Sukeban

“You know, you really don’t have to be out here with me…” Rina murmured softly. Haruna looked over at the young brunette, cocking her head to the side. Rina had said that multiple times since she two girls had been wandering and Haruna always gave her the same answer. Haruna didn’t know why Rina kept saying it if Haruna kept reassuring her that she didn’t mind being out here to protect her. She would do anything for Rina.

“I’ve already told you, Rina. I don’t mind being out here; I want to be. I was the one who decided to do this, it’s not your idea at all so it’s not your fault,” Haruna responded in a calm manner. Rina made a soft whining noise but nodded her head nonetheless. She knew she should stop bothering Haruna about it but she still felt guilty that Haruna was going to be subjected to a night out here because of her. She thought of what happened last night and instantly got scared, she didn’t want Haruna going through that too.

The young brunette didn’t say anything after that. The duo fell into a silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Rina didn’t mind it and she got the feeling that Haruna didn’t either. The scared girl was walking as close as comfortably possible to Haruna. It was rare for Haruna to let Rina do this in public but the boss felt a responsibility to let it happen tonight. She knew Rina must be terrified after what had happened the night before and she certainly didn’t want anything like that happening again either. Rina wanted to reach out and grab Haruna’s hand but she knew the boss’ limits and she wasn’t going to push those limits.

The two girls continued to wander aimlessly about the streets of Tokyo. Haruna made sure to lead and she made sure to lead them in a way that wouldn’t take them far from the meeting place. Haruna wanted them to be close to it so they could have some type of shelter for the night. If she had her choice, she would have kept Rina in there the entire night but she knew that would just cause the young brunette’s mind to wander. Really, Haruna knew she was just leading the two girls in a looping circle but it was keeping Rina busy and keeping the young girl calm as well.

That’s what mattered right now.

Rina’s arms continued to swing at her sides until she heard her stomach let out an audible grumble. Her hands flew up to wrap themselves around her stomach and an embarrassed blush came to her face. Haruna raised an eyebrow at the noise that had come from her girlfriend.

“Is it safe to assume this means you’re hungry?”

“It would appear that way,” Rina said with a nervous chuckle. She let her hands drop, raising one to scratch the back of her head nervously. Haruna didn’t try to stop the small smile that ghosted across her face. “I haven’t eaten in a day.” That was all it took for Haruna to regain her emotionless expression.

“What do you mean you haven’t eaten in a day?” Haruna had stopped walking now and she could see the way Rina’s body tensed from the low tone Haruna had used.

“I didn’t-I didn’t have anything to eat yesterday and I haven’t had time to find anything today….” Rina admitted. Haruna sighed softly, running a hand through her hair. She looked around the area, her eyes moving past the people walking on the streets and the people huddled against the buildings. Her eyes did stop on one building in particular, a small looking convenience store. That would be perfect.

“Come on then,” Haruna said. She began walking off and heard a small squeak come from Rina who no doubt was caught off guard by Haruna’s sudden movement. She had to rush a bit to catch up to Haruna but she did so quickly, not wishing to be left on the streets alone again.

When the girls got over to the store, Haruna pushed Rina up against the building lightly and ordered her to stay. Rina wasn’t given a chance to question it or reject the idea as Haruna had walked into the store immediately after giving the order. The young girl left behind huffed and pressed herself as much against the wall as she could, her terrified brown irises eyeing every person that passed her.

It didn’t take Haruna more than a few minutes before she emerged from the store again. She didn’t say anything to Rina and simply grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the store quickly. The two girls were a safe distance away when Haruna finally stopped and let go of Rina.

She turned to face the confused teenager before digging in her bag. She pulled out a small packet and tossed it in Rina’s direction. The younger girl caught it with ease, examining the packet. It was just a small package of cashews, not much but something that would definitely put some food in Rina’s stomach. While Rina was grateful for the food, she looked up and pouted at Haruna.

“You stole this, didn’t you?” Rina asked in a saddened tone. Haruna was now holding another bag of cashews. She cocked her head to the side in wonder.

“Yes I did,” Haruna admitted truthfully. She didn’t see the deal with it; it’s not as if this was the first time she had taken something. She knew Rina didn’t like her stealing but if she hadn’t done this then Rina would have gone two days without food. Haruna was not about to let that happen. It was either steal or starve and Haruna didn’t intend for it to be the latter.

“I didn’t ask you to steal for me,” Rina said with another pout. She hated it when Haruna blatantly stole like that without thinking. What if she got caught one day? Rina didn’t even want to think about the possibility of Haruna going to prison; she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Just the thought tore Rina’s heart apart.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? But we have no money,” Haruna pointed out. Rina whimpered softly, clutching the package in her hand tighter. They didn’t have any money anymore and that was her fault. Haruna’s stealing was her fault. “I promise that I will make us more soon but until then we need to eat. What else are we to do if we don’t have money for food?”

“But… What if… What if you get caught?”

“I won’t get caught. I’m smarter than that,” Haruna told her. Rina wanted to believe her but the fear stayed in her heart. Haruna saw this too and she sighed softly. “It’s only temporary, Rina. Until we get more money and then the food stealing will stop. I promise.”

Rina nodded in agreement, her mood perking up a bit. She pulled open the package of cashews, beginning to pop a few in her mouth. She really was grateful to Haruna for giving her food. The cashews were small and she knew they wouldn’t fill her up much but to the teenager who hadn’t eaten in 24 hours, these small nuts tasted like heaven. She hadn’t realized just how starving she had really been until she had started eating the small snack.

From beside her, Haruna was cautiously eating the same snack as Rina. She was hesitant to eat. She as well had not eaten in quite some time; Madoka and Ken’ichi were withholding food from her as further punishment for her fight. There was part of her that was almost scared she wouldn’t be able to hold down even the tiniest of food right now; her body seemed to be doing fine so far though.

Haruna’s mind began to wander back to her aunt and uncle. How would they react to this tomorrow? She was assuming that they would have a place for Rina by tomorrow and she would be forced to go home. She wanted Rina off the streets but at the same time, needing to protect Rina out here was a good excuse for her not to go home to those monsters. The thought of what those two could do to her for staying out all night without telling them almost made Haruna visibly shiver but she held it back; now was not the time to be showing weak emotions. She knew these people out here targeted the weak and the last thing she intended to do was make her and Rina a target.

Haruna sighed softly as the young girl made her way back into Haruna’s mind. Haruna could still remember the first time she had met Rina; she could still remember hating the annoying and clingy girl. Haruna still was unable to forgive herself for all the harsh words she said to Rina and all the time she had hit her. The bullying had only lasted two months before Rina managed to capture Haruna’s heart but it was enough history to tear at Haruna whenever she thought about the terrible things she had done to Rina.

It was only when Haruna across Rina’s parents yelling at her in such a familiar way did Haruna’s heart manage to open itself to the brunette. She saw much of her own past in Rina’s current situation; she felt an instant connection to the formerly annoying girl. She felt sorry for the girl who she knew probably felt alone in the world, just as Haruna had before she had met Mami. Haruna wanted to stop Rina from becoming the person Haruna had become, the boss could see her heading down the same road. Haruna never counted on falling in love along the way but yet, that’s exactly what had happened.

“Well hey there, cuties.”

The slurred words awoke Haruna from her thoughts. She didn’t even have time to look at the owner of the voice before she felt Rina press her body against Haruna’s. The boss looked over at Rina, confused when she saw the sheer terror sparkling in her once calm eyes. The brunette had her back pressed against Haruna, the package of cashews clutched inhumanely tight in her hands as her eyes stared straight forward.

Haruna followed her gaze, her eyes narrowing when she saw three men standing off to the side of them. The tallest stumbled forward, clearly drunk as his friends followed behind him. Haruna quickly pushed Rina behind her and felt the younger girl crouch down and cower behind the shorter Haruna. Rina whimpered softly, making the anger grow in Haruna that much more. Rina was scared of these men, more so than she would if they were just random strangers. Rina knew them and from the way she was reacting, Haruna didn’t think her meeting with them had been pleasant.

“It’s nice to see you out here again, kid. Maybe we can pick up where we left off,” the tallest slurred out. He stepped a bit closer to Haruna and Rina, the boss hardening her stance.

“Are these the people who robbed you, Rina?” Haruna asked, ignoring the drunk’s words. Haruna could hear Rina whimper again and she decided to take that as a yes, these were the low lives that have robbed and harmed her.

Rina was terrified. What sort of luck was this? Tokyo was a massive city and yet for the second day, she was running into three people who had tried to kill her just the night before. The odds of that seemed to be impossible but now Rina was being forced to face it. It was as if Rina had absolutely no good luck.

“Rob? Now that’s kind of harsh, little lady. You don’t even know us properly,” he countered her. He waved his hand absentmindedly, his body swaying back and forth. Haruna chuckled at the obvious way he was drunk. If need be, she could fight him no problem. Drunks were usually sloppy fighters anyway; it was his friends that would be a problem. They looked much more coherent than he was.

“I don’t need to know you properly. All I need to know is that you hurt my girlfriend and that’s enough for me,” Haruna sneered out. The drunkard approached Haruna a bit more, now within touching distance of her. She wrinkled her nose when the strong scent of alcohol hit her. She had always hated that vulgar scent, almost as much as she hated cigarette smoke.

“Girlfriend, eh?” he said with a smirk. The boss hadn’t even registered what word she had uttered until she heard the drunk repeat it, now she was sincerely regretting now choosing wiser words. Haruna could feel Rina grip onto the back of her sweater while the male reached out a hand, cupping Haruna’s chin. “What are the chances of you two putting on a nice show for us?”

“Those chances are not likely,” Haruna growled and pushed his hand away from her. The male huffed, stumbling a few steps away from her.

“Stingy little dykes, aren’t you?” Haruna narrowed her eyes into a glare, a low and guttural growl coming out of her throat. How she hated hearing that damned word.

“Watch your mouth, swine,” Haruna shot back. The male let out a hearty laugh that was followed by the laughter of his otherwise silent companions. Rina cringed from the sound of the laughter; it brought back such bad memories from last night.

“Aren’t you cute? Acting like you’re some badass when you’re just a little girl.”

“This little girl could probably kick your ass in a second.” Haruna was saying pretty much anything that popped into her mind. She had never really been in a situation like this and had no idea how to handle it; she was running on autopilot and her defense mechanism had kicked in now. Haruna never did have the best way of defending herself when she didn’t know what else to do; it often led her to even more trouble.

“I’d like to see the little brat try.” Haruna clenched her hands into fists, taking a step forward but was quickly pulled back by a still clinging Rina. Rina didn’t want to let Haruna go, she wanted the older girl to stay and protect her.

“I would but I don’t fancy the idea of seeing a grown man cry,” Haruna countered. Rina whimpered again, tugging on Haruna’s sweater. Haruna was running her mouth too much, Rina knew the boss was making them angry and the cowering teenager didn’t anticipate this ending well if Haruna didn’t shut up soon.

“Let’s just go, Haru,” Rina pleaded with her. Haruna wasn’t able to respond before the drunk had responded instead.

“Go? Aw, baby, you just got here though.”

“Don’t you dare call her that ever again!” Haruna said loudly. Hearing that word leave his mouth made something snap inside Haruna. It sickened her to the core to hear this drunkard address her girlfriend like that; it was absolutely disgusting to her. She knew how violated Rina must be feeling and it disgusted her to even so much as think about.

“What’s wrong, sweet cheeks? Scared of your girlfriend getting complimented?”

“Complimented? You’re violating her! Shut up before I knock your teeth down your throat.” The males only continued to laugh at Haruna’s threats. She was so tiny, what could a girl of her size possibly do to them? She wasn’t a threat at all. The more she fought, the more entertaining they found this. When push came to shove, a girl of her size would be easily broken.

Rina sniffled softly, hiding her face in the back of Haruna’s sweater. She could see the people passing them and staring at them. Why wasn’t anyone helping? Why wasn’t anyone at least calling the police? Two young girls were being threatened and no one cared. Rina always knew the world could be cruel but she never imagined it being this cruel. How people could simply walk past two people in desperate need was beyond Rina.

Haruna knew why no one would stop though. She knew how truly uncaring and judgmental humans were; she knew Rina’s uniform was stopping anyone from intervening. She knew exactly where people’s thoughts would go when they saw a young girl in a school uniform wandering the streets at nearly 11 pm at night. Haruna knew she had to find something else for Rina to wear if they were forced to stay out here again.

“You know, you’ve got a pretty big bark there, kid. But how’s your bite? Or are you all bark?” The male took a few steps towards Haruna again, the teenager hardening her stance and her glare. She could feel Rina tug on her sweater again but she didn’t understand what Rina wanted her to do. They couldn’t just run; they’d probably get caught in no time in their conditions.

The male reached out, running his rough fingertips over Haruna’s cheek. Haruna growled lowly, smacking his hand away. She could still feel the touches of pain that went through her whenever someone touched the claw marks. The male gave her a sour look before reaching out and cupping her chin again. Haruna moved to smack him away again but her wrist was caught by his hand.

“You’ve got such a big mouth, sweetheart. I might have to give you a little something more useful to do with that loud mouth of yours,” he said with a smirk. “I think you might be good at it.”

“You disgust me,” Haruna said point blank. The male chuckled softly, stepping closer to her and tightening his grip on her jaw. Haruna winced from the fingernails that dug into her skin but refused to show too much pain. She would not be weak.

“You’ve got such fire in you. I think it could be really fun to break that fire.” Haruna could feel the blood drain from her body as the familiar phrase tore into her mind. It was exactly what Madoka had told her that night; it was exactly what Madoka was using to break her. She hated those words. She hated anyone who dared to use them.

Haruna reacted on impulse when she spit in the male’s face before punching him square in the nose. The man shouted, gaining the attention of multiple people, yet still no one interfered. The drunk stumbled backwards, clutching his nose while one of his friends stepped forward.

The new man grabbed Haruna’s arm before punching her hard in the stomach. Haruna could feel the wind get knocked out of her, her body hunched over before her legs gave out beneath her. In one hit, this man had immobilized her and brought her to her knees. Haruna could feel Rina get shoved away from her before she was pulled to her feet again and slammed into the wall.

“You’ve made a big mistake, you little skank,” he growled to her. She could feel another punch land on her stomach, another set of air being knocked from her lungs. She refused to stay down though; she couldn’t stay down. They would hurt Rina if she gave up. With a low growl, she prepared herself to fight.

“Don’t ever call me that again,” Haruna rasped out, barely being able to breathe. The man opened up his mouth to speak when Haruna brought her knee up, connecting it with a sensitive part of his body. She threw a punch at the stunned male’s face before giving him a rough shove off of her and into the third male, knocking them both to the ground next to their leader.

She didn’t give herself time to get her breath back before she pushed herself off the wall. She grabbed Rina’s wrist, taking off running and shoving her way through the bystanders who were now staring at the fight that had broken out.

“Get back here!”

Haruna could hear Rina begin crying when they heard the shout. She wanted to check on Rina but she knew better. She couldn’t stop for any reason. She wanted to stop though. Her throat burned and her mouth gasped for air. There was no air in her body. No matter how she breathed and gasped, she couldn’t catch enough air to fill her lungs. They were beginning to feel like they were on fire; Haruna was ready to collapse. She couldn’t breathe; but she couldn’t stop.

Keep running. Keep running. Keep running.

Haruna repeated the two simple words like they were a mantra; that mantra and Rina’s wrist were the only things pushing Haruna’s weary body. Her leg was searing with pain, ready to give out. She stumbled as she ran, nearly tripping several times and almost bringing Rina down with her. Rina wasn’t doing much better as the sobs tore through her body, stumbling her footsteps and blurring her vision.

The two women kept running; they weren’t even sure if the men were still following them. They kept running regardless, both of them too scared to stop. When Haruna felt the rough punch to her stomach, she knew she had underestimated their strength. If anything, the alcohol was probably making them stronger. She could probably beat them one at a time but even Haruna knew she couldn’t take on all three of them at once, there was no way she’d be able to protect Rina. Running was the only option.

Haruna’s eyes widened when she felt a hand grip onto her arm before the culprit pulled her and Rina into an alley way. Haruna’s hand fell away from Rina’s wrist as her body crashed to the floor. Her hands flew up, gripping her sweater in an attempt to grip at her chest as it heaved heavily, gasping for air. Haruna’s body began to curl up into a ball, the air refusing to reenergize her body.

She really felt like she was dying.

“You have to help her!” she heard Rina call desperately. Haruna continued gasping helplessly for air while she felt someone push her onto her back. She could see a shadowy figure above her. Haruna could feel two hands on her chest before she felt the pressure push down.

Haruna’s eyes widened but she didn’t make any movements to push the strange person off of her. She could see Rina come to hover above her, the worry in her eyes as the figure continued to try and get Haruna breathing normally again.

The figure pulled away from her, their hands leaving her body as her body pushed itself to its side, curling up into a ball and gasping for air. She could feel the air beginning to return to her, her gasps dying down into a regular breathing pattern. She coughed lightly, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Her eyes looked up and connected with those of a dark skinned individual.

“Who the hell are you?” Haruna choked out. She coughed again, shaking her head. She felt really lightly headed and exhausted, she was ready to pass out still.

“The guy who just saved your life,” the older man said. He understood that she was scared but manners could still be a thing. Haruna didn’t respond, instead just shakily pushing herself to her feet. When she was standing, she was forcibly turned around by Rina who looked her body up and down.

“You’re not hurt are you?” Rina asked worriedly. Haruna laughed softly, shaking her head.

“I’m fine, Rina,” Haruna tried to reassure her. Rina pouted, clearly not having bought Haruna’s words. Haruna gave her a small smile, ruffling her hair before turning around to face the stranger.

“So who are you exactly?”

“My name is Omar Karim; I’m a retired police officer from the United States…. And I just saved your life; you’re welcome by the way.” For proof, the male pulled out the badge again, showing it to Haruna who backed away from him in turn. She certainly was not the type to trust a cop. “I’m retired; I’m not going to arrest you or anything. I want to help.”

“Help? Why us?” Haruna didn’t trust this man as far as she could throw him. She knew never to trust a cop of all people. After their run in with the three drunks, she was even less likely to trust someone they’d just met on the streets regardless of their occupation.

“I recognized a young lady from last night.” Haruna turned to Rina with a confused expression. Rina chuckled nervously, tapping her index fingers together.

“When those men attacked me last night, Omar helped me,” Rina answered. The young brunette was thankful to finally know the name of her two-time savior. Haruna nodded and turned back to him. She was glad he saved Rina but she still didn’t trust them.

“Thank you for helping, but we don’t need your help any longer.”

“Really? Because the way you almost dropped dead just now would say otherwise.” Haruna glared at the elderly man in front of her. This is why she hated cops; they were always so mouthy and disrespectful. They didn’t help anyone, they only harmed people.

“We don’t need help from some filthy gaijin cop.”

“Haruna!” Rina gasped in response to her girlfriend’s blatant derogatory slur. She knew Haruna was rude, especially so when she was scared, but there really was no reason for language like that.

“Huh? So you’re rude, immature, and racist. Is that right?” He turned to Rina before continuing, “Gee, kid, you sure know how to pick your acquaintances.” Haruna was about to open her mouth when Rina shoved her back and stepped forward. Haruna jumped back quickly, staying close to Rina.

“Thank you for saving us,” Rina said as she bowed deeply to him. Haruna rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Why was Rina bowing to a cop? She was way too formal. “Please forgive Haruna, she’s a bit scared and running high on emotions. She doesn’t mean what she says.”

“I am not scared,” Haruna said roughly. Rina simply ignored her. Haruna would never admit when she was scared but Rina knew she was. Who wouldn’t be after experiencing something like that?

“We need more help. You see, we don’t have a place to stay for the night and we were wondering if you could help us find a place.” Rina didn’t know why she was conversing with this man when she had so quickly ran from him yesterday. It was just that having Haruna here made her feel much more comfortable with everything. She wasn’t alone this time; she had Haruna to protect her.

“You could stay with me for the night.”

“You’re just going to invite two random strangers into your house?” Haruna countered. Now she really didn’t trust him. Someone didn’t just invite two strangers into their house.

“Based on how she’s dressed, I assume you’re both school girls and while you are extremely rude, little miss, I don’t think you two are a true threat. Even if you tried something, I could take you down in a second’s time. Am I wrong that you’re not a threat?” Haruna opened her mouth to respond but Rina beat her to it.

“Of course not! We would be honored to stay with you for the night.” Haruna couldn’t help it. She smacked Rina on the back of the head for the agreement. Was she crazy? This man could do anything to them when they set foot in his house.

“What are you thinking, Rina? He could do anything to us if we go with him…”

“I won’t bring any harm to you; you have my word as a former officer of the law.” Haruna glared at the Middle Eastern male who had interrupted her.

“That doesn’t mean much to me.” Omar knew he should continue to be mad at the mouthy ways of this teenager but he could also see straight through her. The way she carried herself and the fierce emotion that shined in her eyes were clear in the moonlight; she had a story behind her. She was another statistic, a troubled teenager with a dark past. He could see right through her façade; much of his work as an officer was to turn around troubled teens like her.

“If you wish not to come then you can take your chances with those men again. They prowl this area; if you stay then you’ll see them again. They’re commoners around here. Next time you see them, you might not be so lucky,” he informed her. Haruna growled lowly, clenching her hands into fists. She didn’t want to admit it but she knew he was right. Rina grabbed onto her arms and looked pleadingly into her eyes.

“Let’s go with him. I think we can trust him.” Haruna wanted to make a comeback about how Rina thought they could trust everyone and about how naïve she was but for this once, she was compelled to listen to Rina. She wanted to believe that Rina knew what she was talking about and their choices weren’t much better. Go with the cop or risk running into them again. Those weren’t the best choices in the world.

“Fine, we’ll go with him,” Haruna finally reluctantly agreed.