─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:
Come back home.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Chuuya hadn't known where his sudden love confession had come from, all he knew was that he had to say it. Every word he spoke had been true—he did love her, so very much. He supposed, the thought of potentially losing her had been enough to make him finally say those words. He needed her to know how he felt. Despite everything that had happened, his feelings for her hadn't changed. In fact, they'd only grown stronger. He couldn't bring himself to kill her, not even when she had betrayed him—and he didn't need to know why she had. He didn't care if she ever betrayed him again. It was foolish, really, but it was exactly how he felt.

He was watching her as she ran straight for an armed Port Mafia guard whilst he shot out of a broken window in the hallway, taking down a Double A assassin without even looking. Aki kicked the gun from the Mafioso before jumping on him, wrapping one leg around his neck and spinning herself around so that she was on his back. She pulled him down to the ground with one leg, his head smacking against the wooden floor. Damn, Chuuya thought, she's so fucking sexy. It had been one of his main thoughts throughout watching her take down anyone in their way. She was so beautiful—so fucking powerful. She gave him chills. Everything she did surprised him. How could she be so perfect?

Aki looked over at him, flicking hair over her shoulder, "Stop staring and let's go, Nakahara. We're almost there." She said, sticking her nose in the air, drawling his name out teasingly.

Chuuya stepped towards her, momentarily ducking a stray bullet that flew through a window, shattering it, "I wasn't staring at you—I was just making sure that guy was alive. Your thighs are deathly contraptions." He insisted, a slight smile tugging on the corner of his lips as he approached her, the handgun resting down by his hip.

Aki grinned at him wickedly, "Yeah. You would know." Was that a sexual innuendo or her reminding me she almost strangled me with her thighs?

The pair walked down the hallway towards a door at the very end. It was locked but it didn't matter. Aki reached for the handle, giving it a twist, making it come flying off, breaking the internal locks as she blasted it with energy. The door creaked open, making a satisfied smile leave her lips as they slipped inside the dimly lit stairwell. Aki's hand slipped into Chuuya's, pulling him along behind her, guiding him down the spiral staircase towards the exit.

Once they reached the bottom, standing in front of a metal door, she glanced over her shoulder at him, "There's three people on the other side of the door, but we can take them out quickly." She assured him, making him give her a determined as she grabbed the handle, tugging the door open.

They stepped outside, light pouring down onto them from the lowering sunset. Chuuya immediately rose his gun, his hand still holding onto Aki's but he stopped in his tracks. Standing in front of him wasn't just any Port Mafia members, but instead, the members of the Black Lizard—his friends, his most trusted comrades. He felt his teeth grind together as he cussed Mori in his mind. There was no need to get them involved—it was purely only to hurt him and Aki.

The gun faltered in his grip as he felt Aki tighten her hold on his hand. She was standing like a deer caught in headlights, staring at the three in front of her. They were completely alone, Hirotsu leaning against the passenger seat of a black BMW, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Gin and Tachihara stood on each side of him, both of them sporting guns in their hands. Aki gulped. It was the worst possible situation—to be standing there in front of people she had called her friends. She couldn't take them down easily.

It was a stand-off, no one speaking a word.

Hirotsu took one last draw of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and squishing it with his boot. He then reached underneath his coat, pulling out a shiny-black handgun. He cocked it between the two, clicking the safety off. Chuuya's eyes widened, "Hirotsu, wait—" The shot went off, the gun jerking backwards.

The bullet flew towards them.

And then sailed straight through the gap between them.

Chuuya and Aki blinked, both of their bodies tense. A heavy sigh escaped Hirtosu's mouth, "Oh dear, it appears I missed." He said, a frown on his lips as he lowered the gun. What the fuck is going on? Chuuya thought to himself.

A grin found its way to Tachihara's mouth, "What, you think we'd actually shoot you two? Come on, man," He said, laughing through his words as he tucked his guns away. He looked between the pair, grinning ear to ear. "We're friends, aren't we?" Both Chuuya and Aki felt a wave of relief wash over them.

Chuuya lowered his gun, tucking it into the back of his trousers, "Shit, you guys really scared me," He breathed out. "But what the hell are you doing? Don't you have your orders?" He asked them, his eyes flickering between the three of them.

"We do," Hirotsu agreed. "However, it's unlikely even an army could take you two out. These efforts are seriously misled." He said, a hint of annoyance to his voice. In the grand scheme of things, he knew it was just a show of power—an excuse to take out men on both sides. It wasn't necessarily about Aki nor Chuuya, it was just one big elaborate ploy for both organisations to lose numbers.

Gin took a step forward, "What happened to you two anyway? I doubt any of those injuries are from the Double A or the Port Mafia." She asked them, a worried look in her eyes, the frown hidden beneath her mask, hair tied back into her spiky ponytails.

Chuuya jabbed a finger at Aki, "She threw a grenade at me." He said. "He threw me around like a rag-doll." Aki said at the same time, sending him a pointed look.

Chuuya's entire body swivelled to face her, "You threw a fucking grenade at me! You had it coming!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Aki turned to face him, ripping her head backwards to look at him, "You deserved it!" She yelled back, settling her hands on her hips.

Tachihara let out a howl of laughter, making them both snap their heads towards him, "It's good to see you both back to your normal selves," He said, a smile on his lips before his face turned more serious. "Look, we don't know what went down between you or what exactly you were up to, Aki. But we're on your side—we're gonna help you get out of here." He assured them. Had I done something right to deserve such trusting comrades? Chuuya thought to himself. They worked under Mori's rule, just as he did, and yet, they were willing to defy him to help them.

"The cars for you—we've already disabled the tracking device," Gin began saying, stepping towards them. "Take the car and get the hell out of here. Go underground or something. Just—just keep each other safe." She said, stopping in front of Aki who could feel her eyes beginning to burn by the display of trust being shown to her.

She straightened her back out, "Look, you all deserve to know the truth of why I did what I did—especially you," She began saying, turning her head to face Chuuya who blinked back, his lips parting. She sighed heavily. "It's stupid, really. But I only betrayed the Port Mafia because I wanted to live. If I didn't complete my mission, then Katsu was going to activate the kill chip in my head. And I thought I could do it—at least in the beginning. But..." She trailed off, looking between the four, her chest feeling heavy.

"But then I got to know you guys—and the Port Mafia. I didn't want to do it, I wanted to come clean with all of you but I was afraid you would all hate me, so instead, I acted like a coward," She continued, her shoulders sagging. "But I want you all to know that I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt any of you. I wanted to stay with the Port Mafia—fuck, if it wasn't for this damn chip, I would have stayed. I'm just... I'm really sorry." She hung her head, feeling tears coating her bottom lashes.

A few moments passed, no one speaking a word. And then she was pulled into a warm embrace. Her eyes widened, her body stilling as Gin wrapped her arms around her shoulders, "You don't have to apologise for prioritising your life, Aki." She assured her, engulfing her body in warmth.

Another arm wrapped around her, "What she said." Tachihara said, joining the embrace, almost making the tears in Aki's eyes fall to her cheeks.

Chuuya tutted, though there was a smile on his lips, "Sappy, much?"

Hirotsu approached, looking directly at Aki. He stopped in front of her as Gin and Tachihara moved to each of her sides, "Might I suggest something?" He asked for her permission, making her nod. The older man rested his hand on her shoulder. "Recover from your injuries and then go straight for the Double A." Aki's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't what she had expected to hear from the man's mouth.

"You two have already shown a great display of power today. You can use that power to take down the Double A and once you do, you can return to the Port Mafia—both of you," He said, his eyes flickering to Chuuya. Behind his eyes were understanding. He knew how much the Port Mafia meant to him—but he also understood how much Aki had come to mean to him. "Mori knows you're both an asset. After today, he won't come for you. Your only enemy is the Double A—the enemy from the very beginning. Go after them and take them down. And then come back home." He told them, giving Aki's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Aki stared at him, her jaw loose. She knew what he was saying was right and it was exactly what she wanted. She would go after the Double A—she would go at them with everything she had. She would destroy them from the inside out and she would obliterate the man that had caused her so much misery. She was sure she could do it, especially with Chuuya by her side. She didn't think there was anything they weren't capable of. She would fight until the last moment, even if it meant Katsu activated the chip in her brain.

Aki nodded her head firmly, "I'll do it." She assured the man, earning a respectful nod on his behalf.

"You should get going. It won't take them long to realise you've escaped." Hirotsu suggested, giving a point in the direction of the BMW.

Chuuya took a step forward, "Thank you, Hirotsu. For everything."

The pair were driving through the country, Chuuya behind the wheel and Aki in the passenger seat. She was sound asleep, soft breaths leaving her lips, the side of her head resting against the window. Both of them were a sight for sore eyes. Part of Chuuya's clothes were burnt and covered in ash, there was a large gash across his chest with dried blood. There were scrapes on his face along with a cut on the top of his forehead. His nose was also definitely broken. His waistcoat was open, his hat sitting in the backseat, his hair a wavy mess around his face. Aki was the same. Her all-black outfit had tears everywhere, cuts and bruises all over her body, finger marks around her neck. Her shoes had been kicked off, laying on the floor, her legs propped on the dashboard. They had seriously worked a number on each other.

Chuuya found himself laughing a little. We're crazy, he thought, absolutely fucking insane. The window was down a little on his side, blowing air into the car, making flyaway hairs whip at their faces. Due to the window being open, he heard the sound of a car engine behind them. His body tensed as he looked upwards, spotting the grey SUV speeding up behind them. He sighed heavily. Can't these bastards just give up?

He reached over, putting his hand on Aki's thigh, giving it a squeeze, "Wakey-wakey, sunshine," He drawled out, making her squirm awake, an unimpressed look on her face. "Before you kill me—we're being tailed." He said before she could go off on him for waking her from her slumber. He remembered how she was not a happy person to wake up. She was miserable. Like the fucking Grinch.

Aki yawned, stretching her limbs out, "Port Mafia or Double A?" She asked, lifting her arms above her head. Sleeping was a mistake. Since allowing herself to relax, her muscles had tensed, feeling the pressure of everything her body had gone through within the last two hours. Everything hurt like a bitch.

"Double A," Chuuya told her, a sour look crossing his face as he glanced up the rearview mirror. "They're persistent little fuckers. I'll give them that." He growled in annoyance, shooting daggers into the rearview mirror.

Aki scoffed, "They all kinda hate me, so it makes sense," She chirped, reaching into the glove compartment where she had put the handgun. "I'm not really in the mood for a car chase, though. Hit the breaks and turn the car when I tell you to." She said, reaching across to give his cheek a quick peck.

She clicked the safety off the gun and rolled down the passenger side window just as they turned a corner, coming to a straight length of road, "Now." She ordered, making Chuuya immediately hit the breaks and spin the steering wheel. The car spun around, the tires screeching as it drifted. The moment it was horizontal on the road, Aki stuck the gun out the window and let off a bunch of shots—each of them landing on the front tires, taking both of them out. The silver SUV screeched, the driver struggling to keep the car steady on the road before fully losing control. It crashed through the railing at the bend before going flying off the large hill, completely out of sight. A few seconds later, an explosion filled the air, smoke and fire engulfing everting around it.

Chuuya kept turning the steering wheel until the car was driving vertically again, continuing onwards down the road. He blew out a breath as he looked across at Aki who was casually tossing the gun into the glove compartment, "Is it bad that, that move never fails to turn me on?" He asked her, staring at her with wide eyes, his lips parted. She was incredible. So fucking incredible.

Aki turned her head, looking at him with a smile as she kicked her feet back onto the dashboard, "As it should."

AUTHORS NOTE.

             hirotsu is literally their dad, change my mind 😤 he loves his adoptive children sm.

              — taylor xx