Stories From Tokyo-To

Chapter 6: Moody's Shuffle!

I made it a point to get the hell outta dodge and find somewhere I could stay for the night. Somewhere decently in the public eye but where I could easily run for it, it seemed like everywhere I went was either too exposed or confined. 

Walking along the major roads eventually led me to the Shibuya Bus Terminal. I took a break on one of the terminal benches. The "Hours of Operation" sign made it clear that the last bus had left for the evening, so no more scouting for a place to stay tonight. My feet were killing me. I wouldn't doubt if they were covered with bruises or blisters.

All that walking made my hunger grow to the point where I felt a stomach ache coming. I flagged down the corner Shibuya-MART in front of the terminal and stocked up on sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. The clerk and line behind me gave me questionable looks, but I didn't care. They all had a place to lay their heads, not me.

Shuffling back to the bench, I sat and rummaged through the food I bought. Scarfing down on my rations, I took a load off to let my body finally rest from all the running, kneeling, and falling from the day's less-than-ideal events. I was clueless about where I would go or what I would do. A complete standstill. I decided to stay put on the bench. 

The terminal was a decently traversed area with a ton of open space to run or hide. Having no other choice, I readied my makeshift pillow of a bag and blanketed most of my body with my jacket. I tried to sleep, but the 'what if's' plagued my mind. It was a good thing that exhaustion set in. After a while, I was out.

The rain started. Nothing crazy, but a small shower. It went on for some time into the midnight hours. I was fortunate enough to have the terminal's canopy shielding me from the droplets. The nearby sounds of thunder shook me awake. I sat up and shivered as a breeze of cool air swept its way across the area. No one was near or passing by the terminal. 

I was about to head back to sleep until the sound of metal grinding overtook the sounds of the rain. In the distance, sparks made their way down the street. The same kind of sparks that came out of Gum's rollerblades. I scurried and frantically shoved my things into my bag. I was cramming as much as I could before whoever was on their way arrived. The last thing I needed was another rogue Rudie coming here and telling me off about being on their turf.

I swung my backpack on and was ready to fight or at least run my way out of this encounter. I couldn't help but notice that this person was playing music, and the closer they got, the less of them I could see? It took me a moment to see they were covered in a black poncho. 

All my adrenaline settled as this person blasted music through some speakers and skated around the terminal. Grinding on the stairway up onto the elevated sidewalk and looping repeatedly. Each trick, jump, and pose from rail to rail was flawless and took serious skill. At some point, I couldn't help but just stand and stare.

Smiling. I was smiling. Grooving to the music, they let roar. It was similar to what I listened to. Unapologetically funky. I started to laugh and cheer for this stranger, with each cheer revving up as the stunts became more and more intricate and daring. I was so entranced that I hardly noticed the phantom Rudie had disappeared along with the music. I fell back into the seat in disbelief.

"You liked the show?"

I screamed like a schoolgirl and fell off the bench. I inched away from the water-soaked stranger, grinning at my reaction. The top of his face was obscured by the poncho, but it was clear that he was a black man. He was panting and was winded from the display of sheer skating skill he presented.

"Wha– Who are you?! Please don't hurt me. I didn't know this was anybody's territory! I'll leave if you want!"

He chuckled at my begging and shook his head.