Jes: WE ARE BACK BABY!
Greebo: Long time, no see, huh? But after two LONG LONG YEARS...
Jes:WE'RE BACK! Alright ladies and gents, this is THE CHAPTER ONE! I hope you will all review!
Greebo: Reviews are good. We enjoy them.
Jes: I am the writer..
Greebo: and i am the editor. Review acordingly. Please.
Jes: For any more info see the Bio, so i dont take up anymore room in here, okay?and with no further ado....
Greebo: We don't own 'em. Do sue us!
Chapter One:
Haunting Memories
Kuki lounged lazily on her couch as she watched the rain pour down outside. Small drops zigzagged down the window pain, confusing her reflection and distorting her features. She blinked, long eyelashes momentarily covering her dark blue asian eyes, and slowly a single strain of pure black hair fell in her face. She brushed it aside, still staring out. A fat yellow cat hopped up next to her, purring loudly. Absent-mindedly she reached down and stroked it, still staring out the window.
Finally, she stood up and walked back into her bedroom. Throwing clothes off, she wandered into the shower, turning the water up as hot as she could stand. She stood silently, letting the water wash over her, staring at the tiles. Quietly, she began to hum to herself, as she finished her shower. Once she was finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and her hair, and drifted into her closet. She noticed a pale brown sweater tucked in on the top shelf, and reached for it. As she pulled it down, a box came tumbling with it. Objects spilled out all over the floor, and she bent to pick them up. Her hand paused over a teddy bear. Suddenly, her eyes clouded, memory flashes before her.
A girl clutching a teddy bear, cries into it as her best friends yell and scream around her, throwing some things. Feeling upset and useless, she holds out a hand to try and make them stop, but they ignore her. Desperately, she flings herself into the group, pleading peace , and is rejected.
"Go away, you thief!" one of them cries at her.
"I'm not a theif! I didn't steal it!" she cries back, tears swelling in her eyes. The boy glares at her, disbelieving, and smacks her across the face.
"LIar!" he screams, as the group erupts. She goes back to her bear, the only source of comfort she has, tries to block out the noise, as the world she's always known, turns upside-down.
Kuki shook her head, and the thought drifted away again. She sat still as the memory washed over her, gone before it had even begun. She stared at the bear, staying completely still. Suddenly, she shivered, and stood up, and put the bear back on it's shelf.
She grabbed a pair of pants and pulled the sweater over her head. She grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the top of her dresser, lit one, and shoved the rest of them and the lighter in her back pocket. Finally, she walked into her small kitchen, drying her hair with the towel. The cat followed seconds later, jumping up on the counter. She smiled at it, reaching for a can of cat food.
"Hungry Butter?" she asked, pouring the cat food into a bowl. The cat ate right away, and she grinned as she watched it. 'No worries for a cat,' she thought, as Butter ate as if it was his last meal. Almost sensing his owner's mood, Butter paused in his eating, and meowed at her. She smiled again, blowing out a thin line of smoke. "Yes Butter, eat up. This might be our last good meal for awhile. No more Benny paying for our meals." Sighing, she poured her own food into a bowl, and microwaved it. A deafening sound roared over head, covering up everything else, but neither cat or human even flinched. As soon as the train had passed, she sat down at her table, digging into her bowl.
She only had a few seconds of silence, before the door buzzer sounded throughout the house. Sighing again, she stood up and stumbled towards the door speaker.
"Yes? Who is it?" she asked, pressing the button.
"Actually, I'm looking for Miss Kuki Sanban." Said an elderly voice though the speaker. Kuki raised an eyebrow, trying to put a face to the voice.
"That's me, lady. Who are you?" She asked again. The speaker's crackled as the old woman's response came back.
"My name is Olivia Turnpike, and I am looking for the Kids Next Door." The silence that followed this remark was full and long. For a moment, Kuki thought she was dreaming, then she was stunned. Her mind racing, she instantly decided that the speakers were malfunctioning again, and she had misheard. But when the woman's voice came through again, she knew it couldn't be a mistake.
"Are you not Number Three? Of the Kids Next Door?" she asked. Kuki collapsed beside the door, as her mind went blank. Her world had begun to darken, when she noticed that she had stopped breathing. Gasping for air, she tried vainly to collect her thoughts, before she leaned on the speaker button.
"Come on up, Mrs. Turnpike." she breathed, before falling back to the floor again.
Mrs. Olivia turned out to be exactly what Kuki had guessed. She was obviously over sixty years old, and had been distraught when she had reached Kuki's room and had found her passed out on the floor. Scooping the woman up with strange strength, she had been fussing over Kuki since she first arrived. Kuki watched her as she walked from one side of the small apartment to the other, looking at Kuki's paintings. Kuki saw, as she walked, something glimmer around her neck in the lamp light. As the woman turned, she saw a large key and a locket on a glittering chain. For a second, watching her walk, Kuki was flooded with memory again.
An evil laughter fills the air, as the girl makes her way through the deserted corridors. She glances nervously over her shoulder, as if hearing something. As she continues down the hall, she glances in each of the window's, but each room is empty. Finally, at the end of the hall, she finds the room she's looking for. Pulling objects from her pockets, she shivers as she works on the lock. Once she enters the room, she ignores all the cases on the walls, filled with glittering jewels, and moves straight for a pedestal in the center of the room. Lying on it, is a brilliantly glittering necklace, with a huge locket hanging down. As the evil laughter starts up again, she is reminded of what little time she actually has.
Kuki forcefully shook the memory away. There was no way that this woman owned the necklace. It was ridiculous. That necklace hd a chain made entirely from diamonds, and the locket itself had been worth thousands. Besides, it had been lost.
She instead, turned her gaze to Mrs. Turnpike, who was now taking a seat across from her. She smiled.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, Mrs. Turnpike. It's just that it's been so long since I've heard that name.."she trailed off.
"Well, thank you for letting me in. It's nice to see hospitality still exists." the old woman said, sitting up straightly. "Ever since the city decided to change all driving laws, I haven't been able to drive anywhere at a reasonable pace. The road rage these days are horrible!"
"Your welcome Mrs. Turnpike. Would you like some tea? I was just about to make some." she offered, half getting up. Mrs. Turnpike waved her back down with a bony hand.
"No time child, I need to talk to you. You are number Three, are you not?" Kuki inhaled sharply at the sound of the codename, causing Mrs. Turnpike to give her a worried look. "Have I upset you?"
"Call me Kuki, Mrs. Turnpike." she said, getting up again to make the tea. "Are you sure you don't want any?" she asked again. Mrs. Turnpike waved her down again.
"I told you, no time. We must talk. You see, I need your help. I need you to get the group together now though, so I can talk to you all though. I'm sure a few phone calls would get everyone down here. You were the only one I could find this quickly, before..." she trailed off for a second, looking small and weak for the first time since Kuki had met her. But in a second, she had her spirits back up. "Any way, I'm sure you could get everyone here in a couple of minutes, no?" Kuki sighed quietly, avoiding Mrs. Turnpike's hopeful gaze.
"I'm sorry, but the Kids Next Door broke up years ago." she paused, as if realizing something. "10 years ago next week, actually. But anyway, I can't help you. The people you're looking for don't exist anymore."
"But surely there is something you can do?" she asked. Kuki was about to reply, when something in the old woman's voice, caught her attention. She glanced up at the old lady, and saw her hopeful face, and the memory swung back at her.
"Surely there's something you can do?!" she asks, pleading with their leader who watches her over his dark glasses. The older boy shakes his head sadly at her.
"I'm sorry, but this is this is the only way."
"But there must be something that can pull everyone back!" she cries, searching the faces of the people she thought she knew around her. "Look at you? What happened to you? What happened to the teamwork?"
"Kind of hard to work with someone you hate." Mutters the blond boy, glaring at his leader. The dark girl in the corner nods in agreement. "I sho' won't do anything with someone who won't even listen to anyone."
"How about someone who always lies?" asks another boy, glaring at the dark girl., who opens her mouth in anger.
"Lies! Why you goddamn son of a-"
The littlest girl , the only one who wants peace, sighs.
"The decision has been made!" says their leader, slamming down his hand. "If we can't work together, we won't work at all!"
Kuki surfaced from the memory gasping for air, as Mrs. Turnpike fanned her with her a piece of paper.
"Are you all right?" she asked. Kuki nodded faintly. "That's the second time since I've been up here that you've pulled that stunt. Are you on some kind of medication? Have you been taking Chargers, or something?" she asks, looking down at the younger woman in distaste. Kuki's glance shifted downwards.
"No, I've been off for two months and a week now." she blushed slightly as the woman's face changed to sympathetic. "I used to be a user, but I saw the error of my ways, Mrs. Turnpike."
"Please call me Olivia, I hate my last name." Kuki giggled slightly. "My husband, god-rest-his-soul, was a user of Chargers. I know what you're going through child. It's not easy, is it? He started to clear up right before.." she choked on her words. "Before they came to get him. Horrible men who will stop at nothing. They are actually the reason I came to you, but.." Kuki blushed again.
"I'm just not feeling to good. It fells like so long since the last time I used Chargers, and sometimes I just wish that I could.." she trailed off. Regaining her composure, she headed onward. "I'm sorry about all this Mrs. Turn..Olivia. My boyfriend just left a few days ago, I just lost my job, and I can still feel the affects every once in a while. Then this... I'm sorry that you couldn't find any help here. I hope that you had somewhere else to go." She could see form the woman's expression that she didn't, and she felt a wave of regret wash over her. She reached down, and took the old woman's hand in hers, and they sat for a moment in silence. Finally, Olivia got up and started to collect her things.
"I'll be all right dearie. Thank you for your time." She was walking towards the door, when it was suddenly the door was bashed down, falling inside the apartment. Olivia screamed, and Kuki jumped and grabbed her as two men walked in thought he smoke, firing at where she had been. Old reflexes kicking in, Kuki reached for her thigh to pull out her gun, and cursed as the found it missing and noticed what she had just done.
"How could they have followed me here?" shrieked the old woman next to her. Kuki shrugged off the thought, and not having time to think though, she broke off the legs of a nearby table and pulled the top sideways. Using it as a shield as she dragged herself and Olivia towards her bedroom door. Shots ricocheted off the table top, and as soon as they were both in the bedroom, she dropped the table and slammed the door shut. Olivia, using her strange strength again, tried to push the dresser in front of the door, and together they managed to move it. Moving towards the back window, Kuki ignored the sound of the gun men shooting the door down. She threw the window open and was about to jump out when the old woman caught her by the back of her sweater. She looked confused, until the woman pointed downward, and Kuki saw the distant street, covered in a thick fog. Her mind registered that if she was to jump, the outcome wouldn't be good, since they were on the 21nd floor. Her mind racing, she ran to the dresser, throwing out clothes, until she found her guns and a bottle of local beer, then threw both herself and the old woman into the bathroom, just as the door exploded.
Inside the bathroom, she tucked the guns into belt and opened the window, this time checking. When she saw the small ledge outside, she signaled silently for Olivia to go out. Sliding out, the old woman teetered for a second above the city, then regained her balance and edged along the ledge. Once Kuki was sure the woman had her balance, she turned around and grabbed the bottle of beer and poured it all over the floor, in the bathtub, and on the window. Then, reaching in her back pocket for her lighter, she lit it and threw it into the bath tub, sliding as quickly as she could out the window, closing it behind her. Seconds later, the gun men broke the door down, and seeing the flames, cursed.
Out on the ledge, Kuki tried not to look down at the dwindling city. The two women eased along until they made it to the fire exit, where they both climbed on. Catching their breath, Kuki glanced at the older woman.
"Who was that?" she asked. The old woman shivered.
"They are the men I was talking about. You see, my husband worked with some bad people, which is where he first started using Chargers. When things got to bad for him to handle, he decided he was going to quit his job, but by that time, he was in too deep. They killed my two twin sons to try to show him the point. But he ignored them. They came after him while he was in withdrawal, and he was powerless against them. I thought Id seen the last of them, until they came by my house the other day, demanding to see my granddaughter. It seems she picked up her grand-father's business, and had recently disappeared with several thousand dollars. They think that I'm hiding her, that I know where she is, and they've been following me ever since." Kuki looked at Olivia, her jaw hanging. She had never thought that this woman was involved with a gang like this one. She realized that she hadn't been holding up her end of the conversation, and stood up.
"So, do you know where she is?" she asked, starting to climb down the ladder. The old woman sighed above her.
"No. The last time I saw her, she was very upset and she gave me this to take care of." The woman brought out her necklace, with a giant key and locket.
"I noticed it when you first came in," Kuki said, gazing still at the necklace. No blasting memory accompanied it this time, and she sighed.
"She asked me to take care of this until she came back, which she said wouldn't be long." Olivia said coming down the ladder behind her.
"When was that?" Kuki called up at her.
"Two months ago, and I've heard from her once since."
"Once?"
"Yes, about a week ago, I got this broken up call from her. I couldn't understand much, but I did hear 'big trouble' and 'help' loud and clear. It was her that told me to come and find you. She said she used to live in your neighborhood." Kuki blinked at this, thinking through her mind, to see if she remembered seeing the old woman before.
"What's her name?" she asked, jumping down from the bottom rung. She turned around to help Olivia, when she saw that the old woman was glued to her spot, staring off at something up ahead.
"Oh no..." she mumbled, starting to clamber down. When she reached the bottom, a shot went off, hitting the trash bin next to them.
"Shit" Kuki exclaimed, pulling out a gun and firing back. "Do you know anywhere safe we can go?" she asked, backing up with the woman into a doorway farther down the alley. The woman paused, thinking. "I mean, you had to be staying somewhere all this time, and it must be safe, 'cuz you can't live with these two around all the time."
"No, I left there this morning, when they found me there. No, I've thought of another place. A warehouse in the bay. It'll be safe there."
"Well, how do we get to this place?" she asked, finishing a round and reloading.
"It's down by 20th and 19th. West of here."
"Ok, let's loose these creeps and get there. Can you use a gun?" she asked, holding out her twin gun. The woman silently took it, and, holding onto a drainpipe, swung out at one of the oncoming gun men, hitting him with the butt. He fell flat backwards. Kuki nodded in approval.
"That'll do. Let's go." Together, they jumped out, firing at the second gun man, who hid behind the trash bin. They turned to run away, when Kuki slowed and turned back. Gaining speed, she ran at the dumpster and jumped up ontop, leaping onto the other side and onto the second gun man's head, knocking him to the ground. Olivia came running back, to see Kuki standing over the aching man, holding gun in front of his face.
"Leave us alone." she said, pausing in between words. The gun man looked up at her, speaking for the first time.
"Or what?" he asked, still looking at the gun. She smiled.
"Or I blow your brains out next time." With that she kicked him in the head. Then she turned and ran with Olivia.
"So, now it's an us?" asked Olivia later, as they stood in the doorway of the warehouse. Kuki was calmly leaning against the frame, looking out at the bay.
"Yeah, after what they did? Plus, I can't wait to see what they did to my apartment." she said dryly, then her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god, I forgot Butter."
"I can get us some tomorrow morning, dear. That should be the least of our worries."
"No, I mean my cat Butter. Oh my god, do you think they'd do anything to him?" Suddenly, she was in tears. "If they lay a hand on him, I'll.."she sunk slowly, "Oh I don't know what I'd do, but it'd be bad." She reached in her pocket for a cigarette. Producing one, she realized she had no lighter, and was about to put it away, when Olivia pulled one out of her coat.
"Joey, my husband, used to smoke when he started to quit Chargers. He said it was the lesser evil. I still keep his lighter in my pocket wherever I go. It's one of the only links i have left of him." They stood silently for a moment, Kuki breathing out a long strand of smoke, and Olivia starring off in the distance. "We'll be safer here." she said, going back inside the warehouse. "And tomorrow we can go and get Butter. Both kinds." she smiled slightly, before retreating into the gloom of the warehouse. Kuki stayed out in the door, blowing more smoke out, as she drifted in and out of thoughts.
Three days ago, she had been living happily. Sure, it was a small apartment, but it was cozy. She and Butter where finally on their own, and her job, waitressing at a local café, had been good. Best of all, before he had left, Benny had fixed the leak in the ceiling. No drips! Which had seemed at the time like the worst of her worries.
Then, just the other day, the new guy at her work who had been hitting on her everyday for a month, went to far. She slapped him straight across the face, telling him to stay away. Unfortunately, she did not know that this was the manager's son, and when he complained to his dad, she lost her job. Kicked out on the street, she had roamed around until she got home. When she went to fix dinner that night, she noticed there wasn't much left in the pantry. From there on, it all went downhill. They wouldn't let her pick up her last check, the leak came back, and now there were gun men chasing her halfway across the city.
She finished the cigarette, and went to go inside. When she entered, it was too dark for her to see, and she reached out in the darkness for something to guide her. She tripped around, until she finally managed to make out Olivia, who was sitting on the floor, with her back against a crate. She sighed, thankful at finding her new friend, and moved towards her.
"Getting some sleep already, Olivia?" she asked, moving towards her. "You must be tired after all that today." the woman stayed quiet, and Kuki slowed. "Olivia?" she called. The temperature dropped suddenly, and Kuki felt the hairs on her arms prick. She moved faster towards the old lady. "Olivia!" she yelled, jumping over a crate. When she finally reached the older woman, she gasped in terror. Blood was seeping through the woman's shirt in three places, and she had a stab wound in her leg, the knife still stinking out of it. An ironic smiley face that had been carved deeply into her forehead grinned evilly out at the world. Kuki cried out, leaning in to the woman, who's eyes fluttered open.
"Kuki?" she asked, coughing.
"Yes Olivia."
"You are such a pretty girl." she smiled slightly, before pain flickered over her face. Groaning, she looked up into Kuki's eyes.
"Olivia," Kuki started, but she couldn't get out anymore. The woman held her gaze, coughing again, struggling to make full sentences.
"Kuki...help me. Go to...island."
"Island? What island?"
"Near Canary Island ...." she managed, breathing heavily, "Find the Cat Cry island...lagoon of fallen Angels. You can find it. Please....for me. Open....door in the vines....find...my granddaughter." she squeezed her eyes shut, as if to block out the pain. "Please Kuki.. my last hope. Will you?"
"Yes," she choked, "Yes, Yes I promise I will, Olivia Turnpike."
"Just Olivia.....hate my last name." She smiled, before falling back, her eyes closed. Kuki stared in disbelief, holding the dead woman in her arms.
"Olivia?" she whispered, then getting louder, "Olivia!"
"You're too late girlie." said one of the gun men, stepping out of the shadows. "You should have killed us when you gto the chance, 'cuz now I'm gonna kill you." he grinned, stepping towards her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked around, noticing for the first time, that the old lady was clutching something tightly in her right hand. The man stopped as he saw her staring at it. "Whatcha lookin' at girlie? What's that?" She leaned in towards it, but stopped as she heard the sound of a cocking gun. "Move and I'll blow your brains out." He said seriously. She sat frozen in place, her eyes darting back and forth, until she noticed her twin gun sitting near the dead woman. Her breathing quickened at the sight of her only escape, and she looked at the advancing gun man out of the corner of her eye. Gaining courage, she rolled across the ground, a bullet grazing her shoulder, and kicked the gun out of his hand. Quickly snatched up the gun, turning towards the man. He stared, wide eyed into the barrel of the gun.
"Now listen girlie.." he started, but she cut him off.
"Die bastard." she said, calmly, firing a shot into his stomach. He fell to his knees, looking down at the wound in horror. Finally, he brought his eyes up to hers, mumbling.
"Bitch. 'M glad I killed your old bat. Deserved to die." He struggled to say. Anger flared inside her.
"You bastard!" she screamed, as she fired another shot, and another and another. His body shook as the bullets filled him, and he slumped to the ground, creating a pool of blood. She stood gasping over him, shaking in fury. Her shaking turned to convulsing as the realization crept over her. Never had she killed so cold bloodedly, and her gun slipped from her hand. "You goddamn bastard." she said, quieter. Then, regaining her senses, she turned and knelt by Olivia, grasping her right hand. Carefully, she drew out of the hand, the necklace with the locket and key. Slowly, as if in a trance, she opened up the locket and stared at the portrait inside.
Inscribed, were the words; My friends, my family, my life. The picture was of Olivia and her husband, standing in front of their grandchildren, the Delightful Children from down the Lane.