My first impression of Luka was that she was batshit crazy.

She sat at the edge of the table, smiling at me with the cunningness and elegance of a cat. Her hair was arranged neatly, as if she had prepared for a meeting like this, flowing all the way down to the floor. She even wore a traditional, red kimono stitched with flowers and branches. From just one glance, it was obvious that it was very expensive.

"Please," she stretched a hand out to the empty seat in front of me. "Join us for dinner."

That was the last thing I wanted to do. But there was nowhere else to go. I sat down. My eyes flickered to Rin, who sat stiffly, her blank stare glued to the empty plate in front of her. Kanon and Yuma kept stealing glances at Gumo, who sat tall and proud. Of everyone at the table, only his and Luka's plates had food on them.

"I must say," Luka began, stirring the contents of a bowl in front of her with her spoon. "I was very surprised you were able to find me. I've been here almost ten years and not a single person has tracked me down. And after that embarrassment in California, well… I guess you could say I let my guard down." She smiled at me. "But I guess I have you to thank for that."

I said nothing.

"Oh, please," she scoffed, waving a hand in my direction. "There's no need to be so standoffish."

There was every need to be standoffish.

"And Meiko, too? Hah, I really have underestimated you."

She spoke directly to me, ignoring the others on the sides. I let my eyes wander to the guards. They each held rifles ready to fire, the end of the barrel mere inches from Rin, Yuma, and Kanon's head. Fuck. I hope Anon and Flower are alright. It occurred to me that Luka might not know Miku was here guiding us.

"Please," she said, extending her arm towards the plates across the table. "Help yourself."

"I'm not hungry," I said through clenched teeth. Gumo watched me smugly.

Luka rose an eyebrow. "No? You are aware how rude it is to-"

"I'm. Not. Hungry."

My three friends slowly turned their head to face me. Any sudden moves and they'd have a bullet in the back of their heads.

Her expression remained calm, but her hands signaled her impatience by falling to the table and drumming softly against the wood. "You're a to-the-point kind of guy. I respect that."

"Why are we here?" I leaned forward as I spoke.

"Well, I assume you're here to kill me-"

"No, why is he here?" I nodded towards Gumo. A corner of his lips curled into a smile at the question.

Luka let out a sigh, like she was preparing to gently lecture a misbehaving child. "I guess you are owed an explanation as to why you've been dragged in to all of this." She paused and waited for me to respond. When I said nothing, she began.

"I was growing in power. More and more people around the world were hearing my name and becoming familiar with my business. And, therefore, more people were wanting me dead." She motioned towards the guards pointing guns at my team. "I had a bit of a scare a few years ago and I decided that these guards weren't enough. Around the same time, this little team was gaining popularity as well."

Rin was placed between Luka and Gumo. Her blank stare had contorted into annoyance, her eyes narrowing and a prominent frown forming.

"And I thought, how perfect would it be to have a trained killer as your personal guard? So I began to research all of your members. Let me tell you, it was difficult. You-" She leaned to her right, her attention falling on Yuma. "-Are fantastic at coding all of your information. I have to tell you. In fact, you were my second choice at contacting for this position. But, unfortunately, Gumo was a bit more skilled in combat."

Yuma lowered his head. No response.

"I considered Rin, but…" she shook her head at the girl next to her. "Too… unpredictable."

Rin's expression had warped into one of pure fury. "I would have never-"

"Exactly," interrupted Luka. "Anyway, after I chose Gumo, I contacted him in secret asking if he wanted the new job opening. As you can obviously tell, he accepted."

"Rat," Kanon muttered, glaring at him. The guard behind her responded with a jab into the back of her head with the gun, reminding her that she was in no position to insult.

Yuma clenched his fists at his sides.

"So," Luka continued. "We agreed to fake his death so he could join me. It was never anything personal, I assure you."

Rin let out a loud laugh. "Of course it wasn't."

Gumo shot her a dirty look. Luka ignored her.

"I have to say, Len. You've really surprised me. Only a few months into training and you were able to pull that stunt off in China?"

"You know about the bombs?" I answered suspiciously.

She let out another smug laugh. "Know about it? I'm the one who planted them. Well, Gumo was."

Rin's eyes widened. "So it wasn't Meiko-"

The guard behind her nudged into the back of her head to shut her up. It took everything in my power not to hurdle myself over the table and punch him in the face.

Luka waved a hand. "Meiko could never come up with something like that." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Speaking of Meiko…" She waited for me to say something. I didn't. We both knew what had happened to her. There was no point in discussing it. "Another surprise," she said.

"All for them." I nodded towards the others.

"Hah, as if they ever did anything for you."

I frowned.

"Think about it, Len. They took you from your home, they probably threatened to kill you a few times, and now they're forcing you to take part in a feud that has absolutely nothing to do with you. Without them, you'd be at home right now, enjoying your young life. They've given you nothing. They've taken everything."

I wanted to yell at her, tell her she was completely wrong and that she understood nothing. But I couldn't. Because everything she had said was true. "Your point?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

At this, she smiled. "Come work with me."

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss me," she waved a finger in my direction. "I can give it all back. You can go have your normal life again. As long as you help me out with a few… issues here and there."

In a sudden outburst of rage, Rin slammed her hands loudly on the table, causing all of the expensive dishes to jump dramatically. She shoved herself to her feet, but didn't make it all the way. The guard behind her flipped the gun in his hands and jammed the butt of the rifle into the back of her head.

She fell back to her knees, panting. Her head hung low. But she was conscious.

Only after she had returned to the floor did I realize that I was standing. I had reflexively jumped to my feet.

Luka looked over the girl with disdain. Like she was a bug. Nothing but an inconvenience.

No one said anything for few moments. So, I decided to fill the silence with the words I had wanted to tell this woman since I'd heard of her existence.

My breathing was heavy as well. From anger. "Fuck. You." I spoke slowly.

Luka cocked her head to the side. "You're refusing?"

"I've seen how you treat people. How little disregard you have for anyone except yourself."

"Like who?" She asked as if she were genuinely curious. As if she didn't already know.

"You tore this team apart without even batting an eye. It's the reason we're here in the first place."

She watched me, silently urging me to continue. I tried to guess what was going on behind those plotting eyes.

"And Miku."

For the first time since I'd entered the room, she frowned. "What do you know about Miku?" She snarled after a few tense seconds.

Rin looked up at me. Her face was red with tears. She needed to see Anon ASAP.

But where was she?

"That you cared about her once but don't anymore. That you entertained her just enough so she'd stay. That you used her-"

"Not. Another. Word." Her eyes lowered in fury. Her hands rested on the table, clenched into fists.

It probably wasn't the best idea to get her angry. But I couldn't stop myself. "You were her entire life! She moved here for you, she took care of your business for you, she waited on and worshipped your every movement, all because she loved you! And what did you do in return?"

"You're entering dangerous territory, boy," she growled, standing from her seat.

"What did you do in return?" I repeated.

Those eyes glared at me.

I raised my voice in my best impression. "Quick change of plans," I mimicked, remembering the final phone call Miku received before our introduction.

"You were there!" She accused. "You went to Skye! That's how you found me, huh?"

"No."

I didn't even have to turn around to know that behind me, the door had opened. And, by the stunned expression that clouded Luka's anger, I knew that Miku had arrived.

She stepped up next to me. "They would have never found this place without me."

Luka froze like a deer in headlights. I would have smiled at her confusion, but Rin's head was still lowered in pain.

"M-Meeks... you...you led them here?"

She didn't answer. Her expression was pained, but determined.

"But...but why?''

Miku didn't tear her narrowed eyes away from the girl in front of her. "I think Len explained it well enough."

A few tense, silent moments passed. Then, out of nowhere, Luka let out a scream of frustration and swiped the dishes immediately in front of her onto the floor. The glass shattered against the ground, causing everyone in the room to flinch as soups, meats, and other assortments of food splattered against the ground.

"I'll kill you all!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "You have no idea who you are messing with!"

Even the guards were surprised at her outburst. She yelled with such an authoritative fury that they watched her carefully, as if she were a bomb ready to detonate at any minute. They each took a step back from the table, looking back and forth between each other with uncertainty

Luka's temper tantrum did not finish there. "So help me God, you will all rot in this fucking forest! I'll make sure of it! Even if it fucking kills me!"

As if on a script, every occupant sitting at or near the table jumped back as one of the lanterns fell out of the sky and landed in the dead center of the wooden table. It erupted into flames immediately.

All eyes flew upward. Tucked in between the web of support beams was Flower. In her hand was a knife and dangling aimlessly next to her was the rope that once held the lantern. She smiled victoriously down at us.

"Don't worry," she called down to Luka. "It will."

The flames had already engulfed the entire table before us. One of the guards had dropped their gun beneath the table. Watching the flames spread across the room was enough to send them running past Miku and I. Kanon crawled away from the fire as it devoured the seat she'd been sitting in only moments before. Yuma helped pull her to her feet.

With her guard gone, Rin dashed for the rifle they had dropped before Gumo could grab it. She jumped to my side, aiming it straight at him.

He glared at her.

Luka's eyes widened at her fleeing guards. "Wh-what the hell are you doing?! Get back here!"

The final member of our team threw open a door to Luka's right. Anon stepped out, Rin's assembled rifle tucked into her shoulder.

"End of the line," she growled.

I don't think I've ever seen Anon shoot, or even hold, a gun. But I definitely didn't want to be at other end.

Luka knew she'd been caught. Even her trusted assassin couldn't help her now. He stood next to her, his expression just as terrified.

Flower jumped down next to Anon. Kanon and Yuma joined them. Rin, Miku, and I were seperated from them by the growing bonfire before us.

"Any last words?" Anon asked. To be honest, we didn't really have time for last more seconds and this fire would take us, too. But Anon was always the merciful one.

Luka's shoulders heaved in panic. She looked between us, frantically searching for a way out. There was none.

I could barely hear Anon's sigh over the crackle of the fire. "Your loss."

She pulled the trigger.

I realized too late that Miku was watching. She refused to look away as Luka took one last panicked look in our direction, or, more accurately, Miku's direction, looking for one last hope of survival. One last ally. One last friendly was none.

She fell to the ground, letting out her final breath before her head hit the floor. Her hair flowed after her, those evil eyes still open in terror.

And, just like that, it was over.

"What about him?" Kanon yelled, glaring in Gumo's direction before erupting into a coughing fit. The room was slowly filling with black smoke.

Flower was the first to answer. "Leave him. Rin! Len! Get out of here! We'll meet you outside!"

The four of them were lucky enough to be standing right in front of Luka's bedroom, where the emergency exit was. The rest of us weren't so lucky.

"Come on,"I told the girls next to me. "Let's get out of here."

Gumo yelled out from the wall across from us. "What? Wait! You can't just leave me here!" The desperation in his voice was pathetic. And, judging from the way the others rolled their eyes as they exited, I wasn't the only one who thought that.

Flower, Anon, Kanon, and Yuma disappeared into Luka's room.

"Watch us!" I yelled towards him.

"But-But - '' he frantically searched for words. "Rin!"

She tensed next to me. Her grip on the gun tightened.

"Rin, you can't just leave me here! Not after everything we went through! Not after-"

Without a single word, she raised the gun, aiming it straight for his head, and pulled the trigger before he even had time to protest.

Blood splattered against the wall behind him. His body collapsed backward.

"Fake that," she muttered as she lowered the gun.

I had to admit, the impulsiveness of her last kill startled me a bit. No chance to explain himself, apologize, beg for his life. Then again, if the gun had been in my hands, I'd probably have done the same.

That left Rin, Miku and myself. The air in the room was nearly unbreathable at this point.

I turned towards the door. "We need to go, now," I started. Rin followed me.

But Miku didn't.

"Miku?'' Rin questioned from the doorway. "Come on."

Her eyes were deadened, staring hopelessly across the room. Luka's body was mostly obstructed by the flames, but a few strands of pink hair could be seen flowing across the ground in certain places. "I think..." she trailed off. "I think I'm just gonna stay here."

Rin's mouth dropped open. "What the fuck are you talking about? You'll die-"

My eyes were burning. I placed a hand on her arm to quiet her. After everything Miku went through, I didn't blame her for wanting to stay. What was waiting for her out there in the real world? Prison. Death. Ridicule and shame from the entire world for assisting in ruining so many people's lives. On top of all this, there was no more Luka to protect her.

In my eyes, she'd redeemed herself. But to her, she'd done all these awful things only to top it all off by betraying the one she loved.

Rin watched her with a pained expression, hesitating a moment longer before disappearing through the door.

I looked over my shoulder one last time.

"Thanks, Miku."

Her back was to me. She merely nodded.

There was nothing more to be said. So, with a sigh, I followed Rin out into the hall.

We escaped the burning building together.


Miku really is the tragic hero in this story. I love her. So I killed her. Mwahaa.

Thanks for reading! :)