ADVENTURES OF THE STAR SQUAD: PILOT (PART 1)

CHAPTER 2

Ichika quickly checked the contents of the bag to make sure she had gotten everything she needed.

Two carrots, one sweet potato, a bunch of nira (garlic chives), some mizuna (Japanese mustard greens) and five tomatoes. All that had totalled 100¥.

Ichika kept up her quick pace, aware that it was unsafe to be outside in this area at this time of the day to begin with. It was a bad part of town, and it had the unfortunate luck of being a shortcut to her flat.

The streets were not crowded, but neither were they very packed. Seijin of all kinds walked about, either out for a few rounds of bar-hopping or simply just using the shortcut to get home as well. None of the more seedy humans messed with them.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean they wouldn't mess with fellow humans just because they lived or passed through the same area.

The young man's timing couldn't have been worse. He reeked so badly of alcohol it was as if he had bathed in it, and the many chains wrapped around his hips clacked like hungry scorpions. The look on his face was a mix of intoxication and lecherous glee.

Ichika could barely keep from wrinkling her nose as she stepped aside to let him pass. She was engrossed in making sure she had everything she needed and didn't see the man throw his arm out to stop her until she suddenly grabbed a nearby lamp post to keep herself from falling face-first on the ground.

Shit, she cursed.

The man turned to look at her. "Hello there, beautiful. What do you say to a night to ourselves, eh"?

Ichika barely looked at him. "I have a daughter at home. Let me leave".

The guy wasn't letting up. "Come on, you know you want this".

"Look, sir, I'm sorry, but I have a young daughter at home, and she needs dinner", Ichika replied as calmly as she could. "I have to go now. Perhaps you should go yourself. Your folks would be worried to see you out so late as well".

"Nah, I don't live with them now", he slurred, and Ichika flinched when she felt his hand go up her back. "Wanna come over to my place instead"?

Ichika shook off his hand wearily. "I'm sorry, but no. I don't have the time to either".

She hoped that was it. That would be the end of the conversation, and she could go home and cook for her little daughter, who by now was probably wondering where her mother was.

What she hadn't fully expected, however, was for this inebriated excuse of a man to suddenly pull a knife on her.

"Fine then"! he suddenly shouted, eyes red with hate. "You ugly, rude dog-fucked bitch! Die die die"!

And with that, he begin stabbing the blade rapidly, but his drunken self could barely land a hit. Ichika scooted out from under him and ran, almost crashing into a group of partygoers before the worst happened.

She slipped on a puddle and fell.

Hard cement hit her cheek and she felt her hands burn with the sudden force of hitting the tarmac. The one moment of shock was all her assailant needed, however, and she felt a boot stomp down on her midriff, forcing her on her back.

"Any last words, bitch"? he growled.

Ichika was breathing hard, trying to at least think of a way to incapacitate her assailant. Anger speared her chest and for a moment, she felt hopeless as well. Was this seriously how she was going to go out? Being jackknifed by some drunkard in this garbage chute of a town?

Just as her assailant was about to plunge the knife in, a dark arm shot out and grabbed him by the neck, choking him and pulling him off Ichika. She got up and shook her head, barely avoiding the same dark arm as it grabbed the lamp post behind for balance. In a few minutes, the drunkard was laid out cold on the pavement, and the silhouette the dark arms belonged to was panting hard.

"A...Arigato kusaimas", she uttered, padding forward slowly and looking for her vegetables. The silhouette gently pushed something against her chest, and she grabbed ahold of it.

"It landed beside me when you fell", the silhouette replied in a smooth, deep masculine voice. "You have a fine penchant for quality, ma'am".

"Thanks, I... its for my daughter", Ichika replied bashfully.

"Would you prefer I walk you home"? he replied, casting the night sky a forlorn look. Ichika took note of his features: Slanted yellow eyes, silvery skin and a neck shaded in red.

"A kind offer, but I can get home myself", Ichika replied.

"The rest of the street from here will get more dangerous from here onwards", the silhouette replied. "I'll follow you, at least".

"How do I know you won't try anything funny with me"? Ichika asked him.

The silhouette merely tilted his head. "I have better things to do with my life than preying on defenseless women doing their best to make sure their children are fed".

He paused, then added. "We're all human at the end of the day, and even I can tell you have suffered badly".

Ichika gave him a small smile. "I guess I can't say no then".

The silhouette merely replied. "You can say no at any time. I can only do my duty as a human being".

That having been said, they continued down the street, leaving the drunkard to be picked up by the cops the next morning.