Polo and Dreameh's fanfic RP... ;D Jimmy/Kougu [Probably mature]

For a moment Kougu just lay on the ground and panted, his head still spinning slightly. Even despite the smarting lashes on his back, he had to admit that bumpy, prickly grass had never felt quite so comfortable before. He could have fallen asleep right there. In fact, he may have been about to, until Jimmy's voice broke sarcastically through his thoughts.
“Nice one, genius.”
"Hm." Kougu offered a noncommittal grunt in response, cracking an eye open to see Jimmy lying down beside him. He watched as his friend took a drink from his water bottle, then blinked in surprise when it was offered to him. At first he didn't seem quite sure what to do - he still wasn't quite used to receiving acts of kindness, even such small ones - but when Jimmy ordered, “Sip that for a bit.”, Kougu reached out gratefully to obey. Before he could accept the bottle, however, Jimmy added, “Oh, and mate?” Kougu paused, looking up at him just in time for a jet of cold water to strike him right between the eyes. He grunted in surprise, quickly wiping it away and blinked wide-eyed at Jimmy. “That's for jabbing me. You have really sharp fingers, asshole.”
"Hey, I  could have used a closed fist!" He objected, but as Jimmy began to grin, Kougu felt his own lips curving slightly, too. "I was being gentle."
“Oh, and guess what.” Jimmy interjected, still grinning deviously. Kougu raised his eyebrows, only to be splashed with another squirt from the water bottle. “That was for funsies. Bite me.”
Kougu laughed despite himself, wiping the water away from his eyes, and threatened teasingly, "Do that again, and I just might." ((Awkward, Kougu. XD Good job, you poor innocent character.))
He made a snatch for the water bottle, but Jimmy snatched it out of reach, and his arm fell back to his side. Ordinarily, Kougu would have just accepted this, submissive as always, but something about that playful grin on Jimmy's face was bringing out a new side in him, and suddenly, he wasn't quite so willing to give in. With narrowed eyes, he made another grab, and when Jimmy yanked the bottle away again, Kougu scrambled onto his knees and pounced on him, quickly pinning him to the ground, then leaning over to snatch the bottle from his outstretched hand.
"Heh!" He gloated, flashing a victorious grin, and shaking the water bottle over Jimmy's head, "Got you."
Still half-kneeling on his friend's chest, Kougu lifted the bottle to his lips and took a few quick gulps, then wiped his mouth, and squirted it in Jimmy's face for revenge. Feeling immediately refreshed now that he was no longer dehydrated, he tossed the bottle casually back to Jimmy, then pushed back his soaking fringe and got to his feet, stretching his arms over his head. The sunlight glistened off the droplets of water sparkling on his black hair, and a subtle smile still lingered on his face. Though he didn't quite understand it, he was enjoying himself. And deep down, some little part of him was hoping desperately that the fun was not yet over. For a boy who had never quite learned how to be a child, fun and games were something strange and foreign, and yet as Jimmy slowly introduced them into his life, he found himself craving the rush of endorphins like some sort of hard drug.

“Do that again, and I just might.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?”Jimmy challenged, impressed by the fire in Kougu's eyes. He honestly looked ready for a play-fighting session. Even minutes after he'd nearly fainted.
Kougu reached up to take the bottle of water from him, but Jimmy didn't much fancy making things easy for him. Raising an eyebrow, he lifted the bottle out of Kougu's reach.
Kougu tried again. Jimmy raised the bottle further.
But what he didn't expect was for Kougu to jump on him. With a grunt, Kougu leapt onto his chest like a kangaroo, pinning him to the floor and leaving him in a shocked state, staring up at his friends with his eyes wide. He didn't see that one coming.
“Um...” He began, but nothing came to mind. He had nothing to say and no power over himself that he just allowed Kougu to take the bottle from him.
He watched stupidly as Kougu took a swig of the water, Jimmy's hands still flopped on the grass like he really didn't have any intention of moving, when suddenly, water splashed his face again. This seemed to wake him out of his daze, and he spluttered and spat out a mouthful of water, then glared at Kougu as he got up and stepped away. No way was Jimmy letting that one go.
His heart fluttered with a faint excitement that he couldn't explain, and before he knew it Jimmy had leapt to his feet and was chasing Kougu across the lawn, cold water trickling down his back. The feeling was wonderfully refreshing and he welcomed it, but now the game had started, he wasn't going to let it go until he won.
“Come here, you dick!” He jeered, then wrapped an arm around Kougu's neck to balance himself as he jumped across the man, reaching over him to grab the bottle. “Give it to me...” He said carefully, as if scolding a child. But the bottle remained out of reach. “Kougu... Give the bottle to me.”
His feet seemed to tangle with Kougu's as he realised he was no longer paying attention to his footing, and with a grunt he tripped back onto his backside, panting and sweating, soaked with the cold water trickling off his shoulders. At a first glance he looked like he'd given up.
Waving Kougu off with a flick of his hand, he flopped back onto his back, staring up at the late morning sun, and closed his eyes.
Then, with a twitch of his lips, he let his body go limp.
It's a risky shot, playing dead. But it works with animals, doesn't it?
He tried not to smile as he felt his hand flop to the grassand waited patiently for Kougu to come and see if he was alright. The minute he'd feel Kougu's breath looming over his body, he'd make his attack.
I'm ready for you, arsehole.

Kougu held his ground a moment, but when Jimmy leaped up and darted toward him, he jumped in surprise, and bolted away with a bark of laughter.
“Come here, you dick!” Jimmy demanded, and the very next moment, Kougu felt an arm swing around his neck, stopping him in his tracks.
“Give it to me...” Jimmy ordered, but Kougu just held the bottle up higher, actually using the fact that he was taller than Jimmy for once. "Get it yourself." He teased, lips splitting automatically into a devious grin.
“Kougu... Give the bottle to me.”
He stretched his arm up higher, and jiggled the bottle around tauntingly. "Nope."
The more Jimmy reached for it, the more Kougu pulled the bottle away, and soon enough, the two had become awkwardly tangled up to the point that Jimmy actually lost his balance and keeled over. Through it all, Kougu stood like a tree, the bottle still firmly clasped in his hand, and smirked smugly down at his friend. "Giving up already?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest as he watched Jimmy, who had now collapsed flat on his back, and stopped moving. Stopped moving... Entirely.
Slowly, Kougu's features creased into a frown. "Jimmy?" He asked, prodding his friend carefully with his foot, "Hey, are you alright?"
Baffled by Jimmy's sudden collapse, Kougu dropped to his knees in concern, a bubble of panic quickly inflating in his throat. But as he reached over to check Jimmy's pulse, the dead man suddenly leaped back to life, grabbing the bottle from his hand when he least expected it.
"Hey!" He objected, making a futile snatch for it, then scrabbling quickly away before Jimmy could soak him. "Ugh, that was a dirty trick!" He complained, finding his feet and darting backwards. He had barely taken two steps when his back hit the wall of the house, and he found himself cornered. For a moment his eyes widened in panic, thinking he'd lost the fight, but then he caught sight of something that was bound to turn the tables right around. With a grin, he reached out and snatched the rolled-up hosepipe from its hook on the wall, then pulled open the tap, and turned the hose full blast on Jimmy.

Kougu reacted exactly how Jimmy had predicted, and he was delighted to see the horror in his friend's face when Jimmy jumped to life, snatching the water bottle from his friend's grasp and scrabbling to his feet to chase after Kougu with a sadistic look in his eyes. He was prepared for victory, and there was no way Kougu was going to win this time.
“Ugh, that was a dirty trick!” Kougu complained, darting backwards like cornered prey.
“Au contraire,” Jimmy growled, raising the bottle threateningly. “I thought it was rather clever.”
Just as he thought he'd won the fight – and the victory was already getting him excited – Jimmy caught sight of something Kougu's hand had found behind him, and just then, Jimmy's eyes widened in horror.
No...
But there was no way. Not now, not when his luck had turned...
“Kougu...” he warned, eyes fixed on the hose as if his friend had just found a fully loaded AK-47 and was now pointing it in his direction. “Now Kougu, let's think about this for a mi-... Kougu, don't you dare shoot me with that hose.”
He began backing away, and soon enough the bottle dropped to the floor in his horror, forgotten.
“Don't you dare!”
But just as he said this, Kougu grinned deviously and turned on the tap of the hose, and as the water gushed violently out of the small tube, Kougu pointed the tip in Jimmy's direction.
It was too late to flee. Too late to even speak. Jimmy realised he'd lost the battle a long time ago.
He stood there, glaring, as the water spouted out onto his stomach, chest, and splashed up over his face. He tried feebly to protect himself with his hand, but it was no use. He accepted the attack with a stony glare, letting the cold water soak his white t-shirt and his jeans, causing his clothes to hang heavily on him.
“Urgh. That's not even funny.” He complained as he glanced down at himself, although he soon found himself chuckling. When he'd come to the States it had never occurred to him that he might spend his time being attacked by a hose pipe. “I'm gunna get you back for that one day, Mister.” He promised, shaking his head in amusement. He had to admit, it had been a very good move. And he'd thought he'd won.
Turning away, he slowly peeled off his shirt ((*cue stripper music* )) and rolled it up in a soggy ball. Then, aware that Kougu was still armed with the hose, tossed the sweaty, cold and wet shirt at Kougu's face and skipped backwards. He'd rather have been squirted with a hose pipe ((creepy, awkward little innuendo there, you're welcome. :3 )) than have a sweaty shirt thrown in his face, anyway.
“That was very good.” he admitted, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. Water droplets flicked back behind him. “Maybe you do have a sense of humour after all, mop head.” He teased, backing away to resist the hose pipe.

Jimmy's warnings, threats and objections were drowned out by the fierce hiss of running water as it burst from the end of the nose, drenching him entirely in seconds. At first he tried to shield himself with his hands, but soon enough he gave up and just stood there, allowing the hard jet of water to soak his clothes. Kougu received Jimmy's glare without flinching, then smirked as he leaned calmly over to turn off the tap. Like a samurai sheathing his sword, Kougu hung the hosepipe back up on the wall, coiled like a snake, and turned back to Jimmy just in time to hear him complain, “Urgh. That's not even funny.”
"Depends which side of the hose you're on." He shot back with a cheeky smile, starting to show a little nerve for once. Then, despite his earlier complaints, Jimmy chuckled, and Kougu was rewarded for his daring attack.
“I'm gunna get you back for that one day, Mister.” His friend promised, but Kougu just shrugged off the threats, intent now on trying to get the coils of hosepipe to stay on their hook. Since he'd disturbed them, they now seemed completely intent on falling. A few muttered curses later, he had coaxed some obedience out of the hose, and looked up at last to see Jimmy halfway out of his soaking shirt, his damp skin rippling over tense muscles where the shirt pulled away. In an instant, Kougu felt his stomach do a flip, and he shook his head as a sudden roar of blood deafened him to the rest of the world. Blinking in confusion, he reached for the hosepipe again, knocking down the stubborn coil, and turned it gently on, raising the end and dipping his lips into the stream of water. He drank just enough to moisten his dry mouth, then splashed some water over his face, trying to cool the burning sensation spreading from his cheeks to the backs of his ears. As he leaned over to turn the tap off again, something cold and damp struck his cheek with a dull 'splat'.
The moment the wet material touched his skin, Kougu jumped, dropping the hose and ripping Jimmy's shirt off his face, then holding it out in front of him with a totally bemused expression, as though trying to figure out how it had got there. It had a damp, salty smell, and though Kougu recognized it as the scent of fresh sweat, it hadn't yet begun to stink. Instead, it just smelled strongly of Jimmy, and though he would never admit it, that in itself was somewhat comforting.
"This is gross." He told his friend bluntly, holding it out as he turned off the tap at last, abandoning the hosepipe on the ground. "Don't go throwing weird things around..." He trudged over, and tossed the shirt loosely over Jimmy's head, "Seriously..."
“That was very good.” His friend admitted grudgingly, ignoring his threats and wiping away the sweaty shirt with the water from his head, “Maybe you do have a sense of humour after all, mop head.”
Apparently oblivious to the insult that seemed to have become his nickname, Kougu just shrugged, and smiled meekly - neither really agreeing or disagreeing with the claim. Maybe he had a sense of humour - somewhere, locked away. He wouldn't know, since in his life, there had never really been anything to laugh about. All the teasing and jesting, the silly games and playful threats; they had only just begun when Jimmy came along. Kougu didn't even know the side of himself that he was showing, but what he did know was that he liked it one hell of a lot better than any other side he'd showed the world so far.
"Come on." He said at last, rolling his shoulders to loosen the clinging sensation of the damp shirt sticking to his chest, "We still have some training to do, you know. I'm not letting you off just because you went and got yourself soaked." His eyes twinkled teasingly as he raised his hands, taking up his defensive stance. "Go on, then. I thought you were going to get me back?"

Jimmy jogged backwards, preparing himself to be chased around the garden, but Kougu didn't advance towards him. Instead, he remained stood by the hose, and started to loosen his arms and shoulders in a way that warned Jimmy of one thing, and it was probably worse than being chased around the garden.
More training.
“Come on.” Kougu told him with more seriousness than he would have liked. “We still have some training to do, you know. I'm not letting you off just because you went and got yourself soaked.”
“That's not fair.” Jimmy complained sulkily, shaking hi hands out before curling them into fists. “You soaked me, I didn't fall into the hose on my own.”
But Kougu was having none of it. Jimmy watched with a betrayed look on his face as his friend raised his fists into a defensive stance, preparing to fight.
“Go on, then. I thought you were going to get me back?”
That was a good point.
Enlightened by this new view of the situation, Jimmy's face lit up and he mirrored Kougu's stance, eyes narrowing deviously. Perhaps not today but one day he would seriously kick Kougu's arse for what he'd done to his poor shirt. Despite the shudders that took over every now and then due to his soaked, bare torso he was ready as ever to fight this man.
“Get ready.” He warned. “I turn into a real ninja when I'm angry.” he teased, obviously referencing back to his joke about Kougu a few days earlier. Then, with no more clues as to what his next move was, he struck Kougu on the shoulder – or at least tried o – and with switched roles, they continued their training until the middle of the day.


“Okay, okay. You win. Again.” Jimmy panted, collapsing on the grass with a loud sigh. The sun was now beaming down on his sweaty torso, but he was so tired he wasn't even embarrassed about being so exposed.
But the minute he fell, his stomach started to rumble, and he swore at the sky for making him so comfortable, but the animalistic urge to raid the fridge was stronger, and he dragged himself to his feet with a grunt.
“I'm making some lunch.” he said over his shoulder, picking up whatever was left of his water bottle as he headed to the door. “If you say please, I might make you some too.” He teased patronisingly, pausing at the door to shook Kougu a cheeky look from over his shoulder. He had to admit he was liking this 'new' Kougu he'd met today. He enjoyed the lightheartedness he could share and just his general company. It was... Pleasant, and it reminded Jimmy exactly why he'd befriended this man so long ago. Jimmy trusted him.
“And if you beg me, I mght put some ice cubes in your drink.”

“Get ready.” Jimmy retorted as he took up his stance, “I turn into a real ninja when I'm angry.” Kougu smiled in amusement at this, then made a 'come' gesture with his fingers, and replied, "Hurry up and show me then. I'm waiting."
And, true to his word, Jimmy launched a quick punch at Kougu's shoulder that was sure to bruise, then the two went on with their training, Kougu shielding himself from Jimmy's blows, his own blocking becoming more and more careful as the attacks grew stronger and more precise. He had to admit, although Jimmy's technique needed polishing - and even that was improving rapidly - the man had brute force to spare. Every hit he took made his teeth rattle in his skull, and by the end of it, Kougu felt like a chunk of tenderized meat. 
When Jimmy finally fell down at the end of it, Kougu let his tense shoulders drop, and winced at the soreness of his bruised muscles. Slowly, he dropped himself to the ground beside Jimmy, rubbing his bruised shoulder absentmindedly. 
“Okay, okay. You win. Again.” Jimmy conceded breathlessly, and Kougu uttered a quiet chuckle under his breath. "Funny, I don't much feel like I won. You hit like a boxer." He raised his arms, showing Jimmy the growing patches of blue and purple spreading across his forearms from blocking each blow. 
Sighing heavily, Kougu slowly lowered himself to his back then, wincing at the pain in his side, and allowed himself to sink into the short, prickly grass. He felt so utterly exhausted that he doubted he'd ever be able to lift a finger again. He'd stay on that very same patch of grass until it swallowed him up completely. Staring up at the sky, he shielded his eyes from the blazing sun overhead, until suddenly a shadow fell over him, blocking it from sight. He squinted to the side to find Jimmy standing up, his damp torso glistening faintly in the light. It took a moment before Kougu's eyes traveled to his face, and when they did, he felt the flustered fluttering of his heart return.
Just what is wrong with me anyway...? He wondered silently, swallowing past the tightness in his throat. He had been sick before, but never quite like-
“I'm making some lunch.”
"Hm?" He glanced up again as Jimmy spoke, distracted from his thoughts, and watched his friend snatch the water bottle off the floor, then head back to the house.
“If you say please, I might make you some too.”
"Please." Kougu answered automatically, not even bothering to hesitate. He didn't have much pride, and even if Jimmy's ego was already the size of mount Everest, he didn't mind stoking it. It seemed to do his friend good, and besides, he was getting hungry, and he doubted he'd be able to get up without falling down again for quite some time. 
“And if you beg me," Jimmy added, and Kougu's eyes flickered back to the patronizing expression on his face, "I might put some ice cubes in your drink.”
With a faint snort of amusement, Kougu's lips softened into a smile, and he answered, "Don't push it. I can live without ice."
It wasn't like he had no pride... Just, not much.

Jimmy vanished then, and though he would have preferred to help with the lunch, Kougu stayed where he was, limbs turned to lead by lethargy. He couldn't get up, even if he tried.
Luckily, Jimmy soon returned, and Kougu accepted his lunch with sincere gratitude, forcing himself into a sitting position to eat it. After a hard training session they were both hungry, and ate in companionable silence until the food was finished. At last, Kougu drained the final sip of his drink, then fell back on the ground, a hand rested lightly on his full stomach. He lay there a while, staring up at the sky, then reached distractedly toward Jimmy, touching his hand to get his attention. "Look," Kougu pointed up at the sky, where the wind sculpted the smattering of clouds drifting overhead, "It looks like a dragon." His outstretched finger indicated one cloud that was gradually stretching as the soft winds buffeted it into a form, painting in the wings and tail of a coiled dragon curled up in the sky.
"I used to do this all the time." He murmured quietly to himself, "Especially when I was young. After my family died and my father left, I was always alone. There was nothing to do, nowhere to go, so for hours - sometimes days on end - I'd just lie outside, looking for pictures in the sky." He chuckled under his breath, "I suppose it sounds pathetic, but it kept me sane, for the most part. I'd find new worlds drifting in the sky..." His finger traced the progress of another cloud, floating in to meet the 'dragon', "New lives to live, you know? Back then, it didn't matter to me much what was real, and what was in my head... It's been a while now." He blinked mildly, and his heavy arm dropped back to his side, "I can't remember the last time I watched the clouds like this."
I guess, just maybe, I am getting better after all... Perhaps there's hope for me yet, if I can go on changing. If I can only accomplish this mission...

Jimmy wasn't expecting Kougu to beg, although he was surprised by his cocky reply, “Don't push it. I can live without ice.”
“Fine.” Jimmy waved it off with a flick of his hand. “I'll have your luxury then, smart arse.”

Not so long later he appeared back outside with two plates carrying sandwiches, some crisps and a cold drink for them both ((Because he has that many hands. 8| )) and sat back beside his friend to eat. They both proceded their meal in silence, and when he finished, Jimmy collapsed back on the grass and gazed up at the sunny sky.
For a while they sat in silence, then Kougu lifted a finger to a cloud in the sky and labelled it a dragon. Just as Jimmy was about to question his sanity for the millionth time Kougu explained. “I used to do this all the time.” He murmured softly beside him. “Especially when I was young. After my family died and my father left, I was always alone. There was nothing to do, nowhere to go, so for hours - sometimes days on end - I'd just lie outside, looking for pictures in the sky.”
Jimmy nodded in response, squinting up at the sun, and gently caressing his bloated stomach.
“I suppose it sounds pathetic, but it kept me sane, for the most part. I'd find new worlds drifting in the sky.. New lives to live, you know?” He began to sound a little distant for a moment. “ Back then, it didn't matter to me much what was real, and what was in my head... It's been a while now. I can't remember the last time I watched the clouds like this.”
“It doesn't sound pathetic,” he replied, folding his hands behind his head into a makeshift cushion. “I know what you mean. My dad and I...” He paused, trying hard not to remind himself of the man who'd left him as a child. Trying to force back the hint of pain in his voice. “We went camping once when I was ten, and when he was asleep I sat outside and watched the stars for hours. “ It's easier to let it swallow you up sometimes, and let your imagination run wild.”
His eyes flicked over the passing clouds, and after a moment he lifted a finger and pointed to another one in the sky. “Look, that one looks like a condom with a nose.”

((...*facepalm*))

“It doesn't sound pathetic,” Jimmy answered, surprising Kougu somewhat. He glanced toward Jimmy, frowning questioningly as his friend continued, “I know what you mean. My dad and I... We went camping once when I was ten, and when he was asleep I sat outside and watched the stars for hours. It's easier to let it swallow you up sometimes, and let your imagination run wild."
At first, Kougu could only blink disbelievingly at Jimmy, stunned by how much sense his words made. "That's exactly it..." He murmured quietly, his eyes searching Jimmy's face as if he'd never truly seen him before. He had never expected to hear somebody else sum up his feelings so exactly, but if he thought about it, he supposed it made sense. In a way, he and Jimmy had suffered the same pain, and fought the same demons. Perhaps it made sense, then, that they might share some of the same comforts, too. 
Just as he was beginning to feel rather warmed by the concept, Jimmy pointed to the sky, then ruined the moment by saying, “Look, that one looks like a condom with a nose."
"Eh?" Kougu was so shocked by the inappropriate comment that for a moment he just stared at Jimmy. Then, slowly, the stiff line of his mouth cracked, and he slapped a hand over his lips to muffle the laughter that followed. But once he had started, there was no stopping. Arms dropping to the ground at his sides, he let his head roll back onto the grass, and just laughed out loud, his chest shaking with the motion.
"Good lord..." He muttered when he'd finally caught his breath, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, "Your imagination works in strange ways, Jimmy. There's no questioning that." He chuckled again, then flopped an arm loosely over his stomach, panting slightly as he stared up at the sky, an amused smile still playing at his lips as he looked upon the shapeless blob of clouds that Jimmy had dubbed 'a condom with a nose'.

Despite feeling the burn of Kougu's confused gazed on the side of his head, Jimmy's face remained mutual, like he'd just mentioned how nice the weather was. He saw nothing wrong or inappropriate about what he'd just said.
Then, slowly, he heard Kougu start to chuckle for a moment. Then, after a few seconds, he had flopped back and started to laugh so hard Jimmy was sure the poor guy was going to wet himself.
Jimmy turned his head to frown at the man. Was what he'd said really that funny?
But the odd sound of Kougu's laughter was contagious, and Jimmy soon couldn't help himself but chuckle with him. To be honest, the cloud didn't look all that much like a condom, but it had been the first thing to come to mind. Jimmy decided it looked more like a worm, but he decided not to say that. Kougu seemed amused enough with what he'd got.
“Good lord...” Kougu mused, eyes watering from his hysterical laughter. Jimmy's heart warmed when he saw the twinkle in his friend's eyes, and the way his face lit up when he smiled so wide. It wasn't something he saw often. “Your imagination works in strange ways, Jimmy. There's no questioning that.”
“It works different to yours, mate.” Jimmy replied, still chuckling to himself. “That doesn't mean it-” he paused, then thought about his words. He was going to say 'that doesn't mean it's strange' but he supposed thinking a cloud looked like a condom was a little far. “Okay,” he concluded at last. “Maybe it is a bit weird.”
He grinned, until a thought occurred to him. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously – although he still wore a toothy grin – he propped himself on his elbow and peered down at Kougu. “Hey, how do you know what a condom is, Mister?” He teased, flicking Kougu's ear in a teasing, brotherly fashion. “I thought you were supposed to be innocent.” His grin darkened teasingly, and he raised an eyebrow. “Or maybe... you get rather 'busy' in your spare time, hm?”
He was only joking, but Jimmy had to admit, he enjoyed teasing his friend. If it made him smile, that is. Because deep down Jimmy wanted to see Kougu happier, he wanted to be reminded that there was a light in this man's eyes that hadn't been dimmed by the darkness in his soul. And maybe that remaining flicker of hope would brighten the light in Jimmy, too. If he let it.

When Jimmy began objecting to his claim, Kougu just raised an eyebrow, watching him expectantly until he finally conceded, “Okay, Maybe it is a bit weird.”
"Yup." Kougu agreed with a breath of amusement, "It's weird, all right." Although, that's not necessarily a bad thing... He smiled to himself, staring peacefully up at the sky as a deep sense of relaxation stole over him. Never in his life had he laughed like that, and the effect was remarkable. He felt happier, and lighter all over. As if somebody had somehow flushed all the darkness from his soul, if only for an instant. He sighed quietly, then glanced up to find Jimmy grinning at him, wearing that same devious expression that Kougu had quickly come to realize meant trouble. In a flash, the short-lived relaxation was gone.
"What?" He asked cautiously, suspicious eyes scanning Jimmy's face.
“Hey, how do you know what a condom is, Mister?”
"Huh?" He blinked in surprise, then flinched when Jimmy suddenly flicked his ear, "Ow..." He rubbed it absentmindedly as Jimmy continued, “I thought you were supposed to be innocent. Or maybe... you get rather 'busy' in your spare time, hm?"
"Wh-wha...?" He began, becoming instantly tongue tied as a hot flush rose unbidden to his cheeks. Jimmy was always teasing him, but try as he might, he just couldn't get used to it. It still made him feel totally mortified.
"Don't do that." He scolded, shoving Jimmy's intrusive face aside, and trying hard to keep the smile from his lips. He wanted to be annoyed, but as humiliating as Jimmy's teasing was, he couldn't help but be a little amused.
"I'm not an idiot, you know. Just because I don't get out doesn't mean I've lived under a rock my whole life. Besides, some of us would rather not die from Chlamydia."
Still faintly embarrassed, he rolled his eyes, then sat up with a breath of laughter. Of course, Jimmy only tormented him in the first place to get a reaction from him, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't used to being teased, having never encountered it as a child.
"Come on." He said, pushing himself to his feet, then dusting his hands briefly on his knees before offering one to Jimmy, "Let's get inside before you drive me completely mad."

Kougu's face was a picture. Jimmy just grinned deviously at him, waiting for the words to sink in, and when they did, he got exactly what he was looking for.
Kougu's cheeks flushed, deeply, making him look utterly humiliated. Jimmy, in contrast, looked incredibly proud of himself.
“Don't do that.” Kougu replied, shoving Jimmy's face aside. Surprised by the contact, Jimmy grunted and fell onto his back, chuckling quietly to himself, his voice squeaking every now and then. He'd probably deserved that. “I'm not an idiot, you know. Just because I don't get out doesn't mean I've lived under a rock my whole life. Besides, some of us would rather not die from Chlamydia.”
“Catching chlamydia... Through having sex.” Jimmy mused, eyes twinkling in Kougu's direction. “Do you know what that is, sweetie?” He added patronisingly. “Would you like me to spell it out for you? It's S-E-”
“Come on.” Kougu cut him off, ignoring his juvenile behaviour. He got up, brushed himself off then turned to offer Jimmy a hand. “Let's get inside before you drive me completely mad.”
“Alright.” Jimmy smiled sheepishly, taking Kougu's hand to help yank himself to his feet. The training session had tired him out completely, and all he wanted to do now was lazy around and let Kougu do whatever he wished.
But when he got to his feet, Jimmy's hand still remained locked around Kougu's, and for a heartbeat, Jimmy didn't care. In fact, he barely noticed. Because he was gazing into Kougu's eyes like he was posessed, and his smile had sunken to something crooked and lazy.
Then, he seemed to snap out of his daze and released Kougu's hand, stuffing it in his pocket as his cheeks began to flush.
“Right, well, I can't be arsed doing much right now.” He murmured, wandering back inside. “Sif you need me I'll be laying face-down on the sofa.”
And with that, he disappeared.

Kougu just rolled his eyes at Jimmy's teasing, firmly ignoring it, and soon enough Jimmy took the hint, and accepted his outstretched hand. With a breath of amusement, Kougu pulled his friend to his feet. At least Jimmy knew when to call it quits. It was of little consolation, but at least it gave him time to recover from his humiliation.
"You really are incorrigible." He muttered under his breath, glancing up as Jimmy stood up beside him. They met eyes, and for a moment, neither man looked away. There was something different in Jimmy's smile - something calm and placid - and Kougu felt the hairs at the back of his neck prickling as his friend's eyes looked deep into his, far more intense than he was used to. Usually, he was the one with the bone chilling gaze. Never before had he found himself so trapped in someone's gaze that he couldn't look away. At least, not since he'd laid eyes on his father.
Suddenly uncomfortable, he felt his hand grew hot in Jimmy's, and just as his palm began to sweat, the other man released him, looking away with flushed cheeks. Kougu remained glued to the spot, watching him uncertainly. He felt strangely unsettled, and once again the fluttering in his stomach accosted him fiercely. 
“Right, well, I can't be arsed doing much right now.” Jimmy said, turning away and breaking the spell of silence. Kougu shuddered the chills away, then nodded and stepped after him.
“S'if you need me I'll be laying face-down on the sofa.”
"I wouldn't expect any more of you." He answered automatically, pushing his fringe away from his sweaty forehead as he trudged heavily into the house after Jimmy, trying to push the strange feeling from a moment ago to the back of his mind.

For the rest of the day, they each went about their own business. Sometimes Kougu heard the TV blaring in the background, or the sound of Jimmy's heavy feet shuffling around the house, but for the most part he paid it no mind. He had thrown himself into his research again, scouring the recent news with an eagle's eye to try to once again pick up the trail of breadcrumbs.
Then, at last, he found it. It was an online report about a hang at large in the city, and although they were notorious for dramatic violent acts, as Kougu looked over the statistics, he began to notice patterns in their behaviour. Before, they had dabbled mostly in organized crime, occasionally dabbling in hostage situations, or blowing up large buildings. Still, he could always detect some possible motivation for the acts, whether it was the possible gain of money, or visiting revenge on rival gangs or on the authorities. But, in the last few months, there was a subtle change in their targets. They began targeting people that the authorities had so far failed to find an excuse to reach. At one point, the gang had blown up a down town synagogue, and another report mentioned a horrific genocide of a number of random support groups; alcoholics, sex addicts, and pathological liars among them. Soon enough, a new pattern began to emerge, and Kougu recognized his father's work from a mile off. He had both sides of the law bent to his will, slowly annihilating anything 'impure' from his perfect Kingdom of God.
As Kougu scanned through what felt like the thousandth article on the gang, uncovering some information about members and territory, the next step in their mission suddenly became clear to him.
"Hey, Jimmy!" He called, leaning over to hit print, then getting up and walking over to the printer to receive the article, "We've got our new mission." He lifted up the printed article from the printer tray, fanning it to dry the ink, "This one should be right up your alley."

Jimmy wandered sulkily to the office with a tired, and very bored look on his face, and sat on the cheap desk chair beside his friend. He was getting the hang of this procedure, now, and he knew what Kougu was going to give him.
Another mission.
“We've got our new mission.” Kougu told him, and pulled out a sheet of paper he'd just printed off. “This one should be right up your alley.”
Frowning, Jimmy reached over and took the sheet of paper from Kougu, his silver eyes skimming over it quickly. He only picked up some words, but at the mention of 'gang' he released a dry laugh.
“Up my alley.” He grunted. “That's funny.”
Dropping the sheet onto the desk he got up and headed to the small coffee machine in the corner, and made himself a black coffee. Then, cupping the mug in his hands, he went back to his seat to study the article some more.
It mentioned about a gang, based mainly in New York – although it seemed they planned to go further – who sounded like a nasty piece of work at the best of times, but lately they'd been committing seriously heartless acts, in the name of Noah. They had killed support groups, blown up buildings, and had no interest in reasoning. They were truly evil.
And Kougu thought the two of them would be able to stop them?
“Kougu, you don't get gangs like this at home. This...” He sighed, skimming the text again. “This is another level.” He lifted his eyes to Kougu, and it was evident he was far less confident than before. He had fought bears, shrugged off police, even dressed up as a Playboy, but when it came to his own strengths, he could easily doubt them. Here they were in a foreign country, and things were way different to how they are at home.
He could deal with thugs and anti-social teenagers. But this was another matter.
“Are you... Are we planning on doing this one together? Because mate...” He breathed out a quiet laugh as he ran his eyes over Kougu's willowy frame. “If you're going to be socialising with gangsters we're going to have to do some serious work on you.”

When Jimmy took the article from him, Kougu sat back in his chair, resting his chin on his fist and swaying himself silently back and forth. He watched as Jimmy retreated to the coffee machine in the corner, prepared himself a cup, then turned back to the article. It was funny, he had expected Jimmy to be brimming with confidence - even enthusiasm - in infiltrating this gang, yet what he saw before him was quite the opposite. Jimmy looked worried, truly worried, to a level far beyond that of climbing a freezing mountain, or creeping undercover into a gay club.
“Kougu, you don't get gangs like this at home. This...” Jimmy sighed, his brow furrowed in concern as he perused the article again, “This is another level.”
"I know." He answered outright, "I didn't say it was going to be easy."
Jimmy looked up at him, and Kougu met his doubtful eyes firmly, his gaze unwavering. If Jimmy couldn't be confident, then he would do it for them. No part of the mission had ever made sense, let alone been remotely possible. They were chasing an impossible goal, after all. But they had to try. If they didn't, it would all be over...
“Are you... Are we planning on doing this one together? Because mate...” Kougu's shoulders dropped an inch as he felt Jimmy looking him over, “If you're going to be socialising with gangsters we're going to have to do some serious work on you.”
"Thanks." He huffed sarcastically. "Look, all we have to do is blend in. You won't have a problem with that, and I... Well, I'll manage." He shrugged, "If I can't blend in, I'll just disappear. I'm good at that. All we have to do is keep our heads down and stay out of trouble long enough for me to find out who their connection to Noah is. It may be dangerous, but it can be done. There's no point giving up before we've started when we've already come this far." He pushed himself to his feet then, wincing slightly as he stretched out his back; stiff from hunching over the computer.
"Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of time for you to 'work on' me. Noah has already started to move, and if we stall any longer, it will be too late. We must move tonight..." He raked his fingers absentmindedly through his hair, unconsciously betraying the stress he was doing such a good job of hiding, "Before then, you can tell me what you know. You've got the experience, so let's use it." He smiled faintly, and added, "Come on, I'm sure you've always wanted to tell me what to do, right?"

Kougu didn't seem too pleased with what Jimmy had said to him, but in reality, Jimmy was just being honest. Kougu hadn't lived in a gang before, he had locked himself away from the world. He barely knew how to socialise now, never mind in new situations
“"Look, all we have to do is blend in. You won't have a problem with that, and I... Well, I'll manage.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes at this. Kougu made it sound so easy... But he'd have to learn before they walked blindly into the gang, otherwise they'd be dead by the end of the day.
“If I can't blend in, I'll just disappear. I'm good at that. All we have to do is keep our heads down and stay out of trouble long enough for me to find out who their connection to Noah is.”
“They're not f*cking stupid, Kougu.” Jimmy tried to stop him. “They won't just welcome you in with open-”
“It may be dangerous, but it can be done. There's no point giving up before we've started when we've already come this far.” Kougu stood then, stretching his back out. For a brief moment he looked almost like a normal, tired teenager. But then he started talking again, and that 'normal' image went out the window. “Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of time for you to 'work on' me. Noah has already started to move, and if we stall any longer, it will be too late. We must move tonight...”
“Tonight?” Jimmy looked horrified. They couldn't just go and join a gang in one night. Darkness gave the gang and other criminals places to hide, to abandon them. Not only that, but he couldn't teach Kougu and give him the chance to practice a certain protocol before the evening. Was he insane?
“Before then, you can tell me what you know. You've got the experience, so let's use it.”
“With English gangs.” Jimmy sulked, but Kougu ignored him.
“Come on, I'm sure you've always wanted to tell me what to do, right?”
Unconvinced, Jimmy raised his eyes to watch Kougu's faint smile, and his promising gaze. He had a point... Jimmy did rather enjoy bossing people about. That was one of the reasons why he bullied Alfredo so much. But...
He looked away and sighed.
“Alright.” He reached behind himself and scratched the top of his back, pulling an uncomfortable face. “But I hope for your sake that you're a quick learner.”


Jimmy stalled for time for a couple of minutes as he finished his coffee, and thought through what he was going to teach this man. There was so much he'd had to learn, and he'd had years to perfect it. At least a decade, anyway. But American gangs were different. They had bigger and better weapons, for one, and the laws allowed them to use them as they pleased. Some did, anyway.
“I guess I'd better start with the simples then.” He groaned, then curled his finger to gesture for Kougu to approach him. He still remained sat on he small, cheap desk chair, but when Kougu walked over to him, Jimmy stood. His eyes blazed suddenly, boring deeply into Kougu's like a red-hot lazer.
“Look at me.” Jimmy ordered him sternly. “Like you mean business.”
He didn't have to wait long for a response, but it wasn't one he was happy with. Apparently over-fristrated, Jimmy raised a hand and smacked the side of Kougu's head. Not hard enough to bruise, but hard enough to hurt. “Not like you want to kiss me, moron. Like you have something to hide, but it isn't important to me.” His eyes narrowed harshly. He knew he was being hard, but if Kougu was going to survive in a gang he had to learn to react accordingly when someone tried to challenge him. “Not like that, either.” He growled. “Too angry. Rule number one: you need to remain composed. If you look like a threat, they'll kill you on the spot. Gangs don't like competition. But don't lose the eye contact, either. If you look weak, they'll pick on you. Right, look at me again.”
When Kougu obeyed, Jimmy nodded. He didn't praise him.
“Now hold that.”
With two firm hands, Jimmy pushed Kougu back. Roughly.
“Keep holding it.” He ordered. Then, he shoved Kougu again by the shoulder. “Don't get angry at me. Don't look startled.”
He pushed Kougu again, over and over, getting in his personal space and backing Kougu into a corner. He was surprised, Kougu was good at controlling his emotions once he got into it. But it wasn't that which he was testing. Jimmy wanted to know what Kougu wasn't going to stress out and snap when he was cornered or overpowered. He wanted to know that his friend wasn't going to go on a murdering spree the next time someone got up all in his space.
With a final shove, Jimmy had Kougu pinned against a corner, am arm on each side of his body, hands pressed against the wall.
“Don't let yourself look small, either.” Jimmy murmured, breathing hotly onto Kougu's neck. “Even if they push you down. And never, ever lash out. Even when they challenge you. Block, by all means. But never hit them back.”
He backed off, meeting Kougu's eyes firmly, then raised his eyebrows. After a few dark minutes of being nothing but Kougu's mean trainer, he looked like himself again.
“That make sense?” He asked lightly.

“Alright.” Jimmy gave in at last, and Kougu gave him a grateful nod, “But I hope for your sake that you're a quick learner.”
"I was doing university level mathematics before I turned six." He answered simply, folding his arms as he watched Jimmy sipping at his coffee, "I learn fast."
Then again, learning and doing are two totally different things. Honestly, I don't know if I can pull this off...
He fidgeted absentmindedly where he stood as he waited for Jimmy to finish his coffee, and then suddenly, their roles were reversed. It had been a long time since he'd played the student... And his memories from that time were far from pleasant. His only solace was that Jimmy couldn't possibly be as cruel as his own father. 
“I guess I'd better start with the simples then.” Jimmy suggested, and Kougu nodded his agreement, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he readied himself to start whatever training Jimmy had in mind. The other man sat down, beckoning him over, and Kougu walked up to him obediently, only to have Jimmy stand abruptly and slam him with a fiery gaze. Kougu blinked in surprise, taking an uncertain step back.
Then, “Look at me.” Jimmy barked harshly.
"What?"
“Like you mean business."
Doing as he was told, Kougu met Jimmy's eye, but he had a feeling he looked more confused than 'businesslike'. His eyes searched Jimmy's questioningly, but this only earned him a smack on the side of the head. Even though it wasn't a hard blow, Kougu flinched away as though he expected to be struck with a metal pole. For an instant he looked like some poor abused animal, but when he realized that his skull was still intact, he slackened his shoulders sheepishly, and accepted Jimmy's scolding.
“Not like you want to kiss me, moron. Like you have something to hide, but it isn't important to me.”
"What sort of a look is that?" He muttered under his breath, glaring at Jimmy.
“Not like that, either. Too angry. Rule number one: you need to remain composed. If you look like a threat, they'll kill you on the spot. Gangs don't like competition. But don't lose the eye contact, either. If you look weak, they'll pick on you."
Oh... As the explanation sank in, Kougu felt comprehension suddenly dawn on him. If it was composure Jimmy wanted, then that was well within his reach. He already had years of training in living behind a mask.
"Right, look at me again."
With a brief nod, Kougu looked up, taking on a calm, authoritative expression without a single hint of emotion. 
“Now hold that.”
Jimmy shoved him back, and Kougu's expression did not flicker. Without so much as tensing a muscle, he allowed himself to be pushed back, allowing his mind to wander away from the present as Jimmy's words drifted over him. He took another shove without even a blink, and then Jimmy had him pinned against the wall. As a hand struck the plaster on either side of him, he felt Jimmy's breath hot on his neck, and at last he tensed as prickly goosebumps crept up his spine. He felt suddenly hot and flustered, and though a trickle of sweat down his neck made him shudder, he hid it well.
“Don't let yourself look small, either.” Jimmy advised, and Kougu nodded, swallowing the churning of nerves in his throat as Jimmy's hot breath once again wafted over his skin, “Even if they push you down. And never, ever lash out. Even when they challenge you. Block, by all means. But never hit them back.”
Then, at last, Jimmy backed away, and Kougu breathed a sigh as the pressure was removed. He shivered, quickly shaking his head to clear it. It was that same feeling once again that haunted him... And still, he did not understand it. What was it about Jimmy that made him behave so strangely?
Shrugging it off, he looked back up at his 'tutor' as he said, “That make sense?”
"Mhm." Kougu nodded, "I can hold a poker face, and I don't pick fights. That won't be a problem." Unless I lose my mind, and then it'll be the least of our problems...
Pushing the thought rudely to the back of his mind, he forced a faint smile and asked, "What else have you got?"

Kougu nodded, apparently confident with his behaviour so far. Jimmy wanted to smile at his enthusiasm. “I can hold a poker face, and I don't pick fights. That won't be a problem.”
“That's just scratching the surface, mate.” He sneered, not bothering to hide his amusement.
“What else have you got?” Kougu challenged, and at this, Jimmy released a bark of laughter. Kougu's enthusiasm was classic, and he had to admit, he was impressed. Perhaps it wouldn't be as simple as that later on, but he admired his friend for being so eager to learn.
“Since that's how you feel...” He smirked, taking another step back to flick his eyes up and down Kougu's body. “Let's work on your posture.”


For the next couple of hours Jimmy talked Kougu through the basic protocol, showing him exactly how to stand, how to walk and what to wear. He was harsh with his criticisms, making sure Kougu kept his word to the T. Thankfully, Kougu was a very quick learner as promised, and he picked up everything Jimmy had told him. It seemed whatever his father had done in early life to make him brainy, no matter how cruel, it had helped Kougu that day to learn these ways.
At the end of it all, Kougu stood in the middle of the office, wearing one of Jimmy's baggy hoodies, hands in pockets, as he had learned. Jimmy circled him like a lion stalking his prey, eyes crawling from Kougu's shoes to his eyes, then his hood again. The eye contact was almost perfect; Kougu watched his every move carefully, but he remained composed.
Jimmy reached Kougu's front again, and frowned thoughtfully at him.
“You just need...” Jimmy clicked his fingers as a thought offurred to him. He ran out of the room and appeared a minute later with a cap in his hand. He didn't give it to Kougu but put it on himself, positioning it accordingly, and shaping Kougu's hair around it. Although very different to what he usually wore, and not suiting his personality at all, Kougu didn't look half bad in the loose, open hoodie and cap on his head. His fringe pressed down against his eyes, but Jimmy ran a finger across the ends to make it flick to one side, out of his way.
“Raise your chin a bit.” Jimmy murmured quietly, lifting Kougu's chin with his finger. “Like you're looking at me from under your nose. Be confident.”
He looked up at his friend, brow furrowed thoughtfully. After a few moments, he nodded, impressed.
“Dare I say it, but I think you're ready.” He said, smirking proudly. “Just let me do the talking, a'ight?” He winked cheekily.

Kougu raised his eyebrows when Jimmy laughed, not quite getting the joke, but when his friend turned back to him, he quickly refocused his attention.
“Since that's how you feel...” Once again, Jimmy's eyes moving over Kougu's body made him blush, “Let's work on your posture.”
"Right." Kougu nodded, releasing a low breath. Now things were going to start getting more challenging. Not only did he have to learn a new way of conducting himself, but he'd also have to unlearn everything that had been thrashed and beaten into him up until that point. And with half the scars still visible on his skin, that was not going to be easy.

So, under Jimmy's guidance, he worked on morphing his behaviour into something monstrously different. It was difficult, but with Jimmy barking out instructions he eventually managed it, and soon enough he felt he was the closest thing to a 'gangster' that he would ever be. As long as he kept his mouth shut and his nose clean, then hopefully he could get by. 
When it was finally over, Kougu found himself scrambling into a baggy hoodie, then standing with his shoulders hunched as Jimmy looked over him like he was some chunk of meat on a shelf.
“You just need...” Jimmy stopped, snapping his fingers, and Kougu watched in bemusement as he rushed out of the room, and returned a second later with a hat in his hand. Kougu reached out to take it, but instead, Jimmy shoved it onto his head himself, and Kougu froze to the spot, standing obediently still while Jimmy adjusted the cap, fluffing his fringe to one side. He swallowed anxiously, trying hard not to catch a glimpse of Jimmy's intent silver eyes, or the concentrated frown on his face. Every time he did, his stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch, and once again, the sense of unease set in. 
“Raise your chin a bit. Like you're looking at me from under your nose. Be confident.” Lost in his thoughts, Kougu jumped at the sound of Jimmy's voice, then quickly lifted his head when he felt a finger under his chin, moving away from the contact as though Jimmy's skin were made of acid.
Jimmy looked him over again, and for the first time, Kougu noticed just how handsome he was when he wore that focused frown, his skin wrinkling faintly over his strong brow. 
At last, Jimmy nodded, and Kougu sheepishly shook off his thoughts, returning his focus to the present as Jimmy concluded, “Dare I say it, but I think you're ready. Just let me do the talking, a'ight?”
"Unequivocally." He agreed with a smile, a rare whimsical expression on his face. "Although, I have to ask..." His long fingers reached for the cap on his head, then swiveled it quickly around, "Shouldn't I wear this backwards?" His hair was pulled messily over his face, blinding him entirely, and for a moment he struck a ridiculous gangster pose - looking more like something from a bad American comedy than a real gangster.
When his confidence soon ran out, Kougu removed the cap, scratching the side of his head with a sheepish smile, and pushing his hair out of his face once again. Perhaps it was all the drastic seriousness that had driven him to comedy, but whatever it was, it was over now. So, feeling faintly embarrassed, he returned to full seriousness as though he'd never wavered from it in the first place.
"Right then," He cleared his throat, "Now you ought to get ready, and we should head off. It's getting late, and even I know that sneaking up on a gang in the middle of the night is a bad idea."

With that, Kougu took his leave, quickly shoving everything he hoped he'd need into the pocket of his hoodie. Luckily, it was fairly massive, and he didn't have all that much to take along anyway. After some debate, he decided to take one of his guns loaded with rubber bullets. He was not, of course, intending to use it; it was merely a prop that he felt necessary for a gangster on the streets of New York City. And at least, with the rubber bullets, he could hopefully avoid any killing. The Bloods gang were not their enemies, after all. They were merely pawns in his father's game; to be stopped, but not destroyed. His goal was information, and nothing more. He had to take care not to lose sight of that.
Once he was ready, Kougu found Jimmy, and the two clambered into the old scrap heap car that had replaced their BMW. In a way, it was just as well the car was barely more than a chunk of rust, as they would probably have to abandon it in any case.
He took the wheel, and when they came within a block of Bloods territory, he killed the engine and let the car roll to the side of the road. The handbrake came up stubbornly with a dull creak, and once Kougu had wrestled himself free of his seatbelt, he unfolded his tall frame and stepped out of the car.
"You ready for this?" He asked Jimmy softly, eyes scanning the deserted street. Aside from the scuttlings of rats and the low buzz of a flickering streetlamp, all was silent. It's now or never.

Jimmy didn't understand the first word Kougu replied with, but he concluded that his friend was trying to be clever, so eventually he just rolled his eyes in amusement.
“Although, I have to ask... Shouldn't I wear this backwards?” Kougu asked, swivelling the cap round. Jimmy raised an eyebrow at his scruffy hair, how strands stuck out statically in every direction it could escape to. Now, with the hat back and hear like a chow chow, Kougu looked ridiculous.
Then, to Jimmy's surprise, Kougu struck a pose. It was pretty lame, but it was so unexpected that Jimmy gad to laugh. Everytime Jimmy thought he knew the guy and he'd go do something like that.
“Don't...” He chuckled, shaking his head at his friend. “Don't do that. Seriously. And the cap is only worn backwards for skinheads. If you're not a skinhead, you're just asking to be beaten up.” He snickered, patting Kougu fondly on the back. He'd never understand that man's strange ways if he tried.
“Now you ought to get ready, and we should head off. It's getting late, and even I know that sneaking up on a gang in the middle of the night is a bad idea.”
“Good point.” Jimmy replied, raising his hand in a faint wave as he turned to the door. “I'll see you in five.”


Jimmy decided to let Kougu wear his cap, and instead wore a closed, dark grey hooded jumper, dark jeans and black trainers. The darker he looked, the easier it would be to stick to the shadows.
Unfortunately the problem wouldn't be hiding. The problem would be getting accepted in the first place. He armed himself with nothing more than a couple of small knives, and shoved a small box of cigarettes in his large pocket.
Kougu drove the car to the location where they hoped t meet the Bloods, and it was then when Jimmy was grateful for the poor, rusty ride that they had travelled in. It really fit in with the surroundings.
They both got out of the car. Jimmy's heart was thumping savagely against his rib cage, and not for the first time since they'd come to the States, he was scared.
“You ready for this?” Kougu asked him.
“Are you?” Jimmy replied, not quite willing to admit how he felt about the whole idea. Kougu was wrong; he wasn't in his element. He knew about English gangs, where guns and knives were only used by the pricks that thought it was cool to have one for show, but never used them. Antonio was close to the spectrum of the Bloods, but not quite to this height of seriousness. These guys had no reason to keep Jimmy and Kougu alive if they weren't totally convinced that they were worth their time. This was one of Jimmy's fears.
He closed his eyes.
Then, he pulled out the box of cigarettes and a cheap lighter, lit a cig and stuck it in his mouth. He didn't care if Kougu didn't approve of him at this point. He'd barely touched the box for weeks and at this moment he needed to look the part. Plus, the tension was stressing him out.
He yanked up his hood to hide his face, bowed his head and smoked for a while.
“Are you punks lost?”
Jimmy's head snapped up. A small group of men were approaching them, some wearing red scarves over their faces, others with a red band around their biceps. Jimmy had no doubt that these were the Bloods they'd been waiting for.
But there couldn't have been any more than five of them. There had to be others around.
“No.” Jimmy replied, blowing out a breath of smoke, dropping the remains of his cigarette on the floor and grinding it into the gravel with his foot. “We're not.”
He leant back against the car, hands in pockets, and raised his chin confidently at their pursuers. One with a red scarf over his mouth stepped forward first, not stopping until he was literally close enough to headbutt Jimmy. But Jimmy didn't back down. His heart was racing, but he refused to cower.
A pair of dark, narrow eyes bored into his. He noticed a lightly tanned complexion. “You're a long way from home, England.” He snarled, his voice hinting a Latino background. “Now how about you kids run along, before I-”
“We wanna join the Bloods.” Jimmy told him outright, raising his chin further. The Latino glared at him behind the shadow of his black hood, and Jimmy could see the way his scarf blew in and out as he breathed. Then, after a few seconds, he started laughing. It wasn't a pleasing sound.
“You messing with me, amigo?” He growled, grabbing a handful of Jimmy's jumper. A strong forearm pressed against Jimmy's chest, probably hard enough to bruise, and he had to clench his teeth to hold back from hissing. “You playing wi' me?”
“I'm not.” Jimmy tried calmly. The arm was pressing dangerously close to his throat. “We wanna join.”
“Oh yeah?” The group had crowded around them now, some had even sat on the bonnet of the car. Jimmy could feel it tip. “And what makes you think we'd trust a pair of pussies like you?”
He's just playing with us. Jimmy reminded himself. There's no way this nutcase would have the capacity to lead a gang.
“Why not?” Jimmy challenged. “You wanna test us, or what?”
The Latino released him, but just before Jimmy could let himself be relieved, he felt a blade press against his throat.
If he'd had anything in his bladder then, it would have gone.
“I don't like you, England. I don't like your voice, I don't like your tone. Now you got three seconds to give me a reason to like you before I...” He grinned under his scarf. “...'Cut you off'.”
The group cackled behind him like a pack of hungry hyenas.
Jimmy stared at him intensely. His nightmare really was coming true. “We just wanna join.” He repeated, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Give us a chance to prove our worth.”
“Ramiro.” A strong, low American voice behind them thundered.
Ramiro paused, his dark eyes flicking over Jimmy's face for a moment, before dropping his blade back to his belt.
A well-built male with dark skin, mirror sun glasses and a beanie parted the group, and pressed a hand in a patronising, almost playful fashion on the back of the Latino's hooded head. Ramiro swore, bending away from Jimmy and Kougu and swatted the hand away.
“Hijo de puta...” He groaned, adjusting his hood. “Blade! What the F-”
“Do you think Kane would appreciate you killing off a potential member? Dumbass.”
The member known as 'Blade' had a red band around his upper arm, over his black hoodie. His mirror glasses hid half his face and he reeked of something illegal, but for saving his life in that moment Jimmy immediately liked him. His authority was imminent, and the rest of the small group parted to let him through.
Blade's head moved from Jimmy to Kougu and back, and Jimmy guessed he was sizing up their chances. “So you two want to be part of the Bloods.” It wasn't a question. Then, with a brief nod, he turned away. “Come with me.” He ordered, leading the two away from the bashed in car they'd arrived in and deeper into the shadows. The gang followed.


Somewhere in the shadows of the dark, dank street sat a rusty door, covered in graffiti. Blade thumped a strong fist once, twice, then paused. Then he repeated it again.
The door opened.
Inside was what might have once been a house of some sort, or a shop. Now, it contained no more than three rooms downstairs, with a flight of stairs that led to nothing but pitch black.
The first room had a ratty old sofa and a radio. The next had a table with a mouldy kitchen sink. The room after that sounded like there was some sort of meeting in there. The door was firmly closed, and they could barely hear a thing from the other side. Jimmy tried but he couldn't make out any words.
Blade stopped them in the coridoor. “No further.” He ordered, then called someone nicknamed 'Bat' to come and search them both. Bat took Kougu's gun and bullets, both of Jimmy's knives and his phone. He also checked them both for spyware.
Then, Blade led them to what used to be a kitchen, and told them to stand by the table. There was only one chair, and Jimmy doubted it was for either of them.
They stood, waiting, whilst Blade disappeared to the other room where the meeting was going on.
“We're f*cked if this goes wrong.” Jimmy whispered to Kougu, eyes scanning the silent room. Here they were, in the possible headquarters of the Bloods' territory, and now they had nothing to defend themselves with. The car was way out around the corner – Ramiro had probably stolen it, anyway – and they could have easily been locked in a room and left there to die.
“You alright?” He asked his friend, although it was very obvious that Jimmy himself was nowhere near 'alright'.
Before Kougu could answer, however, a figure stormed into the room. He was an older man of at least thirty, with cropped, blonde hair and wrinkly eyes. He smoked a thick cigarre, and he wore a dirty, white shirt tucked into his suit trousers. His hand displayed many rings, including a rather broad, wide silver one on his right hand with a red rock the shape of an eye in the middle. He studied Jimmy and Kougu for a moment, before sitting down on the chair.
He puffed his cigar with a sneer on his face, then emptied his pocket by slamming a handgun onto the table. Jimmy was worried about the gun's purpose, but this man acted like it wasn't there.
“So you two want to be Blood members?” He raised his eyebrows, causing his brow to wrinkle. “Well I admit I was hoping for better. I'm Kane.” He sat back in his chair, and propped his feet up on the table like a rebellious child. “Also known as Killer Kane. And you have five minutes to tell me why we would want you.”
He tapped the cigar, causing burning ash to trickle to the floor.
“And just to say, anything less than perfect, and... Well,” he chuckled hoarsely. “Let's just say, you've seen my face, and I don't let anyone but Blood members see my face. Understand?”
Swallowing nervously, Jimmy nodded.
“Great.” Kane smiled sweetly. “Go on, then.”

From the moment Jimmy's cigarette touched his lips, it was as if the clock had started ticking. Kougu could feel each one of his own heartbeats, pulsing with adrenaline, slowly counting down the seconds until the Bloods inevitably arrived. They did not have to wait long.
Like clockwork, the figures appeared on the horizon, and Kougu exhaled carefully, forcibly slowing his racing heart. Calmness fell over him like a wet blanket, heavy and cold, and as the footsteps of the Bloods grew nearer, he dropped his gaze to the ground, closing his eyes to block out the world. This was Jimmy's mission, and though it was difficult to admit, he knew that his usefulness was questionable. All he had to do was remain invisible. Stay invisible, and he would stay sane. Stay sane, and... Everyone might just stay alive.

Their first encounter with the Bloods was a trying one, and when the man called Ramiro held the knife to Jimmy's throat, Kougu felt every muscle in his body tense; taut as a pulled bowstring. It was all so unreal to him that time seemed to pass in odd lurches without him ever being full aware of where he was, or what he was doing. All he knew was that he had a mission, and the success on that mission depended hugely on his self control, which could be shaky at the best of times. So, with tight lips and downcast eyes, he stuck to Jimmy's side in calm silence, until they finally found themselves right in the belly of the beast.
When they entered the Bloods 'lair', their guide - a man called Blade - stopped them, and Kougu remained a robot on standby as they were searched and stripped of their weapons. He felt Jimmy's anxiety like a chill in the hot room when his knives were taken, and for the first time, he spared his friend a single glance, suddenly visited by a bizarre desire to comfort him, at the worst of times. But then they moved on, and his eyes dropped to the ground again, tracing the cracks in the tiles until they finally stopped in an empty room, and Blade left them. The silence was a palpable force as it pressed down upon them, every inch as suffocating as the stale, dust-riddled air that stuffed unwanted heat into their lungs with each and every breath.
“We're f*cked if this goes wrong.” Jimmy muttered quietly beside him. 
"We're f*cked anyway." He answered, his voice barely above a whisper, "But no matter what happens, I won't let you die here. I can promise you that."
Tracing the progress of a scuttling shadow in the corner, Kougu's eyes began to lift from the ground at last as he watched the cockroach inch into the dull, yellow light, then pause, testing the air with long antennae.
“You alright?”
"Hm?" He looked up to answer, meeting Jimmy's eye at last, but before he could say a word, a door creaked, and the next challenge arrived before them, unshaven and sucking on a cigar. 
“So" He said as he sat down, placing a gun casually on the table. Kougu felt Jimmy's weight shift through the floorboards under his feet. "You two want to be Blood members? Well I admit I was hoping for better. I'm Kane. Also known as Killer Kane.” Kane's chair creaked as he hoisted his feet up onto the table. There was a piece of gum stuck to his shoe, and even as Kane continued talking, Kougu couldn't look away from it. Suddenly, Kane's threatening speech was passing right over his head.
“And you have five minutes to tell me why we would want you.” There was an ominous pause, “And just to say, anything less than perfect, and... Well," Kane chuckled, his voice as smokey as his breath, “Let's just say, you've seen my face, and I don't let anyone but Blood members see my face. Understand?”
Kougu heard Jimmy swallow beside him, and glanced up to see him nodding, a look of pinched anxiety on his face. The pressure was reaching him, and no matter how well he hid it, it still showed. Kougu's concern grew.
“Great.” Kane said, his sugary voice stealing back their attention, “Go on, then.”

He didn't know what made him do it. Maybe it was the man's infuriating confidence, or his father's stamp of ownership glaring plainly in his every gesture. Maybe it was that single piece of gum that he'd failed to pick from his sole, or the near-silent sound of Jimmy's sweat dripping to the floor beside him. Whatever it was, at that moment, Kougu decided to take matters into his own hands.
Raising his head, he met Kane's gaze with fierce opposition, and said quietly, "Hand me a pen."
"What?" There was laughter in Kane's husky voice, "You say something?"
"That pen." Kougu repeated calmly, pointing to a black ballpoint balancing on the edge of the table, "Can I borrow it?"
At this point, Kane looked nothing short of amused, but Kougu's expression did not flicker as he swiped the pen from the edge of the table. His eyes darted back to the corner of the room, and as if it knew what was coming, the cockroach began scurrying toward a crack in the wall. His hand followed it for a fraction of a second, then loosed the pen with all the grace of a throwing dart. It whizzed through the air with ungodly speed, then struck the wall with a dull thud, followed by the grainy crumbling of plaster. It remained there a moment, shuddering, then fell to the ground with the half-dead insect twitching at its point.
Having made his argument, Kougu shoved his hands back into his pocket and looked away, maintaining his character as well as his silence. No verbal argument that he made - no matter how convincing - would be of any use in this place. He simply did not speak the same language as these brutes; no amount of practice could change that.
It's on you now, Jimmy. He thought to himself, fists clenching tensely at his sides, Bring it home. Remember what we discussed.

There was a short silence after Kane stopped talking as neither Jimmy nor Kougu could decide on what to say. Jimmy knew what they had planned, but when he opened his mouth no words came out. He was frozen in fear, and with the pressure building on both of them to speak, Jimmy knew they were running out of time.
Then, breaking the silence, Kougu spoke up.
When he mentioned the pen, both Jimmy and Kane looked faintly confused. Jimmy frowned carefully at his friend. Kougu, what are you planning?
But Kougu took the pen, and with a single, swift movement, threw it at the wall. Everyone in the room watched the ghost of it's path fly through the air to find it's target, and found a single, twitching cockroach at it's nib.
Jimmy glared at his friend in horror. What the Hell was that for? But there was no taking it back. Whatever Kougu's reasons, Kane had seen it happen, and there was no doubt he wouldn't take it well.
When Jimmy finally found the courage to raise his eyes towards their interrogator, he realised with a start that he wasn't there. Kane had slowly raised to his feet, and wandered to the other side of the room, an unreadable look on his face. He picked up the pen and studied it for a moment. Then, as he reached Kougu, he stopped, raised a large bony finger and flicked the dead cockroach up in Kougu's face. Kane's expression had changed to something quiet and angry, but he didn't say a word. Jimmy tensed, expecting him to lash out at Kougu for pulling such a stunt, but all he did was wipe away whatever 'germs' he had got from the cockroach on Kougu's hoodie, then returned to h is chair, placing the pen in his shirt pocket.
Jimmy decided then; it was either speak now, or never speak again.

He recited everything he and Kougu had discussed earlier on in the day. He spoke about the Crips, who were the Bloods' rival gang, and how they had pissed him off from the very start with their criminality and theft. Jimmy emphasised how angry they made him, and how he believed scum who were going to be nothing but a burden on them and society didn't deserve to live. All this was fiction, of course, but compared to Kougu Jimmy was a decent liar. He'd done it all his life, after all.
Kane sat and listened to every word, his expression no longer mocking and sneering, nodding slowly every once in a while. Jimmy remained careful to stick to his point, but with the pressure building up by the end he began to babble and unknowingly improvise, which would prove to be his biggest mistake.
“So that's why we're here.” He concluded. “We want to kick their asses for what they've done to society, to the Bloods, to this country. We want to help you wipe them off the face of the Earth.”
“That's very ambitious talk.” Kane replied finally, eyes narrowed and unwavering. “But there are many gangs out there that steal and kill. Why do you hate the Crips particularly?”
Jimmy stopped. He hadn't thought that bit through. “They... Um... They badmouthed us on the street. Tried to take our stuff.” That sounds pathetic. He could have kicked himself.
“Yeah? Which ones?”
“I didn't see their faces.” Jimmy could feel himself blushing.
“Yes,” Kane's eyes were getting more intense. “But you must have heard their voices. Where were they from?”
“They...” Jimmy swallowed. “There were a... A few Latinos, a- A black... The rest were whites, I think...” He wanted the floor to swallow him up. That was only a stereotype he had in his head. He had no idea who was in the Crips.
Kane stared at him for a while, and just before Jimmy thought he was going to be interrogated again, his face split into a pleasant grin.
“Welcome to the Bloods, gentleman.”

((Wow. Is it just me, or do they seriously suck at this? XD ))

The tense moment of silence seemed to last too long, but when it finally ended, Jimmy began reciting story, just as they had rehearsed. At first all went smoothly, and Kane seemed to be buying it, but then he did something that Kougu had been hoping to hell he wouldn't. He questioned. And in a flash, Jimmy's solid story was suddenly filled with holes.
'Why do you hate the Crips'. It was such a simple question. So simple, in fact, that when Jimmy mumbled his lame response, Kougu felt his fingers curl in frustration. They should have been better prepared. They should have been ready for this. Annihilating a gang because they'd 'badmouthed' them? Hell, the Bloods had already done that. It was just what gangsters did. Suddenly, Kougu felt their lie unraveling at their fingertips. Yet still, Kane played along. 
“Yeah? Which ones?”
“I didn't see their faces.” Jimmy sounded like a child sent in to the principal's office.
“Yes, but you must have heard their voices. Where were they from?”
“They... There were a... A few Latinos, a- A black... The rest were whites, I think...”
Wrong. That was a mistake. The Crips were primarily a black gang - Kougu had done the research - the likelihood of being attacked by a group of white Crips was next to nothing. Slowly, Kougu's arms tensed at his sides, ready to defend himself. Unless this 'Kane' was a royal idiot, they were about to run out of luck. But just as he was waiting for the gangster to pick up his gun, the older man cracked a grin and said, “Welcome to the Bloods, gentlemen.”
What?
Neither Kougu nor Jimmy had the capacity to speak. By some God sent miracle, Killer Kane had bought their half baked lie. It was a stroke of luck unlike any they could have hoped for, and yet still, Kougu felt uneasy. There was something about Kane - that snake-like face, that greasy smile - that made his hair stand on end. Frankly, he wouldn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

Kougu remained silent as Kane spoke, more to Jimmy than to him, about the proceedings soon to follow. He said that it was customary in the Bloods for new members to undergo initiation - Kougu had expected this - and went on to explain the task that they were supposed to undertake.
"This," Kane said, laying a crumpled piece of paper out over the desk, "Is a map of the city. You'll want to go here." He tapped a spot on the map, near the corner of two small, downtown streets, that was marked with a red 'X'. "You'll find an old building there, a hotel called 'The Frontlines'. Well," He chuckled, "Not so much a hotel as a crumbling wreck for rats and crack whores." He waited until they'd laughed awkwardly at his half-arsed joke, then continued, "On the eighth floor you'll find an old 'friend' of mine. Calls himself Swagger. I want you to find old Swag, and tell him to cough up the money he owes me. If he won't," Kane's eyes darkened, "Then he pays in blood. Can you two handle that?"

***

A couple of hours later, Kougu and Jimmy stood outside The Frontlines, taking in what had once been a majestic building, and was now barely more than a pile of rubble. The windows were mostly broken and boarded up, but the front door still worked, and it was to this that Kougu walked up, eyes narrowed suspiciously. The knocker was in the shape of a lion's head. "We're being followed." He murmured under his breath to Jimmy, "They must be watching, to see how we handle it. Don't let your guard down."
It was a hot night, and a trickle of sweat ran down his forehead as he reached for the doorhandle, and twisted it. He pushed, but the door just creaked stiffly, and he had to shove it roughly with his shoulder to get it open. Rats scuttled away as the dim moonlight filtered through the open door, disturbing the darkness. The whole building groaned as the door blew shut behind them.
"It's black as pitch in here." Kougu hissed, "I can't see a thing." He glanced left and right, peering into the gloom. "We need to find a staircase. Do you have any matches?"

Kane explained to the two about their initiation, and how it was going to work. It seemed like a simple task, if somewhat clichéd from what Jimmy's experience had been with gangs at home. But really, he was just surprised that they'd both been accepted. He knew his answers had been awful, and as a gang leader he wouldn't have let any lame sod in who had answered those questions so poorly. But Jimmy didn't realise exactly how incorrect his answers had been, not just poor. So he continued to go on with the act with as much awareness as before.
The task they had to persue was simple: they had to go into an abandoned hotel, find a guy called Swagger and beat him up until he gave them some money. Easy, right?

But Kougu didn't look too sure. In fact, a few hours later as they entered the hotel, Kougu's uneasiness was rubbing off on Jimmy so much that he was nearly shaking.
“It's black as pitch in here.”
He was right. If they closed the door niether would be able to see a thing, and with all the rats scuttling hungrily around their ankles, they didn't really want to lose sight of their path.
“I can't see a thing.” A pause, then. “We need to find a staircase. Do you have any matches?”
“I've got a lighter.” Jimmy whispered, pulling it out of his pocket. Thankfully, the Bloods hadn't counted that as a weapon. “Hold on...” He cupped his hand around the flame and flicked at it, over and over again until it lit. The flame was tiny, barely a candle light, but it was the best they were going to get.
Jimmy moved it around the room. Now they could see up to a metre in front of them, which was a start.
Jimmy was glad he'd lit it when he had. He'd been feet away from walking right into an upturned desk. Underneath it looked like a perfect habitat for desease-ridden rats. He curled his lip in distaste, and turned away. There was a narrow passageway, which led onto a wider staircase that spiralled up to the first floor. The silence was deafening.
“I don't like this.” He whispered uneasily. “Shouldn't we be able to hear something by now? Voices, laughter, a TV?” He looked around nervously. Kougu had mentioned they'd been followed. But why? Wasn't the money enough evidence that they'd succeeded? Once they got it, that is. But still...
“I don't know about you but I can't hear anything.” He whispered as he began to climb the staircase.

“I've got a lighter. Hold on...” Jimmy whispered, and Kougu stood still beside him as he coaxed the small gas lighter into life. It took a few attempts, but  at last, Jimmy managed to get it lit, and a soft oval of light inflated around them, dim and flickering. Kougu met Jimmy's eyes for a moment, registering where he stood in case the lighter went out, then took a brief glimpse around the room around them. It certainly was a wreck. There was damaged furniture everywhere, crumbling from termites, and the whole place reeked of dust and moth balls. In several places the floorboards had already cracked, giving way to the foundation below, where all manner of creepy crawly critters were sure to be living. 
“I don't like this.” Jimmy's voice said quietly beside him, the unease of it raising goosebumps on Kougu's skin, “Shouldn't we be able to hear something by now? Voices, laughter, a TV?” They began making their way toward the stairs, treading carefully on the rickety floorboards.
“I don't know about you but I can't hear anything.”
"It's a big building." Kougu reminded Jimmy softly with confidence that he didn't quite feel, "And he might be sleeping."
They walked a little further, then a floorboard creaked and crunched ominously under Kougu's foot, and he held out an arm to stop Jimmy.
"I don't like it either." He muttered, jumping to the next step, then offering a hand to help Jimmy, "But we can't go out now, not if they followed us. They'd shoot us down on the spot. Just keep your guard up, and stick close to-"
He froze mid-sentence, jerking his head up to study the ceiling. His intelligent eyes traced every crack and stain, then darted quickly to the floor as a rat scuttled past the bottom of the staircase. He frowned at it for a moment, as though trying to piece together some sort of puzzle, then turned his back reluctantly and headed on up the stairs, telling himself firmly that the crackle he'd heard was only the scratching of tiny rodent claws on wood.

Sticking close together, the pair finally breached the first staircase, then the second, then the third. Every so often Kougu would stop, straining his ears to hear some inaudible sound, but each time he would just shake it off, and trudge on up the stairs. Halfway up the fifth staircase, one of the stairs gave way under his foot, and were it not for Jimmy's help, he probably would have fallen. It seemed the higher up they got, the worse the termite damage became. It was the damp, too, he supposed. But the funny thing was, even as they climbed higher, the air grew thicker and stuffier. By the time they reached the seventh staircase, an acrid scent had started burning Kougu's nostrils.
"Stop!" He hissed, slapping a hand to Jimmy's chest as he stood, poised at the top of the staircase, his every sense on full alert.
It's not my imagination! He thought as he sniffed the air, straining his ears to once again catch that allusive crackling. He was about to move on again, when suddenly, he heard it. A little fizz, then a sharp snap, followed by even louder crackling, and the groaning of wood. Then a loud crack resounded through the old building, and the foul stench of smoke was suddenly upon them, billowing up to the seventh floor in a matter of minutes.
"It's a trap!" Kougu breathed, eyes widening as he dashed to the banister and peered over the edge of the staircase. What he saw made his eyes stretch, and his face turn grey with horror. There, rising from the floor, was an inferno of flames. They writhed and flickered, twisting like some foul beats as they devoured the old wood, licking it up like a prime buffet. It spread like nothing he'd ever seen, and as the roar of the flames grew louder, he felt himself leaning toward the eye of hell itself, blazing up at him with unholy heat. He stayed there, frozen, until the wooden banister under his hands shuddered and creaked, then gave way before him.
He uttered a gasp of surprise, scrabbling at thin air for a moment as he teetered on the edge of life and death. He felt his stomach drop out of his feet as he nearly lost his balance, then regained it in a flash of panic, staggering quickly away from the edge. His eyes were like mirrors, dancing with the reflection of the flames down below. For one heart-stopping second, he actually looked scared. Then he remembered Jimmy, and his demeanour changed immediately. "We've got to get out of here." He said, grabbing his friend by the wrist, then spinning around and dashing into the nearest room. "Come on."
They staggered inside, and Kougu tugged Jimmy straight over to the bathroom. The door was locked, but one powerful kick sent the rotten wood exploding into splinters, and Kougu dragged Jimmy through the wreckage and onto the stained yellow tiles. "Get in there," He shoved his friend into the shower with surprising strength, then grabbed the expandable shower head, and turned on the tap. "Come on, come on, come on." He muttered, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as the pipes shuddered and groaned. For a moment he feared the water wouldn't come. But then, like a drunkard unloading his dinner. The showerhead belched a splash of filthy water, then began spitting out an unsteady stream. With a breath of relief, Kougu held it up, quickly spraying himself and Jimmy until they were drenched to the skin. Hair plastered to his face, he dropped the showerhead to the floor with a clatter, and grabbed Jimmy's arm again as he raced out of the bathroom, slipping on the wet tiles.
"We won't catch fire as easily this way." He explained, his voice coming out as a breathless gasp as the smoke invaded his lungs. "We'll have to get out the way we came, it's the only exit. That means going through the flames." He staggered back over to the staircase, peering over the edge again - more carefully this time. The flames had risen higher, and now roared with demonic vengeance as Kougu looked down on them, wondering how in the world he was supposed to get Jimmy out of this alive.