Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

School Rumble (Broom and I)

Mei blinked for a moment before sighing. "He blew up our school...why shouldn't I hate him?" She mumbled, though there were some traits she admired. Even things he did that she liked before that night, but wanted to hate. "I had bad dreams about him all the time, for a while. But when I think about it now...they were just dreams of our fight. He was...the first person that I wasn't sure if I could beat." She paused for a moment and then thought about what that really meant. She thought about last night, how he pushed her down, how he held her. "I like how he's strong. And when we fought alongside each other, there was...relief. A certain assurance that I wouldn't fail. Because he was there, helping me. Even if I didn't want to admit that I needed help saving Jana."

*****
"I don't know, but it's the last place we haven't checked. Be aware...his father is pretty...well gross. Mother isn't much better, but at least she doesn't try to have sex with me." Remy said with a grimace. She truly hated being around his parents. They were heading over to the poorest section of Red territory, where more than questionable acts occurred. This was..where she wouldn't come alone. Though she saw a familiar woman who looked like she was lost walking out of a beat up looking building.

"Angel!" She cried out, immediately grabbing the girls attention. She turned around and then grimaced. Oh..Remy was always a pleasure. Jana? Not so much. She had skipped out on her DC duty today, because she wasn't going to be lifting anything. Angel didn't do labor.

"Hello, Remy. Jana." She greeted stiffly as she placed a hand on her hip. "What brings you to slummy Red? I keep it pretty much free of disorder...at least student wise."
 
"Maybe he's not as bad as he seems...he's just...simple," Kuki murmured. "When he was locked up, he never expressly said that he wasn't at fault. He just seemed to not care, which...I suppose isn't as good as it should be, but at least he's honest." Kuki said, hand running through her hair with a faint sigh. "...So maybe it's a little more complicated than that..." Because you couldn't just write off him blowing up a building for something so simple, could you? "I suppose you could always ask."
--

"What, you kidding? I grew up around here." Jana said, hands in her pockets. For all that would imply, she supposed. "We're looking for Justin, you seen him?" she asked casually. "And I might ignore the fact that you were ordered to help with the move, Angel."
 
Mei sighed softly and then took another bite of chicken, her face deep in thought. It's not like her and Komoku had ever talked about anything, and he seemed to feel somewhat apologetic when she had learned about him helping out. "Yeah. Maybe I'll ask him sometime. Well, I can't do anything right now. I don't really want him to see me like this." She sighed softly and then sat back against her chair. "Or anyone, really. But especially not him."

*****
"I told Leonardo to move whatever I was supposed to move today. The work is getting done." And he'd do it, too. He would do anything she asked him. "As for Justin, no. I haven't seen him. I was keeping my eye out because Remy was concerned." Not that she was here to look for him.

"We're going over to his parents. Could you come with us? If he's not there, then we're going to probably try looking around the area again. We could use a third set of eyes." Angel looked at Remy and then grimaced.

"The drug addicts? You're joking, right Rem? Why would Justin be there of all places?"
 
She nodded after a moment, taking a sip of her drink before giving her a playful smile. "...Or you don't want to see him because you know what it does?" she giggled a little. This...this was nice. Was this what having friends really meant?
--

"Well, we don't have anywhere else to check," Jana sighed. "So are you going to help us or not, Angel? I want to make sure that idiot is okay, and if he isn't, I want to beat the shit out of the person who made him miserable, all I need is a mirror." Hah, she was so funny.
 
"Kuki," Mei groaned as she hid her face. Though when she removed her hands, she was smiling. This was...nice. Every time she got even a little depressed, Kuki managed to distract her. "I just don't feel like limping to Peacock street, that's all."

****
"I guess I have nothing better to do with my time." Angel said with a shrug before walking ahead. She seemed to know where Justin's parents lived. Remy followed immediately, a smile on her face. She knew Angel didn't care for Justin, but she was still helping them.
 
"You're the Commander, you can order him here," Kuki grinned playfully. "You're just finding excuses now, Mei."
--
"Uh huh," Jana said idly, hands in her pockets. "Thanks, Angel...I guess I'll give Leo your benefits for helping then," she smirked easily.
 
"I don't...have a reason to order him here though." Mei told her, looking down at her plate. "What am I supposed to ask him to do?" Plus...Adam wouldn't be too happy if she saw her with Komoku....

****
"What? Are you serious?" Angel asked, though she didn't go much farther. She simply grumbled under her breath, her pace slowing a little as Remy and Jana passed her.

The walk wasn't too long from there. Another ten minutes and they were at a scuzzy looking apartment building. People were lazily lounging outside of it, one even asking if they had any money. When they went in, Remy started walking up the flight of stares. The place stank of urine and there were dirty newspapers and trash all along the staircase. There was an elevator, but it was almost always broken.

The got to the door, and Remy knocked a little. The sound of a dog barking could be heard, but it was in the next room. The next sound was chains unlocking and the door clicking open. A tired, thin messy haired woman was there. Her skin was pale and just dirty looking in general. She was only wearing a loose shirt with no bra, and it didn't look like she had any pants on. "...I don't want anything." She said before she started to close the door.

"It's me, Mrs. Campbell. Remy. Is Justin here?" She asked softly. The woman blinked for a moment in surprise and then slammed the door in their face.
 
"Well, if you want to see him...just ask?" Kuki murmured. "Is that really hard to do? Maybe he should know about this too?"
--
"Fuck this," Jana growled, moving forward. "Mrs. Campbell, you either open this door or I force it open, and if you value your door as much as you value a lack of pants, consider my offer to last two seconds." Great, his house was a disgusting pile of shit, his family was horrible. How much better could this make her feel?
 
Mei was just..scared maybe. Of rejection. Though maybe Kuki was right. She needed to clear things up, and tell him what happened with Blake. "...Maybe. I guess I should. Umm...but can you stay with me while I call him? I just feel like I won't if you aren't here.."

****
There was a brief silence before she cracked the door open, glaring at Jana. "What do you want with Justin?" She demanded, her eyes glancing to Remy. "Why did you bring these two with you? I don't know them, they're not going to come into my house."

"They're Justin's friends. Could you please tell him we're here?" He had to be here, otherwise his mother wouldn't be acting like this.

"Tch. He doesn't want to see anyone. Lazy fuck has been laying in the same corner for damn near a week. Will barely get up to take a shit." She responded.
 
"Sure," Kuki smiled faintly. "...I'm glad that I can help, Mei," she said honestly. She...felt like a really good friend right now, that was a great feeling.
--
"Tell him Jana is here," Jana said with a faint shrug. "Or, I could break this shitty door down and I can see him myself, your choice."
 
Mei took out her phone and looked at it for a moment before she swallowed hard and narrowed her eyes. Though she needed to do this. Maybe. She searched through her phone and found his number before dialing it and holding it up to her ear. Her heart was racing, and she immediately regretted doing this. But she forced herself to wait until he picked up.

*****
For a moment, she just stared Jana down. Though a voice alerted her. "Dawn, you better fucking git yer ass back here! I ain't payin' for you to stand at the door like an idiot!" A male voice shouted. One that didn't sound like Justin's father. She sighed and then opened the door, wide.

"I'm busy so do it yourself." She told them and then walked back to tend to her "business" on the couch in the living room.

Remy grimaced and realized what they had walked in on. "I'll stand out here." Angel said quickly. Remy glared at her and then walked inside. The place..was just about as disgusting as usual. The carpet was stiff under there shoes, stains here and there and crumbs and hair all over the place. There was three trash bags that were set at the door, stinking up the place. It was...a putrid smell really. Remy went to Justin's old room, the door slammed off the hinge. That was new. Though at first glance, he wasn't laying on his bed. But a quick scan and she saw him crammed into the corner of his room, facing the wall.

"Justin..." She began softly, though he didn't respond.
 
It rang quite a few times before he picked up, another voice carrying a moment before a rather obvious and notable impact sounded and a pitiful groan of pain filled the speaker. "Rude," Komoku muttered, shouldering his phone. "Yeah?" he said casually. "What's up, Boss?" Huh, she called him? Interesting...business or pleasure, he wondered? "You doin' okay?"
--
Jana had lived in places like this, she supposed that you just got used to it after a while. She ignored his whore of a mother and headed into Justin's room, regarding him a moment. Thankfully, his room was...slightly less disgusting. So she didn't feel like she'd get some kind of STD for sitting down on his bed to watch him.

"...All the places to be miserable at, you choose a whore's house?" Jana said skeptically, even as the soft sounds of sex came out from the couch. "I think it's time we left this place, buddy."
 
Mei flinched when she heard...whatever was going on in the background. "O-oh..you're busy...well I was just...wondering..." Damn it. Why couldn't she just speak? Her cheeks were getting hot, and her heart was racing hearing his voice. Ugh. "Could you please..come over to Central w-when you have the time? I h-have to t-talk to you about something."

****
"...." Justin twitched a little as he heard Jana's voice. He didn't think she'd find him here. He had hoped he would never be found. He just wanted to be alone. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants and an old, dingy long sleeved shirt. Truthfully he hadn't really cleaned himself or anything. He looked like shit really.

"Justin?" Remy asked as she knelt over him and touched his shoulder. A sudden hiss of pain left his mouth and she jumped a little. Her eyebrows furrowed and took a closer look at his face. A busted lip, bruises and cuts, a black eye....she already knew what happened to him. She didn't have to ask. "We need to go, Justin. You left and said you'd never come back to this, remember?!" Though her question was met with nothing but silence.
 
"Sure thing!" Komoku grinned, something that was easily heard through his voice. "You doin okay though? Heard you got into a pretty decent fight," There was a minor woosh of air, and then a crash of glass and another pained groan. "Sejae! Round these idiots up!" he called. Ah, you know...he was actually kind of enjoying this work! He didn't think he would, but it was nice to get some exercise every so often. Really kept him sane. Still, he did hunger for something a little more.
--

She sighed a little at that, then moved closer. "Remy...mind waiting outside with Angel for a bit?" she mumbled. "Go get lunch or something, alright?"
 
"..I'm fine." Mei answered, though she was a little surprised that he even asked her that. She was also a little annoyed word spread so fast, but it wasn't something she could prevent. "U-umm. I'll see you later, then! Bye." She hung up the phone, though she wasn't sure why she wanted to rush off. Maybe because he seemed busy. She sighed softly and looked at Kuki. "I don't know if I can really do this, now. It seemed like a good idea but I could barely talk to him on the phone..."

******
Remy sighed and then nodded. "Just call us when you're done, I guess." She flinched at the sound of a man groaning, and a grimace overcame her face. But she got up and left the two alone, hurrying out of the apartment and joining up with Angel.
 
"I could tell," she giggled. "...You really do have a problem with him, don't you?" She had never seen Mei so flustered before...
--

Jana sat at the edge of the bed, legs crossed. "...So," she started. "If you're going to be quiet, I'm just going to talk the entire time, okay? great." she mumbled. "How I have been, you ask? Terrific. I got jumped by some psycho and made a sockpuppet for his dick, my best friend got her ass kicked trying to fix things, my mom came back home, I thought Mei was going to abandon me, I got a pair of blades to replace my old ones that bitch Lili bent like a pretzel, and now I find that someone I still care about very much is having a pity party...and here I am," Jana finished. "...So, how have you been?"
 
Mei put her food down on the table and then took her good leg and folded it up to her body. She sighed and tried to calm herself down. "I do. I don't know how to deal with him..." She answered.

********
There was silence for a moment as Justin processed it all. He could honestly say that hearing about Jana being used by some other guy pissed him off, but he didn't show her that reaction at all. He...was positive that nothing he did or said mattered, so there was no point in wasting his emotions anymore. He finally spoke after a while. "I've been really shitty." His voice was a rasp and a little hard to hear since hadn't lifted up his head.
 
"Maybe that's a good thing," Kuki murmured. "...I mean..." she stammered a little. "...When...I talk to a lot of people, I don't know what to do," she admitted. "Damien...he's been helping me adjust to things again, but...if it's not you or him, I get very nervous....but it's nice trying, isn't it?"
--

"No kidding," Jana said idly. "So, is this it? This is the boy that I care about enough to see him like this? Stuck in some shitty house, hearing his mom get mounted by some guy who smells like the inside of a burnt dumpster? You're better than all of this, Justin. You don't need me to be happy, but I can help you be happy."
 
"I suppose. I just feel a little silly. And awkward. And it's only around him now. I got better talking to people when Jana made friends with me." Mei said as she leaned her head forward, resting it on her knee.

*****
Another long pause. Justin then turned over on his back with great effort, but kept his eyes away from her. A pained look came across his face as he rested on his sore back. He looked at the ceiling as he heard her mothers pathetic cries. He had long since drowned her out. Learned how to do it when he was a kid. "You should leave before my dad gets back, Jana." He said after a while.
 
"...She still calls me Cookie," Kuki sighed faintly, cheeks slightly red. "...Is she really incapable of saying my name right? Other people do it!"
--

"Uh huh," Jana said. "We are, we're going, and if I have to lift you out of this disgusting shithole, I will." she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket to send out a quick text. Mel could help, so could Remy...Angel was fucking useless. What kind of gutter trash acted like that? Like she was better than the other dirt around her? Feh.
 
"It's a nickname, I suppose. It's actually quite cute." Mei smiled and then looked away. "Just like you..."

****
"I'm not going, Jana. Just leave me here, okay? I really don't feel like moving to be honest." Why did she even care anymore? They weren't together, she could leave him be. He was worthless, and he was tired of living the way he had been. He didn't want to do honest work, and so it was better to just stay here and let his father beat up on him. Maybe then, he'd toughen up.
 
"...I...I am not cute!" Kuki flushed defensively. "I am a trained warrior! Heir to a unique and barely remembered branch of Iaijutsu!"
--
"I really don't give a fuck what you think, heartless bitch of an ex-girlfriend, remember?" Jana said dryly, stuffing her phone back in her pocket. "So, I'm carrying you out, fair enough then." she said, cracking her knuckles a moment. "You look scrawny enough to carry."
 
"Really?" Mei asked with an amused look on her face. "Well you can be both, can't you?" Iaijutsu...sounded familiar.

*****
"Better get to it then. Because I ain't moving." Justin was sure that even if he hadn't lost weight, she would have been able to carry him just fine. He scratched at the stubble on his face and then stared up at her. It...kinda hurt to see her. To see the thing he couldn't have, all because he didn't like the idea of her having sex with a lot of men. All because of the way he viewed his mother, really...
 
"W...Well, I guess," Kuki mumbled, the barest hints of a pout on her face. "But I don't want to be known as cute, I want to be known as a warrior! A combatant!"
--
Jana didn't hesitate, really. She curled his arm around her waist and hoisted him up and on her shoulders like a prized deer. "Fine," Jana muttered. "Fucking men, I swear...worst goddamn babies in the history of the fucking universe," she muttered. "You're such a miserable pile of shit that I have to drag you out of a cesspool, do you have any self respect, or is it just attached to whatever pussy you put your dick in?"
 
"I don't think anyone questions how great of a fighter you are, Kuki. But you know, if you don't like the nickname, just tell people you don't like it. Jana will listen to you." Mei started to get up and put her food away in the mini fridge she had in her room, though it was slightly difficult opening it the door of the fridge.

*****
Justin groaned when she lifted him up. All the bruises on his body and cuts were not enjoying this treatment. "You don't even know why I'm here, Jana. But it doesn't matter." Nothing mattered. Jana would be able to pass through the living room with no problem. If Dawn noticed them, she didn't seem to care. Though when they got outside the door, a black haired man was walking down the hallway.

"What the...who are you, little girl? Why are you carrying that useless sack of shit?" He asked as he stood in the middle of the narrow hallway, arms crossed over his bare, chiseled chest. Justin lifted up his eyes for a moment, and then lowered his head. Great, his father was here to see this. Whatever.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom