Alice In Borderland: Riptide

EPISODE ONE: BAD COMPANY

"What are you doing? Get away from him!" You throw your shoulder and full weight into the huge, burly blockhead punching and kicking the lanky, long-haired man who writhes in pain on the gravelly, muddy ground behind the seedy bar in the Kabuki district of Tokyo. You knock the bigger man to the ground purely due to the surprise of your attack, and he lands squarely on his ass, skidding across the gravel and through the puddles of mud.

       "Hey! Who the fuck do you think you are? Get outta here you little punk!"

       You reach up to pull your hood closer to your face. "You'd better get out. I wouldn't want to have to hurt anyone else."

       Another guy with huge muscles and a small head gives a snort and a sneer and approaches you, cracking his knuckles.

       "You sure talk big for such a little thing," He chuckles, coming closer.

       "Size doesn't matter." You say quietly, not meeting the guy's eyes.

       "Is that right? Listen here, you little shit-"

       Finally the guy is close enough for you to grab, so you do, twisting his wrist and then his arm up behind him, facing him away from you, and kicking the back of his knee. He goes down to the ground, and you lock his thick neck in a chokehold, bringing your face alongside his.

       "Leave. Now. Take all of your... buddies... with you. If I ever see any of you again, it'll be too soon. Got it?"

       He nods rather desperately, so you release him. He gathers his friend from the ground where you deposited him, and the entire group rushes away.

       You watch them disappear down the alley, the red and blue neon lights from the bar reflecting off the rain puddles, then turn to the man who's still lying in the much, clutching his ribs and gasping for air. You look at him for a moment, then notice a fancy bag lying nearby, spilled open, it's contents scattering out. Among them is an inhaler, which you quickly hand to the man. He draws from it gratefully as you fish in your pocket, withdrawing a clean, white handkerchief, which you held out between two fingers.

       "Here. Clean up. I can't take you anywhere looking like that."

       He glances between your face and the fabric uncertainly, hesitating before taking it and holding it to his bleeding nose.

       "Who even are you? And what do you mean - you're not taking me anywhere-"

       "Hush. I know who you are, Niragi Suguru. Or rather, I know your potential fate if I allow things to happen the way I saw. But I don't think that's meant for you."

       "What the hell are you talking about?" He asks, dropping the hand holding the now blood-spotted hanky. A thin trickle of blood comes from one nostril, and you roll your eyes, stepping over to him and grabbing the cloth.

       "Tip your head back," you say brusquely, smoothing his hair out of his eyes as you press his head backwards, your palm against his slightly sweaty forehead, and hold the handkerchief to his nose. "Here. Hold that there. And keep your head back!"

       You pull out a phone - iPhone, brilliant, pearl white - and tap out a quick message. The responding ding sounds a moment later, prompting you to crouch by the guy. You gently prise his fingers from the crumped square, studying his handsome face. Then you wipe away a tiny blotch of blood from the rim of his upper lip before lightly touching the stud in his nostril. He doesn't flinch, just continues to stare at you with a furrowed brow, so you gather nothing is ripped. You smile lightly at him and tilt your head, eliciting a smirk from him as you softly boop his nose.