Chapter Text
Walking out of the gates and into the busy streets of the Ground, 13 year old Zanka Nijiku started on his journey.
Whispers he had long grown used to stretched around him, all about how he was the youngest son of the Nijiku Family.
“What a spoiled brat, his parents probably bribe the teachers so he can pass his tests,”
“Bet he doesn’t know how it’s like to go hungry for even one day.”
“Nepo baby.”
Zanka couldn’t afford to lose his temper in public. His family wouldn’t approve.
Their reputation was more important than Zanka was in their eyes.
He had been on his way to the dojo to train, the usual commotion filling the streets as he pushed through the crowd.
He rushed as the time got closer and closer to 3PM, not wanting to be late once again.
The last time he had been slightly off time to the dojo, his parents had been called. He had to listen to his father’s scolding and had to endure his sister’s training for longer without breaks.
He hoped that wouldn’t happen again. His sister, Kyouka, had the most frightening glare ever.
If you weren’t used to seeing her, you’d think she absolutely hated you!
Zanka was already getting beaten by Hyo, he couldn’t afford to be yelled at again!
His family would be so disappointed..
Sometimes Zanka wished he could’ve been born into a different family.
But that was just when he was being silly! He would train hard and become the strongest Hell Guard one day! Then his parents would be proud of him.
Shouting in the distance pulled him out of his thoughts. Normally, in this part of town, nobody would dare to have a street fight with the Hell guards so nearby.
But it didn’t seem like they were on patrol near here today. It wouldn’t hurt him if he followed the sound, right? What could possibly happen? He let his curiosity get the best of him.
Walking through the darker area of town, he noticed the pollution seemed to be worse there. Breathing through the fabric of his shirt, he continued following the commotion.
What he saw was not at all what he’d been expecting.
A young boy, most likely around Zanka’s age, stood over 2 bodies on the floor. His short, black wicks resting on his shoulders. He looked had been badly injured, with his nose bleeding and his lip busted.
Was he the one who had knocked out all those punks? There was no way..
Zanka squinted in the dark, trying to see if there was more people with him. There was not.
“やあ..これをしましたか” Zanka asked cautiously, not wanting to risk fighting someone who potentially could have taken down 2 boys who were clearly more muscular.
He looked confused before answering.
“I speak English.” the boy said, scratching the back of his neck. His hands had 5 silver rings on each of them, all covered in blood. They desperately needed cleaning.
Focusing on what the boy said, he realised that he didn’t understand Japanese. Thankfully, he had been taught English in Hell Guard Academy.
“Oh, sorry. Were you the one who knocked these people out?” Zanka asked, indicating with his finger towards the bodies laying on the ground.
“Mhm. They were a bunch of all bark no bite losers. Didn’t seem like they had any experience fighting at all, if you ask me.”
Zanka was still in shock that one young boy could take out 2 older boys. This has to be a miracle! There was no way he was stronger than him, right?
Well, even if he was, it wouldn’t be so bad. He could fight him and eventually get stronger.
Hey, that’s a good idea!
“Hey..Do you maybe..” Zanka fidgeted with his fingers nervously, clearing his throat. “Wanna train..together?”
Zanka had never asked anyone to train with him. Of course, he did train with Kyouka and Goka, but that was always extreme and forced. ‘Maybe it could help me get stronger.’ He thought to himself, waiting for an answer.
“I mean..Sure i guess. I don’t see why not.” the boy at last replied.
“Oh- Okay! I’m Zanka. What’s your name?” After exchanging information and choker blood, he learned that the boys name was Jabber. Jabber Wonger.
“Do you need help with your injuries?” Zanka asked, realising he was still bleeding. “Nah, im good.” Jabber dismissively told him, shrugging it off.
Zanka sighed, pulling a mini medkit out of his Hell Guard uniform pocket anyways.
“i said im fine.” “Yer clearly not. Roll your sleeve up.”
“Fine,” Jabber hesitantly replied, lifting his sleeves up to reveal a bruise that was deepening in colour.
Taking a bandage out of his kit, he carefully wrapped it around the injured area. After he was done dealing with the arm, his gaze anchored to Jabbers lip. It was still bleeding. Pulling out his handkerchief, he carefully but firmly pressed it against the bleeding area. It took a while, but the bleeding eventually stopped. “Make sure not to eat anything that could hurt your lip more, okay?” Zanka advised, not wanting him to injure himself further.
Jabber did not answer back to that.
Zanka took his silence as a yes, removing the cloth and standing up.
After talking a little more, Jabber told him that he was 14. Apparently, he used to fight a lot with kids at his old school, that’s why he was so good at it. Zanka believed him, he did fight at his own school after all. Parting ways, Zanka stepped out of the dim alleyway and into the light. What was he supposed to be doing again? Checking the time on a nearby shop windows clock from inside, it read 2:56PM.
Uh oh.. Zanka was going to be late to the dojo!
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Zanka, who had just gotten a scolding, finally lay in bed after a long day.
In school, they had learnt about what Givers were, and what they did. Apparently, Givers get so attached to an object to the point where it takes a part of their own soul.
They were told that being too attached to an inanimate object was unhealthy and dangerous, talking down on Givers.
Zanka knew if he ever became one he’d most likely get his jinki ripped out of his hands and broken by his family. He would never become a Giver. He’d make his family proud.
He’d prove that he was a worthy Hell Guard.
Then he thought about Jabber.
Remembering their plans for the next day, Zanka made the decision to get some rest. Of course, he’d take a shower before that. Turning on the cold water, he let it cool his muscles and wash off the grime on his body. He ignored the scratches on his arm. He always has. If his family were to find out about them, he’d be yelled at for being weak. Hurting yourself was weak. Zanka wasn’t weak, though. He wouldn’t show his weaknesses.
After he finally was done, he slipped on his t-shirt and shorts.
He dried his hair, then cleaned his bathroom. Dropping the towel into the laundry basket, he returned to his bed. Before he slept, he had to make sure everything was neat. He didn’t want the inspection report to be bad. He always passed, and he always will. Tidying the room, he placed the dust sweeper back down and finally settled under his covers. It had been a long day, he deserved rest.
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After his evening class, where he had learnt about how to react if there is more than one person against you in a fight, he tapped on his choker to contact Jabber.
“Hey, Jabber.”
“Yoo, Zanka! I found this sick place for fighting, you gotta check this out!”
“Where is it?”
Given the directions, Zanka ended up inside of a discreet abandoned building away from any other place. Once he entered, he found Jabber waiting for him there with his legs hanging from a broken fridge flipped on its side.
“Right, before we do this, just make sure not to kill me.”
Zanka thought about how stupid he was to actually agree to meet up with some random street kid in such a shady place. Eh, whatever.
“My man, Zanka! Let’s start fighting now! Don’t hold back on me, alright?” Jabber insisted, stretching his arms and twisting his neck that made a loud pop. That was definitely not healthy.
“Tch. Of course i won’t hold back.” Zanka said, insulted somebody would even think that.
“Alright, 3..2..1..Start!”
Given the signal, they both springed into action. Zanka parried Jabbers fist to the side with one arm, punching his abdomen with the other. A small grunt escaped from Jabbers lips, but he quickly recovered, dodging another attempt of a punch by Zanka.
Seeing an opening, Jabber leaped forward, his fist crashing into Zanka’s stomach.
Despite this, Zanka got up and continued fighting. Jabber was hit with an array of attacks directed towards his face, only managing to dodge a few close attempts. Jabber recovered once again, using all his strength to make sure this hit would land. A hard punch straight to Zanka’s face.
He stumbled back, his jaw clenched. Jabber knew if he didn’t act now, he might not get another opening. Pouncing on top of Zanka, they both crashed to the floor. Jabber held his arms while his legs kept Zanka onto the ground.
“I win!” Jabber exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face.
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For several weeks, they continued with their fighting sessions. Jabber always ended up gaining the upper hand and winning, much to Zanka’s dismay.
Some days they would even go out to eat together after beating eachother up. Zanka wondered why Jabber never looked like his injuries were treated the next day, of course making Zanka play nurse and fix him up. He always spotted different injuries Zanka himself had not inflicted. It always irritated Zanka. Why?
Zanka began to admire Jabber, it definitely was not anything else. As they spent more time together, his feelings morphed into something he himself did not recognise. It was a mix of jealousy, admiration and..something else.. mixed into one.
“Hey, Zanka? Wanna go to eat again? I’m so hungry..” Jabber complained, holding his hands behind his back. “Yeah, sure! Where to?” Zanka asked, stomach already growling from the mention of food.
“I know this good place downtown, i’ll lead you there!”
Jabber grabbed a hold of Zanka’s hand and started running towards the busier part of the town. They ran together, hand in hand, laughing. The sun hit Jabbers skin, making him look almost ethereal. Zanka’s heart skipped a beat. ‘What the hell..’
The place looked decent enough, the lights could stay on, they had real food, and didn’t smell like utter shit. That was good. Sitting down across from Jabber, they both began to look through the menu for what they would like to order.
Zanka decided to get some simple ramen, while Jabber ordered spicy chicken. In the wait for their food, they chatted about random things. Zanka noticed Jabber would always twist the rings on his fingers when he was excited about something or talking about something he liked.
Eventually, the smell of spice filled the air. The food was handed to them by the waitress, who left as quickly as she came.
They sat in comfortable silence, both enjoying their meal. Once they were done, Zanka paid for the meal. Thankfully, his parents had given him an allowance for passing his last test.
They both left the restaurant together, talking about their plans for tomorrow.
“Oh, yeah! Tomorrow is weapon selection, im sure i’ll get the coolest one! Unless Hyo beats me to it..” Zanka exclaimed, muttering the last part.
Jabber listened, until he realised the sun setting.
“Sorry, dude. Gotta get back home, don’t want my mom getting angry again. Cya tomorrow!” He ran off into the distance, leaving Zanka alone in the streets.
Zanka stood in place until Jabber was fully out of view, and started his journey back home.
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Hyo had done exactly what he had expected, she chose a simple katana.
Now, it was Zanka’s turn to choose.
His eyes were drawn to a wooden staff on the table, something in him telling him to choose it. it look almost like it was calling to him..
Reaching for the staff, he held it in his hand. it fit between his fingers perfectly, like it was specifically designed for him. A warm feeling bloomed in his chest, something he didn’t know what to call.
——————————
Sitting in that well, all he could think about was how his family would react.
He thought that maybe the staff would turn out to be something cool. It wasn’t. It was a mistake made by the school.
It wasn’t even supposed to be on the picking table. How that that his fault? He should get a retry. This wasn’t fair.
Sitting in that well, he hoped to just starve to death rather than relive his embarrassment.
“Hey, kid, why the hell are you down there?”
———————
“This is Semiu, our receptionist! Just give her a second to use her jinki.”
The woman’s eyes glowed a bright yellow, with her glasses also glowing.
“He’s got no bad intentions. Let’s have a meeting with Boss about this when he’s back,” Semiu stated, her eyes already turning back to what she had been reading.
Zanka had been rescued from that well by cleaners. The 2 of them found him in the well, already half dead. Their names were Enjin and Riyo.
They drove him out to a city hours away, where he was now staying until he could meet their boss. Then he would know if he was welcome or not.
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The Boss seemed to be a nice guy, surprisingly. He accepted Zanka into the cleaners, so here he was now, lying on his bed. His mind drifted through countless thoughts, settling on one.
Jabber.
Where was he? What was he doing? Why did he never call Zanka?
Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try now would it?
Tapping on his choker, he contacted Jabber.
The first call didn’t go through.
Maybe he just didn’t pick up on time? He would try again. No answer.
It could have just been a missed call, right?
3rd times a charm, as they say!
No. Answer.
Jabbers choker was broken. That was the only conclusion Zanka came up with. Either broken or lost.
Zanka had no way of communicating with Jabber. He moved over 6 hours away from where they lived, had no choker connection and had no idea where Jabber even was. Chances are, he’d never see him again.
Zanka had learned to not get attached from family, so it wouldn’t be too hard to forget about Jabber. He had only known him for a few months after all.
……..
He already missed Jabber.
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Walking down the narrow street, Cthoni stealthily slipped into the antique shop that had been reported to be selling one of the Watchman Series items. The rumours could’ve been false, but Zodyl sent her anyways. Guess he just wanted to test his luck. His obsession with the Watchman Items was getting out of hand.
Once inside, she immediately began searching for the item Zodyl expected her to find in this store. After searching for over an hour, she concluded that there was nothing of the sort there at all.
Grabbing her bag, she rushed out of the doorway into the quiet streets of the Ground.
Silence stretched, until she heard the sound of a loud cry.
Something in her gut told her to go follow the noise, and after contemplating for a while, she decided to do so. Going off course for a mission for a few minutes wouldn’t get her in any trouble, right? It may have just been some random kids, or traffickers.
The scene was much different from what she had imagined it to be. A young boy, most likely a teenager, was standing over a woman’s body. Tears cascaded down his cheeks.
When he saw Cthoni standing there, his face twisted in fear and panic. He sprang to his feet, already activating Mankira.
“Calm down. I’m not here to hurt you.”
Tapping her choker, she contacted Zodyl.
“Have you found the Watchman Series Piece yet?” Zodyl asked, his stern voice over the choker. “No. Something else.”
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After a raider meeting, Jabber was accepted as one of their own.
Mankira, which he had hidden from Zanka knowing the Hell Guard disliked Givers, was useful for his acceptation.
Now, he was apart of the raiders.
And there was no turning back.
There were a few other members that he could remember the names of. Bundus, Noerde, Fuu (although Jabber only really cared about Hii), Momoa and of course Cthoni. She was who saved him. He wouldn’t forget that.
Even though there was so many new people here, none of them were Zanka. His choker had been taken by the Raiders, probably so they knew he couldn’t contact anyone, meaning he couldn’t talk to Zanka.
Oh, how he missed those blue eyes. He always noticed how Zanka would look at him, a blush almost always creeping onto his face when Jabber would tease him. He remembered the way he would light up when he got a hit on Jabber.
He missed him.
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Zanka considered Team Akuta as his family. Riyo was a better sister than Kyouka could ever be. Although Rudo was annoying, he was much better than Goka. Then, there was Enjin. He was like a father to Zanka. He would constantly look up to him.
Time had passed. Zanka was now 17 years old and Rudo was recently dropped down from the Sphere. Nobody knew how he had survived, and for some reason of why Enjin was even in a No Mans Land.
Zanka was set to go onto another mission with Rudo and a few other supporters. Apparently, the reports said they had ‘found another spherite they want to help.’
Of course, it was a trap. More specifically, a trap planned by the Raiders. They were a group who were very ‘interested’ in the Cleaners since rumours spread about them keeping a Spherite.
Zanka split ways with the rest of the group, countering some mud girl and a bald guy with weird ass shoes.
After some time of bashing the mud statues faces in, he noticed that the bald guy could get across the floor because of his shoes.
“Aww! That’s why he’s your partner! He can walk through the mud! What a cute couple,” Zanka said mockingly.
After learning the pattern, he thudded Lovely Assistaff against the ground to see where bald guy was coming next.
Safe to say, he won after that.
“Damn, i thought they’d be stronger.”
“You’ll be just as easy.”
In one swift motion, Mankira swiped across Zanka’s shoulder. Pain tore through his body, immobilising him.
‘What the hell?!’ Zanka thought to himself, caught off guard.
“You might not be able to move for a while, have fun!” the boy said, skipping off into the distance.
‘Who was that..?’
Zanka noticed the familiar hot pink eyes he had stared into countless times before in the past.
It had to be a coincidence. There was no way Jabber had joined the Raiders, right?
He should stop thinking about him. Probably a coincidence. No, it was DEFINITELY a coincidence.
Thinking back to his current situation instead of Jabber, he realised he couldn’t even move. He grit his teeth in pain, trying to get his limbs to work.
It was no use.
Zanka had been through poison resistance classes in the Hell Guard Academy before, making his recovery time quicker than others.
He’d just have to wait there for a while.
—————————
“Don’t crash out on me, but i think he’s already dead.” Rudo’s vision blurred with held back tears, ready to punch the freaky dreadlocks man. He had killed Gris. As Delmon would say, that was unforgivable.
Activating the object, it turned into a large eye. It stood behind Rudo, glowing red. The eye could sense hostile intent and direct it away from the target, because of Gris praying that no harm would be caused to anyone at all.
It would eventually tire the raider out, unless he could find a way to bypass it. Rudo didn’t expect that to happen.
Of course it did.
The raider had poisoned himself, all hostile intent leaving his mind.
Just as Rudo was about to get beaten, Zanka showed up.
“You leave me..Just to beat on him?!”
Zanka said, anger flooding his system.
Jabber was still out of it, carelessly trying to capture Rudo. “Hey..Rudo, I’ve got a plan. Be a good student and let me hit you!” Zanka said, already preparing to strike him.
———————————
They had managed to land a few hits on the raider, but seemingly not enough to knock him out. Zanka had been poisoned again, while the raider was carrying Rudo. “Bye-bye, Zanka!” the raider yelled, while skipping away with Rudo.
‘Wait..How does he know my name?’
Zanka thought to himself, trying to remember if any of the cleaners had called him that while he was near.
They hadn’t.
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Boss man Zodyl had assigned Jabber another mission; Capture the spherite!
‘This wouldn’t be so hard, right?’
Jabber thought to himself, humming a song as he waited for the cleaners to fall into their trap.
Wandering around in the old building they decided to use to fight the cleaners in, he spotted one of them. Finally! Looked like he had just beaten the mud lady.
Walking up behind him, he whispered into the guys ear.
“You’ll be just as easy.”
The blue eyed boy froze, giving Jabber the perfect chance to poison him.
Hold on..
Blue eyes? Weird eyebrows? There was no way that was Zanka, right?
It couldn’t be. Hell Guards hated Givers, so how would it be him? Using the context clues, he came up with one good reason. Zanka turned into a Giver, his family disowned him, and now he was with the Cleaners!
Although some of his points were off, it was close enough to the truth.
“You might not be able to move for a while, have fun!” Jabber said, while running off to find the spherite boy.
He spotted the group next to the exit, knowing boss would be angry if he let them get away, he approached them.
His terrible sense of direction didn’t help, seeing them already close to the escape. Damn, this place was huge..
———————
The spherite boy had a huge eye defending him, with Jabber soon realising that it could only detect and move hostile intent. An idea popped into his mind. ‘What if i poison myself, so it can’t detect my hostile intent? Woah, that’s smart!’ Lifting up his hand, he stabbed the claws into himself.
The rest was a blur.
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Once the poison wore off, he found Zanka already about to hit him. When did he get here? “Oh, hey! it’s mr. bad attitude!” The metal of Lovely crashed down onto him, forcing him to stab himself with his claws again to relieve the pain of it. Unluckily for Zanka, Jabber swiped at his arm and poisoned him yet again.
With Zanka writhing on the ground in pain, Jabber took it as a chance to capture the spherite.
“Bye-bye, Zanka!” he yelled, before skipping off into the distance. He hoped he could see Zanka again. He hoped Zanka recognised him.
———————————
There was no way it could be HIS Jabber, right? Well, it would make sense for him to have been recruited by the raiders. He had a natural talent for fighting, Zanka knew that from when they would train together when they were younger.
But would Jabber really accept that offer? Something must’ve happened for him to do something like that..
Zanka’s mind drifted towards different possibilities, until his thinking was cut short by a banging at his door.
“Hey, Zanka! Open the door!” Riyo’s voice filled his head, slightly startling him. Pushing himself up from the bed, he made his way towards the enterence of his room.
Unlocking it and pushing it open, he was met with three pairs of eyes. “Hey, Zanka. We’re going to a festival, you wanna join?” Enjin asked, cigarette still between his lips. “Yeah! i promise it’ll be fun!” Riyo exclaimed, desperately trying to convince Zanka to tag along.
“Well, who else is going?”
“Eishia, Me, Enjin, Gris and Rudo!” If Enjin was going, it couldn’t be childish.
“Fine, i’ll come. What’s so fun about a festival anyways?”
“THEY HAVE CANDY!!!” Rudo yelled, practically shaking the whole room with his love for sweets. ‘What an idiot.’
Gris, who had just walked beside them with Eishia, began to speak, “Alright, guys. Let’s go. I’m driving, not Enjin.”
Enjin slipped into the front passenger seat while Gris sat in the drivers seat, adjusting the rear view mirror.
Zanka, Riyo, Eishia and Rudo slipped into the backseats. Zanka was pressed against the window as Rudo sat beside him, with Riyo leaving the most space for Eishia.
As the cars engine rumbled to life, almost everyone instantly fell asleep. Damn, Gris’s driving was slow.
When they reached the festival, all Zanka could remember was the fun they all had. Most was a haze.
Something he did remember was Rudo falling face first into the ground, dropping his ice-cream. ‘Serves him right..’
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