Hello Yoo Ara starting another story again, oops.

I decided to post a different story under the same title. Why? Because it fits and works. c:

I liked this plot a lot more too...hehe. The other was a bit darker than usual, and I'd rather try and write brighter works!

Although this isn't exactly the typical bright story, every story needs a little darkness, right!? Or that's just me... Haha. cx

Oh well! Enjoy the story anyways! c:

::Secrets Beneath Surfaces::

"Amu. I'm here to report something."

"Hn."

"I think we're in something deep."

"Deep?"

"Yeah, I heard that someone's planning something for this area."

"That so."

"Rumor has been spreading around the area for the past week, but it's been confirmed today."

"Really now?"

"People are getting restless from the rumors. You need to say something, Amu!"

"Me?"

"Yes, you, who else—oh for goodness sake, Amu, this isn't the time to be dozing off!"

That snapped the older woman out of her short dream, causing her to wake up abruptly from the loud yelling her subordinate insisted on doing. With a groan, the pinkette lifted her face from the desk of which she had planted her face in to get even just a wink of sleep. The exhaustion from the past week was beginning to build up in her petite yet strong frame.

"Rima, I can hear you just fine without you taking your voice to the next level. Others are trying to rest, and this room isn't exactly soundproof."

The blonde huffed, hands on each side of her hip in a pompous manner. "I doubt the others could rest what with you and the snoring you were doing prior to my visit. The least you could do is sit up straight as a boss, you know."

The subordinate's boss felt her position above the smaller girl fall lower and lower under her criticizing. "Sorry Rima, you know how things have been for me. I mean, all these fights are tiring. I'm a toughie but..." Her stomach growled loudly as if on cue.

"Then why don't you actually eat something for once? You're always busy distributing all the good grub for everyone else that you end up forgetting all about yourself. And you know that those supplement pills are so cheap that there's probably not even any nutrients in them!"

"They need it more than I do, duh." Amu shrugged off Rima's scolding like usual. It wasn't the first time the pink-haired woman had been under Rima's motherly radar. "I'm fine anyways, I just need some shut-eye. But I can hold it off for a bit, so tell me what else you need to notify me of."

Rima frowned upon inspecting her leader's condition. The bags beneath Amu's amber eyes were dark and enormous on her face, which was awfully pale for some reason. Little cuts and scars were scattered all over her battered and bruised body. The red bandana that was usually around her neck was scrunched up on the desk in front of the pinkette, showing a significant thin scar running across her throat. Her thin black tee and pair of tattered red sweatpants also did little to cover her imperfections, though her beauty remained after all these years without seeing the sun.

"Well, first off, none of the other nearby gangs dare to challenge us for our territory anymore. Most of the leaders either ran away, surrendered to our group, or died. We currently have the Dream Jewels and Black Moon under us right now. Some of their members have joined our camp as well, and we've already done their initiation as planned. However, there is still so many more people that haven't been processed yet, and at the rate you're taking in all these slum refugees and runaways, we're going to be suffering from a lack of supplies in no time at all."

Amu bit her lip, thinking hard about how she was going to solve that situation. Obviously she had already planned the future ahead but her mind was too tired to focus on anything at the moment. Somehow she managed to force herself to remember the answer. "Even though that is true, I've already planned on getting the money from an upcoming town competition on freestyle fighting for the Action Film Festival coming up. By winning first place and getting five thousand dollars, that should last us a while."

Rima adjusted the red bandana around her neck uncomfortably. "Amu, I don't think you get the numbers. We currently house roughly 50 individuals, and we're about to take in about another 100. With 150 people to care for, five thousand dollars will be swallowed up in less than a month."

"Well, we can't just desert them!" At this, Amu stood up barefoot. "This slum is the last place on Earth that anyone would want to be, and if they are denied access even to this little community we've built from rubble, then what does that make them?"

"Your heart is kind, Amu," Rima sighed, knowing it always broke Amu's heart when she had to tell her this. Though it happened too many times, Rima knew she had to be the tough one in cases such as this in order to support Amu. "But if you want the ones most important to live, we can't accept all of the oncoming 100."

Amu shook her head defiantly. "Rima, these people need us. They surrendered to join us. They need us. I can't leave them behind in the slums with absolutely nothing-"

"You can, Amu," Rima stepped forward and placed her hands on the desk, looking straight up to Amu's face. "You can. And you will. Because you must."

"But they could be useful."

"Not all of them."

The feeling of defeat slowly lingered in the air before Amu gave in. Her legs gave out as she fell back down into her chair, slouching with a saddened expression. She couldn't even keep her own promises. She had promised them a proper place in her gang, but now she was another useless person. The only way to continue protecting her current gang however was to break that promise. It was a good idea at the time, simply taking them in...but now she had driven these people to nowhere...

"I feel awful. Isn't there anything I can do for them?"

"You can direct them to a smaller ally gang. I'll make arrangements for that while you get your rest. If the leader of the Red Clover isn't strong, then none of us will be either. I'm sure Blue, Green, or Yellow Clover will have some room for all of them. We're already the biggest, we can't continue to make the gap wider in this alliance."

"I just feel guilty for giving them false promises." She had known the feeling of being betrayed before...

The blonde groaned, and began straightening out the black romper that she was wearing in an attempt to calm herself down to not snap at Amu. "Girl, you are the nicest hoodlum in this hood, hands down. So take a chill pill."

"I will... I guess." Amu rubbed her eyes in slow motion. "Anything else you'd like to tell me before I give orders?"

"There's the group that's not underground who bought our land. This apparently also includes the ground beneath the area being sold, so once it's sold, we have to get out of here or fight for our home. They're planning on filling this entire place with cement and plumbing for their new building that's going to be right above here."

"Well, shit..." Amu paused and mused the thought of going to battle with an outside group...one that doesn't fight or bargain territory. It was an interesting situation that they have never been caught up in before due to the barren land always having been irrelevant private property. Their underground community survived this long only because of the neglect the land had received.

It was surprising that the group hadn't run into any legal business until now, actually. Most were too afraid of their reputation—even the police steered clear. "Is it a company? Have they said anything yet?"

Rima nodded and took out some papers from a folder she had brought with her, handing them to the pinkette. "Here are the official purchase papers. Legally, this land is theirs. It's going to be difficult to do something about this. The CEO is quite adamant about us leaving quietly."

Amu took a look at the papers, her brow only slightly rising as she examined the details. Her mouth opened in some surprise at one point, but it was so subtle that not even Rima caught it. "Interesting... What an odd situation."

"Yes, we've never really gone against someone not from the underground before... It could be dangerous to go against them."

"Of course. But if we left with a controversial rumble, this company wouldn't look very good to the public, would it..."

Rima caught the smirk on Amu's face. There was a reason Amu was the mastermind of this prospering gang after all—she was a quick and capable thinker, although the littler one was a bit suspicious about how indifferent Amu seemed. In so many situations similar to this, she would see Amu complain and procrastinate on the conflict. However, her reaction was a bit secretive, and the only reason she had known that was when they had battled the Violet gang. The reason for that was because Amu had previously known the two leaders from her past.

Despite being her closest friend, Rima doubted that anyone knew much about Amu. Not even herself. However, the blonde decided to not pay it much thought. It wasn't as though it could be of much importance, and all will be revealed when it happens. "That is true," she agreed.

Cracking her neck to the side, Amu suppressed a yawn. "Is that all?"

"That's all that I have to report for today."

The leader scrunched up the official documents of purchase in her hands, throwing them into the trash can in the corner as she cracked her knuckles with a sturdy expression. She was tired before, but all this talk of a new rival for territory was getting her pumped up again. Standing up, the pinkette walked over to the blonde and threw an arm around her most trusted friend as they walked outside.

"Then let's get Red Clover rumbling."

"Sir, I have just sent the official document of purchase copies to the slum neighborhood. If they've any dignity and common sense in them left, I'm sure they will leave by the end of the week. It isn't as though they have much to pack anyhow."

The president perused through the files on his desk, not once looking up as he analyzed the marketing data for his company. In order to expand, having a branch company over the top left of the city of Seiyo is perfect...if not for the poverty-filled underground community those worthless, conniving gangs had built beneath there to hide from normal society.

In fact, there were many underground societies all over Japan, but Seiyo had only one. By getting rid of them, it would lead to a better reputation in Seiyo, which would mean better marketing and more consumers. Besides, it would be problematic to have a troublesome group right under an important establishment for his enterprise.

"Let's hope what you're saying will come true, Tadase. As vice-chairman this year, I expect you to fulfill all of your duties successfully and efficiently. Handle this problem quietly so that lowly little gang won't be causing an uproar to the public about this as well. They aren't possibly smart enough to do that on purpose, but if it was by accident and chance then it would pose a serious problem."

"Everything is under control, Mr. Tsukiyomi. The underground area will be cleared and filled in long before the building date is due."

"I trust this case to you then. If that is all..."

Tadase, clad in a white suit, bowed to his superior. "That is all. Also, here is the investigation on the underground that our agents have taken from sneaking into the area. They were caught shortly after and tortured, but returned alive." He placed the folder on his boss' desk. "I will take my leave."

The blonde man left shortly, leaving the darker-haired man alone in his broad office room. Ikuto sifted through his papers before organizing them all neatly and placing most in a drawer. The rest he took, stood up, and placed them in a compartment area that led straight to the processing and mailing room. The CEO watched as the neatly stacked enveloped were transported and gone into the chute.

"That's next month's jobs done... I suppose I should work on the papers needed for the month after."

Tsukiyomi Ikuto was a wise and intelligent CEO. Graduating university at the mere age of 20, he immediately inherited his father's company, Easter Incorporated, and brought it to outstanding heights. Compared to its single building then, the young man had broadened the company to over ten branch buildings already, the 11th already in planning for the Seiyo area inhabited by those annoying gang people.

They would be rid of in no time, of course. Ikuto then proceeded to look at the folder on his desk. Opening it, he began looking through the photographs of the slum and the profiles on some of the members of the gang. Some investigation had been done in the past few months regarding the underground community, and it seemed that this group was rather calm and its growth rate was spectacular compared to other communities. Although plenty of people were strong and muscular, it seemed that there were even regular children and women there as well. This one had proper shelters for all its members, and was quite organized and sanitary.

His eyes lingered on one picture that depicted a fellow pinkette in first point of view, who was about to punch the photographer. Ikuto chuckled at the photo in his hands.

"Now that's a face I haven't seen in a long, long time..."