true conviction(Shiru)

[Sheeka Riva]

blossom of snow It was hard to think of a time where he had been happier. The only few times that had come to mind was before his mother had passed away or in the years since he had met Alessandro Riva and Celino Arcoh - why Celino wasn't Celino Riva yet was still beyond him, but he figured to let Celino be and keep his name as he wished. It wasn't his business anyway whether or not Celino ever changed his last name. Celino Riva did have a nice ring to it. Then again, so did Shiru Riva. Shiruba Riva. Riva, Shiruba. That definitely had a nice ring to it as he giggled inwardly at his own silliness of trying to decide if Riva was an appropriate name for Shiru. Of course it was. It was Shiru. There wasn't anything in the world that /wouldn't/ look good on her. Shiru was absolutely perfect for everything and anything. It was so true. He could picture her in the cute skirts she liked wearing so much...with her gorgeous aqua blue eyes...she was just so cute! Although, he couldn't help but wonder why his mind was continually headed towards Shiru for awhile. Of course, anybody who knew him would probably be whooping with delight in knowing that Sheeka had seemingly finally reached that stage of puberty where some girls were incredibly attractive. Like his precious Shiru. Of course, as much as he would like to change Shiru's last name to Riva...a marriage would be required in order to do that. He just didn't feel he was ready, no matter what his brains was telling him to be ready for. He loved Shiru, deeply. He loved her more than anything he could think of. Even stuffed animals. It was just that...the secrets he was keeping from her. The fact that all Shiruba knew about his life was that Alessandro Riva was pretty much loaded with cash and by extension, so was he. Oh, Shiru knew plenty of other things about him. His childhood on the streets, the fact he'd be abused by a stepmother who apparently had a child shortly after he'd run away from home, proving that neither of them had ever cared that he had departed from home. What she didn't know about the Rivas was there less...legal connections in their world. A connection to various arms dealers, loan sharks, casinos...and a bunch of other things that weren't quite legal. Yes, Alessandro tried to do things in the right light, but there were certain things that even Alessandro couldn't prevent his mafia from doing. Otherwise, they wouldn't be a mafia. He wanted to tell her...but was afraid of what she'd think of it. The knowledge that Sheeka had most likely killed somebody once in his life because he was mafia would likely cross her mind. And he had before, in self-defense. As the adoptive son of Alessandro Riva, he was often a target of rival families. Between attempted assassinations and kidnappings, he had a couple of deaths on his belt. Sheeka shook the thoughts from the mature side of his brain, the side that told him she'd love him no matter what he'd done. While the other side was simply too preoccupied with thinking about how cute and adorable and pretty and amazing and awesome...and he wished that side of his brain would shut up, even if he did agree with it. He slapped himself on the back of the head, shooing the thoughts out of his brain before he paused, mid stride. Now that his head was cleared enough, he glanced lightly behind him, just as a couple of men slid down an alleyway out of his vision. Sheeka frowned. Was he being followed? He continued forward, brushing passed a few people and across the street and down that street some, glancing behind him. Sure enough, they were following him and trying to attempt to stay out of his sight. Damn it. Who did they think they were? Sheeka let out a breath of air, clutching the stuffed tiger plushie close to himself, feeling the knife within it. Sheeka spent a lot of time with Shiru and she liked his stuffed animals, so he had instead put a pocket knife within the stuffed recesses. He didn't want to explain a gun. A knife was easily explained as protection against thugs in the city. A gun would be worse to explain to her. So, while he was in the city and around Shiru he would carry several knives on his person. There was one within the animal, one in hidden compartmens in both his sleeves and another strapped to his ankle. Shiru was supposed to be meeting him soon for a date at the same cafe that they had met at...but he didn't want to put her in danger. If they saw him on the phone, talking with anybody, they might take that as a threat to their position and either attack, or retreat just to try another day. He didn't like either of those options. He didn't want her to find out. What if...she didn't love him anymore or was afraid of him? He didn't want her to have the burden on her shoulders either...He could blow off their date and deal with them, or show up late...but what if she showed up...what if she got hurt. He wouldn't bear it if anything happened to her. What was he supposed to do?

► Shiru ► Yay templates

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Shiruba Yukimura]

[atrb=cellspacing,20,true][atrb=cellpadding,15,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i.imgur.com/5szyS.jpg); border 3px dotted #000033, btable] The voice of the wind sheds drops of light onto you as you doze off [style=font: italic normal 9px helvetica; color: #000033; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.4em #c2a5a0]I won't forget your kind smile, or your eyes hidden with sorrow [style=border: 5px solid #66CCFF; width: 280; background-color: #66CCFF] [style=font: italic normal bold 26px/18px comicsansms; color: #000066; letter-spacing: -1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.6em #a5bbc4; text-align: right]You were always, always, always smiling right next to me [style=font: italic normal 9px helvetica; color: #000033; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.4em #c2a5a0; text-align: right]Even if I lose you, I'll get you back. I will never leave you

[atrb=style, font-family: bookmanantique; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #333366; border: 2px dashed #99FFFF; color: #99CCFF]Shiru stood outside the cafe doors, waiting anxiously for Sheeka to arrive. They were supposed to be going out on a date that day and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Every second that passed only served to make her more and more nervous, but she knew that there was no real reason to be that nervous. She knew that, no matter what, she was going to have a good time with Sheeka, who was not only her Fighter, but also her boyfriend whom she loved completely. Sure, there was a status difference between them thanks to the fact that his family was rather wealthy and her family barely sat in the middle class range, but neither of them seemed to care very much. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but she tried not to let it bother her too much. She had been standing there for a few minutes, having arrived somewhat early due to her nerves, and had been standing there fidgeting and contemplating whether or not she should go and sit at an outside table for some time. There was a moment when she almost had, but she figured that would be quite rude to Sheeka, especially if he only had meeting up at the cafe in mind. She didn't know his plans after all. She also didn't want to sit down and order anything without him. Including him was important to her after all. She didn't want him to feel left out for any reason, even if she was just worrying needlessly. Taking a deep breath of air, the silver-haired Sacrifice lifted her head and looked around, her aqua eyes scanning the nearby streets, looking for a sign of the brown-haired Fighter. Thankfully she didn't have to look terribly hard before she spotted him walking up. Suddenly, her nervousness dissipated and she couldn't help but straighten herself up as she turned toward him and waved. "Shee-kun!" she called out a little bit excitedly. She always worried when they weren't together, but as soon as he was with her, she could always relax. She was always safe with him, after all, and she knew that if there was anyone she could trust, it was Sheeka.

[atrb=style, font-family: bookmanantique; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #333366; border: 2px dashed #99FFFF; color: #99CCFF]tags; Sheeka~ notes; Sorry this took so long. So busy and my dad was in town. word count; 370

Template by Shiru for personal use only.

[Sheeka Riva]

blossom of snow So intent on keeping his knowledge of being followed from his two stalkers that when his Sacrifice's voice was suddenly chiming into his ears that he was surprised by the voice. It made him happy just to hear her, however, even if he was being followed and he allowed a smile to cross his features as his tail twitched back and forth contently. He was worried now, however, that he was being followed and now...he would put Shiru in danger if they found out about her. They could use her as leverage against him and in short, use him as leverage against Alessandro. It bothered him a little bit that he could be used against his adoptive father in such a manner, the man had taken him in off the streets and was partially risking his life because now he had things that could be taken from him to be used against him. Sheeka knew Alessandro felt guilty about pulling him into the world of the mafia...but Sheeka wouldn't have it any other way. Living on the streets, alone, was a lot worse than being in a mafia family where family meant something, even if they weren't blood. He wanted to keep Shiru in the dark for as long as he could, to keep her in the light away from the mafia's darkness. He knew she would find out one day, but not in this manner...him being followed by mafia thugs. Inwardly, he figured he could possibly write them off as some lowlifes who wanted to ransom him for cash from the Rivas - considering they did run a company that made a substantial amount of money and it was common knowledge that Alessandro was, at heart, a kind man who adopted kids when they needed homes, donated money to children and just in general, liked kids. The Rivas were well-known in both the real world, the Sentouki because of their donations to Septimal Moon because both Celino and Alessandro were alumni of the school, and the mafia. Sheeka had his fair share of reporters following him around, but they seemed to leave him alone for the most part. Alessandro had made it clear that they were to leave his children alone or else. His father could be serious when it called for it and many knew to take him seriously when he was serious, so for the most part, reporters left him alone. It was probably a good thing, at that point because of Sheeka's parents. To be honest, he wouldn't put it passed them to file charges against Alessandro for kidnapping or something, just to make a quick buck. Weaving through a few more people, Sheeka eventually made his way towards Shiru, trying to keep calm about the entire situation. He seemed slightly agitated that he was putting Shiru in danger like this and wasn't hiding that as well as he thought he was, but he still managed a bright smile and a kiss to the cheek. Somewhere, behind him, the two thugs hid a "d'awww," of cuteness at the two teenagers and their outright cuteness. It was just too bad that they were going to have to probably kill the girl and take the boy...although, if she meant a lot of Sheeka...maybe there was a little bit more leverage against the Riva. "good afternoon~" Sheeka chirped pleasantly to Shiru as he lead her into the cafe and found a window seat that gave him a good vantage of outside, but didn't leave them too out in the open as well as allowed him to keep an eye on the entrance in case his two followers decided to pop in. Part of him wished he hadn't dismissed the usual bodyguards he had, but it felt weird to have two members of his family watching him go out on dates with his girlfriend. One of the waitresses at the cafe seemed to know the two lovebirds by name because it was their usual stop, meandering into the kitchen to get their usual orders Having been where they first met, Sheeka liked taking Shiru back to that place for some of their dates. It wasn't the only place he took her, of course. He took her lots of places that a normal date would be like. The movies, ice skating...ect. "Were you waiting long?" he asked lightly, multi-tasking in happily conversing with Shiru. He didn't want to worry Shiru with the fact that he was being followed, but since she was there...this sort of involved her and he honestly, didn't want to keep her in the dark. "Try not to focus too much on looking outside, I noticed I was being followed earlier and I'm not entirely sure what they want..." Well, he knew what they wanted...but he didn't want to worry Shiru more about the details. "I was hoping to try to deal with them before we met up, but that doesn't seem to be the case. You don't have anything to worry about, though. I'll protect you." he seemed calm about the entire thing, in general at this point. He didn't want to make her worry anymore than she would about this situation already. He knew how to defend himself, especially in these situations.

► Shiru ► Yay templates

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

[Shiruba Yukimura]

[atrb=cellspacing,20,true][atrb=cellpadding,15,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i.imgur.com/5szyS.jpg); border 3px dotted #000033, btable] The voice of the wind sheds drops of light onto you as you doze off [style=font: italic normal 9px helvetica; color: #000033; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.4em #c2a5a0]I won't forget your kind smile, or your eyes hidden with sorrow [style=border: 5px solid #66CCFF; width: 280; background-color: #66CCFF] [style=font: italic normal bold 26px/18px comicsansms; color: #000066; letter-spacing: -1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.6em #a5bbc4; text-align: right]You were always, always, always smiling right next to me [style=font: italic normal 9px helvetica; color: #000033; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.4em #c2a5a0; text-align: right]Even if I lose you, I'll get you back. I will never leave you

[atrb=style, font-family: bookmanantique; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #333366; border: 2px dashed #99FFFF; color: #99CCFF]Shiru smiled softly as she watched her Fighter approach her, eager for their date. At times, it still felt like the fact that they were a couple was just a dream. Like it was something she imagined up during the lonely hours they were apart one winter night. But, she knew it was real. There was no mistaking the thump in her chest as her heart sped up. It had been that way ever since they went out last winter, and it was a feeling she loved every moment of. And then, after he flashed her a bright smile, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. Immediately, her face flushed a deep scarlet colour and she almost wanted to shy away, but she managed to refrain. This was Sheeka. Her fighter. Her boyfriend. Someone she could trust, even if he made her blush like a tomato. "H-Hello, Shee-kun," she managed to squeak out in response to his greeting, smiling a warm, but somewhat shy and bashful smile as they walked into the cafe. This very familiar, favourite cafe. She settled down in a seat across the table from Sheeka and smiled at him as he asked if she had been waiting for him for very long and then gently shook her head no. "No, I was only there for a few minutes. You're not late at all." A small giggle escaped her lips. Really, was he worried about that? She knew him better than that. He was always excited whenever they went out together, so there was no way he'd allow himself to be late, unless something unforseen happened, but they had yet to have to deal with something like that. She had turned her head to glance out at the passing traffic when Sheeka spoke up again, drawing her attention to him. What was that? They were being followed and she shouldn't look out the window too much? What was going on? The gentle smile the white-haired girl had been wearing up until that point faded a bit and she concentrated on her Fighter's words, staring him straight in the eye, blue meeting green. She knew that being followed was something serious, and should be treated as such, even though she didn't know what was going on or why. But what she did know was that she could always count on Sheeka. No matter what, he was always there for her, and she knew without him even telling her that he would protect her. Still, it was comforting to hear, but she knew he would have done so regardless. After a moment of silent contemplation regarding their situation, Shiru leaned over the table, gently pulling his arms up before she released them, her hands sliding down to his and closing down on them, holding on firm, but gently. "I know you will," she said, breaking the silence as the corners of her mouth once again began to curve upward into a smile. "I... I don't know what's going on, or why, but I know it will be okay because you're here with me, Shee-kun." Her voice was soft and she kept her tone somewhat hushed, but there was no doubt that she believed in him. She was a bit scared, sure, she admitted that much, but the fact that Sheeka was there was comforting enough for her. Still, her words were as much for herself as they were for him. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and nodded before opening them again. "Yes... So long as we're together, I feel like it'll be okay. So it's okay. Don't worry, Shee-kun."

[atrb=style, font-family: bookmanantique; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #333366; border: 2px dashed #99FFFF; color: #99CCFF]tags; Sheeka~ notes; Aw, so cute. <3 word count; 603

Template by Shiru for personal use only.

[Sheeka Riva]

As far as he could tell, his stalkers hadn't noticed that he had noticed them. They probably believed that he was too intent on his date with such a cute girl that his hormones were making him think of nothing but her. That would normally be true, somewhat...but not when there was a chance that Shiru was going to be put in danger. He wouldn't let her be put in danger, not because of him and the dangerous style he had chosen to live. He knew that his papa had always felt guilty about bringing him into this world. He hadn't been born into it and it was circumstance of their meeting that had done so. He didn't mind, though. It was dangerous, of course, but the life he had been living before he had met Alessandro had been just as dangerous. Stealing from people to survive, getting into street fights to protect himself...who knows where he would be today if Alessandro and Celino hadn't taken him in.

He never would have met Shiru, he knew that much. He would have been still wandering the Italian streets, scrounging up food and money wherever he could. That was the best case-scenario. The worst cases included him not even being alive this day, or being picked up by the wrong person and...he didn't want to think about that, not at all. As his tail flicked back and forth while he was deep in thought on how to deal with the situation. They were probably armed, but Sheeka knew how to fight armed men and men bigger than him. Shiru was the one he was worried about. She'd no doubt want to go with him, especially now that they had seen her. He didn't want to leave her alone while there could potentially be more of them wandering the city, anyway. He'd do something about it...wait. He was a Fighter, he could perhaps do something with his spells to defend Shiru some, if they decided to turn on her to shield her from notice or something of similar nature.

Despite his mind obviously trying to figure out what to do, their date still went well. He had been planning to take her to see a movie after their rendezvous in the cafe, but it was unlikely for that to happen at the moment. He'd have to deal with the men and do damage control for Shiru and lots of explaining. He wasn't honestly sure how well she would take the knowledge...he had hoped to wait, just a little bit longer before he told her. To savor the moments of innocence she gave him. These mafia members had ruined that for him. He would find out who they were and extract some well-deserved vengeance on them for choosing to mess with the Riva mafia family. Few families could boast of being able to stand up to the Riva family, butt it wasn't uncommon for small families to send people after the bigger ones in hopes of a ransom. They were going to learn that the children of the Riva were not to be trifled with.

The two departed the cafe, Sheeka lightly holding Shiru's hand as then headed down the street. They were still being followed. "Systems initiate. Those who wish to harm our belief shall not bring others into the conflict," he murmured quietly, isolating the civilians outside of the battle system. His tail twitched in annoyance for a brief moment as he then added more spells. "For the sake of the one my belief rests in, protect her from harm," he added quietly, as a soft glow surrounded Shiru for a moment before fading.

He turned harshly on his feet, also drawing an object out of the back of his stuffed animal and flicking open a switch blade. They weren't a unit, so he would fight them as he would anybody else. He wasn't sure how well his school would take him using spells against somebody who couldn't cast, but his spells were defensive to keep his Sacrifice safe and to prevent civilians to be dragged in. His words came out sharply, the fur on his tail fluffed out in an attempt to seem intimidating. But really, it just looked kind of cute the way it fluffed out like it did.

"So Riva's brat noticed us? I thought the younger one would be an easier target than the girl...but perhaps we were wrong? No. You're outnumbered," and both drawing firearms from the coats they were wearing that were, not surprisingly equipped with silencers as the first one trained his weapon on Sheeka and the second one on Shiru. "And outarmed, if I must add. You brought a knife to a gunfight, ragazzo? Perhaps you may wish to rethinks your involvement with the mafia?" He seemed just slightly full of himself, believing this to be an easy job.

"Not in front of the girl. She's a civilian."

"She's a bonus. No worries. We'll get extra for getting his girlfriend. Riva will definitely pay extra to get them both back safely. Besides, she was a part of this the second they started dating." he commented cheerily. "Besides, we while we were told not to kill them...doesn't mean we can't have our own fun, right?" Definitely was a little bit full of himself and Sheeka could feel his cheeks burning an bright red in anger at the casual way he spoke about the situation. What was he planning? It didn't sound like 'fun' to him...

Their attention firmly on Sheeka while they were talking, one gun trained on him and the other towards Shiru, they missed him muttering underbreath, merely taking it for some sort of swearing or...perhaps praying? Italians were catholic, after all. They weren't supposed to kill either of them,, but that didn't mean they couldn't have their fun with the obviously still eared couple, right?

"Speed. I will be faster than them. My will to protect my princess will be my strength. He wasn't going to use spells on /them/ but that didn't mean he wasn't going to augment his own abilities. Sheeka's sheer size made it hard to rely on strength alone, so he relied on the next best thing, agility and speed. He moved, first going after the one with the gun trained on his precious Shiru. Well, since they would most likely threaten Shiru if took out one of them, Sheeka went with both. As he moved, clearing the gun trained on him, he threw the knife in his hand, the weapon burying itself straight into the wrist of the man. There was a brief wail of pain, the gun dropped from his grasp, skidded across the ground towards Shiru, but thankfully didn't go off.

He was on the man who had dared threaten his Shiru and he had now had the weapon trained upon the child who had already taken one of them out by just flicking a knife at him. He was obviously no stranger to throwing knives or knife-fighting, or street fighting for that matter by the way he moved. He moved to the side, one hand pressing the gun off to the side as his free hand slammed into his wrist, the movement releasing his weapon as his other hand pushed the gun upward, he had the weapon in his hand in the next seconds. It was obvious enough that he knew how to disarm an armed man. Backing towards, the other man who was finally recovered enough to try to get up from where he'd been nursing his wrist, Sheeka's foot smashed into the middle of his back, sending him back to the ground. "Don't get up on my account, please. And if you ever threaten Shiru again...well I will do more than throw a knife at you." His foot holding one man to the ground, although he didn't weigh much itself, the area he had it firmly planted was enough to cause discomfort and no want for more and a handgun trained on the other, Sheeka flipped out his cellphone in his free hand. With his gaze still firmly on the man as he began speaking rapid Italian into the phone and the voice that filtered back was obviously Alessandro, who was trying to calm Sheeka down somewhat as he assessed the situation. The solution was to send Sheeka's usual guards and perhaps Lanza, who wasn't usually too far away, to the scene. He also, quite calmly, told Sheeka that Shiru deserved to know after this and that he was giving his express permission as a boss, and his father, to reveal the Riva, breaking Omerta if he did, to Shiru. She was a good, trustworthy girl who wouldn't do anything to hurt Sheeka.

[Shiruba Yukimura]

"S-Shee-kun...?" Shiru asked quietly as Sheeka took her by the hand and lead her out of the cafe they had just met up at. He wasn't normally one for something like this. Whomever was following him, and whatever they were following him for, this seemed like something important, almost scary. Still, she believed in Sheeka and entwined her fingers with his as an effort to show him this. There wasn't much she could do, but she could do that much, at least.

"Systems initiate. Those who wish to harm our belief shall not bring others into the conflict," came Sheeka's voice as he led them away. Wait... he was using spells? But they were Mundanes, weren't they? So why...? Shiru turned her head to ask her fighter, but was silenced as he uttered another spell. "For the sake of the one my belief rests in, protect her from harm."

So the spells were for protecting her? A glow had surrounded her for a moment before Sheeka turned around sharply, pulling something out of the stuffed animal as he flicked out a switch blade, clearly willing to fight them off, his tail bristling and all fluffed out and trying to look bigger. It was then that they pulled their guns on them, causing Shiru's blue eyes to go wide with fear. What were they going to do? Were they going to hurt them? She slowly stepped back, not liking the current distance they stood toward the eared couple, and what they said about mafia? Wasn't that a dangerous group in Italy? She knew Sheeka was from Italy, but... He was involved with the mafia, and now her too?

"Speed. I will be faster than them. My will to protect my princess will be my strength."

Another spell. This time it was less of a defensive spell and more of an augmenting spell. He took off like a rocket and ran at the man who pointed the gun at her, obviously aiming to eliminate the threat to her, if he could at all. He moved so fast, her untrained eyes could barely follow him and before she knew it, his knife was in the wrist of one of the attackers, the gun having dropped to the ground, clattering near the foot of the sacrifice as he brought the man down. The man moved to the side and then he grabbed his gun and tried to get up before Sheeka smashed his foot in the back of the man, sending him back down to the ground.

"Don't get up on my account, please. And if you ever threaten Shiru again...well I will do more than throw a knife at you."

He held the man to the ground with his foot and pulled out his phone, talking in rapid Italian to someone on the other side. Sheeka was angry. Shiru could feel it. She had been threatened by these men and they had made him angry. But, more important than that, he was mafia? She wanted so desperately to ask, but first, they needed to get away. And then she remembered the gun by her feet. Feeling uncomfortable by its presence, she turned and carefully kicked it away from herself before turning to look back at her fighter and their attackers. "...Shee-kun?"

[Sheeka Riva]

Of course he was angry. He was beyond angry. They had chosen the wrong day to mess with him. They were dragging Shiru into this. He could only be grateful that he had noticed his stalkers before he had taken Shiru home where she wouldn't be the only one in danger. However, if these two were at least dealt with before they had managed to call anybody about Shiru, then she would be mostly safe.

He shut his cellphone, to await the arrival of his own bodyguards that he had left in their hotel room - Septimal Moon was adamant about not allowing non units onto campus and there were surprisingly very few of them within the Riva family besides his father and sister. The unit name seemed to be more centered in around Japan, with the chances seemingly less among other ethnicity. It wasn't rare, just more uncommon. It was also possible that the members had names in inconspicuous places and it was kept secret because they weren't sure if their boss was even a part of the the Sentouki world and merely followed the idea to keep it a secret from the mundane.

He moved easily, his eye on the man he had the gun trained out as he flipped out the phone of the pocket of the other one, casually flipping through recent calls or texts. There hadn't been a call or texts in hours, so nobody from this man knew of Shiru's existence.

It wasn't long before his body guards arrived after Sheeka dropped his spell field, placing both men in handcuffs and Sheeka took the other man's phone as well, looking through it while he spoke in Italian to the men in front of him. He sighed, a sigh of relief at that fact as he handed the gun he was holding over to one of his guards, who pulled out the ammunition from the weapon just to be on the safe side.

He moved carefully over to Shiru, unarmed now as he also picked up his knife, washing the blood off of it with a cloth handed to him by one of his guards before they headed off with the two men in custody. He slipped the weapon back into the stuffed animal that had, at some point, been pushed into Shiru's arms during the entire thing. "Are you alright, Shiru?" he asked quietly. He was a lot calmer now, although his ears were kind of drooping sadly and his tail almost between his legs. "They haven't told anybody about you, so you should be safe...but just to be safe, I'm going to have one of my guards stick close and watch your house as well..." Almost nervously, he glanced towards the ground. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Shiru..." He looked somewhat akin to a kicked puppy, obviously worried about what Shiru was thinking about him now that she knew. "You don't hate me now, do you?" he asked her meekly. "I was going to tell you...but I was worried about what you'd think...but I didn't want you to find out like this!"

[Shiruba Yukimura]

Shiru watched silently as Sheeka, with the gun still trained on the man, pulled out the man's cell phone and flipped through it, obviously looking through the history for some reason, but why? Was he checking to see if her identity was compromised? It might be a problem for her if it was. Her and her family. Yakuza were bad enough, but Italian mafias? That was pretty scary, too. It was then that he dropped his spell's field and his bodyguards arrived, apprehending the two men and collecting their weaponry.

He then carefully moved toward her, picking up his knife, which he cleaned with a cloth, and slipped back into the stuffed animal he had pushed into her arms some time ago. "Are you alright, Shiru?" he asked, his ears drooping painfully. Just the sight of it made Shiru's own ears droop. "They haven't told anybody about you, so you should be safe...but just to be safe, I'm going to have one of my guards stick close and watch your house as well..." That sounded a bit excessive to her, but she wasn't about to criticize someone who's been in the mafia his whole life, when she hadn't. He knew what to expect. She didn't.

He looked down at the ground and Shiru bit her lip. It was just so... so painful watching him. She was scared, sure, and she didn't really know what to think about the mafia thing, but she knew she loved Sheeka, and he obviously loved her as well. He was just so... so torn up about this whole thing, it hurt to look at him. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Shiru... You don't hate me now, do you?" No. She could never hate him. Not ever. Well, maybe if he was some kind of nasty evil dictator kind of mafia guy, but she knew better. She knew the real Sheeka. "I was going to tell you...but I was worried about what you'd think...but I didn't want you to find out like this!"

That was it. She couldn't take any more. Chewing her lip and her ears drooping painfully, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug as a hot tear rolled down her cheek. "I-It's okay, Shee-kun... I... don't hate you... I... I'm scared, but I don't hate you..." she replied, trying her best to keep her voice steady. It was over now. She was safe. All these emotions, fear, sadness, pain, relief... all were swirling around inside her in one big vortex of confusion and really, she wasn't sure what she felt. But she was safe, and Sheeka had protected her. "I... I don't know what to think about it... really... but... I will never hate you. Promise. So... don't worry. And thank you. For protecting me."

[Sheeka Riva]

He was calming down a little, the rage he felt towards the men of whoever had sent them deteriorating into the fear that Shiru would hate him for being in the mafia. He could remember how he'd found out, shortly after he'd asked Alessandro if it was really alright that he stayed with him for as long as he had - it had been going on a couple months that he'd been with them. He wasn't sure what to think. He'd been with them for several months now and he'd felt...at home almost, but still out of place. By that point, Alessandro felt that Sheeka should know, especially when a few days later, an assassin had managed to sneak into the estate. Sheeka had been prone to nightly prowling because he was used to being awake at the time anyway and was a light sleeper anyway. He took a few naps during the day, if only because he tended to be up at night. Sometimes he found himself in Alessandro's office if he was doing somebody work late into the night.

Sheeka had made it his mission at the time, to know the names and the faces of Alessandro's men that were regularly on patrol or just around, for his own peace of mind. When he saw a stranger he didn't know prowling...well, it had set off an alarm in him. He was going to go and report it to one of night guards, but was seen and confronted before he could do so. When the man went after him with a knife, to try to silence the child, he wasn't expecting him to fight back. One must understand that Sheeka, having spent several years on the streets and having gotten into a couple street fights with older boys as well as grown men during the times he'd been caught stealing from them, knew how to fight. Or at least fight dirty. He knew how to fight people larger then him, at least to some extent. By the time the scuffle had been noted, he'd already managed to subdue the man and had the knife pressed to his neck hard enough to draw blood.

Realizing the danger of somebody in his care and somebody who would remain in his care for a long period of time, Alessandro chose to tell Sheeka about the mafia and the Riva itself. Sheeka seemed to take the news really well. In fact, Sheeka had never really seemed to mind causing the occasional death in people. When he had first taken the life of somebody within the mafia, he had stated that it hadn't been the first person he killed - but he wouldn't provide any information on that - and said that the world was better off without some people and he slept better knowing that there was one less person causing suffering in others. Sheeka never went out of his way to kill people, but would if he or somebody else he cared about was threatened.

Which is why, he probably wouldn't have hesitated to kill the men who had attacked him and Shiru. They'd only been spared because they may provide information and he didn't want Shiru to see that side of him. He didn't want her to see the side that could take a life and barely bat an eye at it. It was mostly for that latter part though, he could have very easily taken out one of the men and had one be interrogated on who sent them. He didn't want to think about it...the knowledge that Shiru could probably guess there was blood on his hands. He was in the mafia and from the way he had taken out the men as he had, he could have very easily killed them afterwards or in the process to defend himself.

For a moment, a wave of horror crossed his mind. Shiru was, although not directly, now involved with the mafia. She was a target, if only be association. What if...she had to kill somebody to protect herself? He didn't want her hands to be tainted with the blood of others, not like his were. His were tainted and there wasn't anything that could wash the blood off of his hands. He didn't want that for Shiru. He didn't want her to have to take the life of another person. Those thoughts were running through his head even more now, along side the idea that she hated him.

Her words were somewhat comforting, the knowledge that she didn't hate him and drove the worry of her hating him for who he was. She was hugging him and he was wrapping around her in his own hug. "I'm happy then...thank you for accepting me for this..." he whispered quietly, the thoughts that he didn't want Shiru to have to kill anybody still running strong in his mind. However, the knowledge that she accepted him despite that he was within such a dangerous world sent a surge of determination. He wouldn't let her be tainted by the mafia. He would make sure she would never have to take the life of anybody, ever. Even if it meant that he would further plunge into the darkness of the mafia. He wanted to protect her. Everything.

Lightly, he brushed back a strand of Shiru's hair and lightly kissed her as well. "I know the mafia must be really scary...but I'll protect you...like always," he stated quietly, his tail wrapped carefully around Shiru's own tail. "I'll tell you everything you need to know about the Riva family that I can...and answer any questions you have," he stated as he lead the girl out of the alley they were in to meet one of the guards who had stayed behind to watch them. "Luca-san...I think we're going to head back to my apartment...would you mind cooking us dinner tonight? I need to talk to Shiru...about a lot of things, really." He wasn't sure where he would start, really. Perhaps he would just answer her questions for the time being. Papa was so much better at this kind of stuff.

Luca nodded his had briefly, before looking towards Shiru. "Is there anything in particular the young lady would like for dinner tonight?" he asked, opening the back door to the second car that had been brought for the two. For now, it would be safer to take a car back to their apartment rather than walking back. Sheeka's guard wasn't going to take the risk of anything else happening on their watches. It was also, unlikely, that they would allow Sheeka to go out alone for awhile yet.

Tags; Shiru
Word Count; 1111
Notes; ALL OF THE ONES. And Sheeka is cute.

[Shiruba Yukimura]

Shiru could feel him relax a little as he calmed down, still holding onto him tight. She was scared, but she was more concerned about Sheeka, who had been panicking, scared to death of her hating him, even though that would never happen. She knew Sheeka, and she knew he would never do the kinds of things that would make her hate him. She had her face practically buried in his shoulder, her ears flat against her head when suddenly she heard his voice, whispering ever so quietly into her ear, "I'm happy then...thank you for accepting me for this..."

As soon as he spoke, her ears perked right up, pulling in each softly spoken word and she felt his arms close around her, embracing her in return. It was a warm hug, gentle and loving, yet still firm and protective, and she felt herself melt right into his arms as she couldn't help but relax, a safe feeling washing over her. He belonged to a dangerous and scary world, but she could feel the meaning behind his embrace. He was going to protect her. That was enough. But she wanted to help him, too. His world was a dark one, and she knew that, but she didn't want to be a burden, nor did she want that darkness to take him completely. She loved him as he was now. This Sheeka was the one precious to her, and she wanted to help him so that he didn't end up changing.

A hand on her head brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up at Sheeka as he brushed some hair back and bent down to kiss her gently. "I know the mafia must be really scary...but I'll protect you...like always," he said softly to her as he wrapped his tail around hers, her cheeks burning a bright pink as she blushed. "I'll tell you everything you need to know about the Riva family that I can...and answer any questions you have." Slowly he started leading her out of the alley, where they met a guard who stayed behind. "Luca-san...I think we're going to head back to my apartment...would you mind cooking us dinner tonight? I need to talk to Shiru...about a lot of things, really."

"Is there anything in particular the young lady would like for dinner tonight?" the guard asked after nodding to his charge and turning to her, causing her to flush a bit out of shyness.

"U-Um... I... I don't... know... I'm kinda... still a bit shaken up, so I don't really know what I'd like," she answered honestly, after a momentary struggle to find her voice again. It had only been a few minutes since she spoke last, but after what happened, it felt like hours. She really didn't know what to think or say about, well anything. "Um... I guess, if Shee-kun doesn't have anything in mind either, then you can surprise us?" she squeaked out uncertainly before realization dawned on her and she pulled out her phone. "Ah! If I'm going to be out for a while and have dinner, I should call my family so they don't worry..."

[Sheeka Riva]

The guard, Luca, gave a smile towards the young couple as he opened the backseat doors for them. He watched as Sheeka lead his girlfriend into the car before sliding into the drivers' seat. He would surprise the two with dinner that night, since neither could really decide what they wanted. He didn't really want to go out shopping for anything, but knew they had a enough food for a few different types of meals. Japanese or Italian, whichever one he felt like cooking.

Sheeka sat patiently while Shiru called her family to let them know where she was, his tail contently wrapped around Shiru's. This had gone better than he had thought it would and he was glad for that. He smiled some while she was on the phone with one of her parents, chiming in the background a pleasant greeting to whoever she was on the phone with before shifting in the seatbelt to rest his head against her shoulder. Today had been a rough day, for the both of them. Emotionally tiring at the moment. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found somebody like Shiru. Sometimes, he wondered if he even deserved her. He was from a background that wasn't the brightest in the world. Adopted because of an abusive childhood...and was one of the future heirs to a large European business with a mafia family behind the facade. It was likely that Lanza would deal with the mafia side of things, while he dealt with the business side...but he knew that they both would have equal say in matters.

Once Shiru was off the phone, Sheeka began speaking. "The Riva is several generations old, I believe it was either Papa's grandmother, or his great grandfather who started it. It wasn't until Papa's mother that it really shot off into a medical company..." he'd never met anybody from Alessandro's blood family and he knew that he had a little left and he spoke fondly of his mother. His tail unraveled from Shiru's, but still lightly lay over hers, flicking thoughtfully into the air. "Papa tries to avoid a lot of the things that the mafia are usually associated with - the black market, human trafficking...ect..." Sheeka explained carefully as they drove, Luca casually listening from the drivers' seat as he paid attention to his driving.

"I guess you could almost call the Riva the anti-mafia...Papa likes trying to put a stop to the families who do a lot of business that way..." Sheeka elaborated after thinking about what he had said. It was true, Alessandro didn't much care for the families who did their business like that. You could do illegal things - but if it came to human trafficking - especially children - then he wasn't happy. He supposed that was why there had been a war with the Corvi when he'd taken Lanza in. He liked to be able to iterate the positives about the Riva family, so Shiru wouldn't have to worry. Of course, being the family that they were...the Riva did have their enemies, which Sheeka neglected to mention, but they were a large family and it was hard for anybody to get the jump on them. Alessandro had the respect of his men and was a lot more kindhearted than most mafia bosses. You'd think that people would take advantage of that, but they knew that his right-hand and "not quite husband," 'wife' was not as kindhearted as his father was. Of course, there were some things that Alessandro didn't forgive...so he managed to instill a balance of fear and respect in his subordinates.

Certainly, many wondered why Alessandro and Celino just hadn't tied the knot...but maybe they felt that they'd been together long enough that it didn't matter if they were married or not? He definitely wanted to marry Shiru one day, though. It was just a matter of when. He hadn't wanted to ask her with her in the dark about the mafia...he didn't want to keep that from her after they were married. Now that she knew...he would give her time to get acclimated to the mafia as much as she could and then maybe. If h knew Papa, he knew they'd have a huge wedding. One of the heirs to the Riva getting married would be a huge deal to some of their allies, maybe of who tried to marry their way into the mafia. Sheeka knew that Aless got marriage proposals, both for himself, Celino, and then both him and Lanza...he'd seen Aless go through them before before shredding them and laughing like an idiot about how funny it was.

It wasn't long before the drive home was finished and Luca nodded towards the doorman while smiled back at the three before heading inside the apartment building and then up in an elevator to the penthouse apartment and unlocking the door. Luca waited a moment before he flipped on the lights, checking for unwanted intruders and then removing his tie and heading into the kitchen for food while Sheeka settled comfortably on the couch in the living area of his apartment "I told you the basics, are there any other things you want to know?" he asked, tail twitching nervously back and forth. A thought occurred to him, that he didn't really want Shiru to go home alone tonight. The other guard would be there, but he didn't want to leave her alone tonight. Almost fumbling on his words for a moment. "There's a third bedroom here, if you wanted to stay the night?" he offered. Of course, he wouldn't have minded it either if she'd wanted to stay in his room, either. But, he did feel like she would be safer if she was there. If not, he would just have Luca call the other guard that he was going to have watch her house come pick her up, or he and Luca would take her home that night. He doubted that Luca would leave him alone after today for a few weeks.

[Shiruba Yukimura]

Shiru followed Sheeka into the car and buckled herself into the seat and then dialed her home on her cell phone. She still felt strange and a bit scared about the whole thing, but she was going to trust Sheeka with it. First, she needed to tell her family she was going to be late. That way they wouldn't worry about her. That was the last thing she needed that day. Her mother answered the phone, which was a relief to her. The last thing she needed was for her brother to answer and then get all upset about her staying late with her boyfriend, when he wasn't all that for her having a boyfriend in the first place.

She managed to force a bit of a smile to her face and greeted her mother warmly. Her voice was a welcome distraction from the scary event that she had just witnessed, and it soothed the girl immensely. She chatted lightly with her mother for a moment, with Sheeka shiming a pleasant greeting in the background as well, before she finally got to the root of the matter and told her mother she was going to Sheeka's for dinner and not to worry about her. Hearing her mother's pleasant approval of the arrangement and gentle encouragement, Shiru couldn't help but smile a bit more honestly and thanked her mother before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. She felt so much better already. That really was a good idea, she thought to herself as she leaned her head over to rest on Sheeka's which was resting on her shoulder.

"The Riva is several generations old, I believe it was either Papa's grandmother, or his great grandfather who started it. It wasn't until Papa's mother that it really shot off into a medical company..." Sheeka began to speak not long after she hung up the phone, giving her a bit of a run-down of the mafia business he belonged to as his tail let go of hers, but still lay over it, flicking lightly as he thought. " "Papa tries to avoid a lot of the things that the mafia are usually associated with - the black market, human trafficking...etc... I guess you could almost call the Riva the anti-mafia...Papa likes trying to put a stop to the families who do a lot of business that way..."

So their mafia family was an anti-mafia family? That was kinda confusing, but it did make them sound less scary, if they weren't involved with a lot of the bad stuff that she had heard mafias were infamous for. That was actually somewhat comforting to know, and she felt herself relax a bit more, soothed by her Fighter's presence. "So they don't do a lot of that bad stuff you hear mafias tend to in movies and stuff? That's... good to know," she replied with an almost relieved sigh. She knew the world was still dark and dangerous, though. Her experience a little while ago was proof of that, and she wasn't going to forget about that anytime soon. While the Rivas didn't like to do that stuff, there were obviously those that did, and if she wanted to stay by Sheeka's side, she was going to have to steel herself for that. There was likely to be more where that came from. If not right away, then much later down the road, and she was going to need to be ready for when it did.

Before long, the drive to Sheeka's apartment was over and they entered the building, Shiru glancing at the doorman in time to see Luca nod at the man there. Another member of their mafia, obviously. Taking a breath in, she followed the two males into the building and up to the penthouse suite. Once they were there, Luca turned on the lights and checked for intruders before he removed his tie and headed to the kitchen to start on their dinner. She turned to look at Sheeka, who had settled on the couch and then moved to join him, not really wanting to leave his side for too long at the moment. She might have been in more danger by doing so, but it just felt so much safer by her Fighter's side.

"I told you the basics, are there any other things you want to know?"

She turned to look at him, watching him as he sat there, tail twitching nervously. Obviously, he was still uneasy about what had happened to them, and he likely still worried about what she felt about the whole thing. She couldn't blame him, really. It wasn't like she said much about it. "N-no, I don't have any questions, really..." she said with a gentle shake of her head. Well, some of that was a lie. She was really confused and there were lots of things she didn't know, but she felt like she didn't want to ask. There were some things that she probably was better off not knowing. Besides, she knew most of the important things now. The rest she could figure out over time, she had decided. "Well, that's not quite true, but it's more like I feel like I don't have to ask it. I know the important things... Like you belonging to a mafia family, that your family is a kind family for a mafia, and that, no matter what, you're still Shee-kun. That's what matters... I think?" Hopefully that helped him.

"There's a third bedroom here, if you wanted to stay the night?"

...What? Shiru's turquoise eyes opened wide as she stared at her boyfriend. Not only had he taken her with him to eat dinner at his place, but he wanted her to stay overnight? She already had called home and told them she would be late. Maybe she could text her sister later and get her to make something up. She wanted to stay with him, especially with him so unsure and worried. She reached down and took his hand, squeezing it gently as she managed a small smile for him. "I... I'll stay. I feel safer here, anyway," she replied softly before she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, like he had to her in the car. "I'll stay..."

[Sheeka Riva]

While Alessandro did try to avoid doing all sorts of bad things, he still was the boss of a mafia family with no qualms against killing others if it benefited him or those he cared about. Alessandro's family dabbled in the black market for a lot of things. While he tried not to dabble in human trafficking, he did occasionally put scum of the earth up for auction, especially those who were previous human traffickers themselves. He also was known to buy and free children from the market itself. He'd bought scum of the earth of his own before...particularly when he was running low on organ donors. Sheeka chose not to mention that, or where Alessandro got many of the organs that wound up being put into transplant patients...she already had so much to take in, that he preferred not to add that little horror story onto how much stress she was probably going through.

So, shaking his head lightly Sheeka smiled. "Papa's a kind heart, even among the mafia...other families don't really like how he handles things...although...he's still not one to be crossed,"[ Sheeka answered easily as he tilted his head slightly. "There people who make Papa angry the most are those who mess with his family...and nobody really wants to cross the Riva when Papa is mad at somebody..." So whoever was behind this attack was definitely on Alessandro's shit list. "He's probably going to drop everything and come here from Italy to figure out what's going on and deal with it before anybody gets hurt." How right he was. "Papa...didn't really want to bring me into the mafia - Lanza had always been a part of it...so he didn't really have much of a choice with her...but I wanted to stay with him and he knew that if that was the case, I'd have to be brought in...I don't regret ever joining the Riva though."

He hoped that his explanation was enough to appease any curiosity that Shiru may have had...Even if he didn't want to bring Shiru into the mafia...it was too late for that. He loved her so much and he wanted to keep her safe and the best way for that would have been to avoid her and stay away...but he wanted to be selfish. He loved her too much to want to do that to her. He knew it would hurt them both. So he was going to be selfish and keep her close, even if it was going to put her in danger...but he would be strong enough to protect her. It was the least he could do. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, ever.

He was more than happy to hear her reasoning by why she wasn't asking more questions. Shee-kun was still Shee-kun...he liked that. Just because he was mafia and she knew that he was...he wouldn't let anything change between them after she went and said that. He moved closer to Shiru on the couch, snuggling his body against hers as he memorized her scent, happily entwining his tail around hers. "Thank you...that is all that matters, isn't it?" He sighed contently, snuggling against her. "I didn't think it was possible for me to love you anymore, but you've proven that wrong..." he stated quietly, a soft blush crossing over his cheeks as he lightly kissed the girl, further deepening as she also agreed to stay the night with him. She simply had no idea how happy she made him and how much he was in love with her. He loved how their relationship was...and even if he wanted to lose his ears to her...he was content to wait until she wanted to lose them as well. All she had to do was tell him. He may have decided to wait until marriage, but he was always willing to change that if Shiru didn't want that.

He was content to just sit on the couch, snuggled against Shiru in contentment. At some point, he heard the door unlock and open as his female body guard slipped in, smirked lightly at Shiru and Sheeka, pressed her finger to her lips and marched into the kitchen after Luca. She'd help him with dinner, rather than interrupt Sheeka and Shiru's moments together.

[Shiruba Yukimura]

Sheeka was obviously still worried about her, and how he got her involved. He also seemed eager to show her how nice his father is, so that she didn't fear their family, or their mafia. However, she did know Sheeka and had met Lanza once or twice herself, so she really didn't think that anyone who could've raised such wonderful people could be a bad guy, mafia or not. He continued to tell her about his father, and how he didnt ever regret joining the Riva mafia.

Obviously, this was far from what he wanted. Knowing Sheeka, he wanted to keep her safe, but she was happy that he didn't choose to disappear and keep her at a distance. After all, she was selfish and wanted to stay by him no matter what. She knew that staying near him was dangerous, but he wouldn't have the heart to keep her away, nor did she ever want him to. She loved him dearly and she also knew that he would protect her. He would move Heaven and Earth to save and protect her, and she knew that she could both trust and believe in that. He had her faith, no matter what.

It seemed as though her words reached him and helped him feel better, at least. He seemed pleased to hear that she believed in him and thought of him as himself, and that, in turn, pleased her. Mafia or no, they were still a unit, and it seems as though she drove that home to him. She watched as he scooted closer to her on the couch and snuggled up to her side and wrapped his tail around hers.

"I didn't think it was possible for me to love you any more, but you've proven that wrong..."

Shiru smiled, happy to hear how much he loved her, and how she proved that he was wrong. "I love you too, Shee-kun... I love you so much. Thank you for being there... for protecting me... for telling me," she said gently, nuzzling the boy before giving him a kiss in return. Staying the night... It was sounding like such a good idea. It would help her calm down and get adjusted to the fact she was now involved in the mafia... by staying a night with said mafia. She didn't want to leave him anytime soon, anyway.