I'm not going to have internet access for a few days coming up here, so I thought it would be a good idea to get this chapter up before I left. Here we start getting even deeper into the plot. For those of you wondering (I know there are more of you out there reading than reviewing, though I wish you'd leave me some feedback), eventually, ALL of the rival gangs will get involved in the plot. We're moving very slowly, though, and there is still a lot more that needs to happen. I sort of consider this chapter the end of a metaphorical "part one" of God knows how many.
Anyway, enjoy.
Chapter Seven
Yoyo wakes up in the middle of the night with a plastic bag full of warm water on his throbbing face, and his eyes can barely open, the ceiling only visible through tiny slits of dimness. His entire head aches, and he whimpers a little, hating himself for waking up and interrupting painless sleep. Pots sighs at his feet, and he slowly reaches up and takes the bag of water off of his face, miserable when he realizes that the loss of weight doesn't do very much at all for the pain.
His bedroom door is opening. He wants, for a moment, to sit up, but then he realizes that he probably shouldn't move his head, and he lays still, listening, since his eyes are all but useless. He hears somebody stumble in and swear under their breath, and he realizes immediately that it's Clutch. The redhead shuts the door and begins stepping over piles of stuff, maneuvering his way across the room to his own bed. Yoyo swallows. "…Clutch?"
Clutch stops, turns. Yoyo can't see him, but he can tell that Clutch is frozen to the spot, staring at him. Yoyo thinks, waits. Clutch shudders. "…Y-yeah, kid?"
"…Yo…I don't hate you…"
Yoyo wonders if Clutch expected him to say that. Probably not, judging by how long the following silence is. Clutch sits on his cot—which responds with a loud creak—and takes his skates off, throwing his red pullover down to the foot of his bed and wriggling under his own sheets. Yoyo sighs.
"…I…I'm sorry, Yoyo."
Pots whines, and Yoyo tenses. He's never heard Clutch say that before. It's weird, though, the tone of his voice…could he possibly…mean it? He swears in his mind and wishes that he could see, though he realizes quickly that, even if he could see, Clutch is probably facing the wall so that he can't see his face. The youngest GG shivers.
"…It's, um…it's okay. I forgive you."
"…"
Clutch says nothing. He falls asleep before Yoyo does, leaving Yoyo awake to wonder.
Corn is startled, when he goes into Soda's room to check on him the next morning, to see that someone has already beaten him to the chase.
He's even more startled when he realizes that Soda is standing up.
Cube and Combo look over at Corn, their faces lit up, almost expecting praise. Corn blinks at them and raises his hat, however, confusion evident in his eyes. "…What's…going on?" he asks. Cube smiles.
"We went out this morning and found some crutches, so Soda could walk around a little if he wanted," she replies warmly, patting Soda on the shoulder. Corn's eyes quickly shift over to his best friend. Soda looks more than a little uncomfortable, staring at the floor, his expression dismal. Cube's smile falters when Corn doesn't smile back. "…What…what's wrong, Corn? We thought it was a good idea."
"Oh…" Corn says softly. "Err…I, well…could you guys wait, just a second…? Outside? I just need to talk to Soda for a second…it…it was a great idea, don't worry…"
"…Ah…right," Cube says, sounding a little bewildered. She leaves, Combo following suit, and they shut the door gently behind themselves to let Corn and Soda be alone. Soda sits back down on his bed and leans the crutches against his makeshift bedside table, looking up at Corn. He looks embarrassed, now.
"…I…well…they're a little short," he mutters guiltily, inclining his head toward the crutches, and Corn smirks.
"I noticed. Sweet of them, though...really unexpected. I was thinking you might like some, to go out and get some fresh air…but…really, you're healing a lot faster than I thought you would…I'll be able to take your stitches out in a couple of days."
Soda nods in approval, looking firmly up at Corn. "…Are you doing alright, man? Better than before…?"
Corn hesitates. "…Well…yeah. You know how it is, though. The sooner you heal and all this shit with Clutch is over with…the sooner I'll be back to normal." His hesitation makes Soda frown, though.
"…You ain't been going off on your own to cry…?" Soda breathes. Corn's face flushes, and he looks at his hands, which are wringing themselves nervously. He clenches his hands into fists and puts them in his jacket pockets.
"…No…to think," Corn says. Soda doesn't appear to be satisfied. He glances Corn up and down, trying to find fragments of lies.
"…Does Gum know what's up…?" he asks gently. Corn scowls.
"She doesn't give a shit, it's not important if she does or not," he replies bitterly. Soda's eyes narrow.
"Well, since she's the only other person you tell anything to, I'd say it's pretty fucking important if she knows what's going on with you," Soda says. Corn looks at him in surprise.
"…Why would you say that?! You loathe Gum!"
"Yeah, but I care about you," Soda mumbles. "And no matter how much I hate her, my concern for you always overpowers my dislike for her. So if talking to her will make you feel better…which I'm sure it will…then I want you to do it. Forget about how I feel."
Corn looks like he's just been stabbed in the chest. "…R-really…?"
"I want you to get back to your old self, dude," Soda growls, looking down at his feet. "I fucking hate seeing you fall apart like this."
Corn watches Soda for a second or two, considering what they've just said to each other, before he nods and steps forward, quickly smoothing Soda's mussed ponytails like a worried mother. "You look like shit," Corn snickers, then steps back over to the door and opens it to let Cube and Combo back in. Cube smirks at how flushed Soda's face is.
"What'd you guys do, make out?" she asks, and Corn smiles.
"Nah, I gave him a blowjob."
Combo chokes, his cheeks darkening, and Cube cackles, carefully approaching Soda. He doesn't look at her, but she gently touches his arm, anyway. "Soda…yeah, I know you probably don't wanna see me, but, I hope you're feeling better, dude. And…I hope the crutches work out for you. If not, well…that's okay, too." She looks at him for a minute, considering something, and Corn and Combo exchange unsure glances when she quickly leans forward and hugs Soda awkwardly around his neck. Soda stiffens and closes his eyes, bowing his head when Cube pulls away, but she still smiles at him as she stands back up and heads for the door. Combo takes her arm, and he nods at Corn.
"…Where are you guys going, now?" Corn asks.
"We're gonna hit up the Heights with Garam," Combo says warmly. "Pick on Poison Jam a little bit…they've been gettin' a little restless. You're welcome to come out with us if you want."
"Nah…that's okay. I've got some shit to do," Corn says, and he doesn't see it, but Combo's eyes flit to Soda for a second before he nods in understanding. "Tons of laundry and groceries to buy, as per usual."
"I heard that Clutch came back last night," Cube says in a low voice, so as not to let Soda overhear. "…Maybe you should get him to help out a little, or…I dunno…something."
"I'll decide what to do about Clutch," Corn murmurs in response. "I talked to Jazz yesterday…she's actually a little worried about him, so I don't know if what he's been up to is really all his fault, Cube."
"Did you see what he did to Yoyo, though?!" Combo hisses, and Corn's eyes widen in confusion and surprise. "That guy's nuts!"
"…What?" Corn asks, shocked. "What happened to Yoyo…?!"
"Combo!!!" Cube hisses, and Combo's face falls upon remembering the fact that they weren't supposed to tell Corn about it.
"Oh…well…I mean…the kid got kinda upset, yesterday…Clutch was just bein' a bastard…same as always…err…look, Corn, we gotta go, Garam will get pissed if we're late," Combo mumbles, and Cube pulls him out of the doorway with a weak nod at Corn, who stares at Soda the second that they're gone.
"…Soda…do you know…if anything happened to Yoyo yesterday?" he asks slowly, like he's trying to sort Cube and Combo's words out in his head. Soda looks bitterly at him.
"Well Jesus, Corn, I dunno. I mean, I was just skating around with him all fucking day yesterday, with my fucking gimp leg," he growls. "…What the fuck was with the whispering? Are you keeping something from me?!"
"No," Corn says immediately, gently, calmly, and after a tense moment, Soda turns away again, red-faced, obviously feeling guilty for doubting Corn. "…Clutch came back to the Garage, that's all. They don't want you to know, they think you'll pitch a fit or something. But…I think something must've happened between him and Yoyo yesterday…I…I'm sorry, Soda, I'll be right back, I have to check on Yoyo, now…"
"…It's okay," Soda says quietly, hunched over, angry with himself. Corn pulls his visor up.
"…I…I'll be right back," he repeats, before skidding out of Soda's room and heading two doors down to Clutch and Yoyo's shared bedroom. Yoyo is still lying in bed when Corn steps in, a fresh bag of ice on his face, though he's wide awake, now. Pots is still faithfully curled up by his favorite GG's feet, but he gets up and wags his tail excitedly when he sees that Corn has come to pay him and Yoyo a visit. Corn pets Pots absently and kneels beside Yoyo, gently reaching out and grabbing Yoyo's arm. The youngest GG turns his head toward Corn, and Corn's insides clench at the sight of Yoyo's face.
"What…Cube? Is it Cube?" Yoyo asks. His voice sounds a little off.
"It's Corn," Corn says, and he feels Yoyo shiver a little under his hand. "Hey…hey, don't get upset, kid…I just want to know…what happened to you?"
"…I broke my nose," Yoyo says quietly, his words trembling. Corn nods.
"Yeah, duh. How?"
"I…well…I fell down…" Yoyo lies, and if his face weren't so bruised, it would be turning red. "I hit my face on a bench…"
"Really?" Corn asks. Yoyo nods weakly. "That's interesting…'cause I just talked to Cube and Combo, and they said that Clutch punched you in the face." He's lying, too, but Yoyo doesn't need to know that. It's more than obvious that that's what really happened, anyway.
"…O-oh…" Yoyo wheezes, horrified.
"…Don't lie to me, Yoyo, you know I can tell…" Corn says softly, and Yoyo swallows, nods again. Corn brushes hair out of his bruised face. "Look…don't start crying, kid, it'll hurt real bad. Just tell me something…are you mad at Clutch?"
Yoyo's lips tremble. "…N-no…no, he…he told me he was sorry, last night...when he came back…I f-forgave him…"
"Shh…" Corn murmurs, and he squeezes Yoyo's little hand warmly to calm him down. "Hey…it's okay. Yoyo, I'm not mad at you…"
"…Are y-you alright, Corn? Are you…y-you're not…sick, are you…?" Yoyo whimpers. Corn stares down at him.
"…What? Why would you…?!"
"Wh-when I went to visit Soda…yesterday…after I was f-feeling better…h-he was so sad…Corn…h-he would only be sad…if y-you…if you were…" Yoyo trails off, and tears ooze out of his slit, puffy eyes. Corn frowns when Yoyo's fingers clench around his, and he can't help but wonder if Soda said anything to this poor kid. He shouldn't know…no…Soda wouldn't have said anything like that to him…
"…Hey. Hey, kid. I'm not sick, okay? I'm not…dying. I'm just fine. I'm a little worried about some shit, but…other than that…I'm okay," Corn says gently, gripping Yoyo's hand a little tighter to let him know that he's still there with him. "…Everything's gonna be okay, alright? Just…just try to calm down, Yoyo, you've had a really hard time, lately…but…this mess with your face will clear up within a week…and…and hopefully by then, Clutch will have calmed down, right? Shit will settle down soon. I promise. And when you're feeling better, we…me and you and Soda…we'll go tagging together, okay? Just the three of us. I know it's been a long time."
Yoyo sniffs, and Corn can tell that it's painful for him. "Ah-all right…" he mumbles. Corn nods, even though Yoyo can't see him.
"Hey…I'm proud of you for forgiving him," Corn says quietly, and Yoyo shudders again.
"…Th-thank you…" he breathes. Corn squeezes his hand again before he gets up and heads back out of the room, for some reason feeling even less satisfied now than he did before he came in.
What am I going to do about Clutch…?
The sewers in the district of Kogane-cho are generally avoided by all outsiders, for the simple fact that Poison Jam makes their home in the depths of the pipe maze beneath Tokyo-to. It's not so much that there is a fear of the Rudie gang outside of the sewers: pedestrians and Rudies alike just know that being on Poison Jam's turf uninvited is like asking to have an arm or a leg ripped from its socket. Even the bravest only dare to sneak to the outskirts of Rokkaku-Dai Heights before turning back and heading to safer ground.
Poison Jam knows of the situation. Despite being rather dense, the monstrous boys of Poison Jam know fear when they smell it, and they know the meaning of boundaries and the scent of the zone that belongs to them and them alone. They know that their gang, if even one man up on another gang, will always emerge victorious, and if they still had a leader who was as quick-witted as Cube had been, they might be able to overtake the rest of the Rudie gangs in Shibuya and Benten, to become kings of the streets of Tokyo.
But, about eight months ago, Cube abandoned her devoted followers and joined the GG's again. So now, Poison Jam is just a gang of fish-faced morons once more.
…They sit in silence around the gaping gorgon's mouth that still holds the Lady's "throne", staring at it as if at an apparition of their former leader. All six of them are silent, two of the smaller ones still nursing bloodshot, infected eyes from their run-in with Clutch late yesterday, the rest of them breathing slowly, frowns plastered to their faces, their clawlike gloves clinging to the grating of the elevated platform that they're sitting on. Green and violet light from torches set beside the gorgon's head dances over everything, and the six Poison Jam boys let out one simultaneous, aching breath.
"Lady…" they murmur. "Oh, Lady Cube…"
Their words echo through the main room of their headquarters like a sorrowful moan, the English no longer discernible as it vibrates out past the antechamber. They fall silent again, listening, as if waiting for a response from their beloved Lady, but none comes. Cube hasn't set foot in the sewers in months, and none of them know if she will ever again. Still, they hope. They pray for her return, so that she will lead them to triumph over the weak-spirited gangs of Shibuya and Benten.
The six suddenly jerk to their feet as the sound of wheels over the floor of a metal half-pipe billows into their ceremony, but excitement is quickly stifled by anger when they see the short form of an unwelcome visitor on the threshold of their ritual. His crooked face and jarring motions set the injured boys nervously into place behind the larger members of Poison Jam as he approaches them, skating awkwardly, like he hasn't in a while. His shirt is ripped, one arm half-mangled, hanging lifelessly beside his hip, but his grin is uncaring beneath his hood. The biggest Poison Jam, intern leader of the group, steps forward menacingly and threatens the intruder with a nasty look.
"How DARE you set foot here, GG!!!" he snarls, and there is a murmur of agreement from behind him. He, the largest, is also the most intelligent of the remaining group. "Tainting this holy remembrance with your filthy presence…! Traitorous scum, who stole our Lady from us—!"
"I'm no GG," the intruder says quietly, only half of his mouth moving, as if there's something wrong with his brain. His dead arm twitches, and he steps forward. The intern boss stares at the short boy, almost taken aback: he knows this boy, he's seen him before. Horror sinks in slowly, and he holds his arms out perpendicular to his body, pushing his gang back protectively.
"…Bastard…" murmurs the biggest Poison Jam, his voice faltering. "…It was you, your kind, that swayed the Lady's interests…I remember you…the Lady destroyed you…!"
"It seems that she failed," the boy says lazily, uninterested. "To be convinced so easily…you think she's a goddess, don't you? You're a fool…you, and your little group here…all of you. She is but a mere mortal. But, I and my…'kind', as you put it…we, the true gods, have need of your cooperation."
"What?!" calls a subordinate Poison Jam from behind the dazed boss. "We don' talk to you an' yer lackeys anymore…! You ain' natural…!"
"Fuck nature," says the boy, glaring almost through the intern leader to the one who spoke behind him. "Who's to say what's natural, anyway? Either put on this Earth, or made as a byproduct of former generations…everything has its place in the order. Even dim-witted jackasses like you."
"For someone who needs our help, you talk a lot of shit," the boss murmurs, glaring back at the feeble-bodied intruder. Red eyes look back up into his, and he shivers involuntarily. "What do you want to drag us into, anyway? The only thing that we're interested in is getting our Lady back…"
"And we can help you with that," the boy says. "What we're planning is…the dismantling of the GG's. The annihilation of the only group that stands in the way of the true masters of Tokyo."
Us, is the murmur that runs through the group of six on the bridge, and the boy's lip curls upward into a sneer. The biggest Poison Jam eyes him suspiciously. "…Explain yourself," he demands, and the small boy chuckles gratingly.
"You'll understand as it plays out. But for now…a few of our number have witnessed a friendship growing between one outsider GG and the members of Rapid 99." The two smallest Poison Jam boys grimace in acknowledgement of the situation, and the boy nods. "As that certain GG…I recall his name being 'Clutch'…is losing ground quickly within his gang, we'll need you to launch some sort of an attack against the GG's that will put him at fault, and draw him even further away from the core. Do you understand?"
"You want us to make the rest of his gang hate him even more," the intern boss says, nodding. "Yes."
"Do it in such a way that he will be forced to go to the Rapid 99 girls for assistance," the boy says slowly, meeting the boss' eyes firmly. "He must go to them for help."
"What good'll dat do?" a subordinate asks angrily. "Da girls plus him'll take us down like nuffin' at all!"
"That's the point," the boy murmurs. "Rapid 99 will come to trust him even more, and he will trust them, and if all goes to plan, well…it may be a situation much like your own, so many months ago. A male leading females, separated from his old gang after some great falling out. It echoes the tragic story of your…Lady, doesn't it?"
"Don't you dare speak badly of her in this place," the intern boss growls, stepping forward and forgetting the true power of this little boy for a minute. The boy grins lop-sidedly and twitches. "…We'll do as you ask…but…if Lady Cube doesn't return to us in exchange…"
"Then we will kill Clutch and eliminate Rapid 99, and that area of the Benten district will be yours to conquer," the boy croons coldly. "Your Lady's plot of total domination of Tokyo will be one step closer to completion. Fair?"
The torches on either side of the gorgon's head flicker and crackle softly, casting a dismal light over the whole scene. The intern leader of Poison Jam glares at the intruder, seriously unsure what to do, but the prospect of Cube's return to the sewers is too tempting to turn down. He bends slightly, showing his acknowledgement of the seniority that this boy's power has over his. "…Very well," he says quietly, and the rest of the boys of Poison Jam exchange wary looks behind him. "We'll do as you ask."
"Magnificent," the boy replies, nodding and turning quickly, his mission completed. He hobbles out of the chamber awkwardly, and the six members of Poison Jam watch him go, each of them nervously wondering if he will really do as he has promised.
