Chapter 11
Hey gang! How ya doin? I missed you guys! haha been splitting my time between all my fanfictions and my almost none existent offline life! Haha wow that was a pathetic joke. Anyway ONWARD TO THE BATTLE FIELD!
All throughout the day Yukiko had managed to dodge the boys at every turn. Between class and Hotstreak actually stealing her away on several occasions—something that seriously irked Richie—it was hard for them to even catch a glimpse of the small nervous girl. After a while Virgil gave up, figuring they'd have better luck the following day. Richie on the other hand decided to hang back and stick around after school. There was a chance he might be able to catch Yukiko before she went home.
With a sigh the blonde boy walked through the halls that were still somewhat filled with people with afterschool detention, class work, or other activity. As he walked her past a classroom, there he saw Yukiko, sitting at a desk reading a book. It seemed to be a graphic novel of some kind. With a sudden spark of, reluctant courage, he entered the empty room.
"Uhm, Yukiko…you busy?" He said in a low tone, so not frighten the easily frightened girl. Yukiko looked up at Richie, slightly surprised to hear someone else's voice.
"O-oh, R-richie sorry….I-I didn't think any….anyone was in here." She mumbled. Richie walked toward Yukiko, and pulled up a chair. Sitting down, Richie looked to Yukiko in silence. He didn't exactly know how he was going to explain that Hotstreak was behind the fire that started at her family's company building.
"Uh…Listen, Yukiko….about that fire yesterday…" he began. Yukiko tilted her head innocently.
"Richie," She said breaking him from his thoughts, "I-it's ok. I know Static and Gear did their best to keep it from happening. Th-they can't be successful…o-one hundred percent of the time."
"No, I mean yeah I know, but this isn't what I wanted to say." Richie said, Yukiko blinked silently, "I know who started the fires…"
"D-do you?" she asked tensing up. Richie clenched his fists in anger and gave Yukiko a harsh look.
"Yes. And I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it!" He shouted as he stood, surprising Yukiko to the pointed she nearly fell out of her chair. Her mind suddenly went into panic mode. She stared up at Richie with alarm. Had he found out about her? That she and Snow-child were one in the same!? If he had, she was going to have to silence him. But how could she? It was Richie! She may not have given a second thought to burying him under a ton of snow, the night before, but that was mostly Snowchild. Yukiko could never hurt anyone. On the other hand, they were in Snowchild's way. Here she could snuff him out easily. Catch him off guard, and leave him to freeze. No! This was Richie! Not Richie Gear, but Richie Foley. One of the first friends she'd ever had.
"I mean…I know you like him, but he's nothing but a monster!" Richie shouted, snapping Yukiko from her inner turmoil and monologue argument with herself.
"Wh-who are you talking about Richie?" She asked, suddenly confused by Richie's words. Richie looked down at her with sad, but angered eyes.
"I'm talking about—" His words were drowned out, by the sudden sound of an alarm. It startled the two as they looked up in panic. It was the fire alarm. They ran to the door of the class room as everyone who was still in the building ran outside. As it turned out this really wasn't a drill. The duo went to run outside with everyone else to escape the smoke and flames, when something jerked Yukiko backwards into another room. She bit her lip as whoever—or whatever, was now covering her eyes and face. She was scared. Not knowing what exactly was going on, nor did she know who or what was keeping her in this room. She began to cough as smoke filled her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Calm down…" A familiar voice said behind her. Yukiko looked up.
"F-francis?" She asked between coughs. "W-what…what are y-you—"
Yukiko was interrupted by Hotstreak putting his hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking. He then picked her up and carried her bridal style out of the building, through the back, away from the crowd of students. Once far enough from the flames, Yukiko collapsed and gasped for air, chocking out smoke.
"That…*gasp*…w-was…r-really. *cough* s-stupid." She gasped, Hotstreak pursed his lips and crossed his arms.
"Hey I had to think of some way to get you outta there." He said, Yukiko gasped and looked up at him.
"So you set the school on fire?!" she coughed.
"Relax, it was small. Mostly smoke, I knew what I was doing." Hotstreak said with a pout, "I'm not that dumb. Besides, what's it matter if Foley and those other lame-O's burned?"
"R-richie Foley….i-is my friend." Yukiko coughed as she still gasped for air. Hotstreak scowled
"Whatever…" He growled. Yukiko looked up at Hotstreak silently. He didn't sound too happy that she had mentioned another boy's name. After a bit of awkward silence between the two, Yukiko spoke.
"W-why did you do that….a-anyway?" She mumbled looking up at her flame headed boyfriend with her icy blue eyes. Hotstreak's scowl deepened as he grabbed Yukiko by the arm and dragged her off away from the school. "H-h-hey…w-w-where are we going?"
~0~
Meanwhile outside the front of the school, Richie was searching for Yukiko, who had disappeared during the fire. He scowled. Yukiko couldn't have been stuck inside. She was right behind him the entire time. Wasn't she? After the fire had been put out, he went back inside to search for the small girl. However as he searched he found nothing that would indicate what happened to her or what started the fire. Until he found a small trashcan inside a classroom, it had been melted and purple smoke was still flowing off of the still hot plastic.
"This is not good…" He mumbled, his mind automatically connecting the dots. He then ran out of the school, grabbing his shockbox and contacting Virgil. "V, we've got a problem. I think Hotstreak might have kidnapped Yukiko again."
'Richie? What're you talking about?' Virgil asked. Richie ran down the street, toward the Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude.
"There was a fire at the school a minute ago—nothing big, mostly smoke—but I lost her in the panic. I went looking for her and," He hesitated as he rounded the corner to the duo's secret hide away, "I found a trashcan, it was completely melted. I didn't even get the chance to tell Yukiko about him and Snow-child. I think she might be in trouble."
'Where are you? I'll meet you.' Virgil asked, Richie told him his location, and soon the two were on the lookout for Yukiko and Hotstreak.
~0~
Out of breath from being dragged half way across the city, Yukiko leaned against the wall of a building trying to catch her breath, while Hotstreak stood over her a bit annoyed.
"W-w-what was…..that...that all about?" She gasped finally able to speak again as she looked up at Hotstreak whose arms were crossed as he leaned against the wall with an angry expression on his face. At first he didn't speak, only let out an annoyed growl as his response. Yukiko stared up at him in confusion, "F-francis….is…is something wrong?"
"Let's make things clear," He shouted grabbing Yukiko's shoulders. His body temperature rising with his anger, "You're my girl. Got that?"
"W-what brought this on?" Yukiko asked. She was a little confused, not knowing what had made her flame headed boyfriend so angry. Hotstreak glared as he let go of the small girl with a bit of force. Yukiko stumbled back a little into the wall, her glasses fell from her face.
"No more talking to Foley. Got it?" he hissed, turning his back to Yukiko.
"B-but Richie is my friend." She mumbled as she fumbled for her glasses. Suddenly a thought came to her, "F-francis….are….are you j-jealous?"
Hotstreak froze, then suddenly turned to face the small girl as she was on the ground searching for her glasses. "Jealous?! Of that four-eyed nerdy weirdo? As if!"
Yukiko looked up at him and smile sweetly at him—something that caught him off guard. "Then why are you so angry?"
"Because…uhm…well…" He mumbled, then let out a growl and moved toward Yukiko. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the sound of glass breaking. Yukiko let out a sigh, and picked up her glasses.
"Oh….those….w-were expensive…." She mumbled as she stood up with the bent metal frames of her glasses. Hotstreak scowled.
"Why do you even wear those anyway? Ya look like you can see fine without them." He said with a slight huff. Yukiko looked from her broken glasses to Hotstreak.
"M-my parents…are not aware of that." She mumbled, "I-it's part of my disguise—"
"Why bother? I think you'd get your point across if you just came out as that Snow-chick." Hotstreak interrupted. Yukiko went wide eyed.
"N-n-n-no! I-I…I couldn't do that. I-if….if m-my personality…and—and Snow-child's w-w-were to merge. There…there'd b-be no telling what could happen!" She said her voice brimming with panic. Hotstreak scowled, he didn't get it, but she sure seemed panicked by it. So his guess was it was probably dangerous. He shrugged.
"Well whatever," He said, then shoved his hands in his pockets and mumbled, "You…look better without 'em anyway."
"Huh? I-I do?" Yukiko mumbled, her facing turning a slight shade of red. She then gave a small timid smile and grabbed onto Hotstreak's arm.
"The hell…?" Hotstreak mumbled in surprise, he wasn't sure how to respond to the sudden out of character action. Every other time he had said, or even looked at Yukiko she would either freak out, or stutter. Then again he wasn't sure what to expect from this girl half the time. Yukiko looked up at him and smiled.
"F-francis…"
"For the last time it's Hotstreak!" He growled, startling the girl a bit as she let go of his arm. She placed her hands behind her back and looked down at her shoes.
"S-sorry…b-but I-I don't like calling you b-by that name…"She mumbled, "I-it makes you sound like…a-a delinquent, a-and…a bad person…"
"Uh, hello, I've burned down buildings, I've got a criminal record." Hotstreak hissed as he ignited his palm with fire, "There's a reason I go by Hotstreak. I am a bad person."
Yukiko looked up at him, to his surprise she had a look of confidence. As if she were sure of the words she was going to say.
"I don't see you that way." She said, this time without any stutter or timid voice. Hotstreak scowled. No one had seen him as anything but a delinquent, and a trouble maker. Maybe it was the double personality, but it still made him wonder why she saw him so differently.
"I'm not a good person." He grumbled, scowling down at Yukiko. He then rolled his eyes and held out his hand for her, "…but…whatever, call me what you want."
Yukiko smiled again and let out a squeal as she latched onto his arm again, this time not letting go. "S-so…n-now that we are away from th-the school. What…what did you want to do?"
A sly smirk crept across Hotstreak's face as he narrowed his eyes at her, "You're parents home?"
The tone of Hotstreak's voice as he asked his sudden question made Yukiko's face turn an instant and deep red. She looked up at him and bit her lip, suddenly nervous again. "M-m-my parents a-are never h-home…"
"Good."
~0~
It was nearly Dusk as Static and Gear still searched for Yukiko. They had no such luck, locating her or Hotstreak, and they were beginning to worry that she had been hurt, or maybe worse by the flame headed thug or even Snow-child—whom after all seemed to have some sort of vendetta for the Yamamoto family all together.
"I don't get it Rich," Static said, "If Hotstreak had kidnapped her, wouldn't we have gotten some kind of call or message or something from Hotstreak?"
"He could be waiting for it to hit the new wave. Rich family's kid disappears during a school fire." Gear said. Static scowled.
"I think you're giving Hotstreak too much credit." He said. Gear looked up at Static and scowled.
"Maybe Snow-child's planning it—look does it really matter? Our friend could be tied to a chair dangling over some kind of deathtrap for all we know!" He growled. Static's browse rose in surprise as he moved to be in front of his tech-clad friend.
"Listen Richie, I'm just as worried as you are." He said, "But I think you're over reacting. If Hotstreak did kidnap her I'm pretty sure we'd have heard something by now. And judging by how much hate Snow-girl 's got for the girl, she'd definitely send out a message."
"What're you trying to say V?" Gear asked with a slight glare. Static put his hands up in defense.
"Just chill Richie. We shouldn't jump the gun on this one, that's all I'm saying." He said, "Listen to yourself, you're going crazy, and I'm starting to wonder if it's from Yukiko being in danger. Or something else."
"Like that?" Gear asked defensively, before Static had a chance to answer Richie's shock box sounded. With a confused look he answered.
"Uh, hello?" he asked skeptically.
'Richie!' It was Yukiko. Static and Gear both gave a confused and yet relieved look.
"Yukiko! What happened during the fire? Where are you?" Richie asked, there was some static before Yukiko answered.
'O-oh….r-right…th-that.' She mumbled, "F-francis, he….u-uhm…he got me out. I-I was with him today. S-sorry'
Gear scowled, "Listen Yukiko, I need to tell you something about Hotstreak—wait, how are you contacting us right now?"
'Y-you gave me one of your…c-communication devices…' She mumbled in response. 'a-at your s-secret head quaters….w-what did you call It again?'
"Oh…yeah that's right." He mumbled.
"Yukiko what happened? Where are you?" Static asked.
'I-I'm at home. S-sorry, I-I couldn't contact you….w-while I was with Francis.' Yukiko answered. Gear's scowl deepened.
"Yukiko, Hotstreak set the fire today." He said. There was a long pause before Yukiko answered again.
'I-I know…but i-it was mostly smoke….a-a-and no one got hurt….' She responded, 'I-I already asked him not to do it again….he—'
"He also, set the fire that burned your families company building down." Gear said interrupting her. There was another pause, this one even longer. "Yukiko, I know you like him, but…he's just using you."
'N-no, that's not true…' She mumbled. Static gave Gear a look, telling him that he should have been more delicate in breaking the news to her. He took the Shock-box from him and turned away.
"I'm sorry, but it is. We saw him yesterday with that Snow-child girl." He said, "He torched the place while she nearly buried us under a tone of snow."
~0~
Meanwhile Yukiko lied on her bed, wearing nothing but a white, plush bathrobe that was open enough to expose her legs up to her mid thigh. Hotstreak had been there not long before, the two had spent some quality time together in her room. He had gone by now. So there she lied, a shock-box in one hand, and her broken glasses dangling from her fingertips in the other. Her icy blue eyes stared ahead at the wall in front of her. Her expression was monotone.
"N-no, you don't understand…."She said nervously, "Francis, he…he told me a-about the building. H-he didn't mean to. I-i-it was an accident. He said he was t-trying to stop her."
'And you believed that?!' Richie's voice shouted over the shock box. Yukiko bit her lip.
"O-of course. Francis…h-he wouldn't lie to me about that." She mumbled, "I-I trust him."
'Yukiko…' Virgil's voice began, he paused before speaking again. Then sighed, 'You really shouldn't trust everything Hotstreak says.'
"I-I trust Francis. H-he's nice to me." Yukiko explained, her eyes watering with tears, "He…he'd n-n-never—"
'We could be wrong.' Virgil's voice suddenly said. Yukiko cocked an eyebrow in surprise, 'We were buried under a lot of snow. There's no telling what could have happened while we were trying to get out. Sorry Yu.'
~0~
Gear stared at Static with a look of pure shock on his face as he watched his best friend lie to their new friend. He crossed his arms and glared, waiting patiently until Static was finished. It would do him no good to blow up on him, it'd probably just make Yukiko—who would no doubt hear the argument—worry.
'Y-you think so?' Yukiko's voice came out small and somewhat hopeful.
"Yeah, who knows. Maybe Hotstreak did try to do something good." Static said, "Anyway, we were just worried is all. Glad to hear you're safe."
With that Static turned off the shock-box and tossed it back to Gear, who was—at this point—fuming with anger. He replaced the small walki-talkie back onto his belt and glared at his staticy friend.
"Dude, what the hell was that? You lied to her!" He shouted, Static shrugged.
"You heard how she sounded." He said, "She was freaking out, besides, she didn't believe you anyway."
"Still! You should have let me tell her the truth!" Gear shouted.
"And what would you do if that managed to break up the two?" Static asked, "All that would do is piss Hotstreak off, and maybe even get Yukiko killed."
Gear fell silent.
"Look, I know you like her like that, but you need to think about this." He continued, "Just calm down before one of you, or both of you get hurt."
"…Ok fine." Gear said, "But what do you suppose we do?"
"Keep an eye on Hotstreak, he's bound to slip up eventually and show us where he and Snow-child are hiding." Static said. Gear sighed. Suppose that's all they could do.
~0~
Meanwhile in the more rundown part of the city, Hotstreak walked home. It had gotten dark since he left Yukiko's house. He smirked, he had his little timid lover calling his name earlier when he was with her. She almost didn't let him leave. It was amazing how eager she was when he got things going with her. Hotstreak's smirk turned to a grin as he recalled all the things he'd done with her. He was so lost in through he almost didn't notice the shadow following him until it stood in front of him.
"The hell do you want Ebon?" He growled. Ebon narrowed his eyes at the flame headed boy, as the other members of the meta-breed gang stepped into view.
"I've been watching you lately Hotstreak." He said, "been seein you with that little rich girl a lot."
"Yeah what's it to ya?" Hotstreak asked defensively. Talon perched herself on a nearby street light as Shiv leaned against it underneath her, his hands glowing purple as he began to play a glow-in-the-dark bang-baby powered version of paddle ball.
"Word is you got a new girlfriend." He said, his usual grin appearing on his face.
"Everybody's sayin she's got you wrapped around her rich little finger." Talon said, "That you've gone soft."
"The hell I have!" Hotstreak shouted, his body lighting up with flame, "I ain't no pussy-whipped little punk! I'll fry anyone who says otherwise!"
"Then what's with the girl?" Ebon growled lengthening his body to stand taller than Hotstreak as he let his flame go out. He glared up at the dark faced bang-baby.
"She's nothing but a good fuck, that's all." He said crossing his arms again. Ebon twisted his body around the firey redhead, looking him over.
"Then I don't suppose you'd care if we paid her a visit tonight." He said, a hint of darkness in his voice. Hotstreak glared.
"You touch her, see what happens." He warned, suddenly Talon was upon him.
"What's that little rich-girl got that you could possibly see in her anyway?" she hissed clenching her fists. Hotstreak's glare turned to the bird-girl and he ignited again.
"She's mine, all there is to it! Now piss off bird-brain!" He shouted, Talon glared back.
"What did you just call me?!" She screeched raring to attack him when Shiv created a birdcage around her, preventing the bird bangbaby from doing anything.
"You'd better start explaining yourself Hothead," Ebon demanded getting in Hotstreaks face, "Bangbabies don't turn on their own."
"Fuck off." Hotstreak hissed, pushing past the trio as he continued walking. He didn't have to explain anything to them.
"Fine," Ebon hissed "but I bet she's just usin' you to get back at her crappy parents for not getting her the car she wanted. Spoiled little rich girls are always doin that."
Hotstreak stopped walking, and stood there for a moment. Yukiko had said that she hated her parents, and her second personality Snow-child did everything in her power to sabotage them. Her being with him could just be nothing more than some petty revenge scheme. After all he didn't know the details of Yukiko/Snowchild's resentment toward her parents. And for all he knew that whole 'shy girl' thing was just another act. He didn't know the first thing about the snowy girl. Ebon could very well be right. However, He wasn't about to let the meta-breed know, and allow his reputation be damaged. He turned to the trio.
"The only one bein' used in this situation is her!" He shouted pointing in the direction of Yukiko's house, "The bitch is loaded, and she's not all that stupid. I figure I can get her to hand over some money, maybe even a few foolproof plan to get rid of Static. Stupid whore would do anything to please me."
If ebon could visibly smirk, he would have as he stood with his hand on his chin, thinking. After a brief moment of silence he spoke.
"So that's your plan." He said, "Didn't think you were smart enough to come up something like that."
"Fuck off."
"Ignoring that." He went on, "So you get her to come up with a foolproof plan to earn us so cash and, maybe even bump off Static."
"Already in the works." Hotstreak said with an evil grin plastered on his face. He wasn't afraid of some spoiled little girl, even if she did have a second personality. Hotstreak didn't take well to being used.
Oh no! What will this mean for Yukiko and Hotstreak? Will Richie and Virgil ever figure out what's going on with their timid friend? I'll be honest I can't thing straight right now. It's 3 a.m. here and I'm tired. So I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye, REVIEW! Please? You guys rock!