Gantz The New Stage

"Bullshit!" A voice echoed down the hallways of the school corridor as a loud bang of fist against desk ripped through the silence like a lion ripping at its prey's skin.

"Are you shittin me? Their is no way you could have three hands like that in a row!" The voice screamed again, as a boy dressed in a dark red vest with a black collar shirt underneath and khakis most likely a school uniform rose up looking at a group of students, most of medium build but, the one sitting the center quite bulky and had more than a bit of muscle to spare. He wore the same as the angry student but, with a pair of black sunglasses covering his eyes.

"Aw, man. Give it up Taitsu. He beat you. Just pay him so we can go home." Cried another student as he approached Taitsu's side and nudged him slightly to give him the hint he was serious.

"Fuck... Fine." Grunted Taitsu as he tossed approximently $120 onto the desk infront of him and turned to walk out gripping his backpack on one shoulder as the student who insisted he payed quickly followed him yelling.

"Taitsu! Hey! Wait for me!"

"Fuck off."

Tatisu pushed the two glass doors open slamming them into the limits of the hinges before quickly beginning down the street still being followed by the rather small student in the class room who was attempting to catch up with him without making a complete and utter fool out of himself.

"I don't need you here Jirko. Your like a badluck charm or something" The thought raced through Taitsu's mind like wildfire as he glanced back to his weak friend, looking him over he dressed in his school uniform with a pair of black thick rimmed glasses on, being held together in the center by tape most likely from the constant bullying he endured.

"Look, I'm sorry if I embarassed you. But, mabye we could go get a slice down at the pizza parlor. You Tojima Siretza is down then and she is looking as beautiful as ev.."

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up! I can't go to the pizza parlor because, you made me lose all my fucking money to Yosuba back there! Because, your to much of a pussy to stay and argue that they were cheating and I left because, I didn't want them to come after you!" Yelled Taitsu as he swung around staring at Jirko intensly panting from the lose screaming rant he just threw at his friend.

Jokiro stared at the ground for a moment, his glasses sliding down his nose slightly before he frowned and nodded his head slightly, pushing his glasses up closer to his eyes and turning his head up. He stared at Taitsu for another moment before turning around and starting down the street in the opposite direction.

"Aw, man. I didn't mean to... Wait! I shouldn't be apologizing he should! Whata wuss!" Taitsu mumbled, before grinning at the sight of Jokiro storming away and continued his way down the street tipping his head up slightly as he let the cold december air fill his lungs.

"Jokiro's been my friend for awhile and all... But, everytime he gets into trouble I always have to be there to bail him out. He's always been a pretty big whimp. He never had much muscle. Why did I even become friends with a loser like that anyway? Whatever. He'll call tonight, apologizing and we'll be fine again until he gets into trouble again... as I know he will" Taitsu let the words race around his mind, for the next couple of blocks his pace slower than usual starting to feel a bit sad for Jokiro, he never having many friend and always seemed to get picked on. The truth was, the only reason he got picked on was because, it was the only way he ever got attention at all.

Taitsu allowed his thought of Jokiro race around his mind for a few more blocks before, being distracted by the stairwell to the subway and Taitsu glanced up reading the sign that read "441 Avenue" and Taitsu nodded, knowing that the subway would take him P&Y B Boulevards the slum of New York, where he lived. Taitsu only being 17 years old, lived with only his sister now. His parents got up and left one day, or mabye they even died. The truth has been kept from Taitsu for so long, he had almost completely forgot about it... almost.

Taitsu tossed his last five dollars onto the ticket booth and the lady pulled it through and handed Taitsu five tokens. Taitsu clenched them in his hands and slipped four of them into his pocket, before making his coin to a man dressed in a blue suit, and a silly blue railroad hat that looked like he was from some classic bank robbery movie. Taitsu grinned, as he passed him before stopping at the subway cart and took a seat on one of the benches leaning his head back against the wall looking up at the red light sighing loudly before a loud ring echoed through the subway station and Taitsu jumped slightly, at the sound before noticing it was his own cellphone.

Taitsu reached into his pant pocket, and pulled it out flipping it open to read "Jokiro" on the screen. Taitsu shook his head slightly, and chuckled to himself slightly before shutting his cellphone and slipping it back into his pocket leaning back against the wall grin molded onto his face.

"If Jokiro thinks I'm gonna forgive him before I even get home, he must be getting dumber by the second." Thought Taitsu as he glanced back up to the red light, watching it for a moment before seeing it fade to green slowly and the muffled voice of the station announcer made its way into the small area, unfortantely being to muffled to even hear.

Taitsu stood up slowly grabbing his backpack as he did so, and smiled slightly at the sight of the subway pull up into the station and stepped forward only to be interupted by his cellphone once again, and Taitsu let out a loud sigh as he flipped his cellphone open again to read "Jokiro" on the screen once again, and Taitsu reluctantly stepped to the side and cut around the corner out of sight, before accepting the call and pushing the phone up to his ear.

"I swear to god Jokiro if you make me miss the sub..."

"Please! Taitsu! Th..They say you owe them $300 not $120. They said they're gonna kill me... Please Taitsu! Please!"

"Enough phone time!" Yelled a voice from Jokiro's end and static entered into Taitsu's ear like a blade sharpening ready to cut somebodies throut. Taitsu dropped his backpack and clenched his phone before sprinting up the stairs and panting heavily as he did so,

"Three Hundred! Bullshit! We bet sixty double or nothing! They're trying to fuck me! And they are using Jokiro to try to earn some extra money! They wouldn't really kill him... Would they? Aw shit!" Panted Taitsu as he turned the corner to have a large neon pizza come into view and Taitsu picked up the pace feeling his stamina waste away before approaching the pizza parlor and began walking using his arm to prop himself against the glass and peer into the parlor.

Inside, Taitsu spotted the men playing cards with him after school he had just saw no more than thirty minutes ago, standing around Jokiro who had his head pointed at the ground glasses laying in at his feet tears, swelling in his eyes as he shook in fear.

"Come on! Lean down and pick them up!" Yelled one of them as he drove his knee in Jokiro's side above his hip and Jokiro yelped before leaning down and grabbing onto his glasses slipping them on only to have the large built man drive the base of his boot into Jokiro's head and send him flying to the side hit head bouncing against the floor like a beach ball.

"Alright. Taitsu is obviously not coming. Lets waste this punk." One of the thugs suggested as the large built man nodded his head, and grabbed leaned down to grab Jokiro but, Jokiro sprung up with a fist clocking the man with it and forced him backwards a couple paces he holding his jaw angerly as the other students and thugs around him took a step back looking at the man as if he was crazy.

"Hey! Tortisu! Take it outside!" Yelled the Pizza Parlor employee behind the counter at the large built man. Tortisu turned around and slammed a fist into the employee's cheek sending him flying to the side and he hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Tortisu turned back to Jokiro and reached into his waistband to pull out a orange boxcutter and flipped the blade into view as Jokiro looked up at him in fear. Tortisu grabbed onto Jokiro's collar and pulled him to his feet as he pulled the boxcutter back, a look of pure anger and hatred in his eyes.

"No!!! Jokiro!" Yelled Taitsu as he bursted through the doors catching Tortisu's attention and Tortisu tossed Jokiro to the side to his Taitsu throw himself forward fist flying downwards only to be stopped in midrun, by the feeling off cold, pain, wetness, and fear all wrapped into one centered in the middle of his stomache. Taitsu slowly turned around to look at Jokiro before falling forward, cheek slamming into the floor as he looked at Jokiro looking at Tortisu who dangled the knife above him.

A loud bang echoed through the parlor as Taitsu felt dimness all around his eyes and turned his head weakly to see both Jokiro and Tortisu's body hit the floor infront of him, bloodened holes on their chests eyes wide open and blood spilling onto their sides.

"Shit. So, I go like this... saving.. Jokiro's... ass." Thought Taitsu as his eyes slowly closed and the world around him faded to black and he felt nothing for only but, a split second before hearing the dim muffled voices sorrounding him as he twitches slightly in fright.

"Is he dead?" "He looks like a pussy." "Taitsu? Aw great." "Where the hell am I?!" The voices echoed around Taitsu like wildfire before Taitsu shut his eyes tightly together shaking slightly before eyes darting open and gasped slightly in shock.

"Where the hell am I?!"