(A/N:  Okay, I want to make sure something's clear: this is not a self-insertion fic; Cat is not me.  And neither is anyone else in here.  Okay then.)

Black Rose awoke with the thought that it sounded like the terrible Shibuya street band was trying to play a jazz piece in her head… except for the fact that the painful pounding in her ears had some kind of rhythm.  She found herself sitting on a chair in what appeared to be a dark, abandoned house.  She tried to stand, but her hands and skates were tied to the chair crosspieces.  An attempt to break the ropes proved that her captors had been quite careful with the knots.

A snicker told her that she was not alone in the room.  "Sorry," a soft voice addressed her, "but there ain't no chance of that."

Black Rose tried to breathe more slowly as she distinguished the sound of movement.  "Here," the voice continued, "I guess you'd like some light."

A light flickered on above Black Rose.  She looked to her right, where she had heard the noises, and assessed the boy sitting a few feet away from her.

He was skinny, about her age and height, with shaggy dark blonde hair just past his ears and, oddly, eyes that seemed to be of auburn color.  He wore black jeans and a sleeveless dark grey shirt with a gang symbol on it, the same as the one on Wax's back.  Black Rose stared at it, the fiery red outline making the upside-down black cross burn into her mind.

"Hey," he greeted.  "I'm not supposed to talk to you, but I'm gonna anyway."

The surprised look on her face made him grin.  "Not what you expected, huh?  …Oh, my name's Pulse," he informed her.  "I ain't supposed to tell ya that either."

"Why am I here?" Black Rose asked, voicing the most urgent question to come to her mind.  "Where's Wax?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.  "Wax?  Yeah, I assumed you two knew each other."  He cocked his head, studying her.  "Are you related?"

Does it matter if he knows?  Probably not.  She nodded.

"To be honest… which is exactly what I ain't supposed to be doing… I don't know why you're here.  Wax set it up, but I guess ya knew that."

Black Rose continued to stare at Pulse.  "Why are you talking to me?"

He made a face.  "'Cause I gotta guard ya, so to speak.  I ain't gonna sit here bored outta my mind, 'specially since you're awake.  That'd be too creepy for me.  Besides, I don't care if I give away any 'vital information.'"

"Why not?" Black Rose inquired.  She didn't think she should be talking to him, but she was too curious.

He laughed without humor.  "I'm stuck here," he explained.  "I want out.  My gang and its… intentions… ain't something I'm comfortable with.  I can't leave, though, not with my life.  Or at least, not with a very happy life."

"Why did you join?" Black Rose asked, beginning to wonder if this boy might let her go.

Pulse laughed again, this time sounding regretful.  "Never mind that.  I ain't even supposed to be talking to you."

"I thought you didn't care," she reminded him.  "And if you really don't, why don't ya just let me go?"

"Sorry, honey.  I may not like my gang members, but I don't got a death wish here.  Now I think we both better shut up before someone decides to come in here and slit your throat.  Mine too, for that matter."  He shrugged, then lapsed into silence.

Black Rose sighed to herself.  "Wait," she said after a moment.  "One thing Wax would never tell me… what's your gang's name?"

Pulse flipped disobedient hair out of his eyes.  "Us?  We're Bloody Murder."

*          *          *

Hand faced Blue Flame, Star, and Snap, the pale morning light of Hikage Street venturing over the tall buildings around the group.  "Guys," he addressed them, deciding to break the news as quickly as possible, "I think Black Rose is in trouble."

He observed their reactions.  Blue Flame's blue eyes went wide; Star's mouth fell open.  Snap stopped staring at Blue Flame and looked at Hand.

Drawing in a deep breath, Hand continued, "Black Rose got a phone call last night, or rather, early this morning.  She wouldn't tell me who it was, but…  I think it was Wax."

Blue Flame's face darkened and she swore under her breath.  "Please tell me she didn't go to see him."

Hand shook his head.  "I can't tell ya anything.  She didn't want to tell me where she was going."  He felt personally to blame.  "I shouldn't have let her go."

"That," Blue Flame pointed out, "is now irrelevant.  We gotta go find her… as soon as possible."

Dazed, Hand nodded.  He still couldn't believe he had let Black Rose go alone, but it had been early and…  Forget it, he told himself as he took off toward Ayame Street, the other three just behind him.  There's just no excuse for being that stupid.

Blue Flame skated up beside him.  "Don't take it so hard," she whispered, as if having read his thoughts.  "There wasn't anything ya could've done.  This has happened before, remember?  To Black Rose, Wax is still the same half-brother she used to be so close to.  She just can't accept how much he's changed since he last fit that description."

*          *          *

"Some place ya got here," Speed commented, looking over the same sunrise Tip and Cat had been watching.  He grinned at his sister, sitting beside him on the rooftops.  "So, how's life been to you in the past couple years, Sparky?"

"Told ya not to call me that… Speedy."

"Touché.  Spark.  So how've you been?"

Spark smiled.  "Pretty good, I guess.  Tip and Cat are cool, but it's been kinda empty without you.  You're gonna stay, right?"

Speed did not meet her gaze.  "I'm leaving, Spark."

The words came without thought.  "Then I'll go with you."

Speed shook his head, still avoiding her eyes.  "You'll stay here.  Your friends need you.  Besides, I have no idea where I'll go.  You're better off—"

"I don't care where I'm better off!" Spark returned, her voice growing louder.  "You were always overprotective, Speed.  If I should stay here, why don't you stay too?"  She realized too late that she needed to think about what she was saying, but the words kept escaping her mouth before she could catch them.  "I'm sure Tip would let you join Dark Storm.  We could use another member; things are getting tougher all the time out here.  You saw what almost happened yesterday…"

Speed stared at her.  "You're kidding, right?  Join your gang?  I, uh, I don't think Tip would want me with you guys," he mumbled, trying to think of an excuse.

"Of course she would," Spark argued.  She stood and grabbed her brother's hand, dragging him up with her.  "Come on, we can go ask her."

"Spark, I don't think this is a good idea," Speed told her.  His words did not slow Spark as she released him and jumped on a wire, grinding to where Cat and Tip sat atop a larger, separated building overlooking the water.  Heaving a sigh, Speed followed.

"Tip!" Spark called as she reached the building and hopped off.  Speed jumped after her as she asked, "Would you let Speed join Dark Storm?"

Tip looked from Spark to Speed and laughed.  "Of course.  I mean, I just assumed that…"  She stopped, then glanced at Speed.  "I just assumed he would.  We could sure use another member, 'specially with those weird kids hanging around the residential zone."

Speed shook his head and looked down at the ground, then back up at the two girls in front of him.  "Are you sure?"

Tip nodded.  "If you are.  Oh, and first, you should know that being a member of Dark Storm means that Cat and I will mock you on a regular basis.  We'll also probably play an 'occasional' practical joke.  It's fun for us, but not for you.  Ya still want to join, you're welcome to.  Of course, you'll have to pass some tests first, but you can be… uh… an honorary member until we get a chance."

Speed grinned.  "I think I can handle all of that."

"Dude, you're dense," Cat commented.

Tip leaned back and grinned at Cat.  "We are gonna have fun with him."

"Oh, yes," Cat agreed, an evil smile on her face.  Her manner turned serious as she gazed over the water.  "Hey, where're Yoyo and Tab?"

"I don't know," Tip answered, "but Tab had better be lying on that couch recovering, or I'll have to hurt him myself."

A soft laugh came from behind them, along with the noise of skates grinding down a wire.  "No worries on that, yo."

"Well," Spark put in helpfully, "here's Yoyo."

Yoyo was grinning.  "I heard most of that.  Congratulations, Speed.  Ya got yourself a good gang.  As an honorary member, that is."

Speed laughed and smiled at Spark.  "Lucky me."

Yoyo turned to Tip.  "For reference, Tab hasn't moved."  His grin grew wider.  "Maybe you should go check on him, Tip."

Tip said nothing, but her cheeks turned pink.  "Come to think of it," she responded, surprising everyone, "maybe I will."  Standing, she skated off.  "Oh, and Spark," she called back, "you and Speed should go catch up somewhere… give these two a little privacy."  She winked at Cat, whose fiercely flushed face matched Yoyo's.

Tip laughed all the way back to Dark Storm's home.

*          *          *

Blade surveyed the four members of his gang (minus Pulse): his brother Ellipse, Petal, Wax, and the new addition Glitch.  He shook his head to himself, wondering if any of them would survive the day.  Don't matter.  It's now or never.

"Ready?" he asked them.  There were general nods; a vehement one from Wax, a curt one from Glitch.  They were as ready as they'd ever be.

"Someone get Pulse," he ordered, waiting as Wax obeyed.  "Who wants to stay here and guard the girl?"

"I will," Glitch volunteered, surprising all present.  "I'm sure all of you are better at turf war than I am.  I ain't exactly experienced in the field."

Wax returned with Pulse, who reported that their captive was asleep.  Blade nodded his approval.  "Wax, why is it again that we don't kill her?"

"We aren't killin' her," Wax said.  "Glitch can follow us after about ten minutes… by then it won't matter if she gets away or not."  By then Hand will have figured it out and come after her, he continued silently.  And then he's mine.

"Are ya sure about this, Blade?" Petal asked, her voice wavering.  "I don't know if—"

"I'm sure," Blade interrupted her.  "We have weapons, they don't; how can we lose?  If ya don't come out alive… well, that ain't my problem.  If you're afraid, don't come.  But don't dare question my orders, or you're gonna regret it."

"Blade, I really don't think—" Petal tried again.

"Shut up, Petal," he warned, face flushing with anger.  "Or I'll hurt you, I swear."

"But I—"

True to his word, Blade brought the back of his fist hard across her face.  She yelped and stumbled back, a hand raised to her cheek, which was turning a bright pink.

"Don't hit her!" Pulse yelled, running up and positioning himself between Petal and Blade.  Blade looked the smaller boy up and down, wearing a skeptical expression.

"All right," he agreed after a moment.  "Then I'll hit you."  Without any further warning, he dealt Pulse a solid punch in the stomach.

Blade stepped back as Pulse lost his balance and fell forward to his knees, the breath expelled instantly from his body.  He was placing his open hands on the ground and gasping for air when the front wheel of Blade's skate came swiftly up into his face.  The connection was audible as it nailed him in the mouth, flipping his small frame backwards.  He landed hard on his back, blood in his wake.

Ellipse was watching wide-eyed; Wax seemed to be hiding a smile.  Glitch's face was emotionless as always, shadowed black glasses eerily mirroring the reddish color that was filling his view.  Pulse rolled onto his side as Blade stepped over him, shaking his head.

"I knew you were pretty stupid, Pulse," he remarked.  "I just didn't know exactly how stupid."  He glanced up at Petal, then back to his bleeding henchman.  "She ain't worth it, ya know…  But, of course, it's too late now."  Grinning, he placed one heavy skate on Pulse's chest, trapping him against the ground.

"Stop!"  Petal was crying.  She ran over and grabbed Blade's arm, the red mark still visible on her cheek.  "Don't hurt him, Blade.  He didn't mean nothin'."

He glanced at her.  "Really.  What makes ya think this's about you?"  He turned his attention to the girl at his side.  "He's opposed me on everything I've done since I got here, and ya think this's about you?"

Unconstrained tears were slipping down Petal's face.  "You said I ain't worth it.  Don't ya care about me at all anymore, Slow?"  Her face turned ashen as she realized that she had made a fatal mistake.  "I mean, um—"

But Blade was not willing to let it pass.  He raised his skate and let Pulse go, deciding to deal with him later.  The injured boy did not move; he appeared to be having plenty of trouble breathing.  Blade glared at Petal.  "What did you just call me?"

"I, uh," Petal stammered.  You called him by his old name, you moron, her mind seemed to sing.  You've seen what happens to people who make that mistake…  "See, what I meant was—"

In less than a second Blade's knife was in his hand, its point touching Petal's throat.  "What?  What did you mean?" he asked, his voice softer and more dangerous than ever.

Petal squeezed her eyes shut, tears sliding out on both sides.  "Please don't hurt me," she whimpered.

Blade became aware of Ellipse's hand on his shoulder.  "Blade," he whispered, "we ain't got time for this."

Silently cursing his younger, more sensible brother, Blade withdrew his knife from the quivering Petal.  She dropped to her knees, sobbing.  Blade gave her a disgusted look, then turned to Pulse.

Hauling the barely-conscious boy up by the front of his shirt, Blade grabbed Pulse's right arm and twisted it around.  "See this?" he demanded, indicating the black-and-red design tattooed on Pulse's shoulder.  "That's my symbol.  Ya got it there 'cause you're part of my gang.  That was your choice, not mine.  It's too late for you to go back now, so now ya got one more chance and one more choice.  Either you shut up and do what I tell ya, or I'll kill you right here, right now.  What's it gonna be, kid?"

Pulse had closed his eyes and was trying unsuccessfully not to listen.  Blade gave him a rough shake and he coughed up blood once more, almost in tears.  A thin trail of dark red trickled down the side of Pulse's mouth as he spat a tooth onto the ground, muttering semi-coherently, "Whatever you say, master."

Blade's fist opened and dropped Pulse to the ground, where he lay panting.  "You remember that, kid," Blade growled, ignoring Pulse's foolish sarcasm.  "I ain't gonna be so forgiving again.  I gave my gang its name for a reason."  He gave Ellipse a deadened stare.  "Are ya happy now?"

Ellipse shrugged and said nothing; usually, he knew, the safest thing to do when his brother was angry.  And he was angry at the moment.

Wax was grinning as Blade stalked off.  "That was hilarious."

Glitch turned wordlessly, leaving for his guard duty.  Frowning, Ellipse watched him go.  There was something odd about Glitch, something that didn't seem right…  Ellipse hadn't heard him speak a word since his arrival, which had been only a few hours ago, but Wax and Pulse had rarely stopped talking.  That, and he seemed somehow… familiar…

Shaking his head, Ellipse glanced down at Petal, who was still weeping, then at Pulse, who seemed to be in a semiconscious state.  His gaze moved to his older brother.

"Blade," he said under his breath, "you are such an idiot."

(A/N: *evil laugh* Hey, that was fun!  Tell me, great Lotus-sama, master of hurting characters, how did I do? ^_^)

*          *          *

Voices, faint, skates on the ground… closer now… someone's coming in…

Black Rose's eyes opened from her sleep, and she looked up at the sound of the door opening.  "Who are you?" she asked, trying her hardest to sound calm and awake as she studied her new guard.  He was taller and looked older than Pulse (and about twice his size), and wore a dark grey sweatshirt and dark grey jeans.  Sunglasses blocked any view she might have had of his face.

"Shhh," he ordered, his voice low.  He glanced at her.  "So you're Black Rose."

Black Rose stared at him.  "Yes, I am.  Who're you?"

"Glitch."  His gaze turned toward the door.  "Be quiet until they've gone."

Confused, Black Rose said nothing more.  She saw, though, that Glitch wore no noticeable gang symbol: no visible tattoos, no markings on his sweatshirt…

"They're out," Glitch informed her.  He turned to Black Rose and pulled a knife out of his left sleeve.  She didn't have time to be afraid before he cut the ropes on her arms.

"Hold still," he commanded when she jerked away.  "I'm not gonna hurt you."  He slit the ropes on her feet, and she jumped up.

"Hey!  Hang on a minute."  He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back as she tried to bolt for the door.

"Or what?" Black Rose demanded.  "You'll slash me?"  Why am I sweating?  And my head hurts…  It was then that the fear and confusion of the day caught up to her, and she staggered forward.  Only Glitch's grip on her arm kept her standing.  Embarrassed, she forced herself to stand on her own, pushing him away.

As for Glitch, he seemed to be getting annoyed.  "Just listen to me, okay?  If you go out now, they'll catch you anyway."  Releasing her, he skated backwards until he stood in front of the door, effectively blocking Black Rose's only escape route.

"First of all," he began, "I already know your name is Black Rose, and you're the leader of the Romantic Energies of Hikage Street.  Right?"

Black Rose nodded, wondering how that was relevant.  Actually, it probably isn't.

"Okay, then," Glitch murmured.  He thought for a moment.  "What relation do you have to that little jerk Wax?"

"He's my half-brother," Black Rose replied.  She was also beginning to get irritated.  "Why?"

"Stop getting mad at me, this's important.  Does Wax hate anyone in your gang?  …Or like anyone?"

Black Rose was becoming even more confused.  Yes, he hates Hand; and Blue Flame I'm not sure of…  "Yeah, I guess…"

Then," Glitch continued, "he or she is in danger."  He paused.  "Blade and the others should be gone by now.  Come with me."  He stepped away from the door and opened it, stopping in the doorway to add, "Please, just trust me… or both of us are gonna regret it."

*          *          *

Tab looked up as Tip came grinding down the ladder into the home of her gang.  "Hey," he greeted her.  "Where're the others?"

"Well, when I left, Cat and Yoyo were watching the end of the sunrise, and Spark and Speed were just leaving them alone," Tip replied, attaching a singsong tone to the last word.  She smiled at him.  "How ya feelin'?"

"A lot better. I think I should try getting up tomorrow."

Tip's face saddened.  "Then you'll be leaving."

He looked away.  "Yeah, I guess so.  I need to get back to my gang.  They still don't know where I am."

Tip sighed as she sat on the floor next to the couch.  "Too bad."

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence, then Tip spoke.  "So… where do the GGs live?  I don't go through the sewers very often myself.  Dark Storm isn't aggressive when it comes to turf; we just defend what we have.  Where are you guys?"

Tab seemed embarrassed.  "We're near an old factory… just off Ayame Street."

Tip raised her eyebrows.  "Ayame, huh?  Home to the HGs, if I'm not mistaken."

Tab sighed.  "Yup.  Hopefully not for long.  They have seven members, and we just got our seventh member awhile ago.  Pretty soon we'll probably challenge 'em."

"Really… Ayame is Cat's hometown, ya know."

"Is it?"  Tab had a sudden thought.  "Where're you from?"

"Me?"  Tip grinned.  "You're looking at a proud Kibogaoka native.  And you're from Dogenzaka, right?"

"Yeah… well, not originally, I don't think.  I was born somewhere in the Shibuya area, or so I assume.  I really don't know.  I'd have to ask my original parents, whatever happened to them…"

Okay, obviously he doesn't want to talk about that.  Tip changed the subject, something she was good at.  "And Spark and Speed are both from Dogenzaka?"

"As far as I know.  There were these other kids there, in the foster home…  Speed had a friend about his age, who had a younger brother.  They all used to take off skating together when I was still considered too young to go.  Spark had a friend there too, a girl who called herself… what was it… Petal.  I don't know what happened to her.  I always thought she was kinda messed up, but…"  He shrugged. 

Tip decided it was time for another good old-fashioned subject change.  "What about the rest of your gang?"

Tab laughed.  "What about 'em?"

"Well, what're they like?"

"I don't know if ya want to hear it," Tab muttered.  "But let's see.  I started the gang with my friend Gum.  She's real cool."  He grinned.  "You'd like her…  Then there's Yoyo.  He joined pretty quick after we started up.  He's, well, interesting.  No one seems to know much about him, and he doesn't exactly tell much."

"Yes, I've noticed that," Tip commented, thinking of Cat.  "Who else is there?"

"Well," Tab continued, making a face, "there's this little freak who calls himself Beat.  He joined us after Yoyo, just 'cause Gum said to give him a chance.  He thinks he'll become the leader of the GGs."  His face darkened.  "I'll kill him first."

He shrugged.  "Anyway, let's see…  After Beat we got Combo, then Mew, and then last we got Garam."

Tip looked surprised.  "With that many people, you haven't made it past the sewers yet?"

"We haven't really tried, and I don't intend to anymore, after my… uh… run-in with Poison Jam.  Garam was hanging around the sewers when we found him, but I think he was just trying to cause trouble with the PGs."

Tip laughed.  "I see.  Who are these PGs anyway?  I've heard about them, but I've never met 'em."

"They're the ones who chased me into the sewers in the first place," Tab admitted.  "The Prissy Girls of Rokkaku-Dai Heights…  They wear all pink and their graffiti is all daisies and junk like that.  They catch a guy on their turf… let's just say it ain't pretty.  Unless it's a guy who wants a makeover."

Tip tried not to laugh and did a passable job.  "What about… who was it… the Love Shockers?"

Tab shuddered.  "They're even worse.  If they catch a guy, well, they'll kill him when they're done with him…"  He grimaced.  "They've been after me for almost a year, ever since I accepted a dare to tag up their base in Hikage.  They did catch me once; I barely escaped with my life and…"  He stopped, for obvious reasons.  "I heard there's some other gang starting up there.  The Romantic Energies or something."

"Romantic Energies, huh?  Lovely name.  Ever met any of 'em?"

Tab shook his head.  "We're still new, so we stay pretty much in our garage, sometimes go spray Ayame Street or the Shibuya Terminal, just for the fun of it."

Tip thought for a moment.  "Who's in the Terminal?  Isn't it pretty dangerous, as far as the Rokkaku Police go?"

"Yeah… the BGs live there.  They're too stupid and weak to find anywhere else."

"The BGs?"

Tab laughed.  "They're new too, a jazz street band, or so they call themselves.  They're all total trash 'cept the trumpet player, and I don't know what he's doing with 'em.  The Police don't give them much trouble, since they hardly ever spray anything.  They're more concerned with damaging everyone's ears."

Tip grinned.  "For staying in your garage all the time, you know a fair amount about the other gangs in your area.  We're really pretty sheltered… the only gang we see much of is Poison Jam and Cube."

"What about the fortified residential zone?  Isn't there anyone there?"

Tip thought of Cat, and of the dream her friend had told her about.  "Yeah, but they're so new I haven't seen them.  I don't know."  She frowned.  "But for some reason I think Speed and Spark know something about 'em they're not telling me…"

(A/N: That was boring… yeah.  Oh, and the BGs are not named after the Bee Gees.  And yes, I've made up a lot of characters.  Most aren't relevant to the story, just weird things only my offline friends would understand.  So just ignore them. Everybody bored now?  Perfect.  Then we can move on…)

*          *          *

"What is that?" Snap complained as he followed Hand, Blue Flame, and Star through the Shibuya Terminal.  "Is someone getting strangled here?"

"No, but I can take care of that," Hand grumbled.  Aloud he said, "Shut up, Snap.  We're almost out."

Even Hand, however, had to admit that the terrible noise was already getting on his nerves.  He had heard stories about an awful street band that had taken up residence in Shibuya, but he hadn't taken them seriously until now.

"Come on, guys," Blue Flame encouraged her friends.  "After this all we've got is Ayame, Rokkaku-Dai, and—"

Snap stopped.  "Rokkaku-Dai?  B-but… what about the PGs?"

The other three stopped as well.  "You're scared of them?" Blue Flame demanded.  "They're PGs!"

"Easy for you to say," Snap retorted.  "You're a girl.  If they catch you, they won't give you a makeover or beat you up or toss you in the water or…"

Hand rolled his eyes.  "Well, we have to go through Ayame Street, and no girl is necessarily safe there."

Blue Flame almost punched him.  Star skated backwards a bit until she was next to Snap.  "We have to go through Ayame?  But, what about the HGs?  They're creepy…"

Blue Flame gave Hand an annoyed look.  "Come on, Star, we'll be fine.  They won't even know we're there."

"Oh, let them stay here," Hand told Blue Flame, raising his voice over the increasing volume of the street band.  "They can listen to this."  He gestured into the air, indicating the "musical" din.

"All right," Blue Flame conceded.  "We have to keep moving.  Who knows where Black Rose is, and what they might be doing to her…"

Hand winced, and a loud blast that sounded vaguely like a trombone made the other three do the same.  "Okay, I'll go," Star gave in.  "I'm not staying here."  She skated up to Blue Flame and Hand, followed by a reluctant Snap.  "But if we see the HGs, I'm making a run for it."

"They're the HGs," Blue Flame pointed out.  "They've got better things to do, like hit on every girl in sight.  All we gotta do is stay outta their sight.  Now come on… we need to find Black Rose."

*          *          *

Cat shifted uncomfortably.

For about three minutes she and Yoyo had sat in complete silence.  Tip had gone off to "check on" Tab.  Spark and Speed, taking Tip's very obvious hint, had also left the immediate area.  Yoyo had sat down a few feet away from Cat, who was trying to decide how best to get back at Tip.

"Look, Yoyo," she began hesitantly.  "I'm really sorry about Tip, she's—"

"Hey, it's okay," he told her, his voice sounding much more casual than hers.  "I should be the one apologizing."  Not every girl's unfortunate enough to have her best friend try to set her up with… well, me.

Cat shook her head.  Yoyo was male, but he could still be sweet.  "You don't have to," she whispered, instantly hoping he hadn't heard.  A disbelieving laugh informed her that that hope was useless.

"Yeah, right."  Yoyo pulled himself up next to her, which she found more than a bit unsettling.

"So," she said after a moment, "how's the weather?"

Again he laughed, but this time it was one of amusement.  "This," he remarked seriously, "is too perfect of a time to be talking about the weather, yo."

Cat looked at him, a bit confused by his words.  "Huh?"

He slid his arm around her shoulders.  "Do you mind?" he asked in a soft voice.  Please don't say yes.  Please please please…

Cat's thoughts were quite different.  Say yes, her mind was begging.  If you say yes, he'll leave.  Come on, say anything that will get him as far away from you as possible.  Anything!

"Of course not," she answered, cursing silently.  Well, at least I told the truth.  She leaned her head against Yoyo's shoulder, and the two watched as the sun continued its journey upward.

*          *          *

The five skaters stopped in front of the pipe that led from the Tokyo Underground Sewage Facility to its Bottom Point.  Turning to his gang, Blade gave his orders.  "All right, guys.  We go through Bottom Point, then cut back and take Ayame, then we come back and go to Kibogaoka.  If that's successful, we'll hold all of the sewer area plus the central point of the city, and we can take it from there.  This is just to stir everything up a bit.  Kill anyone who tries to interfere; leave everyone else alone.  Got it?"

Bloody Murder nodded.  "What about other gangs?" asked Wax.

Blade grinned.  "See if they'll join us.  If not, kill 'em.  …And you, kid," he addressed Pulse, "you better not do anything stupid, got it?"

Pulse gave him a slow nod, doing a fair job of containing his anger.  It had been a short while since the… incident, but the pain had not come close to decreasing.  His lower lip was cut badly and refused to stop bleeding, he was missing a tooth or two, and his stomach hurt where he had taken Blade's punch.  He had spent the past ten minutes dreaming of Blade's death.  Unconsciously his half-gloved hands clenched into fists, the attached metal claws on the glove of his left hand digging into his knuckles.  It felt good, some kind of pain he had control over…

"If you try anything," Blade warned him, "I'm slittin' your throat on the spot." He turned to the others before skating off.  "Let's get going.  It's turf war now."

*          *          *

Tapping the heel of her skate against the roof, Spark sighed.  Speed looked up from beside her.  "What?"

"Speed, I… I know you don't want to hear this, but I gotta know… did ya hear from Slow at all after I left?"

For a long time he did not answer.  "No," he said finally.  "Slow… he deserved what he got, okay?  Leave it at that.  There's no reason to—"

"Speed," Spark interrupted him, "I think he might be out."

Her brother stopped mid-sentence.  "What?  You're not serious, are ya?"

Spark spoke quickly, as unhappy about the subject as Speed was.  "Come on, Speed, would I joke about that?"  She shook her head and kicked at the edge of the roof.  "Cat said she saw some kids in the residential zone, through the sewers… wearing black and dark grey, with knives and guns and stuff.  I'd bet anything he's part of it."  She sighed again.  "I think Petal might be there too."

"Petal?!  That—"

Several fitting names for her former friend ran through Spark's mind, none of which she wanted to hear spoken aloud; so she cut in before Speed could say one of those terms.  "I know, I know.  Don't say it, okay?"

He obeyed.  "So now Slow's out.  And ya think he went to the fortified residential zone?"

"If he is out, he's probably part of that gang.  And so's Petal.  And Stride; you know the brothers are never far apart."  Spark looked at her own brother.  "And if they are there… they'll be lookin' for you, and maybe me too."

"You're right," he muttered.  "Have you actually seen 'em?"

"No… but we could go check the residential zone ourselves."

Speed raised his dark eyebrows.  "We'd have to tell Tip and Cat."

Spark gave him a look that quite accurately suggested that he would not like what she was about to say.  "Not necessarily.  I don't want to get them involved in this mess.  We could be back before they notice we're gone…"

(A/N: Okay, uh… I just want to know if people are reading this at all.  Even if you have nothing to comment about, reviewing to say "I read it" would work for me…  One last thing: Jessi, did you get my e-mail?  I just want to make sure it got sent.)