Dorobou jyanai (Gene)

[Mai Kato]

The streets of Habundo were clogged with thousands of people. It wasn't that much of a surprise since this was the city with the largest population in the world. To get from one side of the street to another meant taking a long journey through a sea of body odors and sweat. Mai could barely see the night sky or the bright lights flashing above her. Compared to other Japanese people, she was a bit on the short side. It annoyed her, but she learned to deal with it.

There was also a good side of being small and having a large crowd around her. It helped her making a living and earn her enough money to last a few days. In other words, it was called pickpocketing.

There was a certain way to do this kind of thing. Mai preferred to do this kind of thing in a crowded area where it would be difficult to notice this sort of thing. There were a few close calls, but she managed to continue this practice for years without getting in big trouble. However, it won't be long before something happened to her.

Ahead of her, she could see the familiar bulge in someone's coat pocket. Mai moved forward and bumped into him. Her left hand grabbed his coat for support and her right hand reached into his pocket. She could feel the familiar shape of a wallet. Her hand wrapped around it and she pulled away, continuing down the street before anything else could happen. She had to get away before that person realized that something happened to him.

[Gene]

Simply walking along, looking for trouble, same as always. Gene's hands were behind his head, bracer shining periodically in all the neon and street lights as he shifted and angled his way past people. At a good head or two taller than most of the people walking the street, Gene was avoided primarily. The occasional person would end up getting close and as all normal people, they'd both turn inward of each other to easily bypass. That was of course until some little girl bumped into him as he attempted to lean away. Now, growing up in America, let alone Cali-fucking-fornia, it was Gene's reaction to reach down for his wallet. It was a subconscious reaction and at first, he didn't notice the emptiness as he kept walking.

A few seconds later, however, his mind registered the absence of harder substance against his softer skin. His right hand dropped back down and grabbed for his coat as he stopped walking. Eyes wider, he spun on his heel and found the girl. "Hey, you stupid bitch!" He shouted starting a run, now going with the grain of human bustle as opposed to, primarily, against it as he had been.

[Mai Kato]

As expected, she heard angry yelling behind her. She didn't even have to look back to see who it was. The guy was probably angry because he found out about his stolen wallet. She didn't get to take a good look at his face, but judging by his American accent and large height, he was most likely foreign.

With the wallet clutched safely in her hands, she quickened her pace. She used her short stature and large crowd to hide herself. It took her at least a minute to get to the other side of the street. From there, she tore down an alley and took every turn possible to lose him. It was a shame that she was out of shape. She was breathing heavily after running for only thirty seconds. She leaned against the concrete wall and looked over her shoulder.

[Gene]

That was her, she was the only one who started running. Retard. It was much easier for Gene to move in the crowded streets as he had the intimidation factor of being half a foot or more taller than half the people in the street. He could see the occasional person yelling and being shoved aside, and that gave him his course all the way over to the alley of shorter buildings. He followed her loosely down four turns before losing sight of her. Cursing and punching a wall, he came to a realization. Narin had said something about soul energy users, right? How his body couldn't do the things that Genes could. 'Running up walls' was one of the terms he used, if Gene remembered correctly.

Looking at the nearest wall, then up to its five story roof. He sighed, the noticed a ladder dead on the wall, half way up near a window. He turned and shot for the opposite wall, relying on every thing he had to vault himself up a few steps as he literally ran straight up the wall. He felt his foot slip on the third step and the forth was a straight kick into the wall, launching him up and back where he hit the opposite wall. Without enough upwards momentum or confidence to try running again, he vaulted back across to the other side, he could feel the God Hand tingling, but he had no time to think about it. Launching back once more, he caught the ladder and breathed heavily. He could see her now, though, and quickly ascended the ladder up to the roof.

Most of the buildings in the area were the same height, give or take a foot or two. And so began the easy part. Gene ran and jumped from roof to roof, landing heavily, and stumbling the first couple of attempts. Every other roof, he peered over the side looking down. The first two times, she was still running, and this gave Gene his general direction. "Bet the little bitch doesn't expect me from above." He laughed to himself. After another leap and peer, Gene saw that she'd stopped and was now looking where she came from, obviously for signs of the large American tearing after her.

With an angry grin, Gene lept again, cutting it short to hit the wall of the opposite building, where he'd sidle down along, skidding his boots slightly until he was at the much more manageable height of thirty feet, which was round abouts what he'd jumped that first time, with the wolves. Striking the wall with his fist, he landed just in front of her and reached to grab her by the collar and smash her against the wall with his right hand. Adrenaline of the whole experience keeping him from breathing just as hard as she was, "Where the fuck do you think you're going you little bitch?"

[Mai Kato]

The alley was empty. There was no one in sight. The only living thing she saw was some dirty cat a few feet, its tail in the air. What a relief. It took her a few seconds for her breathing to become stable. It reminded her of how much she needed to work out more. Luckily, she had been able to get away from the guy. He was tall and looked pretty strong. She wouldn't stand a chance against him if he caught her.

Mai opened the leather wallet and peered into it. A long whistle escaped from her lips. She should steal from foreigners more often. They were loaded. There was enough money to buy her dinner for the next few days. A growling sound came from her stomach as soon as she realized her hunger. It had been hours since she last ate. Maybe she could use this money to treat herself to something nice.

She pulled out the money and stuffed it down her shirt into her bra. Years of experience taught her that she should keep her valuables in a safe place. The wallet was of no use to her. Mai could throw it away or maybe pawn it for more money.

Before she could do anything, she saw a blur and she found herself against the concrete wall the next second. The concrete scraped at her exposed shoulders, causing her to cringe. However, the man in front of her made her even more afraid. Her head turned and she refused to answer his question. The empty wallet was still clutched in her hands.

[Gene]

He pulled her back by her collar and smashed her back against the wall, this time pushing his right forearm across her throat, the metal bracer pressing against her skin, jagged edges likely causing a nasty bit of pain. Brow clenched, he looked down at her hands and ripped his wallet out of it, still pressing against her throat. He'd been stolen from before, and he wasn't stupid. With his left hand he opened the wallet and peered into it. He whipped the wallet across her face, "Where's my fucking money you stupid fucking bitch?" He demanded, smashing his right knee into her stomach as hard as he could.

She wasn't going any where, not with Gene pressing her throat against the wall, "HUH!?" He screamed in her face. Gene wasn't easy to piss off, but it was not a good thing once you did. Each second she didn't answer, the rough metal of the bracer would press harder and harder on her neck until he was exerting every drop of force, pushing her neck through the wall.

[Mai Kato]

This guy was just scary. Mai was too afraid and didn't dare use her Lotus Soul abilities. She wouldn't even stand a chance against the guy. He was just too strong for her. A cry escaped from her lips as she was pushed against the wall again. The back of her shoulders stung from the force. She couldn't help but shake when he pressed the metal bracer against her throat. The jagged edges prevented her from turning her neck unless she wanted to get hurt there. All she could do was continue to shake as he opened his own wallet. This guy was smart enough to check the contents. It won't be long before he found out that the money was missing from there.

It didn't hurt when he whipped the wallet across her face, but it turned her face, causing her to move her throat slightly along the jagged edges. Mai could feel the skin on her neck break. She wondered if she was bleeding there. Then her ears caught the most vile cursing. She was stupid. The first thing she learned when she was studying English was cuss words and slang. She thought it was funny, but having it used against herself was not a very pleasant experience. A gasp escaped from her throat when he smashed his knee into her stomach.

She couldn't take this pain anymore. The bracer was pressing against her neck even harder, making her bleed there. It would be very unwise to disobey his order. Mai hated the way she would give up so easily. Her right hand reached into her shirt and pulled out the wad of money she had stole from Gene. A drop of blood fell on it, visable against the green paper. With her hand shaking, she held out the cash with her head turned away in shame.

There goes her dinner for the next few days. She would probably have to live off the small bowl of rice she received in Ginza-ko. Her stomach felt so empty that she couldn't think properly. Mai couldn't believe that she was giving up this money so easily.

[Gene]

He ripped his money from her hand and whipped her aside by her collar, bracer scraping against her neck even more as he threw her across the alley and into a gathering of garbage bags and cans. Putting his cash back into his wallet he stuffed it into a pocket where he'd better feel it if it were moved and walked over to the girl before she got the chance to fully recover. Picking her back up by her shirt, he pulled her right up to his face. "Now, give me one reason as to why I shouldn't beat the living shit out of you and leave you here to die with the rest of the trash." This was Gene's bad side, just about as bad as it got, too.

He wasn't going to do as he said, it was, at this point, a scare tactic. Scare enough of the shit out of her to make sure she didn't do it again. Shaking her by her collar, the cloth pressed into her wounds, which would not be pleasant. Bringing her just inches from his face, the only way Gene could look more fierce is if the God Hand was active. He practically spit when he spoke, her blood dripped from his bracer in periodic droplets. "Well?" His green eyes flaring brightly, slightly blood shot.

OOC: eck...crappy....

[Mai Kato]

Mai was expecting him to let go of her and let her be on her way as soon as she handed the money over, but he didn't. She could tell that he was going to harm her and cause permanent damage. What would her guardians in Ginza-ko say? If she came back with serious injuries, she wouldn't be able to travel around this area again.

A scream escaped from her lips as she was thrown into a pile of garbages cans. The smell of trash made her gag. She turned to her side and got up, but before she could do anything else, she was picked up again. Mai couldn't answer his question as to why he shouldn't leave her here to die. Any answer she would give would not be good enough for him. All she could do was whimper as a few tears fell out of her eyes.

She tried using her Lotus Soul abilities, but all she could do was make the ground under them move slightly. Mai could barely pick up a grain of dirt. Stuff like this happened whenever she was too scared to concentrate. Her clothing rubbed at the wounds on her neck, making it even harder to fight back. The most she could do was look away, unable to think of a good answer to his question.

[Gene]

Gene stared at her for a second. He felt the ground under him move. There were a few possibilities, it was a passing truck. But mostly the nearby streets were populated by pedestrians. It was a nearby soul user. Though it'd take a massively strong soul to do that as far as Gene knew. Or, the only other possibility that entered Gene's mind at that moment, it was her, and she was weak in her abilities to only make the ground shift slightly.

Gene sighed as she teared up, putting her down. She was a mess. And not just for the tears and blood and the fact that Gene has just chucked her into a pile of garbage backs. Her clothes were dilapidated, torn, beaten, old. She, herself, wasn't in the best condition. He released her collar and straightened up. Running a hand through his hair, sighing again. "Look...I...." He sighed again.

"I'm sorry." He said in a low voice, but loud enough for her to hear. He lowered his hand and held it out. "Come on...Let's get you cleaned up." His tone soft, kind. As much as it was her own fault, he felt bad about having used so much force on her.

[Mai Kato]

Her eyes was closed shut. She was expecting him to hurt her again. Maybe if she couldn't see anything, the pain would be less horrible. It still did nothing to her fear though. Her shoulders were still shaking violently. However, what happened next was very unexpected. He put her down, and her eyes opened, wondering what was going on.

Mai touched her neck, wincing whenever her fingers made contact with her wounds. She couldn't afford to go to a hospital. The best she could do was ask someone in Ginza-ko to put some medicine or something on it. She wondered what people would say as soon as she returned home. Her eyes glanced at Gene and quickly turned away. He no longer looked scary, but she still feared him.

What happened next was even more surprising. He actually apologized to her. Well, his voice was quite low, so she could have heard something else. She glaned at Gene in confusion. One second he was threatening to kill her and now he was helping her. Mai was a little reluctant about taking his hand, but his voice sounded so kind now. It would be unwise to refuse him. Her hand moved forward, barely touching the tips of his fingers.

[Gene]

He moved his hand forward more, so that it was under hers. "I'm not going to hurt you any more." He closed his hand lightly, grasping her shaking hand. Once she took hold of his hand, he'd lead her toward the hotel he was staying at. It was a long walk however, and Gene, as he usually did, started asking questions. "So why are you stealing from people, huh? There's a lot better ways to make money, especially when there's people as strong as me and probably a lot more brutal than I am roaming the city...." He'd glance down at her when he finished speaking before looking back up.

They'd turn in direction of the cordoned off area. Nara...something...Naraku. Yeah, it was something like that. That's what Narin had called it. The hotel was near there, not too close, but it was in the general direction from this section, what ever it was called. As much as Gene hadn't the foggiest as to where in the hell he was, he knew which direction he'd come from, and was able to trace his steps back to get back to 'Lost Haven'. He had food and something to clean her neck up with at least. Another few minutes and they'd be there.

[Mai Kato]

It was weird how a guy could change from scary to kind in only a matter of seconds. Could he change back? A part of her wanted to trust him, but another part of her was a little nervous about accepting his help. However, she decided to follow him. Her small hand grasped his tightly, and she let him lead the way. Instead of looking at Gene, she took in the sights. Mai had no idea where he was leading her, and that made her feel a little worried.

"I don't know why," she answered in her accented English. Mai honestly didn't know why she would steal from others. Perhaps it was because it was a fast and easy way to make money. The young Japanese girl really wasn't into heavy labor. Now that Gene was mentioning her way of making money, she started to feel ashamed. Maybe it was better for her to work and make a living the hard way.

From the direction he was going, it was easy to tell that they were heading towards Narakuyama. That made her panic. What if this was some kind of trap? He might sell her into slavery or do some other bad things to her. She began to panic and tried to pull her hand away from his grasp.

[Gene]

His grip tightened just enough to hold onto her. "I know what you're thinking. We're heading toward that walled off area, right? The hotel I'm staying at is only a couple of blocks away from the wall. Why are people so afraid of that place?" He turned toward her fully and held onto her hand. "I'm not taking you inside there, the only way in that I know of is a mile away from the hotel. Trust me." He began to think why any one would take someone in there... Feed them to the animals? If he wanted to kill her, he'd have just gotten it over with in the alley, why bring her all the way into that run down shit hole?

He seriously needed to figure this place out. All the different areas. It was no different, really, from any city, but with all the apparent danger, especially with that one part of the place, it had its serious differences too.... And that was what he needed to figure out. Well he'd ask Narin about it later. For now he had to regain her trust, which was excessively tentative in the first place....

OOC: CRAPPY!!! ._.

[Mai Kato]

Mai couldn't help but still feel a little nervous and scared. The only thing that was stopping her from running away what the stong grip he had on her hand. He was certainly strong. Was he really telling the truth about staying in a hotel near Narakuyama? She never heard of any places to stay at there, but who knows? She never even ventured to that place. Mai had no idea what kind of stores they even had there.

Mai felt a little nervous holding his hand. Never had she been in close contact with another person like this. It was rare to find people holding hands in public. There were hardly any other people around, but she wondered how others react if they saw a young Japanese girl holding the hand of an older foreign guy. They would probably get the wrong impression.

Was he even going in the right direction? He was a foreigner and most likely didn't know the area that well. If he got them lost she will definately get mad. Mai didn't want to be out in the streets too late at night when no one was around. There would be a chance of her getting hurt or raped.