Anni blinked. Shizuo glowered down at her with direct fury. What she could only assume was his grip bruised her upper arm. That hurt far too much for this to be a dream. "Shizuo?" she asked in confusion. What's going on? She finally managed to tear her eyes from his, taking in the knife lodged a quarter of an inch into the skin under his right clavicle. That's probably what was making him so angry. But it was her knife. And her bloodstained right hand wrapped around the handle. Anni quickly pulled it away and dropped it like it had burned her. "I'm sorry! I don't…" she squeaked, meeting his eyes again. The edge had left his glare, but it still quelled any more thought of speaking. He turned his attention to something behind her. Anni was filled with a sense of dread as she turned to see what he was staring at. Her breath caught in her throat. A man lay there, face down, unrecognizable for how mangled and bloody he was. Just from where she was, she could see his right arm was broken, and had been stabbed straight through, right between the radius and ulna. His left leg was bleeding in two places, likely from more stab wounds. His right leg twisted at a sickening angle. None of the skin visible on his face was a healthy color for all the bruising, and his jaw was broken. His shirt was tattered and bloodstained with at least a dozen shallow slashes. Anni's knees gave out under her. This was not Shizuo's work. It was hers. What the hell happened!?

-!One hour earlier!-

Anni was pulled from her already anxious sleep by her phone, though it wasn't her alarm. She groaned and haphazardly threw her arm in its direction, somehow wrapping her fingers around the source of her irritation. It was none other than her coworker calling her in the middle of the night. She flipped her phone open. "What do you need Maya?" she muttered sleepily, still far from fully conscious.

"I think Maya needs someone to come help her. She's a little too tied up to come to the phone now" the voice on the other line explained. She sat up abruptly. It was the voice from her nightmares. It was the voice she had never wanted to hear again. Even over the phone, there was no mistaking it.

"Don't you dare touch her" Anni threatened breathlessly, still in shock.

"It's a little late for that… but I'll let her go now if you come take her place" he offered.

"Tell me where-" she started in a growl.

"Not so fast, though I know you're eager to finish what we started back in that alleyway a few weeks ago…" he taunted, bringing a shiver to Anni's spine.

"What do you want, you worthless scum?" she snarled.

"Is that any way to talk to someone who holds your friend's life in his hands?" he asked. That alone didn't break Anni's heart, it was that soft, feminine shriek of pain that followed. It was Maya's voice.

"What else do you want?" she asked quietly.

"That's more like it. I'll tell you where to meet me, but you have to come alone, and unarmed. If I see or hear anyone else, especially that monster, Maya is as good as dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand" she whispered. As soon as he gave her the location, Anni was moving. She made sure to wear a pair of tall socks, to hide her weapon. She didn't call anyone, she didn't speak, she just power walked to the outskirts of the town, where the small abandoned warehouse hid. There was no plan, no backup, no safety. There was just a terrified and furious little girl walking knowingly into a trap. She was a boiling mess of anxiety, fear and rage as she strode into the darkness, barely noticing anything around her.

The side door was left wide open for her. "I'm here" Anni called out shakily as she slipped inside. Her anger simmered just below the surface, kept forcefully in check. She needed to seem weak, defenseless. She had to make him think she would be as easily dealt with as last time. It was her only chance of this going her way.

"Hands up" he commanded, stepping out from behind a dingy shelf. He was just as bandaged and banged up as the last time they'd met, though this time his nose was crooked from how Shizuo's fist had flattened it. There were other dingy shelves lying about, some empty, some filled with scattered trash and junk. Across from her, past the scum, a set of rusted metal stairs lead up to the second level. Anni did as instructed, letting only her fear color her features. Her short sleeve shirt made it so he didn't have to check her arms, so he got to go straight to patting down her sides and pockets. He took his time, groping her boobs and ass along the way. "You never know where you girls will hide weapons nowadays" he excused. Thankfully, he was too distracted by his lust to check below her knees.

"Please, just don't hurt Maya" she begged, letting her voice strain like she was on the verge of tears.

"You're still so concerned about your little friend? Would you like to see her then?" he teased, pulling out his knife to tilt up her chin.

"Yes please" she choked, not daring to nod.

"Let's go pay her a visit." He got behind her and pushed her forward. Anni tripped over her own feet, sprawling out on her face. "You won't be able to get anywhere like that" he observed. A rough kick impacted her side. Anni curled into herself with a groan, which did well to hide her knife as she moved it from her sock to her pocket. "Get up" the slime ordered. She slowly pulled herself to her feet, only over exaggerating the pain a little. The scumbag grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back, forcing her towards the stairs. The stumble up the steps was far from pleasant, but she managed.

What she saw as she made it to the second floor stunned her. This went beyond the horror she expected. The floor was mostly clear, save for the fixture in the middle. A metal bed frame supported a tattered mattress that was on its last leg. Maya laid on top of the mattress, face down, tied to the frame by her ankles and wrists. Her clothing consisted solely of a blindfold and gag. Bruises and shallow oozing cuts peppered her pale skin. Her blindfold was stained with tears. Maya didn't move, save for the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Anni snapped.

-!DRRR!-

Shizuo was anxious. He was nervous. He knew he'd already done everything he could to prepare for tomorrow, but he couldn't sleep. So he was walking around in the dead of night, hoping to sooth his nerves and calm down enough to get to bed. He also wanted to be well rested for tomorrow. Everything had to be perfect. He couldn't let her down. It was then that he spotted Anni. Ordinarily, he would have called out to her, or caught up with her, and asked why she was out on her own so late. But something about her was different. The way she moved, the way she held herself, and most obviously her expression. She was distressed, rushing off somewhere. He wasn't about to let her walk alone, but it was clear she didn't want him with her, or else she would have contacted him. So he started following her. It wasn't hard to evade her notice. She probably wouldn't have recognized him if she passed right by him, telling by how she walked. He still kept his distance for a while, but somehow lost her near the outskirts of town.

He had been searching for a little while when he heard a formless howl from one of the nearby warehouses. He charged in through a side door that had been left open, but he didn't see anyone immediately. There was a soft whimpering coming from the second floor though, so he started towards the stairs. A voice from above made him stop.

"A little birdy told me you're going to die today" the voice stated. He could make out the chilling anger lying just below the surface of the otherwise calm feminine tone. Was that Anni? A wordless, masculine whine started, only to be abruptly cut off. A man dropped from the landing above the stairs, crashing into the railing halfway down with a *crack* and falling limply to the ground. He didn't move. He was badly beaten and bloodied. His leg twisted the wrong way, undoubtedly broken in the fall. Then Anni started down the stairs. She was bloodstained as well, though Shizuo only saw a few small injuries. Her hands were the worst, specifically the hand that held her knife. The oblivious girl didn't see him as she quickly made her way to the ground floor. She had eyes only for the unconscious man. Shizuo knew that look all too well, though it was strange to see it on someone else's face. She was going to kill him. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew Anni. She didn't want to be a killer any more than he did.

"Anni!" he called out as he came up behind her and grabbed her left arm, stopping her advance. Her first response was to switch her blade to her right hand and spin, sinking the metal into the skin just under his collarbone. Her eyes held his, at the mercy of the same mindless fury he was fighting to control. There was no recognition in her expression, only a wild blood thirst. He couldn't see Anni in those eyes, which only fueled his own anger. When he didn't release her, she twisted the knife.

"Get out of my way!" she snarled at him.

"Anni, get ahold of yourself! I'm not going to let you become a murderer!" he shouted back. That seemed to give her pause. She blinked at him, and her expression cleared. What had once been anger turned to helpless confusion. "Shizuo?" she asked uncertainly. He was about to order her to move her knife when she seemed to notice it for the first time. It was thrown away like it had suddenly bitten her. "I'm sorry. I don't…" she started, falling silent as she met his eyes again. Shizuo managed to calm himself a bit, seeing her act like herself. He didn't know if it was the shock of catching herself stabbing him, or the way he glared down at her, but his little blonde looked scared and uncertain.

He let his glare fall on the man lying behind her, and the puddle of blood forming around him. Anni turned slowly. She gasped as her eyes fell on her victim, and after a moment, her legs gave out. She slipped from his grip, landing on her knees. The bruises that had started to form on her arm already showed a clear imprint of his fingers, but she didn't pay the injury any heed. When she didn't move for a minute, he suspected she was going to have a breakdown of some sort. Shizuo had no idea what to do, so he waited as patiently as he could for her to react.

"Maya!" she shouted suddenly. That was all it took to get her up and moving. She retrieved her knife and started to dash up the stairs as fast as her little legs would carry her.

"What's going on?" he asked as he ran up after her. While Anni continued on without missing a beat, Shizuo paused in surprise at the top of the stairs. Maya was tied, nude, to a worn mattress in the center of the room, bruised and cut in a few places. That was as much of an answer as he was going to get, as Anni was too occupied with cutting the restraints and taking off the gag and blindfold to speak to him.

"Maya, Maya! Wake up. Speak to me" She shook her unconscious friend, who didn't move. When she didn't get a response, she turned to Shizuo. "C'n you bring me his pants, 'n a belt 'f he's got one?" she asked hurriedly, her words slurring with how quickly she forced them out. He nodded and went back downstairs. It wasn't a pleasant request to fulfill, but Maya was going to need something to wear. The man didn't have a belt, so Shizuo donated his own. By the time he made it back upstairs, Anni had already slipped out of her shirt and was pulling it over Maya's head. Only a plain black bra covered her upper half, revealing another bruise to her ribs, but she didn't seem to care in the least. "Thank you" she said reflexively as he handed her the pants and belt. As soon as his hands were free, Shizuo started unbuttoning his vest. Anni was too engrossed in taking care of her friend to notice him offer it to her, so instead he draped it over her shoulders. "Thanks Shizuo" she said quickly, slipping her arms through it and going back to her task. Once the poor girl was dressed, Anni sat her up and maneuvered Maya to hang on her back.

"Let me take her" he offered as she stood, staggering slightly under Maya's dead weight.

"This is my fault, and my mess to clean up. I appreciate your help, but I need to do this" she asserted stubbornly, making her way towards the stairs. She hadn't even bothered to button up his vest, so her front was still visible.

"Anni, you might fall down the stairs at this rate" he observed, making her stop.

"Fine. Take her" she sighed. Maya was transferred to his arms and they swiftly left the warehouse, Anni finally buttoning his vest along the way. They never needed to debate on a destination. It was clear Maya needed a hospital.

"What happened?" he asked as they walked. Anni took a while to answer.

"Do you remember the bastard who tried to use me to blackmail you a few weeks ago?" she asked slowly.

"Was that the same slime?"

"Ya. He called me and told he had Maya, and where he was. But he said I had to come alone, or he would kill her. When I got there and saw her… like THAT, I blacked out. You know more about what happened after that than I do" she explained, rubbing a knot on her collarbone that the too-large vest didn't cover. "How'd you find me?"

"I saw you walking and followed you. I still don't like the idea of you out alone in the middle of the night" he answered, shifting Maya a little in his arms. He hoped she didn't wake up while he was still carrying her. The last time they'd met, she'd been absolutely terrified of him.

"Of course not. Thank you. If you hadn't gotten there in time…" Anni slowed a bit, before straightening and taking up a faster pace. "Let's hurry" she suggested as she walked stiffly out ahead. Shizuo followed without comment. They made it quickly to the nearest hospital, and Anni insisted on being the one to carry Maya inside. He waited out on the sidewalk. When Anni emerged a short time later, she looked lost.

"You ok?" he asked as she stopped beside him, staring at the cement. She pulled his rolled up belt out of her pocket and returned it to him. He didn't feel like putting it back on right now, so it got stuffed it in his pocket.

"No. Not at all" Anni answered. Shizuo rested his hand on her right shoulder silently. She slowly looked up at him, though instead of meeting his eyes, her gaze settled on the bloodstain left on his shirt. "Some girlfriend I am. The night before our first date, and I have to go and stab you."

"It's ok. I understand" he said simply. That only seemed to annoy her.

"It's not ok. I still STABBED you" she retorted. Shizuo didn't feel like arguing, so he decided to steer the conversation a little differently. He gently ran his thumb over the knot on her collarbone, making her stiffen.

"Did I do this?" he asked quietly. Anni stayed silent. He didn't really need her answer to know. It was exactly where he remembered the break being. He never could forget the way her face had contorted in pain that day. "Can you forgive me?" he asked in the same tone.

"Of course!" Anni answered hurriedly, coming alive with concern. "I never held it against you to begin with! Even Alex couldn't blame you once I'd explained what had happened. You were only defending yourself, you had no way of knowing it was me!" She waited eagerly for him to speak, but instead he grabbed her left hand and pinned it against his wound. "Shizuo! What…" she protested, trying to wrench free without success. It took her a moment for her to get his point and stop fighting. "Can you forgive me?" she begged, staring up at him with pleading eyes.

"Of course" he answered, pulling her into a hug. "I never blamed you."

They started to make their way to her apartment, Anni slipping her hand into his. Her fingers twitched too much. She gripped his hand a little too hard. There was no way she would be sleeping by herself tonight, if at all. As he expected, she only asked him to wait a moment when they arrived at her door. She returned in a long sleeve shirt with clean hands. Her bag was slung over her shoulder and his vest was returned to him, Anni thanking him again for letting her use it. He slipped it back on as she locked the door, and they were off again. Anni settled for winding her arm around his for the short trek home.

Once inside, Anni dropped her bag and headed for the bathroom, leaving the door open. Shizuo settled onto the couch and waited. "Ah" he said as she came back with some gauze, bandages, and a washcloth.

"Sit still" she instructed simply, setting her materials on the table and kneeling on the couch beside him. His vest and bowtie were set to the side before she unbuttoned the top portion of his shirt to get at his wound. Shizuo admired the ceiling as she worked, gently cleaning and bandaging the mark she'd left. At least he thought it was gentle. "How's that?" she asked as she finished, leaning back. He stretched his arm and rolled his shoulder, testing the bandage.

"It works" he reported as he pulled his shirt back into place over it.

"Good" she nodded, gathering up the leftovers and returning them to the bathroom. Shizuo, meanwhile, headed to the kitchen to set up some tea. He felt she might enjoy some tonight, and he had more than enough. A clatter of something falling caught his attention. Anni plopped into the couch, glowering at how her knife still wobbled on the table. Shizuo made sure he'd set the stove correctly before joining her. "My dad gave that to me before he died. I must have been around nine or ten. If it were any other blade, I would probably be asking you to break it about now."

"I was wondering why it seemed so important to you" he said simply, leaving her room to go on. With how often he used to vent to her, he could at least listen to her now.

"I've never really seen it as a weapon. I've always seen knives as tools. Be it an owl carved in wood, or a warning carved in flesh, a knife is only ever what it wielder makes it" she explained softly. "My dad was pretty good at carving, you know. He was always making things for my brother and I. He taught us both, but Alex took to it better than I did. I liked drawing better. And now look at what I'm using his gift for."

"You're not a killer, Anni" he reminded.

"I would be, if you hadn't stopped me. I'm capable of it. I would have used THAT to-"

"But you didn't" he asserted, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Anni looked for a moment like she was about to retort, but stopped herself.

"I'm an idiot. You already know this all too well, don't you?"

"Ya. I've been fighting a similar battle for a long time" he confided. "For what it's worth, I don't think you were wrong to beat the scum like that, after what he did to you and your friend. I only stopped you because I knew it would hurt you to cross that line."

"Thank you" Anni sighed. In a fluid movement, she leaned over to rest her forehead against his. Shizuo closed his eyes and stayed with her like this until the boiling water pulled him away. What remained of the night was spent talking over tea. They agreed to put off their plans for the following day, as Anni would be spending most of her time at the hospital with Maya. The little blonde also hinted that she wouldn't be emotionally stable enough to handle something of that nature.

When the daylight started streaming in through the window, Anni changed and left for the hospital. It didn't pass his notice that she wore another long sleeved shirt that hid the bruises he'd left on her arm. Shizuo stayed home and decided to get a few hours of sleep.

-A/N-

Edited by my dear friend Faded Phoenix