As always thank you for the reviews. I am glad there are still people reading and writing for this fandom as I have always found it one of the best, especially as most of the material which has become fandom canon was invented by some of the early fic writers whose characters back stories and character dynamics have become woven into the fabric of this game. As always I recommend reading Bagatelle's fics whose work I think has had the most influence on how the fandom is now perceived.

Please note I have changed the Fic to Rating M for future scenes.

Yoyo asks Rush for some money; not much, but he knows she has been volunteering down at the children's centre in Hikage and has some savings stashed away for travelling expenses. He liked Rush, she was the youngest of the gang, not much older than Yoyo was when he first joined the G Gs, and her smile and enthusiasm reminded him a little of Rhyth. He misses her terribly at times, it's hard to think about that now, after all the years of seperation from his old gang, he thinks he should have forgotten all about her, but the conversation last week with Beat brought it all back, all those old hidden away feelings. Rhyth, he supposed, was his first love in a way. Just as Beat had hidden his unrequited feelings for Gum, Yoyo has also tucked away that deep dark secret, that little burst of feeling he had always had for the older girl whose blue hair and dimples had made him feel both strangely safe and nauseous at the same time; running back to his room sheepishly whenever she glanced his way under spidery navy eyelashes, flashing him a grin as he closed his door and removed his pants, thinking of the shine of her hair and the curve of her breast equally, feeling both guilty and paranoid as he did so. What if the others found out? What if she found out? Surely she would be repulsed at the thought of what he did over her at times. But God, Jesus fucking Christ, he was so young back then, he remembers, fondly, longingly, his stomach and chest aching at the thought. Rush was nice. A sweet girl was how the others described her. But she wasn't Rhyth.

The day is young as Yoyo pulls on his lightweight pullover and straps on his skates, the sun is still high in the sky and he hopes the weather will stay put for a few more weeks. The rainy pavements can be damaging to his skates, he has already had them repaired twice in the last year and cannot afford to keep getting the damn things fixed. He considers, as he skates out from the underground apartments of the Garage to the upper floor, the best place to buy used books. He remembers how Corn would sometimes come into the Garage, quiet, almost suspiciously, carrying a battered book under his arm, as if he felt guilty for buying something for himself for once. He was always so selfless.

"What's that?" Yoyo once asked, innocently, when Corn entered the Garage in that typically suspicious way, noticing how he had jumped at the question.

"Oh. This?" Corn looks down at the book. "It's Zola. He's French."

Yoyo frowns. He never knew Corn read French but it figures, maybe that's why girls like him so much. That and he could write, like properly write, poems and shit. Yoyo sighs. He wishes he could write like Corn, then maybe he would have a chance with Rhyth.

Corn always went to a dusty old shop on the corner of Hikage Street, between the old worn out apartments and the new renovated buildings which once boasted scaffolding so tall it blocked out the sun even on a warm summers day. Yoyo remembered the exterior, a scratched up old sign boasting "As good as new" books framing the doorway. It would have certainly been a target for theft; the windows were single glazed and worn, had it sold anything of worth. As it happened, Yoyo had recently passed the book-store on his way to meet Rush and Tame in the old square which centred many multi story flats and houses, most of the residents students or broke alcoholics who could afford little else. He knew the store was still open, but would it have the book?

Yoyo had little time to think of failure. He was already considering how he would pay Rush back as he pulled on his civilian clothes: a battered blue T-Shirt, jeans and white sneakers, worn at the seams. He had a note tucked away tidily in his jean pocket, an address written on the paper in Beat's messy scrawl, and he made his way to Hikage via Shibuya, annoyed by how slow he walked without skates and equally nervous for the encounter which would certainly take place after he purchased the book.

As predicted the store was open and one quick glance in the single window confirmed that Yoyo's trip had not been in vain. It was almost like fate, he thought idly. Past the glass, barely visible through the layer of condensation in the lower corners of the frame were several books by a hand written sign boasting that these were "best-sellers". He recognised a few names. Stephen King. Tolkien...not a single Zola in sight. One book drew his gaze. The cover was a blue hardback, old fashioned, with gold lettering. "Broken Streets by Cornelius Pendergast." Yoyo felt a pang in his chest as he rubbed his eyes and moved closer to the glass, not believing his luck. A note, the lettering similar to the best-sellers sign, stated that this book was by a local author. But how close? Was it possible that Corn also resided in the run-down apartments which littered the district?

Yoyo walked into the bookshop. It was a small building and the interior, the sides lined with tall book cases stacked with novels of all shapes, sizes and colours, was made even smaller by the desk which dominated one side. A man of about fifty was standing behind the desk, reading from an open book, an old-fashioned cash register resting on the edge of the table. He looked up as the little brass bell above the door tinkled, and nodded when he saw the young man enter. Yoyo approached the desk and asked for the book in the window. The man gave Yoyo an odd look as he removed the book and the accompanying sign and dropped it in a small paper bag.

"It is curious that you should want this." The man smiled softly, typing in the price – 342 Yen, into the till. "One of the locals donated this yesterday. I only got 'round to placing it in the window this morning." Yoyo handed over the money, he had enough, and considered this for a moment.

"A local? What did they look like?" Yoyo pocketed the rest of the money and thanked the man quietly as he handed over the bag.

The man paused, his mouth twitching as he tried to remember the description. "Young. A few years older than you perhaps. One of the students from the University." He pointed his finger and exclaimed "Ah! They said they were reading English and that they used to know the author. There were two of them, a boy and a girl. Big fellow and his girlfriend, she was the one studying English. They donated quite a few books, said they were moving house and needed a clear out. The girl dressed like we used to back in the 80s when New Wave was all the rage...Goth kind-of." The man smiled to himself, reminiscently. Yoyo froze. Could it possibly have been Combo and Cube. He supposed it was possible they were still together. What would they be now...24, 25?

"They donated a lot of poetry. Some philosophy. Perhaps you are interested?" The man asked hopefully, snapping out of his brief daze.

Yoyo shook his head. "It's okay, I came in for this...that's all I need right now thank you." He waved goodbye to the man as he stepped out into the street, unable to tell if he would be cold once he left the district. The sun was blocked out but so was the wind. He supposed his thin shirt would have to do.

Once he reached the busy streets of the Chuo entertainment district he realised he wouldn't need a pullover after all. The sun was blazing in all its glory and the streets were packed with early-afternoon shoppers. He was glad for once that he had decided against the skates, they would attract too much attention here, and although he no longer had to fear a crackdown by the Police, it was much safer to remain inconspicuous. Rudies were still frowned upon by the public after all. He doubted that would change any time soon.

He took the long way round, through the shopping centre, the glass ceiling radiating the days heat in a pleasant way which he was sure would soon irritate the shoppers, unable to take the short-cut without his skates to grind and boost up the telephone poles. There were very few apartments in Chuo, the most expensive of which being on the high street. The ones tucked away by the canal were by no means as run down as the student flats in Hikage, but they were in need of a lick of paint. As he approached the address listed on the tiny rectangle of paper he wondered how much a flat like this would cost. The buildings were restored in the early 21st Century and had limited facilities, being on the edge of the river they offered no gardens and a poor view, but then again they were very close to the town centre.

Number 31 West side was a double storey flat with a chipped red door. The exterior was simple and non-threatening, but Yoyo was nervous as he knocked on the wood tentatively. Perhaps she wouldn't be in anyway, and he could just go home and attempt to read the book he was carrying in the paper bag. Love poems Beat had said. Yoyo knocked again, a little louder, now desperately hoping that no one was home. He was about to turn and leave, relief sweeping his entire body, when he heard a loud female voice on the other side of the door yelling.

"Okay...okay. I heard you. I'm coming." He recognised the accent straight away, the "okay" pronounced "oh-kaayuh"... an odd signature gift from her time at the orphanage. Corn had a similar dialect but less so, like he had deliberately tried to hide that part of his heritage. The door swung open revealing a vaguely recognisable figure. She was a few inches smaller than Yoyo, although he had remembered her to be taller, wide expressive blue eyes studied the figure on her doorstep suspiciously, her blonde hair piled upon her head in a messy bun.

"What do you want?" The girl asked, her voice quick and crass. Yoyo suddenly found that he was unable to answer. His throat, dry already, had now been reduced to a croaky tube, and he desperately wanted to clear it. He stared at the girl, unchanged in so many ways, and yet different. She appeared colder, more bitter. She looked older than he had expected. How old was she exactly? 22? She was still stunningly attractive, even he could see that, but it was almost as though she had forgotten. She wore a plain grey jumper and black leggins, her feet were bare.

"Are you trying to sell me something?" She frowned. Yoyo suddenly realised he hadn't said a word and enough time had passed to make anyone suspicious.

He finally croaked "No...no."

"Well good. We can't afford anything anyway. The roof needs fixing, another hard rain and my whole house will be flooded. What do you want anyway?" She asked, her tone still suspect.

Yoyo tried to smile. "I was about to explain..."

His speech was cut off by a high pitched voice shouting from inside the house "Mommy...shut the god-damned door and watch 'toons with me." Yoyo had to suppress a laugh. The voice and tone of speech was one which could only have belonged to a small child...a toddler.

"Don't you use that language in this house!" Gum shouted back. "Mommy's busy." She turned back to Yoyo, her expression considerably softer, almost apologetic. "I'm sorry about that. Molly's just learned how to curse. God knows where she gets it from." She smiled softly and Yoyo had to again suppress laughter. Of all the G Gs, sweet eyed Gum had always readily used the most vulgar language. He remembered how Corn would fondly call it "swearing like a sailor" and Cube would criticise her as being nothing but a "potty-mouthed bitch."

"It's okay. How old is she?" Yoyo asked automatically.

"Two. That difficult age." Gum's smile turned into a warm grin which lit up her whole face and made her appear years younger. She finally looked her age. A youthful early-twenty-something who had obviously had a harsh life so far. "Anyway...you were saying..."

Yoyo snapped back into reality, remembering why he had come. His throat felt very harsh again. "You probably don't recognise me..." He started, feeling his face blush. "You see, a friend of mine gave me your address. I met him last week for the first time in four years and we talked a lot about the old times..."

Gum frowned, her face returning to the default suspicious mode. "What does this have to do with me?"

Yoyo sighed. Thinking of how to phrase the sentence. "Well...we used to share those times...me, you, Beat..." He wandered off and looked up at the girl in the doorway, the expression on her face slowly changing through various emotions in a matter of seconds: suspicion, wonder, surprise, realisation.

"...Jesus fucking Christ, I know who you are." She exclaimed, widening the door to reveal the narrow hallway behind her. "Yoyo...is that really you?"

Yoyo nodded slowly, trying to smile. "I know I look different."

"You're a fucking man to start with!" Gum smiled, trying to hide her shock. "Jesus, has it really been four years? How have you been? Shit, I'm sorry...how rude of me, leaving you on the doorstep. Come on in." She almost drags the young man into the hall, decorated in a conservative scheme of pale pink, a rose pattern cascading down the wall. She leads him through a door-way into a kitchen, a small table centring the room, the view out the window a gloomy shot of the man-made river. He automatically sits at the table as Gum hovers in the doorway, still clearly shaken by their meeting.

"I've been managing." Yoyo belatedly answers, turning to face the other girl. As he does so a small girl runs into the room, clutching a battered looking Barbie doll with sticky-tac caught in her hair.

"Mommy...mommy." The girl shouts excitedly. "When will Jasmine get here?"

Gum, flashing Yoyo a guilty look, turns to the girl. "Soon. Go and pack your bag." She continues talking to Yoyo as the toddler turns to run back into the hallway. "Molly's going to stay with her godparents for a few days...they live just up the road on the high street." She pauses. "Jazz is her godmother." Yoyo can only gawp. He had no idea any of the old gang had kept in touch.

"She still works in the cinema...got married last year, James is an accountant." She smiles. "It's strange really...she was always the quirkiest...back in the Garage. Do you remember the Garage?" Yoyo nods and she goes on "and now she's married to a fucking accountant. It's so unlikely." Her smile turns into a grin. "They have been great looking after Molly...after my boyfriend left I struggled to pay the bills, they help out when they can though." Gum sighs, sitting down at the table opposite Yoyo. "What is it that you do now? I know Beat works in the record store down in Dogenzaka...where we used to race. Do you remember?" Yoyo nods again.

"Actually I'm still a rudie. I took over the old gang. The G Gs...next generation I guess you could say." He admits.

Gum's mouth opens and closes for a few moments before she gathers herself. "I don't believe it! You still live in the Garage? I just can't believe it." She fiddles with her thumbs, unsure what to say. "You stayed...when we all left." Her face pales, her expression turning solemn.

"I don't blame you." He cuts in, unable to stand the sympathetic look she is giving him. "I spoke to Beat earlier this week...you see, I've been having a hard time remembering why you all left. I never got it, but I do now, I understand completely." He sighs. "It's just...it's just sad though. How everyone has lost touch. I mean, it's great you are friends with Jazz...I remember when you met at the Rokkaku Expo Stadium and joined forces to play Death Ball...it's easy to see why you would still be friends. But still, that seems to be a rarity. Beat hasn't seen anyone in years, and nobody's heard from Corn..."

"Corn?" Gum suddenly snaps. "What about Corn?"

Yoyo feels suddenly uneasy. "Just that nobody's heard from him. 'Cept that he's a poet." He reaches cautiously into the paper bag. "I bought you this." He places the book in the centre of the table and watches as Gum stares as it, transfixed by the plain cover. The silence continues for a few seconds which seem to last forever, before her eyes meet Yoyo's.

"Have you...?" Yoyo begins.

"No." Gum states, the harshness in her voice returning. "I haven't." Case closed. It suddenly strikes Yoyo how miserable Gum is. He wonders about her boyfriend, leaving her alone with a toddler, to rely on the kindness of her few friends. Did he treat her bad? How long has she felt this lonely? Yoyo had always thought that life in the Garage was lonely, but seeing Gum here, sat at the table, unwilling to talk about the man who had for so long been the love of her life, it becomes more and more clear what loneliness truly meant. His trail of thought is interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Gum suddenly snaps up.

"That's Jazz." She mutters, hovering in the air, wondering how to go about the situation. The faint pitter-patter of tiny footsteps fill the room as Molly runs to the door excitedly, dragging a pink rucksack behind her with a cartoon on the back, her other hand holding the tatty Barbie. "Do you want to? I mean...you could see her."

Yoyo considers this for a moment, thinking of Jasmine, the accountants wife who has a steady job and who can afford a house on the high street. He slowly shakes his head.

"I don't think so." He sighs. "Not now anyway."

Gum nods. Understanding. She goes to the door and Yoyo can hear the faint buzz of conversation through the hall. Molly says goodbye and pleasantries are exchanged between the two women, the door eventually closes softly and Gum returns to the kitchen, sitting back at the table and staring at her folded hands.

"Why have you come here." She eventually asks, not looking up from her hands.

"I wanted to find Corn...to talk to him. Beat said this was my best bet at finding his address." Yoyo speaks slowly, deciding to tell the truth to Gum. His confession is met by an extended period of silence.

"Why?" She asks, finally. Just as Yoyo was beginning to think the silence would be permanent.

"It's...it's kind of personal." He tries to explain. "I think that only he would understand...or relate to the dilemma I'm facing at the moment. I was hoping you would know where he lives now. You could come along if you wanted to..." He mutters hopefully.

"Absolutely not." Gum stands up, the anger returning to her voice. "Don't you understand what it has taken for me to forget those years. There's no way I can go back." She paces the length of the kitchen, hands running desperately through her hair. "It's not like I don't appreciate the visit...but this is all too much. There is no way I could see him...what would he think of me?" She is talking more to herself now than to Yoyo but he sighs anyway.

"Gum..."

"That's not my name." She pauses.

Yoyo smiles, but there is no humour in his expression. He realises that besides Corn, Jazz and Beat, he never did find out the rest of the gang's names. It hadn't mattered to them back then...their nicknames were a statement of defiance...against the system which had raised them and as a reminder of their freedom. He wondered how many people knew his real name.

"What is your name?" He asks calmly.

She smiles; the first playful look from her he had seen in four years. "Would it be strange for you to know?" She asks.

"Yes."

"Then I wont tell you." She finishes. There is a comfortable silence between them, some common ground shared and declared. She slowly sits back down at the table and picks up the book, opening the cover to the first page, slightly yellowed by moisture but in good condition. "He always was a fucking poet." She smiles fondly to herself. "He didn't realise it, but half the Garage wanted a piece of him. That was the problem...I got too jealous."

"Please..." Yoyo pleads, one final time.

Gum returns his gaze, blue eyes meeting green.

"Tell me...have you ever been in love?"Her question, out of context, would have struck Yoyo as completely odd. No body had ever asked about his love life before. Looking at the book between her hands, he understands why she asked, and thinks of Rhyth for the second time that day...her dimples as she smiled at him from behind her blue bangs.

"You know I have." He eventually answers. Gum nods. The answer satisfying her.

"Okay." She sighs. "I'll go. Let me grab my coat."

My longest chapter yet! Please Review and favourite if you would like me to continue.