Whoo! New chapter! Get ready for this one, guys, because it's a doozy!
Yuzuru walked hastily through the busy streets of Ikebukuro. Though it was almost 10:00 PM, the sidewalks were still ripe with people, though it should be expected for a Friday night. From relieved white-collar workers, finally free for the weekend, to energetic, party-seeking university students, there was no shortage of people. But the goings-on of the countless civilians mattered not to Yuzuru. He had a destination in mind, and he wouldn't let anything, or anyone, distract him from getting there as fast as possible.
He had asked his friend, or rather, acquaintance, Noda, a notable delinquent in these parts, if he knew of the symbol that was plastered on the backs of the thugs he had previously encountered. A large, white cross, ends filed to a point and framed by what looked like a coffin of sorts. Noda had told him the it belonged to a gang by the name of "The Saints", a local gang headquartered in a backalley bar just south of the station.
He didn't like dealing with the purple-haired thug, as he personally couldn't stand to be around him for more than five minutes, but he did what he had to do for the information. Noda usually demanded a price for his knowledge, but after seeing the fire burning in Yuzuru's eyes, he let him off with just a warning.
"Be careful, Yuzuru. These guys are about as dangerous as they come, and they're fucking mental, to boot." Noda cautioned strongly. "I don't know what you're thinking, but getting mixed up with these guys... Well, let's just say it's not good for your health, Mr. Doctor."
Hurrying along, Yuzuru scoffed at the idea of someone like Noda, who carries a giant halberd with him all the time, giving him advice on safety. However, as little respect as he had for him, Noda still knew the Tokyo underworld, and if he says be careful, be careful.
Keeping that in mind, Yuzuru had brought along a duffel bag. Packed away inside were a crowbar, a large can of pepper spray, and a baseball bat. Also tucked away was a Walther PPK, a gift from Noda, which Yuzuru had reluctantly accepted, being that Japanese citizens weren't allowed to possess firearms. Weapons in tow, Yuzuru felt that he was as prepared as he would ever be to confront the thugs who had hurt Kanade.
Finally arriving at his destination, Yuzuru noted the very Westernized appearance of the bar. It sat snugly between two buildings, its red brick outer walls contrasting the bland grey of its neighbors. He could see the area where a sign once was, one too many bar fights having long ago torn it away. A nameless bar in a nameless alley, fitting for the scum who drank within.
Yuzuru sat his bag down on the ground. He strapped the pepper spray to his belt, placed the handgun in his pants at the back, and gripped the bat in his left hand. He opted to leave the crowbar, as he felt it to be too much to carry in, and didn't think he would need it.
He looked in through the window first, scanning for the group he had encountered when he'd rescued Kanade. He found them all situated together at the left side of the bar, not surprisingly pestering another poor woman. Luckily though, he didn't see any others in the bar sporting the matching jacket of the gang. Brushing aside his fear, he entered the bar.
Upon entering, all eyes were immediately drawn to him, save the four at the bar, too busy with their latest 'catch' to pay attention. Seeing no point in trying to blend in, Yuzuru instead raised his bat, and pointed it towards the group of thugs.
"Hey, assholes!" Funny enough, all four of them raised their heads at his call. "Ya, you guys. I'm here to kick your asses."
Yuzuru surprised even himself with his confidence in the situation. As the four stood, he managed to get a good look at them, something he had neglected to do during the beating he had received on their last encounter.
One was a tall, but rather spindly man with long blonde, almost cone-like hair. Another was shorter, yet with a muscular physique, and shaved head. The other two seemed to be twins, both tall and with the same crew cut black hair and tanned skin.
One of the men, the blonde one, said, "Huh? What the hell'd ya say, runt?"
"You heard me," Yuzuru replied, "I said I'm here to kick your asses."
The short one recognized Yuzuru. "Hey boys, look, it's that punk we beat up in the alley the other day."
"Oh ya, I remember!" One of the twins added in, "He was protecting that girl we were after."
The other twin chimed in, "Ya, the cutie with the silver hair! The one we 'visited' the other day."
"Mmm, she was a screamer. Squealed like a pig when I first got in her. Had to smack her around so she'd shut her trap." The blonde continued, "Might have hit her a bit too hard, 'cause she stooped making sounds altogether. Didn't stop us from havin' some fun though!"
Yuzuru's knuckles were white from how hard he was clenching the bat. His teeth grinded together with such ferocity that he thought he might be stripping the enamel.
He finally snapped. "YOU DID WHAT?!"
His anger was palpable, but the thugs didn't stop.
The shorter one was the first to respond. "Didn'cha catch our drift, big guy, we raped he-"
The short one didn't have time to finish before the bat Yuzuru was holding hit him in the side of the head, giving off a loud crack.
"AAAAAGGGHHHHH!" Yuzuru's rage boiled over, and he swung again at the blonde, who was so shocked by the hit his friend had taken, that he didn't evade the one coming for him. The bat connected with his left arm with such force that the snap of bone could be heard. The blonde screamed in pain and fell to the floor.
Yuzuru went for one of the twins, but his opponent was prepared at this point, and caught the bat in his hand, while the other broke one of the bottles laying around on the edge of a table, and approached Yuzuru.
Reaching for the pepper spray, he sprayed the bottle-wielding twin directly in the eyes, causing him to drop the bottle, and stumble off, clutching his eyes in pain. Yuzuru then headbutted the other twin, whose grasp loosened enough that Yuzuru was able to free the bat. He jabbed him in the gut with the handle, and as the twin was huddled over, brought the bat down on his back, causing him to wretch in pain.
Satisfied with what seemed like victory, he didn't notice someone approach him, and strike him in the ribs with something hard and metal. Yuzuru fell, and, turning to see what had happened, saw the twin he had pepper sprayed wielding the crowbar he had left outside. As the twin prepared for another blow, Yuzuru grabbed the gun from his pants. Before he could bring the crowbar down, Yuzuru shot him in the stomach. The crowbar slipped from his hand, and he fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
Yuzuru rose to his feet slowly, wincing in pain as he breathed; he had obviously broken a rib or two. His rage subsiding, he surveyed the scene of carnage, and he had to cup his hand to his mouth to keep from vomiting. To think that he could be capable of such violence, it made him sick to his stomach.
The other bar attendant had fled as soon as the fighting broke out, and he probably didn't have long before police arrived. He slowly made his way out of the bar, restuffed and picked up the duffel bag, and walked home as quickly as he could, doing his best to mask the pain from his broken ribs.
Fortunately, he managed to arrived home without incident, for which he was grateful. Closing the front door silently behind him, so as to not wake his sleeping sister, he quietly made his way to his room, quietly setting the duffel bag on the floor on arrival, and fell onto his bed, not quite having realized just how tired he was. He knew that he would have a lot of problems to deal with in the near future, but for now, he was just too tired to care.
He would go to check up on Kanade in the morning.
Author's note: There you go. That one got pretty dark. Please tell me what you guys think of the direction I'm taking the story. I appreciate all the feedback!
