All for you

Chapter 6-Loss

Sorry for the long wait everyone and I appreciate all the ratings, keep it up! And here's part 6, Loss.

Zen's thoughts ran wild for days; she didn't sleep and refused to let the boys outside unless accompanied by her. Aki stopped by often to let her friend get some rest but the fatigue was getting to be too much. Maria was not helping the situation at all. Her hatred for the woman had grown ten-fold, and she began to get an idea why.

'I can't be, not with Brandon!' She thought anxiously. 'But, who else knows me better besides Aki?' Zen sat in her traditional spot atop the counter, her cat eyes gleaming in the dark. She could hear a cricket chirping somewhere in the small restaurant. Had she been a dog her hackles would've been up. Her muscles were tense with stress.

"Zen?" A quiet voice from the dark. Her head snapped to the sound and Brandon stood, shirtless, at the bottom of the stairs, a questioning look on his face. She sighed inwardly, almost sadly.

"Go back to sleep." She replied curtly. A moment later a blanket was placed around her shoulders and she was picked up abruptly. "Brandon, what-"

"You need to sleep, too." He placed her in an empty booth. "No arguments." He sat on one end and played solitaire silently, and not a moment later she was out cold.

"You had better come back quick, Kenny!" Zen snapped as the door closed. It was the next day and she was in no better mood than before. Not long after Kenny returned with a necklace. A spendy one at that. A gaudy jewel dangled from a thick gold chain and it sparkled brightly.

"Look what I got from Scott!" He paraded around the room showing off his prize. "Who do ya think I can sell it to?" Brandon handed Kenny some money and took the necklace with a smile. 'For Maria, I wonder if she'll like it?' Zen thought tiredly.

"You idiot. Scott gave that to you?" Harry asked. "It's a one of a kind; he probably stole it from a nearby jeweler." He said, glancing up from his tarot cards. Brandon raised his eyebrows and tried to give it back to Kenny, who would have none of it. Nathan burst in.

"Guys! Deed and his gang are startin' trouble again!" He cried.

Harry shook his head. "Alright. Let's deal with this pinhead…again." They hustled out and around the corner, up a broken flight of stairs and, sure enough, Deed and his gang were up there, begging for a fight.

Meanwhile

Aki sat squished between Zen and her Uncle. (Let's just call him, Uncle, ok?) Uncle was in a rotten mood.

"But I promised my friend I would meet her for coffee this afternoon." Maria protested. He gave a rude huff and said nothing.

"Sir, I could go with her." Aki put in, receiving a glare. "That is what I was hired for."

"When I want your opinion I'll ask for it." He growled. 'What an asshole…' She thought bitterly. Maria gasped slightly beside her.

"Brandon…?" She whispered. Looking up, Aki saw Zen and the boys in another gang fight against Deed. She gave a small sigh.

"Stupid little punks." Uncle spat. Aki continued to watch Zen fight, very well, against the members of Deed's gang. But, to her horror, Zen was knocked over the side of the three-story building, landing in the back of Uncle's truck.

"Whoa!" She yelled. THUD Zen sat up, holding her head. Looking up she shook her fist angrily at the man. "Stupid son-of-a-Woops." She stopped, noticing all three pairs of eyes were on her. Aki was concerned, but there was laughter in her eyes.

"Sorry about that!" Grinning recklessly, she jumped out of the truck, heading back for the building. "Later, Aki!"

"Later!" Aki returned. Maria's Uncle glared at her once again.

"Maria, you are not to converse with those punks. Understand?"

"Yes, Uncle." She replied meekly.

Later that night:

Jolice stood at the stove, cooking dinner for his friends when Nathan, yet again, burst in.

"That bastard Scott sold Kenny out!" He snarled. As one, the rest of them rose out of their seats. Zen growled under her breath and strode outside.

"That necklace was from Milanda's!" She snapped. Her heart clenched with worry. All of them, save Jolice ran to the store a few blocks away, praying that Kenny would be all right.

Zen belted the last guard in the jaw, satisfied when she heard the crack, and kicked the door down. Kenny was on his knees before Milanda, the rich sow who ran the tacky jewelry shop. 'I hate rich people…' Zen thought, not for the first time.

"Let me handle this, Zen." Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling he back. "My lady, I realize that this child stole something from you. And I have come to return it." He tossed the necklace onto the table in front of her. She eyed it.

"I suppose you want a reward," Her double chin wiggled grotesquely as she spoke.

"Of course, I'm not stupid. That's a fine bit of jewelry." 'Quit your sucking up, Harry!' Zen couldn't help but be amused with her friends' bargaining. She kept a close eye on the men surrounding them, though. They had guns.

Milanda laughed. "Ah! A rescue attempt, how noble. But, what shall I get in exchange?" She watched Harry, analyzing him with her green eyes.

"An evening with me." He paused. Zen saw that he was disgusted at the thought. But for a friend, he would do it. 'Literally…' Zen clenched her teeth to keep from grinning. "I'm young and in pretty good shape. What do you say?"

Not a moment later, the guards proceeded to beat the shit out of all of them. Zen protected Kenny, for the most part, receiving the most damage of the group. Then, one by one, they were thrown out into the streets.

"Is that all you've got!" Zen challenged, receiving another beating in return. Then, she too, was thrown outside. Landing on her back, she lay still, feeling the rain fall on her bloodied face.

"You couldn't have just let it be?" Harry grumbled a few feet away. "We're not even important enough to kill. She just threw us out, like garbage!"

"Shut your mouth," She groaned, realizing she couldn't move a bit. "You're just upset she didn't want you as a bedmate." They all laughed, save Brandon.

"Hey, Brandon? You alive?" Harry called. No answer. "Brandon?" A small grunt was heard as Brandon sat upright, grinning. Zen just lay on her back, smiling. The guys' faces loomed in her vision, they were grinning at he. "What, can't move by yourself?" Harry teased. Zen made a face.

"Be glad I can't or you wouldn't have limbs to move with." She sat up with their help. Using the alley walls as support, they stood up and walked with their arms around each other's shoulders. They laughed just because they were alive and the rain felt so good. "Don't ever do that again, Kenny." Zen scolded.

"Yes'm." He smiled, revealing a bloody lip.

"My, my. Look at this." Aki blocked their path with a wry grin; she shook her head in a motherly way. "You guys look terrible." She butted between Harry and Zen, joining the support team.

"Hey! Don't judge me!" Zen objected sarcastically in her Latino voice. (She was part Latino.) "You should see the other guys." They all laughed, explaining everything to Aki. They reached the restaurant and Zen was the first one to notice that something was wrong. The smell of burnt French fries wafted out into the rainy night, Jolice never burnt anything. Stepping into the doorway, she saw Jolice lying near the stove in his own pool of blood. His eyes still showed fear from the automatic handgun that had been pointed at him.

"What the hell…" Kenny squeaked. Aki was in a state of shock, along with everyone else. Zen walked forward slowly and picked up a lone cigarette butt as sirens sounded in the distance.

Poor Jolice! I miss him already! Sorry for the long wait everyone, thanks for reviewing so much! Stay tuned for Chapter 7!