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Chapter 5 - Meltdown

A/N: YAYYY an upload! Sorry, guys. Trying to keep up. Just came up with some new shit for this book, so it's GONNA BE GEWWWD!

As soon as they all came filing in through the studio doors Osamu and I looked up with bright eyes, sitting in the floor. I was trying to be the ‘good pupil’ now, instead of the whiney drunk. I was even beginning to annoy myself. But it wasn’t my fault; they came barging into my life, shocking the hell out of me, leaving me in a stupor I couldn’t shake. However, that was going to change. I watched them with a pleasant look on my face, dressed in my training clothes, trying to show I was willing to practice. The fight was tomorrow, after all.

I wasn’t greeted the same way, though. Johnny gave a small wave, but he was tired and didn’t offer much else. Chutar smiled, Kenshi grunted a hello, and everyone else walked in quietly and instantly began setting down their bags with bottles of water and towels. Liu stood out, as usual. He glowered at the floor and slammed down his items. I watched him, trying hard not to snap. No, I would be happy today. I would be nice today. I would be what a hostess should be today.

I cleared my throat and stood up, “Good morning,” I offered to everyone.

A chorus of ‘good morning’ went around, but Liu didn’t say anything. I didn’t really expect him to start conversation or anything anyway. Instead of bothering with getting a greeting from him, I shrugged, “So what are we practicing today?”

He leaned down to reach into his bag and pulled a black box out of it. “You’re going to practice something different.”

I frowned, “Which would be..?”

I watched over his shoulder as he put the box on a counter nearby and unlocked it. I breathed in the smell of his skin and found myself inhaling deeply with my eyes closed. Quickly I snapped out of it. God, what was wrong with me? Do not start that again. You don’t need a man. You haven’t had one for the past five years, you don’t need one now.

When I opened my eyes they narrowed in on the thing lying in the box. “What the hell is that?” I snapped, even though I already knew what it was.

“It’s a gun,” he replied, taking hold of it and pointing it at me.

I flinched and jumped to the floor, cowering in front of him, “Alright I know we kind of hate each other but you don’t need to shoot me!”

He rolled his dark eyes at me and reached down to grab my arm. He forcefully pulled me to my feet and shoved the gun into my hands. Before he could say what he was opening his mouth to say, I shrieked, “And I’m not shooting everyone else!”

“No, that’s not the point. You haven’t been training, like you should have been. So you’ll be using this.”

I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, but quickly looked back at the gun. What if I touched it wrong and it automatically went off? What if I shot myself or someone else in the foot? What if I shot my own eye out?! I shook my head, “No, no, no, I don’t want this. Take it away and lock it back up. I’m gonna kill someone!”

He sighed and lifted the heavy metal out of my hands. I sighed in relief and watched him roll it around recklessly in his hands.

“Stop doing that!” I screamed. “Jesus, you’re going to put a bullet in someone!”

Chutar snorted from the corner of the room, “God, you’re so white.”

“What?” I snapped, still watching Liu hold the gun. I think he was just trying to freak me out now. I risked a glance at his face and saw him smirking. Yeah, he was doing it to scare me.