Chapter Eleven
By Sora
(Quick A/N: *hurls a brick at AngryScientist* Tab is NOT ugly, you goober! _ He is the second cutest GG guy, after Beat! *sticks tongue out* Well, in my opinion anyway – I bet Tal says different XD; I'm guessing Tab is your first choice, right Tal? XD; *shuts up*)
~
The anger and the indignation burned away at Tab's mind as he skated furiously through the bus terminal, pounding each skate into the ground in hopes to vent his frustration on it, possibly.
That bitch...
His throat tightened in fury, and he sped up to put a stop to the thoughts springing into his head.
That nasty, skanky bitch! She lied - she's just like them! I can't believe I liked her - I can't believe I ever trusted her!
It was still unbelievably hot outside - the sun hung high in the cloudless sky, a bright white orb that's light glanced off Tokyo-To, like a giant scrap of metal.
It was so hot - almost as if some invisible hand had held a magnifying glass to the sun in hopes of frying them all, like little, scurrying ants.
Tab remembered seeing the kids at school, when they were younger, next to an ant-pile, magnifying glasses ready.
'Heh - look at 'em fry!'
'OH! I got two at once!'
'Cool!'
'Hey Taro, what's up with you!? Dontcha wanna join us?'
Tab continued walking by, arms clenched around his text books. Footsteps came up behind him.
"No..."
Tab shook his head furiously. This wasn't the time to be reminiscing...
He grinded down the stair banister into the half-pipe, skates clattering loudly on the concrete as he landed.
I hate Mew - I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!!
He growled slightly to himself, before speeding up his dash down the pipe.
I gotta get my mind off her...
Tab hit his wristwatch, letting the music pour out. Turning up 'Yellow Bream' loud enough to quell his thoughts, he rushed down the half-pipe.
Halfway to Center Street, he took an abrupt turn, rode up the side of the half pipe, and flipped. As he passed the wall, he brought out a spray can and hastily scribbled 'Tab' across the concrete before he landed in the pipe again. He did this several times, until he'd sprayed his name along the pipe about twenty times. Sighing, he took off again, for Center Street.
Jumping in the pipe did lessen the angry feeling bubbling inside him, but the feeling remained, ready to jump and overwhelm him, and most likely make him scratch somebody's eyes out.
The gate gave a metallic clang as he shoved it aside, with much more force than intended - he didn't care though, obvious by the way he marched up the steps, fists clenched.
I sat far back in the corner of the History classroom, hunched over my paperwork as I filled out questions about the Vietnam War - I was far ahead, certainly farther than everyone else. I knew that I was probably going to be the only one with no homework, unlike Miyazaki and her friends as they giggled and chatted a few desks away from me.
Suddenly, a wad of paper smacked me in the side of my head. I looked over at Miyazaki furiously – she was giggling at me.
Face burning, I grabbed the wad of paper and was ready to chuck it back when –
'Miss Sumner, get back to work! And see me after class – students shall not disrupt this class by throwing things!'
'But – Miyazaki started-'
'Get back to work!'
Miyazaki was giggling again.
Angrily, Tab hurled a spray can at the wall he'd been considering tagging, where it exploded, leaving a large spatter of orange paint across the bricks. The broken shell of the can clattered loudly to the ground, dripping with remaining paint.
Where is all of this coming from? …Sumner? Who the hell is Sumner?
He kicked the remains of the spray can several yards down the incline, watching as it clattered away, leaving a trail of orange paint.
Scared.
I was scared out of my mind.
No – I was terrified.
I'd just killed my father! But – what had happened? Everything had gone red – I felt so ANGRY – but I'd never hurt my dad!
…I couldn't have done it!
It was dark outside as I skated wobbly through Shibuya – I still hadn't spent enough time practicing on my skates!
Suddenly, pink smoke exploded in front of me. Coughing, I stumbled back, frightened.
"Hey little girl, you certainly look heart-broken!"
I squinted and saw a tall figure in the smoke. The breeze eventually blew away the smoke, leaving curling tendrils of it that snaked around my skates.
"What's a lonely looking girl like you doing out at this time of night?"
I hopped from foot to foot, looking over the girl's spiked-pink hair and unusual getup.
"What's it to you?" I scoffed airily, the coldness floating in the air biting through my words.
"Would you like to join the Love Shockers, kid?"
Tab shook his head furiously.
What the hell!?
He'd recognized that Love Shocker… What was her name?
Fuck. He couldn't remember.
Wait –
He froze. How come he couldn't remember? That was the exact same Love Shocker they'd worked with – Kayleigh, or Kate, or something –
But why couldn't he remember?
Dammit – maybe old age is catching up with me extremely early… or, I'm jes too tired to think – or something! There's an explanation, I jes don't want to figure it out right now…
~
Grey-blue fog as far as the eye could see… little images floating past, each telling a story…
Mew looked around and shivered.
Where am I?
She continued walking, trying to ignore the little picture screens floating past. Suddenly, one literally smacked her in the face – but instead of feeling anything, she was plunged headfirst into the memory.
'All right, that's good, but can you do – this?'
I leapt on the rail, jumped over the telephone box, jumped onto the stair rail, rode it round, and landed on the bus shelter.
'Try that!'
The kid just grinned, backed up, and dashed at the rail. He landed right in front of me a few seconds later.
I nodded my approval.
'You got talent, kid. No doubt about that. I guess I could join your gang!'
Mew landed heavily on the ground again, dusty blue fog curling past. Getting up, she brushed off her dress.
"I think I'm in Tab's head!!"
Shaking her head, she continued forward.
After accidentally stumbling into a few other memories – including one of what Tab felt when he first saw her join the GGs – she came into a clearing, as if an invisible dome to ward off the fog shielded off the area.
And on the ground, little tendrils of blackish-purple light curling around her body, was-
"Indigo!"
Mew rushed forwards, only to be thrown back to the ground by an invisible barrier.
"What the-"
She began pushing herself to her feet, and winced. Little waves of blackish-purple light crackled up her body a few times, like electricity – they diminished quickly, however.
She reached her hand forward, and felt it brush against a barrier that shuddered slightly underneath her touch, as if she were touching melted glass.
"Indigo?"
The girl at her feet, however, didn't move. The light continued snaking around her, slowly. As Mew watched, pulses of pale purple light traveled away from Indigo's body, carrying along the ground. Her eyes followed a pulse and she watched in amazement as it leapt from the ground and slammed into one of the floating memories, completely obliterating it. Slowly, another memory appeared, and from Mew's position, she knew it wasn't Tab's.
It took a few seconds to register before –
"Oh shit."
Mew tried to shove her hand through the barrier, but the only thing she achieved was a shock through her hand.
"Indigo, Chloe, whatever – WAKE UP! Come on, wake up – if you don't, you're gonna destroy Tab's head – or something! Just – WAKE UP!!"
It wasn't working. Mew hit at the barrier, now ignoring the shocks of pain slapping at her hands.
"WAKE UP!"
Mew's eyes shot open, and she sat up quickly. Blinking furiously, she looked around wildly to see the same, dark room, and the bloodstained body next to her.
Her face felt stiff, and she ran her finger down her cheek to feel the dried tears.
He'd called her a bitch.
Maybe because I am…
She hugged her knees to her chest and bit her lip against the tears.
It's not fair… I changed – I changed, dammit!
Maybe – just maybe – she hadn't? What if – if she still was like that?
But I'm not – I'm not!!
She shut her eyes tight, and clenched her fists.
I'm different! I can change, I did change – why can't he see that!?
After finally coaxing herself to calm down, she finally took full grip of the situation.
"So, I've just had another dream where I'm in somebody's head."
She nodded, to reassure herself.
"And I was in Tab's."
Nodded again.
"And I saw Indigo – again."
Nod.
"But she wouldn't wake up, and as it seems – she has no control over herself, so her memories are leaking into Tab's head, and they're destroying his memories."
Nod, again.
"So, if she doesn't wake up soon, then she'll take over his body and basically obliterate his being."
Nod.
"Shit."
~
Kell stood in front of the Love Shocker base, hand still extended for the doorknob.
She really didn't feel like having to tell Jay and the others that she'd been with the GGs, and was especially not in the mood to have to explain to them about the monster. They were still under the impression that Shar had just up and disappeared, or gotten arrested.
Too bad the truth was she was a pile of bloody human remains that had been long cleaned up.
Kell chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, trying to figure out something, anything, to get out of dealing with the others, if only for a few hours – just enough time to think up some sort of story to save herself.
Too bad life wasn't so giving, because then they wouldn't have had to deal with schitzo rudies and wacked voodoo creepy things.
Kell gave an involuntary shudder at the thought.
Well, it's over. The… monster thing should be dead, gone, whatever… No more bloody bodies lying around Tokyo, no more allying with the GGs, no more Miyazaki, no more Chloe, no more nothing. Yeah, nothing. That's a word I like when it describes what we have to deal with. Nothing. That's a nice word.
She grinned a little, despite her predicament.
Nothing.
What's left of the monster?
Nothing.
What else do we have to deal with?
Nothing.
"Nothing," she repeated, out loud. But it didn't make her feel better.
Her voice had been shaking, just like her hand as it hung there, inches from the metal door handle.
~
Mew paced frantically around the Garage, skates clattering on the floor as she subconsciously avoided the many obstacles around the room.
"I need a plan, I need a plan…" she repeated over and over, voice high and strained.
"Think, Mew, think!!"
Cursing silently, she punched the radio to make it stop blaring out Let Mom Sleep for the twentieth time that day. She was beginning to believe what she had said earlier – K was obsessed…
She did another round around the Garage before –
"Wait a second –"
She stopped abruptly, eyes widening slightly.
"That's IT! I got it!!"
Doing a turn around, Mew scurried towards the door, yanked it open, and dashed out into the streets of Shibuya.
~
"Okay, this better be right… Indigo, Chloe, whatever… you're just not worth it… but Tab is… I better be right about this…" Mew mumbled to herself in reassurance as she dashed through the shadows cast by the houses in Benten.
"Now where did Beat and Kell go…?" She scurried around the corner, looking around.
"This has got to be the place…"
Slowly, Mew pulled open the door and slithered inside through the tiny crack, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
She crept along the hallway, pressed against the wall to use the shadows as a mask. She could faintly hear the sound of music coming from far down the hall, and as she got closer, it melted into the familiar beats of 'Sneakman'.
Sucking in her breath, Mew peered around the corner warily. She could see DJ K rummaging through a box full of records.
Sneakman ended, and K threw the record back into the box. After giving a quick report and announcing the next song (Dragula), he threw on the record.
"All right kiddies, here's a bit of Grind City crap for ya! I'm gonna go get me that coffee I wanted now! Haha!"
He left the room through a door opposite to the hallway entrance Mew was hiding in.
"Go time!" Mew sang, before jumping around the corner. She dropped to her knees in front of the box and began digging frantically through it, ignoring the gritty floor smearing on her stockings.
Her fingers clutched at the smooth surfaces as she flipped through them, until – "Ahah!"
She grabbed out two records, both together in a clear slip.
She was about to pull out the second record and toss it back in, when she stopped.
"Ya know, I could use this… maybe," she muttered, flipping over the slip to examine the second record.
"Whatever," she finished. Slipping the records under her arm, she got up and slid out of the room and back into the streets of Benten.