To Die For

When Cain arrived at the docks, he hopped out of the car. He knew that Selene's father, Airic, would be close. Airic wouldn't give a damn that it was Thangsgiving, even if only for another 15 minutes. Being a drug/mafi lord was far more important to him.

Cain heard a click behind him and felt cold metal pressing into his neck.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" a voice said. "A tresspasser, eh? Good, good. I've been itching to shoot someone all night."

Cain froze. "Hi Jimmy," he said softly. "Can you take me to Airic? I need to talk to him."

"Sure kid, why not," Jimmy said holstering his gun. "He's always liked you well enough, and its not like you can hurt him with all of us around."

Jimmy led Cain down the river front. He led him to the clocktower and took him inside.

"Jimmy, what the hell, I said I didn't want to see anyone!" a voice dripping with anger exclaimed.

Cain looked all around, disoriented by the echoing of the voice. There was no way for him to be able to tell where Airic was.

"S-s-sor-ry b-bos-ss," Jimmy stuttered, obviously afraid of Airic"s temper.

"If you're so sorry, then why the hell are you here?" Airic asked from somwhere. "And who the hell is with you?"

"It's the Martin boy, boss," Jimmy responded.

Airic came into view. "Cain," he said monotonously. "You decided to come visit, even after what you did to my daughter. I'll admit, you've got balls. Or maybe you're just stupid."

"What did your daughter say I did to her?" Cain asked, afraid of what Airic would say.

"Well she said that you broke up with her and called her a bitch," Airic said, circling Cain. Jimmy had backed against the wall, grateful that the heat was no longer on him.

"Broke up with her yes, I only called her a bitch indirectly though," Cain replied, nervous since Airic was circling him, like a cat circling a mouse.

"Well, I'll admit she's a little hard to handle sometimes," Airic replied. "And she doesn't blame you as much as she blames your little friend, so I suppose there's s no reason to shoot you."

Cain relaxed.

"Yet."

He tensed again.

"But I know you didn't come here just to talk about my daughter," Airic said, still circling Cain. "So why are you here?" He asked, coming to a stop facing Cain.

Cain took a deep breath. He was going to need all the courage he could muster. "My friend, Ares, the one that your daughter doesn't like. She recieved a note from your daughter telling her to meet you here on Monday. It said that she had to join or die because she was to much of a threat."

"Your point?" Airic asked impatiently.

Cain took another deep breath to calm his nerves. "Please don't ask that of her. Please, just let her be, she doesn't deserve this life."

"And who does?" Airic asked harshly. "Does anyone deserve this life? Boy you need to learn your lesson. In this world, there are those involved in drugs. They have no choice. If they deal, its because they needed money, or because they got in the way of the guy that had the money and angered him so that they have no choice. Well now, I'm the guy with the money, and your little girl has gotten in my way, so she's either going to play by my rules or die. Oddly enough," he smirked evilly, "Those are my rules, so anyway this rolls, she's going to be playing by my rules. Do you get it?" he asked. When Cain didn't answer, he stepped forward and shook him by the shoulders. "Do you get it?" He screamed in his face.

Cain was shocked. He couldn't speak. He'd never known that this was what Airic thought of himself and his situation.

In the silence that followed, the bells in the tower above them began to chime and reverbrate through the tower. Thanksgiving was over, Black Friday was beginning.

The two stood, Airic's hands still on Cain's shoulders. When the last chime finished reverbrating through the tower, a voice spoke.

"Well happy birthday to me," it said.

Cain tensed and Airic chuckled. Airic dropped his hands and they both turned towards the door.

"Ares Suna. How nice of you to visit me," Airic said.

"Well you do have my friend and we're kind of waiting on him to eat Thanksgiving dinner," Ares replied.

"Ah well then I understand why you came," Airic said. "While you're here, we may as well discuss my business proposition I offered you. No point in putting it off since you're already here."

"But we haven't eaten dinner yet," Ares replied. "Besides, I wouldn't want to mess up your schedule by having a conversation before my appointment."

Airic snapped his fingers and Jimmy moved to his side. "We will discuss this now. Search her."

"Well if you insist," Ares said. She lifted her arms and held them out while while Jimmy frisked her. When he found nothing, she put her arms down. "Happy?" She asked Airic.

"Not quite," he replied. He pulled a gun from his waistbabd and pointed it at Ares. "On your knees," he ordered.

Ares scoffed, "Fine."

"Good girl," Airic replied. "Now, what do you think of my proposition? You will work for me, da?"

"No," Ares answered simply.

"No?" Airic asked. "You do realize what the alternative is, don't you?"

"Yes, and I would rather die than help you cart your drugs around and beat up innocent people," Ares responded venomously.

"You will die, you realize," Airic said.

"To die would be an awfully big adventurer," Ares stated.

"Very well," Airic said. "Then you shall have an audience for your death." He pointed the gun at Cain and snapped his fingers again. "On his knees Jimmy."

Jimmy grabbed Cain's arms from behind him and forced him to his knees. As his head was wrenched back so he could watch Ares's death, he saw a glint of gold on her left hand. He felt panic rise up inside him.

"Now," Airic said, levelling his gun between Ares eyes, with the barrel pressing against her forehead. "Any last words?"

Ares looked at him with contempt. "I hope your empire falls and you lose everything you have. I hope you end up a slave of the drugs you sell and you waste away and die." she said harshly. "Cain," she said, turning her head slightly, "My answer was yes."

Im that moment, they understood each other entirely. They knew each others every thought. And Cain knew she was not afraid. And neither was he. At least not for her. He knew she would feel no pain, that she would be dead almost instantly. He worried for himself. He was afraid of how he would survive without her. She was his reason to live. And he saw in her eyes that he was hers.

"Very well," Airic said cocking the gun. "Goodbye Ares Suna."

He pulled the trigger.

The blast of the gun was deafening. But the sound sound that followed was even more deafening. Cain's cry of loss, hatred, rage and emptiness was the most most painful thing thing Airic had ever heard. But it did not even come close to amounting to the pain and loss that Cain truly felt.

Airic crossed to Cain. "Jimmy, hold his right arm out," he commanded.

Jimmy held Cain's right arm out. They were both trembling. But for two very very different reasons. Jimmy trembled from fear. Cain trembled from rage.

"Cain," Airic said. "You should not have come here tonight. Why I wanted her was none of your business. And now I must punish you for it."

Airic cocked his gun again and pressed the barrel to the center of Cain's forearm.

He pulled the trigger.

It was the most painful thing that Cain had ever felt physically. But it didn't mean anything to him. He heard heard the bones in his arms splinter, felt then shatter, felt the tearing of the tendons and the sudden flow of blood. None of it registered with him. It was nothing compared to watching Ares die.

In his last moments moments of consciousness, he looked to where Ares's body lay in a pool of blood. "Ari," he said softly as a cloud of darkness descended upon him.