Hey guys! Hope you missed me! We finally get to see Taiga meet that blue clansman we love so much! How is it gonna go I wonder? ;) Right now, less talking, more reading! Enjoy and please review!
"Ready when you are, Taiga." Said Kosuke.
We were in an abandoned parking lot, a block away from the bar. I took a deep breath before getting to the fighting stance the guys had taught me. Kosuke gave me a grin, before running towards me and raising his fists and try to hit me with a series of punches. I backed up strategically, dodging all of them. I knew he wasn't using half of his strength, but even then I had trouble. After Yo had discovered my … skills, they'd made me try a bunch of things and it turned out that I was capable of doing more than a handstand. I was pretty flexible and handsprings and flips weren't difficult for me. I might very well have been a gymnast. Then the boys had started taking turns to train me and teach me to hold my own in a fight. Street fight that was. Kosuke then threw a punch that I couldn't dodge fast enough. I brought both of my arms up and crossed them together to protect my face. The young man smiled and took a step back.
"You're good, Taiga. After only three days of training you can already dodge most of my punches." He said.
"Not really. You're holding back."
"I know, but in a regular fight with normal people, you should be able to stand your ground for a while. It's almost as if you can tell where the blow will come from."
"It's hard to explain but, I guess pretty well."
"You clairvoyant or what?" He laughed. "Good work anyways. Want a drink? Eric brought some juice for us."
"Yeah, that'd be great." I said following him. Masaomi, Eric and Yo had come to watch the training. I didn't know why but they seemed to enjoy it. Every time that I trained, some of them came to watch me. I was happy about that. Eric tossed me a can of Sprite. As I was about to open it, I spotted someone watching us from the other side of the parking lot behind the iron fence. Yata was leaning against it and watching us. He looked troubled. A mixture of anger and anxiety. His eyes were those of a wolf. I was about to call out to him to ask if he wanted to join us, but he suddenly turned away and rode away on his skateboard.
"Yata! Wait!" I called out.
"What's with him lately?" Asked Masaomi. "He's been on edge for a while now. Did something happen between you and him, Taiga?"
"Aside from the tattoo incident, no." I replied. "Do you think it has something to do with me?"
"Well, he always keeps his distances but he's watching you all the time."
"Maybe, he's stressed out about having you as his responsibility." Said Yo.
"What do you mean?"
"Out of all of us, Yata's the youngest but he's the one with the most spirit and loyalty to the gang. When the King gives him a responsibility, he's working really hard to make his job perfect. Most of the time he's overjoyed but right now, he's completely on edge."
I looked down, thinking. "Do you think it's because I'm a girl?"
"Maybe. He's usually not a complicated guy." Added Masaomi before taking a sip of his drink.
"Or maybe he's in love." Said Yo.
He winked at me and my face turned crimson. "W-what? That's not possible we just met! And news flash, I have no idea who I am."
He gave me a smirk. "I never said with you specifically. Are you hiding something from us, Taiga?"
"You asshole!" I shouted.
I took my can and shook it really hard before pointing in Yo's direction and opened it. The soda splashed all over him. The three others stared in awe for a couple seconds before bursting out in laughter. Yo stood there dumbfounded before turning to me and raising his can.
"You're gonna pay for that." He said smiling evilly.
I threw my can in the trash before dashing towards the other side of the parking lot with Yo behind me. He was a fast runner but before he could catch me, I quickly escalated the iron fence which was pretty high and jumped over the edge onto the other side. I turned around and stuck my tongue at him and giving him a cheeky smile.
"First one at the bar wins!" I said before running in the other direction again.
I arrived at the bar completely out of breath. Of course the guys weren't here yet. In the bar, Mr Kusanagi was cleaning the counter.
"I'm sorry...Mr. Kusanagi..." I said in between huffs. "I didn't realize... it was so late..."
The blond man smiled at me. "No worries Taiga. I told you that you're not obligated to help me."
"But I want to. You guys feed me and give me a place to stay. I have to do something in return. What can I do to help?"
"Don't worry. I'm already finished. Why are you alone?"
"Oh, I was running away from Yo."
The bartender raised an eyebrow. "It's not what you think!" I quickly said. "He made fun of me so I spilled my soda on him and he was trying to get back at me."
"That's not the problem Taiga. You can't be alone at any time. Not util we've figured out who the guys that are after you are. Do you understand?"
I was surprised. "Yes. I'm sorry."
The door opened in a loud bang and Yo, Kosuke, Masaomi and Eric barged in.
"Ah, damn it! We lost." Cursed Yo.
"She had a head start." Said Kosuke. "And we had to go all the way around the parking. That's at least twice the distance she made."
"Why didn't you jump over the fence?" I asked.
"Too lazy." Replied Eric.
"Liar." I said. "You just couldn't."
"Knock it off." Said the bartender. "Sit down all of you. We have to talk."
Everyone took a seat and remained silent waiting for Mr Kusanagi to speak. Rikio, Saburota, Shohei, Yata, Anna and Mikoto joined us soon after. Ever since I'd stepped into the bar, Anna hadn't stopped staring at a big map of the city. Three red marbles were spinning in a circle on it.
"Okay first off, anything new boys?" Asked Mr Kusanagi.
Kosuke was the first one to reply. "We went around every tattoo artists in town and none of them seem to be good enough to make that kind of tattoo and they don't know anyone who could. It's a dead end."
"I, for one, know I've seen it somewhere. I'll keep looking." Said the Red Clan's strategist. "In the meantime, we'll have to try something else. We heard a rumor in town that speaks about someone who can supposedly control minds."
"A strain?" Asked Rikio.
"Probably. The person who talked about it is a green clansman that's here in town for a while. That's who Anna is trying to locate. Once she does, Yata you're gonna go see him. If he does know where that person is, give me a call. You can also ask him about the tattoo."
"Okay, whatever." Growled the young captain.
'He's in a grumpier mood than I thought.'
"Why do you need us for then?" Asked Rikio.
"I found him." Said Anna. "He's at the Paradise Hotel."
"Oi, oi, oi." Said Yata. "It's not that guy, is it?"
"There's a high probability that it is Yukari Mishakuji." Said Mr. Kusanagi.
"That bastard gives me the creeps."
"Are you saying you're not up to the task?" Asked the red King, lazily.
Yata suddenly stood up. "Of course not, Mr. Mikoto! I'll do it without fail."
"Good, then get moving. And take Taiga." The Red King stood up as well. "The rest of you are gonna be busy. The hotel is close to Scepter 4's turf. So we need a distraction for the blues. You up for a little fight?"
"Hold on!" I said getting up as well. "You're not gonna take the risk of Scepter 4 arresting you?"
"You just worry about finding your memory." Said the red King while giving me a warm smile.
"Debating with you guys is useless." I sighed.
PARADISE HOTEL
Yata and I went to the hotel as planned and entered the lounge. Yata asked for where we could find Yukari and after getting the info, turned to me.
"You should wait for me. This hotel has a bar over there. I'll try to be quick but it might take a while."
"Why? Don't you want me to come?"
"It's not that." He rubbed the back of his head. "This guy's a weirdo. He has a fetish for 'beautiful things'. If he sees your eyes, it's gonna take forever. Not to freak you out or anything, he might even try to take them."
"What if I keep my sunglasses?"
"Just seeing you is gonna get him interested. Trust me on this."
"Okay."
A bit disappointed, I made my way to the bar and went to sit at the serving table. Why was Yata so … distant? He was different from before. Why would he act like that? I hadn't talked to him face to face since the shower incident. Had I done something to upset him? Then again, he's the kind of guy that gets pissed for anything. But I didn't like the way he was right now. I was positive something was wrong with him. I ordered a Coke to pass the time. I looked around. The place looked like a hostess club for rich people. Young woman in … revealing dresses, were accompanying men who looked at least twenty years older than them. 'It's paradise, alright. For old perverts.' I took off my sunglasses and took a sip.
"Tell me, aren't you a bit young to be in a place like this?" Said a masculine voice behind me.
I turned around. A skinny man with brown hair who looked at least thirty five, sat next to me. His shirt was open all the way down to the chest and he had a brown jacket over it. He had a glass of Scotch in his hand. And he was looking at me with a dumb smile and dreamy eyes. The stench of alcohol came out of his mouth as he was talking. He was obviously drunk.
"I don't work here."
"Well, no matter. I like'em young anyways. What do you say? Wanna have a drink with me?"
"No. Go away." The guys say it's better to be blunt quickly with guys like that. "My boyfriend's on his way." I lied.
"Is he?" Said the man, leaning forward towards me. "How about you tell me which one of us is the best kisser?"
"How lame. Is that the best pick up line old perverts like you have?" Said a unknown, bored voice behind us. Standing was a young man that looked to be about 20 or so. He was wearing casual dark clothes (black pants and dark grey sweatshirt) and glasses. His hair was brown and messy. A bang was falling on the side of his face. He looked pissed for some reason.
"Huh? Who are you suppose to be you little punk?" Said the drunk man standing. "Mind your own business."
The young man sighed. "What a pain." He suddenly threw a death glare at the man. "Let me say it in a language you can understand, scumbag. You're an eyesore. Scram."
"What d'you say, bastard!?"
The man grabbed a bottle from the counter and swung it at the boy. But the young man dark clothes simply rose his fist and broke it. The drunk man backed up against the counter.
"Leave before you end up like this bottle."
The man looked panicked for a moment and backed away towards the exit while the guy with glasses kept his eyes on him, before finally looking away. That's when the man smiled evilly. Once again I knew something I wasn't suppose to know. My eyes widened and I shouted.
"He's got a gun!"
The man drew his gun, but before he could even place his finger on the trigger, a dagger flew through the air and stabbed him in the shoulder. The man fell on the ground screaming. Everyone in the room was now looking at him. A couple of security guards came in.
"What happened here?" One of them asked the guy with glasses.
"This guy pulled a gun on me. I was just defending myself. Since when do you let people here have guns?" He said in a bored but reproachful voice. "Take him out of here."
Another guard grabbed my arm and pulled me off my chair. "You were with him weren't you? You're gonna have to come with us."
"But, wait..." Before I could finish, another hand grabbed my free hand and pulled me out of the guard's grasp.
"The old geezer was harassing her. She's not with him." Stated the guy with glasses, without even trying to put effort into his words.
The security guards discussed for a minute, before taking the drunk man out. I sighed. "Thank you."
The guy with glasses sat at the counter without even looking at me and just replied. "I didn't do this for you. I wanted to sit here, that guy was bothering me and I got rid of him. That's all."
I raised an eyebrow. "Rude much? You're not a people's person, are you?" I said.
"No." He ordered a mint soda.
"Have I seen you somewhere before? You feel familiar."
The guy looked at me for a long time before saying. "You're weird."
"Excuse me?"
"Who says 'you feel familiar'? Only people who are illiterate or foreigners. Anyways, I would've recognize someone with freaky eyes like that."
"Hey! Rude." I said. "You're an ass, you know that?"
He ignored my last comment. "Speaking of which, you should wear those." He said pointing at my sunglasses on the counter. "In a filthy place like that, they're enough to make you a target. Unless, you're looking for a job here."
"Of course not, you idiot!" I said, bewildered. "Who do you think I am?" Weird question coming from the amnesiac.
He got his bored face back. "Don't talk so loud, you're annoying me. I don't know who you are and frankly, I don't really care."
I stared at the guy in disbelief. He was definitely not a people's person. He looked more like he was chasing people away. And the type of person that did that, was a person that's been hurt by others before. Don't trust, don't get close to anyone, and you won't be hurt. And in his case, he hid it behind a bored expression. Somehow I was familiar with this notion. I couldn't agree with it somehow. I didn't believe anyone could truly want to be alone.
"How did you know?" Suddenly asked the guy.
"Huh? What?"
"How did you know that guy had a gun? It was hidden in his jacket."
How did I know? Same way I knew Yo was going to get hit by that truck. I'd seen the man fire it. And hitting him. But I couldn't tell him that. I didn't know who he was for crying out loud.
"A good guess. When I saw him reach for something, it's the first thing that popped into my mind."
"Are you an idiot?"
"Hey, I saved your life. Be a little grateful at least."
"As if that guy could've hit me. He wasn't even standing up straight."
"Ever heard of a lucky shot?" I said, getting irritated.
"8% chance of happening in a case like this."
"Hell, you're annoying." I said turning away and drinking from my glass. The guy looked at me with a surprised look. Like it was the first time someone had dared to call him that. I kept pouting in my corner. This guy was the exact opposite of Yata. He was comfortable (or at least not bothered) with being extremely rude and inconsiderate. He was as cold as an icicle. Yet somehow, he seemed to have something about him. Like he was bottling up something dark. And there was still that familiar feeling about him. He felt... powerful. Yes. Powerful like someone fed with the aura of a King. Yeah, I was pretty sure he was clansman. Whatever clan he was from, I hoped they weren't all like him.
"If you think this place is filthy, what are you doing here?"
"I'm on break, and this was the closest place where I could get a drink. I didn't feel like walking two more blocks."
And to top it all off, he was lazy. I let out a laugh.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing. You're actually funny."
"Funny?"
"You must be the rudest person I ever met and you say you don't give a damn about anything, but you still helped me. You're a contradictory guy."
He rolled his eyes and let out an irritated. "Tch." He looked my way again. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"
"I was smiling?" I asked, confused.
"Creepy girl."
I sighed again, annoyed before tossing the rest of my coke on his face. "Cut it out with the insults."
He gave me a slightly confused face, before wiping the coke off his face. Then he surprisingly, finally cracked a smile. "Does the truth hurt?"
"Why you..." I let out a laugh again, instead of getting pissed. This guy was just impossible. "I give up. You're a jerk, but... the nice kind I think. You're the exact opposite of someone I..."
Before I could finish my sentence, something rang and he took his phone out of his pocket. "Yeah, what is it? … Okay, I'll be right there. … Yeah, yeah Lieutenant." He turned it off. "Bossy bitch."
'Hold it. Lieutenant? Bitch? I've heard that before.' He put some money on the counter before getting up. He looked at me for a minute, as if he was hesitating. Then, with a rapid hand movement, a throwing knife appeared in his hand, pointing at me. I jumped. He held it like that a couple seconds, before flipping it and presenting the handle to me.
"If you're gonna be an idiot and stay here, then at least have something to defend yourself. And put your glasses on, dummy."
I took the weapon and the guy with glasses started heading towards the exit. "Hey wait!" I called out. "What's your name?"
He turned his head towards me one more time. "Saruhiko. Saruhiko Fushimi." He walked out.
I stood there, eyes wide open and staring at the exit. The guy that had betrayed the Red Clan, the one Yata hated so much... that was him. Was that why he felt so familiar? I thought about him for a good thirty minutes, until someone finally showed up.
"There you are." Said a familiar voice.
"Yata."
"I finally got the weirdo to tell me something. You coming?"
"Right behind you."
We walked out of the building while HOMRA's skateboarding captain was calling mister Kusanagi. He stopped in the middle of the surprisingly empty street.
"All right, gotcha." He hung up and turned to me. "Mr Kusanagi says to go directly see that mentalist strain or whatever. Where are your sun glasses?"
"Shoot! I forgot them inside. I'll be right back!"
I ran back inside the hotel and into the bar. It took me a while to find them. Lucky for me, someone had given it to the front desk. I thanked the people there and hurried back out. But the second, I stepped out of the building, I froze. Something wasn't right. The street was completely deserted. Of civilians that is. A bunch of people dressed in blue uniforms were in the street. I recognized the lieutenant Awashima. There was a tall man with black hair and glasses. His sword was out. And standing in front of him, was standing Yata. Except he looked like he had trouble standing. He was panting heavily and he was holding his left arm with his right hand. Blood was staining his sleeve and leaking on the ground.
"What the hell... is going on?"
Hope you guys are ready for sparks and intrigue, because soon comes chapter 5! *evil laugh!
