Twin Magnum
Summary: Life is never easy in the Rokkaku district of Tokyo. It was never easy for any of them. Of course, now that Rhyth is almost 19 years of age, things seem to be turning up for her. Then again, things are always complicated when your two best friends are from the Yakuza.
Chapter 1: Awkward Friendships
"GOOOOD MORNING, ROKAKKU DISTRICT! And what a good morning it is indeed! Today we're seeing nothing but clear skies with the occasional cloud and jet trails up past those massive skyscrapers!"
Beat groaned and rolled over onto his side away from the direction of the loud voice, but soon found this attempt at ignoring it to be futile.
"Yes, today is Saturday, the day when citizens take a long deserved break… maybe watch some TV, take a walk downtown…" The bed creaked as weight was added to either side of the teen's shoulders.
"… or maybe GET YOUR ASS READY TO GO VISIT YOUR FRIEND, YO!"
"AH SHIT!" The redhead sat up straight, just narrowly avoiding a mass of green hair. "Yoyo you son of a bitch… " He hissed, glaring at his long-time friend. The boy shrugged and merely sat on the side of the bed.
"Didn't you hear me?" He asked, making eye contact to shoot a glare right back. "We promised to meet Rhyth on 99th street at noon."
Brown eyes blinked groggily as he scratched at the mass of red hair. "That was today?" He mumbled. "What time is it?"
"Eleven thirty." The green-haired boy replied lazily. Beat swore and kicked the covers off.
"Why didn't you get me up earlier?"
"You wouldn't budge."
"Oh…" He couldn't help it if he had to work late.
Yoyo let out a sigh and stood up, his clothes actually casual for once. Familiar rectangular shades rested on the edge of his nose, hiding mischievous blue eyes behind them. "Get ready and go. I worked all week for us to get a day off to visit her."
"Ah… right. Sorry…"
Beat stood up and began to get changed as Yoyo walked out the door. Today would be a special day for them. They would spend the day with their old friend, have some fun… update on their lives… the things that they couldn't really do anymore.
After all… its hard for members of the Yakuza to get a decent break.
& & & & &
They had met in junior high, the three of them all being in the same class. Not like they originally were magnetized to each other of course. Beat was the silent, cute guy who was constantly mauled by fan girls, making him less social. Yoyo was the class clown, and was loved by everyone there. Despite that, he was always at the redhead's side.
Beat and Yoyo knew each other from their last school, and didn't really notice Rhyth at all in the beginning. They went on with their lives as usual, occasionally bumping into each other in the hallways or being put into the same group. But lack of interest towards each other held them apart.
It wasn't the spring break of that year that they really came into contact. Beat and Yoyo were headed into town and passed by Rhyth, slightly acknowledging the other's existence with a wave or a nod. Life would have continued on like that… if not for the gangsters hiding in one of the alleyways.
They were barely ten feet apart when a small muffled cry turned the green-haired boy around. Rhyth was nowhere to be seen and all that was left was her small kitty bag that she always carried around with her.
Of course, that set off alarms in Yoyo's head, and soon he and Beat were in the alleyway, 'saving her sorry ass' as Beat so bluntly put it. Even so, he put his coat over her shoulders as they led her out of there.
They hadn't left her side since.
As time went on, they went through junior high, and eventually high school. Rhyth was continuously attacked by Beat's fan girls, leading the two boys to draw them back. The blue-haired girl would continuously guilt trip herself about it, but even so, the two of them would comfort her, telling her it wasn't her fault.
Later in the high school years, the two boys joined the Yakuza while Rhyth got a job of her own at a cozy little antique shop slash coffee-house downtown. She knew perfectly well that her two friends were now Yakuza, and she didn't mind in the least. She had learned to fight for herself and understood that they had their own lives to run. She wouldn't be selfish.
Beat always hated that about her.
Even so, he would never pass up a chance to visit with her. That was what he thought as he strapped his goggles on his head, just past the hairline. His clothes, just like Yoyo's were more casual. He looked like a teenager again despite being the age of eighteen. He guessed it was from the lean build. He didn't really grow wide, just tall. His crimson hair was just like it used to be, only longer. Yoyo's shaggy green hair was the same as well, and his face still held the same boyish look it had so many years ago.
Some things just never changed.
"Yo, are you done yet!"
"Aa." Beat replied through the door. With one last glance in the mirror he stepped outside, meeting up with his impatient friend before heading downtown.
"So how shall we greet her this time?" Beat asked, glancing over at the green-haired boy. Yoyo grinned and put his hands behind his head before replying.
"I say we sneak up from behind her, grab her, and forcefully drag her out of the building." Beat grinned at the idea.
"Thank god her manager likes us so much."
"Its because you always make taking Rhyth out on break a show, stupid!"
"So?" Yoyo took his shades off to give them a quick wipe. "That's the great thing about it."
"Don't forget… we're scaring her shitless today." Beat pointed out with a sigh. Yoyo was silent for a moment, and Beat wondered what he was up to.
"You get the legs."
"WHAT! HELL NO!" The redhead stopped to swing a punch at his friend. "This was YOUR idea! YOU get the hard bit!"
"Aww… don't be so mean!"
"No! You get to deal with the kicking!"
"Then YOU get to pay for our coffee!"
"We'll see about that!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh look, we're here!"
"What? Already?"
Rhyth bowed politely to the customer she served before he headed back to his designated table. She stood behind the counter, her attire being a Lolita style dress and matching knee-high boots. For those who aren't Japan-savvy, the Lolita dress consists of a kimono-style top and a Victorian knee-length skirt, if not shorter. The style of dress was a hit at the antique slash coffee shop, and Rhyth didn't mind wearing it either. It was cute, yet modest, as she put it.
She wiped the glass counter with a cloth, absentmindedly looking below to admire the old jewelry and other fascinating artifacts inside. Her fascination for the antiques never ceased even when she started work there a year ago.
She glanced over at one of the many old clocks at the far side of the room. It was almost noon and neither of the two Yakuza boys had arrived yet. Of course, she could understand their position. They were busy men after all. What did she know about the Yakuza's work time?
She glanced over at her manager, who was busy talking with some interested customers about the history of one of the many items in the shop. He knew that she would be taking the rest of the day off. He would always let her go when she wanted. It was probably the dramatic entrances that her two friends always made whenever they hauled her out.
The manager had gone to the back part of the shop for a moment as Rhyth dealt with another customer. After serving the tea they asked for, she glanced over, frowning when she didn't hear any sounds coming from the back. At the very least she should hear some shuffling… did something happen?
A sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach as she headed towards the back. She was stopped, however, by a pair of strong arms encircling her waist and pulling her back. A hand covered her mouth from behind, holding back whatever scream she had. She shivered slightly at the feeling of a soft breath brushing against her ear.
"Hey, babe… looking for a good time?" Rhyth's eyes widened. What was going on!
It wasn't until a mass of green hair leapt up in front of her, bright blue eyes shimmering from behind red shades.
"Then you're coming with us, yo!" He said gleefully, grabbing her legs and helping the man behind her lift her up. She immediately recognized what was going on and stuck her tongue out to get Beat's hand away from her mouth. She glanced over to see her manager leaning against the side of the door, a bemused look on his face.
"Will you sign her out for us, Yamato-san?" Yoyo asked with a grin. Yamato nodded and gave them a slight salute.
"Have a nice day!" He bellowed, tossing a wave as they headed out the door.
Outside, Rhyth was still trying to grasp the fact that she was dragged out of the building. "I can't believe you two…" She breathed. "And I'm still in my uniform! You didn't even give me time to change today!" Beat grinned and ruffled up her hair.
"C'mon… that has to be one of the best work uniforms you can get out here!" He laughed. Rhyth huffed and crossed her arms, immediately going into pouting mode.
"Relax Rhyth… we'll go buy you some new clothes for today." He glanced skyward, a thoughtful finger resting on his chin. "I do remember you wanting to get some new shirt if I'm not mistaken…" Rhyth's eyes widened once again as she realized what he was talking about.
"Oh, nonono! You can't do that for me! I…" She was silenced when Beat brought his hand over her mouth once again.
"Today's your day, Rhyth." He said with a smile. "You know that we'd do anything for you."
They would do anything… buy anything… steal anything… give her anything that she desired…
… because they cared for her more than anything in the whole world…
She WAS the whole world to them.
… just as they were the world to her…
The three of them had a bond of friendship that nobody could break. Despite going separate ways, they spoke whenever they could.
If she was in danger, they would protect her with their lives.
If they were injured, she would treat their wounds.
They were inseparable.
"So where shall we go first?" Yoyo asked with a grin. "Corn gave us the whole day off, yo!"
"How sweet of him!" Rhyth smiled. "Give him a kiss for me, will you?" She winked as Yoyo's face became pale.
"NOT NICE, YO!"
Corn leaned back in his leather chair, his blonde hair askew. Exhaustion racked through his body and he felt like he could barely lift his arms. An all night study was the reason for his not-so-well being. Of course, despite his need for rest, he refused to stop on his investigation.
He coughed at the smell of cigarette smoke from previous clients wafting through the room and immediately turned on the fan. Although smoking was still all the rage in Japan, he absolutely despised it. One had to wonder how people could smoke those things and say that they tasted good.
"That's it… I'm putting a fucking no smoking sign on the door." He hissed as he leaned forward to scan the papers again.
There was something he was overlooking… a link that he knew was there and yet at the same time, was hidden. He frowned and bit his lip
"Let's see… Rokakku Yakuza… blah blah blah… Aiko Nanao… born June thirty first… attended Matsumoto middle school and Taka high… graduated last year…" He paused, frowning. "Wait a min…"
Standing up, he walked over to the filing cabinet beside the window and pulled the top drawer open. He flipped through each folder until he found the two names he was after. Pulling out the files with the two familiar nicknames scrawled on the front, he placed them on the desk and opened them up, quickly flipping through the contents until he found what he was looking for.
It was a single picture with three people; two boys and a girl. The boy on the left had bright red hair and familiar goggles, while the boy on the right had a mass of shaggy green hair and bright blue eyes. Of course, that wasn't his current interest. His main priority was the girl in the middle; the girl with striking blue eyes and short blue hair. She wore the same school uniform as the boys, all three of them eating ice cream together.
His eyes narrowed as he let the picture fall just under the profile photo of Nanao. At first glance, one wouldn't notice the similarities between the blue haired girl in the group photo and the raven haired child in the ID, but when one looked close, they could see the same bright blue eyes and soft features of the face.
Aiko Nanao… a child with a secret that would either save or ruin her life depending on whose hands she was in, was the same girl that his two infamous co-workers were out with today.
Aiko Nanao was their friend Rhyth.
He frowned, biting the tip of his thumb as he thought. Things were now going to get complicated. This girl was going to be dragged to hell and back by the time this was over. She was the key to something very valuable that many in Tokyo sought.
He smirked. And to think that she was right under their nose all this time…
And the worst part was that she probably had no idea what they were after.
Regaining his composure, he stood up straight and headed to the door. He nodded to his assistant, Gum, who nodded and followed him. He glanced down at her unusually casual attire and raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't think that it was casual Friday." He pointed out calmly. The blonde smiled and flicked some hair away from her face.
"I just changed. I'm going out tonight."
"Oh god… not another boyfriend." Corn groaned. Gum shot him a deadly glare and stood up proud.
"No, not another boyfriend. Jazz and I are going out tonight for drinks."
"At a singles bar?"
"CORN!"
"Alright, sorry…" He smiled at the girl. He couldn't help but tease her. She was well known for the trail of broken hearts she left behind. Beat had been unfortunate enough to learn that the hard way. Of course, he took his anger out on his next mission.
Damn, that guy had some good aim!
"So did you find out what we were looking for?" Gum inquired. The taller blonde nodded.
"Fortunately for us, Nanao was closer than we thought. We're at an advantage with this."
Gum was silent for a moment. "Don't treat her bad." She warned. "She'll never know what she was getting into."
"It's Rhyth."
"WHAT!"
Gum stared at corn, eyes wide in shock. "H-her! It can't be…"
"I'm afraid it is." He sighed. "This really changes things…"
"You know that the Rokakku would do if they were the ones that caught her!" She hissed. "If they find out…"
"They won't for a while." He glanced at Gum, his eyes softening. "Like I said, we have an advantage. And if it means protecting Rhyth… I'll take it."
Gum was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed in no particular direction as she grasped what she had just been given. "You should go get some sleep, Corn."
"Yeah… I'll do that." He murmured. "Wake me up when you get back… oh… and I'll need coffee."
Gum nodded and left, leaving Corn alone in the hallway.
With a sigh, he headed down the hall to his sleeping quarters, which was simply an office that had the desk taken out and replaced it with a bed. The blonde loosened his tie, pulling it over his head and untucking his black button down shirt from his pants. He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the soft bed, sound asleep before he hit the covers.
Life was going to get interesting… and he'd need his sleep if he was going to get ready for it.
TBC…
There. End of chapter one. Lets see if I get any reviews on this XD Its not often I write AU fics. So be happy.
