Mugenjou

Honky Tonk...

'OK, now that you're here I'll go back to Mugenjou.' said Tsunade, having escorted Hevn to the safety of Honky Tonk. 'Really now, while in society the stuff you wear is OK, in Mugenjou your appearance and the fact you can't fight back spells your death in call capital letters you know.' she said, eyeing Hevn's outfit. Its an off-shoulder jacket, a tube top that's way too small for her assets and a miniskirt. That, and she's a beautiful half-japanese woman whose assets would be the envy of many porn stars as her assets are clearly, not doctored.

'But are you really going to be OK in there?!' Hevn sputtered. 'Its Mugenjou!' and the Lord of Flames, is what, 12? 13? 14? Clearly the youngest among her chosen agents and Kudou Himiko is months away to fifteen.

'I'd know that place. I lived there since I was eight after all.' Tsunade winked. 'I'm among the strongest guys in there though I'm nothing compared to the Four Kings, Mido Ban and that Jackal guy. Ginji-san I can handle because he's too kind-hearted but if he went Raitei, I'm charcoal.'

'...'

'I'm off and don't you dare follow because all your capable saviors are in their hometowns, too busy worrying about their own asses.' and she left.

'...that kid had better come back alive.' Hevn fretted. 'Kudou Himiko is a stretch already if not for her reputation...'

'Don't worry...that kid can clearly take care of herself and knows her fights.' said Paul, offering her coffee. 'She clearly sensed Akabane's true nature when most kids her age with ability will overconfidently foolishly challenge him. She on the other hand, wisely backed out.' he said. 'She thinks he's the long-lost relative of two serial killers at first glance alone.'

'...'

Hevn recounted her experience in Mugenjou to Paul and Natsumi that got them exchanging looks.

When they looked at the files in Kazuki's possession, its vague in several riddles though Tsunade implied its a 'big bad contraband' they can be killed for just for knowing it existed after the job. She sensed they have a test of their mettle beforehand...and she was warned that unless she leaves, she would be strip-killed, all by the same kid.

'Well, Ginji did mention the top-tiers of VOLTS trusted her intuition and instinct as it never failed them.' said Paul. 'That, and Ginji even called her the Gambling Lord that VOLTS is rich thanks to her...but how come Ginji never paid his tab bills here if he's loaded?'

'Well, given how unwise Ban is with money, Gin-chan probably kept it secret which would be wise of him.' Hevn scoffed, sipping her coffee. 'That, or he stupidly didn't take some when he left Mugenjou.'

'Given its him we're talking about...we can believe that...' Paul sweatdropped. 'The residents of Mugenjou are extremely skilled at surviving and fighting and criminal activities known to man...yet sacrificing all else. They don't know basic common sense, among all things yet knowing horrifying things even the law and horror movie directors would puke over.'

xxx

Mugenjou, nightfall...

Tsunade easily tracked down her partner who was with Ban.

'Ara, bad day with junkies?' Tsunade jumped down in front of them.

'Understatement of the year. The Magami twins.' Shido stated with a dismissive air.

'Ah, druggie boy and implant boy. Never liked them much.' said Tsunade in distaste. 'They act so high and mighty yet when things go hairy they hide behind our backs.'

'So how's Hevn?' Ban asked her. 'No incident?'

'Of course. Who'd want to be human barbecue in my hands after all.' Tsunade chuckled darkly. 'Well, looks like even our kin is against us. I guess that's what we get for leaving them behind.'

'Why did you?' Ban asked her.

'Ginji-san eloped with you...'

'Oi!' Ban twitched. 'Quit it with those unfunny jokes.'

'After that, the Kings left one by one and with each King, morale plummeted and despair skyrocketed that Shido took me out of here to train me as things got so bad when the others left. Its impossible to train me in Mugenjou the way things are here when VOLTS lost 60% of its power so I'm the reason he left.' Tsunade continued. 'With Ginji-san around, Lower Town's evil presence is 70% less than that of Ura-Shinjuku as the worst sort are that skilled at hiding themselves lest be roasted by us.' she explained.

'VOLTS never approved of crime and exploitation. Lower Town was heaven with us around. But when Raitei and three Kings left though I don't know if the fourth left too since I just got here...things must have gotten so bad that they stole the I.L thingy. Desperate times call for desperate measures.' she said, glancing at the men from behind. 'If you are a resident of Mugenjou, you'd understand the weight of these words but as an outsider, it has yet to sink in. Or rather, you don't understand the weight of those words.' Ban narrowed his eyes.

Indeed, as far as he knows, Mugenjou is a hotbed of hoodlums but the reason for it, was beyond him.

'Makubex didn't leave.' Shido groused out. 'In fact, he now rules Lower Town and things changed for the worst that he's even allowing what we'd never have.' he scowled. 'Just found out the hard way from those twins.'

'...I see...what drove him to that...I have a grasp of his personality as I studied with him on computers. Things must change a lot in a couple years in a place like this that his skills are leaps and bounds by now that if anyone asks me to duel him in computers, I'll lose hands down. But Shido...I have a bad feeling that what we know of this place just went from bad to worse. And we're in borrowed time.' Tsunade looked up at the sky. 'The longer we take...the more unpredictable things will be. My ability can hardly catch up with a genius brain but even a genius can get desperate. If he's pushed too far...'

'Well, fuck me sideways.' Shido sighed harshly. 'We gotta hurry. C'mon snake-boy!' and they ran for it. 'If you wanna survive, follow Tsunade and don't question!'

'Great, I have to follow a kid now?' Ban complained.

'With her around, we'll avoid all traps prepared just for us so we can get to Makubex faster! Quit bitching!'

xxx

'Heheh...'

In a barely-lit computer room, lit only by the light of many monitors...was a boy of fourteen with a young woman.

He wore baggy clothes and a long, flowy bandanna as well as goggles against radiation from the screens.

After clicking on many buttons on a keypad, the images of Magami Ryouma and Ayame appeared and got crossed out.

Then on several other screens, are the separated retrievers. Shido, Ban and Tsunade, Himiko and Kazuki, Akabane and Ginji.

'Fufu...your intuition is as scary as ever, Tsunade.' Makubex commented. 'Indeed, Fuyuki Shido and Mido Ban are the safest when its with you. Lucky them.' he chuckled. 'Then it simply means...levels of dealing with you must go up a little bit. Show me the results of your training with Shido as I set your new stage...for you are the future Lord of Flames.' he said as he began typing rapidly.

'Makubex, its impossible to surprise her.' said Sakura. 'Loads of us tried in the past but her movements are always as if she knew.' she said, going down a lot of memory lane regarding experiences with the girl.

'Yeah. That's what makes it interesting.' Makubex grinned in glee. 'We are geniuses on different fields. With her instincts and intuition, she is a budding genius of battle that she could support our Kings in battle without being a burden and she was ten at the time. A feat nobody in our age group can do.' he used to be jealous about that too until she pounded sense in his head. 'And my genius is data-based with machinery. She'll sense great trouble but can she tell as to what extent?'

xxx

By sunset...

'Damn, you're spoiled, monkey boy!' Ban groused out as in an abandoned place somewhere...that's really not abandoned by how it looked...

They're eating a big dinner.

Good ol' home cooking! But enough to feed four people apiece on their plates of the proportions were any hint...

'But still, are we alright here?' Ban asked as they pigged out, literally scarfing down food.

'We're damn alright. This is one of our secret bases long before we joined VOLTS.' said Shido. 'If Tsunade can afford to feed us, we got loads of time till everything goes downhill so eat while you can.' he said with a swallow. 'As we are now, we're Public Enemy No.1 getting the chance to eat or even go to the urinal will be sparse.'

'Yeah but why is the food fresh if this place is abandoned long ago?' Ban pointed out.

'Yeah, now that you mentioned it...' the two men looked at Tsunade who was eating.

'Huh? I snuck in on the week you were gone.' said Tsunade. 'You were in one of your jobs you won't let me join in on since I had the strange need to fill our bases with food and first aid for some reason back then.' she said. 'Let's bring some just incase.'

'...right...but you can't bring these on a plate unless you made something else?' Ban asked her wryly as she cooked typical home cooking on their dusty table. That, and its been ages since he last had a full stomach at that!

'Yup! I made Kebabs. Since we had a big dinner, I made kebabs just for the others.' Tsunade chirped. 'Portable, easy to eat and not much weight on my back along with bottled water. I'll be a bit handicapped carrying food and first aid but that's not enough to stop me.'

After eating dinner and not even bothering to wash the plates, they left the hideout.

xxx

'Its night now ah?'

'If you think daytime is bad enough, good thing we had dinner.' Shido griped. 'We'll have one hell of a workout soon. We have Tsunade on our side so Makubex will amplify the difficulty level of the crap he'll chuck at us. Tsunade?'

'Well, if you want a workout, I can guide you there and if you don't, I can keep us safe, so you got options boys.' Tsunade chirped cheerfully.

'Get us to Ginji and Himiko.' said Ban.

'Himiko's compromised.' Ban stiffened. 'As for Ginji-san, he's very fine. Too fine...its what my gut tells me.'

'Himiko first.' Ban grunted. 'She has a gimmick for when if she's ever captured. We need to find a trace so we can track her down. She has the Tracking Perfume. Those who knows its smell can never forget it for life. If they smell it, Himiko's calling out for help.'

'That's convenient.' Shido marveled, amazed.

'OK! Time to find Lady Poison!' and Tsunade led them through Mugenjou...

xxx

'That Tsunade...she evaded my sensors thus far...she's not to be underestimated.' Makubex mused. 'She knows our blind spots.'

'No kidding there, its her we're talking about!' said a cheerful jovial voice. 'Nobody can pull a fast one on that kiddie even if its us! We're faster and stronger than her years ago and yet...'

'But they seem to have found something that she's even willing to be within our sight again. Interesting.' Makubex smirked. 'Fudou Takuma, I'm giving you Mido Ban..' an eyepatched blonde man in a suit grinned in manic glee. 'Emishi, I'm giving you Fuyuki Shido. Kagami Kyouji, i'm giving you Tsunade.'

'Oh dear, a kid?' a spiky-haired blonde man asked, amused. He was the kind who'd do well in a host club than in a slum world.

'Don't underestimate Tsunade, Kagami.' said Juubei coolly in a warning manner. 'Her intuition and instincts border on paranormal, forming the backbone of VOLTS. If we are the power, she is the pillar of support. Take her down, and the retrievers will be blind as a bat in the palm of our hands. Mido and Shido have done well so far if only because of her. But take her away...'

'Hai hai. I'll be sure to treat the little lady well.' Kagami smiled. 'Sooo where do we go?'

'From the path they chose...they're going for something her feelings banked on. I can predict actions but not even I can predict the human heart.' Makubex mused. 'Have fun everybody.'

xxx

Outside...

'Hey Shido, Mido, are you up for a workout about five minutes from now?' Tsunade asked her partners.

'How bad?' Shido asked her.

'We'll have considerable workout with injury to match.' Shido and Ban exchanged looks. 'You up for it?'

'We're more worried about you to be honest.' Ban pointed out.

Firepower or not, she's still a kid.

'I trained you but there's still the difference between physical maturity of a fighter's body.' Shido said anxiously.

'I'll be fine, really. We'll be seeing old faces soon enough but I got a feeling I don't know mine.'

As they ran, Tsunade whistled as she stopped and so did they, in time to avoid something lashing in front of her.

'That whip...Emishi?!' Shido gasped as they looked up to see three men...and only one of them is VOLTS.

'...who're the other two?' Tsunade blinked owlishly.

'I know one of them...' Ban scowled, glaring at the eyepatched blonde. 'Its clear who's facing who here.'

'No kidding.' Shido grunted. 'I don't know host-boy though.'

'He's mine.' Tsunade quipped. 'Emishi's yours Shido since eyepatch-kun is eyeing Mido like a piping-hot juicy steak.'

'That's just freaky!' Ban yelled at her in chibi-freakout. He can't deny its true and that's what pisses him off.

'Let's meet here again after our fights then,' said Tsunade as she ran off.

Up above...

'They noticed who's theirs.' Kagami smiled as the retrievers split-up. 'Shall we gents?'

'Ohhh yeah! We shall!' Emishi flexed his whip as they gunned for their opponent.

xxx

In a street northwest...

'Hello, ojousan.' Kagami greeted the sitting girl with a backpack. What was it for was anyone's guess. 'I heard many good things about you.'

'Good things or things you can use against me?' Tsunade raised an eyebrow. 'Makubex might be pinpoint in all he knows but hey, people change in years.' she said with a cold smile.

'Ah, sou?'

'Yup. You may as well put all the data he gave you about me in your mental trash can.' she stated, standing up as the two fighters approached each other...and disappeared in speed...rain of blows ensued.

"Well...she did warn me to throw all I know in the trash..." Kagami chuckled as they're going well...for now.