Chapter 2

*****(Live action)*****

Meanwhile, the keychain spiraled through the tunnel and it popped out of a mirror in an alleyway with such force, that it soared high in the sky and landed on the ground in an old skate park. Aeiko Sontaro was on her way to do one thing that she loved best: skateboard. She was rolling into the old skate park in downtown San Francisco, when something plopped into a puddle in front of her (it had been raining earlier). "Whoa!" Curiously, Aeiko stepped on her board to bring it up, and picked up the object. It was a keychain that seemed to be glowing. It was icy cold to the touch. "I wonder where that came from." Aeiko wondered aloud, fingering it. She decided to attach it to her belt, and then she continued on her way.

Tadashi finally was spat out of the portal. He landed on the floor of what looked like a bathroom. He gasped and moaned when he hit the ground. He slowly got up opening his eyes. He glanced around and slowly stood trying to keep his head from spinning. "I'm...alive. Ha! I'm alive!" He choked out and looked around.

Aeiko nervously looked around the crowded skate park. Teens and adults mingled, and she could smell smoke. She was probably the youngest one there. She clutched her skateboard. A whine sounded from behind her. Aeiko gasped as she turned around to see her black and white sheepdog. "Rocket, no!" she whispered fiercely. "What are you doing here?" Rocket ignored her and loyally sidled up to her side. Aeiko rolled her eyes. "Fine, come on! But stay near me." She continued on. People turned and gave her funny looks. Aeiko felt foreign. But she persisted until she was at the sidelines of the dangerous, old park. Awe swept over her like an autumn wind as she saw Dallas Schaffer, an amazing skateboarder, compete against another guy with bleached hair and a too-dark tan. Both were excellent, but Schaffer glided more smoothly. Aeiko watched him win the bet and cheered with the spectators. She felt like she was ready. To actually race. So when Schaffer called out, "whose next?" in his strange, heavy accent, she yelled back, "Me!" The whole park went dead silent as Aeiko pushed her way forward. "You?" Schaffer asked in surprise. Then he laughed. His friends laughed too, which made the whole crowd laugh. Fury went through Aeiko. "Where's your money, little girl? And what's your name?" Schaffer scoffed. "I'm Aeiko Sontaro, and money? Uh," Aeiko fished through her pocket until she found two dimes and a nickel. "I have twenty-five cents?"

Schaffer looked over the money. "All right, but you owe me," he said finally. Before Aeiko could do anything, he was on his board and moving smoothly down the ramp. After his bag of tricks had been pulled out, Aeiko started doubting. Rocket whimpered. The spectators cheered. That was all Aeiko needed before she stepped on her board to slide down the first half-pipe, but that was a fail and she fell to the bottom. Laughter filled through the air. "Game over," Schafer said severely when she got to the top. Aeiko glanced down at the keychain, which seemed to give her courage. She glared at Schaffer. "That wasn't fair. I'm doing it again." Aeiko did not fail. In fact, spectators agreed later that she actually won. But whatever she did, it made Schaffer mad. "You little-" he lunged for her, but Aeiko stepped back and Rocket stepped in front of her, baring his teeth. Unfazed, Schaffer continued toward Aeiko. "I'm gonna make you sorry for what you did!" he growled. Aeiko thought fast. "You wouldn't hit a girl, would you?" she asked. Schaffer stopped. He looked thoughtful. "No, I wouldn't. But I would KILL her. Get her," he said to his friends. Aeiko gasped and turned to run. With Rocket close behind, she leapt on her skateboard and sped away. Schaffer's friends followed on their own. Emi was walking near the park and Aeiko fleeing and quickly activated her pocket watch, a personal project she had been working on. She hadn't really used it a lot but this was an emergency. She ran off to find Aeiko's brother while texting him.

Keisuke, Aeiko's brother, had just finished studying in his favorite café downtown San Francisco when his best friend appeared. "Did you get my text?" she asked, frantically. Tadashi made sure he had everything, realized he didn't have the keychain. He sighed and got out of the bathroom noticing the biker's and tensed. Keisuke stood up. "What text-oh! Aeiko! Come on, we need to help her!" They ran out the door and we're halfway to Keisuke's car when Keisuke walked right into Tadashi. Tadashi gasped as someone bumped into him. He turned and saw Keisuke. "I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention." He apologized and Emi stopped and noticed them. Keisuke was in hurry, but he stopped and grinned. "Hey, it's all right." Then he really scrutinized Tadashi. Here was someone around his own age, but Tadashi didn't look like the biker kind. "You're not from around here, are you?" "Nope...in fact...where um...exactly is here?" Tadashi asked. Emi stared at him. Surprised, Keisuke answered, "This is San Francisco! One of the most beautiful places in California, isn't it, Emi?" Emi nodded. Tadashi tilted his head. "San Francisco? I've never heard of it. Unless you mean Sanfransokyo." "San Fran what now? Where on earth is San Fransokyo?" Keisuke asked. "Is like in another dimension, or something?" Tadashi gave a low nervous chuckle. "Probably..." Sensing Tadashi's discomfort, Keisuke changed the subject. "What's your name?" He glanced at Emi and remembered that they were in a hurry. Keisuke tried not to seem impatient. "Tadashi. Tadashi Hamada." he introduced. "That's funny, because my name is Keisuke Sontaro," Keisuke laughed. He looked at Emi again. "Well, we'd better get going because my sister has gotten herself into a jam and might be in need of rescuing." "Well you better get going then. Perhaps I'll run into you again later?"

Emi just nodded and headed out the door. "He was nice," Keisuke remarked. Then his phone went off with a text from Aeiko. 'He-' it read. "Oh gosh, we'd better go." Keisuke almost forgot to unlock his car before he and Emi got inside. Meanwhile, Aeiko dodged passerby and dogs as she and Rocket zoomed through the dangerous streets of San Francisco. Schaffer's friends were close behind, and she knew that whatever Schaffer said, they did, and whatever Schaffer said he would do, HE WOULD DO. Emi climbed inside. "Yeah." Keisuke stared at Emi. "Are you okay?" Aeiko continued sneaking around street lights, nearly running into vendors, and thinking that at any moment was probably going to be her last. Rocket loyally ran lighting fast at her side, now merely enjoying the wind on his lolling tongue. Keisuke started the car. Emi nodded slightly. "Yeah...I'm fine. Just a little worn out. That's all." she replied. "Okay, then," Keisuke pulled away from the parking meter and started off toward the next stoplight. "Where is she, exactly?" Rain started to pour as Aeiko, now dripping wet, continued on. She didn't know where she was going or if she was going to get there. Emi gave him instructions on how to get to Aeiko. Keisuke nodded and stepped in the accelerator. "Let's find my sister." The wheels of Aeiko's skateboard were slippery from running on the wet pavement. She had to get out onto the busy street during rush hour. Her opponents followed her lead. Aeiko dodged cars that honked at her. Her goal was to get on the other side of the street. Then a car honked and Aeiko realized it was Keisuke and Emi, traveling alongside of her. "Come on!" Emi called. "I can't!" Aeiko called back. "Aeiko, I hate to tell you this, but you're going to have to jump!" Keisuke told her. "WHAT?!" Aeiko cried. "I can't do that; besides, the car is slippery."

"It's a chance you'll just have to take," Keisuke cried. "Would you rather be wounded or dead?" Aeiko looked behind her for a split second. She looked back at the wet ridge that might hold her for a little while before she fell off. Aeiko gulped, then thought of something else. "What about my skateboard?" she asked? "You'll have to leave it," Keisuke shouted. Aeiko's stomach twisted. Leave her skateboard? "Emi," Keisuke said, "will you let Rocket in the car? I hope you don't mind wet dog. I honestly have no idea why that dog is even with her." Emi opened her door for rocket. The soaking wet dog took a flying leap and fondly landed in her lap. Aeiko took a deep breath once Rocket was safe. Those henchmen were awfully close when another car swerved in front of them, buying Aeiko time. She didn't want to leave her beloved board but she had no choice. Grappling for the back windshield wiper, Aeiko boldly stepped off her board and onto the wet bumper. The skateboard flew underneath the car behind and disappeared. Aeiko could not resist smiling at those who had been chasing her. The car slowed to a stop miles away. Emi was drying off rocket. The dog helped her by shaking off the excess water. Keisuke got out of the car to help Aeiko down. "You're good?" he asked. Aeiko felt blood trickling out of a scratch on her cheek and a developing bruise on her forehead. "I think so," she replied, and braced herself for a lecture. "What is wrong with you?" Keisuke demanded. "You do know that Schaffer is the leader of a gang, right?"

"No, but I do know that they were trying to kill me," Aeiko said. Keisuke rolled his eyes. "You're so oblivious, Aeiko." "Am not," "You can be," "Am not!" "Aeiko!" "Oh stop it; both of you!" Emi yelled at them, frustrated that they were arguing yet again. Both stopped at Emi's unusually sharp words and looked sheepishly at her. But Aeiko could tell he wasn't done yet. "Is anyone hungry?" Keisuke asked finally. "Yeah." Emi replied. "Okay, then. How about that one Mexican place downtown?" Keisuke suggested. Aeiko shrugged. "Sure." The two got in the car, and with Rocket satisfyingly sleeping with his head in Emi's lap, they went on their way. Emi pet rocket as they drove. "That Tadashi seemed nice, didn't he?" Keisuke asked, trying to fill up the pensive silence in the car. "Yeah. Maybe we should see if we can find him." "Who's Tadashi?" Aeiko asked, addressing Emi. She didn't want Keisuke to bring up the fact that she had almost died. "He was a guy Keisuke ran into on our way to save you." "Literally," Keisuke murmured. "Oh..." Aeiko only nodded and turned to look out the window.

*****(BH6)*****

Back in San Fransokyo, Callaghan couldn't find Tadashi anywhere. He had searched everywhere, but to no avail. How had Tadashi escaped? This was only more fuel added to Callaghan's roaring, vengeful fire, and he left once more to check on the production of his microbots.

(Well, you now know where Tadashi is! Emi is my BH6 OC. Aeiko and Keisuke belong to my friend I am writing this with. So is Schaffer.)