“Move! Out of the way!”

Hiro shoved bystanders aside as he bolted down the street. The increased number of gunshots behind him signaled that his group of pursuers had grown larger. It was only a matter of time before they caught up.

The girl in his arms didn’t make it any easier for him either.

“This is harassment! Let me go, hobo!”

She let out an ear-piercing shriek. It took a monumental amount of effort to tune her out. When she noticed her incessant complaints weren’t enough, she dug her sharp nails into his thighs.

“O-Ow!” He dropped her on the ground and fell on one knee. “What the hell are you doing, kid?!”

“Not a kid!” She brushed the sand off her cloak. “Get your filthy hands off me, hobo! Just ‘cause I’m interested in you doesn't mean I’m romantically interested in you! Stop bein’ delusional!”

“Whatever. If you wanna stay and die, be my guest. I’m outta here!” Hiro took a step forward to dash away, but she grabbed hold of his hand.

“Where do you think you’re goin’? I got so many questions I wanna ask!”

“What the hell are you doing?! They’re gonna catch up! Let go of me!”

This time, she gripped his arm with both hands. “No! You’re takin’ me with you!”

“First you tell me to let go, and now you wanna tag along?!”

“Just don’t touch me! That’s harassment!”

“Urgh! Fine! But we can’t stay here!” He sprinted forward, dragging her with him.

The sound of stray bullets drew closer. People cowered inside the stores, leaving less and less cover to hide around. At the end of the road, Hiro could see a barricade of armed Bandito members blocking the path. His legs were getting tired; he was running out of options. 

He noticed a tight gap between two buildings. It was barely narrow enough for one person to pass through at a time. Since no one used it as a passageway, it had collected a large pile of litter over time.

It was the perfect place to hide.

The girl shook her head violently; she knew what Hiro was planning. He grabbed her shoulder and covered her mouth. Taking a deep breath, he dove underneath the trash. After that, it was a long waiting game. Eventually, he heard several footsteps.

“Where are they?” one of them asked.

“There’s nobody left in the street,” another reported. “We blocked the other side, so the bastards should still be here.”

“Get moving then! We’ll have every single room here stripped and searched.”

They soon marched away. Hiro breathed a sigh of relief, though the foul stench of garbage cut it short. He almost screamed out loud when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his hand. The girl was fed up and decided to give him a good, hearty chomp. Hiro formed a fist and struck the top of her head. She immediately loosened her teeth.

“You lil’...” He paused and exhaled. “Okay. We’ll keep this simple. I'll let you go, and if you make any noise, I’m ditching you. Got it?” he whispered.

She nodded.

He took his hand off. A mixture of blood and saliva trickled down his hand.

The girl pinched her nose and gagged. “Bleh! Of all the places you coulda chosen, you picked this dump,” she said.

“Gee, I’m soooo sorry for helping you out.” He rubbed his forehead. “That was totally my bad.”

“You’re damn right, it is! And don’t you dare call that ‘help’ when all you— ”

He shushed her. “Are you trying to get us killed? Pipe down.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Psh. Those bozos? Kill me? A lil’ bit of a reach there, buddy.”

“Are you nuts?! They’ll kill you! Hell, they’ll kill us!”

“Whoa there, look who’s raising their voice now? Besides, I coulda taken ‘em on.”

Hiro placed his hands on his head and curled up into a ball. “Crap… We’re gonna get killed, aren’t we?”

“Um, are you okay?”

“I shouldn’t have kicked them down. Why did I do that? They just wanted to ask me questions.” Hiro’s breaths grew heavier with every second.

The girl rubbed her chin. “True, that was on you.”

“I even ran! I got scared and just ran away! Of course that’s suspicious!”

“Not to mention carrying me around like a kidnapper. Very suspicious.”

“I… I just… panicked. I didn’t know what to do. It’s ‘cause…” Slowly, he turned his head to her. His brows furrowed, and his nostrils flared. “It’s ‘cause of you! Why did you drag me into this mess? I told you to get lost! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Now, now.” She patted his shoulder repeatedly. “You’re panickin’ again. Don’t want a heart attack now, do we?”

“Getting a heart attack is the least of my problems right now.”

“Relax, will ya? You’re actin’ like it’s the end of the world. They’re just a bunch of bozos, you know?”

“Bandito. They’re called Bandito.”

“Pff! No way! That’s their name? It’s so… perfect! A stupid name for a group o’ stupid folk!”

Hiro couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Here he was, almost in tears. His impulsive acts might’ve ruined his life in the village—for everyone back at the farm, too. Yet, to this girl, it seemed like an ordinary day. Oddly enough, he found her brash confidence to be rather comforting.

He took some time to calm down. “Okay… We can’t stay here for long. Luckily, I live on a farm on the outskirts. I can just hide in there until this situation dies out. As for you—”

“Perfect! Take me with you.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You’re excused! Plus, your farm folk can help me find my friend!”

“I don’t know about that, but if we wanna escape, you’re gonna have to cooperate. For now, let’s get outta here before they find us. We’ll try to get to the other street.”

After checking to see if the surroundings were clear, Hiro got to his feet and ever so slowly squeezed himself further inside the alleyway. The girl followed him, covering her nose as she did so. The path was littered with bird and rat droppings. Years of uncleaned puddles led to a slippery ground.

“Ugh, distract me from this smell, hobo,” the girl said. “Talk to me for a bit.”

He rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Those uh… Bandito bozos. Why’re you so afraid of ‘em?”

“I mean, it’s kinda simple, isn’t it? They have guns; I don’t. I’m not risking my life trying to rebel against them. They can have the power.”

“And yet, here you are. Funny how that works out.”

“And whose fault do you think that is?”

“Hey, your fault for rejectin’ my cry for help. I had to go to them of all people.”

“Help? That’s the last thing they’re doing,” he scoffed. “Once they’re done with you, they’ll toss you aside like a used condom.”

She spat out laughing. “Damn, you really are at the bottom of the food chain, huh? Embarrassin’, but to each their own.”

“You say that like it’s my choice.”

“Oh, silly, there’s always a choice! Um… What was your name again? 

“Shouldn’t you tell me yours first before asking?”

“Name’s Maki!” She moved faster to match his speed. “But that’s all you’re gettin’. Now tell me yours!”

He didn’t respond.

“H-Hello…?”

“I never said I’d tell you mine.”

“Hey! That’s cheap, asshole! Not fair!”

“Tsk.” He picked up the pace.

“I wanna know! Come ooon! Tell me!” She tugged his arm. “You don’t want me callin’ you hobo all the time, right?”

Hiro raised his voice. “Get off! Don’t act all chummy with me. Not after putting me into all this trouble.”

“Oh, boo hoo!” Spit flew out of Maki’s mouth. “Who said you had to kick ‘em down and run away? Definitely not me. You chose to do this!”

At this point, the two had already stepped out into the street. They were too engrossed in their fight, however, to realize that they were out in the open. In the heat of the moment, they had completely forgotten what they were doing in the first place.

“If I didn’t, who knows what they would’ve done to you!” Hiro raised his voice.

“They woulda bowed down in respect to the queen, that’s what! If anythin’, you spoiled my fun!” She pointed at him.

He raised his fist at her. “You ungrateful—!”

CLANG!

Hiro collided face-first into what felt like a bulky wall of metal. There was a sharp ringing in his ears as he fell to the ground. He rubbed his nose; there was blood.

He lifted up his head. “Why, watch where…”

The tall, burly man with black wavy hair that stood before Hiro left him speechless. On the man’s left cheek was a burn scar that ran down to his neck. His left prosthetic arm was made of metal. The word “Bandito” was tattooed in golden letters on his right arm. He wore the same uniform as Bandito, but unlike their brown hats, his was black.

It was their boss.

Hiro crawled back a few steps. Of all the people he could’ve bumped into, this was the worst encounter. Bandito’s boss was silent, but his eyes stared daggers at Hiro. It signaled a calm, yet furious rage. He rarely ever left their base, much less strolled around the village in the middle of the day. So why now, of all times?

Miles would often sing praises of Bandito’s boss being a former marine who deserved respect. Instead of respect, however, fear and dread crept in Hiro’s heart. Beads of sweat ran down his cheeks. Though they bothered him, he couldn’t bring himself to wipe them off.

Two subordinates accompanied the boss. One of them—shorter and more plump than the other—kicked sand into Hiro’s face. “Watch where you’re going!”

Hiro’s eyes watered as he coughed violently. Maki stomped on the ground, sending more sand toward Hiro’s clothes.

“You’re the ones who bumped into us, you dicks!” she yelled.

“Whoa there!” the shorter subordinate said. “You got any idea who you bumped into?”

“The hell should I know?!”

“It’s gonna cost you two,” the lankier one said, pinching his fingers together. “If you want us to let you go easy, that is.”

“Are you two nuts?!” she yelled. “You were the ones who bumped into us! Therefore, you should pay me!”

“What the— You got some nerve to talk to us like that, kid.”

Maki turned to Hiro. “Hey! Help me out here, man!”

He didn’t answer.

She drilled her finger into his cheek. “Hellooooo? Earth to stupid! Say somethin’!”

Hiro stared down at the sand. He tried to think of a way out, but nothing came up. Every second felt longer than the last as his breathing grew more and more unsteady. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Maki chopped him on the head.

“Stop spacin’ out!” she said. “The hell happened to you?”

“Hey boss, what do we do about these two?” the lankier one asked.

“Leave them be,” he said with a gruff voice. “They’re not the ones we’re looking for.”

“But, boss—”

“We’re handling urgent matters right now. This is not important. Let’s move.”

As the boss turned away, Hiro’s eyes widened. The boss hadn’t been informed yet about what happened earlier in the shopping district. If so, this could be his one chance to try and clear things up.

“Um, excuse me!” Hiro raised his hand.

The boss stopped in his tracks. “What?”

“Well, actually… There might’ve been a bit of a misunderstanding with some other members of Bandito. Actually, we’re just here to enjoy Ushiro’s founding day, but I think they mistook us for something else.”

The boss looked at Maki and surveyed her face. “Hm…”

“Whaddya want?” Maki glared at him.

“Wh-Whoa whoa!” Hiro swiftly pinched her cheeks together tightly. “Sorry, she has such a nasty mouth! I keep telling her about it, but she just won’t shut up.”

She responded with muffled noises.

“...Right. Her hair color is different from who we’re looking for anyway. Get out of my sight.”

“Of course.” Hiro bowed his head. Even though his problem wasn’t completely solved, he still felt relief from the boss taking his leave.”

Maki swung her elbow against Hiro’s stomach. When his hold loosened, she bit his finger. After she was let go, she then pointed at the boss’s face. “Hey, you! You said you were searchin’ for someone?”

His eyes furrowed. “Yes. What about it?”

“You mentioned hair color. If it ain’t mine, what was it?”

“Pink. And significantly taller than you too.”

She rolled her eyes. “The last part wasn’t necessary. Aaaaanyways, why’re you lookin’ for ‘em?”

“Oh? Why do you ask? Do you happen to know her?”

“Her? Oh, so she’s a girl. Gotcha, gotcha.”

“Answer my question. Do you know who she is?”

“Maybe. None of your business.”

The boss leaned forward. His voice took a lower tone. “I believe it is very much my business. Now tell me what you know.”

While the two spoke, Hiro slowly inched away. This was no longer his problem, nor did he want it to be. Before he felt he was at a safe enough distance to escape, the shorter Bandito member shouted at him.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” The subordinate aimed his gun at him.

Hiro raised his arms. “Wait, wait, wait! I thought your boss told us we could go.”

“Obviously, there’s been a change of plans,” the boss said. “You and this girl will tell me everything you know about our runaway killer.”

“K-Killer?”

“There was a commotion last night. She killed two of my men and turned them into some kind of… abomination.”

“Pfft, already?!” Maki threw her head back and laughed. “And after all that crap she went on about lying low, too. Look at her now!”

Hiro shook his head rapidly. “I have no idea who she is, or what you’re talking about.”

“Oh? Your friend here seems to recognize her.”

Hiro jerked his head to Maki, who casually waved at him. “I swear, I don’t even know who this girl is. She just dragged me into this mess.”

The boss scowled. “I hate liars. Men, hold them down.”

At his command, the subordinates pinned them down and held them at gunpoint. Initially, Hiro thought of resisting and running away again, but this time, he was facing the boss. Being hunted by him was a point of no return in an isolated village like Ushiro.

The boss slowly walked toward Hiro. Each heavy thud of his steps only served to increase Hiro’s anxiety all the more. Before he could speak, however, a voice in the distance called out to him. 

“Boss! That you?”

They all turned their heads to a group of Bandito members coming their way. At the forefront was Kin waving his hand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the boss asked. “You’re supposed to be on guard at the shopping district.”

“I bet they’re goofing off,” the lankier one said.

Kin rushed toward his boss. “I-I didn’t expect you here, boss. See, we got a few hiccups, and now we’re looking for a few troublemakers, who uh… managed to sneak away.”

The boss stood back up and cracked his neck. “Troublemakers? What did they do?”

“We tried to bring them in for questioning, but they fought back, and—”

“You mean these two?” He gestured to Hiro and Maki.

“Well, I’ll be…”

Maki gave him a wide smirk. “Missed me?”

“Looks like you already caught the troublemakers, boss. Too bad, we even had some volunteers who were kind enough to lend us a hand.”

Hiro looked up; his eyes widened in dread. Two Bandito members dragged Miles and Johnny to the front. They shoved them to the ground and pulled their heads up to face Hiro and Maki.

“You know these two?” Chiho asked.

Johnny bared his fangs at Hiro. “YOU! I can’t leave you alone for one minute?! What the hell did you do?!”

Hiro ignored him. His eyes were locked at Miles, who carried a plastic bag in hand. Despite Bandito’s rough demeanor against him, he still kept his welcoming smile. When he saw Hiro, his eyes welled up.

“Hiro… I’m so glad you’re alright.”