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Rondo of Sin

Chapter 1:

Culture Shock

A young man sat by himself smoking in the corner booth of a local diner. The passive observer could tell that he was trying to hide from everyone else but one trying to really get a good look would only notice green eyes and a great scar over the right brow that continued on the cheek below. His long black braid behind him slipped out of a baseball cap he wore to try and hide his features.

It was a good night for the man as his show had gone well, sold out again, and the other band mates had found their own entertainment while their leader wandered the streets of New York alone. He eventually found himself in the corner diner ordering nothing but a slice of their apple pie. It's remains lay in front of him on a plate that soon disappeared from view.

"Was that all you wanted doll," Asked the waitress curiously making the man look up with a forced smile. He found it harder and harder to look on others with any sort of real happiness anymore. It was like something was inside him willing itself to the surface but always fell short. A memory of a past forgotten in time and locked away deep in his subconscious.

"Yes thank you. You don't mind if I stay a little while do you," Asked the man as he looked directly into the waitress' blue eyes. A deep blue he felt he once remembered from his childhood. It brought a genuine smile to his face though it was only a fleeting moment of misunderstood emotion.

"That'll be fine sweet stuff. We all got a little somethin' on our mind that takes a bit of thinkin' to get through. Take your time. You're much too young to be lookin' like that and have far too handsome a smile to go around all mopey like that," Replied the waitress with a sweet smile on her candy apple red lips.

The man looked up again as she spoke and smiled again. He wasn't sure if she was fishing for a tip or if she was genuine. It was hard to tell in places like this. He would give her a handsome tip of course. This life she was a part of was hard and he could tell by her hips that they used to be smaller. Her build was a little off no matter how hard she tried. She had kids to feed.

"Thank you. I promise I won't be long," Replied the man as the waitress walked away leaving him to his thoughts.

The man clenched his fists looking at his own reflection in table top as he continued to frown. He felt sick to his stomach just being around people these days. All of them clamoring on top of one another and killing the ones below slow. Strangling them for their one sought after resource. The one thing that makes the world go round, money.

Sure the man had plenty of it to last him but he never liked the concept. At least he was a humanitarian from time to time and was known for giving large sums to charities that helped children around the world. He wasn't sure why he did it, this was no world for a child to grow up in. All they would learn is how to slowly kill another human. Starving them to death physically and emotionally until nothing remained of what they once were. All of this achieved by getting more of this one precious resource than another.

The man stood up leaving a one hundred dollar bill on the table and a small picture of himself he had signed. A nice gift for the kind waitress. He left before he could see her reaction. New York was raining again as was per usual in the late spring. It only made the city lights that much more bright as he thought of where to go.

It wasn't long before he looked up and found himself in unfamiliar territory. He didn't mind as many places in his own mind were unfamiliar to him. The dreams he had been having bothered him. He saw himself as a sort of angel of destruction. He was wreaking havoc upon innocent people and causing the death of ones close to him. Everything was blurry, nothing clear enough to understand. He knew it was just a dream but sometimes they just have a way of getting under one's skin.

He gave a puff on his still lit cig but found he received nothing from it. With a sigh he tossed the butt aside and reached into his pocket for another when he felt something pressed to his back and a masculine voice pierce the sound of the rain around him, "Nice and easy there buddy. Pull out your wallet."

The young man frowned a bit as he spoke up, "Really... You really want to do this?"

"Shut up and give me the fuckin wallet gook," replied the man making the scarred one's eyes narrow. He quickly spun around smacking the man in the face with his braid at first but soon his hands were on the gun. He felt the magazine release give way under his hands and the slide pull back releasing the unspent shell into the street.

It was all one fluid and trained motion the young man didn't even know he had in him. He looked a little surprised for a moment but the man that was trying to mug him had very real fear in his eyes. He was maybe a little older than the braided man with a hint of weariness in his movements. The older man was tired and desperate.

The young man took off his baseball cap and sighed not knowing why he could make these observations or why he was able to do some of the things he did. He squatted down as the older man's eyes went wide, "You... You're that guy from that gook band that's playin the garden!"

With a frown the young man reached forward putting his hand on the man's neck as he grit his teeth. He had a raging fire in his eyes as he heard that word again this time replying to it, "I'm Japanese. Not gook. Understand? Now... explain to me what happened to you. Why are you out here trying to rob strangers. I'm sure now you know how very dangerous that can be."

The man simply nodded in fear coughing a few times as the young man released him. He began to tell his story to the Japanese man explaining how he had lost everything because of a woman. A black widow that had only married him for money. She now had his kids and had saved up enough for a good enough lawyer while they were together to cripple him, starve him to death.

The Japanese man nodded slowly though still frowned as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. He opened it and handed at least two thousand dollars to the man, "A precious resource in this world completely fabricated by man. There is no real value behind it other than what we place in it but others are willing to kill for it. Bizarre isn't it. Take it and go. Clean yourself up, get back on your feet. Understand?"

The older man nodded looking surprised at the action as he stuffed the money into his pockets and ran without even giving a thank you. The Japanese man frowned a bit more as he stood himself up and placed the cap back on his head only to hear his phone ring in his pocket. He removed it with a sigh as he didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

"Hello?"

"Rukan where the hell are you? The rest of us have been looking for you for a few hours now," Replied another young man with real worry in his voice.

Rukan sighed heavily closing his eyes as he spoke, "Look I just need some time alone. I've got a lot on my mind Toshi. You and the guys head up to the hotel and don't worry about me. I'll be there sometime tonight."

"Why are you like this lately man. Is it those dreams again or is it about all the attention you got from that stupid article. I told you it was a stupid idea but nooo you had to..."

Rukan hit the hang up button and stuffed the phone back into his pocket with another sigh. He finally reached into his pocket and pulled free another cig but it was soaked. With an angry growl he threw the pack aside and started to look around for any sort of sign to tell him where he was.

It was then that he noticed the woman in yellow. It was a rather loud tone of the color even with the occasional purple markings. He shook his head a few times with a sigh as he saw she was coming towards him. Her heels were rather high and made the whole street echo with each step she took.

"Look lady you're barkin up the wrong tree here. Scram and find some other guy to spread your legs for you," shouted Rukan with a look of contempt. The woman stopped and crossed her arms across her chest. She looked genuinely hurt which made Rukan feel a pang of guilt inside. He had learned to ignore such things. This world was wild and untamed regardless of what anyone else said.

Rukan turned to leave but saw she was already in front of him in that direction. He frowned a bit before turning around and seeing her there to he spoke up, "The hell is going on here?"

He didn't have much time to react as she was on top of him faster than seemed humanly possible. She threw a punch directly at his face but as it happened it seemed like time slowed down. He reached up forcing the punch away from him while lifting a knee in hopes of hitting her in the gut. She leapt into the air using the momentum from the punch to somersault over the Japanese man's head and land on the other side. Her leg lifted only slight as she tried to sweep out his legs but it was like he knew what she was going to do. He jumped over the leg and lifted his own scoring a hit directly in her chest making her stumble back.

He landed panting slightly as she regained her composure and both of them were now in a ready stance. They circled around looking into each others eyes, searching for signs of weakness. Rukan was shocked at how blue her eyes were. It was startling how much they stirred up inside him. There was no exchange of blows for a while and so Rukan broke the sound of the rain again as he spoke, "Look I'm sorry lady really. I shouldn't have been such a jerk. I'm sure you got a good reason to be being what you are but really. I'm not interested."

The woman struck out as he was talking catching him by surprise with a kick directly to the side of his face. Rukan went down hard shocked at the sheer strength the tiny woman had in her. He slowly started to get back up spitting out a tooth and a significant amount of blood with it. He grit his teeth as he knew now this was going to be real.

He hopped to his feet not giving her a chance to gloat as he rushed in a flurry of blows to her chest and stomach but she just stood there smirking. It was like his attacks had absolutely no effect on her. He took a few steps back with a look of shock in his eyes, "What are you..."

She didn't bother answering as she moved at a speed he couldn't even see. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head before slowly the world started getting fuzzy at the edges. He tried to hold on but soon the fuzziness turned to black and closed like an iris.

The woman looked about before hefting Rukan onto her shoulder and moving with the same speed she had shown before. The city was a blur of lights as she hopped through the streets effortlessly carrying the passed out rock star on her shoulder. It wasn't long before she reached her safehouse. It was grungy to say the least but at least there was a soft couch to set Rukan down on. She frowned seeing how soaked the both were.

Quickly the woman stripped down before walking around an old silk screen. There was a flash of light then another before she came back out completely dried out. She threw her clothing aside before walking to a dresser that sat against the brick wall across from the couch. She pulled out a pair of robes and put one around herself. Before she set to work stripping Rukan down and wrapping the warm and dry cloth around him.

She sat down on the arm of the couch with a sigh as she ran a finger along the man's scar. So many memories came to the surface as her eyes began to tear up in rage and loneliness. She had found him, finally. But what was she going to do now? She knew that they would be looking for him soon enough and had no idea if they had implanted some sort of tracking device. Perhaps this would be the last time they saw each other.

Every day they had been apart had been another dagger in her heart over these past ten years. Life at times didn't seem worth living but every once in a while she would hear his voice on the radio or someone singing one of his songs and she couldn't help but smile. He had made himself so public over the past few years it was almost as if somewhere inside he wanted to have himself be found.

She did worry though as it was apparent he really didn't remember anything that happened ten years ago. The article she read also left her worried on a deeper level. She found it best to not dwell on the past however. They had to find a way out of this place and away from the prying eyes that were always in the way before. She stood up walking to the window they had leapt in through and closed the curtains with a deep frown on her face. Paranoia had saved her a few times in the past and she wasn't about to stop now.

She sighed rubbing her eyes a few times before walking to the couch and sitting down on the floor with her back to it. Her head nodded forward a few times before she finally dozed off to sleep. It was a restless sleep full of fears and worries. Nightmares the plagued her from their past. Their journey through a real nightmare and it's terrible climax.

The rain had stopped and light was streaming through the red curtains when Rukan opened his eyes. He tried to sit up but grit his teeth and held his head closing his eyes and laying back again. The events of the night before were coming back to him quickly making him open his eyes wide and look about. He got up a bit slower this time as he saw the woman that had attacked him was sleeping on the floor next to the couch he lay on.

Looking around the room his heart sank as he saw pictures of himself and maps with tacks in them. She had been tracking him down. Was he at the mercy of some crazy fan? He swallowed hard as he realized he was only in a robe as well worried about what had happened the night before. The young Japanese man slowly started to get to his feet when he felt a hand on his ankle. Looking down he saw those blue eyes looking up at him with a look of longing. Like there was some deep scar inside that was trying to cry out in that gaze.

"Don't... just sit down. I know you're afraid but I have answers," Said the woman as she let go of his ankle letting him make the choice.

Rukan stood there for a few moments thinking things over but he knew that he had no place to run in his condition. She didn't seem to want to hurt him now though he wasn't sure why she had attacked him the night before. He slowly sat himself back down as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, "What do you want from me?"

The woman slowly stood up and sat down next to him speaking softly, "You really don't remember anything... I thought that maybe by now you would have twinklings but... I'm so sorry Rukan. I was too late to stop them and it hasn't ceased to haunt me for ten years in this world," Said the woman with tears in her eyes.

The Japanese man opened his eyes looking confused as he saw the tears, "You know about what happened ten years ago?"

The woman nodded slowly, "I hold your memories... well... sort of. I was with you when it all happened. It's all going to sound so strange though. I don't know if you could handle it."

"Why did you attack me last night," asked Rukan as he continued to rub his temples.

The woman frowned a little looking a little ashamed, "I was worried you wouldn't come with me still conscious. I'm sorry about your tooth but you'll see. It will all be okay soon. I read the interview you gave rolling stone last month... Is it true that you're... gay?"

Rukan frowned a bit shaking his head, "That's not exactly what I said. I said that I found women manipulative and untrustworthy... besides don't you think that's a little personal?"

The woman sighed softly and slumped back into the couch as she looked up at the ceiling, "Yes or no Rukan."

The man looked down at his hands staying quite for some time before he spoke, "Yes..."

The woman frowned a bit more a bit of a quiver at the corners of her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes again, "You were so young then you... you probably didn't understand. Your life was too fast to think about such things. Everything happened so quickly and then it was all gone. I'll kill that man if I ever see him again."

Rukan looked up and felt kind of bad about something he didn't understand. He knew he had said the wrong thing to her but still had no idea who this woman was. The eyes though, they haunted him even when he wasn't looking in them. "Kill who," Asked Rukan softly.

"Yamaki. The son of a bitch who did all of this to you. Look I'm going to explain some things that don't make much sense now... but... well I'll make it make sense," Replied the woman as she stood up and walked to the dresser and opened a drawer. She pulled out a chest harness with a pair of blades in sheaths as well as a watch and what looked like a belt with some sort of container on it. She set them softly in Rukan's lap before sitting down next to him again.

"These are memories that were once your own. The daggers... a tonto given to you by your grandfather and the other a digicarbide blade. Made from a material you can't find here. The belt contains cards... Though we didn't use them much later in our adventures you insisted we keep them around just in case," Said the woman as she looked into Rukan's eyes.

Rukan looked away for a moment to pull the blades free looking them over. The tonto felt at home in his hand while there was some sort of apprehension inside when he held the digicarbide blade. He flipped open the card case and frowned a bit deeper as he saw the card. He flipped through them until he found a card that was completely blue with a black strip on the side. In the center was a D with some sort of creature coming out of it. He recognized the cards and the creatures on them.

"This is a children's game. Digimon. I remember for a while it was actually a television show. Started up when I was younger in the states. What does this have to do with anything. So I liked digimon as a kid. What's the big deal," Replied Rukan looking up at the woman before speaking, "Who are you anyway? You know who I am and I want to be on a bit more equal ground here."

The woman sighed as she pointed to the watch device in his lap and spoke softly, "There. That is the last piece of the puzzle. That is the D infinity. A device which allowed you to become the hero you were meant to be. Who I am doesn't matter right now. Soon I will set you free to go your own way as they will be looking for you if I keep you long."

Rukan quirked a brow before looking down at the watch. He picked it up and looked at the blank screen for a few moments. He felt along the buttons closing his eyes as it did feel familiar. He saw a glimmer of something in his head making him open his eyes wide. He stood up in shock as he was covered in a blanket looking out at an unfamiliar starry sky. He saw the small bridges over the little brooks that fed into koi ponds.

He felt hands on his shoulders and closed his eyes as a small smile came to his face. It was glimpse into a past he had lost a long time ago but that was all it was, a glimpse.

When he opened his eyes he saw the grungy room around him again and frowned. He stood there confused for a few moments before he spoke, "I saw something..."

The woman nodded slowly and smiled, "Good. That means your past is still in there somewhere. Keep the things I have given you. If you ever need me now I can find you as long as you hold that device. Just call for me. You don't need a name... I will know when you want me near."

Rukan looked at the watch and slowly placed it on his wrist hoping that it would bring back more of his forgotten memories. He looked about with a bit of a frown before looking to the woman, "where are my clothes?"

"That's why you have to wait a little. I have them hanging up to dry. Here I'll go check on them," Said the woman as she stood up and walked behind the silk screen.

Rukan turned to look seeing her gone was a chance to get a jump on her. He stopped and shook his head before he acted on the idea not really sure where it came from. She returned shortly after with his clothing and he quickly took it running behind the silk screen and putting it all on. He also strapped on the other gear he was given. The belt was a little tight and the harness even tighter but he could only assume that was because he had grown in ten years.

"I need to thank you... even if you did knock my tooth out," Said Rukan softly before he looked to the window.

"I'm really sorry about that Rukan but you have to understand you are really quite skilled. I'm sure you've seen glimpses of that. Especially last night with the mugging," Said the woman softly as she frowned a little.

Rukan nodded slowly feeling like he shouldn't be leaving but he knew at the same time he had to. He didn't know what was compelling him but he had one last question, "Who is following me? You said they would be looking for me if I went missing for too long."

"HYPNOS... Watch for the men in black suits. The one with the blonde bowl cut especially. He's a madman named Yamaki. If he had any idea we saw each other he would throw a fit. It's better to keep this secret for now," replied the woman softly before pointing to the window, "There is a fire escape out there. You can find you way back to the ground with it."

Rukan nodded slowly heading to the window and with one leg through he looked back to the woman shaking his head, "At least give me a name..."

The woman looked up and looked like she was thinking things over before she spoke, "Call me Rena."

The Japanese man stopped for a few moments but when nothing came to the surface of his mind he stepped out the window and made his way into the streets of New York as if nothing happened. He was sure to catch hell from the band but he already was coming up with an excuse.