by WOTNOPOLIS 18
“I still think we should split up,” Bano said as he stared out the window of the bar. The sun had begun to rise. “We’ll cover much more ground that way.”
Q shook his head. “Every time we split up bad things happen. We’re searching for Knssquad together.”
“What do you think, Yoyo?” Bano turned to her.
“I’m really tired,” Yoyo said. “None of us slept last night and now we’re about to charge into another fight?”
“Rescuing Knssquad is our top priority,” Q answered her. “I want to rest, but Knssquad is in the same shape we are and completely alone.”
“Rescuing Clair is important, too,” Bano countered.
“Good luck, guys,” Temari spoke up and pushed a hair out of her eyes. “Find them all and bring them back.”
“We will,” Q smiled. “You can count on us. Take care of Jake.”
“Will do!” Temari saluted Q as he headed out the door. Bano waved back to Temari as he followed Q. Yoyo sighed and swung her blades over her back.
“Where do we even begin looking for someone in the world’s biggest city?” Bano asked. “She could be anywhere at this point, too.”
“What are you still doing here?” Q yelled to a person fidgeting across the street.
“I still plan to kill you!” Dark Raptor declared. “But, I feel bad about what happened to Knssquad. So, um, I thought I’d help you out.”
“How?” Q asked. Bano ignored the kid and resumed his questioning of Q.
“How do you plan to find her?”
“I know a girl,” Dark Raptor smiled. “Well, she’s on her way! She knows everything.”
Dark Raptor fled and PeinQ followed behind him. “You were so cool back there, boss!”
Yoyo rolled her eyes. “Why do Q and Dark Raptor both have someone that tells them they were cool and are boss?”
“I want someone who does that for me,” Bano grumbled.
The sound of screeching tires turned the groups attention to a van. “Oh gosh,” Bano said.
The van smashed through a parking bench in front of the bar. A window on the van popped open. “Hello, hello, majestic people!”
“Hey?” Q asked. “Who are you?”
“Titan,” Bano said. “Been a while.”
“Bano! How are you?” the person in the wizard robes smiled.
“Been better,” Bano commented. “Love the stuff you sold me.”
“Thanks!” Titan beamed. “So, my friend Dark Raptor tells me you guys are in need of information. Lucky for you, I know just who you’re looking for and where you need to go.”
“Who is this guy?” Yoyo asked.
“It’s a girl,” Bano corrected. “And it’s Titan.”
“And for a small fee,” Titan smiled as she rubbed her fake white beard. “I’ll even throw in a pack of dynamite with this knowledge! Deals like these don’t come by everyday.”
Q put a finger up to his head. “Well, we could-”
“No,” Yoyo stopped him.
“Let’s look at it practica-”
“No,” Yoyo repeated.
“Would a medieval lance seal the deal?” Titan smiled.
“It absolutely would!” Q said eagerly. Yoyo popped him in the back of the head with a sword handle.
“I’m sorry, but we just want to know where our friend is,” Yoyo said as she scowled at Q.
“She’s with Kotaro. He put a hit out for her after she failed to finish her assignment, which was to destroy you guys,” Titan said. “He’s a very dangerous fellow. He’s not only a very powerful criminal of WOTNOPOLIS, but he’s also extremely ruthless. He doesn’t take kind to betrayal.”
“What exactly does he do?” Bano asked.
“He ran the Hitman syndicate that Knssquad was working in. He’s good enough that the Mafias rely on him, so he’s no small timer,” Titan said. “But, you’re in luck! He’s extremely organized, but he’s also very decentralized. Most of the members of his syndicate are spread out in the city. So if you find Kotaro there will be relatively little standing between you and Knssquad. And I know where you can find him.”
“That’s good news,” Yoyo said. “We needed something easy.”
“Go out to the rural district and you’ll find him where the wind meets the ice!” Titan said and waved her hands.
“Um?” Yoyo asked.
“Titan’s saying we go to the old ice cream factory!” Q answered.
“Er, actually, I am not sure where I was going with that one, either,” Titan stuttered. “He’s at the rural hospital.”
“Thanks!” Q yelled. “Let’s go!”
“We appreciate it, Titan!” Bano thanked her.
“You the man, um, or something,” Yoyo called back.
“Be careful, though! I’ve been told he’s got a very strange fighting style!” Titan warned the trio.
****
Knssquad glared at the man who had tied her up. She knew she could get free but there was no point. “When are you going to kill me?” Knssquad asked.
“I’ve heard rumors about that group you were with. The Eagle gang. In case you aren’t sure, I’m still being commissioned to kill them. So now’s as good as time as any. Kill them in front of you when they come here to rescue you. The job you should’ve done,” Kotaro smiled. “Then will probably be a good time.”
“Well, you’re wasting your time,” Knssquad said. “They won’t come for me. I‘m not that important.”
“True,” Kotaro looked back at her. “But if the rumors are correct then they’ll come anyway.”
****
“So this place looks creepy,” Bano said.
“Yup,” Yoyo agreed. The rundown hospital before them was covered in litter and trash. Every window was smashed and the inside was pitch black.
“I don’t really want to go, but after Venomu‘s Lair and TFK‘s tower this place is kind of tame,” Q mumbled but Bano pushed him.
“Lead on!”
Q threw the door open and inside was a dark hallway. “Eh, this is just the kind of place you’d find Zombies.”
Yoyo groaned and leaned over to Bano, “Never let him play video games again.”
“No kidding,” Bano nodded as they followed Q into the hospital. Light crept in from the broken windows but it was otherwise completely black.
“I’m so over dark places. I can’t see a thi-” Bano said when Q knocked him over.
“What was that for!” Bano yelled.
“Someone just attacked us,” Q said. “Show yourself.”
“Amazing, as the rumors suggested,” a voice said. “How did you detect it?”
“It may be pitch black but my hearing is phenomenal,” Q said. “You guys run on ahead. I’ll take care of this guy.”
“My name is Kotaro. I’d like to fight you myself, Q,” the man before them said.
“I can take this guy,” Bano began but Q interrupted.
“Enough of that. Just go get Knssquad,” Q ordered.
“She’s on the third floor, second room on your left,” Kotaro helped.
Bano and Yoyo ran down the hall heeding his instructions, somewhat confused. Q dodged another attack from Kotaro and punched at the figure. Kotaro dodged it and landed a few feet away from Q.
“Seems you’re pretty good,” Kotaro said. “Let’s start to take this seriously.”
****
Jake opened his eyes. Temari was staring at him. Jake jumped back and screamed. “Woah, what’s going on? Temari? Why are you in TFK’s Tower?”
“You’re back at the bar,” Temari laughed. “Bano carried you here. You’ve been sleeping for about a day.”
“Oh, wow,” Jake said. “So we survived! Although I feel awful.”
Temari poked Jake. “We were worried about you. You’re not like the others, you don’t take wounds as easily. Glad you’re awake.”
“Yeah, but I just kind of expected Clair to heal me. Where is she? Where is everyone?” Jake asked as he looked around. His smile dimmed as he looked back at Temari.
“They’re out looking for Knssquad,” Temari said solemnly. She had dropped her gaze from Jake’s eyes. “Knssquad got kidnapped by a man. But Clair.”
“Where’s Clair?” Jake persisted. “Is she helping to look for Knssquad?”
Temari shook her head and continued to avoid Jake’s stare. “Clair left the gang and we don’t know why,” she whispered. But she looked up and smiled at Jake. “But don’t worry. She’ll definitely come back.”
Jake stood up and closed his eyes. “So stupid,” Jake said. “I thought I made a difference in my fight, but instead I was just unconscious and a burden on everyone.”
“You can’t leave! You’re not well!” Temari yelled and stood up as Jake walked towards the door. “I don’t want to lose another one of you guys.”
Jake stopped and turned back to Temari with a smile on his face. “Trust me,” he said. “I’ll go help the others and we’ll bring back Knssquad and Clair for sure. Guard Temari, Cherry Coke.”
Jake walked out the door and onto the street leaving Temari protesting behind him.
****
Bano and Yoyo could hear sounds of Q and Kotaro fighting below them as they reached the second floor. “Sounds like that guy’s not a total pushover,” Yoyo noted. “He said third floor?”
“Yeah,” Bano said. “But isn’t it weird that we’re following the instructions of the enemy?”
“Not all that weird when the enemy knows he can defeat you,” a voice called out to them. Yoyo and Bano froze and turned towards the voice.
“Kotaro?” Yoyo asked.
“Yes, indeed,” Kotaro said. “I am Kotaro.”
“But how did you?” Bano asked. “Didn’t we ju-”
“Yes, you did,” Kotaro answered. “And here I am.”
“Geez, what’s Q doing?” Bano grumbled. “I’ll take care of this guy, Yoyo. You just go get Knssquad.”
Bano’s Kama set on fire lighting up the staircase. Next to Bano he could see Yoyo, and across the room a man. “Ah, so you’re not so helpless against the dark, either,” Kotaro said. “That’s good. I don’t necessarily like my victims completely helpless. Though I won’t complain, either.”
Yoyo looked between Kotaro and Bano. She didn’t exactly understand what was going on, but she wasn’t going to question Bano. She ran up the staircase and headed for the third floor of the hospital.
“You must be pretty good to have gotten past Q like that,” Bano smiled as he imagined Q getting whooped after talking so big.
“Something like that,” Kotaro said as he got into a stance.
Bano evaded as Kotaro launched into an attack. “For a hitman you’re not that stealth,” Bano said as the man’s fist crashed through the wall behind him. “Though I’ll admit that your strength is pretty good.”
Kotaro spun into a kick that Bano blocked easily. “Did Q really get beat by this guy?” Bano thought to himself.
“Why is Knssquad so terrified of you?” Bano asked as he sliced through Kotaro’s arm. “I mean, you don’t seem to be all that strong.”
Kotaro smiled and looked back at Bano. “We’ll see.”
****
Yoyo traveled up the stairs to the third floor. “Second room,” Yoyo said as she walked over to it. She spotted Knssquad tied up and sighed. “Knssquad!”
Knssquad looked up at Yoyo surprised. “You came?” she whispered.
“Of course,” Yoyo said as she pulled out her blade. “Let me get those ropes off you.”
Knssquad’s face turned to fear. “Get out while you can! Kotaro’s around here, he’ll kill you!”
Yoyo turned around and pulled her blades out. “How?” she asked the man standing behind her. “There’s no way you beat Bano already.”
Yoyo stared at the man. His blue eyes piercing through the dark. “I can assume you are the weakest if the other two sent you ahead of them. This won’t take too long, then.”
****
“Leaving the bar was the right idea,” Jake said as he walked down the busy streets. “But I have no clue where I’m going.”
He sat down at a park bench and rubbed his hands through his hair. His gang was in trouble and here he was, completely out of touch. “What am I supposed to be doing?” Jake asked himself.
A police car blared past him. He blinked a couple of times as he saw who was riding in the back seat of the squad car. “That looked a lot like, Amaterasu,” Jake said to himself.
Before he could complete that thought his eyes widened. A person wearing a jacket across the street had caught his eye. She was hurrying down a sidewalk head covered. “No way,” he thought and immediately started to follow her. “Clair.”
****
Q leveled a punch into Kotaro’s face and smiled. “Got you good that time,” Q nodded.
Kotaro sat up and agreed. “Yep, you sure did.”
Q leaned against the wall as he watched his opponent get back to his feet. “I’m not really sure how much longer you want to do this. My knuckles might get sore after a while,” Q pondered. “Though I wouldn’t expect that.”
Kotaro smirked at him. “Well, if you want to take your time, you can. But you know your friends are upstairs in fights. If you keep screwing around with me then you won’t be able to help them.”
Kotaro’s body flung into the wall opposite of them as Q pulled his foot back. He had landed that kick perfectly into Kotaro’s face. “If I’d known that we’d of been done here a while ago,” Q said as he headed up the stairs.
A fist got Q in the gut and he winced. “Not quite done here, I’m afraid.”
Q stumbled backward as he caught sight of the upright Kotaro. “What are you made of, dude?” Q asked as he clenched his side.
“I’m not really sure,” Kotaro said. “I just know that I can’t be killed. At least not by someone on your level.”
****
Bano dodged Kotaro’s attack and frowned. “So, that’s why Knssquad fears you. I don’t blame her.”
Bano felt pity for Knssquad after hearing that story. It was quickly forgotten as he dodged another attack. “So, I’ve decided that you’re probably not through with Q, since I just heard him below us. Care to tell me what’s going on?”
Bano sliced his Kama across Kotaro’s chest and smiled at the bloody criss cross he had made. “Actually, if I wanted you to tell me what was going on I probably shouldn’t of done that.”
Kotaro collapsed to the ground as a puddle of blood formed. Bano swung the blood off his Kama but stopped as the man began to move. The figure slowly rose back to its feet and smiled at Bano.
“Well, you see,” Kotaro began. “I’ve always been able to clone myself, up to three persons. And that’s that.”
Concern flashed across Bano’s face as he realized that meant a third person was probably upstairs with Yoyo. “If that’s the case then I don’t have time to deal with you.”
Bano charged across the room towards Kotaro. Kotaro moved to dodge Bano’s attack but Bano jabbed the Kama into his left arm. Bano pulled Kotaro’s hand away and with that opening stabbed his Kama deep into Kotaro’s side.
Kotaro shouted in pain and fell to the floor. Bano jumped on top of the man and crushed his rib cage for good measure. “That should do it,” Bano said. “I don’t really like to fight like that but it was your own fault for getting back up.”
Bano froze as the body began to move again. “That’s impossible,” Bano whispered.
The man rose to his feet and locked eyes with Bano. Bano couldn’t help but look away from the cold eyes across the room from him. “Not impossible,” Kotaro said. “I’m Rising Dead Kotaro.”
****
Yoyo sliced Kotaro and watched him fall to the ground. She knew to keep an eye on him. He may of seemed weak but if he got past Q and Bano, she knew there was no way she was going to take it easy.
The man regained his balance after the attacks and looked back at Yoyo. “I’m surprised, you’re pretty good.”
“Thanks,” Yoyo mocked. “So I don’t get it. You take three slices and you just stand back up?”
The man cracked his neck and nodded. “It’s what happens when you make a deal with the devil.”
Yoyo dashed in and shoved the man across the room into the hospital wall. She took her blade and stabbed it through his heart. Sheer pain etched across the man’s face and she smiled. “Seems you can still feel pain, huh? Why don’t you tell me why you’re like this and maybe I can put you out of your misery you worthless piece of trash.”
Yoyo pulled her blade out and the man groaned as he put his hand over his heart. A moment later he looked up at her. “Wow, you’re pretty merciless. I made a deal with Venomu. He needed solid test subjects. So he experimented on dozens of my clones. We all share experiences and thoughts, so it was very painful. But if a clone dies, I merely create a new one. I think the original may of died by accident through that process. It’s hard to say which of us is the original Kotaro. Either way, Venomu granted us instant organ rejuvenation because of it. So even though we may be beaten to pieces, we can’t be killed.”
Yoyo watched the man carefully. “If what you say is true, then that’s really scary.”
Yoyo began to laugh as she shoved a gurney into the man pinning him to the wall. “But it’s also going to be a lot of fun cutting you up.”
****
Jake had been following Clair for a while. She kept looking over her shoulder and watching her surroundings. This made Jake nervous since he didn’t want to be spotted. He had a feeling if he confronted Clair with that look on her face it wouldn’t end well. Plus he wanted to see where she was going.
Jake was being very careful to stay hidden behind cars and people anytime she looked around. But he also knew it wasn’t a big deal. She was way too distracted to actually recognize the people around her. She seemed to only be looking around out of nervousness more than anything.
She darted down a back alley and Jake followed her carefully. He didn’t want to lose her, but at the same time she was moving pretty fast. She seemed to be following instructions written on a piece of paper. Jake moved to the back alley and saw her hop over a wall. Jake walked over to the wall and peaked through a crack. She had run back out onto a street again. Jake held his nose as the smell of trash from a nearby dumpster overpowered him.
He hopped over the wall and ran over to the street. For a second he thought he’d lost her but saw her again heading for a building. “Salt?” Jake said as he smelled the air.
He crossed the empty street and watched Clair. It was getting harder to follow her as the area got emptier. He peaked around the corner of the building and saw where Clair was headed.
“Ah, the docks,” Jake whispered. “What the heck does she want out there?”
****
“This is kind of starting to tick me off,” Q said as he punched Kotaro again. “I mean, it’d be one thing if you were incredibly strong. But you’re just incredibly annoying.”
Kotaro moved into the space where Q was and elbowed him. “Actually, I am really good at fighting,” Kotaro said.
Q backed up and shook his head. “Not really. You’re learning my fighting style but that’s just because you’ve taken fifteen thousand hits. A good fighter could of figured it out after three hits, tops.”
Kotaro frowned. “You’re kind of ticking me off, too.”
Kotaro moved his body out of Q’s way as he threw another kick. “Now,” Kotaro said as he grabbed Q’s arm and slammed his elbow into Q’s side. “Got you.”
Q grunted but grabbed Kotaro by the neck. “Wrong,” Q said.
Kotaro floundered at the arm around his throat as he felt himself being lifted into the air. “Stop, this hurts!” Kotaro’s eyes widened with fear. He had never considered what would happen if he were suffocated.
“Well, that’s the general idea,” Q said.
“I’m gonna die, please!” Kotaro said as he struggled against Q’s grip. Even though he knew his organs could survive blows he wasn’t sure how well they’d do if oxygen were completely depleted from his system. Venomu’s serum might not of accounted for that. “Come on,” Kotaro choked out.
Q slammed Kotaro into the ground and kicked him in frustration. Kotaro gasped but could see by the look in Q’s eyes he wasn’t finished. Kotaro was picked up and flung at the ceiling. Q then dashed up to the ceiling and slammed his fist into Kotaro’s side. Kotaro screamed as the roof burst behind him and his body was sent flying into the second story.
Q glared at the hole in the roof where he had plowed through Kotaro. “Geez,” he said to himself. “Even after all this time I still can’t muster the idea of purposefully killing someone.”
****
Bano jumped in surprise as the floor opened up behind him and a figure flew above him. The intensity of fighting an undying monster was lessened when he saw his counterpart bent over in such a helpless gesture like that. Bano couldn’t help but laugh at Kotaro‘s crumpled body.
“You okay, Q?” Bano yelled at the hole leading to the first floor. An arm grabbed the side of it and Q pulled himself up from below.
“Yeah, just really annoyed with this guy,” Q said. He stared across the hall and looked between the two.
“Oh shoot! There’s two of them?” Q yelled.
“Three,” Bano said. “Upstairs it seems Yoyo is fighting off one, too.”
“What a pain,” Q said. “I guess I can see how this guy managed to kidnap Knssquad. You just never know what‘s next in WOTNOPOLIS.”
Bano nodded. Both Kotaro’s were standing ready to fight across the room. “Geez, guess there’s no avoiding them. What’s the plan?”
“I,” Q started, “have no clue. I vote we keep pulverizing them till we think of something.”
****
Kotaro waved his hands to stop Yoyo but she continued to slice into him. She cackled wickedly as she pulled her swords out. “What’s wrong, immortal guy?”
“It hurts!” Kotaro wheezed.
Yoyo stabbed into his side and pulled her blades through him splattering blood across the hospital floor. “That’s the point!”
Yoyo pulled her swords out and went to stab him again but stopped. “Woah, he actually died?”
“Aw, that’s no fun,” Yoyo said. “I was kind of enjoying myself.”
Yoyo walked over to Knssquad and cut the ropes off her. Knssquad stared at Yoyo wide eyed at the display she had just seen. “Yoyo, that was,” Knssquad started.
“Let’s just keep that between us girls,” Yoyo winked. Knssquad shuddered.
“But, how did that kill him?” she asked. “He’s supposed to be invincible.”
Yoyo looked over the bloody corpse. “He has rejuvenating organs. But that doesn’t do very much if you have no blood left.”
****
Bano sliced through Kotaro’s shoulder blades and then set his blades on fire and punched them into his chest. Kotaro screamed out from the pain. Across the room Q was repeatedly kicking Kotaro into a wall.
“You know you were learning my battle pattern before,” Q said. “But now you’re just a rag doll that keeps moving. What’s the point?”
“There’s too much pain,” Kotaro gasped. “You try learning someone’s battle strategy when you’re getting killed on three levels continuously.”
“Two levels now,” the other Kotaro corrected. “We need to clone again or we may actually lose.”
“Wait, what happened to the third?” Q asked.
“Hah, Yoyo must of beaten him. Not surprising, though, she’s been kind of crazy lately,” Bano said.
“Mhm. Very scary,” Q agreed.
Kotaro dashed past Q and aimed for the other one being sliced by Bano. “Grab my hand so we can clone!” Kotaro yelled.
Q tackled him into the ground and grabbed him by his leg. “So that’s how it works?” Q smiled. “Keep your Kotaro away from mine!”
Bano nodded and grabbed his Kotaro. “Stop squirming,” Bano said as he slammed his Kotaro’s head into a wall. Bano dragged Kotaro over to a hospital window and threw him out it.
“Done with mine,” Bano smiled and looked over at Q.
Q was sitting on top of his as the Kotaro flinched underneath. “I think this guy’s about had it.”
“That’s a problem with sharing experiences and pain like that,” Yoyo said. “It may help you but if you’re getting murdered on all sides then it shuts you down.”
“How’d you kill your Kotaro?” Bano asked.
“Um, got lucky?” Yoyo said as she put her hands up.
Q laughed. “I think we’re through here. Hey Knssquad!”
“Hey guys,” Knssquad said nervously. “Sorry that you had to go through all of this.”
“It’s okay,” Q said. “I’m just glad we’ve got it settled. Let’s head back to the bar.”
The group left the hospital. Bano leaned over to Knssquad. “I heard what happened to your old terrorist squad and how that guy managed to kill everyone in it and forced you under his wing. That’s pretty rough. If you ever need anything.”
“Thanks,” Knssquad said quickly. “But I’d rather not talk about it.”
Bano understood and backed off the subject. The group followed Q away from the hospital.
****
Jake had followed Clair through the docks for a while now. She had finally stopped outside a metal warehouse and knocked on the door. A moment went by and a large man gruffly opened the door. Jake put a hand up to his mouth.
“Destinykil? What’s he doing here? I haven’t seen him since the Snake Gang,” Jake said. “He looks different, though.”
Jake watched as Destinykil whipped out a giant black sword and pointed it at Clair. Clair calmly said a few words and Destinykil gave a quizzical look before yelling back inside the warehouse. A moment later a little man with black hair had rushed up and hugged Clair. Clair was standing stock still as the man pushed Clair inside the warehouse and the door shut behind them.
“What the freedom did I just watch?” Jake asked himself. “Didn’t Q kill Destinykil? Twice?”
Jake carefully crossed the distance between him and the warehouse and began looking for a hole in the wall so he could look inside. He wanted to know what on earth was going on.
Jake found a crack and looked inside. He recognized Destinykil first. He was standing against a wall. “Being massive, as usual,” Jake said as he watched him. The man from before came into view and Clair followed behind him. She looked calmer than before as she followed Blackrain. Another man with red hair could be seen but that was all.
“So, what are your plans now?” Blackrain said just loud enough that Jake could hear.
“To join you,” Clair said.
“But what about that gang you had joined?” Blackrain asked.
“Forget them,” Clair answered. “I’m with you, brother.”
Jake’s head reeled as he stepped back. “Wow, I guess they were right,” Jake whispered. He leaned his back against the wall and tried to clear his head. “I can’t believe any of this.”
****
Amaterasu walked past the crowd of people. He recognized KarateKeyaQ and Little Shiro both yelling something to him but he couldn’t hear what. Two guards pushed him into the back of a squad car. Amaterasu didn’t like how tight the handcuffs were around his hands.
The squad car blared as it raced away from the scene. He looked back at the mob. Lights flashed as reporters took pictures. He hadn’t even heard anything the group had said as he moved past them. All he heard were the words of the judge’s verdict. “Derelict of duties…aiding and abetting criminals…stripped of rank and sentenced to imprisonment indefinitely.”
Endless Nothing had called him in and promised they’d do their best to get him a good attorney on this investigation this morning. They probably had. But the witness they had brought in had a perfect testimony. Not to mention it fit with the scene that had happened.
JJDomer had seen Amaterasu let them go, and he testified against Amaterasu. “I was completely fooled,” Amaterasu remembered telling Little Shiro as they put him in the squad car on his way to the courthouse.
Amaterasu had gone in believing he’d helped the only people brave enough to stand up to The First Knight. What he ended up learning was quite different. TFK’s tower hadn’t been attacked, it’d invited the people there. The Eagle gang didn’t stand up to TFK, but had been secretly hired to slaughter everyone in the tower. And they did. They were then paid and left before they could get anywhere. They had footage of the Eagle gang beating up people. And even though they wanted to convict the first Mafia leader, they had no proof that they were involved since the Eagle gang had been the ones hired to do it. And since the Eagle gang wasn’t currently in custody there was no one that could testify that TFK or anyone from their group had ordered the assassination of the other gangs. In fact, they were getting sympathy from the press as being ruthlessly attacked and sabotaged.
None of that mattered to Amaterasu, though. He just knew he had been cruelly deceived and now was paying for it. He could have had them, was the worst part. The Eagle gang was broken and ready. If he had stalled them long enough for the cops and military to arrive the Eagle gang would have been theirs! But he let them go. He hit his head against the window. “How could I of been so stupid?” Amaterasu fumed. “They tried to trick me into thinking some gangs were different. But they’re all the same. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll kill the Eagle gang.”
Amaterasu lurched forward and slammed his head into the metal guard between his seat and the front. “What the?” Amaterasu said as he looked up. The car had come to a complete stop and a man was standing in front of the car. Amaterasu looked at the driver but saw that he had been knocked unconscious by the force of the collision.
“Did that man stop a car with his hand?” Amaterasu asked in shock.
The man walked over and opened the front door of the cop car. He took the keys and opened the back door. “Hello, Amaterasu,” the man smiled.
“I have your ticket to freedom,” the man said. “All you have to do is join me.”
Amaterasu glared at the tall and thin man. “Not interested. I’m not a criminal.”
“From where I stand you look like one. You’re in the back of a squad car going to jail. That’s a criminal in my book. But it was all a farce. They just wanted someone to blame for letting the Eagle Gang escape. And you, the one who got fooled into believing they weren’t so bad got caught up in it all, huh?” the man coaxed.
Amaterasu didn’t say anything. “Join me and I’ll give you freedom again. And power. And in exchange, you’ll get your chance to kill the Eagle gang. All you have to do is work for me. Doesn’t sound like such a bad deal? Or would you prefer to go to jail and rot while the real criminals get to run rampant on the streets?”
He wasn’t sure. “I’ve always wanted to help protect the streets from crooks. I’ve always stuck with justice.”
“And look where it got you, Ama,” he said as he reached out and put the keys in Amaterasu‘s hands. “Justice is great. But the crooks don’t believe in justice. They’ll do anything they can. You can’t fight them if you stand on such lofty morals. You have to get down on their level. And crush them.”
He fiddled with the keys a moment. “Whatever,” Amaterasu said and put the keys into his handcuffs. “I don’t really care about stuff like that anymore. Just as long as I can kill Q and Bano.”
The man watched as Amaterasu pulled himself out of the car and pushed his glasses up. “Seems I got our last man, then,” he grinned.
****
The group returned to the bar and Temari rushed outside and hugged Knssquad. “Thank goodness,” Temari said.
“How’s Jake?” Q asked.
Temari’s smile faded and she looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. I tried to stop him,” she said.
“Where’s Jake?” Bano pressed Temari.
“He got up earlier. Said he was feeling a lot better. And when he heard about what happened with Clair and Knssquad he got up and decided he was going to help. He left and hasn’t been around since,” she said. “I really did try to stop him but he wouldn’t listen at all.”
“Men are like that,” Yoyo sighed. “What should we do, Q?”
“Nothing,” Q said.
“What?” Bano said. “He’s really wounded. He shouldn’t be moving at all. We need to bring him back.”
Q shook his head. “Jake has no idea where Knssquad was going to be. And even if he did, and he got there, he’d find no one there. So it’d be a waste of time. And none of us know where Clair is. So there’s really not much he can do. He’ll come back after a while and we can make him rest, then.”
“What about Clair?” Bano asked Q. “We need to start searching for her.”
“We’re not searching for Clair, either,” Q said. “She left us. And that’s that.”
Bano snapped. “So you’re just going to leave our gang members out to die, now?”
Yoyo stepped between them. “Look, guys. We’re all tired. We haven’t slept and we’ve been up for days now. This isn’t the time.”
“I’m not leaving our members to die,” Q retorted. “Clair isn’t a member of our gang anymore. She ditched us and left Knssquad to die in the hands of that mad man we just fought. Why can’t you understand that?”
Bano pushed Q back. “I didn’t know you’d give up so easily.”
“Stop it,” Yoyo said and pushed Bano. “This isn’t the time.”
“You know, JJDomer once told me that one of our members was working for TFK. And then at TFK’s tower Clair just decides to leave the gang? Do you really think that was a coincidence?” Q asked.
Yoyo turned around and stared at Q open mouthed. “There’s no way that’s true,” Yoyo said.
Bano reached back and punched Q. “Way out of line, Q. You’re no longer fit to lead the Eagle Gang. I’d make a better Eagle Gang leader. And you know who said that since you’re so keen on listening to him? JJDomer.”
Q stumbled back and glowered at Bano. “I don’t want to fight you,” Q said.
“Then do you step down as leader of the Eagle gang?” Bano challenged.
“No. I don’t think you’re thinking clearly,” Q said.
“You just accused Clair of being a spy for TFK! And I’m not thinking clearly?” Bano asked and laughed.
Temari tried to run between the two of them but Yoyo grabbed her and pulled her back. She pulled out her swords and pointed it at Temari and Knssquad. “A challenge for the leadership of the Eagle gang was made. I hate this and want it to go back to normal, too. But men, as stupid as they are, have rules. And those rules keep men from acting even stupider. These two are being complete idiots. But we have to abide by their rules. And when an official challenge for the leadership of the gang occurs we can’t interfere. Until they settle it, either by words or fighting, we can’t interfere. I tried to warn them but they didn’t listen.”
Temari hung her head low and turned away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t watch this. Let me know when it’s over,” Temari said and walked inside.
“This is stupid. I feel like I caused this,” Knssquad trailed off.
“You didn’t,” Yoyo said.
Bano whipped out his Kama and pointed them at Q. “Fine,” Q said. “I think this is stupid, Bano. But if you want me to beat you up I can do it. You‘ve been a pain lately, anyway.”
****
Jake marched up to the door of the warehouse and threw it open. “Clair! You’re coming back with me to the Eagle gang and I don’t care what you say!” he yelled.
His knees shook as he attached the springs to his hands and he clicked his feet together. “And I don’t care who I have to fight to get you out of here, either!” Jake announced again.
“Jake? What the heck are you doing here?” Clair asked, startled. “Idiot! You’re going to get killed.”
Destinykil walked up from the side of the wall and pointed his Katana at him. “I know you? Yes, I think so. You’re that little kid from the Snake gang. Man, you were weak. You’re not already dead?”
Jake stuttered as he wasn‘t sure how to answer Destinykil‘s lack of confidence in him. “Um, nope? I’m still alive?”
Destinykil’s sword began to smoke black and he laughed. “Well, that’s something. You’ve even gotten a little gutsier. Hey Seshimazi, this guy used to be our punching bag back when I was in the Snake gang. Haha.”
Seshimazi walked over to Jake and shook his head. “Kid, I don’t think you’ve got it altogether. The lady came to us. There’s no taking her back unless you plan to drag her there. And that‘s not the gentleman thing to do.”
“Who are all these guests, Blackrain?” a man asked behind Jake. Jake spun around and saw a tall man with glasses staring at him.
“Amaterasu?” Jake asked. “What are you doing here?”
Amaterasu glared at Jake and Clair. “This is Clair. The one I was telling you about,” Blackrain said as he pointed to his sister. “It seems she’s with us now.”
The man nodded. “I see. And this one?”
“He’s just a piece of litter. I had forgotten he was here until you reminded me,” Blackrain shrugged. “I am not interested in such things.”
“I see,” he said. “Well, Amaterasu, Clair’s with us so you can’t hurt her. But this one from the Eagle gang is all yours. Your Jake, aren’t you?”
“Don’t be giving away my victim,” Destinykil contended.
“I don’t like being called litter,” Jake grumbled. “And yes. And Clair isn’t with you! She’s coming back with me!”
The man laughed and pushed his glasses back. “Boy, that’s something. That’s something.”
“It is, Shugo. This boy thinks he can challenge the fourth Mafia and get out alive,” Destinykil said. “I think we’ll show him he’s wrong.”
“I still think we should split up,” Bano said as he stared out the window of the bar. The sun had begun to rise. “We’ll cover much more ground that way.”
Q shook his head. “Every time we split up bad things happen. We’re searching for Knssquad together.”
“What do you think, Yoyo?” Bano turned to her.
“I’m really tired,” Yoyo said. “None of us slept last night and now we’re about to charge into another fight?”
“Rescuing Knssquad is our top priority,” Q answered her. “I want to rest, but Knssquad is in the same shape we are and completely alone.”
“Rescuing Clair is important, too,” Bano countered.
“Good luck, guys,” Temari spoke up and pushed a hair out of her eyes. “Find them all and bring them back.”
“We will,” Q smiled. “You can count on us. Take care of Jake.”
“Will do!” Temari saluted Q as he headed out the door. Bano waved back to Temari as he followed Q. Yoyo sighed and swung her blades over her back.
“Where do we even begin looking for someone in the world’s biggest city?” Bano asked. “She could be anywhere at this point, too.”
“What are you still doing here?” Q yelled to a person fidgeting across the street.
“I still plan to kill you!” Dark Raptor declared. “But, I feel bad about what happened to Knssquad. So, um, I thought I’d help you out.”
“How?” Q asked. Bano ignored the kid and resumed his questioning of Q.
“How do you plan to find her?”
“I know a girl,” Dark Raptor smiled. “Well, she’s on her way! She knows everything.”
Dark Raptor fled and PeinQ followed behind him. “You were so cool back there, boss!”
Yoyo rolled her eyes. “Why do Q and Dark Raptor both have someone that tells them they were cool and are boss?”
“I want someone who does that for me,” Bano grumbled.
The sound of screeching tires turned the groups attention to a van. “Oh gosh,” Bano said.
The van smashed through a parking bench in front of the bar. A window on the van popped open. “Hello, hello, majestic people!”
“Hey?” Q asked. “Who are you?”
“Titan,” Bano said. “Been a while.”
“Bano! How are you?” the person in the wizard robes smiled.
“Been better,” Bano commented. “Love the stuff you sold me.”
“Thanks!” Titan beamed. “So, my friend Dark Raptor tells me you guys are in need of information. Lucky for you, I know just who you’re looking for and where you need to go.”
“Who is this guy?” Yoyo asked.
“It’s a girl,” Bano corrected. “And it’s Titan.”
“And for a small fee,” Titan smiled as she rubbed her fake white beard. “I’ll even throw in a pack of dynamite with this knowledge! Deals like these don’t come by everyday.”
Q put a finger up to his head. “Well, we could-”
“No,” Yoyo stopped him.
“Let’s look at it practica-”
“No,” Yoyo repeated.
“Would a medieval lance seal the deal?” Titan smiled.
“It absolutely would!” Q said eagerly. Yoyo popped him in the back of the head with a sword handle.
“I’m sorry, but we just want to know where our friend is,” Yoyo said as she scowled at Q.
“She’s with Kotaro. He put a hit out for her after she failed to finish her assignment, which was to destroy you guys,” Titan said. “He’s a very dangerous fellow. He’s not only a very powerful criminal of WOTNOPOLIS, but he’s also extremely ruthless. He doesn’t take kind to betrayal.”
“What exactly does he do?” Bano asked.
“He ran the Hitman syndicate that Knssquad was working in. He’s good enough that the Mafias rely on him, so he’s no small timer,” Titan said. “But, you’re in luck! He’s extremely organized, but he’s also very decentralized. Most of the members of his syndicate are spread out in the city. So if you find Kotaro there will be relatively little standing between you and Knssquad. And I know where you can find him.”
“That’s good news,” Yoyo said. “We needed something easy.”
“Go out to the rural district and you’ll find him where the wind meets the ice!” Titan said and waved her hands.
“Um?” Yoyo asked.
“Titan’s saying we go to the old ice cream factory!” Q answered.
“Er, actually, I am not sure where I was going with that one, either,” Titan stuttered. “He’s at the rural hospital.”
“Thanks!” Q yelled. “Let’s go!”
“We appreciate it, Titan!” Bano thanked her.
“You the man, um, or something,” Yoyo called back.
“Be careful, though! I’ve been told he’s got a very strange fighting style!” Titan warned the trio.
****
Knssquad glared at the man who had tied her up. She knew she could get free but there was no point. “When are you going to kill me?” Knssquad asked.
“I’ve heard rumors about that group you were with. The Eagle gang. In case you aren’t sure, I’m still being commissioned to kill them. So now’s as good as time as any. Kill them in front of you when they come here to rescue you. The job you should’ve done,” Kotaro smiled. “Then will probably be a good time.”
“Well, you’re wasting your time,” Knssquad said. “They won’t come for me. I‘m not that important.”
“True,” Kotaro looked back at her. “But if the rumors are correct then they’ll come anyway.”
****
“So this place looks creepy,” Bano said.
“Yup,” Yoyo agreed. The rundown hospital before them was covered in litter and trash. Every window was smashed and the inside was pitch black.
“I don’t really want to go, but after Venomu‘s Lair and TFK‘s tower this place is kind of tame,” Q mumbled but Bano pushed him.
“Lead on!”
Q threw the door open and inside was a dark hallway. “Eh, this is just the kind of place you’d find Zombies.”
Yoyo groaned and leaned over to Bano, “Never let him play video games again.”
“No kidding,” Bano nodded as they followed Q into the hospital. Light crept in from the broken windows but it was otherwise completely black.
“I’m so over dark places. I can’t see a thi-” Bano said when Q knocked him over.
“What was that for!” Bano yelled.
“Someone just attacked us,” Q said. “Show yourself.”
“Amazing, as the rumors suggested,” a voice said. “How did you detect it?”
“It may be pitch black but my hearing is phenomenal,” Q said. “You guys run on ahead. I’ll take care of this guy.”
“My name is Kotaro. I’d like to fight you myself, Q,” the man before them said.
“I can take this guy,” Bano began but Q interrupted.
“Enough of that. Just go get Knssquad,” Q ordered.
“She’s on the third floor, second room on your left,” Kotaro helped.
Bano and Yoyo ran down the hall heeding his instructions, somewhat confused. Q dodged another attack from Kotaro and punched at the figure. Kotaro dodged it and landed a few feet away from Q.
“Seems you’re pretty good,” Kotaro said. “Let’s start to take this seriously.”
****
Jake opened his eyes. Temari was staring at him. Jake jumped back and screamed. “Woah, what’s going on? Temari? Why are you in TFK’s Tower?”
“You’re back at the bar,” Temari laughed. “Bano carried you here. You’ve been sleeping for about a day.”
“Oh, wow,” Jake said. “So we survived! Although I feel awful.”
Temari poked Jake. “We were worried about you. You’re not like the others, you don’t take wounds as easily. Glad you’re awake.”
“Yeah, but I just kind of expected Clair to heal me. Where is she? Where is everyone?” Jake asked as he looked around. His smile dimmed as he looked back at Temari.
“They’re out looking for Knssquad,” Temari said solemnly. She had dropped her gaze from Jake’s eyes. “Knssquad got kidnapped by a man. But Clair.”
“Where’s Clair?” Jake persisted. “Is she helping to look for Knssquad?”
Temari shook her head and continued to avoid Jake’s stare. “Clair left the gang and we don’t know why,” she whispered. But she looked up and smiled at Jake. “But don’t worry. She’ll definitely come back.”
Jake stood up and closed his eyes. “So stupid,” Jake said. “I thought I made a difference in my fight, but instead I was just unconscious and a burden on everyone.”
“You can’t leave! You’re not well!” Temari yelled and stood up as Jake walked towards the door. “I don’t want to lose another one of you guys.”
Jake stopped and turned back to Temari with a smile on his face. “Trust me,” he said. “I’ll go help the others and we’ll bring back Knssquad and Clair for sure. Guard Temari, Cherry Coke.”
Jake walked out the door and onto the street leaving Temari protesting behind him.
****
Bano and Yoyo could hear sounds of Q and Kotaro fighting below them as they reached the second floor. “Sounds like that guy’s not a total pushover,” Yoyo noted. “He said third floor?”
“Yeah,” Bano said. “But isn’t it weird that we’re following the instructions of the enemy?”
“Not all that weird when the enemy knows he can defeat you,” a voice called out to them. Yoyo and Bano froze and turned towards the voice.
“Kotaro?” Yoyo asked.
“Yes, indeed,” Kotaro said. “I am Kotaro.”
“But how did you?” Bano asked. “Didn’t we ju-”
“Yes, you did,” Kotaro answered. “And here I am.”
“Geez, what’s Q doing?” Bano grumbled. “I’ll take care of this guy, Yoyo. You just go get Knssquad.”
Bano’s Kama set on fire lighting up the staircase. Next to Bano he could see Yoyo, and across the room a man. “Ah, so you’re not so helpless against the dark, either,” Kotaro said. “That’s good. I don’t necessarily like my victims completely helpless. Though I won’t complain, either.”
Yoyo looked between Kotaro and Bano. She didn’t exactly understand what was going on, but she wasn’t going to question Bano. She ran up the staircase and headed for the third floor of the hospital.
“You must be pretty good to have gotten past Q like that,” Bano smiled as he imagined Q getting whooped after talking so big.
“Something like that,” Kotaro said as he got into a stance.
Bano evaded as Kotaro launched into an attack. “For a hitman you’re not that stealth,” Bano said as the man’s fist crashed through the wall behind him. “Though I’ll admit that your strength is pretty good.”
Kotaro spun into a kick that Bano blocked easily. “Did Q really get beat by this guy?” Bano thought to himself.
“Why is Knssquad so terrified of you?” Bano asked as he sliced through Kotaro’s arm. “I mean, you don’t seem to be all that strong.”
Kotaro smiled and looked back at Bano. “We’ll see.”
****
Yoyo traveled up the stairs to the third floor. “Second room,” Yoyo said as she walked over to it. She spotted Knssquad tied up and sighed. “Knssquad!”
Knssquad looked up at Yoyo surprised. “You came?” she whispered.
“Of course,” Yoyo said as she pulled out her blade. “Let me get those ropes off you.”
Knssquad’s face turned to fear. “Get out while you can! Kotaro’s around here, he’ll kill you!”
Yoyo turned around and pulled her blades out. “How?” she asked the man standing behind her. “There’s no way you beat Bano already.”
Yoyo stared at the man. His blue eyes piercing through the dark. “I can assume you are the weakest if the other two sent you ahead of them. This won’t take too long, then.”
****
“Leaving the bar was the right idea,” Jake said as he walked down the busy streets. “But I have no clue where I’m going.”
He sat down at a park bench and rubbed his hands through his hair. His gang was in trouble and here he was, completely out of touch. “What am I supposed to be doing?” Jake asked himself.
A police car blared past him. He blinked a couple of times as he saw who was riding in the back seat of the squad car. “That looked a lot like, Amaterasu,” Jake said to himself.
Before he could complete that thought his eyes widened. A person wearing a jacket across the street had caught his eye. She was hurrying down a sidewalk head covered. “No way,” he thought and immediately started to follow her. “Clair.”
****
Q leveled a punch into Kotaro’s face and smiled. “Got you good that time,” Q nodded.
Kotaro sat up and agreed. “Yep, you sure did.”
Q leaned against the wall as he watched his opponent get back to his feet. “I’m not really sure how much longer you want to do this. My knuckles might get sore after a while,” Q pondered. “Though I wouldn’t expect that.”
Kotaro smirked at him. “Well, if you want to take your time, you can. But you know your friends are upstairs in fights. If you keep screwing around with me then you won’t be able to help them.”
Kotaro’s body flung into the wall opposite of them as Q pulled his foot back. He had landed that kick perfectly into Kotaro’s face. “If I’d known that we’d of been done here a while ago,” Q said as he headed up the stairs.
A fist got Q in the gut and he winced. “Not quite done here, I’m afraid.”
Q stumbled backward as he caught sight of the upright Kotaro. “What are you made of, dude?” Q asked as he clenched his side.
“I’m not really sure,” Kotaro said. “I just know that I can’t be killed. At least not by someone on your level.”
****
Bano dodged Kotaro’s attack and frowned. “So, that’s why Knssquad fears you. I don’t blame her.”
Bano felt pity for Knssquad after hearing that story. It was quickly forgotten as he dodged another attack. “So, I’ve decided that you’re probably not through with Q, since I just heard him below us. Care to tell me what’s going on?”
Bano sliced his Kama across Kotaro’s chest and smiled at the bloody criss cross he had made. “Actually, if I wanted you to tell me what was going on I probably shouldn’t of done that.”
Kotaro collapsed to the ground as a puddle of blood formed. Bano swung the blood off his Kama but stopped as the man began to move. The figure slowly rose back to its feet and smiled at Bano.
“Well, you see,” Kotaro began. “I’ve always been able to clone myself, up to three persons. And that’s that.”
Concern flashed across Bano’s face as he realized that meant a third person was probably upstairs with Yoyo. “If that’s the case then I don’t have time to deal with you.”
Bano charged across the room towards Kotaro. Kotaro moved to dodge Bano’s attack but Bano jabbed the Kama into his left arm. Bano pulled Kotaro’s hand away and with that opening stabbed his Kama deep into Kotaro’s side.
Kotaro shouted in pain and fell to the floor. Bano jumped on top of the man and crushed his rib cage for good measure. “That should do it,” Bano said. “I don’t really like to fight like that but it was your own fault for getting back up.”
Bano froze as the body began to move again. “That’s impossible,” Bano whispered.
The man rose to his feet and locked eyes with Bano. Bano couldn’t help but look away from the cold eyes across the room from him. “Not impossible,” Kotaro said. “I’m Rising Dead Kotaro.”
****
Yoyo sliced Kotaro and watched him fall to the ground. She knew to keep an eye on him. He may of seemed weak but if he got past Q and Bano, she knew there was no way she was going to take it easy.
The man regained his balance after the attacks and looked back at Yoyo. “I’m surprised, you’re pretty good.”
“Thanks,” Yoyo mocked. “So I don’t get it. You take three slices and you just stand back up?”
The man cracked his neck and nodded. “It’s what happens when you make a deal with the devil.”
Yoyo dashed in and shoved the man across the room into the hospital wall. She took her blade and stabbed it through his heart. Sheer pain etched across the man’s face and she smiled. “Seems you can still feel pain, huh? Why don’t you tell me why you’re like this and maybe I can put you out of your misery you worthless piece of trash.”
Yoyo pulled her blade out and the man groaned as he put his hand over his heart. A moment later he looked up at her. “Wow, you’re pretty merciless. I made a deal with Venomu. He needed solid test subjects. So he experimented on dozens of my clones. We all share experiences and thoughts, so it was very painful. But if a clone dies, I merely create a new one. I think the original may of died by accident through that process. It’s hard to say which of us is the original Kotaro. Either way, Venomu granted us instant organ rejuvenation because of it. So even though we may be beaten to pieces, we can’t be killed.”
Yoyo watched the man carefully. “If what you say is true, then that’s really scary.”
Yoyo began to laugh as she shoved a gurney into the man pinning him to the wall. “But it’s also going to be a lot of fun cutting you up.”
****
Jake had been following Clair for a while. She kept looking over her shoulder and watching her surroundings. This made Jake nervous since he didn’t want to be spotted. He had a feeling if he confronted Clair with that look on her face it wouldn’t end well. Plus he wanted to see where she was going.
Jake was being very careful to stay hidden behind cars and people anytime she looked around. But he also knew it wasn’t a big deal. She was way too distracted to actually recognize the people around her. She seemed to only be looking around out of nervousness more than anything.
She darted down a back alley and Jake followed her carefully. He didn’t want to lose her, but at the same time she was moving pretty fast. She seemed to be following instructions written on a piece of paper. Jake moved to the back alley and saw her hop over a wall. Jake walked over to the wall and peaked through a crack. She had run back out onto a street again. Jake held his nose as the smell of trash from a nearby dumpster overpowered him.
He hopped over the wall and ran over to the street. For a second he thought he’d lost her but saw her again heading for a building. “Salt?” Jake said as he smelled the air.
He crossed the empty street and watched Clair. It was getting harder to follow her as the area got emptier. He peaked around the corner of the building and saw where Clair was headed.
“Ah, the docks,” Jake whispered. “What the heck does she want out there?”
****
“This is kind of starting to tick me off,” Q said as he punched Kotaro again. “I mean, it’d be one thing if you were incredibly strong. But you’re just incredibly annoying.”
Kotaro moved into the space where Q was and elbowed him. “Actually, I am really good at fighting,” Kotaro said.
Q backed up and shook his head. “Not really. You’re learning my fighting style but that’s just because you’ve taken fifteen thousand hits. A good fighter could of figured it out after three hits, tops.”
Kotaro frowned. “You’re kind of ticking me off, too.”
Kotaro moved his body out of Q’s way as he threw another kick. “Now,” Kotaro said as he grabbed Q’s arm and slammed his elbow into Q’s side. “Got you.”
Q grunted but grabbed Kotaro by the neck. “Wrong,” Q said.
Kotaro floundered at the arm around his throat as he felt himself being lifted into the air. “Stop, this hurts!” Kotaro’s eyes widened with fear. He had never considered what would happen if he were suffocated.
“Well, that’s the general idea,” Q said.
“I’m gonna die, please!” Kotaro said as he struggled against Q’s grip. Even though he knew his organs could survive blows he wasn’t sure how well they’d do if oxygen were completely depleted from his system. Venomu’s serum might not of accounted for that. “Come on,” Kotaro choked out.
Q slammed Kotaro into the ground and kicked him in frustration. Kotaro gasped but could see by the look in Q’s eyes he wasn’t finished. Kotaro was picked up and flung at the ceiling. Q then dashed up to the ceiling and slammed his fist into Kotaro’s side. Kotaro screamed as the roof burst behind him and his body was sent flying into the second story.
Q glared at the hole in the roof where he had plowed through Kotaro. “Geez,” he said to himself. “Even after all this time I still can’t muster the idea of purposefully killing someone.”
****
Bano jumped in surprise as the floor opened up behind him and a figure flew above him. The intensity of fighting an undying monster was lessened when he saw his counterpart bent over in such a helpless gesture like that. Bano couldn’t help but laugh at Kotaro‘s crumpled body.
“You okay, Q?” Bano yelled at the hole leading to the first floor. An arm grabbed the side of it and Q pulled himself up from below.
“Yeah, just really annoyed with this guy,” Q said. He stared across the hall and looked between the two.
“Oh shoot! There’s two of them?” Q yelled.
“Three,” Bano said. “Upstairs it seems Yoyo is fighting off one, too.”
“What a pain,” Q said. “I guess I can see how this guy managed to kidnap Knssquad. You just never know what‘s next in WOTNOPOLIS.”
Bano nodded. Both Kotaro’s were standing ready to fight across the room. “Geez, guess there’s no avoiding them. What’s the plan?”
“I,” Q started, “have no clue. I vote we keep pulverizing them till we think of something.”
****
Kotaro waved his hands to stop Yoyo but she continued to slice into him. She cackled wickedly as she pulled her swords out. “What’s wrong, immortal guy?”
“It hurts!” Kotaro wheezed.
Yoyo stabbed into his side and pulled her blades through him splattering blood across the hospital floor. “That’s the point!”
Yoyo pulled her swords out and went to stab him again but stopped. “Woah, he actually died?”
“Aw, that’s no fun,” Yoyo said. “I was kind of enjoying myself.”
Yoyo walked over to Knssquad and cut the ropes off her. Knssquad stared at Yoyo wide eyed at the display she had just seen. “Yoyo, that was,” Knssquad started.
“Let’s just keep that between us girls,” Yoyo winked. Knssquad shuddered.
“But, how did that kill him?” she asked. “He’s supposed to be invincible.”
Yoyo looked over the bloody corpse. “He has rejuvenating organs. But that doesn’t do very much if you have no blood left.”
****
Bano sliced through Kotaro’s shoulder blades and then set his blades on fire and punched them into his chest. Kotaro screamed out from the pain. Across the room Q was repeatedly kicking Kotaro into a wall.
“You know you were learning my battle pattern before,” Q said. “But now you’re just a rag doll that keeps moving. What’s the point?”
“There’s too much pain,” Kotaro gasped. “You try learning someone’s battle strategy when you’re getting killed on three levels continuously.”
“Two levels now,” the other Kotaro corrected. “We need to clone again or we may actually lose.”
“Wait, what happened to the third?” Q asked.
“Hah, Yoyo must of beaten him. Not surprising, though, she’s been kind of crazy lately,” Bano said.
“Mhm. Very scary,” Q agreed.
Kotaro dashed past Q and aimed for the other one being sliced by Bano. “Grab my hand so we can clone!” Kotaro yelled.
Q tackled him into the ground and grabbed him by his leg. “So that’s how it works?” Q smiled. “Keep your Kotaro away from mine!”
Bano nodded and grabbed his Kotaro. “Stop squirming,” Bano said as he slammed his Kotaro’s head into a wall. Bano dragged Kotaro over to a hospital window and threw him out it.
“Done with mine,” Bano smiled and looked over at Q.
Q was sitting on top of his as the Kotaro flinched underneath. “I think this guy’s about had it.”
“That’s a problem with sharing experiences and pain like that,” Yoyo said. “It may help you but if you’re getting murdered on all sides then it shuts you down.”
“How’d you kill your Kotaro?” Bano asked.
“Um, got lucky?” Yoyo said as she put her hands up.
Q laughed. “I think we’re through here. Hey Knssquad!”
“Hey guys,” Knssquad said nervously. “Sorry that you had to go through all of this.”
“It’s okay,” Q said. “I’m just glad we’ve got it settled. Let’s head back to the bar.”
The group left the hospital. Bano leaned over to Knssquad. “I heard what happened to your old terrorist squad and how that guy managed to kill everyone in it and forced you under his wing. That’s pretty rough. If you ever need anything.”
“Thanks,” Knssquad said quickly. “But I’d rather not talk about it.”
Bano understood and backed off the subject. The group followed Q away from the hospital.
****
Jake had followed Clair through the docks for a while now. She had finally stopped outside a metal warehouse and knocked on the door. A moment went by and a large man gruffly opened the door. Jake put a hand up to his mouth.
“Destinykil? What’s he doing here? I haven’t seen him since the Snake Gang,” Jake said. “He looks different, though.”
Jake watched as Destinykil whipped out a giant black sword and pointed it at Clair. Clair calmly said a few words and Destinykil gave a quizzical look before yelling back inside the warehouse. A moment later a little man with black hair had rushed up and hugged Clair. Clair was standing stock still as the man pushed Clair inside the warehouse and the door shut behind them.
“What the freedom did I just watch?” Jake asked himself. “Didn’t Q kill Destinykil? Twice?”
Jake carefully crossed the distance between him and the warehouse and began looking for a hole in the wall so he could look inside. He wanted to know what on earth was going on.
Jake found a crack and looked inside. He recognized Destinykil first. He was standing against a wall. “Being massive, as usual,” Jake said as he watched him. The man from before came into view and Clair followed behind him. She looked calmer than before as she followed Blackrain. Another man with red hair could be seen but that was all.
“So, what are your plans now?” Blackrain said just loud enough that Jake could hear.
“To join you,” Clair said.
“But what about that gang you had joined?” Blackrain asked.
“Forget them,” Clair answered. “I’m with you, brother.”
Jake’s head reeled as he stepped back. “Wow, I guess they were right,” Jake whispered. He leaned his back against the wall and tried to clear his head. “I can’t believe any of this.”
****
Amaterasu walked past the crowd of people. He recognized KarateKeyaQ and Little Shiro both yelling something to him but he couldn’t hear what. Two guards pushed him into the back of a squad car. Amaterasu didn’t like how tight the handcuffs were around his hands.
The squad car blared as it raced away from the scene. He looked back at the mob. Lights flashed as reporters took pictures. He hadn’t even heard anything the group had said as he moved past them. All he heard were the words of the judge’s verdict. “Derelict of duties…aiding and abetting criminals…stripped of rank and sentenced to imprisonment indefinitely.”
Endless Nothing had called him in and promised they’d do their best to get him a good attorney on this investigation this morning. They probably had. But the witness they had brought in had a perfect testimony. Not to mention it fit with the scene that had happened.
JJDomer had seen Amaterasu let them go, and he testified against Amaterasu. “I was completely fooled,” Amaterasu remembered telling Little Shiro as they put him in the squad car on his way to the courthouse.
Amaterasu had gone in believing he’d helped the only people brave enough to stand up to The First Knight. What he ended up learning was quite different. TFK’s tower hadn’t been attacked, it’d invited the people there. The Eagle gang didn’t stand up to TFK, but had been secretly hired to slaughter everyone in the tower. And they did. They were then paid and left before they could get anywhere. They had footage of the Eagle gang beating up people. And even though they wanted to convict the first Mafia leader, they had no proof that they were involved since the Eagle gang had been the ones hired to do it. And since the Eagle gang wasn’t currently in custody there was no one that could testify that TFK or anyone from their group had ordered the assassination of the other gangs. In fact, they were getting sympathy from the press as being ruthlessly attacked and sabotaged.
None of that mattered to Amaterasu, though. He just knew he had been cruelly deceived and now was paying for it. He could have had them, was the worst part. The Eagle gang was broken and ready. If he had stalled them long enough for the cops and military to arrive the Eagle gang would have been theirs! But he let them go. He hit his head against the window. “How could I of been so stupid?” Amaterasu fumed. “They tried to trick me into thinking some gangs were different. But they’re all the same. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll kill the Eagle gang.”
Amaterasu lurched forward and slammed his head into the metal guard between his seat and the front. “What the?” Amaterasu said as he looked up. The car had come to a complete stop and a man was standing in front of the car. Amaterasu looked at the driver but saw that he had been knocked unconscious by the force of the collision.
“Did that man stop a car with his hand?” Amaterasu asked in shock.
The man walked over and opened the front door of the cop car. He took the keys and opened the back door. “Hello, Amaterasu,” the man smiled.
“I have your ticket to freedom,” the man said. “All you have to do is join me.”
Amaterasu glared at the tall and thin man. “Not interested. I’m not a criminal.”
“From where I stand you look like one. You’re in the back of a squad car going to jail. That’s a criminal in my book. But it was all a farce. They just wanted someone to blame for letting the Eagle Gang escape. And you, the one who got fooled into believing they weren’t so bad got caught up in it all, huh?” the man coaxed.
Amaterasu didn’t say anything. “Join me and I’ll give you freedom again. And power. And in exchange, you’ll get your chance to kill the Eagle gang. All you have to do is work for me. Doesn’t sound like such a bad deal? Or would you prefer to go to jail and rot while the real criminals get to run rampant on the streets?”
He wasn’t sure. “I’ve always wanted to help protect the streets from crooks. I’ve always stuck with justice.”
“And look where it got you, Ama,” he said as he reached out and put the keys in Amaterasu‘s hands. “Justice is great. But the crooks don’t believe in justice. They’ll do anything they can. You can’t fight them if you stand on such lofty morals. You have to get down on their level. And crush them.”
He fiddled with the keys a moment. “Whatever,” Amaterasu said and put the keys into his handcuffs. “I don’t really care about stuff like that anymore. Just as long as I can kill Q and Bano.”
The man watched as Amaterasu pulled himself out of the car and pushed his glasses up. “Seems I got our last man, then,” he grinned.
****
The group returned to the bar and Temari rushed outside and hugged Knssquad. “Thank goodness,” Temari said.
“How’s Jake?” Q asked.
Temari’s smile faded and she looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. I tried to stop him,” she said.
“Where’s Jake?” Bano pressed Temari.
“He got up earlier. Said he was feeling a lot better. And when he heard about what happened with Clair and Knssquad he got up and decided he was going to help. He left and hasn’t been around since,” she said. “I really did try to stop him but he wouldn’t listen at all.”
“Men are like that,” Yoyo sighed. “What should we do, Q?”
“Nothing,” Q said.
“What?” Bano said. “He’s really wounded. He shouldn’t be moving at all. We need to bring him back.”
Q shook his head. “Jake has no idea where Knssquad was going to be. And even if he did, and he got there, he’d find no one there. So it’d be a waste of time. And none of us know where Clair is. So there’s really not much he can do. He’ll come back after a while and we can make him rest, then.”
“What about Clair?” Bano asked Q. “We need to start searching for her.”
“We’re not searching for Clair, either,” Q said. “She left us. And that’s that.”
Bano snapped. “So you’re just going to leave our gang members out to die, now?”
Yoyo stepped between them. “Look, guys. We’re all tired. We haven’t slept and we’ve been up for days now. This isn’t the time.”
“I’m not leaving our members to die,” Q retorted. “Clair isn’t a member of our gang anymore. She ditched us and left Knssquad to die in the hands of that mad man we just fought. Why can’t you understand that?”
Bano pushed Q back. “I didn’t know you’d give up so easily.”
“Stop it,” Yoyo said and pushed Bano. “This isn’t the time.”
“You know, JJDomer once told me that one of our members was working for TFK. And then at TFK’s tower Clair just decides to leave the gang? Do you really think that was a coincidence?” Q asked.
Yoyo turned around and stared at Q open mouthed. “There’s no way that’s true,” Yoyo said.
Bano reached back and punched Q. “Way out of line, Q. You’re no longer fit to lead the Eagle Gang. I’d make a better Eagle Gang leader. And you know who said that since you’re so keen on listening to him? JJDomer.”
Q stumbled back and glowered at Bano. “I don’t want to fight you,” Q said.
“Then do you step down as leader of the Eagle gang?” Bano challenged.
“No. I don’t think you’re thinking clearly,” Q said.
“You just accused Clair of being a spy for TFK! And I’m not thinking clearly?” Bano asked and laughed.
Temari tried to run between the two of them but Yoyo grabbed her and pulled her back. She pulled out her swords and pointed it at Temari and Knssquad. “A challenge for the leadership of the Eagle gang was made. I hate this and want it to go back to normal, too. But men, as stupid as they are, have rules. And those rules keep men from acting even stupider. These two are being complete idiots. But we have to abide by their rules. And when an official challenge for the leadership of the gang occurs we can’t interfere. Until they settle it, either by words or fighting, we can’t interfere. I tried to warn them but they didn’t listen.”
Temari hung her head low and turned away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t watch this. Let me know when it’s over,” Temari said and walked inside.
“This is stupid. I feel like I caused this,” Knssquad trailed off.
“You didn’t,” Yoyo said.
Bano whipped out his Kama and pointed them at Q. “Fine,” Q said. “I think this is stupid, Bano. But if you want me to beat you up I can do it. You‘ve been a pain lately, anyway.”
****
Jake marched up to the door of the warehouse and threw it open. “Clair! You’re coming back with me to the Eagle gang and I don’t care what you say!” he yelled.
His knees shook as he attached the springs to his hands and he clicked his feet together. “And I don’t care who I have to fight to get you out of here, either!” Jake announced again.
“Jake? What the heck are you doing here?” Clair asked, startled. “Idiot! You’re going to get killed.”
Destinykil walked up from the side of the wall and pointed his Katana at him. “I know you? Yes, I think so. You’re that little kid from the Snake gang. Man, you were weak. You’re not already dead?”
Jake stuttered as he wasn‘t sure how to answer Destinykil‘s lack of confidence in him. “Um, nope? I’m still alive?”
Destinykil’s sword began to smoke black and he laughed. “Well, that’s something. You’ve even gotten a little gutsier. Hey Seshimazi, this guy used to be our punching bag back when I was in the Snake gang. Haha.”
Seshimazi walked over to Jake and shook his head. “Kid, I don’t think you’ve got it altogether. The lady came to us. There’s no taking her back unless you plan to drag her there. And that‘s not the gentleman thing to do.”
“Who are all these guests, Blackrain?” a man asked behind Jake. Jake spun around and saw a tall man with glasses staring at him.
“Amaterasu?” Jake asked. “What are you doing here?”
Amaterasu glared at Jake and Clair. “This is Clair. The one I was telling you about,” Blackrain said as he pointed to his sister. “It seems she’s with us now.”
The man nodded. “I see. And this one?”
“He’s just a piece of litter. I had forgotten he was here until you reminded me,” Blackrain shrugged. “I am not interested in such things.”
“I see,” he said. “Well, Amaterasu, Clair’s with us so you can’t hurt her. But this one from the Eagle gang is all yours. Your Jake, aren’t you?”
“Don’t be giving away my victim,” Destinykil contended.
“I don’t like being called litter,” Jake grumbled. “And yes. And Clair isn’t with you! She’s coming back with me!”
The man laughed and pushed his glasses back. “Boy, that’s something. That’s something.”
“It is, Shugo. This boy thinks he can challenge the fourth Mafia and get out alive,” Destinykil said. “I think we’ll show him he’s wrong.”
Last edited by quater on Sun May 15, 2011 1:40 am; edited 1 time in total
