Stories From Tokyo-To

Chapter 7: That's Enough!

"Yooo, Tokyo-To! This is your one and only graffiti soul brother, DJ Professor K, comin' at ya live with those sultry sounds! Now, before we roll into more tunes to keep you groovin', let's check out the latest and greatest stirrin' up our fine city!"

The sound of a vinyl scratch played, and K's tone shifted to his classic mischievous charm. "Word on the street is something or someone's been shakin' up the system in Benten-cho and Shibuya-cho. And, oh boy, these Rudies are leaving their mark—literally! Noise Tanks, you better stay inside, or you might short-circuit in this weather. Rain and circuitry? Not exactly a match made in heaven. Unless you're into sparks flying, and not the romantic kind!."

A chuckle escaped before he continued. "Speaking of romance, get this: a group of paint-slingin', lovesick knuckleheads decided to hit the Love Shockers with a balloon attack! You heard me right—paint balloons. Nice try, boys, but maybe next time leave the art to the professionals. You and the Love Shockers just became the butt of Tokyo-To's latest joke!"

He dropped another record scratch before diving into the next bit of news. "But hold up! And now, this one's spicy: reports are coming in that a whole caravan of Rokakku vans got tagged, trashed, and left looking like yesterday's leftovers. The culprit? My money's on Poison Jam.! Those slimy fish always know how to make a splash."

K paused, his voice dropping a notch for dramatic effect. "Now here's a real kicker for ya: Tokyo-To just got itself a brand-new police captain. A Captain Onishima, all the way from Fukowoka-cho. That's right, folks, the man's in town, and rumor has it he's here to clean house. Don't know about you, but I've got a feeling the streets are about to get a whole lot more interesting. What do you think, Rudies? You ready for a little extra heat?"

The unmistakable sound of a needle sliding off a record rang out before K's voice rose to its iconic crescendo. "As always, keep your ears peeled, your wheels spinning, and your cans full! This is DJ Professor K signing off with the smoothest sounds this side of Tokyo-To! JET! SET! RADIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

It didn't take long to come across the building this "K" guy was talking about. A part of me hesitated to even step on the property. This was someone's home! I don't think they'd take kindly to uninvited guests in the witching hours of the day. Though it seemed like I had no other option. It was either this or a restless night of any number of scenarios happening to me. I set my fear aside and stepped towards the right-hand side of the looming garage door. 'K' was right. It was pretty easy to peel the door open and slip in.

I stood up and brushed off the rusted flakes of steel that managed to latch on my shoulders. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it was plain to see that I was standing at the foot of a car. From what I could make out, it was a blue muscle car with white racing stripes and a flame decal smack dab in the middle of the hood. No tires, though. Maybe it's the owner's project car? 

Heading up a small set of stairs led me to the main floor. To my right a vintage pinball machine. Dead ahead was a mound of speakers; next to that, a dog kennel. After my perusing, I headed straight to a couch on the far wall behind me. Throwing my things to the ground, I threw myself onto the cushion and promptly called it a night.

I didn't dream of anything that night. Just black. In reality, I don't dream much these days. When I do, it's something indescribable, or if it feels like there was a greater meaning or something, I can't decipher it. Odd.

Shuffling. Like a scraping noise woke me up. My eyes slowly woke up to the morning sun blinding me, as the window adjacent to me had no curtain. Squinting to the outdoors, a figure came into view.

I gave a bewildered "Wha–?" before I was knocked out cold.

I again woke up, but this time to distant barking. My head and face were throbbing. The smell of dried blood wafted into my nose as I took a glance at my dimly lit surroundings before I was smothered in light.