Chapter 2: City Adorned in Light, But Something's in the Shadows

Four years have gone by. Four years since I've seen Rat.

Rat was a boy my age that was a runaway VC. He wasn't a bad kid though, despite his criminal record. Does that make me a criminal too? Maybe. I'm not sure.

Anyway, the morning after helping Rat, the authorities came. We were stripped of our social class and forced to live in poverty. My mother started up a bakery that was quickly popular. Shion, my twin brother, started working at the public park.

I started working at the local dojo for teens that needed help. It helped me gain something in life. I helped others as well. The dojo became my life.

Safu came back to visit from the gifted course, but she refuses to talk to me. Ever since we dropped out from the gifted course due to the 'incident' she's been really upset with us. She went to talk with Shion. But I didn't care. She would never understand anyway, it's not worth my time.

It was late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to go down. Dojo hours were over and clean up was done.

"Hey! I'm leaving", I yelled to the manager as I grabbed my jacket.

"Alright. Be careful Takeo!"

"Yada yada…I know. Night!"

I stepped out onto the street. The air was starting to chill as night closed in. I've always liked the night time better. However, there was something different about tonight. I wasn't sure what it was, but it couldn't be good.

Over the last four years I've increases my sense of knowing my surroundings. It's saved me multiple times from being jumped by a thug or kidnapper. My mother feels better knowing that I can take care of myself. But Shion, well, he still wouldn't make it on his own.

We didn't take much after Rat. I wasn't sure what happened. We just seemed to drift apart. I hated it, all of it. I missed my twin despite having him right across the hall in the other room of the building.

I sighed. It had been a long day. A kid snapped his kneecap pretty bad and I had to work with it until help arrived. It was a bloody mess for sure. That was the only thing I hated about my work. All the injuries…it just brought up bad memories.

Shion blames our separation on the accident. I refused to talk to anyone about. Neither mom nor Shion knew the grimy details of what happened that night. All they know, is I came out alive and my father didn't. Simple as that.

I remember telling Rat before he fell asleep that if I saw him again I would tell him. He realized that we were similar in our mental process and state of maturity. We both had rough pasts.

Rat…he was always on my mind when I walked home at night like it was now. After all, rats were nocturnal creatures. They thrived in places where others can't see.

The sun had set and the air was chilly. I snuggled into my thick, black jacket in order to keep warm.

CRASH!

I jumped in surprise at the loud sound before pressing myself into the wall of the nearby building. There was something or someone in that alleyway. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I peered around the corner. It was empty save some trash, a knocked over trashcan, and a rat. What-wait a second! A rat!

I ran into the alleyway. It was a rat; a small, black one that stared at me curiously.

"Hi there little guy. What are you doing out here in the cold", I asked as I lifted him up in my hand.

"Well, well, look who it is."

I froze. There was no mistaking that deep voice. I slide down the wall in shock.

"R-Rat?"

"The one and only. I ran into your dork of a brother and then you. What a surprise…What are you doing out here alone?"

"I was walking home. Where are you? I know you have an intercom on this little guy, but where are you? You can't be far away."

"Close enough. I don't want to have anyone notice me. Then we both would be in a lot of trouble."

I muttered under my breath as I stood. The little rat scurried up my arm to sit on my shoulder. He was kind of cute…in a rodent sense. I started walking down the street again, towards home.

"So, where have you been these past four years?"

"Around."

"Figures; I'm not bugged if you're wondering."

"Can't be too cautious when you're me."

I nodded," Then why talk to me and Shion now?"

"…I'm not sure."

Before I could say anything else, the rat scurried down my jacket before running away. I stared after it for a moment before continuing on home. I needed to talk to my brother about this.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning I woke up to the sun in my face. I squinted my eyes in irritation. I hated waking up like that.

I flipped my blanket off before standing. Stretching my arms up, I cracked my back. Once it wasn't sore, I changed. My style in clothing wasn't complex, it was simple. I generally wore jeans, a tank top, my converses, and my jacket. It was simple, and easy to move in when it comes to fighting.

My hair was a simple thing too. It was a few inches from reaching my shoulders. I found it easier to keep it short and in a pony tail.

I finished pulling my blue tank top over my head as I jumped down the last step into the bakery. We lived right above it. It was all convenient for mom and it made it good enough for me.

"Hey, mom. Is Shion still here?"

She looked up at me," No. You just missed him sweetheart. He left for work a few minutes ago."

Cursing under my breath, I headed for the door but my mom called my name. She tossed me a small bag when I turned to her. Inside was my breakfast. It was a pastry; a cinnamon roll to be exact.

"Thanks mom!"

"Be safe", she called after me.

The streets were already starting to fill with people. That's how it was every morning.

After I finished my breakfast, I attempted to call Shion on my ID bracelet. I was waiting so long that I was about to hang up when, the connection broke. I blinked in surprise. Did my brother really just hang up on me or was it something else entirely.

It had to be something else. And I needed to know. I called my boss, the dojo manager, and told him I was taking the day off due to family crisis. He gave it to me, saying that I've been working too hard anyway.

"Now I just need to get to Shion and-" A cop car sped by, nearly killing me.

I swung around to yell at the car, but when I saw who was inside, I stopped. Shion was in the car with four cops. That was anything but good.

"SHION", I started running after the car. I needed to get my brother back. There was no way I was going to lose him.

But there was no way possible that I would be able to keep it up. My lungs were on fire and the car showed no sign of slowing down. I need some sort of transportation and fast!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bike leaning on the side of a wall by a shop. I grinned as I headed right for it.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The car had stopped. I narrowed my eyes in irritation. What were they doing to my brother!?

My breathing was still labored; to chase them, I 'barrowed' someone's bike. It worked, and I would try to get it back to where it was.

Anyway, I had a brother to save.

However, right as I was about to rush out from the bushes, a dark blur coming from under the bridge beat me to it. The side door was thrown open and a cop tossed out. The cop on the other side stepped out only to get a face full of boot. The figure had grabbed the car to flip him self over it.

With the two cops down, the figure paused long enough for me to figure out who it was. Rat!

I gasped in shook, what was he doing!? He could get caught!

A cop fired, slicing through the hood. It was thrown back; completely revealing the criminal.

Why was he even here!? Ah- no time for that now! So, I rushed out to join in the fight.

By then, the other cops had left their vehicle and the other two were getting up. I flipped down, pushed up with my hands, and went over one of the cops still getting up. I landed in a squat by the open car door.

"Takeo!?" Shion gapped at me," B-but-"

"No time! We need to get out of her-" A cop dragged me back in a choke hold. I gagged and struggled almost instantly. The grip was tight though, and I couldn't shake him.

Suddenly, the cop went limp before dropping to the ground. I spun around to see why only to see Rat.

I sighed," You're an idiot you know that!?"

He frowned," Well that wasn't a very nice thank you."

Before Rat could react, I grabbed his hands after rushing him. The momentum of my rush and his balance caused me to swing around. I effectively hit two cops down to the ground.

Once I regained my balance I smirked at him," Now we're even."

The criminal smirked," I'm impressed. It's been a long time since I've seen a decent fighter."

Ignoring him, I hurried back to where my brother was. Shion was staring at me with wide eyes and open mouth. I grabbed his shoulder before shoving him back into the car. After slamming the door shut, I turned to where Rat was knocking down another cop.

"RAT!" He turned to me," Let's go! Come on!"

A cop was sneaking up behind him but Rat slammed his fist back into his gut. The cop gasped before falling to his knees. Smirking, Rat ran towards the car. He slid over the hood to reach the driver's side as I slide into the passenger's side.

It only took moments before we were speeding off in the opposite direction. I spotted a hand gun on the floor on the car. I grabbed it before checking the clip.

"Full round, I'd say about eight bullets", I muttered. Licking my lips, I shoved the gun in the back of my jeans. "Alright Shion, spill. What happened?"

My brother scooted up to talk to me," It's going to sound kinda crazy…"

Rat snorted," Right…just say it anyway."

"OK, so it was after I just started work at the par-"

The car squealed to a stop before going into reverse at a dangerous rate.

"Rat!"

"It's not me", he snarled as he tried to turn the locked wheel. "They must be controlling it by remote somehow!"

Rat was right of course, when I looked out the back window, I spotted a cop holding a remote. I cursed under my breath in anger.

"What are we going to do now", Shion asked.

"I don't know! I wasn't exactly prepared for this", I snapped at him. "Look for anything we can use, Shion."

"…actually I think Rat's on it."

I turned to said person. Rat was partially shoved under the dash messing with wires. I face palmed…of course! It was an effective yet clever plan.

"Shion get ready to bail."

"Wait…what!?"

Rat grabbed both myself and my brother before kicking the door open. We threw ourselves out of the speeding car. WE hit the ground, rolled, and hit a tree. Rat propped himself up. I was being hugged to Shion's chest. I gulped and looked up. My brother smiled at me.

Rat stood," We need to go."

I stood and helped Shion up. Then we were running through the forest.

"Get rid of it", Rat suddenly ordered.

I frowned, get rid of what?

"Your ID bracelet, they can track you two with them."

That made sense. I pulled it off, turned, and threw it as hard as I could. It went whistling in the other direction. Shion did the same after a few moments of thinking.

I stared at the two boys I was running with. My convict brother and an escaped criminal. Man, I sure do know how to pick me friends.

So, after a huge explosion, getting rid of ID bracelets, and running to a hidden truck, we were driving towards the wall of the city. Rat was more than likely on planning to take us out of the city.

"What's the matter", Rat asked Shion, who was staring at him.

"Thanks for saving me back there."

"Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what", Shion and I both asked in sync.

"I'm a head taller than you now. Both of you."

I rolled my eyes," Of course. Even after nearly getting caught again you're comparing heights."

Shion ignored me," You're a liar."

"By the look of you, you two haven't had much to eat, have you? Just skin and bones. Hell, I bet you'd be too embarrassed to take your clothes off in front of a lover."

Shion redirected his gaze," That's none of your business. It's not like you've seen me naked."

"Besides", I added," you don't look all too well fed yourself Rat. Your pride would get in the way of getting into bed with someone."

Rat shook his head with a smirk," What if I told you I have seen you naked?"

I glared at him before Shion got in the way," Wait a sec, have you been watching over Takeo and I this entire time?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, you arrived at the precise time they got me! Like you knew all of this would happen."

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bored. Besides, your sister was there too. I didn't know that she would be there. Speaking of which", Rat glanced at me," How did you know?"

"I tried calling Shion but the connection was cut. Then I nearly got ran over by the same police car Shion was being taken in. So, I went after him."

"How did you get there so quickly? You couldn't have gotten there by foot."

"I might've borrowed some random bike", I muttered while picking at my nails.

Shion gapped at me," YOU STOLE A BIKE!?"

Glaring at my twin I replied," Well what else could I do Shino!? They were taking my brother away from me! I wasn't going to let No. 6 have another one of my family, not again. I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE!"

Shion just stared at me in shock. I've never ever yelled at him. I was shocked with myself, and mad. My brother turned back to Rat," Then how can you explain yourself?"

"If it doesn't make sense, you refuse to budge. You're always looking for explanations."

"You nothing about me; don't patronize me. I just want answers. Why did all of this happen? What will Takeo and I do now? We can't move when we've lost all direction!"

I squeaked when Rat suddenly hit the brakes. My head hit the dashboard with a bang. As I rubbed the new injury, Rat pulled Shion by his collar.

"You can't move? I don't want any more of that naive bullshit from you. Do you hear me?"

I snickered before Rat could continue," He's right Shion. You have no idea about what really goes on in No. 6."

"Like you do", Rat challenged.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I do know that they can crush us all beneath their heels like we're tiny bugs thought. That's a fact."

Rat stared into my eyes coldly, as if he was trying to pry his way into my mind. After a moment he released my brother and continued driving. Everything was silent inside the truck after that.

"The gate", Shion breathed after we exited a tunnel.

Then the sirens started. I looked forward to see several police cruisers heading right for us. Rat turned the wheel so that we were heading for a building. The police continued their pursuit.

"That's not going to work Rat. We can't pass through the check point without an ID!"

"Shut up and watch me", the criminal commanded before pushing harder on the gas.

We ran right through the gate when we hit 100mph. Glass shattered all over us inside the cab. Alarms blared as I looked up. The gate was closing! There was no way we would make it, even at the speed we were traveling. I had to make a decision right there and then. It wasn't the smartest idea but it was the best option.

I slipped off the seat belt before turning towards the dark haired criminal," Rat. Take care of my brother or I'll haunt your ass."

Then, I threw the door open and jumped out. In the distance, Shion was screaming my name.

I rolled on the hard pavement, gaining even more injuries. Coughing, I got to my feet. Pain spiked through me but I did my best to ignore it. Today, I seemed to have started a habit of jumping out of speeding cars. At any rate, I still had to get to the control station at the check point gate.

I ran like I had never run before. The sirens were close, way too close. Once inside the station, I hit the emergency override button. The alarms blared loudly once before silencing. I watched intently as Rat drove the truck into the building. I hit the close button and the alarms started back up.

Tires squealed as they braked the cop cars. I probably had little chance of escape at this point. I pulled the gun from my pants and fired at the panel. That way, the cops wouldn't be able to open it and follow. Sparks flew and glass shattered as I fired three bullets.

Blinking, I hurried for the door. Cops were climbing out of their cars. I started running towards the building.

"STOP! FREEZE", a cop yelled. Shots followed after that. Concrete shattered to my left, then my right.

I fired a shot back at them, but didn't stop running.

"TAKEO!" Shion. I looked up to see him being held back by Rat. Said person was staring at me like I was insane.

"GO", I screamed. "RAT! GET HIM OUTTA HERE!"

Then, a bullet hit my right calf. I fell to the ground with a scream. Blood was quickly pouring out of the wound. Footsteps from the cops were coming towards me. I lifted the gun and fired towards them. Four bullets then click, empty gun.

I cursed and threw it. A cop came up to me and kicked me in the sided. I rolled over onto my stomach in pain. My ribs were definitely broken.

"TAKEO! NO!"

I watched as the door finally shut. Something hit the back of my head and I was swallowed by darkness.

Hey hey hey...well, that was intense. I hope you guys like it. Thank you to my lovely reviews for your reviews. They made me happy and I loved reading them. Glad you guys like it, and I hope this chapter is satisfying.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from No. 6. Only Takeo.

Remember: Peace, Love, & Chicken Grease. NewtB00 out bros!