C

C.1

"Get in!!"

"Don't push me!!"

"Shut up, you piece of shit!!"

With that the guard shoved the boy inside the cell and locked the door.

"No one can treat the Tensai like this!!! I'll remember you!!"

But the guard who had locked him had already disappeared, leaving the poor boy alone in the darkness.

"Okay… Now I have to think of a way to get out of here…" he looked around himself for a second "No windows. Mmmh… That will be pretty hard. What should I do now?"
"Shut up."
"AAAGGGGHHH!!!"

"I said shut up, you're disturbing my sleep."

"WHO ARE YOU?!" the red-headed boy screamed at the darkness in the cell, he couldn't see anybody.

"Why are you yelling like that?" the same, calm voice answered.

"Where are you??" Hanamichi asked in a lower tone.

Then he heard a clinging of chains.

There!!!

He grabbed the chain that was on the floor and pulled with all his might. He heard a surprised yelp and a 'THUD', as if a head had hit the pavement.

"Ite! Why did you do that?!" the voice exclaimed.

Now Hanamchi could see a pair of legs. The owner of that legs was probably sleeping in a sitting position, leaning on the wall. But when Hanamichi had pulled the chain, he'd slid on the floor and hit his head.

"Who are you?" the red-head asked to the tall, black-haired, fox-eyed boy in front of him.

"You are the new guy, here."
"I'm Sakuragi Hanamichi, but you can call me Tensai!!"
"Do'aho."

"WHAAT??!"
"…"
"Hey!!! I'm talking to you!! You stupid kitsune!!"

"Well, I'm not."

The raven-haired boy turned on his side and tried to go back to sleep. Doing so he allowed Hanamichi to see his back: his hands were handcuffed with the chain that Hanamichi had pulled a moment ago. That seemed to draw Hanamichi's interest.

"Why are your hands tied like that?"
No answer. Only a soft snoring.

Hanamichi frowned.

Wow! He fell asleep in less than ten seconds!

"Hey, you kistune." he shook him by the shoulder.

"Don't disturb my sleep!" the other growled.

POW.

A moment later Hanamichi was screaming and jumping on his right leg like a madman, while with his hands he held on his left shin, previously kicked by the kitsune. (his hands are tied, but his legs aren't!!! ^_^)

"AAGGGHH!!! You stupid kitsune!!! ARGH! Damn you!!"

"Mph. Shut up, do'aho."

"Teme kitsune!!"
"What part of 'shut up' don't you understand? The 'shut' or the 'up'?" the raven-haired boy growled.

"Listen you…!!"
"No! Listen you!!" the boy got up and looked Hanamichi in the eyes. He was a little shorter than the red-haired boy. Sakuragi noticed a few bruises and cut that were beginning to heal on his face. "Before you arrived I was calm and I could sleep all the time!! Now you, a loud, stupid, arrogant do'aho, are disturbing my sleep!!! So shut that great mouth of yours or I'll take care of that myself!!"
"How? Your hands are tied on your back! Are you intending to kick me?"

"Probably."

"I'm prepared now… C'mon, kick me!!"

The kitsune eyed him suspiciously, then 'hmphed' and kicked him. But his foot hit nothing but air. Sakuragi had dodged the blow and was now countering.

The boy didn't know what happened. He only found himself lying face downwards on the floor with Sakuragi's heavier weight knocking the wind out of him. He tried to kick him off but his legs were blocked by Hanamichi's longer ones.

"Now, would you listen to me?" the red-head voice was a whisper behind his ear "What's your name?"
"Rukawa Kaede."
"Good, Rukawa. Now I want to get out of this cell because I have to go back to my friends. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Very good. Now I'll let you free and you promise me to stop this fights for each other's sake. You'll promise that you'll help me to get out of here, then you can go back to your sleep if you want to do so. Okay?"
"Okay."

"Excellent. Now…"

He got up and offered a hand to Rukawa, then he remembered that his hands were tied on his back.

"I can do it myself." the kitsune said. His arms had fallen asleep because of Hanamichi's weight. He leaned on the wall.

"Why are you here?" he asked the red-head.

"Well… It's a long story…"

"I'm not going anywhere…"
"Uhm… okay…"

Rukawa closed his eyes, but he didn't fall asleep.

"There are this rebels, you know…"
"You're part of the rebels?"
"Yes. Well, I was in a mission with the Gori, Mits-"
"You're lead by a gorilla?!"
"Yes! I hate him! The great captain Akagi they call him, but he's nothing but a Gori!!"
"Takenori Akagi?! You were in his team?!"
"Of course!!"
"I didn't know Akagi would have ever admitted a such do'aho in his team…"
"Who are you calling do'aho??!!"
"You."
"TEME KITS-" then he stopped abruptly "How do you know all this things about the Rebellion?"
"Doesn't my name recall you of something?"
"Of course!! Rukawa!! The traitor who sold his teammates!!!" Sakuragi snarled angrily "They escaped from that jail at the very last moment!! They were about to be hanged!! It's all your fault!!"
He jumped forward and started to strangle Rukawa. However he stopped when he became aware that the kitsune wasn't trying to set himself free.

"Why aren't you fighting back, baka kitsune?"
"I don't want to."
"What do you mean?"
"…"

With a grunt Sakuragi let go of Rukawa's neck and got some steps back. He sat down.

"Go on." Rukawa said.

"So, our mission was conquering a military base, full of weapons and stuff that could be useful. But something went wrong, I don't know… We just found a whole army, there, waiting for us… I can only remember fire, shouts and screams. I assume they all went back, for I'm the only one here."
"Someone could be de-"
"Don't say those words!!" Hanamichi exclaimed "They are all alive, PERIOD!!"
"As you say."

Silence.

"Why are your hands tied like that?" Sakuragi asked for the second time, only now he was getting an answer.

"Because tied like this I can't fight back."

"Fight back?"
"You saw my face. Figure out yourself." with that he turned to sleep "And now shut the hell up!!"

Fight back?

Hanamichi repeated the question in a loud tone, but no one answered him.