Oh, hey… Look at that, it's Monday, isn't it? I'm all messed up because my mom has the week off from work, so every day feels like a (dreaded) weekend. Anyway, when all's said and done, I did remember!

Last chapter seemed to go over well, which doesn't really surprise me (You're all perverts!) Let's see the morning after now, shall we?

Many thanks to RobotFish, AnimeKiwi369, Rapis-Razuri, FiringShootingStar, Mixer18, theforgottenpeople96, TFRiD Queen, Rose-Aki, RunoandAkizafan, and Star-Rose Lover for their reviews!

And for our anons, my thanks go out to LDC, Noctis Glale, Hippy, and Guest!

LDC: I do have a reason for that. All will be explained as Yusei and Akiza figure out what the hell they're doing. Noctis: Normally, I would like to discuss this via PM, but since you're not a registered member, this will have to do. I appreciate your concrit. No two ways about that one. Things like this help an author to grow. However, I would like to say that there is a reason she's doing what she is. That night of passion is something that plays a role in the story and will continue to be a landmark of change between them. I hope you'll see what I mean as we progress. Again, I do appreciate your honest opinion and thank you for reading so far! Hippy: Don't worry, no rape. There will be some torture and abuse, but nothing sexual. We're all clear of that. Too many dramatics to write with something like that. Guest: Thank you so much! I do want to write original novels in the future (working on some now, actually), so that sort of comment just made my day! Thank you!

And, as always, many thanks to RobotFish for his beta work. I owe you big-time!

Sunset Horizon
Chapter 07 – Loose Cannon

Yusei grunted as he started to wake, pulling his pillow against him and letting out a yawn. Pausing, he glanced down at the pillow under his chin for a moment, knowing for a fact that it wasn't his pillow. That dream last night… It wasn't possible that it was…?

Propping himself on his elbows, he turned to glance to his left to find her awake, lying beside him in bed. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as she slowly turned to face him, her hands holding the bedding firmly to her chest. He was waking up in the bed of Miss Akiza Izinski and he wasn't sure what to think. He wracked his brain, trying to remember how the night had ended with them having sex, but he honestly wasn't sure. He knew he had made sure she was in it for herself, but he wasn't sure when she had gone from hating him to this.

Was it just a reckless night of fun for her? Was she looking to release some stress and known he had feelings for her? Was it… His throat ran dry as he considered her words a few nights back. Was this an assumed payment for saving her father, though he'd denied doing so?

She turned slowly, meeting his eyes for a moment before turning away again. "Good morning."

If her coldness was any indication, this wasn't the start of something intimate. Given that she wasn't expecting him to be a loving gentleman this morning, he decided he would be better off putting up his false personality. Giving her a smug smile, he settled down into the pillow and reached one hand out to run his fingers along her arm. "Morning, Miss Izinski."

She turned away to look towards the door of the bedroom and pulled the bedcovers up a little closer around her. "Mm."

She didn't seem to be very talkative, but he was curious to know what had caused her to behave so eagerly last night. He was fairly certain he deserved an answer, too. He had to be careful, though, to word his statements as his cover self. Leaning a little closer, he kept his smile up as he asked, "So, tell me… How was it?"

She leaned back in her pillow, still avoiding his gaze, and murmured, "It was better than I thought."

His smirk spread while his heart started to beat a little faster. "Better than anyone else you've been with?"

Slowly, she turned to face him, casting him a very unamused expression, before facing away again and saying, "You say that as if you think I've been with other men."

He froze, his eyes widening considerably. She had been a virgin last night? She… had given him her maidenhood? What had possessed her to give it to him, of all people? She cared nothing for him, so why would she do something like that? Didn't she realize how important something like that was? Before he could stop himself, he demanded, "What the hell possessed you last night?"

She turned to meet his gaze again with that same flat look on her face, saying, "Excuse me?"

He couldn't help it. He was furious with her. Why would she give herself like that? He had assumed she had been with other men by now. He was overprotective of her, but he gave her room to live her life. She had the freedom to see the men she chose, and he would just stop the ones who didn't have her permission to be near her. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

She sat up at that, crossing her arms over her chest while keeping the blanket over her. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

He shifted to release the pillow and sat upright, rubbing one hand over his face in frustration. "You were a virgin! You should've saved yourself for your husband! Or at least someone you love!" He moved to stand, walking around the bed and grabbing his pants from the floor before tugging them on. His rant continued, the words tumbling from his lips before he could stop himself, "I realize you're a rich girl, and you may not have your choice when it comes to marriage, but I thought you were at least smart enough to save yourself for someone you loved!"

She countered his anger with her own icy glare, snarling, "And what about you? Or is that only applicable for women?"

"I'm an asshole who doesn't know what's right half the time. I do stupid things all the time and you know it. And I apparently added another one to my ever-increasing list last night! I mean, seriously, why would you come to me?" A tiny voice was shouting in his head, telling him to stop before things got any worse, but he couldn't. He was seriously pissed off with her ignorance and she needed to know it.

He turned away, grabbing Stardust's holster from the floor and fastening the buckle at the waist, leaving the leg strap free as she spoke behind him, "I knew all of that already, Yusei. Don't you think I consider this to be a stupid thing, too?"

"Then why?" he demanded, grabbing his jacket before marching back to her. He leaned one hand on the bed and rammed his face right in hers, wanting answers desperately. "Why would you come to me for sex? Because I flirt with you? Because you thought I would be easy to get into bed? What are you, some street-corner whore underneath the strong-willed front?"

Her hand snapped out, slapping him across the cheek with a surprising amount of strength. He deserved that, but he wasn't about to say as much. She shoved his shoulder, pushing him away from her as she sneered, "Is that what you think? Is that the only conclusion that's seeping into that massive hairball?"

He had to give her credit for keeping tears at bay. Rather, he was grateful she wasn't crying. He would have lost any will to stay angry if she'd cried. He took a few steps back, facing away from her while running his free hand through his hair. Taking a deep breath, he managed to calm himself slightly before turning on her again. "Did you think I was just a distraction? That I would hop into bed if you said 'jump'? That I was just waiting for you to give the okay?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off, jamming one finger pointedly towards her. "Let me clue you in, here, Miss Izinski. I haven't been coming to your bar almost every day since the day it opened hoping to have sex with you. I haven't been tipping you extras as compensation for prostitution. I've been here, doing stupid shit to catch your attention so you would know I'd be there for you. If you haven't noticed, I've been warding off all the bastards who think to take advantage of you because you're not blunt enough to tell them 'no'!"

"I never asked you to do that!" she snapped, "You did that by your own choice!"

"I know. And do you know why?" He leaned closer again, his nose just barely grazing hers. "I did it because I'm in love with you. There. Happy? I said it. I love you and all I wanted was for you to be happy. I don't care if sex is in the equation. I just want to able to hold you and kiss you and see you smile. But now…" He paused, turning away and touching a hand to his temple. "Now I don't know what to think. I didn't think you were so careless."

"What makes you think I don't love you?"

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, turning around to face her again. "I know you don't. You've made that very clear over the past few years."

"Then let me ask you something," she said, slipping off the bed and taking one of the covers with her to keep herself hidden. "If you love me so much, why did you agree last night?"

His jaw dropped. Didn't she realize that was why he was so angry with her? He wasn't the type of man to shove the responsibility for his actions onto others. He knew he was partly accountable for the events of the previous night, but he wasn't going to take blame for her part, either. She had started the whole thing, and he had only agreed after she had given him verbal approval. He stuttered for a moment, trying to spit out the thoughts on his mind. "Don't you get it?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms. "Let's pretend I don't."

"Never mind," he muttered, flipping his jacket and tugging it on forcefully. "I'm done. I give up." He turned for the pair of stained-glass double doors in her room and shoved one open, marching outside onto the balcony before throwing it shut angrily. He needed to go somewhere where he could either think through the events of last night or drown his emotions in whiskey.

…

Jack sat in one of the chairs in the home of the Enforcers, casually tossing darts at the wall. He was getting impatient. He didn't like to be kept waiting, and Yusei was doing exactly that. They were supposed to lay out a plan today and visit Goodwin again. It was already almost high noon, and their leader was nowhere in sight. He hadn't seen that thief again since that first night, and it was still driving him insane. He wanted to tackle that little bandit and show him who was boss.

The Enforcers led this town, not some puny little man who thought to undermine them.

He gripped his hand into a fist and jumped to his feet, muttering, "Where the hell is Yusei? We're supposed to take Goodwin down!"

Crow was on the floor nearby, doing crunches to pass the time. He paused and sat up, glancing at Jack curiously. "What's bugging you? We've been waiting long enough. What's another day?"

"Hmph!" He crossed his arms, frowning. "He's probably off fawning over his girl and making priorities over our end goal."

Kalin shrugged from where he sat with the morning newspaper. "Let him have some time. We spend almost every waking moment in the same room, anyway."

Crow shifted to stand and scratched one hand in his hair, grabbing an apple from the shelf with the other. "Come to think of it, he never came back last night, did he?"

The white-haired man shook his head, his eyes never leaving his paper. "Nope."

Jack tossed the last of his darts into the wall, then grabbed a hat from the desk and settled it on his head. "I'm going to go check on him."

"You know where he is?"

"There're only two places he could be, depending on whether the night went well or was a disaster."

…

Jack hoisted himself up onto the roof, frowning in the burning sun of midday. He hated being out at this time of day. It was always so bright and hot. The sun would leave his skin reddened and the dry winds would make his voice crack.

He hated midday.

A quick scan inside the bar had yielded no trace of Yusei, so he had gone to the other place he expected him to be. He walked a few paces across the roof and hopped easily onto the raised section, frowning at the sight before him.

Yusei sat on the roof, leaning helplessly against the back of the saloon's sign, a half-empty bottle of whiskey gripped tightly in his hand. Two more empty bottles laid on the roof, toppled over and left as if they were tossed carelessly. Another full one stood beside him, within easy reach in case he got too drunk to move.

Jack figured he was well past that stage.

He was slumped down, one leg extended straight out while the other was bent slightly. His eyes were unfocused, his shoulders were slack, and he seemed to have trouble getting the bottle to his mouth as he raised it for another drink. A part of his jacket was darker as if wet, giving the impression that he had indeed missed his mouth a few times already.

He was a miserable sight, and though Jack wasn't the most compassionate of people, he hated when his friends were left in such a depressingly helpless state. Rather, he hated that they would be introverted enough to wander off alone instead of looking to get knocked back to their senses by him. He'd never lost his cool to such an extent that he needed to be hit by one of the others, though they did still get their piece during the occasional fistfight that broke out between them.

He walked over with a sigh and dropped down to sit next to his friend—his first real friend—reaching out and snatching the bottle of whiskey from him. He just stared at his hands, completely blank and looking as if he wasn't sure what just happened. Jack rolled his eyes and shoved his friend's shoulder, watching as he fell over with no attempt at catching himself. Just how hopeless was he?

"Yusei!" he snapped, gripping his sleeve and pulling him upright again. "Snap out of it!"

He finally turned and made a semblance of eye contact with Jack before drifting away again to some faraway place in his mind. "…Zizinsee…" he muttered.

It took him a second to translate his drunken gibberish before he nodded slowly. Miss Izinski. Right. His friend was an idiot for letting love consume him. He'd told him up-front that it would end badly, but he hadn't listened. He had insisted on getting closer to her, flirting with her every chance he had and denying any attention from other women.

He had known from the start that setting sights on one woman was a bad idea. After all, if one turned him away, he could always move to a different one. It wasn't the end of the world. But Yusei had set his sights on one woman and, from the looks of it, had been shot down hard.

Sighing, he shifted to stand and reached out, gripping Yusei's arm and tugging him to his feet. His body refused to work properly, leaving him in an awkward kneeling position instead. This idiot was more work than he was worth. Griping mentally, he moved his grip to his waist and hoisted his limp form over his shoulder, carrying him back towards the way he'd come up. The route involved hopping down onto Akiza's balcony, then down to the ground.

Jack wasn't looking forward to making the jump with only one hand free. Getting to the balcony would be easy. The bartender kept a crate from Crimson-knew-what on the deck, giving a handy step of sorts from the roof down. He jumped down the two four-foot drops easily, then roamed over to glance over the railing. It was another good eight-foot drop to the ground and he didn't feel like taking the leap without having his arms available for balance.

He glanced slightly to his right at Yusei's limp form, ignoring the small groan coming from him, and then looked back down over the edge. Frowning thoughtfully, he took in the sight of the full water trough below the rail, used to keep the two horses the bartender raised hydrated. Giving a shrug, Jack lowered Yusei from his shoulder and dropped him over the side, unable to resist a smile as he splashed into the water. He leapt over the side after him, landing gracefully on the ground before sauntering over to the trough.

Yusei surfaced from the water, gasping as he did and shook his head left and right on a reflex. Water flayed out from his hair as he did, showering Jack in the process. He blinked, slowly taking a minute before pressing his hand to his head. No doubt he was still feeling the effects of that much liquor ingested into his system so quickly.

He decided he needed to get him back home before Akiza found him taking a bath in her water trough.

He gripped the front of Yusei's coat in both hands and lifted, pulling his barely-conscious friend out and half-lifting, half-dragging him over the edge. Shifting, he placed him over his shoulder and grimaced, silently berating himself for throwing him in the water. Now he was going to get his good white leathers all wet.

Normally, he'd call any of his friends in Yusei's current predicament an idiot and leave them to their own issues. The only thing stopping him from doing so now was his inner self telling him Yusei was going to get himself killed if he kept drinking that much. That, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he truly did value this man's friendship and appreciated what he'd done for him all those years ago.

If not for Yusei, he'd still be stuck in some fancy home somewhere beyond the border with no hope of ever being free. He was grateful to him for showing up when he did, telling him about the wonders of freedom and the feeling of living without responsibility. He had been brash and childish when he'd run for New Domino with him, but he didn't care. There would be enough snobbish nobles to take his place. What good would he be in a seat of power, anyway?

Sighing, he pulled his inebriated friend down the streets, ignoring the judging glances of the people he passed. Whether they judged for Yusei's drunken state or because they were Enforcers, he didn't know. He didn't care, either. Their looks were fleeting and left as soon as they saw him, knowing full well to fear the Enforcers.

Given the scowl on his face, Jack knew the people would stay back. The town had learned quickly to avoid the Enforcers when they were having a bad day, especially when they were donning their signature, long-barreled pistols. They generally stayed away from the rebellious group, except on the rare occasion that someone wanted a favor from them.

However, if any of them had a lick of intelligence, they would stay away from him today.

He carried his friend down the street, one arm holding his waist and the other gripping his wrist wrapped over his shoulder. If it had been any other situation, he would have made a crack at Yusei for his height. Though he was carrying him, the difference in their heights left his toes just barely touching the ground with each step.

Jack had never been all that much of a joker—that was more Crow's forte—and had always preferred to remain serious. It was never a bad state of mind to be in when one lived their life on the dangerous side, and he knew it. He much preferred to stay on his guard, always ready in case someone decided to draw a gun on him. He was the Master of Faster, and if anyone thought to try to attack him, he would kill them where they stood.

Of course, there were very few in the town that would go that far and consider attacking the Enforcers. Far too many people were afraid of what they would do. Though they only targeted Yliaster and those with some connection to the Underground, the people didn't always see that and only knew to be afraid of this group of rebels who would torch a home if they deemed it necessary.

Finally, he reached the doorstep of the small home he shared with his friends and snapped his foot out, kicking the door open and dragging Yusei's once-again unconscious form inside. Kalin and Crow looked up from whatever they were doing at the sound, instinctively reaching for their weapons before realizing it was just Jack. They took in the sight of Yusei's limp form, causing Kalin to stand from his place at one of the desks and warily ask, "What happened?"

He sighed, walking over to the empty chair and released Yusei's form over it, dropping him down into the seat. "The bloody idiot went and screwed up with his bloody girl, so he tried washing his bloody misery down with three bloody bottles of bloody whiskey."

Crow's eyebrow rose from where he sat on the floor, sifting through paperwork. "Someone doesn't sound happy about that."

"Why the hell should I be? He's a foolish moron who can't even keep track of his own emotions! How are we supposed to take control of a town when he's stupid enough to do something like this?"

The white-haired man took the liberty of answering, saying, "Just let him rest up. We'll get an explanation out of him then."

"You can count on that. Now," he said, leaning over Yusei's shoulder while placing one hand on the back of his chair, "Will one of you help toss this sack onto his bed?"

…

Akiza stood behind her bar, filling glasses and cleaning up messes by instinct alone, her mind distracted with a burning hatred for Yusei. How could he say those things? Was he really that clueless to her feelings? Or did he want her to stay away and only said what he did to push her away? But that didn't make sense, either. He said he loved her and wanted her to be happy when he could have just blown it off as a night of fun.

He told her he loved her.

She shook her head to wake herself up, trying to ignore the ache in her heart when she remembered the look on his face when he said those words. He was angry, eyes dark and narrowed, but his steady tone carried his seriousness and honesty. She knew, deep down, that he was telling the truth then. The concept of him loving her made her deliriously happy for a brief moment, but then her sanity made sense of the situation, and she knew she could never be with him again.

Her heart yearned for him, but she hated how carefree he was. She could never be with a man so spontaneous and selfish. He was a criminal and a lying bastard, but she knew too well that his flirting had been for a reason. She knew he truly did care for her, but she couldn't allow it. She needed him to prove he could be a responsible and law-abiding citizen before she could stand beside him.

She wouldn't allow herself to love a criminal.

She didn't have a choice, anyway. She had already pushed him away, and for good reason. She couldn't let herself get distracted now. She had already accepted her new fate and would stand by it until she couldn't hold on anymore. And that would be until she died, she hoped. She prayed she could continue to push Yusei away until then.

Curse him for showing humanity now. Couldn't he have given her a glimpse of this side a month ago? Why did it have to be now, of all times? She wanted to throttle him. Punch him until he was blue in the face, kick him until he couldn't stand, slap him until he couldn't see straight, and then kiss him until he couldn't feel the pain anymore.

She was so confused by these feelings and had no idea how to handle them.

Sighing, she decided she didn't want him to stay angry at her, and made a mental note to talk to him before it was too late and things got more complicated. She couldn't be with him, but she at least wanted to justify her reasoning from last night. She hated that he had the nerve to call her a whore, and wanted to set his mind straight. It was more for herself than for him, but she realized it was probably better that way.

Deep down, she knew why he was angry at her. She would never admit that, but she knew that he had gotten it into his head that she had given away her virginity for an empty, wasteful night. In truth, all she had wanted was a night with someone she truly did yearn for before he arrived in town.

Heh... Hehehe... Um... Yeah... Begin hating the author for a few chapters ^^;

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