CHAPTER 2 - SAVING THE GIRL
I always surprise myself when I see the imposing streets of Central City. None Exiled here, of course not. Even members of guilds can only remain in this place while they are performing the trades for which they have a charter, otherwise they are "asked to leave" by the truculent security guards who check each passer-by.
Of course, they do not go down to look in the underground. No, they are very well paid to ensure that no one below a Clan member has access to the Central City without the prior authorization of a nobleman, but their allegiance to the work does not involve verifying what crawls beneath the glorious streets.
Living with the elite, the troglodytes forgot where they came from. Do they realize that they are just another spring in the intricate mechanism that keeps the majority of the population at the mercy of the whims of a privileged minority?
More important: what the fuck did the nobles do, after all, for today deserve the perks they enjoy? Diggers dying almost daily, buried beneath the rubble of the ruins from which they derive their livelihood, and no condolence in Central City. No, big shots have no idea of the price paid to adorn their houses with the objects that the diggers find and do not even know the name because they have not received any education.
I walk, crawl and climb the labyrinth that are the subterranean ducts. The sounds of the creatures that divide the space with me do not frighten or disturb me. I can not say the same of the strident sounds that grow louder as I approach my goal.
Gross laughter of creatures inebriated with themselves.
I step on something, and the disgusting feeling is a relief from what I feel when I approach them. The stale smell of the putrid environment, stagnant by the lack of air circulation, does not hurt my nostrils as much as the strong scent of the essences that men and women use to camouflage the rot of their souls.
If they have a soul.
Every second waiting for the right opportunity to get out of the ducts and invade Lory's palace, caution reminds me of the big shit I am doing. 'Cause yes, I have no fucking plan. I am sure I will get to Maria, but then what? I'll have to use the best of my ability to get out of there with her. She does not have the stamina I have, she's not used to the conditions I am. Other than that, I'll have to hide Maria from the world, and the only safe place I know is where my treasure is. If anything goes wrong, I lose everything: Maria, my chances of revenge, my life.
I wish I could marry her. Not even a Clan Master can go against a marriage bond, but of course the asses have determined that any commitment to an Exile has no validity. Unfortunately, I do not know a single man I can trust Maria either. I'm the only chance that girl has, and even I know I'm no big deal.
But today, I'll have to suffice.
I close my eyes and concentrate on my ability. I map the entire terrain and see clearly that the security is much fiercer than the last full moon, probably the result of the confluence of so many illustrious figures in the same place. I'm looking for two people, because only two people worry me at the moment: Maria, my goal, and Ruto, my biggest rival. If I find out where the two are, I discover how to act.
Fucking hell. Of course, one had to be with the other. My bad luck surely knows how to be faithful.
I wait.
I wait more.
Maria must have gotten tired, since they suddenly began to move. At this point, I already have the whole map of Lory's palace in my mind. It's not because I stood still that I stood idly by.
Ruto locked the bedroom door, but I do not care. I see him walk away; it seems the time has come for the great moment, the commemorative toast to crown the birth of a new Clan. Great shit. For the world, nothing changes.
I step out of the duct and outline the streets as if I had spent my whole life in them. I avoid the security guards as if they were sheets in the wind. I sneak into the palace and go straight to Maria, avoiding any glances with the precision of a Swiss watch.
I read in a relic called Encyclopaedia that Swiss watches were the best of the ancestors' time. I wonder about the taste of Swiss cheese and chocolate, but if it was as good as the pocket knife I found last week, it must have been one of the most wonderful things in the dead world.
I hope to find other volumes of the Encyclopaedia. I've already memorized the whole letter S, and I'm pretty sure Lory has the letter B.
I resume concentration and open the lock of the room in time to avoid a security that appeared at the end of the corridor, finding Maria under a tangle of sheets.
But, wait... what the fuck is this room? It looks like a nightmare of ruffles, ribbons and bits of lace! At least... she seems to sleep peacefully despite the predominant color making my eyes hurt! The relief invades me, but it does not last; just long enough for me to remember that even though Maria deserves all that opulence, the price she will have to pay will be too high.
I do not have time for delicacies, nor can I afford to startle and alert someone, so I wake her with one hand in her mouth. As I expected, she wakes up scared, but then reassures herself by identifying me. I can feel her smiling under my hand, which reminds me of my path up there and how utterly filthy I am.
But Maria does not care and throws herself on me, hugging me. This girl is too good for her own good. If I could, I'd marry her. I would not think twice.
Mary is my weakness. And I realize it too late.
"Get away from her. Slowly"
If I do not recognize the voice, it can only be Ruto, and Maria confirms my suspicion by asking him not to hurt me. Sweet Maria, if she knew the role of Ruto for the Takarada Clan, she would not ask for such a thing.
"Tell the sea that you can not swim and ask it not to drown you." I thought I'd have thought, but the next words assure me no.
"Well, what do we have here? A cult Exiled? And, by the clothes, a Digger! Interesting, very interesting! "
Now I'm fucked. I'm turned away not only to Ruto, but to Lory as well. Amateur error.
Maria remains clinging to my waist and asking the two to leave me alone as I slowly turn to them and notice not four but eight eyes on me. Shit, shit, shit! I could escape Ruto and Lory, but no chance of getting through Yashiro and ... why the fuck is not the monster in his own celebration?
Now I realize the size of my stupidity. However skillful I may be in escaping from clutches, there is no way out of here without a fight, but any commotion that begins in the room will attract a multitude of which I shall have no escape.
The calculations are quick in my head. What are the chances of saving Maria from the coming bloodbath? Are they going to use her? Should I use her? Is it advantageous to keep her close to me, or is she disposable to them in the face of the urgency of getting rid of an invader?
The tension in the room is oppressive and even Maria can feel it, if the strength with which she embraces me is some indication. One pair of eyes in particular makes me uncomfortable. It seems that the prospect of a massacre woke up the murderous instinct of Monster Tsuruga.
"Are you deaf, boy? Get away from Maria, and very slowly! "
If Death has a voice, it's Ren's voice.
"Please, Ren, do not hurt Rat! He is my friend!"
Oh, Maria! There is no place in this world for your sweetness.
Lory just watched us, but finally decided to intervene to assure Maria that she could let me go, since no harm would be done against me. Of course, I know it's an empty promise.
She let me go, and I let her go. There is no reason to allow a child to witness what is about to happen. Without trying to protect her, Kyoko enjoyed fourteen years of innocence; trying to protect Maria, I will not allow her to enjoy less than this.
For a second I commemorate the fact that Ruto distances himself with the girl. Maybe, having only the three to worry about...
"You caused a commotion on the last full moon. It was the first time Ruto failed to locate an intruder! "
Oh, I see. So they were prepared for my coming.
"Only we figured you'd come after Ren! Who could have imagined that the invader was after Maria? "
Lory seemed terribly pleased with himself, rattling something about Shakespearean loves. I was too intent on finding a way out of this situation to realize that I was correcting him aloud.
Romeo and Juliet. The impossible romance was in Romeo and Juliet, not in Othelo.
Lory's satisfied smile only confirms what I suspected a second too late: he was just testing me.
"Rat... this is your name?"
"47"
"47 is not a name, it's a number. Your Digger number, no? And by the way, what do you do so far from a ruin with this anti-radiation clothing? Have you come to see Maria in such costumes, covered from head to toe? How did you get here, crawling underground? Is that why they call you Rat? "
The hell I'm going to answer. I'd rather rip my own tongue out before I can tell anything to any Clan Master.
"Boy ... how old are you? Fifteen, sixteen? What do you know about life? What can you give to Maria? What purpose did you seek her for tonight? "
"Boy, you better answer Master Lory's polite questions. Do not want the information to be extracted by me"
It is the first I hear Yashiro's voice, and although it sounds friendly to me, both the fame he has and the gloved hands tell me that I do not have much time. Whatever the outcome of the night, it will happen soon.
"What can you give to Maria? This ridiculous room? A cage! Beautiful clothes? Pretext to strip them! Leisure and tranquility? To make her docile! Filthy, sneaky and perverted Masters, you are the evil that the planet failed to eradicate! You speak of saving mankind, but you indulge in your own bestiality! All you can offer Maria is a life of illusion!"
Unfortunately, I did not think before I spoke. Damn impulsive mouth.
"Hmmm. You know some difficult words, kid. No doubt, you know how to read. And more than one language, I would say, which is even more amazing! So, I'm sure you'll understand my words now: who are you to criticize the illusion I offer? Why, you're not much better than me, are you? You live in the underworld, crawling through tunnels, but your mind is much bigger than that, is not it? I bet you're always wearing this outfit, when was the last time someone saw your face? And the names you use? Rat, 47, are not they also illusions? What about friends, relatives, do you have any? Any true relationship other than the deception you offer Maria? Does she even know who you are? How can you protect her out there if you can barely protect yourself? Or do not you know that small, skinny boys, walking alone through tunnels and alleys, are easy targets for rapists? How much longer do you think you can escape being ambushed, naked and put on your knees? And how long until the farce is over and they put you belly up? "
Oh shit!
"It's a bold guess, but... you're Kyoko, are not you?"
A/N - I'm using a lot of references from Skip Beat, but I do not know if they're getting any clearer: the outfit that "Mouse" wears is a hooded overalls, a mixture of Love Me overalls with Bo's costume, dark way Yashiro wears gloves, but for another reason. Ruto and his killer skills, Ren and his bloody side (Kuon). The damn rose Love Me in the bedroom intended for Mary. Lory and her reveries about impossible loves. Anyway, I've tried picking up elements from the original story and adapting them to a grotesque world. More adaptations to come.
In the next chapter, plus some revelations and a bit from Ren's point of view.
Oh yeah. Of course, I could not leave Kyoko out of the story, could I? XD
