A/N: Been a while. Sorry about that. Anyway, this is the end. Notice how long it is, I thought I should make it up to you for being so late. Thanks for sticking with me this far. Now, it's 2:40 a.m. and I'm going to bed!

"This is how it feels when you're bent and broken,
This is how it feels when your dignity's stolen.
When everything you love is leaving,
You hold on to what you believe in."
-Not Gonna Die by Skillet

*Kimiko*

I was numb. I didn't notice my enemies shove us into the vehicles and drive away. I didn't notice them drag me out of the car into a house. I didn't notice the thunder rage again. I wasn't there. I was still back on the bridge, watching my two friends' motionless bodies, hoping I could see the rise and fall of their chest. There was nothing. They were gone. Tears streamed down my face and my heart ached unbearably. They threw me to the floor along with the others.

The Boss laughed, "Did you guys think you could survive? We're the most feared gang in California, of course you couldn't survive. Now look at you. Your gang shattered, your leader along with the traitor is bleeding out on a bridge, and you all are about to die. If only you hadn't been stupid enough to join Danny's gang."

Chloe spoke up, "Danny is a better leader than you."

The Boss backhanded her, "You got it wrong, Danny was not a better leader than me. He was just a traitor that deserved what came to him, along with the kid."

Jermaine retorted, "You'll get what you deserve soon, too."

The Boss smiled, "Yeah, I will. My gang will spread past California and become well-known throughout the entire nation, no, the entire world. That's what I deserve."

"You're sick!" Sandra screamed, "You kill people in cold blood! You deserve to die and when you do, I hope it's ten times worse than what you've done to others!"

The LAD members laughed. The Boss stated, "Lock them up, separately, we'll have their spirit broken before the night is over."

I was too out of it to struggle. They shoved me into a dark room, bound my hands and feet, and closed the door. I was left alone in the darkness. My only company were tears and sobs, but it wasn't from fear, it was from heartbreak. Nobody entered the room that night though, even if they had, I wouldn't have noticed. Somehow, I fell asleep and began to dream.

I sat in an alley, trying to hold back the sobs as I looked at my face in a shattered mirror propped up against a trash can. On my cheek, a bruise formed from the hit I had taken earlier from my stepmother. My mother had left when I was little, promising to return for me, but she never did. When dad married Elizabeth, my stepmother, things had become worse for me. She hated me for even existing. Anytime I done something wrong, I was hit. Most of the time, she'd hit me in the back of the head or on the back, but not when she became extremely angry.

I tried to tell dad what was happening, but he was too love-struck to listen. He believed his new wife wouldn't do something like that and I was doing it to myself to gain attention. Finally, when dad went to work, I stood up for myself. I hit her back. Needless to say, she began to beat me and I eventually ran from the house.

Eventually, it began to grow dark and I realized I had nowhere to go. Exhausted and angry, I knew I didn't want to go back to that house, to my dad and stepmother. Instead, I had come into this alley, sobbing from the loneliness and hopelessness of my situation.

"Hey, what are you doing in a place like this?" A voice questioned from the darkness a few feet away from me.

I scrambled to my feet, "Please, don't hurt me."

The person took a step forward, "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?" I shook my head, refusing to tell the person, who sighed and crouched in front of me. "Look, kid, I promise not to hurt you. I'm not that kind of person." When I remained still, he sighed and held out his pinky-finger. "I pinky-swear I won't hurt you."

"Pinky-swear is for little kids." I stated.

The man questioned, "Well, aren't you a little kid?"

I stood up straighter, "No! I'm twelve years old!"

The man laughed, "Okay, so you're not a little kid. What can I do to convince you that I won't hurt you?"

Before I could answer, another voice rang out from the darkness. "Well, what do we have here? A gang member and a kid. Take a picture, this is just too cute. What is she, a new conquest?"

The man in front of me rose to his feet and whirled around, "What are you doing here?"

The other person laughed, "I'm bored. What else? You know, that kid would probably earn me a lot of money if I traded her. Just step aside and give us the kid."

I was afraid. I was old enough to know what he meant by trading me. My bad situation had just became worse. Now, I was in an alley with two men I didn't know. I wanted to run, but found it would be useless. There were other people blocking the other end of the alley. I had to find a way out of here.

"I won't let you take the kid." The man in front of me stated.

Before I knew it, the people blocking the opposite end of the alley charged toward me and the man. I crouched down and pulled my knees to my chest, letting my head rest on it with my hands over my ears, trying to block the noise of the fight. After a few minutes, the sounds began to leave until it was gone. People were running out of the alley, a lot of them limping and stumbling, screaming curses as they went.

"You okay?" The man asked as he walked over to me.

I shook my head, "You're hurt."

His smile lit up the darkness, "I'll be fine. Now, come on, let's get out of here before they come back." He rose to his feet and held out his hand. I took it. "Considering what just happened, I think I deserve to know what your name is."

"K-Kimiko." I stated, still unsure about the man.

He smiled, "I'm Danny. Nice to meet you, Kimiko, although I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Look at it this way, though. At least you're not alone. Neither of us are."

My dream shifted and I found myself sitting on a roof, watching the sun rise above the horizon. Somebody sat next to me, but my dream self wouldn't turn to see who it was.

"It's beautiful." I stated.

The person next to me replied, "Yeah, it is. It makes you wonder how there are so many bad people, even though there's a sight like this."

"You're talking about LAD aren't you?" I questioned.

He shook his head, "There are more bad people out there, it goes beyond LAD. I just don't understand how they do the things they do. It's like they don't even see the sun, moon, stars, sky... nothing. I'm probably just over thinking."

"You're not over thinking, Rai. I understand, I've wondered the same. But when I met Danny, I finally realized something." I stated.

He looked at me, "What?"

"If I think of something like that, then somebody else is, too." I replied and leaned my head against his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around me, "I'm glad I'm not alone, then."

"You never were." I replied and the two of us watched the sun rise in comfortable silence.

When I woke up, I forgot where I was. Then, the reality of the situation once again hit me. My heart ached, but not tears fell, I was all cried out. Instead, I sat in the darkness, remembering each detail of the dream and hearing both Danny's and Raimundo's voices in my head.

"Hey, what are you doing in a place like this?" Danny's voice echoed though the dark. "At least you're not alone. Neither of us are."

"I'm glad I'm not alone, then." Raimundo's voice rang in my mind.

A sob threatened to escape as I whispered, "You never were."

*Raimundo*

I saw the vehicle's headlights come closer until the two orbs of light finally stopped. Fear and pain clawed at my stomach. The LAD must have come back to dispose of our bodies. I made one last effort to move, but I was too weak to support my weight, even on my hands and knees. I collapsed to the ground and gasped in pain as my wounds touched the ground. I closed my eyes and heard two car doors shut. This is it. Somebody crouched next to me, "Oh my... Honey, call an ambulance."

"Th-there's no service. Dylan, this the same boy who saved Kyle the other day at the store and that other boy was there, too." The woman stated. "We have to get both of them to a hospital."

I struggled to talk, "M-my friends. Taken. LAD. Have to get them..." I tried to rise to my knees, but just fell again.

The woman laid a hand over mine, "Don't move, you'll make you injuries worse." That was the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me.

When I woke up, I was in a white room, in a bed with white sheets, and an annoying, beeping machine was right next to me. Immediately, I knew I was in a hospital. I sat up quickly and grabbed my stomach where I was stabbed. The two people who rescued me rushed over, "Are you okay? How are you feeling?" The woman questioned.

"Where's Danny?" I questioned.

The two fell silent, then the man replied, "He's in ICU. They..." He paused for a moment, "They don't look for him to make it."

I gripped the bed sheets in my fist, sorrow, fear, and anger hitting me like a truck. A nurse came into my room, "It's good to see you're awake. Will you take these for me, please?" She held out her hand and revealed a cup with three pills in it. "They're painkillers."

"Will they make me disoriented?" I questioned.

The nurse nodded, "For a bit, yes, but the doctor prescribed them."

"I don't need them, just give me a Tylenol." I stated.

The nurse looked stunned, "Are you sure you can handle Tylenol with your injuries?"

I nodded, "Yeah." She left and returned with two Tylenol. I put them in my mouth and took a drink of water. I could feel the pain, but it was bearable. "How long have I been out?"

The woman beside me replied, "Three days."

My heart sank, "Did you ever find my friends?"

The man shook his head, "No."

I looked around the room, trying to find something to take my mind off the pain in my heart. "Can you leave me alone for a few minutes?" I made my eyes water.

The woman nodded and took her husband's hand, "Sure." The two left. As soon as the door shut, I pulled the IV from my arm and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Gripping the mattress, I rose to my feet. When I was sure I could walk, I went to the small drawer and found the clothes I wore that painful night. I slipped them on and looked at the patient wristband on my wrist. I ripped it off and threw it on the floor, then walked over to the window. It wouldn't open. I sighed, knowing I'd have to do this the more difficult way.

I walked to the door and quietly opened it. I stuck my head out and looked left and right. There were a few people in the hallway, even the man and woman who saved me, but nobody seemed to be paying attention. I stepped out and quietly closed the door, then walked down the hall. I felt bad for leaving the couple that saved me without even thanking them, but I had to. I entered the elevator and went to the lobby. When the doors opened, I stepped out and began to walk toward the main entrance.

The entire way, I hid the pain, but managed to walk through the main entrance and out into the parking lot. I smiled as I realized the hospital was close to my destination. I began walking toward my friends, my family.

*Clay*

Blood trickled to the floor as I lay on the concrete floor, my will to live depleted. What was the point in fighting? If I did, they'd just kill me and my friends one by one. Besides, I was tied up, defenseless. Finally, there was no sound in the house and I figured the enemy was sleeping. I sighed, not looking forward to when they woke up. I began to cough, my lungs straining to take in oxygen. I figured it was because of my broken ribs and tried to focus on being able to breathe. Only then did I notice the smell. In the dark, it was hard to see, but my sense of smell worked fine.

Apparently, one of the LAD members came to the same conclusion as me, "FIRE!"

I heard people running across the floor. A voice yelled, "The fire's too bad! We can't put it out!"

"Let's get out of here!" Another yelled and the screen door slammed on their way out.

"What about the hostages?" Somebody questioned.

Another replied, "Leave them to burn!" After that, there was no screaming from inside the house. Only then did I realize I was still in the building. I struggled painfully to get loose from the wire bounding my hands. However, straining to get loose just made the restraints dig into my skin. Suddenly, the door opened and people walked in.

Relief filled my heart, "Thank goodness, y'all are okay." Omi came to me and cut the barbed wire from my wrists and ankles. Then, Jermaine, Omi, and Kimiko helped me to my feet. I tried to take a step, but pain erupted in my ankle and I nearly collapsed: my ankle was broken. Regardless of that, I limped along, holding on to Jermaine and Kimiko's shoulders.

"We have to hurry. There are still some people trying to put out the fire." Sandra stated. We walked through the door and I saw there were a few people still attempting to put out the fire.

A voice rang over the chaos, "Surround the hostages! Don't let them escape!"

Instantly, I recognized the voice. It was the Boss.

"Go on, I'll hold him off. Just get out of here!" A voice stated.

I looked over, "What- How-" Before I could say anything else, I was dragged to a back door, into the open air.

*Raimundo*

The Boss glared at me, "You should be dead."

"Apparently, I should be alive or else I wouldn't be here." I replied and looked at my enemy, which consisted of the Boss, Pedro, Robert, and a former Rapier member.

The Boss laughed, "You're harder to kill than I thought, Pedrosa. You'll regret that."

"Oh really? Why don't you go ahead and kill me and stop talking about it?" I questioned. "Are you afraid?"

Pedro laughed, "Who would be afraid of somebody like you?"

"I'm not talking about being afraid of me. I'm talking about this." I showed them the lighter in my hand. Fortunately, it was one of those that didn't require you to push a button. Once you opened the cap, there was a flame. "Just so I know you don't escape-" I threw the lighter toward the backdoor behind me. Immediately, the small hallway leading to the back door was engulfed in flames. My enemies looked around the room and saw no escape. I laughed, "Isn't it amazing what one flame can do to gasoline?"

Pedro yelled, "You idiot! You'll die, too!"

"I don't care as long as it gets rid of you guys." I stated and threw the lighter to the side. "All I can say is good riddance."

Pedro launched toward me, "Bastard!"

I dodged to the side and slammed my fist into his stomach, careful to use the arm that wasn't shot. The hit wasn't as strong as it could have been, I wasn't as strong as I was, but it drove him back enough. I rammed into him and pinned him against a flaming wall. Immediately, he screamed as the fire touched his skin, then began to spread. I let go of him and watched as he collapsed to the ground, rolling to put the fire out. I was attacked from behind and the Rapier member kicked me in the ribs. I bit back a scream as the foot met my broken ribs and kicked the man's legs out from under him. He crashed to the ground and hit his head, making him dazed.

"Robert, kill him." The Boss ordered.

Robert looked at me, then back at the Boss. "No way. This is sick, this is wrong. I only signed up to protect my sister."

As soon as Robert said that, the Boss pulled out his knife and stabbed him just below the chest. Surprise filled Robert's eyes as he fell to his knees, blood trickled from his mouth. He fell on his side, clutching the wound.

Before I knew it, a fist connected with the side of my face, throwing my head to the side and sending blood trickling down my chin. The Boss followed up with another punch to my stomach, knocking the breath out of me and ripping the stitches I had in my stomach from the knife wound. He kicked me in the head and sent me into the ground. Blood filled my mouth where I bit my tongue and I tried to scramble to my feet. I knew if I stayed on the ground, I was dead.

However, the Boss was instantly on me, his knee digging into my back. He stuck the knife in the flames just a foot away. "You'll pay for what you've done!" He yelled and pulled the knife away from the fire. Then, the knife was pressed against the back of my neck, the white-hot blade burning the skin away. I screamed painfully and tried to escape, but couldn't. The Boss laughed and put the knife in the fire again, "You've caused me a lot of trouble Pedrosa. It all started when your father didn't pay us. You know, we killed him anyway? Just like we did your mother. He begged for his life, for mercy, but that didn't happen. We killed him right where we killed your mother. In fact, I can still hear her scream..." He held me by the hair on my head and pressed the knife blade against my ear. I screamed and tried to turn away from the pain, to no avail.

"How's Danny doing? For you to be here all bandaged up, you must have went to the hospital. Did the little bastard finally lay down and die? Did he bleed to death on the bridge or on the way to the hospital? Did he beg for his life with his last breath?" The Boss taunted. "How about your friends? Your girlfriend? I told my boys to be nice to her, but I doubt they was. What are you going to do when she has a little demon growing in her stomach? Will you still love her then?"

A new anger erupted inside me, "Shut up!" I arched my back and moved to the side, throwing the man off me. I grabbed the hand that held the knife and wrenched it from his grip, then swung with all my might. The blade cut through the flesh on the man's chest all the way down to his stomach. The Boss roared in pain and rage and lunged toward me, twisting my wrist, breaking it so I would let go of the knife. It clattered to the floor and the pain stunned me for a moment. I snapped out of it just as the Boss sent his fist toward my face. I blocked it with my good hand, but he used his other hand to grab me by the throat. I found I couldn't breathe and I tried to kick him, but he turned sideways to where I would just hit his hip.

Black spots danced in front of my eyes, I could feel the blood rush to my head. I gripped his wrist and continued to kick, trying to get free. However, I couldn't break free. My body eventually relaxed and I closed my eyes, then my breathing stopped. I could hear the Boss laugh, "You never stood a chance, kid." A flaming piece of the ceiling fell on his arm and he dropped me to the ground. I smiled. Just what I had hoped for. Using all my strength, I sent an uppercut straight into his nose. His nose shattered, blood and bones going everywhere. With a roar of rage I shoved him backward into the flames behind him.

The Boss roared in agony as the flames consumed him. I figured he would roll on the ground to put the fire out, but he instead lunged at me and gripped me by my shirt collar. "I'm taking you to Hell with me!"

I found myself being dragged toward the flames. Anytime I tried to punch him, the flame burned my hand. Quickly, I threw my arms over my head and slipped out of the shirt, sending the flaming figure stumbling. I lunged forward, slamming my hands into the man's chest. The Boss was thrown off his feet into the flame, where his screams began to fade. I turned away from the scene, drained of energy, when a hand grabbed my leg and pulled me down. I fell on my stomach and an agonizing burst of pain nearly made me pass out. However, the heat of the flames snapped me out of it.

I kicked at the flaming hand, crying out painfully as the fire melted my pant legs to my skin. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my wrist and began to pull me away from the Boss. Robert was on his feet, his hand wrapped around my wrist. I kicked at the hand again and again until, finally, it let go on its own. Then charred black hand slumped to the ground, gripping nothing but air. The Boss was finally dead.

I rose to my feet and immediately caught Robert as he fell. Blood poured from his wound now and his body trembled violently. "I-I'm sorry. Everything- my fault." Tears began to fall, "M-my fault."

"It wasn't your fault." I coughed, unable to breathe normally. "I know why you done it. You did what you had to do to protect your sister."

He coughed up blood, "She- she's only t-three years- Promise me you'll pr-protect her."

"I promise."

Robert smiled, "Tell Danny I-" His face contorted with pain for a moment, "I'm sorry." Then, the light died from his eyes and he stopped breathing.

I bowed my head for a moment, "I'll tell him. Thanks, man, for everything. I promise your sister will be fine." I rose to my feet, grief heavy in my heart, and looked for a way out. The house began to groan and a part of the ceiling fell to the floor a few feet away from me. Like a domino effect, the entire house began to collapse. I done the only thing I could do: I ran for the front door with debris constantly blocking my path. Just before I made it to the front door, something hit me in the head and I fell into the darkness.

(A Year Later)

*Kimiko*

I sat by the riverside, looking out across the water. Down at the bank, a kid threw rocks into the water, watching the surface ripple. She laughed and picked up more pebbles to throw. I smiled. I used to ask myself how there could be such evil people when they could watch the sun rise, too. How could we see the same thing, yet have different intentions? I was never able to answer that question. To this day, the answer remains a mystery to me.

However, I know I'm not the only one looking for an answer. I'm not the only one out there who wonders about these 'little' things. Now, as I watch the child throw rocks into the water, I know the answer doesn't matter. The world is what we make of it. Our future is up to us, we just have to pick which path to follow. We have to choose how we want to live. We're demanded to pick a side. Do you wish to be on the good side or the bad one? Does a good side even exist? Yes, I believe it does, because here in California, one must learn how to choose between the two. Just like the disbanded LAD and my gang, you could tell which one was bad and which was good.

"Hey, Kimiko! Are you coming?" Omi yelled from the top of the small incline. With him were Clay, Jermaine, Sandra, and Chloe, all of them smiling, waiting for me to join them.

I turned to the little girl, "Come on, Samantha, it's time to go."

"Do I have to?" The little girl questioned.

I laughed, "I'll bring you back tomorrow."

Immediately, her mood brightened, "Okay!" She ran toward me, then screamed as something grabbed her by the waist and began spinning her around in a circle. She laughed until the person put her on his shoulders.

"Hey, I am supposed to carry her today!" Another person stated.

The one carrying Samantha retorted, "Nu-uh, you did yesterday!" Soon, the two began 'fighting' over Samantha, who simply laughed in the midst of it all. Soon, we all joined the others. As we walked, we joked, laughed, talked, and enjoyed the normality we longed to have for years. Finally, Samantha wanted on the ground and she was gently lowered to the ground, where she began to skip along the sidewalk a little way ahead of us until she reached the house.

The others began to go inside and Samantha yelled over her shoulder, "Hide-and-seek! Uncle Danny's it!"

Danny pretended to pout, "Why do I have to be it?" Then, he walked inside the house and the laughter resumed.

A hand gripped mine and I was lead to a ladder propped against the side of the house. Carefully, I climbed the ladder and walked along the roof to find the best view of the sunset. I sat down and he joined me. Together we watched as the sun began to sink over the horizon.

"It's hard to believe there is peace like this after all we went through." He stated.

I nodded, "I know. It's kind of strange, not having to look over my shoulder all the time."

He held my hand, "Even with what happened, there's one good thing that came out of it."

"What?" I questioned.

He leaned toward me, pressed his lips against mine, and the contact was held for a few seconds. "You."

I laughed as he wrapped his arm around me, then I laid my head against his shoulder. Comfortable and happy, I watched as the daylight vanished from this part of the world with the man I loved, Raimundo.