Chapter 04 – Strike Back

(Thanks for r+ring, people! Okay. Disclaimers. I don't own JSR, Garam, Tokyo-to, Grind City, or the names of the Noise Tanks. I do own everyone else, I think. Now go r+r like the wonderful people you are!)

I walked home from the hospital. I was crying without realising it.

She had died. She was gone. She'd left this earth and I'd never see her again.

At home Shiro was there. It says a lot for how miserable I was feeling that I didn't care at that point. I went upstairs and sobbed.

When I'd cried so much that my head felt like a cement bowling ball and my eyes stung like they'd got sand in them, I went out again. It wasn't raining now, just drizzling. The sky was still that horrible grey like all the colour had been sucked out of it.

Down in the street the market stalls were uncovering themselves from their plastic sheeting. I walked along without noticing much of my surroundings.

"Genuine Arabian knives, ladies and gentlemen! Each one individually hand-crafted by genuine Arabian harem girls!"

I rolled my sore eyes. Who did they think they were fooling? Those knives were bulk-bought, cheap, and tacky. The only good thing that could be said for them was that they were sharp…

Sometimes you can feel time pushing you in a certain direction.

I walked up and made a purchase.

The blade of the knife was about fifteen centimetres long, and glinted in the sunlight breaking through the clouds. It had an ornate pseudo-Eastern handle formed of strips of curling metal. And it was sharp.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I think I just bought it to show I was angry.

I set off back home, feeling myself start to cry again.

Later that night the tears stopped. I lay in bed, feeling like I was dying. It had been better when I'd cried. Then it had been like I could feel my sadness and maybe get some relief from it. Now all the pain was inside me, and I couldn't get it out. My face looked skullish, my eyes dark, sunken in and ringed with tearstains.

Because of my feelings I hadn't been listening out for footsteps like I normally did. So when I heard them it took me by surprise.

God damn him, why did he have to come now? Why couldn't he leave me alone? Why?

You could make him leave you alone, someone whispered.

Heart pounding, I reached out and picked up the knife from where it lay on my bedside table. I laid it down next to me and pulled the covers over us both. I'd have to time this right. If it didn't work, he'd slaughter me.

The door creaked open.

"Kelly?"

"Yes, I'm awake," I snapped. "So let's get this over with."

He shook his head. "Why don't you smile a bit more? It'd make you look so much prettier."

"Just do it, Shiro." I tried to sound as bored and cross and unenthusiastic as I could. He mustn't suspect.

He came across to me and I gripped the knife handle.

Over my body he went, like water closing over the head of a drowning victim – Oh, Akina, I miss you so much…

Here goes. I had to get this right.

As our mouths locked together, I raised the knife, and stabbed upwards, towards the dead weight of his chest.

If I hit a rib, the knife would probably snap…

But I didn't.

It slid cleanly into his flesh. I smelt blood. Dampness on my sheets and on my nightdress.

Shiro sat up, and stared down in horror at the tacky harem girl handle. "You…"

"Don't ever fuck with me again," I said, and shoved him.

He dropped off the bed, onto his knees. Blood spattered over everything. My carpet, my bedside table, my lamp. The smell grew stronger. It was a sour, meaty smell.

I pulled my jeans on over my nightdress, then shoved my feet into my skates. I was glad the light was off. The darkness covered everything, but I could see Shiro lying in a pool of deeper black.

Down the stairs. Light filtered out from the kitchen, and I saw spots of blood dappling my nightdress and on my hands. Very Lady Macbeth, Kellaani.

Carefully I inched open the front door. It looked too dark out there. But I couldn't stay here. I couldn't.

I stepped out into the cold air, and closed the front door behind me.

Suddenly I saw someone dash past me. We crashed into each other. I caught a glimpse of brown hair, frightened face, then they were gone. Damn. A witness. Well, I didn't have time to worry about that at the moment.

I had to get out of here.

I was heading to the Sable Blades. Maybe they wouldn't put me up, but they were the only other allies I had. My mother would turn me in if she didn't kill me first. Akina was dead. And Shar and Dash weren't my allies any more.

I reached Benten Square, but it was empty of rudies, Sable Blades or otherwise. By running through the billboard passage I came out onto the main street, where the partygoers were.

Three partygoers in particular.

Akina's siblings.

I couldn't believe it. If only I still had the knife.

It sounded like they were arguing. I ducked into a crowd of people, and listened.

"I don't want to," the guy was saying. "I just don't feel in the mood."

"And why's that, Garam-kun?" One sister smirked. "I sure feel like celebrating."

"Well, I don't. I'm a killer."

"Yeah, right." The other sister shrugged. "We're not killers. They bought our story."

"If Kellaani opens her mouth they won't," Garam said. "She knows we were involved."

"She won't. She's sobbing her eyes out."

"I'm not staying," Garam snapped. "This is sick."

"You were just as bad to her as we were."

"I never wanted this to happen."

He turned and strode off down the street, past me. His sisters shrugged – almost in unison, boy, those girls were creepy – and walked into the building they'd been queuing in front of.

"Hey, Garam," I called. "Wait up!"

I skated after him as he turned.

"What the hell happened to you, you look like someone shot you," he said, but there was no real feeling in his voice.

"What did you tell the hospital?" I asked.

"That Alex was just joking around, Akina slipped and fell in the water, and she was very scared, that her bag went in too so she couldn't use her inhaler, so she –"

"Okay, I get it." I snapped out the words because it hurt to hear him carry on.

"My sisters seem pretty happy," he said, kicking at the ground. "I ain't."

"Why not? You picked on her just as much as they did."

"Yes, but that was – that was different. I mean, she was just a silly little kid, she just needed toughening up, and she was always sucking up to my dad like crazy…"

I looked at him and wished even more that I still had the knife.

"You could make amends," I said. "Turn yourself in. And your brat pack siblings too."

"I told Alex that she was scared of water," Garam said slowly. "It's all my fault."

"Yeah. So go do the right thing."

Garam looked at me. I wished I could see his eyes. "Rudies don't like cops. Why're you so keen to help 'em?"

"Because I love – I loved your sister and I want you guys to suffer for what you did. That sensible enough for ya?"

Garam shrugged. "So it's not justice, it's revenge."

"Same thing."

"They ain't."

"Fine, then. Carry on living your wonderful life with your mummy and daddy and two little sisters. Forget the third one. Maybe if you get time – if you want a break from all the happiness – you can go put flowers on her grave or something."

I turned and dashed away from him.

Sable Blades. I had to find the Sable Blades. But where could their HQ be? They'd always appeared round the railway tracks somewhere. I think they went back there. So that could be my starting point…

I ground along the edge of the bridge over the tracks, then jumped.

I hit the roof of an unused train with a bone-breaking thud. For a moment I just lay there, listening to the music and voices from above me, then got to my feet and jumped onto the ground.

It was quieter down there, and dark too. The train cut off my view of Main Street. Rokkaku boxes loomed over me, the hexagons staring out, looking me over. The train was on my other side. I didn't glance into its abandoned windows. That would be too creepy for tonight. A ghost train with ghost people…

I wouldn't be scared of Akina. But if I saw Shiro's ghost I'd keel over.

Suddenly I heard the sound of skates. I dodged back into the darkness as I saw two white figures coming over the horizon. Noise Tanks.

"Oh, come on, Data, what's with you?" Omega was saying. "Look, they screwed us around often enough."

"Killing is wrong! Don't you get that, you hunk of junk?" she screamed.

"Look what they did to Gamma."

"He did that himself!"

"Giga? If Kellaani had been there I don't think we'd have been seeing so much mercy."

I flattened myself even further into the darkness. My nightdress was mid-blue, my jeans black. Was I dark enough?

"I wouldn't have killed her. She could have killed him but she didn't. But you…I don't want to share an HQ with you, do you hear me?"

"Is it that time of the month?"

Data slapped him. I smirked in the darkness. I hate it when guys make cracks like that.

"Come on, you gotta see how Giga is, haven't you?" Omega said, a reasoning tone entering his voice.

She skated on, past me, ignoring him. Walked round a stack of boxes. He followed her. There was a click, and when I finally ventured round to look, they'd both disappeared.

I shivered. This place was so damn ghostly. I didn't like it.

And what had the two Noise Tanks been saying? Killing…they'd been talking about the Sable Blades, they had to have been…no mercy…what had they done?

I carefully picked my way over the stones and began skating towards the area the two Noise Tanks had come from. My skates rattled over the gravel. I kept as far away from the railway lines as I could.

Once a train came rushing past, whipping my hair around my face and stinging my eyes, but I pressed myself against the wall and I was passed unscathed.

I kept on walking. Where did this lead to, anyway? I had a feeling I might be starting to walk out of Tokyo-to, and while that was where I wanted to be at present it would be nice to have somewhere to aim for.

I rounded the corner, and gasped. Below me a network of railway lines was spread out, glinting green in the city glow.

I could just keep walking…never be found again…

No. I had to find the Sable Blades, to check that they were okay as well as to escape myself.

At the edge of the leftmost railway line, the wall curved outwards, producing a sort of layby. And there was some sort of structure there…

I grinned, and started to pick my way towards it.

It was completely silent. The city sounds had faded. So had the rattle of the trains. I shivered as the night air passed over my skin like a bird's shadow, and kept on walking.

Wait…

Someone was crying.

A cold hand squeezed my stomach, and I walked faster.

The Sable Blade HQ was the remains of a disused train carriage, the roof and one wall almost gone, the seats ripped and dirty. I could just make out two figures, one lying on the ground, one kneeling and sobbing.

The lying one looked all too similar to how Shiro had when I'd last seen him.

"What's going on?" I called. "Jin? Ringo?"

"Kellaani?" It was Jin.

I stepped into the carriage. It rocked slightly under my feet. I could smell blood, again.

"What's happened?" I said.

"The Noise Tanks…they…they surprised us…Data just knocked me around a bit…but O – Omega, he…he's…"

"Ringo's dead," I said, surprised at how flat my voice sounded.

Jin nodded, and carried on crying. "It was all so quick…I couldn't do anything…nor could Data…"

I put an arm round her shoulders. Her red hair seemed damper than normal. I could guess with what.

"Listen," I said. "We need to get out of here. Both of us. Omega will come back for you, the guy's a maniac. And I've just – just done something bad and I have to get out of Tokyo-to."

"But what can we do?" Jin looked up at me, tears of light running down her face. "I don't know what to do…Chiyo would have sorted this sort of thing…"

I gave her a little shake. "Well, Chiyo's not here. It's just you and me. Now think. Where can we go?"

"Who are you running from?" Jin asked.

"The cops." I tried to speak lightly. No sense in frightening her more already.

"If you stay in Japan they'll find you," Jin said, rubbing tears across her face with one hand. "You have to get out of the country…"

"And you? Do you have friends or relations who'd help you?" I tried to speak positively, tried to ignore the chill of fear at the thought of really, properly, going on the run.

She shrugged. "My sister. She doesn't want me living with her but maybe…maybe…she could help me…"

"Okay. Your sister's in Japan?"

She nodded.

"Then it looks like we'll have to split up. How can I get out of this country?"

Jin shrugged. "Stow away on a plane? Oh, I don't know…Ringo's dead, Kellaani, he's dead…"

"I know, but he wouldn't want you to get dead too. Come on, start walking! Now, do we have any money?"

"The spray paint funds…"

"Right. Grab it."

Jin got to her feet, looking like she didn't know what else to do, and began rummaging inside one of the burst seat cushions. Eventually she drew out a bulging purse. I took it and counted the money.

Maybe enough for a plane ticket.

"How will you get to your sister's?"

"I'll hitch…I've done it before."

"So I can take this?" I hefted the purse.

"Yes…"

"Thanks. Have you got anything from here you want to take?"

She shook her head.

"Right. Get me a blanket."

Jin pulled one off one of the wrecked seats. "Why?"

"Because showing respect for the dead is a good thing to do."

Gently I spread the blanket over Ringo. Blood started to seep through it almost immediately. I tagged the wall of the train.

Goodbye Ringo.

And goodbye Sable Blades as well. Another lot of allies gone. Now I was on my own.

I left Jin when I got to Tokyo airport. I didn't know how far she'd get, but she told me she'd be all right. I wished her luck and watched her walk away. And that was that. My last sight of the Sable Blades.

Now, where to go?

I lurked at the airport entrance, uncomfortably aware of the brown bloodstains all down my front. I didn't have much time. Shiro would have been found by now and mum would have wasted no time in calling the cops. They'd be scouring out the local rudie population, seeing as mum knew I was one…and they'd doubtless be checking the airports sooner or later. Shit.

The nearest country I could think of was America.

And every rudie knew there were other rudies in Grind City.

It looked like my only option.

I went and asked if they had any spaces on planes to Grind City. I was in luck. There was a space on one leaving in an hour.

I headed to the Departure Lounge, my hands shaking. I was getting closer to escape. I had to keep calm.

A quick trip to the bathroom and I'd got the blood off my hands, and made an attempt at getting it off the front of my clothes. Then I went and sat down, and waited. It was pretty late. Not many others were travelling.

As I sat there, my thoughts drifted back to Akina. I felt tears rise up again, but quickly blinked them away. She was safe now, at least. Safe from her siblings and from Alex and from everyone. She'd be all right.

I pictured her looking down at me, but rejected the idea. She'd be horrified at what I'd done to Shiro, and I didn't want her to be horrified with me.

Would Garam turn himself in? I hoped so. Someone should suffer for Akina's death. Someone better had.

Ringo and Jin. Poor idiots. I hoped Jin would come out all right. She wasn't exactly strong at the moment.

Ringo would be up there too. Wherever there was.

An impossibly perky voice announced that it was time to board. I got to my feet, yawning so hard my face felt like it would split open. In a trance I walked along a tunnel into the plane, and sat down. I think I was already dozing off when I felt the plane start to move. Faster and faster, and then that peculiar feeling in my stomach as we became airborne.

I stared out of the window, once. Huge banks of blue cloud lying underneath a black, unforgiving sky. Was I close to those who'd died, I remember thinking. Was Akina watching the plane pass a few feet below her? Did she know I was here? Did she know I missed her like crazy?

I sure hoped so.

I fell asleep then.

My ears popped when we touched down. The sun was streaming in through the window, hurting my eyes. I sat up, stretched, feeling the sweat and dirt coating my clothes. My feet were hot and tired inside my skates and my neck ached.

We were hustled out of the plane, and I stood on American soil.

Grind City, here I come.

(A/N – I realise that in light of the recent events involving planes and America, this could be said to be bad taste, but it's a central part of the story so I didn't want to change it. I'm really sorry if I have offended anyone and offer my condolences to all affected by the tragedy.)

NOW PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Oh, and if anyone wanted to see a pic of Kell, go to www.side7.com/cgi-bin/S7SDB/DisplayImg.pl?INO=54304. It's kinda big but hey, bigger is better, right? Right? Oh, well…