High & Low | Crystal Rain

Ep. 11 | Traffickers War

Winning the race against the boys had given Rain immense pride, but beating her brother gave her even more satisfaction something she could rub in his face till the day she died.

All bickering aside, the two siblings still got along wonderfully despite getting on each others nerves from time to time and what sibling pair wouldn't. After their parents passed they were all each other had left in their family line, strengthening their bond as brother and sister and she understood that this was one of the reasons why P was so adamant about her not free running with her.

Even with the loss of their parents, the support from Smoky, Lala, Shion, Takeshi and the rest of their newly extended family on the Nameless Street, the pair soon came to realize that blood alone doesn't make you family.

Although Rain had earned her spot among the boys daily patrolling activities, she didn't always hang out with them like they would with each other. The main reason for the previous race was more to get the recognition she was so often denied, being shot down before giving a chance to prove herself. Now that she had, she was smart enough to know that just because she could run and spar with them when she wanted to it didn't mean she had to all the time.

She also enjoyed helping Lala take care of the younger kids. She'd assist her with recycled bags and from time to time had fun helping her sneak away from Smoky to buy and sell her crafts on other streets.

While she would sometimes accompany Lala a short distance she would never go as far as her, as she didn't want to jeopardize the trust that the boys had given her. Lala was her best friends so even though she wouldn't accompany her far, she trusted the girls instincts, knew she'd make smart choices outside of the Street and be safe while keeping her activities a secret from Smoky.

Smoky was protective of Lala, just as P was with Rain. While P thought it was his job to keep the headstrong Rain safe from the hazardous structures of the Nameless Street, Lala had no large drive to free run and instead had the curiosity to explore other streets.

This was something Smoky  knew could lead to dangers not only for Lala but the rest of the Nameless Street and at every chance tried to discourage her from doing so. But like Rain, Lala wasn't about to take a simple no from her brother and continued to sneak out either in the late evenings or early morning.

Only a few weeks after the race, Rain was helping Lala sneak back into the Nameless Street through an opening in a chain linked fence. Holding the fence back so Lala could just squeeze through without ripping her clothes or skin, Rain was too focused on the task to notice a dark figure lurking in the shadows just beyond the dim flickering street light.

The two girls only looked towards the Nameless Street to make sure none of the boys saw their return and paid no attention to the figure that slowly emerged from the shadows to take a look at the girls disappearing silhouettes before retreating back down the ally.

Six months had passed since the race between Rain and the Rude Boys. While the name started as wisecrack at the boys, it soon became a recognizable one for the group of boys by other residents of the Street. Although Rain was still the only one to really use it.

However, the name began to grow in  popularity once others off the Street heard rumors of a gang of boys on the Nameless Street that were warm and kind to their residents who they treated as family, but merciless to those who entered their territory with ill intentions.

The rumor of the group alone still didn't stop unwanted criminal activity within the Street and within the last six months the boys had noticed an increase in such activity.

The main things they had to always deal with were drug usage which often led to a variety of other problems and missing persons. It wasn't unusual for people to go missing but when Takeshi had noticed two young girls being dragged away against their will by a man they'd never seen on the Street before, suspicions were raised.

With the Nameless Street being a place for those who had no home, no identity, no one to turn to or miss them, it was a prime spot for human traffickers to find resources without anyone asking questions.

What ever networks these people had they soon knew the Nameless Street was the perfect spot to make their hunting grounds. Since Takeshi's run in with the stranger more and more abductors seemed to find their way into their home.

Even though the boys did an excellent job stopping such abductions it still wasn't enough to deter the traffickers for long. A constant war was happening between the two without any end in sight.