Jin felt his heart beat faster. This was the most that she had opened to him. He was getting closer and closer to what he wanted; closer to her. This broken woman before him was barely hanging onto her sanity anymore. He…he had to save her.

"You can't do everything on your own, Reiko," It was one of the few times that her name had ever left his lips and it made her turn to look at him. If it had not been a full moon that night, then he wouldn't have seen the uncertainty, the fear, in her eyes; the tears that were beginning to form. "Everyone wants to protect everything important to them, but sometimes they kill themselves in the process. You and I both know that Liza wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. If you can't trust me, then trust her."

Reiko frowned, staring off to the side. "You make it sound so easy. You don't understand anything about what we've been through."

"I know I don't," He answered her truthfully. "And I know that trying to force you to tell me isn't going to work. I can wait no matter how long it takes until you finally do."

Why was he making this promise to her? He had nothing to do with this woman outside of them being stuck together until the find the samurai that smells of sunflowers. Maybe…maybe it was because he, if even a little, he could relate to her. He was, after all, a man on the run as well.

Reiko went to reply when movement to her left caught her eye. She was Liza disappear around the corner and frowned. She had thought the other woman was asleep, apparently that was not the case. Her stomach began to unsettle itself. If Liza was trying to sneak out past her then it only mean one thing.

"Jin, gather the others and take them away as fast as you can," Reiko told the man before her. "It's not safe for us to stay here anymore."

Jin wanted to open his mouth again, ask for answers, but he thought against it. He had seen Liza sneak past them as well. He had to trust that Reiko knew what she was doing. He had to trust her before she could trust him.

"Don't be long."

Reiko was still for a moment before giving him a short nod. Taking it, the man turned and went to gather the other three members of their group and leave behind everything about his place.

Reiko gave a silent sigh, worry painted on her face.

~…Elizabeth…~

~Prima donna girl

All I ever wanted was the world

I can't help that I need it all

The prima donna life, the rise and fall~

Tomura stared at the unfinished canvas before him. No matter how many times he did it, he couldn't help but start another one. He had always been fast when it came to painting, amazingly so, but to have his attention stuck on this one woman…it was insane.

He had painted her so many times over the years, at least what he felt she would have looked like as she grew up, but they all paled in comparison to the real thing. How did he ever think he'd do her beauty justice?

Lifting his brush again, his hand froze as the cool breeze hit the back of his neck. He was still for a moment before letting a grin pass over his face. He barely had enough time to set his sake cup aside before being tackled to the ground. There wasn't even a struggle as he let the assailant do as they pleased; his smile didn't even fade away as he was rolled over onto his back.

"I knew that my father's…escapades would eventually come back to haunt me." Tomura set his brush down, focusing his full attention on the woman that had straddled him. He could feel the cool point of the knife pressed against his neck; he did his hardest to stay calm. "Tell me, that's the truth, isn't it? The son shall pay for the sins of his father in this day and age; they always will.

"That's right," Liza's knuckles were white as she gripped her knife. "Eleven years ago, your father sold an English child off as a slave after saving her from the streets of this very town. He sold her, for money, and ended up placing her in hell; all so he could buy some whore from a brothel."

"I know who you are," Tomura told her. "I was merely a teenager when my father brought you to our home all those years ago. Never before had a seen someone like you before. Not with the golden hair like the sun or those bright blue eyes of the sky. I knew the moment I saw you in town that you were that little girl eleven years ago. I knew that you would be here for revenge."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply when something fell on the man's face. Her eyes widened. They were tears; her tears. As she stared down into this man's face, the face of the man that she was about to kill, she was crying. Why? Why did she cry?

"If only we had met under different circumstances," Tomura whispered, reaching up and using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"Stop it!" Liza shook her head, making his hand drop. "Don't you understand what's happening? I'm about to kill you! And over something that you didn't even do! Because of your father!"

"If I am dealt the hand of death, then I will happily accept it from an angel such as you." He smiled brightly at her. "If it brings you peace after all these years…I accept it. Someone as pure as you should not have been made to suffer as you have. You should be living a life of love and peace, showered with money and kindness, not on the run from the law under such a disgusting name as 'Terror Sister'."

She felt her eyes widened. "You-you knew who I was? You knew and you still brought me here? Why? Did you…" Realization hit her. "You knew I was going to kill you."

"As I said, I remember all about you. I…I am so sorry for what happened," Tomura continued. "I don't know the full story of what happened at Norika, but I know that it only happened to you because my father sold you off to the lord of the castle. I knew that, eventually, you would be back for my father. I only apologize that you didn't arrive before he was…disposed of."

She stared at him. "You killed your own father?"

"One life is not worth the same as another," Tomura answered her, "My father didn't ruin just your life, but many. I had to stop him. I've been waiting for you to come back, I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

"You're not telling me why!"

"But didn't I?" He continued to give her that same, carefree smile. "If my death will bring you peace, I will accept it from your hands. That's the only type of apology I can give you from my father. Please, do as you please with me.

The woman tightened her shaking grip and took a deep breath, her mind raging a war inside her head.

Not long after, as Liza exited the now burning house, she found Reiko standing outside waiting for her. Her face was blank, but Liza kept her face turned from her.

"Are you sure that burning this place down was a good idea?" Reiko asked as the moved away. She watched as their shadows grew longer as the fires behind them rose higher.

"Does it really matter?" Liza's answer was short and sharp. "We'll be passing right by the remains of the castle. Maybe giving them a little scare is what we need to do. After all, I don't want to be erased from anyone's mind, especially not theirs. They call us the Terror Sisters. Let's make sure they remain trembling from memories of us."

Reiko wanted to glance at the woman beside her, to say something to her to try and change her mind, but she didn't Instead she merely closed her eyes as she tried to shut out the fire from her mind.

"As you wish."

I hope you guys like it. Review! :)