CHAPTER.25 PART.1 Masks.

CHAPTER.25
PART.1

Masks.

Skid Row, Los Angeles.

2:00pm

The co-leader known as Van Adams (also known as Crank) sat on the medical table as his wounds were being mended to.

“Hey Otto, I got a question.” The shaggy haired shinobi hissed through pain as his cuts and gashes were being stitched closed. He was given a towel to bite down as his left arm and right leg were being reset.

“MMPHRR!” Crank’s shout of agony was effectively muffled by the towel. Translation: MOTHERFUCKER!

“Yes? What is it that you require from me, Van?” The mad scientist spoke telepathically in an eloquent manner. He removed the towel from his mouth and gave him a second.

“Before we offed Vanye, he told me that Komodo was my brother. Do you think that’s true?” Van spoke with an unusual tone of uncertainty in his voice.

“I’m not sure. Would you like to take a blood sample?” The fiery haired genius spoke.

“Sure thing Dexter,” Van faintly smiled as Otto mentally chuckled at the nickname.

As Otto took out a syringe and other small lab equipment, his orange brow couldn’t help but raise in thought.

“Why do you insist on calling me that?” He pondered in thought.

“Whaddya mean? I mean the only smart guy I knew growing up was that orange haired science kid, you know with the lab and shit. He was socially awkward and had a blonde haired sister. Last time I checked, you fit the criteria for that.” The dark haired man casually joked.

Otto couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It would heartwarming if his laugh didn’t sound like he was hyperventilating.

Crank just stared blankly, slightly horrified by the noise.

“Uh, you…”

“It is only one of a plethora of reasons why I do not physically speak anymore. Another being is because my mouth hurts to speak.” Otto actually spoke out loud.

“Dude, your voice…it sounds so…” Crank trailed off.

“Normal,” Otto finished.

“Um…yeah, Otto I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me and the team. You know, with your awesome inventions and mad medical skills. You science the shit out of everything and put your life on the line for us. Hell, some of us wouldn’t even have made it wasn’t for you. Thank you, I owe my life dude.”

“‘This life can be hard, so if you find people you actually care about you and will change you for the better, you better do everything in your damn power to protect them.’ The greatest man I knew ever taught me that.” Otto slowly breathed out.

“Who was the man who taught you that? Einstein?” Van lightly joked.

“No, it was my father. Victor Alexander Meyers.”

“Where is he now?” Crank slightly rose up on his elbows.

“For the first time in my life, I don’t know. That’s what scares me. He wasn’t the greatest father.
Sure, he buried himself in his work after our mother passed away from terminal lung cancer, but that didn’t make us love him any less. He blamed himself for her death because he couldn’t find a cure for her. Heh, imagine that, one of the greatest scientific minds in Canada, couldn’t find a cure for his ill wife. I still have no idea where he is. That is why I doubled my efforts in finding everything I could about this Vanquish Corporation. It is also partially the reason why my younger sister went undercover with them. But the main reason is simply, I miss my father. I need him. I know he’s out there, and the Vandal Squad shall lead me right to him.”

“Shit, man. That must suck. The only person I had in my life at that time was my gramps; he’s in a better place now. I miss him too.”

“Yes, but’s that enough sentimental stories for today. Let’s get to that blood sample.”

Minutes Later….

“Komodo is what?! How the fuck is that possible, man?! Check again!” Crank began slowly limping around the lab.

“The blood tests show that you, Van Kentaro Adams, are the result of a dimensional quantum fluctuation in time, caused by none other than, Renji Nobunaga Kotaru.” The fiery headed scientist articulated.

“Quantum fluctuant…flux…FUCK IT! English damn it!” The ninja tagger screamed.
“You are alive because you are the one true alternative version of Komodo himself. He caused a rift in time space continuum, to create something that could atone for all the wrong and hateful things he has done. He wanted a better life, but he knew he couldn’t just throw all the power he has now away, so he made you. It was so you could fight the good fight against his evil tyranny.”
Crank’s vision swam as the blood drained from his face.

“What? I can’t be him. I just can’t! I can’t be the very same person who’s been trying to ruin this family! No...MY LIFE IS NOT A FUCKIN’ LIE, MAN!” Crank knocked over the medical table as he fell to his face, which reopened a couple of stitches.
Otto rushed over to the fragile warrior.

“No. Oh god man. No! I-I’m not even a real person man. This is all a fuckin’ façade dude! This shit isn’t even real!” He rose only to sit in a fetal position. He began to violently shake as he began to scream and sob. In disbelief.

The metal door opened letting the light in, only to reveal DefBeat.
“What’s good, niggas?! Da fuck goin’ on up in this bitch?! Oh…shit.”

“Leave, Darius!” Otto mentally shouted. The b-boy seemed like he was going to ask why until he was telekinetically shoved out and the door was closed on him.

“Van, do not say that. You helped build this family.The hope and love you’ve shared with us. The countless innocent lives you’ve saved. You did that. You may be a varied corporeal construct of a completely different person, but that doesn’t make you any less flesh and bone than I am. As far as we’re concerned, you’ll always be Crank.” The Mohawk wearing scientist simply comforted the crumbling anti-hero.

30 minutes later….

“Thank you, Octavius. I owe you one bro….could we keep this on the hush hush?”Crank put brotherly hand on his shoulder.

“If you need me, I shall always be here. You might to get some rest.” The dark eyed genius spoke.
Crank proceeded to walk out of the lab in a limping fashion. He dragged his feet, stomping heavily and slowly upstairs. His hair covered his eyes in a lazy sort of way.
“Hey there babe, you look like shit. You okay?” The young man made it to his room when he was greeted by his fiancé Alie Martinez, otherwise known as Baby Ace.
“I’ll live, honey. I just got a couple broken bones and bruises.” He muttered.

“Van, have you been crying?” She asked, obviously worried about her significant other. She closed the distance between them by hugging him.

“N-no, I haven’t been crying.” He stuttered, looking elsewhere. He knew she could tell from the stained marks on his face.

“You have. I know when you’re lying to me, babe.” Her pools of hazel brown shimmered as she stared at him with a small smile.

“I’m just tired, okay? Can I get some sleep?” He pleaded with the woman.
“Sure, you look so cute when you sleep.” The kunoichi teased, kissing his nose.

He just stared at her blankly. His legs shifted awkwardly. His face was beginning to heat up.
“What?” She simply asked, a brow rising in confusion.

“I just forgot how beautiful you are is all. It’s just really difficult keeping my composure around such a captivating woman such as you.” Van scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Aww, stop it. Quit kissing up to me. You’re melting my heart here, babe.” The kunoichi blushed heavily.

“I could kiss you somewhere else if you like.” The undying smirk appeared on his lips.
“Later. So what was going on with you and ‘O My Science Guy’?” She inquired her lover as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The mood was killed instantaneously, as Crank’s face fell once again. His bright brown eyes dulled.
“I really don’t wanna talk about that. It’s something…heavy to take in.” He slowly said.

“Van, you know you can tell me anything, right? I love you.Whatever it is, I’m sure you can let me know.” Her face softened with worry as she kissed him fiercely.

“I know, it’s just that I just need time. You understand, right?” His good arm used its fingers to trail up her spine.
“Yeah, you just get you some sleep, mister. Love you.” As she kissed him one last time, she proceeded to go work on her car. Down into the alley where her project car sits.
“Love you too, babe.” He said as he launched himself face first into the bed for a near comatose sleep.

Crank shot up from his bed instantly, a cold sweat adorning his peach-colored skin. He quickly realized that he wasn’t in his room anymore.
The shadowy area looked like a forest of some sorts. It was extremely eerie if not downright bone rattling.

As he removed himself from his bed, he realized that he wasn’t limping anymore. It was almost as if his wounds healed instantaneously.

The forest was littered with skeletons and remains of other poor lost souls. When his foot got caught by a helmet of the samurai variety, everything became clear. He felt a cold and sharp feeling rustle by his shoulder.

He was currently in a Japanese graveyard….and he was not alone.

The shinobi trekked through the forest, a simply vile laughter rang throughout the green biome.
And it was only getting closer and closer.

“What the fuck is that noise? It’s really starting to freak me out.” His question wasn’t left unanswered for long, as the noise found him.

A dark shadow formed in front of him, its body was a midnight ninja uniform while it’s face was a white demonic horror of a hannya mask. The creature’s orange eyes peered into his soul.
“What the hell are you supposed to be?” Crank stood firm.

The creature titled its head in a disturbing sense of curiosity. Then like a creature of the night, it attacked.

Meanwhile…

The sentient cyborg known as Statistical had just warped back home from an adventure he had in Bolivia. He visited the Salar De Uyuni, which is a salt flat that reflects the sky in a beautiful and seamless manner.

“Man that was just breathtaking. I could totally take a chick out there for a date.”
His thoughts were interrupted by a shout and a grabbing of his helmeted face.

“What’s good with my nigga, Tin Man!?” He had recognized the owner of the ill-mannered voice to be DefBeat. His face was plastered by his mischievous grin.

“Could you please unhand those, from the looks of it, heavily calloused hands from my visor?” Statistical pointed to his helmet.

“My bad ya’ll haha shyte, I ain’t know if yo robot ass could see out that shit or not. So what yo happy go lucky ass been doin’ round these streets, nigga?” The loudmouth ninja inquired.
“Nothin’ much brah, I just got back from chillaxin’ in Bolivia.” Statistical gestured with a wave of his hand.

“The fuck was yo white ass doin’ in Bolivia?  You tried to slide in some Spanish bitches or somethin’?” DefBeat put an arm around his shoulder as he chuckled.

“No, but I know how get between any dudette’s thighs now. Also, I prefer goth chicks.” Statistical took off his helmet, revealing his big and bright purple eyes.

“Oh yeah, how you gon do that? Also, why you into goths my nigga? I can’t stand to be round them bitches! They so fuckin’ creepy and emotionless and shit. Hell, I can’t even stand bein’ round LaLa and Jaspers fine ass for too long without gettin’ all uncomfortable and shit!  I’m tellin’ you, I dunno how that nigga Statik does it, yo.”

“To answer your second question, they’re not all that bad, trust me. Once you get em’ in bed, it’s a totally different story dude. To answer your first question, there’s this totally rad place in Bolivia called the Salar De Uyuni.” Statistical smiled coolly.

“The fuck is that? Sounds like some Spanish strip club, if yah ask me.” DefBeat raised a brow in confusion.

Statistical laughed wholeheartedly, gripping his sides as a bright smile blossomed on his face.
“No! Hehe! It’s a….dried out salt flat, Darius!” Statistical shakenly spoke as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“Nigga, the fuck is so ‘rad’ bout some dried out salt flat, Sam?”  DefBeat frowned.
“You know what, I’m gonna go scoop up Jazzy and Mikey, then I can show all three of you.” Statistical went inside to go get his two other besties.

He went to go look for Jazzy first, but what he witnessed was downright weird.

“Uh, Jazzy, if you don’t mind me asking, what in the hell are you doin’,dude?”
Jazzy had accidentally tapped into speed force again, and was currently vibrating through the walls again.

“This is really cool, ya know!” She poked her head through the wall and immediately retracted it while screaming.

“What, what did you see?!” Statistical cried.

“I knew there was another reason why Mikey called her honey!” Jazzy blanched.

“You know what, not even gonna ask. Looks like Mikey ain’t goin’ with us.” The cyborg sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

“Where you goin’? Can I come, Sam?” Jazzy quietly said using her infamous puppy-eyed gaze.
“Of course you can, c’mon.” The cyborg grabbed her by the shoulder and off they went.
Kyoto, Japan

11:00am

A lone samurai was out in the forest, practicing his blade and gun skills. His right emerald eye was closed as his corrupted left eye was in total focus. It was quite rare that you’d see the former young shogun without his trusty coat or bladed sun hat. If you didn’t know any better, you’d almost think he looked normal with his long onyx hair in a ponytail.
He raised his forty-four magnum, ready to fire. He clicked down the hammer.
“I knew I’d find you out here, you lonely bastard you.”

BANG!

“JESUS! Where the hell did you come from?!” Galeford shrieked. He turned to see his trusted comrade and friend, Komodo. Who was currently busy sitting on a tree branch?
“Why are you out here? You know it’s like 30 degrees out, right?” The dark leader explained.
Galeford raised a flaming middle finger, complete with a pointed look from his face.

“Ah, almost forgot you had powers. You never fuckin’ use the shit.” Komodo said, ignoring his friend’s insult.

“Bite me. So why are you out here?” Galeford scratched his slightly stubbled chin in thought with the barrel of his revolver.

“To be honest, I’m worried about you man.” Komodo hopped down from the tree. He removed his mask, not only showcasing his skeletally grotesque right cheek, but also to show vulnerability.
“Why would you be worried about me?” Galeford pointedly looked at him.

“There’s something that bothers me about you and your bro.” The shadow assassin put a hand on his shoulder.

“Whatever dude.” Galeford shrugged it off.

“No, I’m serious. You still care about him right?” Komodo narrowed his white eyes in thought.
“Yes, yes I do.” The samurai replied softly.

“Tell him you love him then. Why are you even fighting him again?”
“I have to be the one he harbors his hatred for, it’s the only way he can protect himself and those he loves. He has to be stronger than me. He has to carry our honor. It has to be this way, Komodo.”
Komodo looked at his friend and shook his head in sadness.

“Shit, man. That’s rough. Dude, come on inside. You’ve been out all damn night. It’s still breakfast time and we’re having your favorite, breakfast California Rolls…without the eggs. I personally don’t like sushi all that much, but I know you do.” Komodo began to head back in the direction of the base.

“Not all that hungry, Renji.” The samurai replied.
Komodo paused slightly.

“Dragonfly is only wearing a crop top and panties at the dining table. I’m talking the red lacy ones too. Haha seems my good old friend warming up to you”
“I guess I could come in for a bite or two.” Galeford picked up his hat and coat with a minuscule blush.

Galeford joined up with his brother in arms, as said brother put an arm around his shoulder.

“Ha, works every time.” The pale assassin chuckled under his breath.

“What was that, Kotaru?”

“Nothing, you must be hearing shit G. That was nothing at all, man.”

Skid Row, Los Angeles

9:30pm

Crank shot forth from his bed in a startled state. He checked for his body to see for any scars, when he realized that his injuries were completely gone.

“How the hell am I completely fine? That fuckin’ demon mauled me!”
That’s when he saw a strange object in his lap. He examined it to find out that the mask looked exactly like the one the demon wore in his nightmare.
It was almost as if the mask called out to him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Crank contemplated as he went to go hang with his family.
-flash back few days after the fight with Vanye-
             
                                            Baby Aces (POV)

The day my boyfriend fought Vanye he told me he’s had weird dreams of beginning in Japan again and seeing warriors from the past and other weird shit, How did we go from vandalizing shit for thrills to this? I still question myself I’d ask him about some these “dreams” he wouldn’t say much tell one day. I woke up when I was resting on him he had oni mask something. Our seni describe to us three years ago around same time our seni describe of powerful oni mask that not even he could handle he didn’t explain or say where he got it from. But Van took it from mountfuji same place the darkdragon leader yoshisaki was buried and whatever else they stored there.

The day him and I questioned how he got this mask is same day he started messing around with it and doing dumb shit like always we have our moments.Hiro thought it was cool as did I but blackout didn’t like it he calmed it was cursed and said he put back where he got  it,he refused as usual I can tolerate the fact his super powerful now but…this started to change him sneaking out and no..not like usual late night vandalizing getting our names up and throwing up graff core elemental around. To fuck with the law and our jealous threating enemies he started to lash out even without the mask he seemed strange my sister wasn’t too knee with this new crank he looked badass but looks can be deceiving he started become a vital threat and could risk us all in danger.

One Week Later

6:30pm

Crank and the others had just gotten back from a mission dealing with the Vandal Squad.  He wanted find out what was up with the mask, especially since it came from his dream. It was around ten o clock at night, the street lights were already on.

Crank and Baby Ace were walking in the room when Van spotted the mask on her nightstand. It had an eerie glow to it, which pulled the attention of anyone near it.

“Hey, what’s this? It’s a little early for some new threads, dontcha think?” Alie swiped up the mask from the nightstand to examine it.

“Look, babe. It’s just this mask that I found at this Japanese antique shop not too far from here.” Crank was lying through his teeth.

“Huh, cool. I’m gonna go have some bonding time with my sis where going mess around in the garage maybe get ghost stubborn ass down here. So we can tweak his ride and work more on my killa bee project. Love you babe.” She said giving him a tiny peck before leaving. She paused before looking back at him with narrowed eyes.

Good, the less she knew the better…although she didn’t seem to buy it, she keep moving.
But first, he had to figure out just what in God’s name was with this creepy mask before he did anything.

“Otto, he’d know exactly what to do. Maybe Hito could help with this too.” Crank thought as he headed to his lab.

Meanwhile…

Statik was busy scratching on his turntables, the sad but soft sounding opera sample mixed with 808 drum kicks, when his attention was caught by his girlfriend. He picked up his classic set of vinyl. He just gazed at her form, both amazed and saddened. She was sitting on their bed, reading one of her favorite books when she saw him staring.

He tried to turn his attention back to his vinyl but it was too late.

“Mikey, what’s the matter babe?” She paused in the middle of a flipping a page. It was getting really good too. She had just found out that the main character was actually the loving but broken cyborg the whole time.
“Nothing, just go back to your reading. You seemed really absorbed into it anyway.” The cyan blue-eyed genius spoke quietly as he closed the panel on his arm.

“Mikey, you seem like something is wrong. I can tell by the way your eyes ever so slightly dim down. Can you just tell-“
“Please go back to your reading, Nicole. It’s not all that important, okay?” Mikey growled lowly. The record disc in his hand was warming up from the heat his fist was giving off.

“Michael. I will throw this damn book at your face if you don’t tell what is wrong with you. If you don’t wanna tell me, say you don’t wanna tell me, but don’t pretend you’re fine when you’re not.” She fully put down her book, completely forgetting the page she was on. Her eyes looked at him directly.

“Just drop it, okay?” Mikey got up to walk out when Nicole closed and locked the door with a flick of her hand.

“Open the door, Nicole.” Michael’s eyes began to glow white as he turned to face her.
“No.” She rose from the bed and looked him dead in the face.

“Open the damn door.” The sparks of white lightning were beginning to melt the edges of the disc.
“I’m not opening anything until you spill, mister.”

The disc shattered into several pieces, scattering everywhere. One shard grazed her arm, leaving a medium sized cut.

“IT’S MY FAULT, GODDAMNIT!” He screamed, shorting out the light in their room.
Nicole froze, her breath hitching as her blank eyes widened.

“What are you talking about, Michael?” She inched closer towards him.

“I’m the reason why you didn’t react to that cutting you! I’m the reason why you’re a fucking banshee ghost-hybrid! I’m the reason why you died and forgot who I was for 3 years! It’s my fault!” His head lowered as he cried, his tears falling to the wooden floor. He fell to his knees with a loud thud.

Nicole closed the space between them as she hugged his sobbing form.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Nicole. You didn’t deserve to die. You didn’t de…serve any of this. I don’t...don’t deserve you. I shouldn’t have dragged you into all this shit. I couldn’t protect you. If I would’ve pushed you away, you’d still be human. Y-you’d still be happy.” The conduit spoke through choked sobs.

“Michael, I forgave you 2 years ago. As long as you’re with me, I’ll always be happy. I love you, you idiot.” She ran her soft, pale hands through his dreads slowly as she kissed his tears away. Her cut healed shortly after.

“You gonna be okay about your record disc, babe?” She slowly asked as she lifted his chin to make eye contact with her.

“It’s okay, I’ve never really like that record anyway.” He quietly chuckled
.
“Now it’s my turn to make you happy. You fancy any strip poker?” She smiled slowly as she took out a pack of cards.

He loved this woman.

Meanwhile…

“I apologize, Van. I cannot seem to find any traceable source of where this mask came from. It seems this item is of an unknown origin.” Octavius typed some more calculations only to have them be inconclusive.

“Oh damn. Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. I guess I’ll play around with it until then.”
Crank left the lab as he got some tools and headed to his room. He gazed at the mask and smiled oddly.

“Well, if you’re gonna be a weird ass mask, you’re gonna be the damn best looking weird ass mask ever.” He said as he got to work.

After thirty minutes, he finally looked satisfied with his work. The white mask’s mouth was replaced with a half black gas mask. There was also a small ‘A’ near one of the eyes of the mask.
“Well, I guess it’s time to try you on.”

He put on the mask, but in that instant something changed in him. He hit the bed with a muffled thud.

As he woke up thirty minutes later, he didn’t feel like himself anymore.

Something wasn’t right. He felt scared as his heartbeat rose violently, he didn’t show any signs of this thought. On the outside he seemed perfectly fine, almost like an eerie calm.
His orange tinted vison seemed murky, like staring through foggy water.

He walked through the hallway that led to the living room. Blackout bumped into him, which made him drop his bottle of alcohol, spilling all over the floor.

“Hey, watch where you’re going you ass! This was my last bottle, damn it! Ggg man now I’m get another pfff…fucking idiot never fails”

“Hey chill out, Blackout. I’ll get you another one.” Baby Ace complained.

“No, I get a little inkling of peace and quiet from you assholes, and this fucker spills my drink all over the floor!” Blackout gets up in Crank’s space spitting out foul mouthed words at the leader.

All Van sees is a demonic vampire growling and screaming at him, this makes him fear for his life.
Baby Ace gets up from the couch to separate the two when Blackout makes the grave mistake of flicking the mask. Crank delivers a one inch punch styled attack to the vampire’s gut. He then proceeds to judo throw him on the table, smashing it. He then gets on top of him relentlessly beating his face in.

The others are just frozen in fear, as they looked on aimlessly.

“Crank, what the fuck are you doing?! STOP!! STOP IT! DAMMIT!!” Jasper yelled.
Baby Ace pulls Crank off the vampire. Jasper runs to check on him only to find him unconscious. His pale face was bloody and bruised.

The front door opens to reveal Jazzy, Statistical, and DefBeat. Their shocked faces are well suited for the situation at hand.

“That was totally radical, right Jazzy?” Statistical’s voice could be heard.

“Yeah, it was awesome! I cant-“

“What in da fuck is goin’ on up in this bitch?!” DefBeat yelled. Jazzy was cowering behind Statistical.

“Hey, Van! Chill the fuck out! Dawg dam homie!” Baby Ace gripped his arms behind his back only for him to break out of her hold. He pulled out his blade and held to her throat. She responded by doing the same.

“Van, what the hell is wrong with you?!” Baby Ace was standing strong in the midst of her fear.
Splode and Lennie went upstairs to find out what was causing all that noise. The tension was so thick you could slice it with a knife.

“My God, what in seven hells is going on!” Splode shouted.

“Hey, get the hell off my sister Crank! ” Lennie pulled out her two glocks and pointed them at him.
Splode pulled out his shotgun and switched between the three of them. Lennie snarls making face at Splode point her gun at him.

“Everybody just calm the fuck down!” He screamed.

“I’m not afraid to shoot you, man! I love you but I’ll fucking do it! Don’t make me.” Lennie put her gun to Crank’s temple.

“No one is shooting anyone! You better calm the fuck down before I lose it!” Splode shouted once again
.
“Can y’all just sit the hell down?!” Rocka shouted as he and Fade tried to intervene.
“Talk to me, babe. What’s gotten into you? Please stop it, Van. I’m begging you.” Baby Ace’s eyes were beginning to tear up. As she hold her blade tight up to his neck.

Crank was struggling, panicking even. He wanted to get away from these monsters.
Everything and everyone was getting quite hysterical as the noises got louder.

“STOP IT!” An unknown voice came from the hallway. Crank’s shoulder was stiffened as armored hands separated the two by hitting a pressure point their shoulders.
All noise came down to a deafening silence.

The unknown voice was revealed to be Hiro, his emerald eyes almost shining with wrath.

“I do not have the slightest idea of what is transpiring here, but what I am most certain of is that this WILL STOP NOW!” His voice shouted, filled with anger.

When Crank gazed at Hiro’s face, he soon realized that he was the scariest of all.

The shinobi stumbled away in fear, shaking with blade in hand. It was pointing directly at Hiro, almost as if it was a sign to stay back.

“Friend Van, are you ill?” Hiro slowly asked while inching towards him.

Crank took that time to run towards the window and jump off into the night.
“What has happened, friend Alie?” Hiro picked her up by the shoulders.

“I-I dunno…he, he came out to the living room with that weird demon mask he’s had for awhile now. Blackout said something to him and he just lost it. Oh god, what’s wrong with him?!” Baby Ace couldn’t contain herself as she dropped her blades and began to cry.
Lennie kneeled down and held her sister closely.

“Hey, we’re gonna figure this out. It’ll all be okay, baby sis.”
Statik and LaLa came out of their room only to be heavily confused.

“Yo, what’s going on?” Everyone just gave the young man a look of sadness and fear.

“There is darkness inside of him, a great darkness that is slowly consuming his soul.”Hiro thought to himself.
Hiro’s jade eyes widened. He went to go grab his gear, and then returned shortly.

Otto appeared from the shadows of the hallway, somehow he knew what had happened. Crank’s mind was in  complete and utter disarray.
 
“Hiro, where are you going?” Statik asked his dear brother in arms.

Hiro slipped on his armor and sword. Once he grabbed his board, he began to walk to the window. He gave Statik one last look, his jade orbs piercing through his cyan.

“Friend Michael, I’m going to go save our comrade from himself.” And with that, he dived out the window.

South Central

Crank was exploring the rooftops. He came across something familiar, it was one of his graffiti pieces, and more specifically it was a tag/throwup.

Through his orange murky vision, it looked like ancient kanji. With chipped pealing paint falling off with other tags and other writers name on the wall.

“They are after you. They want to hurt you.” It translated itself as he ran his fingers across the brick wall.

Members of the CCK were walking around the area. They were scouting the area for people on their turf. As they walk the street with no remorse or fear.

“Tsss..Nigga, you a crazy ass fool. Yo, if it was me I woulda killed the bitch. Why-“A member stopped when he sensed something was up.

“What? What’s up fool?” Another asked.

“You see that nigga up there on the roof? The nigga down street near corner store He doesn’t sit right with me, bruh. Let’s go check him out.” He said.

Crank was attempting to remove the mask when he heard footsteps.

“Aye, who are you? A better question is, what you doin’ up here? This is our turf, the fuck you doing here?” The main member spoke.

The street shinobi remained completely silent as he turned to see a group of thugs, but with his vision, they were demons.

“Ah okay man, so you don’t speak? Imma do you a solid, leave now and we ain’t gonna have no problems.”

Crank stood still as a statue.

“You got five seconds to move on, or we gonna pop yo busta ass. Ain’t nobody gonna miss you, son.” He said as the members raised their assorted firearms.

“Five.”

Crank’s fists tightened.
“Four.”

The main member raised his own gun.
“Three.”

They all cocked back their guns.
“Two.”

Their fingers twitched on the triggers.
As soon as they opened fire, Crank took out his blade and began deflecting bullets. Some stray ones flew into a couple thugs, taking them down.

Then, the urban warrior dashed towards the main member and sliced off his arms. His screams frightened the others as blood sprayed all over Van, the crimson essence staining his clothes.
Everyone else became hysterical and starting spraying more bullets, in which Crank crisscrossed his way through them.

While some of the remaining few ran away, one of them wasn’t so lucky.

As the poor soul was running, he stopped on a dime when he looked down.

Crank’s sword was jutting out of his chest, the liquid painting his white shirt a wet red. It disgustingly oozed from his mouth as he slumped through the ground.

“Send the squad over! We got some motherfucker tryna to kill us!” It was a voice that Crank overheard spoke.

Crank began to traverse the rooftops swiftly, like a madman running through the night. He was hopping over ledges, power sliding under clotheslines, flipping down walls.
Soon, black cars began burning rubber down the streets, parallel to the buildings that Van was sprinting across.

Bullets began ricocheting off of metal near Crank; they would’ve grazed him if he weren’t moving at such high speeds.

PING!

PING!

PING!

A figure landed down on a couple rooftops away. The figure unsheathed his blade and what looked like a skateboard.

“I am here to save you, dear friend.”  And with that, he ollied off the roof and onto a nearby ramp near the ground, picking up speed.

Hiro blasted through the streets, approaching a car. He proceeded to lie down on his board with his stomach facing the grip tape. He gained speed like a bullet, and sliced a tire with his katana.
“What the FU-“The driver screamed.

The car tumbled into the air, almost as if in slow motion, then Hiro grazed right under it. The car hit the ground with a fiery, explosive death.

As Hiro approached another car, he was leaning towards the passenger’s side when the thug noticed him. It was for long though, as the thug took a shuriken to the face. Hiro slowed down a bit as he skitched the back of the car, grabbing on the bumper. He proceeded to hop in the trunk with his board and crawl through the backseat.

“What the hell!” A thug yelled before Hiro grabbed ahold of the rifle that was pointed at him, making the thug unload the clip into his fellow comrade on the other side. The thug was then stabbed through the throat with Hiro’s hidden blade.

Hiro sat in the backseat casually as the driver was losing his mind. The crimson shinobi then whacked the driver upside the head with his board, knocking him unconscious. The car swerved down the road, before it began to tumble. Just then, Hiro burnt a hole in the roof of the car, hopping out and landing on a bus stop roof.

“Justice has been swift.” He growled lowly as he went to search for his friend.

Van found him on a lone rooftop, with nowhere to run. He contemplated swimming, but he would rather not be surrounded by demonic fish.

“Van, what is wrong with you, dear friend?” Crank turned to see a demonic version of his friend once again.
The rugged shinobi grabbed his blade in self-defense, pointing it at Hiro.

“Friend Van, I have no quarrel with you. I do not want to battle.” Hiro raised his hands up in a calmly manner.

“You shall die, you insolent fool!” That’s what the mask translated it to.
Crank tossed kunai at his perceived enemy with deft precision.
Hiro walked slowly towards him while dodging them.

“Stop this! This is not who you are!” Hiro stopped and pulled down his mask and hood, his mouth in a tight line. “I am not your enemy, friend Van. I am your ally, you friend…..brother, even.”
The crazed warrior faltered for a minute, slowly lowering his sword.
It almost seemed as if Hiro got through to him….almost.

Crank charged at Hiro, blade swinging in fear and anger. The hiss of the steel was ringing through the cool night. Hiro skillfully evaded each blade swipe like it was nothing to him. He then open palmed him the stomach, pushing him back.

“Friend Van, I am warning you. You are not thinking soundly. Do not force my hand.” Hiro spoke lowly as the ninja tagger tried to slice him again. He leaned back and finished with a touchdown Raiz flip.

When Hiro rose, he touched his cheek. A drop of blood seeped from the cut that had appeared. His teeth gritted as he tightened his fists.

“Fine, friend Van, it seems you shall not heed my words or listen to reason. You leave me no other choice.” Hiro charged with his legendary blade.

Crank clashed with his friend, their steel clanging together.

TINK!

TANK!

TINKTINK!

TANK!

The two shinobi exchanged a series of kicks and a flurry of punches. Their bones and armor were striking against one another.

Crank jumped in the air and summoned his giant sword to bring down on Hiro. The blade slammed into the ground, cracking it. When Crank looked to see if his opponent had been destroyed, he found nothing. His blade was stuck in the ground from the impact.
Hiro suddenly appeared running up the blade and kicked him in the face. Crank stumbled back in a daze.

The warrior gained an immense amount of speed and caught Hiro off guard, striking him multiple times. Crank struck Hiro directly in the face, drawing a considerable amount of blood.

Hiro began to become angry. Crank’s blade reverted back to its normal state. He simply wouldn’t let up. The slashes and swings became fiercer cutting Hiro’s clothing and skin. The only reason the young Japanese man was holding back, was because he did not want fatally injure his dear sword brother.

Hiro was getting fed up, so he grabbed Crank’s arm, twisting it. He dropped his blade, in which Hiro picked up.

The jade eyed shinobi adopted a two sword style. Charging, he sliced at his tendons, hoping to incapacitate him. The mask’s eyes began to glow and Crank’s wounds.

Adams came back full force, keeping up with Hiro’s slashes. He took out a small military combat blade and tossed it into his friend’s shoulder.

The red clad shinobi threw Crank’s sword and knife back at him while dropping his own. He unwrapped his dual kama from his belt and charged. Hiro moved so quick, Crank could not even catch it.

The next thing he knew, with a blur or red, two curved black blades were plunged deep into his shoulders.

Hiro drove both his feet directly into the tagger’s face, slightly cracking the mask. The blades were ripped from his shoulders forcefully. Hiro back flipped away from him. He was still standing, albeit a bit slumped or hunched over, but still standing.

“You still stand? I swore to my grandfather I would never use this form, but it seems I have no other choice. It is quite dangerous, because if I use too little, you will not be defeated, too much and I will most likely kill you. I am sorry, friend Van. Forgive me.” Hiro hung his head low.

He let his entire body drop to the ground until his face was going to make contact with it, when he disappeared with the wind blowing harshly.

Crank looked around hurriedly, trying to see where he was, but he couldn’t find anything.

Hiro suddenly formed in front of him, sending a flurry of punches to Van’s stomach so quickly his hands became a pale white, silver and red after image. The force of the punches lifted him into the air while a spinning kick to the back of his head crashed him back down to the ground. Hiro’s fists and feet lit aflame as he attacked Crank with the force of a lion, the speed of a mantis, and the anger of a dragon.

It was at this point when Hiro decided to finish the battle with a move he called Kami’s Fury.
He dashed around Crank so fast the ground was cracking around the last place his footsteps even gingerly hit the pavement, sending punches and kicks to every part of his body, lighting him aflame.

He extinguished his ally by sending a final open palmed strike to his chest. Everything grew still for a moment, then the wind raged behind Crank, the air ripping through his jacket, a tearing a sizeable hole in it.

Crank slumped to the ground, finally unconscious. Hiro caught him before his body hit the ground.
“I am sorry my dear friend. I did not mean for this to happen.” A tear slipped from the battered anti-hero’s face.

He removed the mask from his sleeping friend, to show Van’s face with black veins edging around his face.

“I must bring you home now.” Hiro whispered slowly before gathering their weapons.

Skid Row

2:00am

The others couldn’t get a lick of sleep, because they were worried for their friends.
“Oh God, they’re probably both dead right now!” Alie cried loudly as her sister held her, rocking her back and forth.

The usual happy and jovial faces of Statistical, DefBeat, and Jazzy were tired and distraught. The light in their eyes looked dim and bleak.

“Our friends cannot be dead! Crank cannot be gone!” Alie sobbed once again. The others just stayed silent.

“It is fine, we are here.” A voice said.

“It’s almost like I can Hiro’s proper ass voice right now.” Lennie sadly chuckled.

“You would be correct, friend Lennie.” They turned to see a battle worn Hiro in the living room holding an unconscious Van by the collar in one hand and the mask in the other.

“Oh my god,” Statik whispered.

“You are mistaken, friend Michael. I am not god.” Hiro slightly smiled.
Everyone ran to grab Crank and hug Hiro as hard as they could.

“Did you kick his fuckin’ ass, Nakatorei?” DefBeat smiled brightly.

“I do not understand how friend Van would have a mule for me to kick, but I did defeat him, yes.”
“Is he going to be okay, Hiro?” Baby asked him in a scared tone.

“He shall be fine, friend Alie. He just need lots of rest, food and, water.”

“I’ll cook!” Statik, Jazzy, and Izzy exclaimed at the same time as they ran to the kitchen.
It was time for an early feast in two o’ clock in the morning.
Everyone was just glad to have their two shinobi back home.