A/N: Odoriko is Japanese for 'dancer'.

46. Dance into the Light – Phil Collins

"You're really into her, aren't you, boss?"

"Who?" Abbo tried to crane to see while not giving up his lackadaisical position propping up the wall. When coupled with his stricken expression it made him look like he was the first man in existence to experience menstrual cramps. "That chick? That's the one you've been all gaa-gaa over the past few weeks?"

Shinji nodded on Johnny's behalf. "She's the one who beat him into the ground at DDR that day you were at Grammy's baking cookies."

Abbo scowled. "Shut up, dude. I told you I wasn't making no stinking cookies -"

"Muffins, then. Or was it fairy cakes?"

Abbo lunged at his buddy, but stopped when Johnny grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled him back into place against the wall. "Can it, both of you," he snapped.

Abbo scowled some more, but ignored Shinji to look again at the girl who'd just walked into the arcade with three other guys. "She's okay, I guess. Nice rack. Good legs. I can see why you dig her."

"I don't dig her," Johnny snapped, turning his back on the newcomers and folding his arms. It was his Don't Even Think About It stance, and both Abbo and Shinji knew it of old.

They'd been part of Step Johnny's crew since he was just Johnny Odoriko, the kid with the braces whose Mom put him in for dancing lessons because he kept tripping over his own orthopaedic shoes and getting beaten up because he was too clumsy to run away. When he left high school and metamorphosed into Step Johnny, King of the Domino Arcade, they were all too happy to hang with him and bask in his reflected glory. Being Step Johnny's boys was better than being just 'the unemployed dropouts'.

Shinji raised his eyebrow and studied the tense line of Johnny's shoulders. "You so dig her."

"So why don't you just go over and put the moves on her?" Abbo asked.

"She's still in high school, nimrod."

"So? That's never stopped you before. Besides, have you seen the length of her skirt? And look how many guys she's already hanging with." He squinted. "Hey, I recognise the blond one. I think I met him downtown once. He got caught shoplifting or something. You heard of Hirutani, right? I think that kid was in his crew. Got a criminal record out of it. Peanut stuff, but girls dressed like that don't hang with guys like him unless they're putting looks like she'd be a good ride. You should – glrrrrk!"

"Boss?" Shinji looked aghast at Johnny, and then at the counter. "C'mon, boss, not in here."

Johnny slowly unclenched his fists out of Abbo's collar and let him drop. "Don't you ever talk about Anzu that way again, you hear me?"

"Shit, boss," Abbo coughed.

"You. Hear. Me?"

"Sure, sure, whatever. Jeez Louise, what rattled your cage?"

"You … okay, Johnny?" Shinji ventured.

Johnny just glowered at them and then stalked out of the arcade with his elbows locked straight at his sides. His boys watched him go, noting how the girl who'd caused their boss to act all crazy hadn't even noticed him. She chatted away, laughing with the guys by her side and ruffling the hair of the smallest one. Despite the outfit, she didn't look anything like the kind of girls Johnny usually went for.

"Weird, man," Abbo croaked, rubbing his throat. "Totally weird."

Shinji shook his head. "You said it."