Chapter 22: One Wish
It felt like I was falling. Like that feeling you get when your in a roller coaster. You know, and your going down that long, long...drop. When the colors came, I felt like someone had squeezed the air of me. I remembered vaguely. My vision had gotten blurry and I felt like I was being electrified. Gouji was behind the waves, the colors, the shinning, I knew it...but now...I dont know where I am.
I felt like I was a ghost. Ichigo screamed that everyone was frozen. They were frozen and then their souls were taken. Mine along with them. I dont know how, but something happened to me, and not them.
If something did happen to me? Why only me? Why was all this happening to me? I looked up. "Hello!?" I called out, my voice only echoed in the darkness. What if I never made it out? I fell to my knees and drew them up to my chest. "No..." I said and started to cry.
o—o
Zero looked at the fallen body of Rhythm laying peacefully on the ground. He put one arm under her head, one under her knees and lifted her up. "What happened?" he asked.
Spiral shook her head. "No...Rei-chan...she...she.."
Spiral couldnt get the words out and Arachne stopped her.
"Shes not going to die!" yelled Arachne, as she put her hands on Spirals shoulders, gripping them firmly. "Dont say shes gonna die!"
Spiral nodded and Ichigo pushed herself up from the glass. "Well what are we going to do? All of Tokyo-to is frozen..." She turned back to look out at downtown Shibuya-cho. "Except for us...thats strange. How come we werent frozen?"
Metal looked off into the sky. "How about we go back to the garage." He turned back toward the GGs. "It wont do much use just standing around here."
Blaze tapped his watch. "You guys...whats up with Jet Set Radio?" he asked. "Its all fuzzy...and playing old songs, and yeuck..." He scrunched up his nose as some weird old sounding song came on. It sounded like disco mixed with classical music. He looked up at the confused GGs.
The music ended and Silent Night came on. "AHHHH!!" screamed all the GGs at the same time. "Alright! We gotta find out whats going on fast!" shouted Sketch about to take off toward the elevator. He stopped. "But the question is...where do we go?"
"How about the GGs?" asked Arrow, holding her hands together. Zero turned around, swinging Rhythm around with him. "Where are they?" he asked. "I mean, they just sort of left after that night Rhythm brought down the old tapes."
Night crossed his arms and dug his foot into the ground. "I know where..." He nodded and Spiral and Metal who nodded at eachother. "The old garage." The three said at the same time.
o—o
"Youd think theyd keep this place better than this." said Night as he hopped over a fence. Only him, Spiral, Metal and Ichigo went. The others had stayed at the garage with Rhythm, keeping them updated on her condition every now and then.
Spiral hopped over the fence, followed by Ichigo on Metals back. "WHEEEE!!" she shouted as Metal landed face first on the floor, and Ichigo bounced off of him.
Metal coughed and sputtered, and then managed to stand up after brushing himself off. "Where are they?" he asked.
"Honeyyyy! The kids are here!" shouted Beat running down, in what seemed to be his old rudie clothes. His green shirt, black pants and a pair of white socks. His hair was combed back like he used to have it, and had on his shades.
"You look...young." said Spiral, and blinked.
"Hey! Im only 36 years old!" whined Beat.
"Your old, in 4 years youll be 40." said Spiral, without a hint of emotion in her voice. She smirked and watched as Beat threw a weird adult tantrum.
"BEAT!" shouted Gum from behind him. She was wearing her old outift, only her hair wasnt short anymore, but went down her back and ended a bit above her waist. She was tapping her foot. "What the hell are you doing!?"
Beat pointed to Ichigo, Metal, Night and Spiral. "The kids are here!" he shouted happily.
Gum sweatdropped and turned toward Spiral. "Whats up?" she asked.
Spiral sighed and was the first to talk. "In case you havent noticed, Tokyo-to has been frozen in time." The information took awhile to process in Beat and Gums minds, before they both yelled, "WHAT!?"
Spiral sweatdropped. "Uh...yes, and Rhythm wont wake up. She passed out a few minutes after the wave. "Passed out?" asked Gum. Metal nodded. "She just fell to the ground." he said, shaking his head and sighing.
Gum looked worried. "Is she alright?" she asked biting a nail.
"Well all we know is that it had something to do with the wave." said Spiral shaking her head. "And we need your help...maybe you might know whats wrong with her?"
Beat and Gum looked at eachother and nodded following the two off into the frozen Tokyo-to.
o—o
After Arrow and Arachne had gotten the sleeping/unconcious form of Rhythm into a silver long sleeved shirt and some of her red shorts, she was laid on the couch in the garage. A flanel blankey drapped over, she looked so peaceful, like she was in her own world. The GGs could do nothing but stand by her side, and wait to see if anything happened, the occasionally tried calling out her name, but nothing worked. After awhile, the remaining GGs, minus Zero took off toward downtown Shibuya again, in hopes of trying to find out. Zero remained watching Rhythm. She looked so pale and the color had been drained from her lips. Her usual full of life smile was gone, but replaced by an emotionless look. Her eyes were closed, but her eyebrows remained simply raised at an equal height. She had her arms crossed over her stomach. Her red-brown hair was all over the pillow. She just looked so peaceful.
Zero looked at Rhythm. "Rhythm..." Flashbacks of their first meeting played in his head. Her bumrushing him, Rhythm getting freaked, riddles. All of it. He had first fallen in love with Rhythm when he saw her and Spiral dancing that night, right before they left. Rhythm had been in her underwear, wearing a weird scarf thingy and a t-shirt. She had her long, waist-length hair out and was pretending to be a Jpop star, singing horribly, but it was funny. There was but so many times they got to do something that much fun.
Later that night, Rhythm and Zero had been talking, and Rhythm opened up a bit more to him, telling him how her parents would fight over her day and night, until one day, Beat left, and came back a week later. She told him about how hard her parents were on her when she turned 11, how she wished they would die, how she wished she wasnt the daughter of the famed Gum and Beat on the GGs. Stuff she told him she had never told Spiral, or anyone. She thought he would understand because Spiral grew up with her, but didnt know her know her, even if they were best friends. She told him how she felt about carrying the weight her parents had put on her. She told him a lot of things he would never would have guessed about Rhythm. Now she needed him, even if she wasnt awake, he would find out what was wrong with her. He was in love with the girl after all, and he wouldnt let her die.
"Dont worry Rhythm, Ill find out whats wrong with you. I promise." Zero knelt down and hesistated for a moment before kissing her.
Just as his lips touched he thought he heard Rhythms voice saying, "HEY! YOU CANT KISS ME!"
o—o
They were all at Rokkakus building, minus Rhythm and Zero who were still at the garage. "Yes! YOUR SOULS! ALL OF YOUR SOULS! I NEED YOU SOULS! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOUR SOULSSSSSS!!" Belowed Rokkaku from the top of the Onitaka tower. He held his arms up as if the heavens were giving him the power to do this. He laughed evily, and the people of Tokyo-to started to stand, only there souls were being taken. In the midist of all of this stood Rhythm, spirit Rhythm. Why was she effected but her gang members werent?
"Is this how its going to end?" she asked herself.
"No..." said a voice from behind her.
"Who are...wait a sec, you look familiar." said Rhythm squinting at the strange but familiar character. "Wait a sec...your...your Sakkis father, Coin!"
"I see you still remember, I died right after Sakura was born, Ive seen shes grown into a beautiful young lady." He nodded off toward Spiral who was staring at the people of Tokyo-to raising up like zombies.
"Coin? Where am I?" asked Rhythm, staring at her hands.
"On the line between life and death. You see Rhythm, Gouji knew about you, he knew about your parents, he knew that if he killed you, the GGs would probably go into shock and run from Tokyo-to. Thats been his plan from the very beginning. I know it sounds strange but the only way you can go back is if you break the seal. I cant gaurntee that it will work, but youll have a chance if you do. Itll bring you back to the real side, only, youll wake up in your body, and not here." said Coin shaking his head.
"Seal?" asked Rhythm.
Coin pointed toward the top of the Rokkaku building. "The seal was used once before. It is a large mediallion representing life and death. Gouji is using it to trap the souls of the people of Tokyo-to. You dont have much time you have to do it now."
Rhythm nodded. "Right..." She turned toward the seal and narrowed her eyes. She jumped into the sky and giggled. "Wow! Cool! Flying!!" She twirled in the air and Cion narrowed his eyes, and she stuck her tounge out and pushed off into the air, flying toward the seal. She flew straight for the two discs and they shattered in a burst of light, and the souls of the people of Tokyo-to were released into the air.
o—o
Rhythm opend her eyes a bit, Rhythm blinked. Did it work? She saw Zero was holding her, and she felt her face turn bright red. This was one thing Rhythm hated. When guys hugged her, the usual only did this try and feel her up. She tapped on his shoulder and whispered. "Zero."
Zero immediately snapped back and saw Rhythm smiling at him. "Rhythm!? What the!? What the he--" He was silenced by Rhythm putting a finger over his lips. "Shh, whats important is Im right here, and we have to get over to downtown Shibuya."
Rhythm pushed herself over the couch and ran toward her room, pulled on some skates and a hat, and turned toward Zero who was still awe struck that Rhythm made it back that fast from whatever had happened to make her faint. She came back into the room. "Common! We dont have that much time Zero!"
Zero shook his head. Whatever Rhythm knew that he didnt, he was sure it wasnt good.
