chapter playlist: i. can't kick up the roots // neck deep ii. filthy / wstr iii. rookie // the relentless iv. i threw glass at my friends eyes and now i'm on probation // destroy boys v. and so it went // the pretty reckless ft. tom morello vi. to be loved // papa roach

thirty eight

can't kick up the roots

"Ikuzo temera!"

I ran forwards, grabbing the first Doubt member who swung a metal pole at me by the back of his collar, driving my knee into his nose. I winced as I felt the nose bone shatter underneath my knee, the blood soaking my jeans and the skin on my knee. I made a mental note to ask Rocky about how the White Rascals got blood out of their clothes. Another Doubt member came up behind me, wrapping and arm around my throat in a combination headlock and choke hold. I rammed my elbow into his stomach to get his hold to loosen before using all my weight to flip over, likely breaking his arm as I sailed over his head, landing mostly on my feet before swinging around to kick another guy in black behind me

The Daruma Babies were having the time of their lives, screaming and whooping with joy as they landed kicks and punches, Agyo and Hiroomi grabbing two Doubt guys by the collars and slamming their heads together before dropping them to the floor. Hyuga and his three most important guys had hung back by the cars, playing it smart and waiting for the stragglers who made it past the rest of us to make their way over.

Sakura was holding her own, and frankly I was impressed. She and Yasushi made a good team, using each other an leverage to gain momentum. Sakura used the shorter boy as a springboard, her auburn pigtails bouncing as she became airborne, taking out three Doubt men twice her size on her landing while Yasushi did a lot of spinning and kicking before bouncing off one of the Daruma's cars.

"Hey kid!" Shu Kato shouted, kicking another Doubt member. "Watch the goddamn car!"

"Sorry man!" The kid shouted back, sliding off the hood. "But don't bring a classic car to a fist fight!"

Housen were doing what they do best: wrecking havoc. Doubt were no match for the Skinheads, picking people up and throwing them across the road like they had once done to our dear friend Tatsumi. Odajima moved fast, his unexplainable knowledge of pressure points coming in handy as he got Doubt guys to drop like flies.

I took the next two guys in stride, employing what I knew would be the most painful of judo throws once they hit the ground: throwing guys over my shoulders and sidestepping their falling bodies as I scanned the fray for my boyfriend. I had the utmost faith in him, but I still wanted to make sure Murayama was safe.

I didn't have to worry: Murayama was having the time of his life as he tag teamed with Seki and Furuya, using several Doubt members as a springboard ladder, leaping into the air and taking out two more that were on Seki's back, his maniacal laughter echoing around the street as he did what he did best: beting the shit out of people.

Fujio was using his chaotic energy effectively, faking left and right and confusing the shit out of Doubt as he threw punches when they least expected it before diving at their legs and ducking underneath them to move on the a new wave of people. Tsukasa was nearby, taking on the guys that Fujio missed with a war cry that wasn't falling on deaf ears.

Serizawa made it look effortless as he moved through the crowd placing lazy kicks at the necks of men in black that had them dropping like flies at his feet before he decided he wanted to show off and took out three people in midair. Landing back on the ground, he served each of them an additional kick to the stomach that took me right back to the keg party. Where did Surzuran kids even learn this stuff?

It was pure chaos: the screams, shouts and cries of pain an victory echoing off the trees lining the roadway. People within the bordertown were starting to come outside so they could see what was hapening. A single shout throughout the entire fray made my blood run cold.

"Sakura!"

It was Yasushi, and the panic in his usually calm voice made me worry.

Sakura had been separated from the shorter boy, surrounded by Doubt members she could no longer hold off on her own, her weakness starting to show after she took down two and four more started berating her with their weapons. She had been picked out as the weakest of the group.

"I've got her!" Masaki shouted, running towards the girl as she crumpled to the floor after being hit with Doubt's wooden poles. They kept hitting her as she was down, until Tsukasa broke away from Fujio and helped Masaki take on a few more of the guys. Sakura got to her feet, grabbing one of the wooden rods and bashing a few more guys.

She'd be fine.

The distraction was enough for me to be caught off guard, the metal pole hitting my stomach stinging and bringing tears to my eyes before I wrenched the pole from the man's grasp, kicking him back into Shibaman, who knocked him out with one solid punch. This was a bittersweet moment for him, knowing that he'd have to dial back on fights once Shizuka had the baby. He figured that if this was going to be his last fight for a while, he should make it count.

The Mighty Warriors planned well: just like with Katsunari, they had sent Doubt after us first so that we'd lack energy by the time we got to them. The five of them had stayed by the cars, sending wave after wave of Doubt members to keep us away. I had barely moved away from the transport lorry. The people who'd gotten the furthest were Housen, but even they were nowhere near close enough to the Warriors.

A few guys from the Daruma gestured to Jinkawa and Sawamura, the two Housen students catching on quickly when they saw the large metal pole that one of the Doubt members had dropped. The boys in white grabbed one side, while the men in red had the other. Holding it by the ankles of everyone who passed, they ran forwards, tripping up every body in their path, accidentally tripping Nakaoka and a few of the other students who were assisting him.

"I don't know how much longer we can hold them, Midori!" Raita shouted, punching a a few more guys and never straying more than a few feet from the other Babies.

"Neither do I, but we have to try!" I said, running forward over the guys Housen had just tripped.

We were suffering greatly: Nakaoka was exhausted, as were some of the other youngest Oya students. There was no way he'd make it to the real fight. Todoroki and Tsuji were trying to hold back, knowing that we'd need our full resources if we wanted any chance of beating Mighty, but soon they knew they wouldn't be able to that anymore. The Daruma and their kamikaze way of doing things was goign to leave them exhausted by the time we had finally dealt with Doubt. Housen, as well as Tokio and Serizawa could very well be the only people left standing by the end of this. If I felt bad about getting the kids involved, I felt worse now.

I was out of breath by the time I had crossed the fallen Doubt members, stopping for air when a punch to the stomach put me flat on my back, staring up at the sunset, pain rippling across my midsection.

My heart stopped when I saw who it was.

The bald man that had lead the group who tried to take me in Rasen.

"Well if it isn't the one who got away." He said snidely before kicking me in the stomach.

I could only cough in response, feeling myself start to shut down as anxiety and panic rose in my body, the feeling of the Doubt member's hands on me as they tried to maneuver me into the van.

It was suffocating.

"Fuck off." I managed to choke out, alarmed when I noticed the blood spitting form my lip.

With a sick smile, he made a grab for my hair before being pulled back and punched in the face.

"Don't you ever go near our mom again." Nakagoshi said, half serious as he looked at the older, taller man.

"Or it will be the last thing you ever do." Yasushi agreed, kicking him in the stomach before both boys rammed their feet into his back, spreading him out on the floor.

Sakura ambled over, grabbing his head and slamming it into the concrete. "Night night." She muttered, wiping blood off her forehead from where she had been hit earlier. "Where do you need us?"

I smiled, still feeling the sting of defeat as Shida helped me to my feet. "These guys aren't staying down for long. Take Shida with you, see if you can't find Kiyoshi. We need them to stay down before I can get to Ice and his lackeys."

"Got it!" Yasushi shouted, before letting out an inhuman screech and kicking Doubt members as they tried to get up.

The ear-splitting sound of an air horn cut through the haze as I kicked another Doubt member, standing back to back with Tokio. I smiled.

The reinforcements were here.

NOTES!!

i had to write this TWICE because i LOST most of the 1200 words and i wanted to CRY but here we are again, it's all good. I think. this second version probably isnt as good as the one i lost : ((

anyways, four chapters left and I am feeling e m  o t i o n a l about leaving my baby midori-