Chapter Text
Zanka kept living.
He kept working, fighting the trash beasts, talking with the other Cleaners—just… living.
But the fire inside him never faded. It burned quietly.
He wanted to prove that he was capable of more. Even though, in truth… he had been proving that his entire life.
But when Jabber appeared, that fire turned into a wildfire.
Jabber was a genius.
And Zanka had to defeat a genius.
Pretty easy, right?
Yet fate seemed determined to turn against him.
Every single time the Raiders appeared—Zanka wasn’t there.
The first time, Enjin, Riyo and Rudo happened to be in a nearby town, helping the residents clean up after a massive trash storm that had swept through the area.
The Raiders showed up there too.
And of course, it ended in a fight.
Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. In the end, it felt less like a planned attack and more like an unfortunate coincidence that escalated into a clash.
Zanka nervously tapped his foot against the floor as he listened to Enjin’s report. All the Cleaners had gathered in the main hall.
There was the guy with the mechanical arms. The girl with the manhole covers. The girl with the electric hair.
And Jabber.
He had been there.
The moment Zanka heard his name leave Enjin’s lips, he abruptly stood up from his seat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
It simply didn’t make sense to him.
How could Enjin, Riyo, and Rudo stand against all of them?
Especially with Jabber there.
Honestly, Zanka was shocked that no one had come back with serious wounds… or a dose of poison in their blood.
Enjin seemed to understand exactly what Zanka wanted to ask and answered before he even spoke.
“Jabber didn’t fight.”
What?
Zanka froze.
Didn’t fight? That freak who was obsessed with pain—and he didn’t fight?
He didn’t believe it.
“Yeah… I was surprised too,” Enjin admitted. “But he just stood off to the side and watched us. Honestly, the whole thing felt more like some kind of group training match… though they clearly meant to kill us. Anyway, it’s not important.”
And just like that, the topic was closed.
Zanka had no choice but to keep living.
Killing monsters.
Training even harder.
Talking with the others.
Going on missions.
Sleeping.
Until it happened again.
They ran into the Raiders once more, and Zanka wasn’t there again.
And Jabber was.
And once again—
He didn’t fight.
What the hell was going on?
Why wasn’t he fighting the other Cleaners?
Why wasn’t he fighting at all?
Zanka was completely baffled.
And then it happened again.
“Doesn’t it bother anyone that Jabber just… stands there and watches?” Zanka finally asked the others.
“To be honest… I’m pretty surprised myself,” said Rudo, who had already fought that guy before.
“Works better for us. Fewer problems,” Riyo said with a casual shrug.
“Does it really bother you that much?” Tamsy asked curiously.
“Well… I’m just worried he might be planning something. That’s all,” Zanka replied quickly.
Apparently… he was the only one who was actually concerned about it.
Weeks passed, and there was no sign of the Raiders, until one day, Zanka went on a mission with Riyo.
They were only supposed to gather information from a local merchant who had seen a strange trash beast. But among the hundreds of people milling around the various stalls, Zanka saw him.
And he saw Zanka in return.
The world seemed to stop.
He reached for his Lovely Assistaff, which immediately set Riyo on edge.
She was about to grab her scissors, but Zanka stopped her with a hand.
“I’ve got this,” he said coldly, following Jabber as the Raider slipped out of the crowd, beckoning him along.
“Warn the others,” he quickly added as he trailed him.
He led him away from the crowd, into a more open space.
Finally, the day had come.
Zanka had to confront what he had achieved—and maybe, today, he would finally defeat Jabber.
“Why did you make me wait so long, Zan Zan? It was unbearable without you,” Jabber began, his voice playful, yet tinged with a hint of sadness.
Zanka assumed his stance.
They were on the outskirts of the city, the air clean enough to go without masks. There was no one around.
He said nothing and lunged.
Jabber’s Mankira gleamed as their vital instruments clashed with a thunderous force.
They were incredibly close, their strength locking them in place, neither able to move.
“I missed you so much, Princess! I missed you!” the Raider moaned, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Adrenaline surged through the Cleaner, leaving only one thought in his mind: Jabber.
He was fighting. He saw Zanka as a worthy opponent. He had been waiting.
Zanka would show him a real fight.
They spun in a whirlwind of dust, the distant clashing of claws against Lovely Assistaff echoing faintly.
Zanka fought to take control, attacking Jabber with relentless intensity while dodging the Raider’s dangerous claws.
“Whoa! So you missed me too, Zanka!” his opponent laughed, throwing his head back.
He was enjoying it.
And honestly… so was Zanka. He felt the thrill of fighting at full strength, pushing himself to his limit.
Jabber struck him in the stomach, knocking him off balance, but there was no time to rest. Using the momentum, Zanka planted his vital instrument on the ground, spun around it, and struck Jabber in the jaw with his foot.
Jabber hit the ground but continued laughing.
Zanka grabbed Lovely Assistaff, pressing the top against his opponent’s throat. The spikes dug dangerously into the thin skin.
“I knew you were perfect for me, My Princess,” Jabber whispered, raising his hands toward Zanka’s face.
Zanka pressed a little harder, a small trickle of blood appearing on Jabber’s neck—a warning shot.
But the guy didn’t stop.
Masochistic bastard.
His clawed hands carefully gripped Zanka’s cheeks, pulling him closer.
They were dangerously close.
Zanka could feel Jabber’s breath on his cheek. His pink eyes locked onto Zanka’s blue ones.
“I’ve gotta give it my all too, man… then we can really have some fun together. You want this just as much as I do, don’t you, Zanka?” he said, letting the name roll off his tongue like it belonged only to him.
The smile never left his face.
They froze in that position.
Zanka knew Jabber wouldn’t dare pierce him with those claws—not now. Because the instant he did, a spike would jab into Jabber’s own neck.
“Take your hands off me,” he hissed.
“Mmm,” the Raider moaned, his eyes gleaming even brighter, and Mankira shifted into its true form, growing several times larger.
With a single, fluid motion, like a move from breakdance, Jabber tossed Zanka off and took his stance.
Neither of them realized they were being watched.
Riyo stood on a nearby rooftop with Enjin, Gris and Tommy, who was scribbling frantically in her notebook, trying to analyze the fight.
Honestly, Riyo hadn’t noticed Jabber at first. But when Zanka had suddenly left, she immediately contacted the others. Now, the four of them were watching from above.
With his enormous claws, Jabber was practically tearing everything apart around him.
“I didn’t know he could do that…” she commented, staring at the change in the Raider’s vital instrument.
“I’m more worried that he’s actually decided to start fighting—and for some reason, it’s Zanka he’s going after,” Enjin said nervously, tapping his foot.
He had been unnerved by the moment when Jabber, lying under Zanka’s Jinki and seemingly at a disadvantage, had reached for Zanka’s face with his claws.
Enjin had wanted to intervene immediately, but…
Zanka handled it perfectly on his own. And…
It seemed like Zanka didn’t mind? He didn’t pull away. Could it mean he had everything under control?
Gris patted him on the shoulder, hinting that he should relax.
The two of them were moving incredibly fast now, and Enjin could see how Zanka had broken Jabber’s arm, only for Jabber to slam him into the ground a few times in retaliation.
Wait.
Is that… blood?
Enjin suddenly stepped closer to the edge of the building, trying to get a better view of what was happening, but the smoke rising from the fight blocked his vision.
Zanka sat on the ground, clutching his arm, which had been pierced almost through by Jabber’s claws.
He was bleeding profusely.
And if Jabber had touched you, it could only mean one thing.
His head was spinning.
The Raider was practically laughing nonstop.
“Oh man! That was just… amazing!” Jabber said, moving closer to the Cleaner and sitting down opposite him.
He held his broken arm with his other hand and bit his lip, enjoying the way Zanka slowly started losing touch with reality.
“Too bad I didn’t bring anything stronger today… How was I supposed to know I’d meet you, Princess?” he said, sounding almost disappointed.
“Idiot,” Zanka replied.
The Raider reached for his face again.
Zanka grabbed his stick, pressing it toward Jabber’s face in a clear threat.
Why did this guy always have to reach for his face?
“Come on, Princess… let me…” Jabber said, carefully moving Lovely Assistaff aside as he leaned closer.
“Stop calling me that.”
The pain in Zanka’s arm flared as more blood began to flow. He lowered his vital instrument and pressed his hand against the wound to stop the bleeding, all while Jabber watched him closely.
He didn’t understand why no hostility seemed to radiate from him.
The claws vanished, and cold hands with even colder rings tangled into his hair.
Zanka’s view was blocked by the Raider’s dreadlocks as he was pulled into an embrace.
“I’ll be ready next time,” Jabber whispered into his ear.
“How beautiful you are, Zanka…” his words grew increasingly unintelligible.
Zanka was losing control from the drug.
His eyes slowly drifted shut.
But to fall asleep in the arms of your enemy?
No way.
He clung desperately, pushing the guy away.
But in response, Jabber grabbed Zanka’s hair, tugging and twisting it, sending a sharp pain shooting through his head.
Zanka couldn’t think straight. He didn’t realize that this “embrace” was really just the Raider’s way of letting a little of his own blood trickle carefully onto his choker.
“Get off me. Don’t touch me. I’ll… I’ll kill you…” Zanka had completely lost consciousness.
At that moment, Jabber pulled the choker he had received from the boss out of his pocket and pressed it against the wound on Zanka’s arm.
Drops of blood soaked into it.
From a distance, footsteps could be heard.
Jabber finally released the Cleaner and dashed toward the city at full speed, disappearing into the crowd.
Riyo and Enjin arrived first, and as soon as they saw their comrade, they sprang into action to tend to his injuries.
“Zanka, wake up! Hey!” Enjin called, his worry evident.
He could’ve sworn he saw Jabber’s silhouette embracing Zanka.
What the hell is even happening?
“Quick, let’s get him to Eishia!”
“Zanka, can you hear us?”
“Zanka—”
A sharp gasp tore from his chest.
Rudo, sitting nearby, jolted in surprise.
Seeing Zanka wake up, he ran to alert the others.
Everything in Zanka’s head was buzzing.
When he reached up to touch his head, he realized his hand was bandaged and throbbing slightly.
Ah… right.
Jabber.
That guy…
Zanka was completely confused by his opponent’s actions.
But he still hadn’t fully defeated him. It was not enough. He clenched his fists.
“Bastard…” the Cleaner whispered, remembering how those hands had been on his face, in his hair.
He felt stronger after fighting Jabber. He felt… special. But it was not enough.
He wanted to show Jabber what he was capable of.
But what did Jabber feel?
Was Zanka just another toy to him, something to play with until he was no longer useful, and then Jabber would kill him?
Then why…
Why didn’t Zanka want there to be another toy for him afterward?
He had to be the one to defeat Jabber.
It had to be him.
“Zanka, you’re alive!” Riyo exclaimed joyfully as she entered the room.
He returned to reality, setting his thoughts aside for the moment.
“You did well,” Enjin said, inspecting him with a smile.
The boy was happy to hear that.
“I was so worried…” Rudo suddenly said.
And just as Zanka was about to reassure him, representatives from Team Eager burst into the room, and Delmon shouted loudly:
“Zanka! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
Tamsy smiled as she saw him.
He didn’t like that everyone constantly worried about him.
That wasn’t what he wanted.
They didn’t stay long, trying to cheer him up (even though he didn’t really need it) until Eishia finally started shooting them out.
“Listen, Zanka… can we talk about something?” Enjin asked once everyone else had left, letting him rest.
“Yeah?”
Zanka hoped he was going to praise him.
But it was something else.
“How do you feel about… Jabber?” His face practically screamed embarrassment.
“What?” Zanka didn’t understand.
Feel?
“Well… I want to defeat him,” he answered.
Enjin sighed.
“Alright… never mind. Just… be careful when you fight him, okay? Don’t… lose your guard,” he said, then left, lighting a cigarette.
Enjin didn’t like that Jabber was targeting Zanka specifically.
Oh, he really didn’t like it.
He didn’t even wait for Zanka’s response.
And Zanka…
He felt a little sad that Enjin had said something like that.
He had already decided he would train harder… but.
Don’t lose your guard? Be careful?
It’s not like he was made of glass.
Zanka clenched the blanket in his fist.
Why did he hear more compliments from Jabber than from his own comrades…?
The thought flashed through his mind quickly, but it left a bitter aftertaste behind.
When would they acknowledge him the way Jabber did?
When would he finally reach that level of perfection?
When would he have done enough?
And what if that moment never came…
What if even Jabber stopped acknowledging him?
A wave of panic rose in his chest as the thought settled in.
“Zanka.”
He froze.
He would recognize that voice anywhere. There was only one person who dragged out his name like that—almost like a moan.
Zanka abruptly looked around the room.
No one.
Was he hallucinating?
“Zanka,” the voice repeated.
He lowered his head and realized the sound was coming from his choker.
Wait… what?
He touched it with his fingers.
“Oh, so you’re alive!”
Jabber must have sensed that Zanka was on the line.
“Princess, you did pretty well… My arm can’t do anything right now, man. And I love injecting stuff into that one…”
Zanka had no idea how to react.
How did Jabber’s blood end up in his choker?
How was he even calling him?
And more importantly…why?
“What do you want?” Zanka asked tensely.
“Oh come on, Zan-Zan! I’m lonely. Can’t I call you just to have a little heart-to-heart?”
After that, there was a rustling sound… followed by quiet, strained moans.
“What are you doing over there?” Zanka asked, uneasy at the noises.
“Mgh…! I’m just… a little high on something right now… and I think I underestimated how good this stuff feels.”
Zanka suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to throw his choker straight out the window.
“Wait a little longer… Mgh—! Damn… that feels so fucking good!”
Zanka had no idea why he hadn’t hung up yet.
“Zanka…”
That moan again.
A shiver ran through his body.
“I love it when you look at me like I’m nothing but trash under your feet… ah…”
“Fuck,” he whispered, feeling a strange tingling low in his body.
“Don’t leave me alone, Zan-Zan! I know you want it… Right! Next time I’ll try this on you too!” Jabber burst out laughing like a lunatic.
“Psycho.”
“Say it again.”
Zanka stayed silent.
“Oh, come on! Say my name… Or do you want me to praise you? I know you’d love that. Let’s do it together.”
Jabber was definitely not in his right mind right now. To be doing something like this…
With his enemy?
Zanka was ready to end it and finally cut the connection, but Jabber kept going.
“Only you can make me like this, Zanka… Just look at what you’ve done to me…”
His hand was still resting on the choker.
“I can’t fight anyone after you… it’s not enough… mgh.”
A rustle.
“I won’t tolerate anyone killing you before I do, Princess. I want to watch the life leave your body. Oh… I really want to see it.”
Jabber moaned again.
Zanka finally pulled his hand away.
The connection cut off.
But now he had another problem.
A far more intimate one.
His pants suddenly felt too tight.
Fuck.