THIRD PERSON
THE NEXT DAY
HOSPITAL
"No doubt about it?" Sachio asked Shojii who was now out of a coma and had been transferred to a private room.
"Yes. No doubt about it. They were the guys following Yui around. The guys from Kidra." Shojii answered as Sachio looked out the window.
"I'm sorry if it took so long for me to wake up.. If I did so earlier, Housen wouldn't have been in the useless fight." He apologized as Sachio frowned.
"Don't be stupid. None of that was your fault.
A thought had already formed in his mind and a decision has been made.
Kidra is going down.
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Meanwhile on the other side of the city was Fujio Hanaoka, thinking the same thought as Ueda Sachio of Housen.
He needed to put an end to this. No more mind games and no more holding back.
Madoka had told him and others why Arata was doing this. His mother was sick and had been in the hospital for quite some time now.
The lovely woman had cancer and her children were doing all they could to pay her medical bills.
Fujio promised Seijii that he would bring Arata back and that nothing could ever tear them apart again.
He looked at the rest of Oya who looked at him sadly. From the look on their faces, they all knew what he was planning and what was going to happen.
"What's wrong, you guys?" He said before walking towards Hope Hill. "Cut the meek attitude."
"You planning on going alone?" Tsukasa asked as he walked alongside his best friend.
"That's uncool, dude!" Jamuo complained, following the two.
"That's right," Nakaoka answered, walking with them.
"What's more, their hideout is in our housing estate." Kiyoshi chimed in.
"In that case, this involves us too." "That's for sure." Answered Tsuji and Shibaman, soon enough Fujio had the entire faction of Oya (minus the seniors) behind him.
"You're not gonna invite me this time?" Fujio turned his head and the others followed suit to see Todoroki walking towards them.
"You came to me begging when we fought Housen." He reminded as Fujio laughed.
"Okay." He sighed before looking towards the path to Hope Hill once more.
"Let's do this!" He yelled and shouts of agreement followed as they all walked towards a place some of them once called home.
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Fujio faced the once beautiful Hope Hill, the letters from the gate's arch now missing a few letters.
What once read 'Welcome to Hope Hill' now read 'Welcome to Hell'.
It was barricaded with old cars, steel bars, and red police tape. There were broken-down gates as well as other garbage.
It looked more like a defunct junkyard than an old housing estate.
He sighed as he thought of what was about to take place.
SNAP!
His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps coming. He turned to his left and was surprised to see Housen.
Sachio stood at the very front, holding a bloody gray uniform jacket that Fujio assumed was Shojii's since it looked too big for him. Behind him was ¾ of Ozawa Hitoshi: Eimi, Kenzo & Yuken. They looked exhausted but their eyes still burned brightly.
"We'll be the ones to settle this," Sachio said as Fujio laughed.
"No way. I can't let that happen." He answered, not facing Sachio.
"Just come along and join us," Tsukasa suggested.
"Sachio.." Yuken said, turning to the leader for confirmation.
"What will it be?" Fujio asked, turning to Sachio with a fist outstretched toward him.
"Satchi." He said, smiling at Housen's leader who walked closer until Fujio's fist hit his chest.
"That name.." He started, hitting Fujio's chest with his fist as well before he smiled. "Quit calling me that." He jokingly threatened as they both laughed before turning towards the barricaded entrance.
Sachio threw on the uniform jacket over his own as he sighed, thinking of the battle about to happen.
"Open the gate," Eimi ordered as students from both Housen and Oya moved to get the steel bars out of the way as Fujio and Sachio walked forward. Fujio kicked down a steel fence, letting the rest of the barricades fall to the ground. The sound jolted the forces of Kidra awake, alerting them of intruders.
"Everyone! Grab a weapon!" A member of Kidra yelled as Oya and Housen, led by Fujio and Sachio began to close in. Soon enough, multiple members of Kidra came out from every part of the building.
"The cockroaches are coming out of the woodwork." Fujio spat, looking at them in anger.
"Go find your friend," Todoroki said, giving him a sense of comfort as Kidra banged their weapons against the ground. Sachio glanced at Fujio, understanding what was going on.
"Let's go!" Kenzo shouted, fully starting the fight between Oya and Housen vs Kidra.
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Punches were being thrown left and right as the two groups fought for justice for their friends. They were getting tired and relentless as Kidra threw little to no punches and threw broken glass, rocks, and whatever they could haul at the two gangs.
Fujio nearly got hit with a piece of broken glass as he helped Jamuo up.
"Fujio!" Tsukasa yelled as he kicked the guy away from Fujio, sending him in Sachio's direction who delivered an angry kick to his chin, knocking him out.
Yasushi and Yuken got an idea to get Fujio up the building by grabbing the ladders on the ground and slamming the rest of Kidra behind it. The rest of Housen and Oya followed as they began to form a makeshift ledge for Fujio to run upon.
"Fujio! Go!" Shibaman yelled as they all struggled to keep Kidra in place between them and the ladder. Fujio hesitated before looking at Sachio who was holding a member of Kidra by the collar.
"Go!" He urged as Fujio ran up the arms of both Oya and Housen, jumping to the container box near the railing as he pushed himself up to the second floor. He pushed through the rest of Kidra, desperately looking for Arata.
Shouts of pain and terror could be heard as the rest of Housen and Oya lifted the ladder upward that held the rest of Kidra, slamming it against the wall.
"Climb up, you guys!" He ordered as a number of Housen members climbed up to the second floor followed by some of Oya's members.
Kenzo, Todoroki, Shibaman, and Tsuji had already made their way up and were making rounds on the remaining Kidra members. Yuken and a few of Housen's members had made their way to the opposite corridor.
Yuken grabbed a steel bar that one of Kidra's kin was planning on using before pushing him to the ground. He then angrily slammed it against the railing.
"We're here.." He started, clearly out of breath. "The killers of Housen." He threatened, throwing the steel bar on the ground.
"Finish them off." He ordered before walking away. He lightly laughed as he heard Kidra's screams of terror.
"Don't ever do drugs!" He yelled, running to help the others.
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Car engine sounds filled the streets as more reinforcements of Kidra arrived. They smiled evilly as they saw Oya and Housen slowly begin to crumble. Their smiles dropped as the sounds of motorcycles came closer.
Kidra stopped as two men dismounted from the vehicles.
The Oochi brothers.
Shinya and Masaya Oochi.
"Sorry, but we can't let you pass." The younger of the two, Masaya said as the rest of Kidra laughed haughtily.
How could the two of them defeat Kidra?
BEEP BEEEPP
A loud beeping sound interrupted them and they were taken aback as a giant black truck crashed into what was left of Hope Hill.
On the truck were the seniors of Oya High, their leader, Murayama sat on top of the truck's cab while the rest of Oya was seated in what was supposed to be the trailer compartment. They shouted and screamed in excitement as they came closer.
Kidra stepped back as the truck ran over the remaining barricades, sparks flying as they hit a few electrical posts, causing Murayama to duck. Hideto, who was driving the truck, slowly brought it to a stop. Its' wheels screeched against the road as the rest of Oya jumped off from the back as the truck came to a full stop.
"Shit. That was scary." Murayama complained, dizzy from the drive as he held on to the cab for support. Hideto stepped out from the driver's side door as Murayama rose to his full height.
The Oochi brothers smiled as they realized that Fujio had made so much more friends than they realized.
"Are you guys all right?" He asked his friends.
"Yes!" They answered with strength and power. Murayama suddenly crouched down for a moment before getting back up and spreading his arms like he just did a magic trick.
"Tada!" He exclaimed like a little kid on Christmas.
"MURAYAMA!" Kanehiro Yuto, the older of the two and one of the heads of Kidra yelled out in anger.
"Oh? Your hair's still blue? I'm surprised you still remember me. I guess you will never forget the guy who kicked your ass!" Murayama mocked as the rest of Oya laughed.
Murayama had a history with the two brothers and have beaten them both time and time again. They're insane according to him and like to make trouble for the fun of it.
"It's about time to kick some ass!" Shinya, the older of the Oochi brothers, yelled out as he and his younger brother Masaya began their tirade. Their strength was unexpected for Kidra as well as Murayama who seemed surprised to see them there.
He jumped down from the cab, lightly wincing from pain (probably from the long distance he jumped).
"I'm all right." He reassured a fellow student who looked concerned.
"You're as brutal as ever, senpai!" He admired, smiling at the elders before looking back at his comrades.
"Are you all ready to go?" He calmly asked and they answered with a resounding yes. He turned to Kidra once more, pointing his finger at their enemies.
"Let's go, you assholes!"
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Fujio was still searching inside when he was suddenly ambushed by Minami and his little followers. He threw punch after punch but slowly felt his body weaken from the never-ending fights. Taking advantage of his distraction from holding his two followers, Minami threw an old cabinet toward Fujio who narrowly missed it and had fallen to the ground.
"Hold him down!" Minami ordered as his two cronies pulled Fujio from the ground and held him against the wall. Minami laughed maniacally as he pulled out a knife.
"Stop, asshole!" The knife flew from Minami's hand as Eimi held it before delivering a strong punch to his jaw. He pressed him against the wall with his arm before turning to Fujio.
"You're looking for a friend, right? I'll take care of this guy." He told Fujio who silently thanked him before running.
"Don't fuck with me!" Minami complained, banging his head against Eimi's who didn't even wince. He pressed Minami against the wall harder, choking the man as his fingernails dug deep into his neck as he squeezed.
"You're that Minami prick, aren't you?" He spat, recalling what Shojii had told him in the hospital. The prick had a video of Yui doing drugs and she didn't want Sachio to see it, in fear of disappointing her brother even more. Yui was like a little sister to him and would do anything to protect her.
"Hand over your cell phone." He demanded as Minami gasped for air.
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Fujio had arrived at the main office and quickly fought off the remaining guards. Eyes in a frenzy and body still pumped up from adrenaline, he searched for his friend.
His eyes stopped in a small room with a tall figure, hastily grabbing money from a safe.
"ARATA!" He angrily shouted, prompting the said person to stop grabbing money and turned to him for a second.
Arata looked at him with disdain and annoyance before going back to grab the remaining money. Fujio angrily stalked over to him, grabbing him by the arm.
"What the hell are you doing?" He spat, prompting Arata to push him hard enough to hit a wall.
"Hey!" He grabbed onto Arata who tried to fight him off to no avail as he was thrown to the floor, cash flying around.
He quickly got up and desperately grabbed the rest of the cash, stuffing it into a black bag.
"Arata.." Fujio calmly stated before angrily kicking a box full of Redrum toward Arata.
"What the hell is this?!" His question was left ignored as Arata continued to grab the rest of the money.
"Throw that filthy money away." Fujio spat.
"This is none of your business." Arata spat back, not looking up at Fujio as he began to leave with the money in hand.
"What are you talking about? Your business is my business!" Fujio angrily replied pulling Arata back who shrugged him off.
"What did you come here for?" Arata nonchalantly asked, prompting Fujio to pull him against a beam.
"I came to bring you back." He desperately said to his friend. Arata grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, delivering a punch that Fujio didn't see coming.
"I wish everyone would leave me alone." He told Fujio angrily as Fujio walked closer.
"Those fists of yours now don't hurt a bit." Fujio provoked as Arata began to throw punch after punch but Fujio didn't fight back even when he had fallen to the ground. He let Arata release his frustrations before throwing one punch himself.
"Get up Arata!" He provoked as Arata began to hit him again and again. He felt himself tear up as he felt Arata's strength diminish as the younger pushed him against a beam.
"You don't know shit! I have my own way of doing things!" Arata yelled as he hit Fujio once more.
Fujio fed up, pushed him to the ground but not throwing a punch at the younger. Arata once more, got up and punched Fujio continuously.
"You can punch me all you want but they don't hurt one bit!" Fujio spat as Arata delivered one last punch before collapsing to the ground.
"When we were kids...Grandma Sada would scold us all together. We all ate cucumbers together. We all grew up together, didn't we?!" Fujio yelled, on the verge of crying.
"But you show up in the middle of the night at her grave." Fujio continued before he grabbed Arata from the floor, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket.
"You know it. I'm sure you do. You know what you're doing is wrong!" Fujio cried out as Arata shook in anger. Fujio let out a scream of disappointment before throwing a punch at his beloved friend who accepted it. He grabbed Arata by the back of his jacket and was about to throw another punch when he felt his arm being held back.
He turned his head to see Masaya and Shinya look at him, silently telling him that was enough. Arata looked at them in shame before he finally broke down and cried on the floor.
He cried in guilt and shame for what he had done to himself and his friends. He felt footsteps run towards him and he looked up to see his little sister, bruises on her arms, and a cut on her lip. She cried as she hugged him tightly.
What had he done to his baby sister?
"Onee..let's go home." Aimi pleaded with her brother as he continued to sob before Shinya grabbed him for a hug while Aimi did the same with Fujio and Masaya.
It was finally over.
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Screams and cheers were heard as the battle came to a close with Oya and Housen emerging victorious. The sounds were not however enough to drown out the sound of several ambulances and police cars.
All the groups grew nervous as this could mean legal trouble.
Oya High and Housen Academy turned their heads toward the gate as two figures approached. The two groups visibly relaxed.
One was a girl, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail. She wore a white sleeveless crop top under a white windbreaker and black jogger shorts with white sneakers.
The other figure was a boy, a few inches taller than the girl. His hair was lightly tousled a few strands splayed across his forehead. A single silver cross dangling earring was on his ear. He wore a similar outfit to that of the girl beside him. A white T-shirt, black jogging pants, and white sneakers. He wore a sling on his right arm and a small bandage was taped on the side of his forehead.
The Watanabe Twins.
Honoka and Haruto Watanabe.
"Haruto-san!" A younger girl yelled out, leaving her brother's side as the said person opened his arms and welcomed the girl's embrace.
"Are you all right? I was so worried." He softly asked the poor girl who was still crying before he continued to hug her.
"I'm okay.. how about you? Did they beat you up badly? This is all my fault-"
A throat cleared and Haruto looked at his older sister in annoyance.
"I'd like to hug my friend too." She teased as Aimi blushed before pulling away from Haruto and hugging the elder girl who was careful not to touch her bruises.
"Oni-chan!" Aimi called her brother over who looked ashamed as Fujio and the others followed him.
"Honoka-senpai, this is my brother Arata." She introduced before gasping as Arata kneeled to the ground.
"I'm very sorry to all of you for all the trouble I've caused and thank you for all the help you've offered," Arata explained, deeply regretful.
Haruto and Honoka looked at Fujio who nodded. Honoka stepped forward and grabbed Arata's hand, helping him up.
"Money is crucial in your situation but you shouldn't have come to this. Like my family motto says: 渇しても盗泉の水を飲まず. Don't drink from a stolen spring even if you're thirsty." She explained before looking at Fujio, Masaya, and Shinya.
"You're very lucky Arata-kun. You have a little sister who adores you, a mother who dotes on you, and friends who treat you like family." She reminded the younger.
"But they-"
"They wouldn't have gotten this far if they didn't care about you. Don't take their love for granted. I'm sure you'd do the same for them if they were in your situation." She finished as the boy gave her a small smile.
"Uh..sorry to break this up Honoka-chan.." Honoka turned her head to see Eimi walk closer as a younger Housen student was leaning against him. The poor boy was bruised and beaten up like the rest of Housen and Oya were.
"Oh, dear..." She turned around and nodded to the staff who nodded back and proceeded to help Eimi and the rest who were injured.
"Honoka-chan.. this is gonna cost a lot isn't it?" Fujio worriedly asked the younger girl who gave them a kind smile.
"Don't worry, our parents offered to help as a sign of thanks for figuring this stuff out. This is all from them." Honoka explained as Fujio looked on as some of his comrades were being treated.
"Thank you Honoka-chan. I heard from Shojii as well. Thank you for defending my little sister." Sachio said as he stood next to Fujio, offering the younger girl a smile. She offered one back.
"Damn Honoka-chan! How rich are you? Do you need a bodyguard or something? I'd be fit for it don't you think?" Murayama joked as Honoka laughed.
"I'm fine senpai but if you ever need a job.." She handed him a small card "Don't hesitate to call me." She said as the elder patted her head.
"You're a good one." He told her as they watched the police take away the members of Kidra. They looked shaken to the core and even more so when they locked eyes with Fujio.
"Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything." Honoka offered, sending everyone a kind smile.
The 3 groups (Fujio's faction, Murayama's faction, and Housen) were in awe of the girl. She barely knew most of them and yet she was so kind and helped out in whatever she can. She didn't know Fujio for that long and yet they treated her as one of their own. She was truly an extraordinary girl.
A girl who wasn't intimidating to be around or feel inferior with.
"So, if I need a date with you, I just need to tell your staff?"
Everyone turned their heads to the glasses-wearing blonde leader of Housen. His uniform was all messed up and his lip was bleeding but he managed to give the younger girl a small smile who blushed in response.
Realizing what was going on, everyone groaned in disgust.
"Come on! This is a gang war! How come you guys can still get girlfriends at this rate!" They all laughed as the two involved simply looked at each other.
"Ane~" Honoka turned around as Niki and Mina ran over to hug her. Niki hugged her leg while Mina hugged her waist.
"Oh? Oni-chan?" Niki said, looking over at Yuto and Shuto Kanehira. Honoka gasped before casting her younger brother a worried look.
"Ane? Why are the policemen taking our brothers away?" Mina asked as the Watanabe siblings froze as well as the rest of Oya and Housen.
WHAT THE F-
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Extra long chapter for you guys! And the next chapter will be the last for ARC 1!
I will be continuing this until High and Low the Worst X and will be extending it after the events of the movie. There is still a lot more to unfold with Honoka and Yuken so stay tuned!
Did I surprise you guys? I did say Niki and Mina are not just homeless kids 😉
And to answer my last question about the family motto of the Watanabe's: 渇しても盗泉の水を飲まず (lit. "don't drink from a stolen spring even if you're thirsty") = don't lower yourself to unjust acts, no matter how desperate you are.
You know the drill: Vote, comment and follow! And see you in the next update!
NO SILENT READERS PLEASE!