Side-Step O

The blow reverberated through the room. The Dragon stood firm as the man hit the floor, a low growl reverberating through the room. The others gathered in the room kept their heads bowed and their eyes raised. The Demon stood just behind the Dragon, impassive as always.

The one stranger, unaccustomed to such displays, hid behind the massive man.

The body on the floor twitched, the eyes searching the ceiling in confusion while the hands tried to push the chest off the floor.

"You."

The young man opened one eye.

The Dragon glared down at him, all but his eyes hidden behind the metal of his mask. Those still standing all leaned away, only slightly. He tried to hide his disgust, but his lips still twitched at the cowardice.

If the Dragon cared he didn't show it.

"Your name."

"Orga Itsuka."

"You are from the old country?"

"Yes."

The Dragon's eyes narrowed. "You saw the tinker?"

"Yes."

"Tell me."

Orga straightened slightly. "She wore a suit. Seven feet tall. Armored. Armed. It can see from behind. We tried a grenade. Didn't work."

"Why didn't you stop her?"

Glancing to the dead man on the floor, Orga grinned. "Old Man Maruba wanted to run."

"And you didn't?"

"She already destroyed the guns."

"Then why fight?"

"Because she annoyed me."

"She?"

"Only one free tinker in town."

"Hmm." He stepped aside, pointing to the now motionless body on the floor. "Fail as he did, and you will follow."

Orga tensed slightly.

The Dragon's head swept the rest of the room. "This is our place. We will not bow to some upstart hero."

Orga waited until Lung left to snarl. The rest of the room filtered out one by one. Several gave him nasty looks. A few laughed. A pair of feet came to a stop in front of Orga. He raised his eyes, more than a little disgusted by the absurd suit Yan wore.

"Don't get any ideas, Wharf Rat."

Orga closed one eye and grinned. "I'd need a brain to have ideas."

Yan laughed on his way to the door.

Alone, Orga glanced to Maruba's body. Shino liked babbling about reincarnation, how the dead would get a new life. Hopefully they would cross paths again. He never liked the old fart. Incompetent only began to describe it. Fitting that he died in such a lifeless room. The soft mats, the the antique swords and masks, the paper lamps. All nice in their own way, but arranged by someone who seemed to covet their existence more than anything.

Fitting that the Dragon would decorate like a hoarder.

Our place

Orga cursed under his breath.

"More like your place."

He finally left, Biscuit and Aston waiting for him outside. The blond gave him a stern assessment, and leaned over to peeked inside. He balked and quickly looked away.

Biscuit frowned for his part. "What happened?"

Orga shrugged. "I've been promoted, it seems."

He turned to the stairs, descending into the casino. He turned quickly at the bottom, stepping through the doors into the kitchen, and through the next set to the loading dock. The others gathered around the table, laughing and smiling like nothing happened.

Shino threw his arms up. "And then boom! The whole room exploded!"

"Easy for you to laugh about," Akihiro snarled. He rubbed his shoulder again. "You weren't tied up on the floor."

"Lighten up! You got out of it okay, and we taught the hero a lesson about messing with us!"

"Don't mess with Wharf Rats," someone cheered.

"Hey Orga!"

"How was it? Did you get smacked around by the Big Boss"

"His head's too thick. He'd be fine!"

Orga smiled despite himself. He sat with the others, looking over the meager meal of left overs from the casino. He kept wearing the smile.

"So how angry is the boss?"

"Maruba or the Dragon?"

"Both?"

Orga shook his head. "No need to worry about Maruba anymore. The Dragon asked him a question and he gave an inadequate answer."

"So, what now?" Biscuit looked nervous. He always looked a little nervous.

Like a mom.

Orga chuckled at the thought. "Same as always. Just with me in charge instead of Maruba."

Shino's arm fell over his shoulder. "Hey, new boss. Can I get a raise?"

"Stop slacking, and maybe you will."

Shino sighed. "New boss is as cruel as old boss."

Orga let the laughter wash over him. Easier to keep his hands from shaking. The weight of it bore down on him. In a way it always did, but he felt it now. Lung didn't forgive mistakes. One slip up…

The doors swung open, a familiar figure stepped out into the cold night.

"Oh. It's the masked lady."

Biscuit rose from his seat. "Um. Miss- Sorry. I don't-"

"Shut up!" She ran her hand over her balaclava covered face. "Is there anywhere you knaves aren't-"

"Knave?" Shino glanced to Aston. "What's that?"

Aston held his fork in his mouth, rice spilling out when he asked, "Why are you asking me?"

"You're smart. You know words."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Ugh. You're even worse than the one in the gaudy suit!"

Orga snarled. "Don't lump us in with that idiot."

The girl started to speak but stopped, her eyes sweeping over them. Orga practically saw the realization play out on her face. Not one of them was any older than her. Some even younger. They huddled around plastic tables in makeshift seats, wearing ratty clothes and jackets.

"Yeah," Shino said. "We're much handsomer!"

"And have better manners!"

"Damn right!"

The girl stared at them, and Orga couldn't help but feel a little pity. "Let me guess." He picked up a fork and poked at some old beans. "Yan, has sweaty hands?"

The girl scoffed.

"He's like that with every woman. Doesn't respect them."

"Doesn't respect anyone," Aston mumbled with a smile. "Except his mom. You see him get chewed out two weeks ago?"

"Oh I remember that!"

"What did he mess up this time?"

"He forgot milk. Can you imagine that? Big bad Yan got chewed out for forgetting milk!"

"He respects Lung."

Orga turned to the girl. She held her arms around herself, shaking from the cold.

"They all respect Lung."

The laughter stopped.

Orga scoffed. "No one respects Lung."

The girl flinched. "But-"

"They fear Lung." He looked at her with sharp eyes. "You think Yan would lay a hand on you if he respected Lung? After all the trouble he went through to get you?" Orga closed one eye and shrugged. "You'll see it yourself soon enough."

"See what?"

"That the bosses only respect Lung when he's around."

Aston mumbled as he ate, just barely loud enough to be heard. "The ABB used to be a bunch of different gangs."

Biscuit explained, "Most of them were run by guys like Yan."

The girl scoffed. "Idiots?"

"People without powers. The capes used to take orders from them. Even with most of the old bosses dead, the guys who replace them still see those as the good old days. The way things should be."

"And Lung is just a storm that will pass," Orga said. "They can hardly kill him, and they fear him, but they'll never respect him."

"Fear, huh?"

"Yup. Cause they all know the slightest slip up," - Orga pointed over his shoulder - "and they'll be just like old man Maruba up there." He chuckled. "So I'd suggest not slipping up."

The girl tensed. Good. She understood the point, more or less.

"Oni Lee messes up all the time though," Shino said.

"Oni Lee is Oni Lee."

"He does whatever Lung says. Big Boss will never get rid of him."

"What if-"

The argument went on, the girl standing out in the cold watching them. Akihiro shrugged his coat off and offered it to her. She took it, stepping closer to the group in the process. She stood tensely, weight shifting from one leg to another.

"Going to make a run for it?"

She flinched, turning her eyes on Orga's smile. "Won't work. Trust me. After all the trouble the Big Boss went through to get you, he's not going to let you leave."

Biscuit asked, "What's your name?"

"Al-"

He raised his hand quickly. "Sorry. We'll get in trouble if we know that name."

"Bakuda, then."

Biscuit nodded. "Bakuda, then." He got up and found something for her to sit on. "Here."

She scoffed at the upside down crate.

"If our hospitality isn't good enough for you, you're welcome to go back inside." Orga watched her for a moment. "Or run. The Protectorate would be happy to have you, I'm sure."

The rest of the discussion ended, Shino leaning forward and asking, "Oh? What did she do?"

"Tried to blow up her school," Orga said. "They're calling her the Mad Bomber of Cornell."

The girl flinched.

"School?" Aston glanced to her. "What's that like?"

She stopped mid-step.

"What is school like?"

"Yeah."

"You want me to talk about school?"

Aston shrugged. "I've never been to a school."

Everything went silent. Bakuda glanced around, her shoulders tensing tighter each second. She sat down quickly and cleared her throat.

"Well for one I was the best student in my year."

Shino smiled. "Oh? You must be super smart!"

"I'm a fucking genius."

Orga shook his head and ate. Family can be found in the strangest places. In the back of a casino with uneaten meals, or a dank cargo hold bound for America. The world is full of strange turns, and good people with no where to go.

"Yeah. And he gave me a B! For formatting some citations incorrectly!"

"I don't see why that's so important," Aston said.

Bakuda snarled. "That's what I told him, but he didn't care!"

"So that's why you tried to blow up your school?" Shino pointed his finger accusingly, with a knowing grin.

"T-That was a moment of passion!"

"From the genius?"

"I'm not fucking perfect!"

"So then, why did it matter?" Biscuit rubbed the back of his head. "A B sounds good to me."

"Tell that to daddy," Bakuda said. "Suppose I don't have to worry about him anymor-"

The door opened, and the Demon stepped out. He paid no mind to those gathered.

"Bakuda. Lung will speak with you."

"Um. Right now?"

"Yes."

And with that he turned around and went back inside.

"Guess the Big Boss is done showing off and is ready to get down to business," Orga mumbled. Bakuda rose from her seat slowly, the fear clear in her eyes. Yes. Lung knew how to instill fear. "Personally, I think you fit better out here."

"What?"

Orga shrugged.

"You're not really that different from us Wharf Rats."

Wharf rat. He hated the term, but he couldn't deny it either. What else do you call someone who only came to a country by hiding in containers and holds, slipping out and hoping not to be caught. The orphans of destroyed nations, and ruined homes.

"No where to go back to. No where to look forward too. Just another piece of debris left behind by the world."

"Well you don't have to put it like that," Shino said. "Be that dreary and you'll never get a pretty girl!"

Orga shrugged. "I got carried away."

Bakuda left without a word, returning the same way she came. Within a few seconds things went right back to the way they were. Orga set his fork down, having lost his appetite.

Biscuit started to rise, but Orga waved him down.

"Just going for a stroll."

King's Port didn't look like much anymore, but Orga remembered it before the Graveyard. He walked to the edge of the pier, so different from when he'd first stepped foot on it years ago. The half moon hung high in the sky for all to see, illuminating the rolling waves and the churning sea.

"Did it seem familiar to you, Orga?"

"Hmm?"

Mikazuki pulled another one of those snacks from his pocket. He always seemed to have some stashed somewhere. Orga tried to get a good look at it, but remained uncertain what exactly it was.

Mika turned the small dark food between his fingers, saying, "It's not the same."

Orga leaned his head, back, turning his eyes up to the sky. He understood without asking. An image in his mind like a distant dream. He smiled at the thought for some reason.

"Yeah… it did seem familiar."

A white demon before a barren battlefield.

"Like an old friend."