Anni got out of work after her first day back, and since her brother didn't think to meet her outside the shop and make sure she went home, she was free. She wondered how far things had progressed in the story while she was put back under house arrest. Maya had kept her up with the news, and hadn't heard about any explosion of attacks on the streets, so the saika event was still coming. Maybe it would be tonight. So Anni kept to places Alex wouldn't look for her and occupied herself for a few hours. She wanted to see the brawl in the south park, and there was no way her brother would allow her to attend such a dangerous event. She even turned off her phone.

Anni took to hiding in the shadows at the edge of the south park. She found that if she kept her knife in hand and let her hair hang in front of her eyes, Saika's children didn't bother her as they trickled in and hid in similar ways. Celty and Shizuo showed up not long after Anni, and took up a place in the middle of the park, near the fountain. Anni watched from afar as the spokes-girl approached the pair. The words of the conversation muddled on their way to her ears, but Shizuo leaping into action was impossible to miss. People started flying in every direction, landing in the water, against the rails, in the trash cans, colliding with the light poles. It was fantastic. Anni was entranced by it all. She couldn't tear her eyes from the way Shizuo decimated all within his reach, from the way he moved. She almost didn't notice the hand that fell on her shoulder.

"Please don't turn off your phone again" Alex advised, handing her a pair of tinted sunglasses identical to the ones he was wearing. A kitchen knife hung in his right hand. With the thinly veiled glare he gave her, Anni was almost afraid he would use that knife against her. There would be a harsh lecture awaiting her when she got back home.

"Thinking ahead. Thanks" she said, brushing the hair out of her eyes as she put them on. And with that they watched. A dogpile had started on top of the bodyguard, but that didn't last long. The Saika exploded outward, forcing Anni and Alex to dodge one of the ones unfortunate enough to be blown all the way to where they stood. Shizuo charged through the crowd, knocking away anyone foolish enough to be caught in his path. Anni was drawn forward by something she couldn't explain, only to be stopped by her brothers grip on her good shoulder.

"What, do you want to end up on the receiving end of that force of nature again?" But she wasn't really listening. "Idiot! You're really bloody stubborn, you know that?" Anni laughed at that and allowed her brother to pull her back to their safe place in the shadows as the fighting paused for a moment. Every one of the possessed turned to look in one direction, so the siblings mimicked them to keep their cover. In an alley somewhere, Anri was showing the false mother the mantra of the real Saika. It seemed unnaturally quiet in the sudden absence of fighting. The silence dragged on, making Anni uneasy. It came as a great relief when the brawl started again. "It's not going to last much longer. We should go." Alex tightened his grip on her shoulder. Anni shook him off.

"I want to see the end" she said, prying her eyes from the milling mob. "I'm not leaving yet."

"Fine" he said with an exasperated sigh, leaning against a nearby tree. "It's not like I can get anything through that thick skull of yours anyway."

Shizuo, fully equipped with new gloves, seemed to be thoroughly enjoy beating up the possessed. Left right and center, they flew. The crowd around them surged forward, towards the carnage. It was Alex's grip on the collar of her shirt that kept Anni anchored to their place in the shadows, instead of being swept close enough to have her face walked on. Anni leaned against his side as Shizuo went under not far from them, letting her brother's arm fall protectively around her shoulders. He pulled her to the side as all the saika were ejected from the space around their target, and another one of the possessed nearly hit the pair. The fight unfolded before them both just as they remembered, the shock wave from Shizuo's leaping impact taking their breath away. Then his incredible onslaught continued.

All at once, the movement stopped. Only Shizuo was still in motion, in the middle of throwing a punch. His feet dug into the ground. Anni caught herself holding her breath as his fist came to a stop, not an inch in front of his next victims face. Anni let herself breathe and the world started to move again. The girl recoiled from Shizuo, squeaking in fear. Anni grinned as he broke down laughing, falling on his ass. "Good for you" she said quietly to herself.

"Are you going to stick around and congratulate him, or can I take you home now?" Alex asked, pulling his glasses off Anni's face. She pocketed her knife, reluctant to face her brother's wrath of worry the moment he got her alone.

"I'm tempted to stay…" she admitted, looking around as the people who could still stand started to scatter. With a sigh and a wave, Alex joined them, disappearing far too easily into the crowd. She couldn't avoid him for long. Anni took a moment to turn her phone back on, and with all the movement around her, didn't notice Shizuo approach.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, genuinely surprised to see her. "Were you…?"

"Hm? Oh! Shizuo! It's good to see you" Anni greeted with a grin, pocketing her phone. "That was absolutely incredible!" That seemed to catch him off guard.

"Oh, thanks. Still didn't answer my question."

"I heard something going on, and I couldn't stay away" Anni answered with a shrug. It technically wasn't a lie.

"It's dangerous 'round here. You need to try to keep yourself safe, Anni." The troublemaker in question grinned.

"I'm not in trouble now, am I? I'm just fine." To make a point, Anni spread her arms and spun once around. She was secretly glad she'd left the sling at home when she left for work that morning. The last thing she wanted was for him to know her collarbone wasn't healing quite right. "Good as new."

Shizuo smiled at her and sighed. He watched her for a moment more, as if making sure she wasn't lying before turning to walk away. "Come on. I'll walk you home." Anni was all too happy to skip after him, hands clasped behind her back.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix