A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in so long! It's been a while;;;; I had to go back and read my own fic. Anyway, this chapter will continue where chapter 9 left off from Nico's POV.

This fic is coming to a close, there will only be a few more chapters! Thank you all for supporting me for this long, I really appreciate it ;;;;

"Where did she say it was?" Nico trudged down the dimly lit corridor, albeit confused as to where exactly she was going. Eli had given her directions prior to her leave, though they'd completely slipped her mind.

The hallway itself wasn't helping in the least; doors riddled the area, it felt as if she were in a video game. "Who needs this many rooms?" She grumbled under her breath, stopping in front of a darkly colored, unlabeled door. "Those two should invest in some signs." Nico hastily placed her hand on the golden doorknob, carelessly swinging it open. One of these has to be it, right? She thought to herself. If I go through all these doors, I'll find it eventually.

Nico was met with pitch darkness as she squinted her eyes in an attempt to expand her vision, to no avail. With a sigh she felt around the wall, a triumphant grin on her lips as her fingers brushed against the light switch. The darkness faded, and so did Nico's grin. Around the room, shelves were lined with weapons of all shapes and sizes. Loads of firearms sat harmlessly next to crates of ammunition; machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, and even mortars. She couldn't recognize half the weapons laid out in front of her, and honestly, it was terrifying.

Even with the newfound knowledge of her friend's involvement in the underground world, as well as the time she spent with Maki, Nico would never get used to these things. It felt as if she'd been whisked away to another world; perhaps a living nightmare would be more accurate. Guns weren't something she ever wanted to be anywhere near, they were weapons used in movies. I was an idol. What am I doing here? She pondered her thoughts, examining the area around her.

In the middle of the room, there were mountains of boxes labeled 'Handle With Care' in god red letters. I shouldn't. Turn around Nico, don't do it.

But the end, curiosity killed the cat.

The idol shuffled over to the crates, taking a deep breath before she lifted the lid with great difficulty. "Who sealed these so tight!" She groaned, letting the cover fall to the floor as frightened crimson eyes opened wide.

"Nicocchi?" A voice called her name from behind, two hands hovered threateningly above her chest.

Nico jumped, squealing as she attempted to step back, her head colliding with something large and soft. "Wh—" The hands soon clutched onto their victim as she tried to escape. "Nozomi!" She growled in frustration, wriggling out of the larger girl's grip with great difficulty.

"What're you doing in here?" Nozomi inquired with a flat expression that scared the idol. "Are you poking your little nose into places it shouldn't be?"

Nozomi sounded deathly serious, almost the complete opposite of her normal self. "You sound scary Nozomi, I think you've been spending too much time with Eli." Nico laughed it off in hopes that the purple-haired girl would do the same.

"You didn't answer my question, Nicocchi." She replied, pronouncing each syllable of the nickname slower than necessary.

"I took a wrong turn, okay? I wasn't listening Eli's directions, and I got lost." The idol spoke quickly, stepping towards the door. "So let's put this behind us! Nico didn't see anything, the room was too dark!" She held up her signature pose before flipping the lights off.

"I suppose we can put this behind us." Nozomi mused, following Nico out of the room filled with dangerous weapons. "If you let me pick out your clothes for tonight!"

"Fine. Show me where it is so I don't get lost again." Nico grumbled, glancing back at the dark room, vermilion eyes filled with worry. What was inside the endless crates worried her, but the board behind it worried her even more. Hidden in the shadows, the bulletin sported many pictures and documents with multicolored strings pointing every which way, as if a rainbow fell to the earth and shattered into a million pieces. Though all of them pointed to the same point, a blurry photograph of a girl with scarlet hair.

"Is this my punishment?" Nico exhaled before filling her lungs to the brim with air, pumping her chest out as far as it would go. Even then, the dress drooped pathetically over her nonexistent breasts. She could feel a vein nearly pop as Nozomi doubled over, holding her stomach while she laughed harder then a hyena. "Shut up, will you!" She snapped, holding the front of the dress up in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Nicocchi, I couldn't help myself." Wiping a tear from her turquoise eyes, Nozomi shuffled through the rack of dresses. Others like it stood next to each other in rows spread out across the room. Nico felt as if she accidentally stepped into a magic wardrobe, where she was teleported to a world full of cute clothing.

"Why does Eli have all of this?" Nico questioned, pulling out a frilly salmon dress. "Has she even worn half of this stuff? It doesn't suit her."

Nozomi shrugged, her gaze set on a short black dress. "I don't know either, but wouldn't she look cute in this?" A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she lifted a skimpy purple bikini up in the air for all to see.

"Gross." Nico deadpanned, holding the dress over the front of her body. Turning to Nozomi, she smiled. "What about this one?"

"Aww, you're no fun." Pouting, she hung the bikini on the rack in defeat. "It fits you well, but if you wear that you'll stick out like a sore thumb." Nozomi handed the sleeveless black dress to Nico with a grin. "Try this."

Rolling her eyes, Nico snatched the piece of clothing from Nozomi and stepped into the dressing room. It fit surprisingly well; snug against her small figure, though it rested a bit high on her thighs, not that it mattered. It was a simple, jet black dress with a few white lines for decoration, along with an ivory belt wrapped around her waist and a rather large red bow on the collar that brought out the color of her eyes. Slipping out of the dressing area, she spoke up before her friend had a chance to do so. "I think the other one was cuter."

Nozomi clapped, a smug look on her face. "I don't know Nicocchi, I think you look stunning in that dress. Although," she dragged on, "your chest has quite a bit to be desired."

Nico cringed, glaring daggers at the other. "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Feigning innocence, Nozomi put her hands up in defense. "Nicocchi please! What would your fans think if they knew you tried to fight me?"

"Shut up, you." The Super Idol growled, walking towards the door. "Let's go already, I'm hungry."

After the exquisite dinner, which tasted even better considering Nico didn't pay a single cent, she released a satisfied sigh, leaning back on the chair with her hands gently placed on her stomach. "That was the best!" She exclaimed, a toothy grin stretching her lips. "Expensive food always tastes better, remind me to thank Eli later."

"For a tiny girl, you sure can eat a lot." Nozomi commented, laughing to herself. "You're really giving Elicchi a run for her money."

"She owes me big time for keeping this whole mafia thing a secret. I thought we were friends!" Nico joked, although inside it was serious. It was a big chunk of information that would've been nice to know, especially since she saw Eli as a good friend. All these years, she believed Eli ran off to Russia with Nozomi, probably to get married or something of the sort. They were awfully close, after all. Too close for comfort; on occasion, she felt like a third wheel.

"Well you did go on to become an idol; we didn't have many opportunities to contact you." She pointed out, a frown evident on her lips.

Nico shrugged. "I guess that's true. So you two didn't elope in Russia?"

A light blush tinged Nozomi's cheeks as her tone softened. "Of course not. I met her family and we stayed there briefly before flying back here. Russia is a beautiful place, you should visit with me and Elicchi some time."

"With you two lovebirds? No thanks." Nico grunted, pointing to her open mouth as if she were going to vomit.

"Suit yourself. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you." She began, leaning in closer to the smaller girl with a sly expression on her features. "How do you feel about Maki?"

At the mention of the name, Nico abruptly stood, her hands slamming down hard on the table. The thought of Maki caused a warmth to drip into her heart, one that she didn't appreciate. Shaking her head, she forced her blush down. "I don't know." Nozomi had to be the worst possible person to tell anything at all, she couldn't keep her mouth shut. If a single word of her true feelings escaped her lips, she would never hear the end of it. "I-I want dessert." She changed the subject, already walking away form the table.

Glancing back to make sure she'd won, a larger figure crashed into her. With a shriek Nico tripped, falling backwards onto the carpeted floor. Despite that, her head ached as a heavy weight kept her pinned to the ground. "What the hell..." Rubbing the back of her head, she looked up, only to see a pair of lavender eyes staring back. Upon recognizing the girl, her mood darkened. Speak of the devil. She wore a sour expression on her face as Maki gaped, her cheeks growing redder by the second. As much as Nico wanted to be angry at the girl, she couldn't help but notice how cute Maki's face was. It hurt to know the one she loved most was so close, yet so far. "What are you doing here?" She snarled, lightly nudging the redhead away. "And get off me!"

Maki fumbled to stand, her face red as a tomato as she twirled her hair. "I'm here to get you of course, so let's go."

Is she serious? Nico frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "What makes you think I'd go anywhere with you?" Rage swelled within her, boiling as she recalled their quarrel. As Maki opened her mouth to speak, she interrupted immediately. "Don't you remember? I'm rude, arrogant, stubborn, and unreasonable!" She shouted, louder than she mean to as malice drenched over her words. "So you could steal Nico away again and sell her off!" Tears welled formed in the corner of her eyes as she could no longer hold herself back. Don't cry. She told herself, choking in the tears. Once you cry, it's all over. "And you know what?! Maybe I'm the idiot for—" For loving you.

Nozomi intervened, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Nicocchi, I think that's quite enough."

Taking a deep breath, Nico allowed her friend to overtake her. Nozomi did have the best timing, although she happened to be a little late this time; the idol had almost let something slip, something she couldn't take back if she wanted to. Shutting out the two for a moment, Nico collected her thoughts. She didn't want to deal with Maki now, she wasn't ready. Deep down, she knew she loved the girl, although her mind didn't to accept it. As far as she knew, Maki lied. Any hope she clutched onto before had been completely obliterated. To Maki, it was a mission all along. Does she know that I saw those documents? Nico felt a lump rise to her throat as she jumped in surprise at the low voice addressing her.

"Come on Nico, let's just go." Maki ordered, expecting the idol to come running back to her.

"Like I said before, I'm not leaving." Nico stated as firm as she could in her current mindset. Shifting behind Nozomi, she attempted to hide from the redhead's piercing gaze. I wish I could leave with you.

Nozomi muttered something to Maki, then the two walked away from the girl; Nozomi glided through the crowd of people, pulling along a sulking Nico as she went. "I'm sorry Nicocchi. I didn't think she'd arrive this quickly."

Nico's ears perked up as realization dawned on her. "You invited Maki?"

"Yes, I'll explain things later. Let's get back to Elicchi, there's something I need to tell her."

"She's here." Nozomi announced as the duo arrived back at Eli's office, the massive double doors shut tight behind them.

Eli perched in the leather chair, a stoic expression on her features as she whispered inaudibly to Nozomi, who nodded in response. "Nico." She spoke firmly, her voice confident and intimidating. "We're going to send you home."

Of everything Nico expected Eli to say, it wasn't that. "Excuse me?" Confused, she asked for clarification. She couldn't help but feel like the room was darker than before.

"You heard me, we're sending you home. I will call for someone to ensure your safe return, they should be ready in a few minutes." Eli smiled, a sight Nico hadn't seen in quite a while. "You can finally go home, Nico. I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through, it must have been hard."

It was all too suspicious. "Are you serious?" Nozomi didn't have to comfort me in the park, but she did. She took me here. Nico couldn't figure out the puzzle, something was missing. They brought her all the way to the restaurant; Eli paid for her luxurious dinner, and Nozomi kept her company. They put in so much effort to keep me here, and now they're just going to send me home? The idol groaned, silently cursing her inability to solve the rubik's cube that was her mind.

Eli nodded. "You do want to go home, don't you?"

Silence filled the room, a tense atmosphere between all three girls. Is that what I want? All this time, her goal had been to escape from Maki, who held her hostage. Ever since the moment she woke up in that god forsaken car of hers, Nico's one and only thought had been to get home, to get back to her career as an idol. Though along the way, that thought began to change.

She'd expected to wake up to the face of some gruesome hit man, though she was surprised to find a girl with fiery hair looking back at her. At first, she held a cool, calm demeanor of a kidnapper who held no emotion. After a while, that wall crumbled to pieces. When did I fall in love with her? This is all her fault. Maki cared too much, although she'd never say it. There had been a point where Nico herself believe that maybe, just maybe, Maki felt the same way. But now, things were different. "I...I don't know." She was an idol; these things weren't in her job description.

"Nico, I need a yes or a no. You have to leave here now." Continually stressing the fact that Nico needed to leave as soon as possible, Eli stood up.

"Why?" She questioned, stalling for time as she pondered her decisions.

Eli pushed back her golden blonde hair, sliding open a drawer behind her desk. "There isn't time to explain, it's dangerous here. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not a child." Nico retorted, a lightbulb shining to life in her head. "Maki's here." She stated, the puzzle pieces falling into place, a picture forming in the depths of her mind.

"Yes, she is. But that's not important, you have to get out of here—"

"It is important!" Nico pointed a finger at Eli accusingly as she began to rant. "You used me as bait to get Maki!" She shouted, pure rage in her words. The board in the weapons room, the endless stalling. It was all to attract Maki to the restaurant, right into their trap. All the little red strings on the board pointed to her photograph, a large circle drawn around her face.

"Nico, that's not—" Eli began, stealing a glance at Nozomi as Nico interrupted her.

"How could you?! I thought you two were genuinely trying to help me! Is everyone in this stupid mafia business lying to me?" The idol didn't know who to trust anymore, although at the moment, she really did want to go home.

Nozomi stepped in, speaking up in a gentle voice. "We were trying to help you. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you before, but there was no other way to get her here. We knew she'd come for you. Please try to understand, Nicocchi."

"You too, Nozomi? I can't believe this." With her head buried in her hands, Nico processed all the information given to her. It felt as if her brain had absorbed too much, and it was going to explode any second now. She wanted to cry and scream and shout, although she couldn't. Maki... Maki is here. Maki is here to get me. Snapping her head up, she glared at Eli with malign. "What are you going to do to her?"

"That doesn't concern you." Eli replied, her lips curving into a frown as she gazed at her friend.

"It sure as hell does!" Nico shouted. "I don't care if Maki lied to me, I don't care if she hates me, but I'm not going to let you two get your slimy hands anywhere near her!"

Without warning, gunshots from outside cut through the air, silencing everyone in the room. They didn't stop, one after the other in rapid succession, seemingly far off. Eli sighed, pulling a pistol out of the drawer. "The show is about to begin."

Nozomi turned to Nico, a similar frown on her face. "I asked you this before, but I'm going to ask again. Do you still want to protect her?"

As Nico opened her mouth to answer, the obsidian doors flew open, a figure with scarlet hair slipping in, pistol in hand. Before she could warn the girl, a loud 'bang' echoed throughout the room. The gun clanked as it fell to the floor, the girl in its wake. Blood streamed from her exposed arm as she crashed to the ground, clutching her arm in pain. The scream that followed was one Nico never wanted to hear. Her feet were glued in place, her eyes fixed on Maki in horror; tears welled in the redhead's eyes and sweat dripped down her rosy cheeks as she ripped the belt off her waist, fumbling to tie it around her arm which dangled uselessly beside her, drenched in crimson.

Regaining her consciousness, the idol ran towards Maki, only to be held back by a larger form behind her. "Let me go!" She shrieked, pounding against Nozomi's strong arms as they held her in place. "Let me go!"

"I'm sorry." Nozomi whispered, dragging Nico back.

Eli stepped around the two, her gun held firmly at Maki's head. "I'm sorry about your arm, but I don't want you causing any trouble." Her empty apology went unnoticed by Maki, who halted all actions as the barrel brushed against her forehead. "Get up."

Maki did so, obeying the orders given to her at gunpoint. She said nothing, pulling the belt tight around her arm. Eli led her to the middle of the room, where she ordered Maki to stay.

Never in her life had Nico felt so useless. The girl she loved stood right in front of her, bleeding to death while she was unable to help. Her best friends had played her like a piano, their sweet melodies leading her in the wrong direction. One held a gun to Maki's head, and the other held her back. What am I supposed to do? She asked herself, a knot forming in her stomach. It wasn't as if she could do anything in the first place, she wasn't of this world. The mafia was on a different level; she was only an idol, an idol whose job had been to bring smiles to people's faces. But that no longer applied.

"You knew this was a trap. Why did you come?" Eli interrogated, an amused glint in her sky blue eyes. "Do you have reinforcements? A partner in the shadows, waiting to strike?"

"No, I came alone." Maki replied flatly, clearly uninterested in the conversation.

"I never imagined the Nishikino family could be this foolish. Yet you had the skill to get here." The blonde observed, looking down on the younger girl.

Once again, Maki held her tongue.

"You know, you caused me a lot of trouble." Eli began, waving the gun around. "You kidnapped my friend, you made me chase after you to get her back. But in the end, she came running to us."

"I did not!" Nico growled, wriggling in Nozomi's iron grip. Sucking in what little day she had, the idol slipped through the arms of her captor with great difficulty. Scuttling over to Maki, she nearly tripped as she ran from Nozomi, who surprisingly made no attempt to recover the escaped victim.

"But it wasn't just you that caused me trouble. Your father has been slowing our expansion in Japan, he's the only thing stopping us from taking control of the underworld. It's a real nuisance. That's why, after a lot of hard decision making, I've come to a conclusion." Eli paused, looking over both Nico and Maki before releasing a sigh. "I'm going to kill you, Maki Nishikino. It'll send a message to your father, maybe then he'll listen."

Nico's eyes opened wide as she stared at her friend in shock. Eli had never been like this. Of course she was serious, but at times she did goof off. Though this was nothing like the Eli she once knew; this was the head of the Russian Mafia. A soft voice in her ear caught her attention as she glanced at Maki.

"Don't look here, idiot." She scolded, keeping eye contact with Eli as she spoke, her voice barely audible. "Reach under my dress."

Blood rushed to Nico's cheeks as she listened to Maki's outrageous request. "Wh-what?" She mumbled, trying her best to keep her voice down as well.

"Just do it, there's a flash grenade strapped to my thigh." Maki explained as best she could, shuffling closer to Nico as Eli continued.

"Oh..." Nico's blush only deepened as she discreetly reached for Maki's thigh, slipping her hand under the girl's dress. Her skin is so soft... She thought to herself, embarrassed as she felt around for the grenade. Sure enough, it was within reach. This was the second time in the past month she'd held a grenade in her hand, and that wasn't something to be proud of.

As if Maki felt the idol grip onto the grenade, she whispered two words as Eli came closer. "Not yet."

"With your death, the Nishikino family will fall apart. With no heir, they will eventually disappear." The blonde held up her gun once more, her finger on the trigger. "It's a shame; maybe if we weren't involved in all this, we could've been friends."

"Now."

On Maki's command, Nico ripped the grenade from her thigh, rolling it on the ground in front of them. A blinding light filled the room as she shut her eyes tight. Even then, white clouded her vision as a high pitched noise pounded against her eardrums, ringing in her ears. Someone gripped onto her wrist, dragging her away from the light. The remained unable to see as they exited the room, her footsteps wobbly as she was led through the corridor.

"Maki!" Nico shouted as her vision began to return, a fuzzy shape forming in front of her. "There's something important I have to tell you."

"Can't it wait? We have to get away from here." Maki replied, tugging on her wrist. "Run faster, will you?"

"I'm tired! And this can't wait. Earlier, I got lost and wandered into the weapons room." Nico explained, recalling the events as they happened.

"And?"

"There were these crates, and I got to take a glance before Nozomi caught me."

"What was inside?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Bombs."