Chapter 6: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

A/N – There will be extensive use of the F, S, N, C, D, A, B, H, and Z words in this chapter. You have been warned. If you've played any GTA game, you know I'd be doing a disservice if I didn't.

"So you're sure about this?" he doubled checked her decision, only to have her look more deeply onto the piece of paper, "There's no going back."

"I know, but… I just have to see, you know? I mean, I wasn't a part of it obviously, but it's in my blood. The least I could do is educate myself more on it," Asuka, as proud as she is of her nationality and blood line, has always been haunted with the past doings of her mother country. In her mind, there wasn't ever really any punishment for the crimes committed – sure, a few people were put to death, but how do you make up for countless millions of people killed?

"I don't think this is a good idea," she scoffed at him.

"Listen, it was Germany's fault all of these horrible things happened. Even putting the Holocaust aside, if it wasn't for us, Japan would have never gone through two atomic bombs. Shinji, there's still kids being born with deformities… I think I owe it to those people to at least know what happened," and it finally clicked with Shinji.

"Asuka… you do know what a ghetto is, right?" she finally looked at him with anger in her eyes.

"Of course I do! I may not know much about the war, but I know the terms they used! Look," she looked back down on the paper and began to read, "It says 'Live the life of a ghetto rat and climb your way to fortune' right on the cover!" he went to object, only to have her mentally start the game before he could say a single word.

Two things must be understood about the children. While they were never particularly raised to be racist – in fact, they were taught in grade school to accept everyone – they had never been around any person that had more melanin than an albino rabbit. Germans aren't exactly known for their dark skin tone, and Japanese… well, that goes without saying. In Asuka's home city of Essen, there was a single black person in the neighborhood. A single black person that never left his home. The second thing to be understood is their culture and their views on emotions… Germans come across rude, simple as that. It's in the way they speak with hard syllables, rumbling uvulas, and close-to-screaming tones that make people of other nationalities scared of them. The fact of the matter is that Asuka is considered mild tempered in her home country. That being said, she always comes across rude, regardless if she intends to or not. The way Shinji was raised – that is, to be seen and not heard – often comes across as not only rude, but arrogant. These are all traits one would do best to avoid when dealing with men who carry weapons.

"Hey CJ! Get yo ass in here already!" the small cul-de-sac initially surprised Shinji, but the surprise went away as he realized his definition of 'ghetto' was far more accurate than Asuka's.

"A black Jew? Who would have thought?" Shinji rubbed his eyes in annoyance as Asuka stared at the man across the street as if he was in a zoo.

"Wrong kind of ghetto, Asuka…"

The two were soon led into the house the initial man was standing in front of. As with all the other games, they took the roles of the central characters, and no one seemed to mind in the least that the two weren't even remotely black. Asuka has yet to say a single word – her presence is made up of crossed arms and a scoff on her face. She still had no idea how the term 'ghetto' wound her up in the projects, or why all these people could speak perfect Japanese, but she found it easier to just not ask questions.

"So listen here CJ, I'm fuckin' sick and tired of our homies runnin' on yay. You and me need ta go out, bust out some of them junkies, and send a message to the rest of the family," a tall, muscular man – apparently Shinji's brother in the game – paced back and forth in front of the two on the sofa.

"I understood, like, every third word you said. A little slower, and a little smarter," Asuka has yet to realize just where they are.

"That damn banger you're runnin' with got you on too high of a pedestal. Rodriguez better learn his place," a third thing should be known about Asuka. She's on her own pedestal, and damn proud of it.

"Rodriguez?"

"Hernandez then, same shit."

"Let me tell you something you low life hood rat," Asuka finally loses it and stands up in front of him, "I earned my pedestal in life. I went through, did what I had to do, and wound up on the top. What have you done? Hm? Shoot a few people because of the color of their shirt? You talk about drug junkies and 'bangers', whatever those are, as if you're above them. You're not above anyone – not even Shinji. You were born a thug, grew up as a thug, and will hopefully die young as a thug. Your mother probably shot herself just to get away from your grammar alone," the man stood there for a moment, completely wide eyed.

"Too far, sis," that was the first time the two had seen someone as large and as black as him cry his eyes out. Needless to say, he ran off into what was apparently his room.

"Wow… impressive… a little harsh, but impressive. But he was our only guide in the game, what now?" he couldn't see her face, which he would later find out to be a positive thing. Asuka enjoyed working in the Bad Company for a simple reason – she doesn't mind putting a chunk of lead in someone. In fact, she enjoys it far too much for even her liking, but that's an entirely different story, "Asuka?" she has now been thrust into a world where not only can she harm people, but harm people that actually deserve it for once.

"Do you know what a vigilante is, Shinji?" she asked in a sweet tone that scared him.

"Like Spiderman?"

"Yes, like Spiderman, freaking dork. What say you and me go and fight crime with crime? Or, as your brother would say, 'Bust a cap in dat ass' so elegantly."

"Don't talk like that, it's freaky," he stood up next to her as she picked up a handgun from the table. He still had no idea where and why she learned to handle all types of weapons, and quite frankly, he could live the rest of his life without knowing. Some things are better left unsaid, "But sure, we might as well. You go ahead though, I'll just follow," he was met with a handgun being thrust into his abdomen as Asuka handed it to him, "Where are you finding all of these?"

"You'll see, you'll see," the two walk outside and stop on the sidewalk, "You know Shinji, muscle memory is a hell of a thing. It's like riding a bike, you just never really forget. It's the reason people can type on the computer, play a piano, and… oh, I don't know, use cheat codes."

"Huh?"

"Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L1, L2, R1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle," a loud beeping sound echoed and a large tank fell from the sky and right in front of the two children. Shinji screamed, Asuka smiled, "Damn straight. Down, X, Right, Left, Right, R1, Right, Down, Up, Triangle," the same beeping sound echoed, but nothing in particular happened.

"Great. You're God now. Just great," Asuka proceeded to hold the gun to his head and pull the trigger. For the briefest of milliseconds, Shinji thought he was dead. No, the reality was that there was no wound, and it felt as if she flicked the side of his head.

"Infinite health! It worked!"

"You weren't sure it was going to work? You're insane! You could have killed me! You don't know what happens if we die in here, Asuka! I can't believe we haven't gotten hurt so far, and you go and shoot me?" throughout his yelling, she was struggling to get in the tank.

"Yeah, mind helping me out? You're fine, quit complaining or I'll turn it off and kill you for real," he sighed, realizing there was no negotiating with her, "Good boy. Hey, watch your hands!" pushing someone up onto a tank is quite difficult without groping them. Try it. You'll see, "Come on," it surprised him to see her smiling as she held out her hand, offering to help him up. Usually, she'd tell him to either find a way up or walk… it was a nice change of pace.

"Wow, it's actually roomy in here," little known fact: tanks don't have windows for protection. They don't have windows so the general public can't see the two reclining chairs in it.

"You control the gun, and I'll drive," he saw a familiar, sadistic smile cross her face.

"Asuka, no. Whatever you're about to do, don't."

"Square, down, L2, up, L1, circle, up, X, left," another beeping sound, but once again, nothing happened.

"So you've played this game, but you didn't know what a ghetto was? And you obviously played the game a lot to have these all committed to memory," without a word and still wearing a smile, she began to drive forward. He noted that it seemed to be moving much faster than he thought tanks could travel… much, much faster. The only way to see outside was through a pair of pseudo-binoculars in front of each chair, over the controls. He looked out and almost immediately screamed.

"We're going to Las Venturas, unless you have an objection. We should be there in about two minutes," he held on to the arms of the recliner as if his life depended on it, "You're such a baby!" she looks over at him with a smile, "We're in a tank! What could possibly happen?"

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

"What road?" he was beginning to feel just a little green at the whole situation. Honestly, some people just have problems with flying tanks – it's not his fault, it's just how he was raised. Some would blame his parents, and others would blame the schools, "I forgot the code for weapons, so we have to just go buy some."

"W-With what m-money?" little known fact: Shinji is crippled by fear of heights. You can take that to the bank.

"R1, R2, L1, X, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up," both of their pockets filled with bands wrapping countless hundred dollar bills.

"Forget I asked," the rest of the ride was absolute hell for him. Nothing like Free Bird to get a crazy German to do loops in a tank. Cliché saying, true, but it suits the situation. When the song finally ended, she landed quite gracefully on a road, and Shinji could have sworn he heard a scream.

"Crap, I forgot… um… circle, right, circle, right, left, square, triangle, up," another beeping, "Yes! Okay, cops won't follow us now. We can get out, the gun shop is right here," she grabbed his wrist and led him out of the tank. People were walking right by on the side walk as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"I hate this game… so much…" roughly half an hour later, Asuka finished her shopping. Just like most women, she insisted on trying everything that had a price on it – in this case, shooting everything that had a price tag on it. In the end, she decided to go simple with a Desert Eagle, rough with a full assault rifle, tactical with tear gas, and just plain scary with a rocket launcher. Shinji decided to go… well, he didn't decide. Asuka thought he'd be better equipped with no more than a knife.

"I think we're ready to go! Thanks again!" smiling ear to ear, she waved at the dealer as they walked out.

"Really? You sure you have enough? Because you could supply a small army. Why not go for broke and just take the shop with you?" he was speaking completely sarcastically, but she turned around outside and stared up at the building as if seriously considering it, "Asuka, no!"

"Fine, fine."

"Hey man! Man! You were the ones flying, right? That was out there!" a man wearing a flannel red shirt, jeans, and a headband shuffles over to the two.

"Oh, Truth. Why are you in Venturas?" he stumbled back as if he saw a ghost.

"You know me… you got my transmissions, didn't you? I knew it, man, I just knew it!" Shinji rubbed his eyes not out of annoyance, but out of the overpowering stench of cannabis fluffing off the man, "Come on, you have to tell me about your travels. Follow me, my home isn't far," against his better judgment, the boy went along with Asuka and Truth. 'I think I'm starting to get a contact high…' Much needed stress relief for the boy.

"This is Zero," the three enter the Truth's home to see a balding man in his early thirties.

"Salutations, comrades," Shinji nudged Asuka at the sight of the man.

"Hey, isn't that David Cross?" by the look on her face, he was sure he wasn't the first to make that connection, "Seriously, we need to actually be doing something. I don't like this game, I want to go back."

"Ignore my friend. He's what we call a pansy. Nice to meet you, Zero. How's the RC shop running?"

"See man? You see that? This girl drove down from space in a fuckin' tank! And she knows all about us! Tell us your secret, oh Wise One," making her feel more than just a little awkward, Truth literally bowed down in front of her, "Where did Year Zero come from? What happened to Kennedy? Where can I get stronger dank?"

"Space, nothing, and Nebraska. Now, if you don't mind, we really have to be going," it really was about time he took control of the situation. Shinji grabbed Asuka's wrist and led her out of the house in a huff, "Don't humor them! Just have your fun and let's go, okay?"

"Shinji, it's not just about fun," casually, she shot the nearest pedestrian with the Desert Eagle without even breaking her eye contact with Shinji, "It's about surviving," and another, "Darwinism, you know?" that one was a ten year old, "Well, social Darwinism," that was somebody's grandmother, "Do you see where I'm going with this?" it was that man's own fault. He should have been running by now.

"Are you quite done?" one more loud gunshot at his forehead. Surprisingly, he didn't flinch this time, "That's a no?"

"No, I'm done now. You know, this is an RPG, we can do anything you want in this game. We can go ride dirt bikes in the desert, roll some dice a the casino, get hammered, fight crime, make crime, or even just explore. Why don't you take charge for once?" trying to make a point, she tossed the gun to her side, setting it off and shooting another person a few hundred feet away.

"Fine then – lose the weapons," following his orders, she dropped all of them – not the wisest of moves with the rocket launcher, but luckily for them it didn't go off, "And tell me why you're letting me take charge for once. You usually love these kinds of games."

"Yeah, well, I like it when you try and act all macho. It's kind of cute, in an 'Awww, look at the baby!' sort of way," he completely ignored her insult.

"Can you get us a car? Not a tank, a car. Just a normal, old-fashioned-"

"Right, Up, R1, R1, R1, Down, Triangle, Triangle, X, Circle, L1, L1," and with that, a large monster truck fell in front of them and onto the road.

"That works too, I guess," she smirked at his annoyance as they climbed in – Asuka in the driver's seat, of course. She wasn't about to let him take that much control just yet. Plus, he's scared of heights, and he never said to turn off flying cars.

"Where to, boss?" the two buckled in as she revved the motor.

"Can we just go somewhere relaxing? Like, a forest, or a mountain, or a lake," 'No wonder he's not looking at me anymore. He's gay! I knew it!'

"Sure thing."

"Hey, Asuka, did you turn off the-" screaming soon commenced, and it was far too late. Luckily for him, the truck was much faster than the tank, and they were sitting atop Mt. Chiliad overlooking what Asuka called San Fierro. The sun was just beginning to set, giving anything even remotely close to the earth a slight pink tinge. Shinji asked for relaxing, he got that and beautiful.

"There, you like?" with a smile, he nodded as he stared out at the sight. It didn't take all too long for the two to migrate to the hood of the car, using the windshield as a recliner as they stared up at the ever-darkening sky, "I'll admit, this was a good idea. I know it's not real, but it's definitely cool," they both had their hands at their sides, and Asuka certainly noticed how every few minutes, he would bring his hand ever so closer to hers.

"I told you. Shooting people isn't always the most fun, you know," she could easily contradict that point of view, "It shouldn't be fun at all."

"It's a video game, no harm comes from it. These people aren't real, just little bits of data on a computer. When one dies, they just respawn a few yards away."

"Well aren't we little bits of data right now?"

"Don't get philosophical on me Ikari, you know what I mean," silence fell over them as she closed her eyes.

'This is actually really nice. The temperature is perfect, there's not so much as a breeze, and it's absolutely dead quiet. I haven't had time to relax like this since… hell, I don't even remember. He can be romantic when he wants to be, apparently.'

'A little closer to her… almost there… just a little bit further…'

"If you want to hold my hand, just do it," he did it without question, and just a tad bit of fear, "I hope you plan on taking me out when we get back. I think you owe me a month's worth of dinners for all you've seen."

"I make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day!"

"Yeah, but those aren't dates. That's just you being whipped," he couldn't quite argue with that, but he was far more concerned with the word 'date', "The game's about to end."

"Huh? Why? How do you know?"

"Well lookie here, where ya been Carl? I hope you weren't planning on leaving now," a large, black officer came out from seemingly thin air and began walking towards them.

"Because I'm about to make a paradox in the game," with that, she took Shinji's knife from his belt and hurled it at the officer, landing it in the center of his left eye, "I was getting bored," the room went black, and their decision making started all over again.

A/N – I'm not going to put a summary, because really, the game is one of the best selling platformers of all time. Regardless, there you have it! I had quite a bit of time to write lately – the wife is out of the state, school has been easy on me, and I don't have anything better to do. SO! Here's the deal. I usually don't post them this early, but I'm in a good mood. I have no idea what the next chapter will be, so don't even try and guess. It'll be on the list I wrote out in chapter 4 though. Finally, I have about five to seven more games to do before the story is finished, and I've already chosen all of them, so no need to keep suggesting (sorry!). If you feel an overwhelming need to try, go ahead, I can't stop you. That doesn't mean don't review, though! I seriously have trouble writing FF if I don't have some sort of motivation – 90 percent of the time, I'm neglecting school work when I write! Keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N - Also, does anyone know how to get around the problem of not posting "? !" without the space? Whenever I use it, they end up only using either the question mark or the exclamation point... it's stupid.