#6911

Who the hell is this guy?! Rock wasn't surprised that Jyugo had friends scattered across various other prisons; despite being bad at everything other than jailbreaking, the kid had a surprisingly good sense about people. And he seemed to make friends remarkably easily, even though he wasn't exactly what you'd call socially savvy. However... this guy? Really? This vain, arrogant peacock with the snooty accent and that expensive outfit and absurdly long hair? This wasn't the kind of person Rock would've expected to find Jyugo traveling with. What was Jyugo thinking with this one?

He eyed the blond boy suspiciously from his peripheral vision as the four of them looked for a place to hide out. All Rock had done was bump into them by accident-- well, all right, it was more like he'd tackled them by accident. Still, this damn guy wouldn't let it go. It was like that accident had been a declaration of war, or something.

"You probably shouldn't have let Nico hold all your money," Jyugo pointed out, blunt as usual.

"Heheh, yeah, that's probably true," Rock admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We just got that money, too. Man, the bruises I had from that fighting ring...Guess I'll have to go find another one now to get that money back."

"Fighting for money, how crude," Uno muttered, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"It's called prizefighting, and at least I don't go around relying on luck," Rock retorted. "There's a reason why people say risky choices are a gamble."

"I do not rely on luck. And I don't care what it's called, it's still brutish," Uno huffed. "And at least I'm not swinging my sweaty fists around in some grimy pit somewhere! Can you even charm any girls doing that?"

"I-it's not just swinging fists around!" Rock protested, flushing in embarrassment. "It takes strategy and quick thinking, and--"

"Of course it does, of course," Uno agreed in a saccharine tone, patting Rock's shoulder.

"And besides, plenty of girls think it's hot," Rock grumbled. Now he was the one crossing his arms.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nico chirped behind them. He bounced up and poked his head between them, smiling innocently.

"Don't worry about it, Nico," Rock assured him, mustering a smile. No need to expose the poor kid to Uno's rudeness. Nico, not one to dwell on anything for long, noticed Uno's long braid and excitedly grabbed hold of it.

"Uno-kun, your hair is so pretty!" he exclaimed.

"Oi, oi, oi, don't grab it, you wild child!" Uno chided him. He gingerly extricated his braid from Nico's grasp, then sighed ruefully when Nico shrank back and averted his eyes. "But... thanks. What does 'kun' mean, though?"

"Nico's an otaku. He likes my culture better than his own. It's a Japanese term," Jyugo piped up from beside Nico.

"...All right, then," Uno said, eyebrows raised. He eyed Nico and clucked his tongue. "He looks like a little pirate with that eye patch."

"Do I?" Nico asked, all but sparkling with delight. "Do you like this hat, Uno-kun? Isn't it kawaii?"

"Er..." Uno cast a helpless look at Jyugo, who nodded fervently and mouthed 'say yes'.

"Yes. Very kawaii," Uno proclaimed. Nico beamed brightly and clutched the hem of his cat-eared hat, then grabbed Jyugo's arm and started chatting away.

"So you are nice sometimes, huh?" Rock jibed.

"Oh, sod off!" Uno snapped. "How did a brute like you even find a strange boy like that, anyway?"

"I wouldn't if I were you," Rock growled. "You got no idea what that kid and I have been through! You might be Jyugo's pal, and you can say whatever shit you want about me, but I'm not gonna tolerate even one single word against Nico, you hear me?"

Uno's eyebrows shot up. "He really means that much to you?" he asked. Rock scowled, then glanced over his shoulder to make sure Nico was still engaged in his chitchat with Jyugo. He heaved a sigh and stared down at his feet.

"I took him in 'cause he had nobody and he needed somebody. Found him huddled in an alley while I was trying to find the entrance to a backroom fighting ring. The poor little guy was barely conscious. I won every round that night and got him some food and the medicine he needed. After that... I mean, I couldn't just leave him there, he'd end up the same way again. So I just kinda brought him along," Rock muttered.

"Medicine?" Uno echoed. His voice was softer than it had been.

"Yeah. I told you before, Nico's got all kinds of weird illnesses. Most of 'em are harmless, but he really is sick. It's not all silly shit like Random Drag Queen Syndrome," Rock said. "You wanna know why I swing my sweaty fists around in grimy pits, huh?! I was trying to stay out of prizefighting, but Nico needs his medicine. Something bad happens to him if he runs out. Not sure what, but... it almost happened once. Whatever it was, it didn't look good. I might not be much, but no one else is gonna keep this kid alive, so I'm gonna do what I can for him. Even if it means I gotta be a brute and fight some people. That good enough for you?"

Uno was silent for a moment, and then shoved his hands into his pockets and murmured, "So you're nice sometimes, too, then."

"Thanks," Rock said dryly. He figured that was the closest he would get to an apology. Well, he was on a roll now, and he figured he ought to at least try to get along with this guy, since he was Jyugo's friend. Maybe he could smooth things over. "So, uh... how did you meet Jyugo?"

Uno scoffed and put his fists on his hips again, smirking slightly. "As you know, our friend Jyugo is quite the jailbreaker. It just so happens that I had a date to keep with a lovely girl, and Jyugo helped me out a bit. I'd have left the poor girl waiting all alone if he hadn't been there!"

Rock gaped at him. "You... broke out of jail... for a date?"

"You say that with that incredulous tone because you've not seen the girl in question," Uno told him, shaking a finger at him and tsk-ing. Rock considered this, then heaved a resigned shrug.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed grudgingly. Then he smiled a little and added, "Jyugo's a good friend, huh?"

"That he is-- even if he is a bit useless, generally speaking," Uno agreed, grinning. There was a moment of eye contact, the both of them still smiling, and suddenly Rock almost felt like he was chatting with a friend. And then, of course—

"There they are! The escaped convicts!" someone shouted behind them. The four of them turned to see a pair of policemen at the mouth of the alley they'd just entered.

"Shit! You guys were being followed?!" Rock exclaimed-- at the same time as Uno. They both whirled to face each other again.

"What d'you mean, we were? I'll have you know we were doing an excellent job of covering our tracks!" Uno insisted, bristling with indignation.

"Well, so was I! It must be you guys they're after!" Rock shot back.

"Umm, excuse me, mister cop?" Nico called out, waving to them. "Which convicts are you after?"

The cops stared slack-jawed at him, then shot uneasy glances at each other.

"Uh, what-- what do you mean, which convicts?" the first cop asked warily.

"There! The convicts are down this alleyway, hurry!" shouted another voice. A third cop came pelting down the other end of the alley, with backup right behind him. He skidded to a halt and stared back and forth between the four escapees and the other two cops. "There's more of them?!"

"Oh. I guess they're after all of us," Jyugo stated.

"All four of those guys are convicts?! Take 'em all in!" one of the cops shouted.

Jyugo blinked slowly, as unfazed as ever. ”So, I guess we should run now.”

-----

What's with this damned guy?! Uno wondered irritably. This was a hell of a day. Just a couple hours ago, Uno had been cruising through the alleys with Jyugo, his long-awaited arrival in Vegas almost within reach. New clothes (and nice ones at that), a spring in his step, and not a jail cell in sight. Now they were running again; this outfit had been expensive, he'd hoped to avoid sweating. The cops were right on their heels, and this Rock guy had the nerve to claim it was their fault! To think they'd almost had a friendly moment back there, too. Jyugo's taste in friends was normally pretty good-- surprisingly so, almost, given how generally useless the boy was. And yet Uno was a bit mystified by his choice of friends in Rock.

And just to make matters worse, the cops had managed to run them into a corner. So much for Vegas, Uno thought miserably.

That was when Rock strode forward, growling, "Guess I have no choice! You guys stay back!"

"Hang on, you can't fight all of them!" Uno protested, but Rock wasn't running towards the cops. He was grabbing the sides of the vending machine standing against the wall of the alleyway, his fingers pressing against the metal as his biceps bulged.

"Can he do that?" Jyugo asked.

"He can't possibly!" Uno said, jaw hanging open in shock.

"No, he probably can," Nico told them cheerfully. Sure enough, the kid was right-- the vending machine rose off the ground with a metallic groan. Rock turned towards the cops as he heaved the vending machine up over his head, holding it high with a roar that echoed through the alley. The cops reeled back, screeching in terror.

"Whoa, you're amazing!" Uno remarked, eyebrows raising. The words were out before he'd even realized it, but even he had to admit that it was pretty impressive.

"Go, while they're pissing their pants!" Rock shouted over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Rock!" Nico chirped.

"Just go already!" he grunted.

The three of them sprinted away, only to find themselves in a dead end with a padlocked set of doors as their only way out. Luckily, it took Jyugo all of three seconds to crack that lock. Behind them, a metallic crash rang out over the high-pitched screams of terrified cops. As he and Jyugo strained to pry the doors open, Uno wondered if their group was down to a trio. Would it be just the three of them slipping through these doors? Throwing a vending machine was probably an excellent diversion for a quick escape, and Uno wouldn't have put it past a rough-edged guy like Rock to take that opportunity-- or rather, that's what he would have thought at first. But after what Rock had said about Nico... was Jyugo right about this guy after all?

"Rock, over here!" Nico called out. Uno turned his attention from the doors and saw Rock dashing towards them. He must've realized what they were trying to do, because he immediately and wordlessly forced the heavy doors apart and let the three of them through. Rock jumped through and the doors slammed shut behind him with an echoing clang.

All four of them slumped to the floor of the warehouse that they now found themselves in, panting and catching their breath.

"I think we're safe for now," Uno wheezed from his facedown spot on the ground.

"Yeah... it's only temporary though," Rock said between gasps of air. His arms were shaking slightly as he leaned back against his hands. Well, it was no surprise that he'd be tired after lifting and then throwing a vending machine. And speaking of which...

"By the way, why did you help us out back there?" Uno asked, turning to Rock.

"Huh?" Rock grunted, raising his eyebrows.

"If you'd left us behind, you could've escaped faster, right?" Uno pushed. He already suspected he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it for himself. He wanted to see just how good Jyugo's people-sense really was.

"Yeah, it's just... not my style to do that..." Rock muttered, scratching behind his ear uncomfortably. "It wasn't like that at first, I used to be that kinda guy, but... well..." Uno didn't miss the way his eyes shifted briefly between Jyugo and Nico.

Uno smiled, a little relieved that his first impression had been wrong. "Ahhh. You're an okay guy after all, despite your looks," he jibed lightly.

"Despite my looks?!" Rock echoed, indignant. Of course, the universe just had to interrupt that nice, friendly moment again with the crashing of freshly shattered glass. Rock jumped up in alarm. "Wh-what's that sound? The window?!"

A cascade of canisters hurtled in through the far window and clattered across the floor, hissing unpleasantly.

"Crap, it's sleeping gas!" Uno shouted, leaping to his feet and flinging his hand over his mouth.

Jyugo recoiled, scrambling upright. "It's gonna fill up this room in seconds!"

Nico sprang to his feet with the other three-- but he was the only one smiling. He was beaming, in fact, and thrust his hand into the air eagerly.

"Me, meee!" he said in a singsong way. "I can handle this! I'll just toss them outside!"

Uno gaped incredulously. "Huh?!" The boy took off into the billowing cloud of gas at a cheery trot, arms held out gleefully at his sides. Uno reached fruitlessly after him, shouting, "H-hey, you--! What are you..."

"Too late," Rock said wryly. He put his fists on his hips and huffed like a long-suffering parent.

"This really doesn't look good. Is he going to be all right? He just ran in there," Uno said uneasily.

"He's probably fine," Rock assured him, then cupped his hand by his mouth and called, "Hey, Nico, make sure you toss them away from the broken window, okay?"

"'Kaaaay!" Nico chirruped from within the gas cloud.

"Oh, yeah. I think he's not affected by any kind of gas or drugs," Jyugo piped up. Uno turned and gaped at him, astonished.

"Yep, yep. They don't have any effect on him at all! He's really something," Rock agreed. There was even a hint of pride in his tone.

Uno watched in amazement as Nico, barely visible through the gas, picked up each canister one by one and gathered them into his arms. He carefully lugged them over to the window and tossed them outside.

"You can have these back," he told the cops.

"He has a weird illness and drugs don't affect him? He's seriously a strange one," Uno remarked. It seemed Jyugo had been busy collecting all sorts of unlikely friends during his numerous prison stays.

Even so, he had to admit-- as usual, Jyugo's sense about people was spot-on. These two were odd, but they were most certainly the best kind of odd.

-----------

With the cops out cold and their escape route wide open, the four of them slipped from the warehouse and made their getaway under the rosy light of a spectacular sunset. Rock grinned to himself as they bolted away, proud of his weird little friend for making good their escape.

"Good, now's our chance to run for it," Jyugo said under his breath as they slipped past the police.

"All those cops over there are dreaming right now. How lucky!" Uno sing-songed, with a bounce in his step as he ran.

"They tried to catch us all at once, but now they're the ones on the ground," Rock said smugly.

"Anyway, you two are pretty good. You guys saved us, we'd be on our way to prison again if it weren't for you," Uno remarked suddenly. Rock glanced sideways at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. Uno grinned and added, "I knew you couldn't be that bad of a person since you know Jyugo."

"Wow, thanks," Rock said dryly. He expected a snarky retort, but Uno just beamed widely at him. When they stopped running at the edge of town, Uno turned to them with his fists on his hips.

"I like you guys!" he proclaimed. "Let's be friends, Rock, Nico!" He grinned from ear to ear, a truly genuine smile suffused with the warm glow of the sunset surrounding them. Rock looked away as an unusual feeling grew in his chest, a spreading warmth and a strange lurching sensation.

"Y-yeah," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Why was his face so warm?

Nico giggled, swaying happily. "Heheh, you're making me blush!"

Uno laughed heartily at their flustered faces, and all Rock could do was stand there and scratch the back of his head, utterly perplexed. Who exactly was this guy, anyway? Rock had no idea how far the four of them would travel together, but one thing was becoming clear: it was going to be an exceptionally strange time.

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