Warning: This chapter gets a little saucy. Enjoy.

Chapter 13

Adrenaline was rushing through her veins. Her eyes were narrowed ever so slightly as she analyzed her opponents, searching out their strengths and their weaknesses, trying to make educated guesses to the kind of strikes they would deal first. Eye of the Tiger pumped over the sound system, operated by an audience of one. Ritsu just thought he was so funny.

Suddenly there was movement. A body launched itself at her. She deflected it with a powerful forearm swing before snapping her fist back up to guard her face, her body easily falling into the familiar patterns of movement. Muscle memory was key, and she had learned a long time ago that practice definitely did not make perfect. The true saying was that practice makes permanent, and therefore she had spent countless hours over the span of two years honing her skills and practicing proper form. Her effort was not wasted. She had been praised rather highly for her technique; told, even, that if she were able to go through more legitimate channels, she could have become a top contender in the world of professional boxing or MMA.

She felt the energy shift in the air before she was able to see or hear the other body running toward her, and she reacted instinctively. Rolling onto her back and thrusting her feet upward, she caught the tall boy two years her senior in the stomach and used both her own strength and his momentum to launch him up and over her and across the sparring area. The next second found her on her feet again fending off a barrage of fists and kicks, which, due to the other older boy's size, were mainly aimed at her legs and midsection. The other boy once again ran at her and she waited until just before impact to spin out of the way, causing him to plow right into her smaller rival and send them in a tumbling mess of flips and flails; hilarious attempts to keep on their feet. She allowed them a moment to right themselves.

"Come on boys. I'm barely breaking a sweat." Daria jeered, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet. She proceeded to dance circles around the gym as her winded opponents stood hunched over in the middle, trying to catch their breath and glaring at her. "I never thought I'd see the day the great Haninozuka and Morinozuka duo couldn't keep up with a simple American street rat." She taunted, jumping forward to boop Honey on the nose and back again, refusing to stop moving. The two had shown up on the doorstep shortly after she and Ritsu had gotten home from school, claiming they wanted to challenge her to a round of east vs. west combat.

"It's hard, Dari-chan! We don't know your style of fighting!" Daria giggled. Over the last hour, they had gotten better at anticipating her moves, but they were so used to martial arts that their brains were having a hard time coping with her fluidity. Their entire fight was planned out in their heads, but Daria had completely cleared her mind, not allowing herself to plan and just going with the flow. Their downfall was their tendency to play a strategy game whereas she pretty much flailed her limbs around and turned them into punches and kicks, all while watching their muscle tics to predict what they were going to do. All in all, they were learning very quickly that they needed to branch out in their training.

That wasn't to say it was easy going against her, though. She knew she was a force to be reckoned with. She had never had formal training in any style of fighting. When she had run with the Shadow Clan, their idea of teaching her to fight was to sic their biggest guy on her and tell her to simply not die. Having never thrown a punch before in her life, she had quickly developed her own form of fighting to achieve this goal, and it proved effective against any adversary. It was more a game of push and pull than strategy to her.

Mind sharp, Daria was once again able to sense the movement before she saw it. She ducked quickly and rolled, avoiding Mori's swipe to her upper region and knocking his feet out from underneath him. In an instant, they were both on their feet and facing each other with their hands up in front of them, hers in loose fists protecting her face like a typical Boxer and his with open palms, staying true to his martial arts training. Before he could make a move, Daria rolled to the side, avoiding a flying Honey who would have surely landed a kick to her ribs, causing him to continue moving through the air until he hit the wall a few feet behind her. He recovered quickly and suddenly it was raining fire; punches and swipes and kicks and chops were exchanged in a flurry so fast that it was almost hard to follow. Mori was able to land a hit to her right shoulder at the same time Honey kicked her left foot out from under her, causing her to flip backwards and land on her back, but she used the momentum to flip herself and roll back up onto her feet.

Their fight continued on, none of them really getting any significant blows, before the two Japanese boys stood back and called it quits. Two hours without clear victory was enough for them. "That was fun, Dari-chan! We should do it again sometime!" Honey exclaimed as they each bowed to one other. "I agree. Maybe by then you'll both be able to actually take me on." She winked and the two laughed, embracing in a tight, sweaty hug. Mori stepped forward and patted the top of her head a few times. "Yeah." Was his only reply. "Are you two hungry?" She asked. "I can whip up something really quick. I'm supposed to cook tonight anyway because there's a business meeting." Daria glanced up at Ritsu, smiling reassuringly as he silently joined them by her side. "Sure! We'd love to have some of your cooking! What's on the menu?" Daria thought hard for a second, trying to figure out what she wanted to cook. "Have you guys ever had Sheppard's Pie?"

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That evening's meeting found the men not in the dining room, as was the normal course of events, but rather out in the city, congregated in an alley just down the block from the club where Jin had been sold tainted drugs and subsequently beaten nearly to death. A cold front had moved in, a reminder that fall had just taken its place, and thus all of them were huddled in jackets and had donned hats and gloves to combat the wind chill that day. Ritsu leaned against the side of one of the buildings, clad in his favorite leather jacket and tucked from view by a dumpster. He was there to learn the tricks of the trade, but he was still only seventeen. His safety was a top priority for all of the men there. His own mind, however, was on the fact that Daria was at home without any of the men there to protect her should another gang decide to strike home while they were all distracted. He felt better knowing Haninozuka and Morinozuka were there with her, both of them being martial arts champions, and he knew she was definitely no slouch in the self defense department, but he simply couldn't ease the knot of worry in his stomach.

Echoing footsteps broke the idle conversations happening throughout the group and Ritsu ever so discreetly peered around the corner of the dumpster to get a look. The newest addition to their body was a short, built man with a shaved head and a mean, jagged scar running down the left side of his face. A cigarette balanced between his lips as his deep, gruff voice called out to ascertain who the leader was. Lee-Fu stepped forward, Koh right at his side, and Ritsu quickly pulled back into his hiding spot; tuning his ears to be able to follow the conversation. "All right, Kasanoda." The liaison croaked. "Before anyone else joins us, my leader wants to know your intentions."

"The intentions are to talk. What actually happens, however, depends on the level of cooperation." A beat of silence followed, stretching on until Ritsu caught movement out of the corner of his eye; Tetsuya stepped forward. "Can your shit, Fong. Just go get my father." The older boy ground out, an icy intonation lacing his words. Another moment of silence before Ritsu could hear footsteps walking away from where the group had situated themselves. A few minutes passed before they returned, joined by company. There had to be at least seven guys, he was sure, but he didn't want to be spotted and start any shit for his old man. Not now. This was too important.

"Tetsuya." And older voice remarked coolly, not in the least bit impressed. Tetsuya did not reply, allowing his leader to take the floor, but Ritsu could practically hear his friend glaring at the man he called father. "Sendo. About time you showed up. What was your plan, to make us shiver to death?" Ritsu smiled at the thick level of sass his old man attached to his words. Fearless in the face of danger. That was a trait he would have to develop for himself, most surely, if he wanted to take over and run the syndicate properly.

"I had hoped I wouldn't be forced to leave the presence of my wife tonight, but obviously we don't always get what we wish." The cool voice retorted. "By the way, Tetsuya, your stepmother is due to give birth any day now. It's a shame you won't be around to meet your younger brother." Ritsu's head snapped up, glaring in the direction of the old bastard, almost growling in anger that his gaze only met the metal trash receptacle to his right. That was a low blow. Tetsuya had told him once of his stepmother, who was a year younger than himself (sick in its own right. Tetsuya had asked the woman on a date the year before she married his father), but now she was pregnant? And about to give birth, at that. During one of their more emotional, private moments, the blond had remarked offhandedly that Ritsu was the closest he had ever had to a brother, that he had always wanted a sibling, and now he was finally getting one, only to never be able to see him thanks to his chicken-shit father.

Tetsuya never said a word, however, and whether it was shock or anger or simple respect for his leader, Ritsu did not know. Were he not ordered to stand behind this dumpster, he would definitely have a few choice words for the opposing gang's leader; none of them civil. "Well then we better wrap this up so you can get back to her." Lee-Fu said in response to the information bomb that had been dropped on his son's best friend. It was becoming increasingly annoying being stuck in his hiding spot. He couldn't see anything, and the moments of silence were numerous. "Very well." Sendo replied. "The incident in question was justified. Your man was stumbling around like a belligerent idiot, picking fights and causing a scene."

"So that justifies selling him dangerously tainted drugs and nearly killing him? I don't think so. We looked into your recent dealings, Sendo. Your men have been selling shit that has cost a few people their lives and hospitalized at least twenty more. Your goons fractured his face in seven spots, snapped a few of his ribs and ripped his arm completely out of socket, among other injuries. I've known that guy since he was a teenager. He doesn't pick fights. He doesn't cause a scene. He picks bouquets of flowers for my son's fiancé, for crying out loud." "Exactly my point. His flirting caused a lot of unrest amongst my men. It's impossible to be with a woman discreetly when a drunken man-child is pushing his way into the transaction." Ritsu ground his teeth.

"You've gone too far." Lee-Fu continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Not only do you have to deal with the authorities investigating your shit practices, but now you have made an enemy in us." Ritsu could hear the derisive snort Sendo let out. "Play the superhero all you want, Kasanoda, but it won't win you the war you are asking for." "We will see." Was his old man's only reply. Footsteps could be heard as the opposing group made their leave. "If you were hoping for some civil solution to this, you are a fool. I'm not giving up my dealings." The treacherous snake threw over his shoulder, and then the group was alone in the alley.

####

Weeks passed without consequence. The looming threat Sendo had thrust upon the Kasanoda syndicate seemed to cast less of a shadow as life moved forward. Things returned to normal relatively quickly for all of the members of the household. All except one. The showdown with his father had agitated something within Tetsuya, scratching a deep wound that hadn't quite healed, and it had awakened a darkness that he had thought was long behind him. The very fight that had sent him out onto the streets to seek refuge from his own home was that of his father taking the girl that Tetsuya had been in love with as his bride, and now she was about to have a child? She, a girl a year younger than himself, was having his little brother. The younger sibling that Tetsuya had yearned and pined for his whole life. Once upon a time, Tetsuya had envisioned that girl's child calling him Dad, and now it would not only be his brother, but would never even know him.

The absurdity of it all had turned the young man incredibly bitter. He closed himself off from everyone. His closest friends were unable to communicate with him without being snapped at snidely. Ayame couldn't even get him to look at her. He barely left his room other than to do his daily duties, all of which were finished by noon, at which time he hid himself away and just lay in the dark, glaring at the ceiling. He knew that people were worried about him. He knew that if the tables were turned, he would be sick with worry for his friend. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Above all else, he felt deeply betrayed, and for the life of him, he just simply couldn't be the bigger man. He had succumbed to the loathing self-pity that he so righteously felt he deserved and if they couldn't understand that, then they could just fuck off for all he cared.

He was so deep into his hatred for it all that when Ayame had placed her hand on his shoulder, a simple gesture designed to show caring and understanding and support, it had very nearly burned him. It had not been that long ago that he craved every bit of her presence and being, and now he couldn't stand the sight of her. And what would be the point? Having her in his life, having her so close, only gave him something more to lose. He had only just been looking into her eyes and seeing love, holding her close and feeling a deep, carnal craving to always have her with him, and now all he saw when he looked at her was weakness. He couldn't bear it. It was weakness for a girl that had allowed his father to hurt him so harshly, and he would be damned if that would happen again. She had gone home crying that night, suffering at the brunt of his sharp words, and had yet to return or even make contact with the Young Lord or his beau, as far as he knew.

He admitted; most people in his position would tell themselves that they were doing it to protect the one they loved. Pushing them away to save them from himself. And while that was a beautiful and poetic lie, Shakespearian in its endeavors, it was nothing more than a huge load of bullshit. He was selfish. He knew that he was. But he didn't care. The thumping anxiety in his chest allowed him to only think of himself, and that was exactly what he would do until the universe decided to right all the wrongs he had been dealt.

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"He still won't eat anything." Daria sighed, sinking down onto her side of Ritsu's bed, chewing her lip and fidgeting with her fingers. She had spent the better part of twenty minutes trying to get Tetsuya to unlock his door and allow her to hand him the plate of food the cook had prepared for him, but all to no avail, as had become the norm. Ritsu had enlightened her to all of the details concerning the meeting with the Sendo-Kai syndicate and she knew more than anyone else there the kind of pain that came with such a betrayal from one's own parent. Granted, her own mother had never married and had a kid with one of Daria's ex boyfriends, but she never hesitated to throw her under the bus just to make her next score. On more than one occasion, Daria had been punished severely by a foster parent or pulled from housing all together and thrown in solitary detention for a few days because a visit with her mother, when they were able to find the woman, had taken a less than legal turn.

"He'll come around. He just needs time." Ritsu mumbled, typing away at his computer as he half-heartedly constructed a rough draft for the presentation he was due to make in one of his classes in a few weeks. "I know that, but did you see Ayame the other night? She was heartbroken. Whatever he said to her was bad. Really bad…" She trailed off, a troubled expression taking over her features. Ritsu heaved a sigh and shut his computer, moving it to the table by his bed. He rolled toward her, resting all his weight on his right elbow as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers, effectively redirecting her thoughts to something less troublesome. They moved languidly for a few minutes, just reveling in each other's company, until his tongue just barely traced her bottom lip.

A surge of energy rolled through her then, and she caught his own lip between her teeth and reached up to tangle her fingers through his hair that he had left to its own devices, for once foregoing his normal pony tail and letting it hang free. It was soft beneath her fingers, and she gave it a little tug, eliciting a small gasp from the boy hovering over her. He wasted no time in moving further, hooking his leg over her own, holding her in place as he moved to trail kisses and light bites down her jawline and neck, grinning like a little shit when he found the spot just below her right ear that made her squirm, a discovery that had delighted him like a little child when he had found it a month before.

She reached down to tug at his shirt, pulling it until it was bunched up under his arms. Her hands contended themselves with roaming the smooth skin of his chest and toned abs while his own hands ran up her sides. Higher and higher they went, expecting to find the normal barrier that was her bra, but a shock ran down his spine when his thumb brushed the soft curve of flesh rather than the firm underwire he had grown used to. His eyes shot to her own, finding them shut tight and her lip held so tightly between her teeth that he was sure it would bruise. The touch had shocked her too, making her hyper-aware that she rarely was around him without a bra on unless they were sleeping, and a small whine escaped her throat before she could stop it.

He was frozen for a second, watching all of her little reactions, before he tested the movement again, rubbing the pad of his thumb lightly along the entirely foreign skin. He could feel the goosebumps raise all over her skin, see her breath quicken, hear the almost inaudible gasp that left her before she finally opened her eyes to meet his gaze. Her pupils were dilated an alarming amount and her nostrils flared ever so slightly when she breathed in. He momentarily took notice of the fact that her nose ring was twisted to the side, not centered like she was normally so careful to keep it, before his attention was brought to the fact that her back was arching slightly into his touch. He was amazed at how such small contact could have such an impact on her and he felt his own reaction happening, bringing a blush to his face.

Again his thumb moved, rubbing back and forth, slowly bringing his whole hand up until he was very nearly cupping her breast and kneading as he stared into her eyes, both of them breathing heavily. She leaned up then, reclaiming his lips with no small amount of fervor as she covered his hand with her own, over her shirt. Her right leg moved, pressing the inside of her thigh firmly against his hip and hooking her ankle around his backside, holding him as close to her as she could in their current position, and he moaned into the kiss, a deep, growling sound that lit a fire in the depths of her belly. With a little negotiating, she had managed to pull his shirt over his head and discard it on the floor, using the opportunity to shift herself beneath him so that both of her legs were wrapped around his hips and he was pressed against her in a way they had yet to be.

Her heart was pounding wildly and a small squeak escaped her lips when he suddenly attacked her with kisses, peppering them everywhere from her earlobe down to her collar bone and she drug her fingernails across his back, feeling his own goosebumps form as she did it. He was almost animalistic in his ministrations, his hands feeling every inch of her, even taking the time to trail up her arm and grasp her wrist, placing kisses and bites all along the inside of her forearm, a turn on she had never even knew existed until that very moment. He slowed down as he kissed her palm, making eye contact as he pressed his soft lips against the pads of her index and middle finger, and she had never felt that any moment could be more erotic than what she was experiencing right at that very second.

"R-Ritsu?" She stammered out, gasping as he ever so slightly shifted his hips, moving against her in a way that made her mind go completely blank. "Yes?" He asked, low and husky as he continued to kiss up her arm to her shoulder, moving to once again gently grasp his latest conquest and squeeze, making a long moan erupt from the girl beneath him. "Oh god…" She whispered, biting her lip and squeezing her thighs tighter around him. He chuckled against her skin, the sound shattering her attempt to form a coherent thought. "You… You're really good at making me forget how to think…." She whispered as he dipped his head, trailing the tip of his tongue along the valley between her breasts. The feeling of him on her, against her, all around her, had her in a daze that only left room for the most carnal of thoughts.

He looked up at her then, taking in how heavily she was panting and the sight of her colored hair splayed across the pillow, looking like a halo, and sighed heavily. "What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly worried. "Nothing." He said, shaking his head as he moved his hand down to her waist. "But if we don't stop now, I won't be able to help myself. And I don't exactly have any protection." He blushed heavily, both from embarrassment and irritation at the barricade in their situation, or lack thereof, as it may be. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair again, gentler this time, tucking the locks behind his ear as she observed his incredibly handsome face. "Okay. It's fine. Maybe some other time." She whispered, the weight of her words resting over both of them.

He nodded his head, appearing deep in thought as he did so. "Yeah…" He said, his deep voice sounding almost lyrical to her ears. "I'd like that." She smiled encouragingly at him as she leaned up to kiss him, holding him close when he shifted so that his head was rested on her chest and he was listening to her heartbeat, neither saying a word as they lay in that position for quite some time.

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Author's Note:

Alright my loves, I, first and foremost, sincerely apologize for the wait. I never meant to take this long to update, but I got caught up with finishing my Marketing class (I do accelerated online schooling) and the Temp Agency sent me on a week long assignment scanning and indexing invoices at a beer distribution company for the oh so generous wage of a whopping $8/hr. -_-" I meant for this chapter to be longer, but writer's block has taken hold of me and I could not in good conscience make ya'll wait any longer. I will do my best to update sooner next time.

To my beautiful guest reviewer, thank you for your support. It is greatly appreciated. As you can see, in this chapter, things will be heating up between the two. I'm just taking my sweet time getting there ;D As always, I will put warnings at the beginning of such chapters to alert those who wish to skip over the details, but as a fair warning to all, it will be happening at some point.

Thank you, again, for your patience. I love you all.

Namaste,

Fray