It's all she can do to keep running. Her lungs feel as though they're about to burst and every muscle in her body is screaming at her. Her breathe whooshes past her dry, cracked lips. She wants to sleep, yes, just lie down and rest. No! She has to keep going! The roar of a motorcycle pulling up behind her interrupts her inner monologue.
Shitshitshitshitshit! A burst of adrenaline pushes her forward. Up ahead is an alleyway that she's familiar with. If she can make it there she can use the fire escape to pull herself up and into Tsubaki's apartment. She'd be safe there. The motorcycle is ganging up on her swiftly though. She might not make it. Just a few more feet, oh God, PLEASE! She uses the lamp post at the mouth of the alley to swing around without losing her momentum and the bike roars past and the driver yells as he passes, "This isn't over bitch!"
Now that she's safe, or as safe as she can be in an alley on the west side of Death City, she drops. Her back hits the alley wall and she slides into a sitting position. All she can hear is the combined sounds of her heartbeat racing in her ears and her attempts to even out her breathing.
A sudden clatter makes her jump and her heart starts racing again. But it's just someone climbing down the ladder to the fire escape. She hopes it's Tsubaki. Hopes with all her heart that Tsu has seen her and is coming to help her into the apartment. She can't see around the dumpster that's between her and the ladder. The heavy steps alert her to the fact that this isn't Tsubaki approaching her. Panic starts to claw at her throat making it hard to breathe. She manages to make it to her feet just as they round the corner. It's a man. Stocky but well-built. Their hair is hidden by a beanie and they've pulled up the hood of their vest. She recognizes the vest first, with it's ratty, cut-off sleeves and the handsewn star on the back. Then the tattoo. That stupid black outline of a star. His trademark.
"Black Star!" He whips around, knife at the ready, when he finally sees her hiding in the shadows. A cocky grin crosses his face. "Hiding, really? Were you hoping to get the jump on me Albarn? Cause yelling my name ain't the way to do it," he sneers, crouching just a little and shifting to the balls of his feet. But when she steps out of the shadows his smirk drops along with his jaw. "The hell happened to you?" Black Star asks as he puts his knife away and rushes to help hold her up.
"Giriko," it's all she manages to say before she passes out. Black Star catches her, lifting her into his arms with a grim stare. He turns back towards the fire escape and contemplates how to get her up to Tsu's apartment. Quickly coming to a decision he checks her over for any broken bones. Lucky for him she doesn't appear to have any so he tosses her over his shoulder and starts to climb.
She's heavier than he remembers but then again the last time he held her like this they were only eleven years old. He can see Tsubaki moving around in her kitchen as he raps on the window. She turns, and seeing him, smiles. But then she sees the girl slung over his shoulder and rushes to throw open the window. "What happened?" The question hangs in the air as Black Star gently lays the unconscious girl on the couch. He turns to see Tsubaki pulling out her first aid kit and watching him closely. She may trust him with her own life but he is the leader of a rival gang, and that's her leader unconscious on the couch.
"She passed out before I got anything out of her but she did say Giriko's name. I'm pretty sure that's who beat her up," he puts his hands behind his head and stands off to the side, watching Tsubaki attend to the girls wounds. "We haven't heard from Asura's gang in a couple months though. So I'm not sure why..." the ringing of Tsu's phone cuts him off. She stands and grabs it, tucking it between her shoulder and ear as she goes back to tending the girl. "Hello? What? No, Sou- Calm down! Yes. Yes. I've got Maka here. No. Ok, but hurry. I'll leave the door unlocked. Alright, see you soon." Black Star silently slipped out the window leaving it cracked.