Well. I lied or rather I let my guard down when I should have kept it up.
Not 10 metres away from dropping off Akari-san was the opposite of a joyous welcoming party. A fifteen body thick wall of violent hungry, adolescent attackers. Some are armed. Some not. Some were smiling. Some are straight-faced. But one in front. Sat on a stool, faced down, one arm supporting on his lap and the other wields a metal pipe that lay across his neck. Figure hidden by a hood.
"It's not inappropriate to say we both took our time." That one speaks in a low tone still avoiding our gaze.
"You were warned. And we took some time to prepare just as you took your sweet,precious, intimate time to make your way here."
I hear a couple of more footsteps from behind accompanied by the dragging of something heavy, metallic and brutal.
"Immature" I say.
The one raises his head to reveal a face of 3 marks. A burn, a scar and a tattoo. He raises a scorched eyebrow.
"It's one thing that you're all gathered here. But the fact that he had to request this to do his dirty work just because he could not do it by himself." I comfortably sit on the ground cross-legged.
"Immature".
A few snickers pass around. The guy's face strains to put on a smile.
"What can I say? We're just a bunch of kids after all." He cackles
"So what if we're immature? At least I'm not the fool to trifle with Kurosawa knowing fully he'd do anything to eliminate those who stain his name… this time"
Akari-san clutches onto my arm.
I look at her sternly.
"I don't have the facilities to deal with all of them. So as soon as anything happens. Your priority is to run without looking back."
"But-!"
I cut her off.
"That is all you can do now. You aren't the target, besides they would probably get into much more trouble if you are hurt. So leave now."
I turn back at the one sitting on the stool.
"She's free to go?" I ask.
"Correct." He replies.
I hold her by each side of her shoulders.
"Told you".
Tears prick the corners of her eyes as she reluctantly walks off.
The mob parts a way for her to leave the scene.
I wait until her footsteps are not heard.
I walk closer to the guy sitting on the stool. It is met with the others closing in.
"Wait wait. Let him talk." He calms them down.
They back off a bit but maintain their intentions of rushing me till I am but a mush of blood and flesh.
I point to his heavily abused face.
"Normally I'd personally grind you up for doing that but I'm still going to hear your last words. So make it sweet and impactful." He sneers
"My bad." I lowered my arm. "He did that to you?"
He nods.
"It's what courage gets you."
"But there are multiple of you working for one guy. What does he have against you for him to deploy you like his wild dogs?"
He stands up. Kicks the stool aside. Raises his head back and looks down at me.
"Nothing you can't handle."
He swings his pipe at me and the rest charge in. There are fewer yet more beefier guys at my back yet I choose to rush at their side. I run to the stool and charge at them rashly. As I close in on them, I slide the stool to them as leverage to jump.
I leap on to the stool and lift off my foot to target one adjacent attacker. I land my knees on his chest, but he still stands so I hop off him behind his back and start dashing for my life.
"YOU SQUIRMING RAT!" Someone yells.
I didn't run too far. I ran into a narrow alley with a dead end. No, I am not completely screwed. I just have to hope I have enough energy to incapacitate all of them as they enter my funnel.
I turn to them. Huffing and puffing. Backing up as much as I can.
They all huff and puff as much as me and advance to me slowly.
"How unlucky. You said your last words now you are taking your last breaths" the hooded guy taunts.
He throws down his weapon and takes off his hoodie. I respond accordingly. My tie and my blazer, I take off. He orders the rest to watch.
"It seems you took him down with judo but so much for his carelessness got his body eating dirt." He puts up a guard. His arms are very lean and veiny.
"That was fodder. Put your hands up and let me show you real judo." he closes in slowly.
I close in too.
We both attempt to grab at each other's wrists, collars, belts and whatever piece of clothing that could be gripped to move the other's body preferably to the ground.
But why?...
Why am I looking up at the sky?
My upper back hurts and he's above me, staring at me like a vulture to a fresh corpse.
An ashi-waza(leg sweeping technique). I was swept by his foot before I noticed. I was too focused on his upper body, nonetheless, it's not a competition match and surely it won't happen again.
I close in again. This time I act with more caution, watching every part of his body that moves
But why?
Why am I looking at the wall?
My left shoulder is aching right now and there he is again looking down. He is the real deal, his ashi-waza techniques are too fast and precise for me to even process them but I feel as if that foot has swept me more times that I can bear to count even before this encounter.
"Dozing off while you're getting your ass handed to you in your own sport?" he taunts.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"I ask.
"Why the hell would you?"he replies without skipping a beat.
"My bad. It's just that I haven't actually been taken to the floor by many people in my life and it felt somewhat nostalgic" I state truthfully.
"I guess those last two ippons messed up your brain. I can't blame you" He deflects my investigation.
"...Are you sure I have never met you?"I try to reassure myself.
"Just- you know what imma end this now" He rushes at me and goes for another sweep at my feet.
I try to tsubame-gaeshi but he telegraphs my move instantly and moves backwards which causes me to lose some balance and leave me open. He seizes his chance by dropping down, I see this and mirror his action but by the time I am at his eye level, his hand was already at my forearm. I tried to repel him but that was my loss. He pulled at my tricep with his other hand to pull me toward him. This resulted in him getting under my leg and we both went sideways only for me to get ippon'd again but he didn't stop there. He rubbed his back all over my face to move into a side mount position and proceeded to unload a flurry of elbows and hammer fists. No mercy, no stopping, no time to breathe. I am just getting mauled. But I am far from done. He descends on me for a more powerful punch but I catch his arm and hook both his arm and leg on the same side and I push him aside to seize the mount. I elbow his gut and retreat very staggeredly.
He rolls to the side in pain as he covers his stomach. I wipe my sweat with my hands only for my hand to be painted red. I am very fatigued and my eyelids seem heavy to keep open. This isn't like the earlier short burst spats. This is a whole marathon and where cardio is key and unlucky for me I have neglected it for brawn.
"Hah hah, friggin tough nut" he continues to insult whilst in pain.
"I'll give you props for getting out of a clobbering session but now the answer is clear."
I raise myself up slowly to put up a guard.
He chuckles again.
"You breathe like a dog and it's starting to get on my nerves so maybe I should put you to sleep. However, I look at you and see four limbs."
He gets up and puts his guard back up.
"Four limbs on you is four too many. Those will be destroyed one after the other whilst you scream in agony and mercy, perhaps begging for death. However, I won't grant you that. I will make you a cripple FOR LIFE!" He exclaims.
"Come on man. How many movies have you been watching for you to be speaking so rough like that." I continue to agitate him despite being at the receiving end of a ground barrage just a couple seconds earlier.
"Sorry, but I'm keeping my limbs today. I could settle for some sleep but I'd rather do that in a nice comfy bed at home. And we can't be talking about death, after all, we're still teenagers having a silly little scuff."
I turn to the other delinquents.
"I'm not saying that we should stop now and discuss this over a drink or what not. I'm just saying there are better stuff to do with your lives than to gang up on one minor inconvenience in another person's life." I remind them once again of how easily we could end this in a civil manner.
A delinquent spits on the ground.
"Oh I'll show you a minor inconvenience" the delinquent rushes to me with a blade.
Just at that moment a voice shot from the crowd of delinquents but was not the voice of one of them. It was a worrying voice of desperation.
"Move out of the way! Please move! Let me through now!" this voice said getting louder and closer.
This voice was accompanied by forceful steps loud enough to deafen thunder.
"Nagano-kun, NO!"
This voice was… Akari-san?
She caught up to the delinquent and instinctively reached for his arm just as he raised it up.
"Natsuki-san!" "Akari-san!" I gasp alongside the person I was fighting.
A whole splurge of redness flew over my eyes and that same redness flowed slowly down a hand.
Akari-san's arm.
It was pierced through. The blade is seen just below half way through her arm. The horror on everyone's faces could not be described but I never spoke after this next part.
My eyes widen, my eyes lock on to the delinquent. I punched his side and grabbed the arm that had the knife on it. I pulled him to a corner and made him kneel by kicking his leg and stomping his foot. I then looked at his fingers and started snapping them in all directions in quick succession. I could see his face show his anguish but I could not hear it so I looked to his elbow, grabbed his face and laid him on the ground whilst still holding his arm. My foot slides in front to the side of his face. My other foot stays under his side closest to me and I keep his arm close to my shoulder as I crouch and fall backwards. As I fall backwards, my legs contracted so my knees were trying to be nearer to each other.
I could not hear a pop but I felt a faint vibration signaling that I have finished my business with that delinquent's arm and now it's time to do the same thing to this other guy but to his neck.
I get up and lock eyes with him. His eyes looked familiar not just because of fear but it seemed that I had devastated this person once before. I walk to him, I take my hair band off and ruffle my hair backwards. As I walk towards him he stumbles backwards and falls to the ground but before I could seize him, a figure ambushes me from the side and stands in front of me. This figure's arm had wrapped around my body and its body was leaning against me.
I blinked and all I could hear was a scream of agony, a wall of whimpers and one wailing voice.
This was the same voice as before.
"Akari-san?" I question.
"Yes! Yes it's me you idiot. Please stop now! Just stop!" She shouts.
"B-but your arm is-" I try to help her arm.
"No!" She swats me off.
"No! I want to go home now. Let's go home. Please!" she begs.
We walk together with the blade still in her arm. The delinquents make space for us without a fuss but replace the walls with faces of shock and terror.
I call the ambulance first to get her treated as soon as possible but as they approach, she collapses. I am left with the only option to carry her and stay with her with the ambulance. I held her hand in hopes she would grip my hand in response but her arm stayed limp the whole journey.
We reach the hospital in short order and I am forced to stay in the lobby whilst they take out the blade and treat her back to consciousness. I see my reflection on the floor, not at all clear but this was a completely different person and this different person made me shell myself on my seat as I bawled myself to sleep