GetBackers (August 2014)

[Hikari Kazuya]

GetBackers

-They get back what shouldn't be gone... most of the time.-

Format:

Single/Double (Each person must fulfill the word requirement, and one person can only submit one entry.)

Reward:

+4 EXP, or $2,000

Scenario:

Something feels off about the day. Your character has a bad feeling as they go through their daily routine, and when they return home during the day, they realize why. Something has been lost, and in its wake, a card has been left behind, with only four words printed on the back: "Time is running out."

Requirements:

• 2,000 words minimum.
• You are to roleplay your character going to retrieve whatever it is he or she has lost, whether it be through stealth tactics and picking everyone off quietly, or just plain bulldozing straight in and beating everyone down.
• Be creative! It doesn't necessarily have be an item that was taken from your character, and who and why behind the taking is entirely up to you.
• If you choose to pair up with another player, whoever is taken, must roleplay what happens to them during the time they are held captive, whether it be physical or mental or both.
• Please, keep it site appropriate.

This Monthly Event ends on:
Sunday, August 31st, 11:59pm PST.
12:59am MST (Sept 1st)
1:59am CST (Sept 1st)
2:59am EST (Sept 1st)

[Deleted]

It was the day she'd first found out she was pregnant the first time. Usually this time was extra hard on her. She mourned the loss of her unborn children the same as she mourned the loss of her sister. Days before she'd spend drinking and fighting. The day of, she would lay about the house. Curtains closed, lights off and just sit in the dark holding the mementos of the ones who she lost. It was a rare, vulnerable time for her. Her emotions always went crazy about this time and she became quite unstable. She wanted nothing to do with anyone. She wept quietly, screamed, what ever it took to get the emotions out. Last night, though she hadn't remembered it, had been rather eventful and as the sun rose and Bandit and Aiko jumped onto her bed. Silk woke with the feeling of... apprehension and depression. The pets knew not to make sounds, but they brushed against her instead trying to comfort her. This resulted in her gently shoving them away and softly, quietly skulking around the house to prepare food for them and herself. She shut all her curtains, locking herself away in the darkness. Not even ten minutes after this... did her phone ring. The screen lit up, the blond asian man's picture smiled brightly at her as her phone vibrated on the table. She stared at it for the longest time as it continued to ring. She'd reach out, pick it up and bash it against the table then yank the battery from it and hurled it somewhere into the darkness of her house.

The can opener could be heard. Bandit and Aiko waited patiently and quiet for their food knowing it best to stay out of her way today. She slopped the food into their bowls and pulled a bottle of tequila from the fridge. She made her way back to her room and crawled up onto the bed. The cap came off the bottle and just as it did...there were knocks on her door.

"Silk! Silk! C'mon, we got a lot to do today!"

Sasha didn't know. This was the first time she had ever witnessed this. She walked around knocking on the windows, calling to the spanish woman, but Silk just sat on her bed and took a gulp from her bottle. Sasha didn't know Silk had lost children. She didn't know Silk had lost her sister. There was a lot Silk's entire gang knew nothing about. Only one who knew what this day meant was Tenchi and even though he'd tried to call, he'd been shut out. Eventually the knocking stopped. Silk would reach over to her nightstand in the dark and grope around in the drawer. It was where she kept the ultrasounds of her children. It was the only pictures she'd ever gotten of them. After a minute, she began to panic. The pictures weren't there. Silk moved over to the nightstand and turned on the light to rummage through the wooden stand.

"No, no no no no no no no no no!"

Panic made her heart race, her blood pressure rise and eventually, after five minutes of not finding them, she threw the table against the wall. With a loud crash, the wooden table splintered and broke.

"NO!"

Bandit and Aiko came running in with worried looks. She'd never done this before. It wasn't part of her ritual. She fell to her knees screaming and pulling at her hair before she dove under the bed in search of them. She scrambled all over her room. Things were yanked from drawers and her closet and thrown about. Bandit and Aiko watched for a while till Aiko sniffed around finding a piece of paper. Thinking perhaps this was what Silk lost, the fox picked it up and brought it to Silk, who now was a crumpled sobbing heap on the floor. The fox nudged the woman's cheek only to be batted away as Silk began to sob and tremble. She'd lost them... how could she have lost her babies? What kind of a mother was she? Aiko nudged the paper to her again and this time, Silk became angry. She sat up and shoved the fox away, Aiko yelped but the paper remained in front of Silk. Seeing it, Silk picked it up and through blurry, tear filled eyes read the message scribbled on it. The writing was almost unclear. She could hardly read it.

"Time, is running out..."

Aiko moved closer, Bandit at her side. They knew Silk hadn't meant to hurt Aiko and forgave her for her anger towards them. She carried so much pain with her and never told anyone, there was bound to be some moments where she lashed out. Silk's attention turned to the fox.

"Aiko, where did you get this?"

Thinking she'd done good, she perked up and ran over to where the smashed nightstand lay. She pranced around it and pointed with her nose. Bandit watched as Silk wiped her eyes and crawled over to the nightstand looking for a clue as to what the card would mean. It took her a while but finally she'd find a clue as to where she'd been last night. A match book for one of the bars far from her little town. She once again tore through her room, this time looking for clothes and upon finding a pair of shorts and a tank top, was out the door. Aiko and Bandit were on her heels and had to run to actually get into the old looking truck Silk had bought in Columbia to travel around, with out having to pay the expensive fees of moving her pick up from her home in Cali. She sped her way to the next town, passing Sasha who threw up her hands in confusion and anger. She tried calling Silk but there was no answer. Silk had left her phone at home, tossed somewhere in the darkness.

Parking outside the town, Silk jumped from the truck. Aiko and Bandit hurried along behind her. Silk tore into the town, a woman on a mission. If she retraced her steps... she could find out what happened and where her pictures were. The longer she was apart from them the more she felt like breaking down. People were busy going about their day but the moment she tore into the town everyone moved out of her way. The look on her face promised pain and death to whoever didn't. Into the bar she went where people cheered her arrival. She glared at them not remembering a single face. The bar tender happily offered her something to drink.

"It's on the house for the winner of last nights fight."

Silk ignored him and began looking around for anything that would trigger her memory and that meant going down into some dirty underground room. As soon as she did she heard a bell ring, the announcer speaking in spanish. The blurry vision of people surrounding a now empty cage. Quick flashes of faces screaming and cheering for her. She'd been here last night. A man was cleaning up as Silk wandered around. Noticing her he laughed and smiled at her.

"Hey there! Back again? There wont be any fights till much later."

It wasn't surprising she'd been here fighting. It was something she did often. She leveled her brown eyes on him and began looking around as Aiko and Bandit sniffed about. The cage was splattered in blood and Silk looked down at her firsts, clenched with rage and bruised. Her body had long ago hardened itself against the impact of her fights.

"Did I leave something around here?"

He shrugged and pointed over to a locker in the room. Aiko could smell Silk's scent there and let out barks and yips. Silk moved over to it but didn't have the key. She looked back at the man who was already making his way out of the room. Her fist slammed into the rusted metal door and it popped open. Clothes spilled out and another piece of paper dropped to the floor. she bent over picking it up. More barely readable hand writing read...

"So close but so far. Next stop... "

A scribbled map with an X showed her the next spot. She scooped up her clothes and began walking out. Coming up out of the dirty room a man, bruised face and body glowered at her.

"HEY! BITCH! DON'T THINK YOU CAN WALK AROUND MY TOWN! I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE YOU AROUND HERE!"

Quiet fell the bar and Silk stopped walking. She turned around, eying him. Her face still seemed full of rage, but she didn't say anything. The man walked up screaming curses in spanish and shouting about how he could have beaten her if he wasn't so worried about hitting a girl. His finger jammed into her chest repeatedly as she stared at him. Below, Bandit and Aiko dropped their ears and growled at him. Bandit took a few swipes at the man's feet hissing, though he purposefully missed. The man jerked his feet back and attempted to kick Bandit. Silk's leg moved, catching his in mid air and blocking it from even touching the cat. Both Bandit and Aiko ducked behind her. She dropped the clothes and paper onto the two of them.

"Don't... fucking... touch... my... cat."

He glared at her and moved his face so his nose pressed against her own. One eye was swollen shut, he had a few small cuts on his cheek, which was black and blue. His knuckles were bruised and busted up from the night before.

"Or what?"

Well, that was it. She lost her shit. She grabbed his throat and ran forward smashing his back into one of the walls.

"OR WHAT?! OR WHAT!? HERE'S YOUR FUCKING WHAT!"

He grasped at her hand struggling to pull her from his throat but he couldn't get his larger fingers up under her small slender hand. She smashed her forehead against his face. Blood began to drip from his nose as she slammed her knee into his stomach, once... twice.... three times. She'd release his throat as he fell to the ground. She then began to stomp on his back and ribs. People were now moving out of the bar as the tender screamed at her that the fights weren't till later and she needed to leave. Though seeing her rage at being confronted by this man, the bartender kept his distance. When she did stop she walked out of the bar holding the paper and her clothes that she'd grabbed on her way out. Bandit and Aiko eying the now downed man before following her.
As soon as she stepped outside a group of men waited. Each one looking at her as they cracked their knuckles and various other joints. Bandit and Aiko blinked. Silk dropped the clothes again.

"Truck."

Both pets took the note and the clothes Silk had left and ran to the truck. She stepped out into the center of the circle and that seemed to be the cue. Men rushed in from all angles and Silk launched fist after fist and kick after kick. Blood began to erupt out and splatter all over the ground below. She took quite a few hits to her ribs, her back. Though just as quickly as the fight had started, it was over. The men splayed out around her. Broken bones, noses, blood riddled the grown below and she stood, chest heaving, hands clenched into bloody fists at her sides. With a swish of her mouth she spit out some blood on a passed out man. She began her walk back to the truck and drove to the next place marked on her note. She'd follow these notes all over. Town to town. Bar to bar. Club to Club. Each place she stopped at had a new note directing her to where she had to go next. Also had a group of very angry men waiting for her. After each fight, Silk looked worse and worse. First it was just a bloody lip, or bloody knuckles. Now though... she had a swollen eye. Her nose was bleeding, a few fingers looked dislocated and made a sick crack as she popped them back in place.

Aiko and Bandit had found it best to just wait in the car. Though they continued to grow concerned when she got into the car looking worse each time. When she finally managed to find the last note, it was over a lump in the desert sand. Night had settled and the note was a simple 'Dig here'. So she began digging. She yanked up a trunk with a lock on it. The shove easily broke the lock and she flipped it open. She couldn't wait to get her hands on who ever had done this. They'd suffer a long, slow, death. Opening the box, she was surprised to find another note. Under the note was the pictures. She grabbed them and held them tight against her chest as tears began to fall. Aiko and Bandit sat in the truck, watching Silk. She was knelt down in the sand, only the light from the truck making everything around her visible. When she finally got to the note she was ready to destroy the world, burn everything down, butcher everyone with it. Till she read the note...

You haven't figured it out yet. You wouldn't. You are probably still nursing the hangover from your bender. This is me though. You. Silk. Something like that. We're drunk again. We do this every year. Sasha's death, then the three babies... Each death is brutally mourned with blood and booze. You spend a week drinking yourself stupid, fighting everything that breathes all for what? To slowly dig your own grave? Are we honestly at that point where we have nothing to live for? You finally built something. Did something meaningful and this... this is what we are doing to our selves. If our sister and our children meant anything to us... would they want us doing this? I made you go through all that just to find their pictures and you willingly did it. You would gladly destroy yourself just to have another look at them. You would throw away everything, all that you have worked for and done in recent months. I wont stand for it. I wont let it continue. I'm done. I'm tired of watching you rip us apart. In order for us to live... we have to stop this. I'm not saying give it up entirely. It has been such a big part of our lives I'm not sure we could, but... at least relinquish the pain. Everything you keep bottled up. Everything you hide from everyone... tell someone. Say something... stop keeping it to yourself. Stop hiding inside us. Just stop. You want so much from life but you don't want to live anymore. What kind of a thought process is that? It's counterproductive as fuck! I wanted to show you what you do to yourself during your benders. All those men you just fought through... were a whole weeks worth of your pit fights. They were brothers, friends, fathers, sons... people who cared for the men you tore through in your pit fights. You probably aren't looking so hot, or feeling the best right now... I just wanted you to know I wanted this to stop. I wanted you to be sober and see what you do to yourself. I hope this changes something... anything...
Love yourself...
Love Silk.

She stared at the note as her mind worked through the haze. The person who wrote this was herself? Drunk Silk had the presence of mind to write this? She stared at the lettering and realized... it was something she should have noticed sooner. Each and every note was in her drunk hand writing. She finally had her pictures back. Something more important to her than her life... and drunken her gave her something new to think about.

((Word count excluding OOC: 2695 words.))

[Hikari Kazuya]

Since he had left the university after finishing his afternoon classes, as Kazuya made his way back home, the uneasy feeling that had nagged at him during the course of the day returned. At first he had he had written it off, with the gang wars constantly waged between the Hikari-gumi and rival Yakuza gangs, everyone was on edge. But the closer he got to his home, the more he felt uneasy, even starting to get a weird vibe from. As soon as he stepped inside his house, he knew why. Kyoko always greeted him when he came home, as her classes finished before his, but today, only silence greeted him. In fact, she was nowhere to be found, after he ran through the entire house searching up and down for her, only to find in her room, on top of the pillow of her futon, a card, with only four words written on the back: Time is running out.

All the color draining from his face, his unsettled state quickly turning into a piercing glare as he stared with cold fury at the message, wasting no time, he would quickly whirl around and take off at once, his face set as hard as flint. Based on the fact the calligraphy ink on the card was still rather wet, it meant the kidnapper had left not too long ago, and hadn't gotten very far yet. Quickly making his way out of the house, taking care not to knock anything down in his haste, upon reaching the streets, he would instantly go to his motorcycle parked outside, and quickly climbing onto it and pulling his helmet on, would throw the ignition on and hightail it out of the suburbs and into the outlaying area. With time not on his side, he had a lot of ground to cover, and no leads whatsoever. Racing down the empty streets, the sun steadily setting, after many hours, he finally came upon a pedestrian walking the opposite way carrying grocery bags, the baseball cap on his head hiding his face from view.

["Excuse me sir!"]

Kazuya would call out as he slowed his motorcycle down and eventually came to a stop beside the man, his engine rumbling away idly, as the man would stop and look over at Kazuya, a quizzical look on his face.

["Have you passed by anyone with a young woman with them?"]

---

["... Damn it!"]

A voice would curse, as in the middle of an alleyway, a figure stood with two other men, looking down at the young woman struggling to get free but held in place tightly against him by his muscular arm, a gun holster on the right side of his waist.

["What the hell was Ayumu-sama thinking, asking me to kidnap this... this girl? He said she was important to the most powerful Yakuza boss in all of Japan, Hikari Kane, but his girl? What the hell is so important about her!?"]

["... She is the oldest daughter of Hikari Kane... and my older sister."]

The three men quickly whirling around, they would instinctively take a step back in fright as standing in front of them, was Kazuya himself, cold fury lining every part of his face.

["Give her back! Kyoko is important to both my father and myself. Give her back!"]

["... Ha ha... HAHAHAHAHA! I can't believe you chased me all the way here, just to get your older sister back! Well bozu, if you want your precious older sister back, just try to take her from me!"]

The sound of footsteps rushing up from behind him made his eyes widen as he whirled around, evading the katana the guy swung at him. Ducking under the guy's arms, Kazuya reared his right arm back and launched his fist right into the guy's gut, as he dropped the katana and would double over, giving Kazuya the chance to launch another punch, knocking the guy out as he crumpled to the ground in agony. Soon after, the sound of a war cry would make Kazuya's head snap upwards as he saw another guy come charging towards him, with yet another katana in his hands. Side-stepping and rolling to the side as the guy slammed his katana into the ground, he would quickly leap towards Kazuya by the balls of his feet as Kazuya got to his feet, the man's katana held aloft over his head, ready to bring it down onto Kazuya's head.

Evading the guy's swipes with the katana as he moved backwards, the guy would send trash lids crashing to the ground with his wide swipes. Ducking down the moment he had the chance, Kazuya stuck his leg out and swept the guy's legs out from under him, sending him toppling to the ground, a sickening crunch heard as the guy's head connected with the concrete, knocking him out cold. Blood beginning to pool from under his head, Kazuya would stand towering over the man, a fierce and intense glare on his face as he stared down at the unconscious form of the man.

["Kazu!"]

The sound of a familiar voice made his head snap around as he saw a figure down at the end of the alleyway, holding a struggling...

["Nee-san!"]

Kazuya shouted out, pulling his blades free from the sheaths on his back as he took off. With both his allies down for the count, though a nervous look was visible on his face, he would soon clench his jaw up in irritation and annoyance, the kidnapper would then quickly disappear from sight with Kyoko, as Kazuya would keep his guard up, unable to see anything down it, as the only sources of light were two lamps bolted to the brick walls of the alleyway, with the one at the end of alleyway they were in burnt out, and holding his twin blades in his hands, at the sounds of whistling coming up from behind him, would quickly sweep one blade in an arc as he turned around, knocking throwing knives sent flying at him away. His eyes darting to the side to look behind him as the kidnapper appeared behind him, with a quick twist, he would take a step towards her and wind up for a roundhouse kick, only to hear the sound of a gun cocking and finding the barrel of the gun pointed dead straight at the center of his heart, causing him to halt immediately on the spot.

["Don't even think about it slick. Come any closer, you won't live to see another day."]

The guy would taunt, continuing to keep the gun pointed the gun straight at Kazuya, while Koyoko continued to struggle against the hold the guy had on her, her hands tightly gripping his arm, in an attempt to free herself, to no avail.

["You know who I am slick? Course you don't, you're dumb enough to take me on. I'm best marksman in the gang formally in control of Kobe, the Koyama-kai, Hara Taiki, until your father took us down that is. You may have taken down my fellow gang members, but they're nothing compared to me. I can shoot a moving target from a mile away."]

Taiki would laugh, as Kazuya's eyes narrowed in fury, his hands firmly gripping his twin blades held loosely by his sides, shaking slightly not from fear, but from his very clear, very visible rage. Kauzya very rarely lost his temper, but when he did, it was only from something or someone threatening his family and close friends.

["Walk away slick, your pride may be shattered, but you might live another day."]

["Kazu..."]

Kazuya's eyes hidden in shadows, he would continue to stand there, his hands slowly tightening their grip on the hilts of his twin blades.

["That's right slick, you can't touch-- Hey!"]

Taiki exclaimed, firing his gun as Kazuya suddenly darted forward at him, straight at him. Crumpling to the ground, Taiki chuckled quietly, before ending up in a roaring laughter.

["He actually did it! What a fool! That's how foolish your little brother is!"]

Taiki would roar, as Kyoko's eyes were hidden in shadows as well, having stopped struggling against Taiki's hold on her, her arms held loosely by her sides now.

["... You're the fool Taiki..."]

Kyoko whispered quietly, as Taiki stopped laughing and looked down at her, noticing she had stopped trying to break free from his hold on her.

["And why's that Kyo-chan?"]

He asked tauntingly, leaning down close and whispering in her ear.

["... Because Kazu's duster jacket is bulletproof."]

Taiki's eyes widened in shock, as a lone figure rose up from the ground, the bullet that had impacted with his jacket falling to the ground with a dull clunk.

["Wh... What!?"]

Kazuya shooting off like a bullet at Taiki, as he would fire at him, he would miss him by miles, he was too panicked, and his shots were too wild. Reaching Taiki, Kauzya's eyes would dart to the side to look behind him as Taiki appeared behind him once more, and with a quick twist, he would thrust one blade towards Taiki, the blade stopping mere inches from his chest, as he saw in desperation Taiki had tried use Kyoko as a shield while continuing to hold her hostage, holding the gun in his hand up against her head, though Kyoko had managed to move enough in Taiki's panicked state that she was slightly off to the side, instead of in front of him. His arm still wrapped around her though, Kyoko would grab hold of his arm with both hands once more, doing her best to get his arm off her enough to get free.

["... Give her back, now. Or you will find this blade buried in your chest."]

["Y-you don't have the guts to kill me!"]

["Are you daring me? But you're right, I won't kill you."]

Slashing the blade in his right hand once to the right, then the blade in his left hand once to the left, across Taiki's thighs and legs, he would cry out in agony and drop to his knees, his gun falling from his hand to the ground and blood flowing from his legs, only letting go of Kyoko as she elbowed him right in the gut and whirled around, kicking him straight in the chest, after which she would immediately run to and stay behind her little brother, protected by him.

["I'll just injure you to the point that you'll have a hard time moving. Run back to your boss and give him this message: The next kidnapper that tries this, will not be so lucky."]

Stabbing one blade into Taiki's thigh, causing him to cry out in agony once more and double over in pain, he would then remove his blade and glare down at Taiki as the man fell over and to the ground. Kazuya towering over his crumpled form, he would leave him to bleed, before turning his attention to Kyoko.

["... Thanks Kazu..."]

She would say quietly, as Kazuya nodded, unable to talk at the moment, as he took in a deep breath, and let it out, letting his heart return back to normal pace, before sheathing his blades and taking his older sister's hand, leading her out of the alleyway. Returning to his motorcyle, he would help Kyoko onto it and hand her the spare helmet in the back compartment then climb onto it himself, before looking up at the sunset sky, letting out a sigh. Everything Kyoko gave to him, whether it was tending to his injuries or giving him a gift, was precious to him, and he would do anything to protect her. Anything. Turning the ignition and powering his motorcycle up, he would take off back towards their house, the girl that seemed idiotic to go after by the kidnapper sitting behind him on his motorcycle. He had close encounters with death before, but this... this was one of the more rewarding brushes with death.

(OOC: Total word count minus BB coding and this Out of Character note, 2003. And if another staff member could give me the money, Kplzthnx, since I'm not awarding myself.

[Hikari Kazuya]

Alright, it's officially September 1st, so this Monthly is now closed.

EXP awarded to Silk.

I can't award money to myself, so if another staff member could award it, that would be fabulous~

[Deleted]

Monies awarded to Kaz. (Except they wont let me edit to put the money in your acc.)