I screamed as I fell from the sky, watching as the portal to here disappear.
My only hope disappear...
Turning my head to the side slightly, I saw I was falling towards the market area the people in West Block created. It was dirty, cold, and there looked to be lots of dead bodies lying around! If I survived the fall, I'd die from the diseases from the dead people here, that I knew for sure!
I breathed in, turning my gaze up again to try and calm myself, maybe if I relax everything would be okay? Well, I could only hope... even if it was a false hope... I brought my arms and legs towards my body, making myself smaller than I already was, and prepared for impact.
"Oof!"
I landed on someone, and from the sounds of it, the impact hurt them as much as it hurt me... I looked up to find myself sprawled across a niveous haired boy with crimson eyes. My face was as red as his eyes in seconds... If May knew about this, she would blackmail me with it!
"I-I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO-"
"You bitch!"
I looked up to find the barrel of an old rifle pointed inches away from my face, rust littering it here and there... Oh dear god, what have I done? What have I gotten myself into?!
"You two were helping those kids, weren't you?!" The man yelled, his spit landing on my face. "So now, you two can-" He blinked, leant in real close to my face, and squinted as his beady little eyes scanned me, before a smirk made it's way upon his face. "Oh I know how you can repay me now, Missy, and you can repay for your little boyfriend or... whatever he is to you..."
I gulped, this didn't seem good.
"Stand up, or I'll shoot that pretty little head right off your shoulders," He turned to the white haired boy, and jerked the end of his gun up quickly, "you too, pretty boy."
We did as told, and the man circled around us, sizing us up. A crowd gathered around, muttering under their breathes, but from what I could hear, they were making bets on how we were gonna die... Then out of the blue the man with his rifle pinched my butt! I obviously squeaked and jumped from the touch, which earnt snickers from not only the old perverted shopkeeper, but the people who had gathered around! Especially from the men.
The shopkeeper leant in really close to my face again, making me blink to try and force the blush on my cheeks down. He all of a sudden gripped my left wrist, squeezing it tight, to the point it start hurting!
"Let go!" I yelled, trying to pull my arm away from him, but my efforts were fruitless...
"You can pay me back with your body..." He snickered, starting to pull me with him.
"Let her go!" The boy next to me kicked the man where the sun doesn't shine, making the shopkeeper fall to the ground as he held his crown jewels.
The boy grabbed my wrist, a lot more gentle than the shopkeeper, and ran off with me. We were suddenly pulled into an alleyway once the shopkeeper was out of sight, and I was glad, I could not run any further! I was a writer! Not an Olympic Champion! Thank you very much.
We caught our breaths, and I turned my gaze to a woman with a voluptuous body, and tight fitting clothes, the smell of sex and sweat coming from her body. The alleyway she pulled us in smelt just like her, which was saying something, seeing as there's a dead body in here, two actually. One of the walls were beginning to crumble and barely had any paint on it.
The woman walked up to the boy, caging him between her chest and the wall behind him, caressing his face and twirling his hair in a sensuous way as she bit her bright red lips. "You have such unusual hair, boy..." She said, then started leaning in. "Say... wanna have a little fun?"
'I have to stop this!'
"W-w-w-what're you doing to my o-onii-chan (1)?!" I yelled, pointing at the obvious prostitute. She turned her gaze towards me, glaring when she saw me. "Do-do-d-don't you know? He's gay!" I yelled, my face as red as his.
"Ugh! God damnit! Not another one!" She yelled, stepping away.
"Sorry about that." A man with black hair in a small ponytail and silver eyes said, "but could you return him?" His gaze fell upon me. "And her..."
"Yeah! Onii-chan belongs to him!" I chimed in, my cheeks slightly red, I ran behind the man for protection, and poked my tongue out at the prostitute, which made her make an annoyed face.
She pushed the boy towards us, before flicking her hair behind her shoulder, and stuck her nose up high, "You? No wonder..." She sauntered up to the man, her hips swaying from side to side, "Fine, but I'm charging for saving them, and it's gonna cost you double, seeing as there's two of them."
I stuck my tongue out at her again, which made her face red with rage.
"Keep that up, little girl, see what happens!"
"Oh~! I'm so~ scared~!" I giggled.
"Hmph!" Was the reply I got.
Before I could even open my mouth, the man grabbed the prostitutes chin and kissed her, I covered my face, which was red again, to save my innocence, whatever was left after I discovered the internet, that is...
The man whispered the the woman, "Keep the change..." Before walking away.
The boy who saved me from before grabbed my hand, and followed the man silently, hoping over the dead man in the alleyway...
There was a lot of grabbing going on...
I didn't know where we were, but I was glad to have someone to hold onto, whatever those scientists gave me still hurt, I just didn't notice it from the adrenaline running through my body when I was falling and running from crazy (not to mention perverted) shopkeepers.
The boy seemed to notice this, and turned to me slightly, "Are you okay...?"
The man stopped once he heard that sentence, and turned around, a frown on his face when he saw me. "Shion... You do realise that she isn't some stray cat you can pick up from the street! Why would you bring her along? She's only going to slow us down!"
"But Nezumi! She's just a little girl!"
At that, I kicked his shin. "I'm not a little girl! I'm fifteen!" I yelled, then clutched his arm, my legs feeling wobbly. "There goes the adrenaline..." I whispered to myself.
"Found ya!" A burly man with a beard said, cracking his knuckles. There was a man slightly behind him, with his hair greased back. "Thought that little stunt would count as payment?"
"Oh you have got to be kidding me..." I whined, which gained his attention.
"Oh?" He walked up to us, and leant in like the shopkeeper did, a hand to his chin as he inspected me. "This chick isn't half bad..."
"Half bad? She looks like she's an... whadya call 'em... idol!" The greaser smirked, "Give us a little service and we'll call it even." He went to hold and caress my cheek when Nezumi whacked it away, before punching the greaser, and turning on his heel to kick the bearded man.
"Run!" Nezumi yelled, speeding off ahead of Shion and I. Shion held my hand again, and we followed Nezumi, though I kept tripping, which made it harder to keep up. I looked back, hearing the greaser and bearded man yell at us to come back.
We made it all the way to a more structured area, the buildings here taller than at the market area from before, some were even skyscrapers, standing tall. There were a less amount of people here, and there were definitely no cars in sight! The whole place was man made, no trees or plants to be found...
Shion and I were panting to catch our breath, while Nezumi looked amused, until he realised I was with them... again...
"Shion... Why do you keep bringing her?" He asked, pointing at me. "You could have left her with those guys and your debt would have been paid!"
"But Nezumi, that's so mean!"
"Also..." I breathed in deeply, "isn't it your debt?"
He just grunted in annoyance, then turned to Shion, "She's your responsibility now."
"Right..."
Why don't I have a say in this?
"Well... guess you saved us again," Shion chuckled, "you talk about her like she's annoying when you saved her twice."
Nezumi turned his gaze towards Shion's, and shrugged, "Sorry, but I was saving myself." He stepped away from the wall he was leaning against, and looked up towards the building looming next to us. "At any rate, we're here."
Shion and I followed Nezumi's gaze, our heads cranked up to see the top of the building. It had cracks here and there, stains and marks from things I'd rather not know are from. Some of the windows were broken, others had their blinds shut and the lights off. All and all, it looked like something you'd see in an apocalypse movie...
Seeing as the elevators were broken, we had to take the stairs... Oh what joy... I was huffing and puffing, and I swear I could have been the next 'Big Bad Wolf' from The Three Little Pigs, all the way to the top.
"What's wrong with you?" Nezumi asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.
"First..." Gasp. "World..." Gasp. "Child..." Gasp.
He nodded.
When we finally made it to our destination, I was thanking every godly deity I knew of, before I heard sounds that made me think there was a murder being committed in the room we were heading to. God damnit! Or Satan bless it! Either all...
We barged in, finding a screaming woman in nothing but her bra and underwear straddling a man and holding a knife, that was about to meet the old man's heart...
"Help me!" The man yelled once he saw us, gasping for breath.
"ARRRRR!" The woman yelled, "YOU LOWDOWN-"
Nezumi stepped in, taking the knife away from the woman and pulling her away from the old man. He seemed to be grateful, as he gently massaged his throat and sat up on the floor. Shion and I went over to him, making sure he was okay.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" The woman yelled out at Nezumi, struggling to get free.
"It's very dangerous to be swinging something like that around, ma'am." Nezumi said, kicking the knife towards us. I quickly picked it up and put it in my bag, not wanting the woman to find it and stab everyone to death... thirty seven times in the chest...
"LEAVE US ALONE!" The woman yelled, thrashing around.
"Um... Are you Rikiga-san...?" Shion asked as the woman continued to scream and make our ears bleed. "You used to be employed at a newspaper in Latch Building...?"
"Yeah, that's him." The woman began to smile sinisterly, I guess hoping we would kill him... "That's the name of the lazy, good-for-nothing! He used to be a reporter, but now he's the owner of a crappy porno rag looking to turn a profit for his booze!"
"You're the one that pitched a fit, because this 'good-for-nothing' wanted to break up with you!"
"I feel like Taylor Swift could turn this into a song..." I mumbled to myself.
The woman's eye twitched visibly, oh dear babah-jebus, nothing will save us now... "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAID YOU WANTED TO GET MARRIED IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
The old geezer turned his gaze away from the woman, "Well... like I said, some things came up and now I can't."
The woman's face turned red with rage as she continued to yell the older man's ear off, she didn't seem to notice Nezumi leave her side and walk up to the older man.
"Father? Is she going to be our new mother?" Nezumi's face was bright and excited, and I'm pretty sure I saw doki-doki/moe flowers around him.
The woman's face fell with realisation, "Fa... ther...?" She mumbled out, eyes as wide as saucers.
"Yup! We're his children!" He turned to Shion and I, "Right, Otouto (2), Imouto (3)!"
It took me a second, but I quickly recovered, "Hai (4), Onii-san!" And gave the woman a bright smile.
Thank god it was compulsorily to do all subjects for junior high schoolers back home, including drama... because otherwise I'd have sounded like I belonged inside a computer with a monotone voice.
The old man coughed, "Indeed, these are my children!" He coughed again, "And I've got to take them in now, so..."
"It's because our mother died, we had to travel a long way to get here you see, and will need a place to stay at." I looked down, thinking of Nagisa and Ushio and pretty much every anime Key Animations has made, making tears appear in my eyes, "It was her last wish for us to all see Papa again..."
The woman seemed taken back, and blinked slightly, tears in her eyes.
"Anyways, life's gonna get tougher now is all... And I wouldn't want to cause you trouble..." The old man said, nodding his head up and down slightly.
"I... I see..." The woman got up and took her jacket, "Then I suppose I'll break up with you. I'd rather not get involved with a middle aged man with kids anyways..." She ran off, yelling, "See ya! It was fun while it lasted!" And closed the door.
I sighed, that was intense...
"Geez..." The old man chuckled as he looked around the small apartment, "she really did a number on this place..." He turned towards Nezumi, a slight smile on his face, "You really helped me out. First. let me give you my thanks." As he got up, he continued, "But I can't say it was an act befitting a star of the stage, Eve."
"Oh...?" Nezumi questioned, "So you know me then?"
"I'm a fan!"
I was half tempted to cough out 'boy'...
"Eve? Is that your real name?" Shion asked, walking up to Nezumi.
"Hardly. It's my stage name." Nezumi replied.
Shion's eyes were wide as he continued, getting closer to Nezumi. "Then that! That means you're an actor of som-"
Before he could continue and attack Nezumi with more questions, Nezumi pushed his face away, his gaze locked onto Rikiga's. "I don't suppose you know a woman by the name of Karan?"
"Hm?" Rikiga turned to look at Shion, and walked up to him. "Karan...? You know Karan?" He flapped his arms around like a bird, almost animatedly, "You guys know Karan?"
"... She's my mother..." Shion said, making Rikiga's mouth practically drop to the floor. "I'm Shion, I'm Karan's son..."
He walked up to Shion, and held his face while he leant in, getting a better look. It was obvious that Shion wasn't comfortable with the close proximity Rikiga was to him. "I can see the resemblance..."
"Come this way!" Rikiga said, using a fingerprint system to open a secret door. He started asking us if we were hungry and what we wanted to eat or drink, ushering us in.
The room looked like it came from a mansion, with nice decorative plates and flowers that weren't dead. There was carpet under my feet, as well as an intricate looking rug. There was a coffee table between two lounge chairs, as well! I couldn't help but stare in awe!
Rikiga turned to look at me, "What about you?!"
"Huh...?" I asked.
"You two look exactly like each other!"
"Oh... Um... That's just coincidence, we met today..." I freaked out, not liking confrontation and just wanting to sit down and have a nice cup of tea wrapped up in a thick blanket like a Bellanie burrito of some kind with a good book in my hand... whilst it rained down in thick sheets...
(I think I just described heaven...)
"Oh..." He fetched us some tea, which was nice and warm, and went well with the pie he served.
"So... How does a guy like you know my mother?" Shion asked, leaning into the seat more in interest.
Rikiga began to cry as he looked at the letter Shion had, mumbling about how Shion's mother hadn't forgotten him. It touched my heart and I couldn't help but smile slightly as I watched him.
"You two were close?" Nezumi inquired, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch.
Rikiga turned his head down, blushing slightly, "She turned me down when I asked her out..."
I giggled at the way he said that, trying to hide my amusement, however Nezumi didn't and laughed out loud. "That's not surprising..."
"You have a sharp tongue, Eve, better watch it."
"Just answer Shion's questions..." Nezumi glared back.
Rikiga handed Shion and Nezumi a picture, it had a man and woman standing next to each other. It was obvious that it was old, with the photo fading and the edges crinkled, but it was also obvious that it was taken care of.
"That's Karan and me." Rikiga said as Shion and Nezumi leant in, taking a better look at the picture. "She was still a student when she came to see me about a column I'd written."
This little bit of forgotten information sparked my interest. "Column?"
He nodded his head, "It was on No.6..." Rikiga explained. "No.6 had already begun to change by the time I had become a reporter..."
Rikiga began explaining about how he doubted the city was going to become a utopia, the strict rules, it was beginning to sound like the world the character I'd become lived in. Maybe I should change a few things...?
"Hope my ass!" Rikiga said, bringing me out of my reverie, "I'm sick and tired of hearing about the Holy City!"
"But can you say you aren't like that city at all?"
"Damnit Eve! There was no bigger fan of yours than me!" Rikiga yelled, glaring at Nezumi.
"Past tense?" Nezumi asked, tilting his head to the side a bit with a knowing smile on his lips like he enjoyed crushing the expectations people had of him.
"I'm not anymore," Rikiga sat on the seat on the other side of the coffee table, "You turned out to be an arrogant prick, I lost interest."
"Cynical much, old man?" Nezumi chuckled slightly, "But then again you won't get much with just lip service. A nice room like this and tasty food are hard to come by... I can't imagine you'd be able to afford it selling a few copies of dirty magazines..."
"What are you implying?" Rikiga asked, meeting Nezumi's gaze head on.
"You've found a nice alternative income, right?" Nezumi looked around the room, nodding, "I heard No.6 officials slip through, and you're pimping out girls to horny little No.6 officials." He smirked.
"Who told you that...?" Rikiga's gaze was dark, this was leading to something bad...
"A little dog, I suppose..." Nezumi said, shrugging. "You have a good eye for business. The people in No.6 need to go down and release. End result? You get to live in luxury."
Rikiga smirked, "You want a piece?"
"Hm?"
"No.6 is an awfully dull place, no beggars or whores allowed in." Rikiga explained, his smirk widening with each word that slipped past his mouth. "So they all come here to spread their wings a bit. They can have a good time with my girls, even find happiness reaffirming that they lived a privileged life."
"They enjoy themselves a bit, and then go back to their dull lives. But their limit knows no desires!" Rikiga laughed, "They keep piling on more requests!"
I turned to Shion slightly, he wasn't looking to good...
And then...
"I'm sure you could make quite the profit!"
All hell broke loose...