guys.
...this chapter...this chapter was a lot of freaking work. i had to re-write like 3 time until i got something i was happy with -_-"
Chapter Three
Right. You really didn't think this through, did ya, champ?" Rikku scolded herself as she stood outside the San Fransokyo train station, a trash bag full of clothes draped over her shoulder and absolutely no idea where she was going or what she was doing.
At first, because the adrenaline was still heavy in her blood as she took that first step out of the train, she couldn't help the elated beating of her heart or the smile that crept over her lips. The station stood right next to the Pier, and as the familiar salty air filled her lungs and the distant smell of fresh fish and produce hit her nose, she couldn't help but feel she was exactly where she belonged.
However, as the midafternoon sun beat down on her and she examined the overly large, complex city map that ran along the wall outside the station, she started to wish she had thought of a more thorough plan.
Originally, as she sat in her booth of the train watching the images fly by with incredible speed outside her window, a lot of different scenarios played around in her head. Of course, she wanted to see her childhood pals, have a joyful reunion, and hopefully reconnect so they could start where they had left off. but for some reason or another, her mind hadn't processed some of the less fortunate outcomes of the situation until now.
What if Hiro and Tadashi didn't even remember her? Or even moved themselves? It had been nearly six years after all. Not to mention the fact that when she had left, Hiro was obviously starting on a path to really good things, even if he did remember her, he probably had more important stuff to worry about her than some girl he hasn't talked to in forever.
Pushing the negative thoughts to the back her mind, Rikku sighed, grabbing a seat on a nearby bench and quickly rummaged through her 'luggage' for her pocketbook. In hindsight, she probably could have taken the time to pack her stuff in a proper backpack or suitcase to avoid looking like a homeless freeloader, but hey, when your father burns everything important to you and you take to the streets in a hopeless mess of anger and frustration, sometimes your brain tends to forget the basics.
Once she found what she was looking for, the runaway quickly scanned the unbelievably minuscule contents. Combined with the money she had saved over time, and the limited cash the bank allowed her to take from the family funds, she had about $500 to her name. Rikku stuffed the weathered looking case in the back pocket of her jeans as she let the air out of her cheeks and rested the back of her head against the wall, wincing a bit as she hit the exposed head of a nail.
If she wanted to survive here for more than a few weeks, she was definitely going to have to ration out her funds. Hotels weren't cheap! And she didn't exactly have any other ways of accessing money once it ran out.
Being the impeccably street smart person that she was, Rikku knew it wasn't an option to bring any kind of traceable items with her; phones, computers, iPod, and ESPECIALLY not credit or debit cards. If she did, there was no doubt her dad would be there to drag her ass back to Newbai within a day's time.
The girl pursed her lips and let out a low, tired groan as she massaged her temples with her fingers. She was exhausted, hungry, and, quite frankly, could use a shower that didn't consist of hand soap and borrowed baby wipes. Just then, the sudden sound of the station clock rang in her ears. She eyed the wonderfully sculptured piece that was located just above the ticket station. It was four o'clock, and the sun was going to be setting in a few hours. Well, you're not getting anywhere by just sitting around. She told herself. Time to move. Rikku reluctantly listened to her mind and hoisted her belongings back over her shoulder, making her way to who knows where.
The streets were busy, and the wet, oily residue that glistened on the pavement indicated it just finished raining not too long ago. The teen grinned, unable to contain the smiles that kept creeping their way onto her features as she hiked along the steep sidewalks of the downtown area. The sights, the sounds, even the smells, they all seemed to add a level of surrealness. So much of herself was in this city, whether it be the culture or the liveliness of the people, and now that she was back, she finally felt closer to filling that small hole in her heart that was made when she had left- or was taken away rather.
As she continued walking, a foreign happiness radiating within her being, she realized that not much had changed over the years. There were some new business up, as well as what seemed to be a few extra ramen noodle joints that she hadn't really noticed before (which she was more than happy to test out), but other than that, San Fransokyo seemed to be the same beautifully cultured city that she remembered.
After a few miles of aimless sightseeing, Rikku was so immersed in the idea of being back in her beloved city that she hadn't realized the turn she took led her down a rather sketchy looking alleyway. It wasn't until she heard a faint sound of angry dogs barking and the distant ring of police sirens that she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Whoa…" she mouthed in awe, gripping her trash bag full of crap a bit tighter. This was definitely a part of the city she hadn't seen before. Just moments ago she was in the nice, attractive looking town that she knew, and now it appeared as though she was in a whole different world entirely. It was completely barren, save for the trash and old beer cans that littered the streets. Rather rabid looking animals were running around aimlessly, and what looked to be apartments seemed like they would topple over at the slightest touch. Of course, she had seen some run down neighborhoods back in Newbai; most of her tagging buddies happened to live in them, after all, and most of the time Rikku never gave it a second thought. But this… well, this was pretty rough, to say the least.
But, despite her instinct's warnings to turn back, she pressed forward, seeing as it lead to what looked to be a busy intersection. She held her belongings close and kept an even closer eye on her surroundings; the large buildings stood tall, stretching into the sky and slightly blocking the sun. It pitched a shadow over her, making the alley darker than necessary. As she continued walking, slightly picking up the pace with every second, Rikku found herself distracted by the sounds of squawking birds from above. Glancing up at the source of the disturbance, she failed to notice the man that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and right into her path. The girl let out an 'oomph' as she hit the ground, and pushed her mess of hair out of her face to glare at the man in her way.
"Hey, what's the rush, sweetheart? Why don't you watch where you're going next time." he questioned in a rusty, masculine voice. Rikku was surprised to see him extend a hand to her.
The girl let out a huff as the man pulled her up, quickly stepping back to brush the grit off her clothes. A slight scowl now presented itself on her face as she sized up the man before her. She took a deep breath, and although every fiber of her being wanted to yell at him to watch where he was going, she knew it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do in her situation.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there." she apologized dryly as she cataloged his appearance; he was tall, and tanned, with a mess of short unkempt black hair to match his dirty five o'clock shadow.
The man shrugged it off, but continued to stand there, and every time the girl attempted to move, he would block her way. Rikku bit the inside of her cheek in irritation, though still tried to remain calm. "Excuse me sir, but I really need to be going-"
"I would love to let you through, Hun," he interrupted in that sly voice of his. Rikku noticed that he kept creeping closer and closer toward her, and it wasn't long before she found herself against a wall. "But you don't look like you're from around here, and newbies have to pay a price to leave this part of town." The man let a devious grin part his dirty, cigarette burned lips, and held out his hand, obviously expecting some form of payment.
Rikku narrowed her eyes at the man, snorting in disbelief. Really? She was carrying a god damn trash bag, for crying out loud! Not exactly the kind of accessory you would have to worry about someone trying to mug from you.
But, not wanting trouble and silently thanking the lucky stars that she put her wallet in her back pocket, Rikku slowly put her bag down, opening it to for him see. "Look, I don't exactly have anything of value," she explained as calmly as she could, "I mean there's nothing in there but clothes… most of which I'm sure aren't really your style…"
The ass hat remained silent, and after he rudely rummaged through her belongings, he let out a disapproved snort and stood back up, crossing his arms over his chest.
"See? Nothing of value... now, please, if you don't mind, I'd really like to be on my way…"
The man lets another grin part his lips, and he scratched his chin as if in thought. "I wouldn't say you have NOTHING of value," he argued, his tone quickly turning more coquettish than threatening, "I've never been much of a material man anyways..."
Rikku raised an eyebrow, though the confusion was soon made clear as the man placed a cold, grimy hand on her shoulder, gently lifting the spaghetti strap material of her tank top. The teen swallowed tightly, and every part of her mind was yelling at her to keep calm, to apologize, say she didn't mean any trouble and beg for him to let her go. It really was a shame her mouth had a horrible reputation of never listening to what her brain told it to do…
"You, have a grand total of three seconds to get the fuck away from me before I rip that hand off and shove it down your throat." The girl hissed, causing her attacker to chuckle darkly. Every word was just feeding his fire. This is not happening right now, she thought angrily. She wasn't going to go out like this; be killed or worse by some heinous, greasy piece of shit mere yards away from where the rest of the world was.
The man continued to press closer to the unarmed teenager, slowly raking his fingers against her delicate jaw line, his warm breath gently tickling her skin. Rikku cringed, and within a single heartbeat, she had lost it. Without hesitation, she quickly bit onto one of the man's thick, disgusting fingers with as much force as possible, not stopping until she heard the faint crunch of bone and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. A pain filled shriek filled the air, and Rikku spit the disgusting substance in her mouth onto the ground before she let a satisfied smile part her lips, the pressure against her body loosening.
This was her chance.
She shoved violently past the man, and hastily tried to make a run for it. However, the man was quick, and managed to snag her by the wrist, letting out a slur of curses as he did so. Everything was moving so fast, and Rikku let out a surprised shriek as he pushed her body onto the ground, head snapping back painfully against the concrete. She cringed, gritting her teeth pain as she felt warm liquid seep slowly down her neck.
"You know, I was really hoping you were going to make this easy…" The man sneered, pushing his forearm against her throat. Reluctantly, Rikku could feel tears forming in her eyes, threatening to fall and expose her weakness. She hated this feeling. So small, so insignificant. Like an ant about to be crushed by a boot. Come on, fight back, you coward. Quit being so weak and fight back! Dig, bite, claw, punch, do whatever! Just fight! She screamed to herself, wanting so desperately to get out his hold and bash his skull on the ground. Her father's words began to race through her mind; he'd always said that fear was for the weak. That you should never let your enemies see you sweat, if you did, then you'd lost the fight.
"Anything you wanna get off your chest before we get started, huh sweetheart?" he smirked, making the girl's blood boil even hotter.
Rikku narrowed her eyes, "Go fuck yourself!" She screeched, and the man's face twisted in anger. Rikku watched painfully as he pulled a rather large switchblade from his back pocket.
This couldn't be happening right now. It couldn't. This was all some horrid nightmare that she was going to wake up from at any moment. It was not supposed to work out like this.
She felt the blade slide along her cheek, pressing down just enough so that pain registered in her brain as the blood slid down her face. Her hands clenched into fists as she bit back a scream.
she couldn't believe her first day back in the city of San Fransokyo… was possibly going to be her last.
okay so don't hate me! *hides behind baymax* I know i left it at a weird point, but I thought I'd be a slight jerk and keep u in suspense...
Now, listen guys, if you wouldn't mind leaving your feedback down below id really appreciate it. as a witter i really want to get better, so anything from the good to the bad, the happy and sad is welcomed. just let me know what your thinking ^^
Thanks for reading! until next time!
P.s: a little visual tid bit about Rikku until i get off my ass and make a proper character sheet. like many characters in BH6 she is a mix of culture. her dad is a clean cut Japanese-american man, and her mother was African-american and Japanese. =)