Author's Note:

So hello, folks! This is my first ever fanfiction for the Jet Set section, although I have wandered around reading and reviewing. [My previous s/n was Jasmine] I hope you guys like and if anyone has any interest in Zelda or Digimon fics, please check out some of my others.

Also this is a gore horror story with a little smidgen of comedy and romance in the mix. Despite what the title might suggest, this is not a FLUFFY BALL OF MUSH! The title will make sense later on, trust me on this please. There will be a few couplings though [Rhyth/Beat, Corn/Gum], sorry these are my preferences, and if you don't share in my fondness you might want to not read this. Also all titles of my chapters I have decided will come from the titles or lyrics from many of the wonderful songs off the 'Romeo + Juliet' soundtrack just because I was listening to it at the time and love it o so very much.

O ya and some of the inner thoughts was not showing up italicized so I added the // around them!

Love Letters

By Heather [A Whisper]

Chapter Two: Lord Of Love

"She was on fire last night,

And I was breathing gasoline

I had a dream last night,

And it fit me like a glove

I had to scream last night

Lord of Love"

-- "Whatever (I Had A Dream)" -- Butthole Surfers --

       The sun spread luke-warm over the tepid autumn day, a white sun bleaching the blue sky like bones. A brick red building lay amidst the neighboring suburban houses, a sleepy tin bell beat out its bleating pulse and the wide doors soon swung open. Children trickled out, hooting and laughing, racing their sneakers over the hot blacktop.

         Rhyth emerged, enveloped in a gaggle of giggling girls, all dressed in identical plaid skirts and white button down blouses. Her long black hair fell down her back and she had large dewy blue eyes, white stockings pulled up to her bony knees.

       One of her friends, with her flaxen hair pulled back in a plaited braid, started skipping and gestured for Rhyth to follow. "Come on Rhyth, let's play hop scotch!" she chortled in her high-pitched voice.

       The dark haired girl laughed slightly and nodded, calling after her, "Kay!" She began to walk away when someone called after her.

       "Rhyth!"

       She recognized the voice of the boy and merely held her head higher and quickened her pace. "I'm not talking to you, Sakiki. Go away," she sniffed.

       A lanky little boy followed, his light brown hair highlighted with blonde from the glaring sun. He was dressed in a uniform as well, black slacks and a white button down shirt. Sakiki was in sixth grade, a year older then Rhyth, and acted much older then his age allowed. He was outgoing and charming, with a way of getting anyone to smile. "O come on, don't be mad. I didn't mean it, honest, Rhyth," he pleaded as he continued chasing her.

       Rhyth switched courses and moved behind the twisting jungle gym, littered with kids, in an attempt to loose him. However Sakiki just followed, long lines of shade drawn over them. The girl spat, "I said, go away, Sakiki! You're stupid and I hate you!"

       Sakiki jumped in front of her, blocking her path and forcing her to stop running away. Grinning broadly, he replied good-naturedly, "I might be stupid but you don't hate me. Come on, follow me."

       The girl sighed and gave in; Sakiki grabbed her hand and began tugging her towards the large open schoolyard. Grass rolled out in roving waves, looking limitless to two school children. By now Rhyth could not prevent a smile from flittering over her lips, and she said sarcastically, "I thought you didn't want to touch me. I have cooties remember?"

       Sakiki shrugged and teased, "I know but its ok, I'll just wash my hands after."

       Rhyth squealed with giggles and hit him playfully on the shoulder. Now they were walking together, holding hands, and the laughter dissipated. Glancing down at the ground, she questioned softly, "Why... Why do you say mean things about me to your friends?"

       The boy slowed until he stopped walking altogether, thinking to himself. The sun spread itself over his pale skin and he looked up at Rhyth. "I... I don't know. I don't think... they'd get it. I mean, I want to be nice to you. But then... I see you and I get dizzy and there's this funny feeling in my stomach and... you're so pretty. I just can't help it. I'm sorry, Rhyth," he replied.

       Rhyth met his gaze and nodded, long strands of hair falling over her shoulders. She smiled slightly and said, "Its ok. I know you are."

       They stood for a pause longer and clutched onto the soft feeling of each other's small hand. Then Sakiki trumpeted, "Now come on, let's go before ol' Mrs. Gensingi catches us!" Then the two were off again, streaking along the grass, the ground pulsing below their feet.

       Sakiki was out-running her and as hard as she tried, she couldn't keep up. Her dark hair collapsed in recoiling turrets down her spine and she was laughing, watching his back as he rounded the top of a hill.

       "Come on, Rhyth, slow poke! Keep up!"

       His voice sounded far away and her skirt bounced higher over her slender thighs. Rhyth climbed the peak and ran a bit down before seeing a mound of ravens in the distance and no Sakiki in sight. They were writhing all over each other, pecking and clawing, their oily black feathers shimmering blue and silver in the sunlight. Curiously, the girl moved farther towards them and they shrieked their calls into the landscape. Some of the lesser brave birds flew off, spreading air over their wings to land feet off and eye her suspiciously.

       Rhyth now was only some feet away and suddenly gasped. On the ground lay a still Sakiki, his body white and red, smeared with blood. The ravens clawed over him, they'd pecked his eyeballs out until they were gouged raw holes. The dark haired girl stepped back, her eyes wild and clutching at her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting. Sakiki's chest was ruptured open, his shirt torn away, and they'd dug deep into him. His whole upper body was just a cavern and his heart was exposed. It glistened pink in the sun and beat once, twice.

       Suddenly his mouth began to move and blood spilled over his lips. He spoke, gurgling, "Sweet. You're always so damn sweet."

--

         Rhyth sat up, panting, her eyes searching over her surroundings. It was just her bedroom, the usual set up of a vanity and dresser, all neatly organized. //It was just a dream. A dream, a freaky dream, but still just a dream. That's all.// Sunlight seeped in through her glass veranda doors and Rhyth stood, stretching absentmindedly, trying to shake away the frightening images that lingered in her brain. She was dressed in a different nightgown, since she had one for each day of the week, and this one consist of white shorts that skimmed the tops of her thighs and had 'Cute Butt' scrawled in pink lettering along the backside, and a white tank top. //Everything's been getting to me; all the stress is affecting my head.//

Tucking a strand of indigo hair behind her ear, she padded across her fuchsia carpet to the adjoining bathroom she and Beat so 'joyfully' shared together. Lipsticks, compacts, and hairsprays littered the counter space. //Ok so maybe Beat had been right for once in his life when he said I monopolize the space.// Thinking of Beat made her go over the events of yesterday. She knew what she had done was wrong and she regretted it now. He had only been trying to help and had been the only one there for her when she needed him yet she treated him like he was the one behind this whole thing. //Beat finally acts like he might actually care for you as a friend and you have to go and treat him like shit. Good call, Rhyth.//

Why had she done that? Because she was scared, because her mind was running out of options at the moment, because... You like him and you know he'll never feel the same. Rhyth crinkled her nose and shook the thoughts from her brain. //Me? Like Beat? Ya uh hu, maybe in an Alternate Reality but not on this planet. We are two exact polar opposites... And no crap about 'magnets attracting' or anything, alright brain!//

She switched on the sink and the copper faucet purred to life. Rhyth brushed her teeth and glanced herself over in the mirror. Then when she finished, she bent over and splashed a handful of water over her face to chase away any remainders of sleep. Standing up again, she blinked through the water and saw in the reflection if her bathroom mirror a vague figure shift behind her, a shadow sliding across her room.

Rhyth snapped around and roughly swiped away droplets clinging to her eyelashes. "Hello?" she called and grabbed the nearest object, her unplugged curling iron, to brandish as a weapon. //Another good one. Isn't that what every slasher film victim says before she's ripped to shreds?// Cautiously she scanned her room and then looked under her bed and found nothing. //I'm probably just being paranoid.// She sighed and threw the iron on her mattress before strolling over to her double doors, pulling down the hem of her short shorts. She swung them open and took a step out into the brisk morning. Already a stifling warm had begun to settle over Tokyo-To, promising a hot summer's day, and unadulterated blue spread itself far into the distance until it brushed the tall cement buildings. Rhyth's eyes caught on a stone lying on her veranda and she walked over to it, a folded paper was held down under it. Her thoughts began to race as she realized and equally feared what it was. Lifting up the letter, she opened it.

'He broke your heart, little Rhyth-chan. He broke your heart and now I'll break his.'

--

The GGs were all scattered around their kitchen/dinning area, lounging around in their sleepwear. Yo-Yo was slurping up his cereal and looking over the box. "I'm tellin' ya, Captain Crunch and Captain Morgan should capitalize on the whole 'pirate' thing! Captain Morgan's Captain Crunch Cereal would be so huge!" he exclaimed excitedly at his 'brilliant' scheme.

Clutch sat nearby; drinking coffee and grimacing at the disgusting brown mushy mess Yo-Yo had reduced his cereal to in his bowl. "Good idea, just get little kids sugar loaded and piss drunk. Kill two bird with one stone," he retorted with a smirk.

The neon green haired young boy shrugged and replied, "I know you're being sarcastic but I choose to ignore that. Come on, maybe that's what kids need! Finally they'll be cool instead of little whining assholes." As he finished speaking he picked a piece of cereal off the floor, looked it over, and then ate it, apparently having never heard of the 'Five Second Rule'.

Gum watched blankly from her perch on a stool, a plate of toast before her. "Bravo. Just when I think 'Awww maybe we rag on Yo too much' you go and say something that makes me realize we don't rag on you enough," she stated dryly. Corn, sitting at her side, laughed from around the toast he was biting into.

Cube glared at him and threatened, "Don't even start. If you guys go into 'cute couple mode' again this early in the morning, I might have to kill myself... or you." Instantly his smile wilted from his lips and he looked towards the countertop.

Garam, who was sitting by Yo-Yo at the table, piped up, "And dude, have you brushed your teeth today?"

Yo-Yo raised an eyebrow in curiosity and responded, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

The bald young man cringed as his breath met his nostrils and then pinched his nose with his fingers. "Because either you didn't or you ate ass for breakfast," he teased good-naturedly.

Yo-Yo's eyes went wide and his cheeks burned with embarrassment. "How rude!" he yelped, as the rest of the gang caroused with giggles, and then went on sadly, "And yet no one takes offense because it's me."

Everyone nodded and Cube voiced everyone's opinion, "True."

Suddenly the steps went into a cacophony of creaking and Rhyth barreled down in her nightwear, her deep blue eyes inflamed. Between breathes, she panted, "Guys... DJ-K... Now!"

Taking a sip of his coffee, Clutch made a comeback over the lip of his mug, "Rhyth, breathing. Breathing, Rhyth. Maybe you two should meet."

Rhyth hadn't the patience to be angry and shouted, her words sinking in the air with urgency, "I'm not kidding! Turn the damn radio on!"

Cube was the first to notice the scent of alarm in Rhyth's voice and she recognized the flickers of fear in her eyes. Leaning over towards the small portable radio cradled under the cupboards, she flicked on the switch.

 A booming voice popped from the fizzing speakers, traveling over the airwaves. "Morning, kiddies, this is your street answer to the cardigan wearing biznatch Mr. Rogers, DJ-K! The asphalts flat line right now and for a very good reason. Last night a man was killed in Shibuya Terminal while waiting for the bus to take him home from work. His name was Bujin Oshima and he was a father and husband. The police aren't saying much, not like those bone heads have a clue anyway, but now they will confirm this is the second in what they believe to be a series of similar murders. Seems the police just realized reports that some unidentified homeless dude was killed two nights ago may be connected to the most recent homicide..."

Rhyth's body felt numb and vague, like this wasn't really happening. Somehow this was all just another bad dream and the real Rhyth was snuggled upstairs amid her kitty blankets. Her heart fluttered lightly against her ribcage and she spat under her breath, "Sakiki..."

The famous Ruddie DJ went on relaying his gruesome news, "This sick maniac has some sort of gore fetish, he carved the hearts out of both bodies while they were still alive, screaming for help. The weapon of choice in both cases were a knife, dull and unperfected. Until this crazy mofo is found, many people are choosing to stay in at night, and I think they got the right idea! This is the scaredy cat who just crapped his pants, DJ-K, giving you the down low on what's going down! Watch your backs out there, Ruddies! Now I'm flipping it over to 'The Latch Brothers'."

Cube reached over again and turned off the radio, a thudding beat fading into nothing, a dead weight of nothing that surrounded them for a long pause. The realization that this was deeper then they had ever thought was no sinking unsettling into their heads. Gum clutched onto her boyfriend's hand for some sort of comfort, although nothing could take away the dread lodged in her throat, and she gasped, tinged with a helpless anger, "God, that's sick..."

Beat up until now had stayed quiet, smoking a cigarette in the corner as the red paper ate down to the filter in his fingers. He was already dressed, having thrown on a pair of jeans and a button down blue stripped shirt, rumpled and untucked from his pants. Shadows intermingling with thin smears of light passed over him as he looked up at Rhyth, questioning with knowing, "You got a letter didn't you?"

The petite girl nodded and then opened her hand, revealing the crumpled paper she'd hidden in her palm. Spreading it open, she read it to them, "'He broke your heart, little Rhyth-chan. He broke your heart and now I'll break his.' It was on my veranda."

Beat stubbed the remaining bit of his cig in the ashtray by him, digging it hard into the glass. "Now the bastard knows where our headquarters are? Where you live?" he responded angrily, his mahogany eyes flaring.

Rhyth nodded deftly and spoke almost in a tepid, smooth voice, "Yes, well it was kinda naive to think he wouldn't be able to find out. I mean, he knows everything else about me as it is." She was acting much calmer then they would have thought, indeed calmer then they were. Maybe she had time to deal with this beforehand because she'd found the letter first, had time to let it sink in... More probably, because her mind felt like it was floating. She felt whitewashed and faded, like this couldn't be possible and so wasn't.

 Yo-Yo had abandoned his bowl of mush and he was staring at the older GGs with fear. The green haired boy questioned nervously, "Should we... Should we take it into the police? They would probably offer protection..."

The woman shook her head, strands of indigo brushing her shoulder blades. "No. He won't come when there are police here but what later? When the police stop protecting me? It's a short-term answer but it won't work in the long run. I can't have a bodyguard with me for the rest of my life. I shouldn't have to. We have to catch this asshole on our own," she replied with determination and a wisdom they'd never believed she could possess.

Corn now added, agreeing with her, "Ok then, I think we should hang low. We can't risk Rhyth, or anyone else for that matter, going out there when this sicko could be lurking around. That means no skating, no tagging..."

The Goth woman sitting nearby interrupted with a rebellious snarl, "Fuck, that's ridiculous! I'm not changing my life and living like a caged rat just because some lovesick wacko with a knife is trying to scare us." 

Gum, who was sitting in the middle of the two, replied evenly and as democratic as possible, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Cube. As a group we have to decide a game plan and for right now I think Corn's right."

Cube matched her onyx gaze with Gum's and scowled, raising an eyebrow, "What a fucking surprise there..."

Gum was never one to sit back and allow someone to bash her, it just so happened Cube had hit a sore button too. It was somewhat a fear if there was a couple in the group, they would override everyone else's decisions, yet for the most part Corn and Gum listened to what everyone had to say, or at least tried their best. The blonde's eyes sparked like kindling wood and she burst with anger, "Excuse me? Come on, Cube, stop with the bitchy attitude and start worrying about people other then yourself! There is a murderer out there who has made it clear he wants to get to Rhyth and as a team we owe it to her to stay at headquarters for now."

This only furthered Cube's anger and she growled, "You know what, dress it up all you like, but its still you just kissing your boyfriend's ass! I'm so sick of never getting to decide because the Gum/Corn Alliance has already decided everything for us!" Then the woman stood, her stool clattering to the tiles with a resounding bang, and she stormed off to her room.

The rest of the GGs looked on with overextended shock. With a killer stalking their every move, the last thing they needed now was for the group to implode with arguments. Clutch muttered under his breath, "What's with her?"

The boy by his side was eager to provide the 'answer' and Yo-Yo babbled, "Its called PMS, dude. You know, that thing girls get once a month that causes them to flip out and like go around screaming and yell at you because you just happened to maybe peak into their room. But hey, they left the door open and how was I to know they were getting changed!"

The red head smacked Yo-Yo playfully on the back of his head and rolled his eyes. "That's not PMS, dude, that's you being a little perv," he snorted.

 "No one is to go or leave understood? This isn't up for debate, things are getting messy in Tokyo-To and we need to stay out of the way for now and worry about our own," Corn stated and his voice sounded tired. He was weary of making decisions and having people hate him for it, he was sick of the resentment. "Rhyth, try to think of other people this killer might target ok?" the young man with the sandy blonde hair told her.

Rhyth nodded and twisted the letter around in her hands, making the ink blur into long distorted streaks. "Alright, I'll try..." she said even when she knew she couldn't. Sakiki and Bujin were the last two guys she'd dated in her life, before she became a GG and all options for normal romance had become null and void.

Corn continued, "And I want people on guard twenty-four seven. Combo, you get the entrance, Garam you get the back door, and Beat, since your room is so close to Rhyth's as it is, you watch her door. I'm going upstairs, I can't handle all this bitching and fighting all the time." His face was grave as he stood and walked up the stairs, Gum following.

The kitchen returned to its state of thick silence and now the sun seemed oddly cold, clawing against their skin without any comfort. Garam went off to sit by his post and read the latest comic, Combo hulked off to stand guard by the door and focus in on the quiet like an ancient warrior. Clutch finished his coffee in a few gulps and then went off to his room to listen to some music. Yo-Yo dumped his bowl in the sink and then disappeared into the living room, the glow of the TV spreading out from the door.

Rhyth looked towards Beat awkwardly, fumbling with the paper some more. "You don't... have to watch my door if you don't want to. I mean, Combo and Garam are watching the doors, I should be fine," she stammered, glancing down at her bare toes. //What's the matter with me? Its like I don't want him to do anything nice for me, give me a reason to like him. Maybe because I'm afraid... to like him. God, I need to shut up with all the inner monologue already and stop over thinking shit! Really, just... shut up!//

Beat shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. "No, 'sok. I don't have anything to do anyway except watch my hair grow," he said.

"O" was all Rhyth could manage before turning and padding up the stairs. Beat followed as she walked along the hallway, naked feet tapping against wood, and then stopped before her door. Turning so her back was against the wall, she said sincerely, "Well you know, thanks." Her pale skin looked darker in the shadows of the corridor and her eyes were a mix of bruises, black and blue.

The young man shrugged for the second time today (//Setting a record for yourself huh? Impressive.//) and ran a wayward hand through his disheveled auburn hair. "Yea, sure. No problem," he responded, with a hint of awkwardness. He wasn't use to this level of politeness with Rhyth; they were usually at each other's throats half the time. //It feels sorta... nice. I'm getting too soft in my old age.//

Rhyth smiled and sent his pulse into a stumbling quickness again. Then she went on to add, "And uh, could you not smoke by my room? It's disgusting. Thanks." Then she spun around and slammed her door behind her and smashed whatever little haze of pleasantries they had.

Beat sighed. //Who am I kidding? We'll be back to cussing each other out tomorrow.// Leaning against the wall he began a game of rolling his cigarette around his fingers and thinking to himself.

--


 
       Beat yawned, his dark eyes scanning lazily into the dim hallway. He was bored out of his mind, nothing had happened all day which, while it was a good thing, could also prove to be as fun as watching paint dry... or Yo-Yo speak. Either one was painful. Stretching out his long lanky limbs, he strolled over to the door and gave it as rap with his knuckles. "Hey, Rhyth, I'm going outside to smoke ok?" he shouted.

 There was a reply of heavy silence and Beat sighed. "You're not mad are you? Come on, I've been waiting out here all fucking day! I thought you'd be happy that I'm not exposing your delicate nostrils to my 'disgusting' smoke..." he began to say and pushed the door open.

He stopped speaking abruptly as he glanced around Rhyth's barren bedroom. Some fluffy cat pillows, a vanity littered in every sort of facial product, and some posters of another girly boy-band, but no Rhyth. Looking around wildly with his eyes, Beat called urgently, "Rhyth? Rhyth?" His heart thumped deep in his chest and he could hear all his desperate thoughts rupturing their doubts in his ears. //Why didn't I pay closer attention? God, if she's...// All his fears spiraled in his mind and he felt like he couldn't breath anymore, suddenly more frightened of loosing her then he'd ever been of anything before. In his shock, he became aware that the veranda's double doors were spread open. A dusk sky of deep reds and burnt oranges pressed far beyond the horizon of concrete, spilling out past his vision, and Beat rushed over to the veranda. He scanned around hurriedly before noticing a knot fastened to the wrought iron rail. Leaning over it, he saw a line of blankets and linens tied together and a suspicious looking Rhyth hanging midways down.  

"Rhyth?" he questioned in disbelief.

 She looked up with credulous cobalt eyes and replied innocently, "Uh... Hi?"

Beat stared down at her and gave her an edged glare. "Are you insane? You could get hurt! What are you doing?" he yelled down, now trying to mask his original fear. //At least she's not been kidnapped or worse. Still this will go down as her stupidest idea yet.//

"I'm uh... drying out my sheets?" the young woman replied with a weak smile but it was apparent Beat was not amused.

Beat sighed and grumbled irately, "Look, just get up here."

The beauty shook her head and started climbing down father. "No, Beat. I have to go," she said mysteriously, scrambling along the length of her makeshift rope.

Beat stated, "No, you have to stay." Then he started to pull up the blankets and soon Rhyth gave up trying to climb down as she was hoisted farther up towards her deck.

As he pulled the petite woman up, she cried out in earnest, "No, stop! Beat, you don't understand..."

The young man pulled the last of the rope up and then clung onto both of Rhyth shoulders, yanking her up forcefully onto the veranda. "No, you don't understand!" he shouted. She had her back pressed to the rail and now could see his dark eyes clouded over in anger and concern. "You heard what the other's said, no one can leave, Rhyth! There is some maniac out there and you honestly expect me to just let you go off to become fair game for this crazy asshole? There is... no way..." he continued and his voice grew weak, shaking. Lately the thought of losing her hadn't been far from his mind, pawing in the back of his brain, and her little stunt just made it all too real for him. For the first time Rhyth saw a slip of his worry over her safety, his hand never leaving her upper arm. 

The iron of the fence jabbed into the bones of her vertebrae; she was dressed only in a thin splashy multicolor tank top that hugged her small body along with some faded jeans. His fingers lingered on her bare skin, sending electric shivers along her body. "I'm... I'm sorry, Beat," she said in surprise. //I never thought it would upset the big bad 'Punk Boy' this much. I never realized... he cared this much.// Her blue eyes were tinged with the reflection of a bleeding sky and she went on sincerely, "That wasn't my intention, but I still have to go, Beat. Bujin, he's dead. I have to go see him... his family... where it happened. I need to." They were so close to each other, the inches between them only filled with their body heat, and neither one wanted to pull away just yet.

 He regarded her with doubts, thinking it over for a moment. "... Fine, but I'm going with you just encase," he said finally.

Rhyth smiled slightly and said gratefully, "Ok, thanks, Beat."

Beat however was not sold and glowered. Making an exasperated sound he responded dully, "Yea, yea sure. You're not making it easy for me to protect you, you know."  

The young woman nodded her head and said with a raise of her shoulders, "I know, I'm sorry. But hey, I like to be a moving target."

Beat gave her a wounded look, telling her she was pushing her luck, and said unevenly, "That's not funny."

Rhyth twisted the end of a strand of her fine blue hair in between two fingers and sighed. "I know, sorry. Note to self - do not joke about my own demise," she responded.

He moved away then, removing his touch from her flesh, and she immediately wished he hadn't. Looking towards a pipe secured to the side of the Garage, Beat said over his shoulder, "Come on, let's go down the drainpipe. It's easier." Then he pitched himself over the black rail and clung into the fixture, grappling down its length.

Rhyth followed, scaling down the drainpipe. As she dug her fingers into the bolts holding it to the building, she called down after him, with the hint of laughter, "And how would you know it's easier huh? Snuck out recently?"

He chuckled distantly below her and snorted in mock indignant, "What are you implying? That I would sneak out at one in the morning to see some girl and didn't want to wake anyone in the house so I used the drainpipe? Never!"

The woman shook her head, splaying strands of indigo, and replied, "Right, Romeo. You put the 'sleaze' in 'sleazebag'."

Beat came to the end of the drainpipe and dismounted before helping Rhyth jump the little distance left. Holding her hand he stroked it comically and retorted, "You weren't saying that last night. You were saying however, "Don't stop, Beat. Give it to me harder.""

Rhyth crinkled her nose and ripped her hand from his grasp. "Ugh, vile! You flirt," she gagged and slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

The pair began to walk out the back, towards the terminal together. The sun was melting like a crayon, releasing its colors across the sky. Deep chasms of scarlet etched along the mortar buildings, golden shadows splashing across their faces. The young man went on, grinning, "I know. But that's why I'm endearing."

She smiled also and mock cooed, "You think so huh? And all along I thought you were annoying."

They continued walking into the sunset, there was a dismissive silence weighing on the city, unsettling and eerie. "For a valley girl you certainly have a lot of witty comebacks," Beat said, using the name he'd called her a few days ago.

Rhyth laughed slightly and it echoed off the alleyway walls. "Well thanks, I try. Same goes for you, village idiot," she responded.

Soon they'd emerged in the bus terminal and up ahead they could see the crowd of black specks all huddled around something. The auburn haired boy questioned protectively, "Hey, its up ahead. You ok with this?"

Rhyth stared at the figures in the distance and nodded. "Ya, I'm fine. Come on, let's go," she said and started heading that way.

Beat trailed after her; past the benches and across streets, until they came to the place were people all mulled around in a cluster. Some were just passing by and decided to take a look, others were permanent by-standers who had nothing better to do then stand around at the gory site. Rhyth and Beat did their best to push and weave their way into the crowd and they could see police up ahead, photographing and combing over the marked-off area for evidence. The officers were telling people to disperse but they didn't listen, they stayed gawking. The corpse of the man had long before been removed but spots of blood were smeared along the cement ground and all along the wooden bench. The blood was dark crimson and dried, but you could see the red fingerprints from were hands had clawed urgently, trying to escape death.

Rhyth grimaced and whispered to Beat, her stomach churning on itself, "God. Look, that's where it happened. There's blood everywhere..."

The young man nodded and furrowed his eyebrows together in revulsion. "I know, this freak killed him in open sight. Like he enjoyed the thrill of almost getting caught. What a fucking prick," he spat with hatred. Then he averted his gaze to Rhyth and noticed how pale she'd become, the look of horror on her face. He inquired with concern, "You sure you're ok?"

Even as she felt a nauseas sickness swelling up in her, she bit down all her fears. "Ya, ya. I'm sure, don't worry so much about me," she responded and squeezed his hand before further careening through the crowd and disappearing from sight.

Rhyth moved until she came to the forefront of the group of gathering people. From this angle she could see a little boy sitting some feet away, clutching onto an old woman's worn gray sweater. She held him in her arms and smoothed out his head of flaxen hair as he wept into her chest.

Turning to an elderly man beside her who looked to have been there for some time, probably even someone who lived in the area, she inquired curiously, "Whose the little boy?"

The man lavished with wrinkles sighed in the bass of his deep chest and fingered the whittled top of cane. "That's the man's son. Poor boy, he hasn't left here since this morning. Even when his mom went off to the morgue and left him with his grandmother. He hasn't stopped crying," he related sadly.

Rhyth felt her inside's twist up into a knot and she gasped softly. That was Bujin's son, the heart ached little boy, who now was fatherless.

//Because of you.//   

Rhyth swallowed air and felt herself spinning in circles, spiraling out of control. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she snapped around and ripped through the crowd, shoving past people. For a moment she couldn't see anything and the world's edges grew fuzzy as the guilt eclipsed her brain. She thought she might faint as she sprinted towards refugee, the nearest alleyway. She heard footsteps against the asphalt after her and she slammed her shoulder into a hard wall, titled her body around until her back was pressed against cold brick. Tears blistered her ocean turquoise eyes as she gasped for wet breaths.

"Rhyth, are you ok?" she heard Beat's caring voice in her eardrums and then it reflected down the alleyway, echoing against buildings.

She couldn't look up under the hail of tears and instead dropped her face into her hands. Her palms grew damp and she replied in broken fragments, "No, I feel horrible. I am horrible. Its all my fault."

If she had been looking she would have seen the harsh stare he gave her, the pain that crackled along his eyes at seeing her pain. "Don't say that! It's not true!" he spluttered in anger.

Rhyth spat back, just as angry at herself as he was, "It isn't? If it weren't for me Bujin would still be alive, that kid would still have a father. It is true! Because of me he died!"

Beat shook his head and shouted, his voice grating through clenched jaws, "Stop it! He died because of some soulless psycho, not because of you! It's not your fault!"

The young woman pushed back against the wall harder, her spine pressing against brick, hoping it would swallow her. "The how come I feel like it is..." she whispered between sobs.

Beat walked over to her and gently took her hands from her face before enveloping her in an embrace. His arms wrapped around her and she rested her head against his chest, spilling tears against his shirt. "I know you do and that's because you're too nice, too sweet. You can't blame yourself for this, that won't help anyone," he admitted sincerely.

A moment passed and she cried against him as he rested his chin on the top of her head, feeling helpless and frustrated. Finally she sniffled a little and pulled away slightly, looking him in the face. Her dark blue eyes were edged with raw red and her pale cheeks were slick with damp tears. She questioned, "You're always there for me, Beat. Right there. Even when I've been a bitch to you, even when I've told you to fuck off God knows how many times, you're still there. Why do you still care?"

Beat stared into her eyes and their faces were so close now, her full lips moist from crying and so close. Strands of blue fell into her eyes and he stroked her cheek with a thumb, glossing away tears with his fingertips. A red sky etched its way over them, glaring shades of passion over the city. "Because I care about you..." he responded softly and he could feel her hot breath on his skin. Pulling away from her, loosening his grip around her, he finished weakly, "You're a part of the team." //Lame, guy, so lame.//

Rhyth nodded and smiled faintly. Looking off into the distance where the crowd was still enthralled, yet looking even farther, into her memories, she said, "Bujin was my freshman boyfriend. He was the cool guy who played in a band, every girl loved him. I loved him so much. Then I went away over the summer and when I came back, he was going out with my best friend. Didn't even tell me we were broken up, just showed up at a friend's party with her on his arm. I had hated him... hated him so much. But he didn't deserve this; he really was a good guy. No one deserves this to happen to them."

The young man watched her as she spoke and dipped into nostalgia. Then he held her hand in his, squeezing it to reassure her, and said, "I know, and we're going to find the dick who did this and make sure no one has this happen to them ever again. I promise, Rhyth."

The sun flickered against her, turning a falling tear into a shard of rose-colored glass, and she looked towards Beat. Feigning a watery smile, she said sincerely, "Thanks, Beat, for everything."

He gave her a lopsided grin and replied, "Sure thing, kid. Next time you run off though, warn me ok."

The petite woman laughed softly and bit her petal lip. "Ok deal," she responded.

Still griping her hand, he said, "Now come on, let's go home." Then Beat and Rhyth turned and walked along down the alleyway as streaks of burning red flickered against cement buildings, casting them in blades of color.

--

End Notes: Ok end of Chapter Three! Still mostly boring stuff here, I'm telling you, it gets really creepy later on. This is just basically setting up the plot and all that good stuff. You may have noticed I sorta put Corn in the position of leader. I know it's said Beat is the official leader and many people write it this way, but I just always thought of Corn that way. He's mild-mannered and cool-headed, total leader qualities! But hey you don't have to agree; this is just my opinion and my fic. Hey who do you think the killer is? 0_-

Don't forget to delete spaces and add www to the below! O ya and those shorts Rhyth are wearing with the writing on the back ('Cute Butt') really do exist! I wanna pair! Haha.

Rhyth (Tasha Tilberg) -

babemoon. com/ det/13356. shtml

babemoon. com/ det/13360. shtml

Beat (Orlando Bloom) -

allmoviestar. com/ h//orlando_bloom_0023.jpg. html

allmoviestar. com/ h//orlando_bloom_0029.jpg. html

Cute Young Rhyth And Sakiki -

creative. gettyimages. com/source/search/ resultsmain.asp?txtSearch= school+girl&source=quickSearch&brand= tsi&UQR=fdrivj