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There were many times Rudo loved that the Cleaners had taken him in. He had only grown more grateful for their help since first reaching the Ground and vowed to do anything to help them.
That vow was tested sometimes though.
“I’d love to say yes to you Rudo,” Semiu said, “but we’ve been down a whole team for a while, and we need you guys to help catch us up before anything.”
“But we still don’t even know where Amo is!” Rudo argued back.
Semiu rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed, “I am well aware, but if you don’t remember, that isn’t even our jurisdiction. We’re technically supposed to be alerting the Hell Guard right now and letting them handle it while we do our jobs.”
Rudo bristled at the idea of letting some strangers handle such a delicate situation, “No way!”
“Which is why-“ Semiu began, “I haven’t called them yet, I understand the way they work and know she wouldn’t do well in their hands. I fully plan on letting y’all deal with the situation eventually but first, I need you, Enjin, and Riyo to help us catch up so we don’t get swamped.”
While he was still frustrated at having to wait, Rudo understood her point. His whole team (plus others in some cases) had been dealing with issues unrelated to their jobs for a while now. That was the only part about the Cleaners he didn’t like, the job part.
“Fine.” He finally relented, “But I want to help, that way we finish up faster.”
Semiu looked both amused and irritated but shrugged, “Alright, I’ll send you with Enjin, he could use someone keeping him focused. It should be a fairly simple job, just go in and clean up.”
Rudo nodded, “Thanks Semiu, I’ll go find him.”
She smirked, “Good luck kid.”
---
She had been right for the most part, the job was laughably simple. A small trash beast den had cropped up near a town and was causing problems. The residents of the town didn’t know much about the beasts themselves, only that they were strange and fast. The group that was sent was Enjin, Tomme, Gris, and himself, a small group for a small job. Enjin explained the plan as they all equipped their masks.
“Alright gang,” He began, “plan’s simple, we go in, we kick their asses, and we bum around in town for a bit ‘til Semiu yells at me.”
They all agreed and set off in the direction the locals had pointed them in. It wasn’t a long walk, but the den was a decent ways from the town. They spotted it after a couple minutes and Rudo grabbed something out of his bag. Zanka had been encouraging him to not think too hard about the object before activating it and had even picked out the items in Rudo’s bag. Something about his own perception getting in the way of the objects potential. He purposefully ignored looking at the item he had grabbed as they drew closer to the small cave, all four on alert.
Suddenly, a quiet hiss, similar to air coming out of a kettle before it started whistling, came from the cave. He noticed Enjin tense up and activate Umbreaker, holding her defensively. A flat, triangular head slowly emerged, thin eyes flicking between the four Cleaners. It was followed by a long, thick neck and… where was the rest of the body?
“Damnit,” Enjin groaned, “I hate the snake ones.”
“The hell is a snake?!” Rudo demanded, staring at the weird trash beast as more of its neck emerged with no sign of body.
“It’s like a really long lizard without legs.” Tomme said, “They still move really fast though so don’t let that fool you.”
As if on cue, the ‘snake’ lunged at Enjin who popped Umbreaker open and grunted as it hit hard and tried to bite down. Rudo and Gris both jumped into action while Tomme went to find cover nearby. Time to see what I got, he thought as he let power flow out of 3R into the object, careful not to use too much just in case. He felt the object transform right as Enjin shoved the beast off. Its attention switched to Rudo and before it could move, he raised the object, hoping it was something useful. It looked like it had been a box with some kind of crank on the side. The beast got ready to lunge again and Rudo did the first thing he could think of and turned the crank.
BANG
Suddenly, Rudo was on his back, trying to force air back into his lungs as he blinked the stars out of his eyes. The beast was distracted by something and the box was no longer in his hands. It took him a minute to process what was happening when he finally noticed what had the beasts attention. It looked like some sort of brightly colored puppet was trying to fight it off. The puppet was supported on a spring coming from the box that had shot out of Rudo’s hands. The sight was so absurd that the other Cleaners paused for a moment, staring incredulously at the puppet as it tried to grapple with the beast.
Enjin was the first to snap back into action, “Try to pin the tail!” He shouted at Gris as he charged the beast.
Rudo was about to pick himself back up when he heard that weird hissing noise again and whipped around to see another snake trash beast. They were both still for a moment before the second beast lunged at him and he rolled out of the way. He went to grab another object when something hit him hard from the back and he was back on the ground. He could barely process that the second beast had hit him with its tail before the tail wrapped around his leg and began dragging him.
“Shit-!” He cried as he dropped his bag and all the items it held.
In seconds, the beast had dragged him into the cave which he quickly realized wasn’t just a cave, but a huge tunnel system. He felt more and more disoriented as it took him further through the tunnels, taking turns randomly. The quick movements kept him from getting his bearings and fighting back. He grew more panicked the farther he was dragged and tried to think of anything he could use to get out of the things grip. He felt powerless without his bag, he didn’t have any more objects to use.
Just as he thought that, his jacket snagged on something and ripped, giving him an idea.
He quickly took the jacket off, hoping his last-ditch effort would work, and activated 3R. In a flash, he was sealed in a ball of sorts with the severed tail of the trash beast. He barely heard the beasts screech of pain as he bounced and rolled to a stop. His head pounded and he somehow felt more disoriented than before, but he was finally still. Shit I’ve gotta’ get out of here- the thought had barely formed when something rammed into the ball he was in and sent him rolling again.
As though it heard his thoughts, a hole opened in the ball and he tumbled out. He distantly heard the ball continue rolling before finally running out of power and breaking. He silently thanked it then turned his focus back to the trash beast. It had coiled itself back up and was making that weird hissing noise again. Rudo was barely able to focus on it and noticed his vision blur slightly but forced himself to ignore it. He quickly glanced around, looking for anything he could use, when he spotted a broken windowpane. The beast lunged and he rolled out of the way, grabbing the window and putting his last charge into it. The beast spun around and lunged again, but Rudo was ready this time and swung the pane at it.
He was momentarily shocked as he watched the beast slice itself in two when it hit the pane. It looked like the pane had turned into some kind of glass longsword, likely in response to his need to kill the beast. The beast gave one last convulsion before locking up and slowly disintegrating. Rudo finally let himself relax and he felt the makeshift sword crumble as well. He again thanked the item, watching it break down in his hands. As it finally crumbled to dust, he finally took in his surroundings.
It looked like the entire tunnel was made of trash and metal panels that seemed to have been shoved aside by something, likely the trash beasts. A painful inhale reminded him that he still wasn’t wearing his mask, and he quickly put it on. The relief was immediate, but he noticed the subtle odor still lingering in the clean air. He dragged his gloves along the side of his mask and felt them catch on a small crack.
“Shit-“ He hissed, pressing 3R against the crack.
It must’ve cracked while he was being dragged, he definitely remembered being slammed into a few walls. His sides reminded him of that fact, and he leaned heavily against a nearby wall to try and lessen the pain. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, every part of his body began voicing its displeasure, and yeah, he definitely got banged up. His head was especially loud about its pain and his vision blurred again from the pulse of agony he felt. It was almost like when his hands started bothering him, but he recognized this kind of pain as something different, he was concussed.
As though agreeing with his assessment, he felt another lance of pain from his skull down his neck. He closed his eyes and felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes at the onslaught. He stayed there for an unknown amount of time, it could’ve been a few seconds or hours, he had no idea. Finally, he cracked open his eyes and pushed himself off the wall. The tunnel spun slightly and he briefly worried he was going to collapse but the feeling passed. Gotta’ get back to the others.
Keeping one hand against the wall to support himself, he began walking in the direction he (hopefully) came from. After a minute or two, he reached crossroads and tried to remember which way he had been taken. His head throbbed as he strained, but he was finally able to remember and turned to the left. This cycle repeated a couple times, stop, struggle to remember, and keep walking. By the fifth turn, he realized he couldn’t remember any more. Everything past this point was a swimming blur of movement and panic. The pause was just long enough for all the pain throughout his body to catch back up.
His legs wobbled slightly and he leaned more heavily against the wall. The increased weight must have dislodged something and suddenly, he was sprawled on the ground. It was all too much, he couldn’t bring himself to get back up. All his knowledge of past concussions and injuries told him he couldn’t afford to pass out, but it was quickly being overwhelmed by his exhaustion. He could faintly recall Regto’s panic the first time he got a concussion.
It was almost funny how hard he had been trying to keep his composure. It was obvious he was freaked out, but he masked it by telling some sort of story, whether it was to calm himself or Rudo was unsure. Rudo couldn’t even remember what the story was about, it was probably some sort of old wives’ tale about avoiding fights or something. Ironically though, it hadn’t even been his fault. He had turned a corner and accidentally ran into some older kids. He hadn’t even been able to apologize before they laid into him until they got bored. Regto had found him an hour or so later and had frantically carried him home to take care of him.
Rudo realized he was drifting off but didn’t have the strength to stay awake longer. The most he could manage was keeping his hand propped against his mask to prolong his clean air. His awareness started to blur and memory started to mix with reality in whatever strange, half-asleep state he was in. Suddenly, he wasn’t laying on trash, but the ratty old couch Regto had owned for who knows how long. The old thing was as much a part of his ‘family’ as Rudo was, as a kid he almost saw it as a sibling of sorts.
He thought about how he tried to name it and Regto, despite his poorly contained laughter, helped. Rudo couldn’t even remember what they had decided on, but he knew it was something fitting. Despite how strangely nice things were on the Ground, Rudo found himself missing home. Not the Sphere, he still hated all the assholes up there, but the tiny house he and Regto shared. God he missed it, he missed Regto. He clung to the memories as he felt himself lose touch with reality. Maybe if he died down here, he would be able to find Regto again in whatever afterlife awaited them.
Yeah, that would be nice.
---
Rudo was in the middle of a really weird dream about talking to a trash beast like a friend when he felt himself being jostled awake. He briefly wondered if another one of the snake trash beasts had found him and was finishing him off. He cracked open an eye and- shit his vision was still too hazy, at least it looked human though. Whoever it was was talking to him and apparently, his ears weren’t really working either because he couldn’t make out much. All he knew was that the voice was familiar and made him relax unconsciously. It was obviously someone safe, but he couldn’t figure out who to save his life.
Actually, where was he?
It was dark and a bit cold which meant he probably wasn’t at home. The ground was hard and it reminded him of the streets up on the Sphere. Had he dreamt everything? The question bounced around his head and in his near delusional state, he grasped onto it for some hint of familiarity. I must’ve pissed someone off again. He thought, it explained how sore he was and the lack of cushion underneath him. And if that was true, it must mean he was being woken up by someone who found him. If he were more aware, he’d realize the concussion was messing up his memories with what was happening, but he wasn’t, so he let himself embrace the memory.
“Regto…?” He mumbled, glancing up at the still blurry figure.
The talking stopped for a moment and he relished in the relief it brought to his pounding head. Suddenly, he was being moved and he whined with displeasure as he was reminded of how sore his whole body felt.
“Sorry kid, gotta’ get you upright.”
Oh, he could hear now.
“What happened?” The figure asked.
Rudo took a moment to gather his thoughts and voice them, “Think I got beat up… Dunno’ what I did this time.”
Another pause, then, “You know where you are right now?”
“An alley?” He guessed, that’s usually where he ended up after fights.
The person, Regto probably, mumbled something before speaking loud enough for him to hear, “Alright then, I’m gonna’ move you a bit so I can pick you up and get you out of here, ready?”
Rudo made another unhappy noise but nodded slightly, might as well get home so I won’t be as cold. A moment later, he was being picked up and felt sharp pain from his sides drawing out a hiss.
“Sorry bud,” Regto(?) said, awkwardly trying to rub his back while carrying him, “hard parts over though.”
The jostle of Regto’s movement was uncomfortable, but the warmth he gave off felt heavenly to Rudo. He found himself unconsciously gripping Regto’s shoulders and moving his head into the crook of his neck. It was strange being carried on his back again, but it would make sense that he was too big to be carried like a kid anymore. He also noticed the strong smell of smoke and something acrid on Regto that made him scrunch up his nose.
“You smell weird.” Rudo said, not moving away though.
Regto snorted, “Gee, thanks kid. Way to make a guy feel good.”
He also spoke weird, but it was probably because Rudo was hurt, that always made him act funny. It wasn’t long before they stopped and he heard other voices, ones he didn’t recognize but didn’t sound hostile. He caught parts of the conversation between Regto and the other guy.
“…OK-?”
“Yeah don-…fine.”
“…Car…get to base… Eisha…”
None of it really made sense so Rudo just tuned it out, hoping they would stop soon so he could get home already. Suddenly, he was being shifted and he felt another pair of arms gently pulling him off of Regto.
“No- Regto!” His limbs were too heavy to properly fight against being taken but he hoped Regto would notice.
“Shshsh it’s OK kid.” Regto said quietly, “I just can’t carry you right now, we’re going home though and I’ll be right next to you.”
As much as he hated the idea of being apart, the other person carrying him now felt bigger and way more stable than Regto. It made him feel safe enough that he didn’t fight too hard against the shift. They started moving again and Rugo noticed that he was being held in the other guy’s arms, he must be pretty strong. The thought comforted him even more and suddenly, he was tired again. With a yawn, he let his head fall against the man’s chest and drifted off again.
---
When Rudo woke up again, he was in a painfully bright room but thankfully underneath a blanket that he quickly covered his eyes with. He must have gotten home if the cushion underneath him was any indicator. After a moment, his eyes had adjusted and he let the blanket down, still squinting against the light. The room was a bit hazy but clearly unfamiliar and quickly dashed his hopes of being home. Where the hell am I? He wondered and moved to get out of the bed he had apparently been in.
That plan was quickly ruled out as his legs almost gave out when he tried to stand. He cursed quietly and moved back to wrap the blanket around himself. The silent room was starting to unnerve him, it felt wrong.
“Hello?” He tried, wincing at how his voice broke, “Anyone there?”
There was silence for a moment and he wondered if he was alone before the door swung open.
“Rudo!” He heard before a red blur appeared next to his bed.
“Shit!” He responded, nearly falling out of the bed in shock.
“Careful Riyo!” He heard a voice from the door, “Eisha said he’s probably still sensitive.”
The red blur backed up slightly, “Sorry, I forgot.”
“What’s going on?” Rudo asked trying to blink away the haze covering his eyes.
“You’re in the infirmary.” The other voice said, “You were out for a while, we were starting to get kinda’ worried.”
Finally, his vision started to sharpen and Rudo was able to recognize his surroundings and who he was talking to.
“Riyo?” He glanced at what had just been a red blob.
She immediately brightened, “Thought you didn’t recognize me for a second there man!”
The other figure came into focus and, ah, it was Enjin, “Glad you’re up kid, feeling any better yet?”
Rudo winced slightly, “Still pretty sore and my head’s kinda fuzzy but definitely not as bad.” Suddenly, his throat clenched and he coughed, feeling like he was about to hack up a lung.
“I’ll get him some water.” Riyo said and walked to the corner of the room.
Enjin glanced at him and after a moment of hesitation, slowly sat down on the edge of his bed, “Glad you’re doing better, you had me pretty freaked with how out of it you were.”
Rudo frowned and looked down, “Sorry… I didn’t mean to be a problem.”
“Geez, you really suck at being comforted.” Enjin groaned, “I almost liked you better when you were all loopy, at least you let me help you.”
“What even happened?” Rudo asked, “I can’t really remember much.”
“We got to the trash beast den and when they started fighting back, you used that little toy box you had and it must’ve knocked you over.” Enjin explained, “I hadn’t noticed anything happen until I heard Tomme yelling about you getting grabbed.”
“And it looks like it did a number on you.” Riyo said, handing Rudo a glass of water he thanked her for, “Your whole body was practically one big bruise and your brains were scrambled.”
“Explains how confused you were.” Enjin said with a chuckle, “It seemed like you were off in another world the whole way back.”
Suddenly, his smile grew strained and he glanced at Riyo, as if looking for answers from her. She just shrugged though and Enjin sighed, the whole exchange confusing Rudo greatly.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, “Did something else happen?”
“There was… One thing I wanted to ask about.” Enjin began hesitantly, “You definitely weren’t all there when Gris and I found you, and I don’t think you recognized us at first. The main thing I was wondering about was… well- shit how do I say this?” He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, “OK, I’ll just rip off the band aid, who’s Regto?”
The effect was immediate, Rudo’s body locked up which caused another coughing fit. Riyo leaned over and lightly patted his back until it subsided, but the tense feeling remained.
“How do you-?” He asked.
Enjin looked a bit embarassed, “I think you got confused and mixed me up with this ‘Regto’ guy cuz you kept calling me that. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to though.”
Rudo looked down at his lap, I forgot I never really told them who Regto was. He briefly considered taking Enjin up on his offer to stay silent, but it felt kind of rude not to explain at this point.
“I guess I might as well.” He said and took a breath to steady himself, “Regto is- was, my dad.”
Riyo and Enjin both looked shocked and their questions were written all over their faces, but they thankfully stayed quiet.
“He would always patch me up whenever the kids on the Sphere would beat me up.” Rudo continued, “I guess the concussion mixed everything up and I thought I was still… up there.”
After a moment, Riyo spoke up, “Wait, didn’t you say your dad was the one that gave you those scars?”
It took a second to remember that conversation, but when he did, Rudo’s hands shot up, “Nonono! Er, you’re right, I just didn’t explain this well. Regto wasn’t really my dad, he just took care of me after they dropped my dad. He was honestly better than my real dad.”
Riyo nodded in understanding, but Enjin still looked shocked.
Rudo was about to ask if he was alright when he seemed to snap out of it, “Thanks Rudo. For telling us, I mean.”
The statement made Rudo feel warm and he glanced away to hide the slight flush it gave him. Riyo giggled but was cut off by a yawn that was echoed by the other two.
“We should probably get some rest.” Enjin declared and stood up.
Rudo felt the loss immediately but tried not to react, “Yeah, probably a good idea…”
He hated the idea of being alone at the moment, but it made sense that they would need to go to bed eventually. He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by the dull rumble of something heavy being moved and he looked up. Enjin and Riyo were pushing another one of the beds until it was flush with his.
Riyo seemed to notice his surprise and smiled, “What? Did you think we were just gonna’ ditch you here?”
“You best believe I’m not letting you out of my sight after yesterday.” Enjin said and gently ruffled Rudo’s hair.
The warmth Rudo felt practically doubled and he felt choked up with emotion. The intensity almost reminded him of whenever his anger would become overwhelming, but way better. Before he could stop it, his lips stretched into an, admittedly bad, smile.
“You doing OK there Rudo?” Enjin asked, suddenly concerned.
“Yeah, is something hurting again?” Riyo added.
Rudo flushed and covered his face, still unable to control his expression, “It’s nothing, don’t worry.”
“I’m gonna go get Eisha to check on you.” Enjin said.
“Wait!” Rudo exclaimed and grabbed his arm to stop him, “I’m not… Nothing hurts, I’m just… I’m happy, OK?”
They were all silent for a moment, Rudo feeling the happiness morph into embarrassment as he watched the statement register.
Riyo snorted and covered her mouth, “Wait, was that a smile?”
Rudo’s scowl was all she needed to see and the confirmation shattered what self-control she had as she doubled over laughing. Enjin was clearly struggling to hold it together, biting his knuckle in an attempt to not laugh.
“I never really learned how, OK?” Rudo grumbled and that was the last straw.
Enjin burst out laughing, holding onto the bedframe to keep from falling over, which just made Riyo laugh harder.
“Holy shit-“ Enjin barely managed between laughs, “Is that what Zanka was talking about when we visited him?!”
Any attempt between the two to calm down was immediately shattered and their laughter just got harder. Rudo could feel himself blushing furiously at the teasing. Strangely enough though, he didn’t feel the usual anger at being laughed at, he just felt some of that warmth from earlier. It kind of reminded him of whenever Regto would make a joke about Chiwa. The thought caught him off guard but he found himself noticing that it wasn’t untrue. For the first time since Regto died, he felt like he was cared for.
“Tha hell are you guys bein’ so loud for?”
They all turned to see a very grumpy looking Zanka leaning against the doorframe.
“Yer cackling woke me up.” He explained, “Now what could be that funny?”
Enjin glanced back at Rudo and, shit- he was smiling again and it wasn’t going away. The sight sent him into another fit of giggles so strong his knees almost buckled. Riyo wasn’t much better as she was sat down against the wall laughing just as hard. Suddenly, Rudo made eye contact with Zanka and saw the exact moment the older boy noticed his smile.
“I TOLD YA HE DOESN’T SMILE RIGHT!” Zanka shouted and Enjin fully collapsed at that point.
And despite the insulting statement and teasing, Rudo found himself trying not to laugh as well. The vindicated shouting and laughter was new, but somehow it felt like home. With that thought, he let himself relax and started laughing with them. It was an awkward, snorting kind of laugh that just made Zanka get even more shrill and Enjin and Riyo resort to almost pained wheezing as they couldn’t catch their breath.
He was home.