Six Months

Part 1

We Join Our Story Already in Progress

By Nick Maro

Dodging the punch, Kyoko glanced over at David who was fighting his own opponent. She kicked the masked man in the face and snapped his neck. "Now just who the hell are these masked idiots again, David?"

Felling his own attacker, David turned to the next one. He spoke without looking at her. "They're called the Crimson Sons. They attacked The Misfits and me on the world tour we were on. Sorry you missed the fun. I don't know who sent them. It's been a unanimous decision between me, myself and I that it's Kevin Ross. There's no way to prove it, though." David sliced through his fifth attacker, killing him instantly.

"I still say they're after me," Yukio said smiling at the sound of the man's neck snapping. "I think they might be renegade members of the Matsuura Clan. They're using a mix of the clan's style and others so it's hard to get a good reading."

Kyoko, David and Yukio fended off their attackers. The train they were on was beginning to slow down. From what David could tell, the lead Crimson Son had given a signal to leave the train. The men who had began attacking the three friends stopped. The Crimson Sons followed their leader out the door. Bodies covered in deep red cloth rolled as they hit the ground. Yukio swore as she watched them escape.

David looked at the two women as he picked a body up. "Throw them off the train. We can't explain this to the police without it looking suspicious." He threw a body out of the open door, Kyoko and Yukio helped him. Together they cleared the car of the dead assassins. David picked up his tanto that he carried in his carry on bag. He glanced at the dead passengers. "Grab your bags and let's go."

Yukio swore under her breath as she watched David jump from the train. She and Kyoko followed quickly him out of the speeding train car. They caught up to him within moments. "I thought we were going back to the Arashikage Clan home? It's still an hour away by train," Yukio said checking her backpack. Nothing was broken or damaged.

Kyoko clapped Yukio on the back. "Have a little faith, grasshopper. We're going to do what the samurai in the days of old would do."

"We're going to walk?"

"No," Kyoko laughed, "we're gonna to get a rental car. There's rental place a half mile back, I saw the sign before we jumped." She turned her gaze to David. "Just what the hell were you thinking jumping from the train like that?"

"I was thinking that I didn't need us spending the night in jail. Don't worry about the video cameras either. I accidentally broke them before we were attacked." David placed his swords into a long duffel bag as they approached the roadside. "How much money do you have on you, Yukio?"

Yukio pulled out a small wallet and looked inside. "About enough for lunch." She recounted her money again and mumbled, "A small lunch."

David swore under his breath this time. "I'm gonna hate doing this." The group of three friends made their way to the car rental center knowing they looked their worse. David stepped inside the office and smiled at the young woman behind the counter. "[Good afternoon, I was looking into renting a car for the afternoon. Do you have any available?]"

The young woman looked up and returned his smile. "[Yes sir.]" After about twenty minutes of paperwork, David and the young woman talked about what kind of car and current events. "[Now Mr. Gabor, how will you be paying for the rental? Cash, check or charge?]"

"[I'm going to use credit.]" David gave the woman the small piece of plastic. The card was swiped through the machine while he waited. The rental agent handed David his card back and marked where to sign. She went to a metal box and pulled out a set of keys. He thanked her after he took the keys and was told which lot number the car was located.

David exited the building and motioned for Kyoko and Yukio to follow him. "I had to use my credit card. Phyllis is gonna kill me. Kill me worse than she was going to before. Kyoko, you drive." He tossed the keys to her after opening the doors.

Once inside, the three friends drove to the Arashikage compound in silence.

Pizzazz combed her fingers through her hair and swore under her breath. She read the expense report for The Stingers again. Eric Raymond peered over her shoulder pointed at a line and a number after it. "I honestly don't know how that got there, my dear Pizzazz. It must be an error from accounting. You know how sloppy they can be down there."

"The head of our accounting department is your cousin, Raymond." She slapped Eric's hand away from the report without looking at him. "And don't forget that I remember the agreement that you and my brother had." Pizzazz removed her reading glasses and set the report down.

"Yes, I remember." Eric leaned in near Pizzazz's ear. "But where is your dear brother now?"

Grabbing Eric by the throat, Pizzazz pinned her former manager against the tinted window. She stared at him with an unleashed fury into his eyes. She kept her voice calm and low, to a near whisper. "Don't you ever talk about him in that tone again. He's saved your ass more times than I can count. He stood up for you when everyone else wouldn't give you the time of day. You owe him. Now you need to give him the benefit of the doubt. You have one chance with me. Screw it up and you're on your own." She released her grip and backed away.

Eric slid to the floor gasping for air. He loosened his tie and looked up at her. "Why do you still stick up for him? He left you and The Misfits four months ago in the middle of your world tour. He even left Kimber without a word." Eric stood and circled around Pizzazz. "David abandoned you just like he did when you were children."

Pizzazz glared at him and brought her fist up ready to strike him. She stared at him and relaxed her arm, dropping it to her side. "You're not even worth the lawsuit. You just remember your agreement and that now I'm watching you."

"You just remember who gave you your break, Pizzazz." Eric opened her office door to leave. "And you also keep in mind that it's The Stingers who are keeping Misfits Music afloat. Not my fault The Misfits and Suzaku broke up." He left by slamming the door behind him.

Pizzazz picked up the phone and dialed an extension. It picked up on the second ring. "Joseph, start the investigation. I'm not about to let Eric embezzle from this company again. Let me know if you find anything. I'll have my cell phone on." She hung up the phone and sighed.

Two weeks ago Joseph Raymond, the head of accounting for Misfits Music, reported The Stingers were spending more than usual. Pizzazz made a note of it and kept an eye on their spending for the next two weeks. A twinge of the past tickled the back of her head. The phone rang bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Gabor. Speak."

"Is this how your father and I taught you how to answer the phone?" asked the light female voice.

"Sorry, Mom, just it's been a somewhat stressful day here. I just started an embezzlement investigation on Eric Raymond." Pizzazz stood and closed the blinds. "How's Mary doing? I've been trying to get away so I could visit her."

Evelyn Gabor let out a long sigh. "She's still the same. She won't talk about what happened. The doctor says she's closing herself off from the world slowly. Roxy and Sheila are there now. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off and have a sort of a mini-reunion with the band." Evelyn paused for a moment. "You were happier then."

Her finger hovered over the off button on the phone. Pizzazz leaned against her door and let out a held breath. She moved her finger away. "I can't make it today. I have important meetings until late. Don't wait up, I'll be home later." She turned off the phone and paged her secretary. "Hold all my calls."

Pizzazz sank in her office chair, propped her forehead on the palms of her hands and began crying softly.

Roxy slowly removed her hand from the chess piece and locked her eyes with Stormer's. She let a smile slide across her face. "Check." She looked over at Jetta who, was watching beside her, and smiled again.

"Checkmate." Stormer said quietly, causing Roxy to turn around quickly and study the chess board carefully.

"Okay I give up. I just plain suck at this game."

Stormer tried to smile but failed. "I've told you before, Roxy. This isn't something you rush through. That's why I keep beating you. Your strategy is too fast. You have to think it through. Practice with Sheila or find someone who can teach you. You have the talent and skill, just no discipline. And I really like playing against you."

"I wasn't too bad of a chess player in me college days. I can teach Rox here how to play. Just have to make it interestin' for her. Like say play for money or household chores." Jetta put away the chess pieces for the two women.

"So I was wondering how Kimber was doing," Stormer said after a long period of uncomfortable silence. "She hasn't been in to see me. I-I was just wondering if-if she was okay."

Roxy glanced at Jetta then back at Stormer and cleared her throat quietly. "Kimber isn't talking to us. She doesn't know that you're in here. She moved back in with her sister and neither of them will take or return our calls." Roxy played with the bottom of her shirt. "Phyllis tried visiting her at the Starlight House but was asked to leave. We thought of asking Hitomi to relay the message. But when Suzaku broke up, Hitomi stayed here with Kimber while Eiji and Ken went back to Japan."

Jetta looked at her watch. "Our time is about up, Rox." She hugged Stormer tightly. "You get better, okay?" Stormer nodded against Jetta's shoulder.

"Listen, I know you don't like talking about what happened with David. But, me and Sheila are here for you. Although it should be Phyllis you talk to." Roxy hugged Stormer like the sister she always had wanted.

"Yeah, I-I know. It's just that it's s-so hard. Tell Phyllis to visit. I know she's busy and all, but please ask her."

Roxy kissed Stormer's forehead. "Just get better. Remember, you're the little sister I never had." She waited a beat and leaned closer to Stormer. "You know how much I hate sounding sentimental."

Stormer hugged and said her good bye to her friends. She watched them leave in Jetta's car from the day room window. When the car was out of sight, Stormer went back to her room then curled up on her bed and sobbed quietly. She looked up on her dresser at a photo of herself, Pizzazz and David all together. They were her real family. Now she felt like she'd lost them all.

It was several days after the global black out. David, Yukio and Kyoko had finished wishing Snake Eyes and Tommy good luck on their mission. Stepping out of his bathroom, David found Kyoko waiting for him on the edge of his bed. He wiped his face dry and started getting dressed.

"What's going on, Kyoko?"

"You shaved the goatee. I was just getting used to it." Kyoko handed him an envelope. "You just got this in the mail. It's a letter from Phyllis. I figured you'd want to see it right away." She shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "I'll let you read it in peace."

Kyoko left the bedroom to let David read the letter. It sat on the bed for the next forty-five minutes as he paced the room looking at it constantly. He finally lit the lamp at his reading desk and opened the envelope. He read the letter three times before carefully burning it in the lamp. David looked at the phone out of the corner of his eye and picked it up.

David dialed a number, but hung up when Kyoko came back into the bedroom. Her smile turned into a frown when she saw he was holding the phone. "I'm sorry, I should've knocked. I just wanted to see if you'd read the letter yet. I was curious at what she had written." She took a step back to the door. "I miss them all, David."

"Well," David sighed, "Phyllis has taken over my duties as head of Misfit Music. Sheila and Roxy are relaxing and taking life easy from the sound of it. And Mary…" His voice trailed off at the mention of Stormer, his half sister. "I honestly don't know how she's doing. Phyllis didn't say. But she said that both Ken and Eiji are here in Japan, yet Hitomi stayed with Kimber."

"Anything else?"

"She wants us to come back. All of us." He shook his head slowly. "I don't think we can go back and have everything be the same. I left the way I did for a reason. I put everyone I loved and cared about in danger from the Crimson Sons." David sat on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

Kyoko sat on the bed next to him she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "There were other reasons why you left like that, remember?"

Images flashed through David's mind. He saw Roxy's smiling face, Jetta and Pizzazz looking angry at someone he couldn't quite see. Stormer and Kimber both upset backstage on the world tour. The final image he saw was a man dressed in all crimson clothes throwing a shuriken at Stormer.

David opened his eyes and wiped a tear that had formed. He then realized he was crying softly. He was about to speak when Yukio called them both down for dinner. Kyoko kissed him lightly on the lips. "We'll finish this talk later, okay?" David nodded and followed the young Japanese woman down the stairs.

The stations on the TV flipped rapidly. Roxy set the remote down when she found a movie to watch. She watched for two minutes before growing bored with it. "Hey Sheila, I'm going for a bike ride. Maybe see if Phyllis is home since I haven't seen her in a while. Did you want to come or are you still working on the autobiography of the greatest musical mishap?"

Jetta looked from behind her screen and stuck her tongue out. "The Misfits history isn't that bad, Rox." She thought of the next phrase carefully. "It's just very rich and colorful."

Roxy adjusted her bike glove and looked at her friend unconvinced of the words she just heard. "Yeah, okay. You coming with or not, Hemingway?"

"You go right on ahead, luv. I need to get a few pages in. I promised meself that I would."

"Okay, that means I'll need music." Roxy stuffed her MP3 player into her jacket pocket and put on the headphones. "I shouldn't be too long. I have my cell just in case."

Jetta gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. Roxy shook her head and smirked. She went to the garage and wheeled her bike out. After checking that everything was in order, she got on the bicycle and began peddling. Building up her speed Roxy started to manually shift her gears causing a minor surge of speed to rush through her. The music on her player only heightened her need to go faster.

Racing through the backstreets to the Gabor Estate was time consuming, but it was the easiest way she knew of getting there. She hated riding on the main streets because the cars only slowed her down. Unconsciously she sang along with her music and tapped her fingers to the beat. The thrill of racing her bike was back. The adrenaline surged, the feeling like she could fly pumped through her blood. Roxy found herself laughing and smiling. When she looked up she was at the estate, slight disappointment that the bike ride was over washed over her.

Roxy walked the bike up to the garage complex and removed her helmet. She shook her hair out and went to the front porch. At the door she felt torn between knocking and just walking in. Reaching out, Roxy began to press the doorbell when the door opened and Pizzazz stood before her. They looked at each other in mild shock before they each smiled widely.

"Hey stranger!" Pizzazz said cheerfully hugging her longtime friend. "I was just on my way to a meeting at Misfit Music, but hell, I can cancel it for you."

"You don't have to do that. We can get together again another time." Roxy was anxious to taste the thrill and the rush she could only attain on her bicycle.

Pizzazz smiled again. "Nonsense, come on in. You're like family and you don't need to ring the bell." She led Roxy into the living room and sat down next to her. "So, it's been what? A month or so since we last saw each other?"

Roxy frowned a bit. "It's been almost three months, Phyllis. Four months since," she stumbled over her words and tried to find the correct ones, "since David left without a single word." She sighed and hung her head. "Things just went to Hell after that."

"I blame myself," Pizzazz said after a long and uncomfortable silence. Roxy looked up at her with a questioning look. "I kept pushing for the tour to be huge. I was badgering him like crazy and didn't think of the pressure he was under. I miss him, Roxy."

Roxy rested her chin on her palm and thought. "Have you visited Mary yet?"

Pizzazz's face turned a deep red. "No. I just can't force myself to see her in there. I keep finding reasons not to go."

"You need to see her. She needs your support and love. Mary may be your half sister, but she's still your sister. So stop being so scared and selfish and go visit." Roxy stood and began to pace. "I was originally going to yell at you about that, but I dunno, things have been so strange lately." She sat back down, rapidly bouncing her leg. The last remains of her adrenaline driven bike ride coursed through her veins.

"I'll see her tomorrow. I'll have all of my meetings cancelled and spend the day with her." Pizzazz went into the kitchen and brought back two glasses of water. She handed one to Roxy, who thanked her and drank half of the glass immediately. Pizzazz sat back and sipped her glass. She spoke after searching for right words. "I sent David a letter."

Roxy nearly choked on her mouthful of water. "You-you what?"

Pizzazz smiled slightly and tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder. "I found out where David was and I sent him a letter. He hasn't responded yet." She sighed again. "I don't think he ever will."

The sound of a heavy bag hitting the floor brought both women to look in its direction. A green haired young man stood in the front doorway. He wore a solemn look on his face. Unable to hold it upon seeing his sister's face he broke into a big smile. "I think I would call this a response." David smiled again when he saw both Roxy and Pizzazz's faces go from shock to joyous surprise.

Pizzazz tried to speak, but only felt herself get choked up with tears. Roxy jumped out of her seat and hugged David tightly. She was quickly joined by Pizzazz. David hugged both women lovingly, and then finally backed away. "I owe everyone an explanation and a huge apology."

The two figures moved silently between the branches of the trees on the Starlight House grounds. The darkness of night helped conceal their presence and movement. After a few moments, the figures separated and watched different sides of the mansion. They searched through binoculars for a specific person.

The first figure whispered into a minute microphone to the other. They spoke strictly in Japanese. "[Anything on your end?]"

"[Nothing here. Wait, yeah, I see her. East side, second bedroom from the north side. Send word to the boss that she's here.]"

TO BE CONTINUED IN "PICKING UP THE PIECES"

PART 2 OF SIX MONTHS