This begins with Luciano's POV during the previous oneshot 'Lucky' before moving forward from there.

Note - I am horrid with trying to write accents, so please just use your imagination and pretend it is there while I write in my normal style. I don't want to insult people with my horridly written accents, so I am not writing the accents into the story.

The first time he had seen them was at one of his hotels, their eyes closed as they rested against the counter, head cradled in their arms. Back then he hadn't really noticed their subtle beauty, too busy thinking about the meeting about to take place once he had finished his business at the counter.

Of course, seeing them in their state of total exhaustion hadn't really done anything to get him to notice the eyes that would normally be much brighter, practically shimmering with either determination or excitement, although occasionally they would be so filled with happiness as to be nearly glowing from within.

When they had kindly, but sleepily, stepped aside and allowed him to be waited upon before them, making their way over to one of the couches slowly before promptly falling asleep, he had decided on a whim to set them up for the night in one of the better rooms in his hotel. For a moment, he'd almost thought their actions to be cute before brushing the thought off and finishing his business at the desk before heading to the meeting that was waiting for him.

He wasn't sure why but for the remainder of the evening and late into the night, he had the best luck he'd experienced in his life. Everything had gone right and a potential disaster had been avoided with ease, turning instead into a rather lucrative business opportunity. It was curious because, in his line of work, things rarely went so easily and when they did, it usually involved an assassination or three.

--------

The following morning, he had been mildly shocked at seeing the same person waiting for him in his office, having expected one of the usual eager to please young men or overly flirtatious young women these companies usually sent him in hopes of making either flattering or seducing a deal out of him. Usually, it was to the companies own great benefit and very little benefit to him.

In recent years it had become known that although he rarely made such deals, the ones he did finally agree to were usually rather lucrative in the long run for both parties involved. Although, the moment his own gain began to drop below whatever value he placed upon it, he often cut ties to the other party with little to no warning.

Seeing the person before him more excited at the room he'd had them placed in rather than the sight of him was beyond refreshing and had him sending them a real smile at their antics rather than the fake ones he usually used in these situations.

Their obvious interest in the business deal becoming apparent from the moment he mentioned getting to work on it led him to actually listen to the multitude of ideas they mentioned during the meeting, many of them in addition to what was already on the paperwork they'd placed in front of him at the start.

At no point had they made even the vaguest hint of desiring anything from him other than the business at hand, no subtle flirting or other signs of hidden agendas that would lead him to think they were anything other than what they seemed.

By the end of the meeting, he had not only signed the paperwork, a good feeling about the whole venture filling him as he did so, but he'd begun to look at the person before him in a new light. They were far more intelligent than most of the people he usually dealt with, showing their ability to make quick leaps in connecting things when he had made an offhand remark about another venture he had planned on pulling out of after their meeting was done.

They had quickly advised him to stick it out for another few days before doing so, letting him know about a rumor they'd heard from a co-worker who was working with the other company involved. If it played out how they thought it would, he would make a small fortune in the remaining time and pull out before the value began to slip back down.

It was obvious by then that this person was exactly what they had appeared to be, a true professional at their job, working as a true deal maker for the business that had sent them. And from how they worked, any business would be lucky to have them on their payroll.

Of course, the women usually sent to him were little more than well-dressed somewhat educated prostitutes that he had no interest in, trying to exchange their cheap favors for his signature on a dotted line and the men not much better, some offering the same favors as the females did. No, he much preferred dealing with this young professional who had gained his signature through hard work that didn't involve removing clothing, be it his or their own.

--------

By the time he ran into them that evening, not only had the value of his stocks in the old venture risen by nearly half again it's worth, the deal with the new group they worked for had begun to show profits. It seemed like everything he worked on in the hours after seeing them had gone right in the best ways possible.

Every time he thought about his unusually good luck, he kept wondering if it was somehow their doing. It sounded crazy when he thought about it, but he couldn't deny that he'd never had a day go so well in his life and it did happen to coincide with the times he'd happened to run into them. Even his best days had paled in comparison to the past twenty-four hours and it left him curious to see if they really did have something to do with it, one way or another.

So it was that when he ran into them later on in the day, he found himself inviting them to share a couple of drinks with him and try their luck at one of the local casinos, something he'd only ever had average luck at and tended to avoid because of that. He preferred to make money, not lose it on wasteful things.

Expecting to have his theory dashed almost immediately and end up seeing all the good luck as just coincidence, after all, he was shocked when the first table they went to had him winning two out of every three hands. By the time they made their way to the third table, he was taking every chance he could to touch his guest somehow, brushing up against their side when he reached for cards or touching their elbow as he led them to the next table. He even had them blowing on his dice for added luck whenever he could talk them into it.

Astonishingly, it all worked and he was winning more often than not, although they had ended up confronting him at one point about his behavior and he had blushed as he admitted that they had been bringing him much luck in his gambling. It made him smile when they agreed to hold his arm instead, although he wasn't sure why that was.

When they had stated their desire to leave for the night, he had been shocked for a moment before taking them with him to turn in the chips for actual money. He hadn't even realized that they hadn't been winning their own hands, too busy taking in how good he had been doing. He swore that next time, he would pay better attention to how they were doing, not wanting to fail as a host for such an amazing person as they were.

When they'd refused his offer to split the winnings, he'd felt a warmth take hold in his chest at their innocence, realizing that they didn't even know the effect they had on the people around them as they mentioned how they hadn't earned their share. They were a luck-bringer, even if they didn't bring much luck to themselves. As long as they were with the right person, though, they would not need to bring themselves luck, since the person should be obligated to take care of their wants and needs for them.

Seeing them off for the night, he could only smile at the thought of having his own such Luck Bringer. And from there, the obsession began to grow as he took his winnings back with him, making plans on how to win them over and keep them at his side. He would ensure that the best of care was taken in handling such a treasure as they had already proven to be.

--------

He couldn't chance harm coming to them, sending a few of his men to follow them the next day and keep them safe as the men watched them. He'd enjoyed hearing about the things the luck bringer did throughout the morning and into the afternoon. The pictures his men sent him through their phones had him smiling at how innocent a person they were in their exploration of his city, although he couldn't help frowning upon learning of the lovesick boy that had accosted them in the small cafe, quickly ensuring that the boy would learn his lesson about how to treat a guest. Of course, not when his Luck Bringer was anywhere around to witness it.

When he heard they were going to one of the better restaurants in the area, he had been eager for the chance to meet them and begin his advances in winning their affections, as that would be the simplest way to keep them close to him. The fact that he didn't mind them as a person helped make it an even easier choice to make.

That night when he saw them struggling with the menu, he couldn't help himself. He'd taken the chance to lean over their shoulder and offer his assistance, not expecting the delicate scent of their hair and skin that had met his nose as he'd brought his lips close to their ear. Taking in the delightful aroma, he'd nearly been undone until he noticed how startled they looked, apologizing half-heartedly for surprising them.

It was impossible for him to feel earnest in his apology since he had honestly enjoyed how vulnerable they had looked in that moment. What he'd really wanted was to see more such looks upon their face, their lips slightly open as if to tease him with the idea of how soft they appeared. If he was a weaker man, he would have given in to the temptation they'd unknowingly created for him.

When they'd ended up getting up and leaving, he'd slowly trailed behind them, staying out of sight as best he could as he watched them make their way back to the hotel.

--------

Later that night, when the camera's he'd had installed while they were out that morning showed they were finally in a deep sleep, he'd snuck silently into their room once more and pulled the outfit they'd worn out of the luggage they'd stuffed it into. Feeling the soft fabric slide against his skin, he could almost imagine them wearing it again as he pulled them close to him. Shivering, he carefully placed it within the small bag he had brought and continued looking through the suitcase before moving on to other places within the room.

While he was there, he'd grabbed a few other things that had caught his eye, the delicate ring he'd remembered seeing on one of their fingers slipped carefully onto his pinky finger, it being the only one the thin band would fit upon. The rest would be added to the room he had emptied last night of the things it had once held, instead slowly filling it with things that had come from his Luck Bringer's room or that his men had brought him from places they had followed the person to, things that they had touched or shown too much interest in.

Those things would be gifted to them in time, of course, but until then they would serve as tools for him to learn more about the things they liked. Getting so close to them at the restaurant had only cemented his desire to have them beside him, however, now there was a new form of desire burning within him beside the first.

He now wanted them as much as he wanted the luck they would bring him.

--------

When they had fled his country, Luciano had been astonished. Never before had a person interested him so and here they were, trying to leave his side when all others had seemed to desire nothing but the opposite. He wasn't sure if he was more upset at their daring to leave after he had shown interest in them or if he was excited that he would get a chance to chase after them and prove how much he wanted them.

Even if he knew that if he really desired to, he could have them delivered to his side by the end of the day, it would be more exciting to do this without going outside of his usual methods. Even if it did mean it would take more time, didn't they always say that 'good things came to those who wait' or some such nonsense? It was a 'good thing' that he had learned patience over the years or his fun would be over far too quickly, even if it did mean that the person he desired would be in his grasp sooner if he didn't bother playing fair with them like this.

Giving the picture he held one last longing gaze before slipping it into his pocket, he turned to his men with a cold expression that hid the burning desire buried within him. "Report!"

--------

Each day brought a smile to his face as he looked at the newest pictures being sent to him by his men, especially the one he'd had placed at their workplace. Being able to call in favors had made the task simple, even if it was obvious that they suspected the man of being one of his. There was nothing they could do to have the man removed, just as there was little they could do about him having bought out the more corrupt members of their local police force.

Sure, there were always those that were honest about wanting to protect and serve, but it was easy enough to keep them out of the way by giving them desk jobs or duties in other areas that kept them too busy to interfere. It was too bad that they had found the camera in their home, though. He'd been enjoying those daily peeks into her life, when she had thought nobody was looking and she could relax.

It had actually become a part of his daily routine to watch them come home, the stress finally starting to fade from their body as they took off their shoes and began making dinner. He'd taken to having his own meals around the same time they did, feeling exceptionally happy when they happened to be eating similar foods. When they were done, he watched as they cleaned up around the apartment and he would prepare for bed at the same time as they did so he could fall asleep while watching their own sleeping face at night.

He'd begun to change in ways that caused his whole world to revolve around them. They had so easily become the center of his everything.

----------

When the day came that he got a picture of their panicked face looking back from an elevator, his world began to tilt in dangerous ways. When they nearly managed to vanish entirely from his reach, it came crashing down, ending with him standing over a somewhat familiar male's body, shifting a bit to avoid getting the pooling blood on his shoes.

Their tear-streaked face filled his vision and he did his best to hide the pain he felt at causing them such sorrow, but he really couldn't stand losing them to another man. Not even one of the rare people who were like him in the world. Even if it meant an entire country would have to pay the price for him to have them beside him again.

Lifting them up from the floor, he ran his fingers through their hair soothingly, making his way towards the exit as he softly began whispering the words of a song he'd heard once that seemed to fit how they made him feel at that moment.

"I've got the whole world, in my hands."

----------*----------*----------*----------

It didn't matter how many gifts he bought me or how nice the food was that lay in platters across the table at each meal. I would never forgive that man for killing my friend and stealing my freedom. He was delusional if he thought I was really somehow a bringer of luck. If I was lucky, did he really think I would be here, imprisoned by some Mafia boss who was too superstitious for his own good?

I don't care what claims he made about the supposed luck he had been having from being around me. It was just good business sense and a climbing market value, nothing more than that! Why wouldn't he let me go?! I don't want to be here!

Breaking down again, I continued to sob into the pillow that I had pulled against my chest. I had been slumped over upon the bed within the room that was my prison for what felt like forever, crying both for my lost friend and for myself. I just wanted to go home. Please, let me go home...

--------

He was staring at me again, that thoughtful look on his face as he watched me taking small bites of food. I would refuse to eat, but after the last time I had tried such a move, he had made it quite clear that it would not be accepted by him. After all, he was Mafia. He was used to such things from people and knew how to deal with it effectively and swiftly.

All I could do was try to force the food past my lips and hope my stomach would not rebel later on since if it did, he would just force me to eat with him again. Only this time, he would feed me by hand. Last time, he spooned some kind of broth into my mouth, refusing to either let me feed myself or let me leave the table before it was done.

Almost gagging on a piece of artichoke that I had been glaring at before putting it between my lips, I did my best to ignore how quickly that man had jumped to his feet and raced to my side, ready to help if I should actually start choking. I am sure it was because he did not want to take the chance to lose his "Luck Bringer" and not out of genuine concern for me. If he really cared for me, he wouldn't imprison me like this.

~~~~~~~~

He sat there wondering how long it would take to earn their forgiveness. He'd already offered them so many gifts, ones from his collection of things they had once looked at with interest, only to have them turn from each of them as if they were offensive to them. He'd tried serving them the best of foods, each one prepared by the best chefs and with the best ingredients that money could attain. He'd spent a fortune trying to appeal to them only to see them refuse to eat more than they needed for survival.

At least they hadn't tried to starve themselves again, the one time they had done so nearly breaking him all over again, thinking he was going to lose them once more in a far worse way. At least if he lost them to another man, he could get them back again, but if they... No, he refused to think of such a thing! He wouldn't let that happen, even if he had to feed them himself from time to time to keep them healthy.

It seems like all he could do was wait for them to come around and realize that he saw them as more than he had at the start of all this. He'd come to desire more than the luck they brought him, although a part of him prayed that somehow that luck would extend to his relationship with them and help him win them over. Even if they could never love him with the same burning passion that he felt for them, anything would be better than the hatred, distaste, and horror that shifted about like smoke within their eyes every time they met his gaze.

Just once, he wanted to see them look at him with even a fraction of the love he felt for them. Although, right now he would be happy with just seeing a hint of forgiveness if only he could figure out how to go about earning such a thing from them.

~~~~~~~~

Days had turned into weeks long ago and eventually to months as time continued to move forward far faster than I expected it to, regardless of how much I wished it would go back to before all this had happened and give me a chance to undo it all. Eventually, I had gotten used to being here, even if I still did not enjoy the company I was forced to keep.

I didn't care that he had started to speak softer around me, raising his voice only if he needed to to be heard, usually if his men were there and making a ruckus. The fact that he had grown less violent around me, less likely to threaten his men or pull out a weapon and wave it at them, did nothing to change the fact that he had kidnapped me. It was the insanity of his claim to loving me, someone he had barely known for more than a few days, that had caused the death of my best friend and was the reason I could never look at him with anything but sadness, fear, and loathing.

The only 'gift' I ever accepted from him was when he gave my ring back, which was offered only when I finally noticed it sitting upon his pinky finger one morning as he was pouring my tea himself, rather than having a servant do so. The familiar stone had caught the light and the resulting shine had pulled my eyes to the ring fast enough to make my neck ache at the sudden movement. I had spent the rest of the morning shouting at him, screaming insults at the man for stealing the treasure from me and letting me think it lost forever while he wore it on his finger like some kind of trophy.

I had barely managed to steady my hands enough to put the ring on by myself, refusing to let him touch it again after carefully wiping it clean with the cloth napkin that had once looked like a swan beside my breakfast plate. He had spent the rest of the day giving me sorrowful glances that I ignored as he rubbed his now bare finger. It was obvious he had gotten used to wearing the ring daily, the hint of a slightly lighter band of skin reinforcing that fact.

But that had been well over a month ago now. He no longer rubbed the area, the skin finally looking as loved by the sun as the rest of him did. It was disturbing that someone so cruel was gifted with such good looks, rather than someone who was deserving of such a blessing, but the world was not a fair one and I knew that better now than I ever had before. In a fair world, I would be home right now or be off visiting some different country to make a deal with some other person. In a fair world, Luciano wouldn't have kidnapped me under the delusion that I was some sort of "luck bringer".

--------

"Let me go, Luciano. Please," I begged one morning, having spent the night tossing and turning as one nightmare after another plagued my sleep. I needed to get out of here! Being stuck in one place like this was starting to drive me mad! "Please, I'll... I'll give you a lock of hair! That can be your lucky item! I mean, if I'm lucky, then surely a lock of my hair would be lucky, too! You can keep my hair and let me go!"

I was almost sobbing by the time I stopped talking, my hands grasping at my hair as I sunk down against the wall until I was sitting on the floor, the outfit I had been told to wear today no longer pristine as bits of dirt began to cling to its surface.

I didn't care anymore about the time it had taken the staff to clean and prepare the outfit, the time it had taken them to "help" me get dressed and presentable for today, just like I didn't concern myself that I was supposed to look the part to stand beside him and greet a pair of guests he would be having over. All that mattered was somehow getting out of this place, escaping the walls that trapped me inside with this man, and finally gaining my freedom again.

As I was carefully lifted up and handed over to the maid as she led me back to my room, all I could hear was the regret in his voice as he forced words past a tightened throat. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

His voice faded as the door was shut behind me, barely making out the last of his words. "I love you too much to ever let you go."

~~~~~~~~

It hurt him to watch them tear themselves apart like that, seeing them breaking before his very eyes as they tore at their hair. Almost as much as it pained him to know that, no matter what they offered him in exchange for their freedom, he knew he could never grant it. He just couldn't. How could he be expected to give up the one person who had ever come to matter to him, the only one he had ever felt anything beyond lust for.

He loved them! He honestly loved them and although that had shocked him for a time, something so unexpected to a being like himself, he wanted to treasure what time he had on this world with them. After all, the span of a human's lifetime was so short compared to someone like him and he refused to spend the rest of his existence alone without at least having them beside him for as long as he could.

Besides, he'd already committed sins far worse than keeping someone against their will. At least this sin came with a reward that was worth the price he had to pay for it. He just needed to find some way to make them happy to be beside him, to take away the sorrow they were feeling. It was something he would have to spend much time contemplating in the coming weeks.

But for now, he had guests to attend to!

~~~~~~~~

I'd refused to leave my room during the course of the next several days, not wanting to see Luciano's face while I wallowed in my grief. Not after having it made so clearly apparent that I would never be allowed my freedom.

Each day, he would stop by my door and knock softly before inquiring as to my health. If my maid was there, she would let him know I was simply in need of more time to myself to complete my recovery. Those times I was alone, I would simply slip a note under the door requesting a continuation of my solitude.

It wasn't until partway through the second week of my self-imposed seclusion that I didn't answer him at all, not even with a simple note. Not because I refused to but rather because I was unable to. After all, it was rather difficult to answer a knock on the door when one had already been hauled out the window the during the night.

--------

I'm not sure how long I had been unconscious when I finally woke up, my eyes aching and my throat parched, something that only made itself more known when I saw the glass of water on the table nearby. I watched as a drop of condensation slid down the outer surface of the glass before licking my dry lips. I was about ready to reach out for the glass when I was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat, causing me to gasp at the unexpected sound.

Blinking my eyes a few times at the sudden change in lighting as whoever it was opened the curtains to the room, I realized suddenly that I was no longer in my own room back at Luciano's manor. It was when I finally met the gaze of the Japanese man that I knew things had somehow gotten worse than they had been. The frown he wore was not nearly as concerning as the cold, heartless look that darkened his demonic-looking red eyes.

"So, you are the one who brings good tidings to people? Interesting," the man spoke with a gentle accent before giving me one last seemingly curious look and turning to leave. I couldn't even get a single word out before he was gone and the door was clicking shut behind him.

"Where am I?" I whispered softly into the empty room, for the first time since I had met him actually wishing that Luciano would appear before me. "Why is this happening?"

--------

In the weeks following my second kidnapping, I found myself visited at least once every few hours by the man who had been in my room that first afternoon I had woken up here. After a few days had passed, it grew to stretch out to several hours until finally, he claimed to have figured out the maximum time allowed between visits to "maintain the luck" he claimed to attain from me.

When he was not spending a short amount of time with me to "continue the successful increase of wealth for him and his nation", he had me under the watchful eye from one of his men as I was "taught" how to do what he called "a proper servant's job" around his home. This often consisted of tidying up rooms, scrubbing floors, polishing shoes, stitching tears in clothing, taking care of laundry, and many more things that one would usually hire people to do.

When I mentioned this to him once, he had calmly replied in his quiet voice, "Why pay someone to do what I can have you do for free? And if you think to refuse, I can just punish you until you obey."

Never had I feared such a soft-spoken person until I'd met this man, otherwise, I might have considered refusing had I not already seen how he 'punished' his men so harshly when they failed to follow his commands. I would never be able to look him in the eyes without seeing that splash of red across his face, his lips spread into the first smile I had ever seen on him as he wiped his blade clean with a piece of cloth. The first of many smiles.

The man I had seen him 'punish' had been limping painfully the next day but as soon as Honda ("call me Honda-sama," my captor had introduced himself one day) had stepped into his sight, he had bowed as low as humanly possible without actually touching the floor with his head. I remembered the shiver that had crept down my spine as Honda had slowly fingered his blade before finally releasing the katana and moving on, not saying a word to the man who had remained that way until his boss was out of sight around a distant corner of the building.

Neither of us had said a word to the other as our eyes locked for a moment before turning away and each going our separate ways, both of us ignoring the bloody footprints Honda had left behind, even as we both knew I would be tasked with cleaning them up soon enough. Even now, we did little more than share a quick glance from time to time when we crossed paths, knowing we both suffered in different ways under Honda's cold-hearted rule.

--------

The smell of blood filled my nose as screaming ripped through the air, the latest of Honda's victims obviously no longer of value to him. Not that they had failed him, but more likely that he had gotten what he wanted from whoever held them as valuable and he saw no need for them anymore.

At one point, I would have been scared to death at the sounds I heard, curled up in a corner and sobbing in fear. Even now, the sounds left me cringing and shivering as I went about my tasks, my back twinging in pain as I remembered the single lash of a riding crop that had been my first punishment for failing to complete my work one day when the screams had gone on too long and I had failed to return to my tasks in time to finish them before nightfall.

The man was a sadist, a psychopath, perhaps even a sociopath! Either way, he terrified me more than I had ever known was even possible.

--------

In the quiet moments of the night, the only sound I ever made was an almost silent plea to the stars. "Please, get me away from this madman. Even if I have to return to Luciano, I would rather be there with him than here with this monster."

At least with Luciano, I had come to know what to expect from him. He was far less frightening to me than the man I had found out was the true head of Japan's Yakuza and not one of those he had acting in his stead. Truly, Honda was a terrifying man in many, many ways.

~~~~~~~~

The servants watched as their master broke down yet again, his hands ripping at his hair one moment and throwing random objects around the room the next. But never anything that had a connection with them. No, those things were instead held gently if small enough, cradled against his chest in the same manner he wished to hold them, like a treasure that would crumble into pieces if one was not gentle enough.

Luciano's men had been scattered across the world in search of them, but even after this long, not one of them had any clue as to where they could be. Not until a lone, limping male appeared before him one day, holding a single note in his hand as he practically glared down at the man who leaned against the chair his beloved had spent so much time in as they stared outside the window to the world outside.

"Stop being so damned weak if you want to save them. It's bad enough I had to listen to them whispering about you every night for weeks, how the hell do they expect you to save them if you can't even stand on your own two feet?! I would have done a better job of this on my own, how are you supposed to take down Honda?!" The disgust in the man's voice rang in Luciano's ears but not nearly so clearly as the sound of your name being muttered under the man's breath, his eyes rushing to the man's face as he took in the Japanese features of the one before him.

"Honda," he breathed out the name of the one who had visited him just over a week before his beloved's disappearance. "It was Honda? But why?!"

Rage began to fill him at the thought of being betrayed by one of the few people he trusted, even if only a little bit. It was one thing if a stranger or even a rival tried to mess with him, but for someone he had once allied with to do this to him... No, to do this to them... It was unforgivable!

"Tell me everything you know," the words washed over the man before him like the frost forming before a storm. He smiled at the thought of what would be coming to Honda, even if he'd had to use that person's suffering to see his vengeance attained. At least it would potentially end with them gaining their own freedom, not that it would bother him too much either way, as long as Honda paid.

Rubbing one of the many scars he had gained over the months, he began talking.

~~~~~~~~

I'd been scrubbing the floor in the hallway when the screams started, barely glancing up before looking back down at the wooden panels making up the surface I knelt upon. The last thing I wanted was to witness another one of Honda's 'contract terminations' as he had taken to calling them around me. He relished those deaths far too much and I wanted no part in them, let alone to do something that might put myself in line to be the next 'contract' he had become bored with.

It took a few minutes for me to realize that shouts had joined the screams, the sound of men running around the complex filling the air as they yelled to each other before gunshots began to pierce the air. Honda forbid the use of guns on his property so freely. There was only one reason he would allow their use.

Someone was attacking them again. I already had a scar on my hip from the last time someone had attacked, the bullet grazing me before the attacker was taken down by Honda's katana. He never did like when his 'property' was damaged without his permission. Especially if it was by hands not his own.

This time, however, Honda was nowhere in sight. I had no idea where I could find safety in this battle, not knowing who had attacked. If it was a foolish rival gang hoping to take Honda by surprise, chances were they would die quickly, but if it was someone higher up the 'food chain' things could get messy before it ended.

Hoping for the best, I pushed myself to my feet and rushed down the hallway away from the sounds of gunfire. I didn't dare to leave the building, knowing I would be punished if Honda thought I was trying to escape him, but I wasn't so foolish as to stay where anyone coming in could see me and figure I was an easy target.

Slipping into the storage closet, I pushed the clutter around until I was hidden behind the broom handles and was partially covered in rags and old sheets waiting to be torn into strips to create even more rags. I knew I would be spotted easily if anyone opened the door and looked, but I could still hope they would pass by instead of looking inside or would be in too much of a rush to do anything more than glance inside if they did look.

--------

If felt like hours had passed, the sounds of gunshots having faded away with the screams, but the lack of sound did not have me feeling safe to leave like one would think. Instead, not hearing the men move about, chatting about the 'easy win' like they usually would, had me worried that somehow they had not won.

Instead, I was worried about who had defeated them. It wasn't until I heard a familiar voice from the other side of the door and down the hall that I realized what had happened.

"Where are you hiding them, traditore. Why did you even steal them away! You knew how I feel about them!" The emotion in his voice as it trembled slightly with each word had my breath catching, even as I knew I still hadn't forgiven him for everything he'd done in the past.

Somehow, Luciano had found out about Honda. Right now, he was outside this door and just a ways down the hall. If I opened the door, I would be able to peek out and see him right now. Part of me wanted to reach my trembling hand out to open the door, but the rest of me wanted to keep hiding and pray that somehow I could escape them both. That perhaps somehow I could actually return to my old life or at least some kind of semblance of it.

"Yes, I knew how you felt about them. You spilled it all out that night, along with the secret of what they are You honestly expected me to ignore the chance to have the Luck Bringer themselves bring their good fortune to me and watch my empire grow? Only a fool would ignore such an opportunity to snatch up someone like them and use their 'gift' to gain all the power and money they could. And you, Luciano, have been a fool indeed, trying to gain their love when you could simply command it of them," that oh so familiar voice brought shivers to my spine.

A loud crack filled the air, startling me as I heard a pained shout follow the sound. Soon, the sound of fighting broke out and I was unable to simply hide away, thinking about the possibility of Honda doing to Luciano what he had done to so many others before. If Honda won, there was not even a slight chance of me ever escaping him!

With that thought in mind, I shoved the door out of my way and tumbled out, rags and brooms spilling across the floor. Tripping over the mess, I ended up in a very ungainly heap, rags draped across most of my body as broom handles rested on either side of my ankles. For a moment I felt lucky not to have broken anything, but the thought passed as soon as I tried to stand up and felt a jolt of pain rush up my leg. I might not have broken anything, but that didn't mean I escaped unharmed.

"You're here?!" The shout jolted me out of my thoughts, reminding me why I had hurried out of the closet to begin with as I looked up to see Luciano towering over a bloodied Honda.

"Luciano! You're okay!" Well, compared to what I had been imagining, he was.

No sword was pushed through his chest or stomach, no limbs were missing or huge patches of blood spread across his body from a bullet wound. Instead, a bloodied lip was swelling slightly as he smiled at me, his knuckles reddened from punching the man below him. He didn't even stagger from pain as he climbed to his feet and moved towards me, leaving the beaten form of Honda behind as he rushed to my side.

"Beloved, you're here! Everything will be okay once I have you back home with me. I promise, this time I will keep you safe and protect you. I'll treat you better than before and I won't let anything like this happen again! Please, come home with me? I won't do anything to make you sad again, just don't leave me alone. I... I couldn't stand being alone again..." The sorrow in his voice was something I hadn't ever expected to hear, but then again, neither was the sight of him jumping in front of me when the sound of a gunshot shattered the air.

Looking up from the wounded form at my feet, I watched in horror as Honda began laughing wildly, the gun falling from his hand as he slowly pulled his Katana from its sheath. He'd been so still, I was sure he'd been unconscious! I'm sure Luciano had thought the same thing, otherwise, he never would have left him like that. So how was the man getting up already? Why was he awake again? The movies always made it out like people stayed down for hours, not just a few moments, barely long enough to say a few words.

Afraid I was about to watch my one chance to escape from this hellhole that Honda ruled over die before my eyes, I began pulling him into my lap, curling over him as I prayed for him to be okay, to do something to protect us both. Feeling something pressed into my hands, a breathy whisper following the action, I gave a sob as I looked up into blood red eyes and cried out in grief.

"Just die, you bastard!" I screamed in agony as I aimed quickly and pulled the trigger of the gun that had been forced upon me. I dropped the gun at the same time Honda fell to the ground, his chest blossoming with red as I began trying to staunch the flow of blood from Luciano's own wound.

Just moments later, men began pouring into the hallways, some going to check on Honda while others began rushing towards Luciano and myself. It was only their distinct Italian features that kept me from reaching once more for the gun that lay nearby on the ground.

For once, the sound of spoken Italian was a comfort to me rather than something to dread.

--------

In the months following my return to Luciano's manor, I found myself given far more freedoms than I had enjoyed before, being allowed to wander the grounds whenever I chose to so long as I had my bodyguards nearby. It was not exactly the freedom I had once enjoyed, but with neither of us knowing who else might have heard about me, it would be too risky to chance leaving me unguarded.

I still didn't want to accept that I was some kind of luck bringer, but having seen how close the bullet had come to Luciano's heart, having heard the nearly impossible chances he had of surviving the removal of said bullet and having witnessed his miraculous recovery after the surgery was over... I couldn't really deny it fully anymore. Sure, I could say aloud that I was not lucky, but seeing the results for myself over and over both now and several times when I was held captive by Honda, it would be foolish for me to keep denying it to myself.

It was too bad I could only bring luck to others and not myself, but at least Luciano was spending his time trying to find ways around that, using the luck I brought him to bring me what happiness he could. He claimed it would be wrong to use the gifts the personification of the world's luck brought him without doing what he could to return the happiness I brought him.

It didn't hurt that he'd finally started figuring out how to show his love in ways that didn't involve showering me with gifts I had no real desire for other than a passing fancy. Money and jewelry didn't hold nearly as much value for me as my freedom had. Since he couldn't leave me on my own, instead he had begun to take me on travels with him, showing me as much of the world as he could.

And if he had to conquer a nation before it was safe enough for me? Well, he had all the luck he could ask for to get it done swiftly and with minimal casualties. Of course, after a while of this happening, the other countries learned to behave if they wished to retain their own freedom.

It had been less shocking than I would have expected once, finding out what Luciano was and Honda had been. It had been interesting to see the small child that had replaced him when the conflict within Japan finally ended and a newly formed Japan had arisen from the chaos. Even if the name had not changed, it was obvious to many that the country itself had undergone drastic changes as the Yakuza that once controlled the country was now subdued, the police taking the streets back for the citizens now that there was no longer an overwhelming power hidden within the shadows.

Looking at the man beside me, I began to think once more of the things that I had been through since first traveling to Italy. Maybe, just maybe, I could find it in myself to allow feelings for this man to grow.