“Get your hands off of him!” a kick came flying from Hiro’s right side and smashed into the baldy’s head who had been gagging him for quite a few seconds now.
“Getting wet behind the ears?” Goro teased him with a grin as he pulled me up.
“Guys behind you!” Dai shouted as he struggled with another baldy. And in no time Hiro knocked out the one approaching them with a back punch.
“Not at all” He smirked as he replied to Goro and they gave each other a high five.
“Nice job there” Dai came running towards them and then slowed down. A deep frown formed on his face as he spoke in a tense voice
“But I still don’t get it…”
“What?” The other two asked.
“WHY WERE THEY BALD??? ALL OF THEM???” He shouted in frustration while pointing at the pile of baldies they had piled up.
“That’s what you wanted to ask?” Goro looked a bit disappointed but that was to be expected from Dai. He had always been the goof ball amongst them. “But you know… It definitely is strange”
Goro seemed deep in thought, “Each and every one of them is stark bald” he said glaring at them. “Why? Why are you bald?” he threatened the beat up baldies for an answer as he glared at them while stepping on one’s head.
“I think you both have lost it” Hiro concluded with a defeated tone. “The question is that why did they attack us” He said bending down.
“We’ll never tell you that!” the guy who was under Goro’s foot murmured which ticked him off.
“Oh is that so! I see you are bald but you do have eyebrows! Would you like me to help you match that part up with you head?! HUH? TELL ME!” Goro threatened with fire in his eyes. Actually it looked like his whole body was on fire.
“S-SORRY! I-It was-“before the baldy could complete his sentence a speeding car almost hit us all before stopping right in between us and the baldies. On looking closer they realized that the driver… WAS BALD TOO!
“He’s with them!” Dai shouted but they left before the three could stop them.
“What the hell was that” Goro opened a soda can with his mouth and then asked “Do you guys recall any of them from our past?”
“No, this is the first time I saw them” Hiro replied and Dai nodded in agreement.
“Well then we’ll just have to assume that they ambushed the wrong people by mistake. Maybe.” Goro concluded and the three of them made their way to their school. Although it was already 4 in the afternoon which means it was almost evening, these three had a special work to do. They would always come to school without fail at this time and leave at 6 in the evening. Some people who had seen them found it strange but didn’t dare to ask them.
After all they were known as the Dragon heads of The Black Hawk Academy and were considered the strongest gang of their school.
In case you are wondering what gangs are, I’ll take just a brief moment to explain how this area works. In this large city of Crakville, there are numerous schools and each school is at war with the other. The goal is to become the strongest and most badass academy in whose shadow the rest of the schools should shiver. But even after decades of battling amongst each other not even one has come out at the top.
Students enroll, form gangs, fight to survive and then just pass out or in some gone cases they drop out. Either ways, no ultimate decision has been made yet.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t strong groups alive. The blue birds from Raven Academy, The knuckle shots from Crow Academy. The Wings from the Blossom Academy (the only girl gang and a terrifying one as well) and a few more rank as the top gangs along with the Dragon Heads. So now that we know about this little history, we can understand why they are a gang and why random fights on the street are never a big deal till any of the above mentioned gangs want to sweat it out.
“Fuh I am so tired guys, let’s stop by the ice cream parlor on our way home” Dai sighed as he stretched out his arm muscles.
“Sorry today I am a little busy so count me out” Hiro smiled and smacked Dai on his back.
“Oh ok, what about you Goro?”
“I have some urgent business to. Sorry man.” Goro said strolling ahead of the two.
“Not fair guys! Since when did you become such busy people?” Dai complained a little but then smacked the other two on their heads and bid them farewell to go to the ice cream parlor. It didn’t matter to Dai if someone tagged along or not when the destination served ice cream. Soon he reached the shop and ordered for his favorite
Chocolate whopple Sunday magic. It was a little expensive but Dai believed that food and sleep are two things that should not be compromised with.
He took out a scoop of the tasty looking chocolate globe and started taking the spoon towards his mouth, while his mouth watered for the bitter-sweet textured sensation of the chocolate but someone suddenly caught his head from behind and yanked it in the plate in front. Ruining the whole dessert.
“W-W-WHAAAATTTTT!” a high pitched ‘what’ was all that came out of Dai’s mouth as he gaped at the demolished ice kingdom ahead of him, his face was now a total mess of choco, nuts, some fruits and syrup. Enraged he turned around, determined to beat up anyone he could hold responsible but was taken aback instead. The parlor was flooded with men and they all had the same thing missing on their heads.
“What’s going on…?” Dai almost whispered inaudibly as he starting feeling uneasy with the overwhelming number of baldies in front of him.
“What’s up kiddo” one of the baldies from the afternoon came up to Dai and glared straight into his eyes, “Did we ruin the baby’s ice cream?” he sneered “Or are we helpless without our friends?”
“Well… with the army you have gathered to corner out just one person, I would say you are the ones feeling helpless” Dai taunted wiping his face with a tissue.
“You won’t be talking like this after we roughen you up” glared the baldy.
“Hey hey hey! This is an ice cream parlor. Take you fight outside” The manager came running and sent the whole crew outside the shop. “Dai, should I call the cops or something?” he whispered to Dai as they crossed each other at the entrance door of the parlor before Dai left.
“No its fine”
“But-“
“Oh so you thinks you can handle us?” threatened the baldy “What can you do alone against so many of us?”
“I am not alone” Dai replied calmly as he folded up his shirt’s sleeves.
“I don’t see anyone around ice cream boy”
“Don’t give me weird nicknames!” Dai shouted back instantly, making some of the baldies laugh out, “and my reinforcements are almost here”
“Huh…?” the baldy looked confused until he saw two boys running at full speed towards them. The next few moments were full of fist smashing into bald heads or kicks landing on bald heads and finally after knocking down tons of potatoes the Dragon Knights stood victorious.
“Nice work guys” Dai said grinning widely.
“H-How did you know?” asked one of the beat up baldies.
“We knew from the start that you were following us” Hiro explained calmly “But we were a little surprised that you would wait outside our school till we came out. We saw a bald potato shining from behind a bush and so made an ambush plan to ambush you when you would try to ambush us”
The baldies looked lost and defeated as he tried to understand what exactly had happened.
“But seriously they totally destroyed my Sunday! That was not in the plan” Dai huffed.
“That was fantastic work. As expected.” A guy wearing the same uniform as the three came out from behind the parlor.
“You are definitely… the freshman Kite” Dai said.
“Yes! I am glad you remember!” the guy jumped with fake excitement and then frowned deeply at them.
“What’s the meaning of all this” Goro asked flexing his neck joints.
“If I had to sum it up-“
“You don’t have to just keep it quick” Dai interrupted almost uninterestedly.
“That is what summing up means you idiot” Goro told Dai.
“Oh that’s right sorry. Continue Kota”
“IT’S KITE! You said it yourself a little while ago! And yes I would keep it short if-”
“You sure are taking you time man. Just be quick” This time Hiro interrupted looking at his watch. “It’s already going to be 7 soon you know”
“Oye let him speak you two” Goro said getting impatient as well “Quick Kento”
“IT’S KITE!!!! AND YOU ARE NOT LETTING ME SPEAK!” Kite shouted in exasperation. After taking a deep breath he opened his mouth again but the three had already turned around and started walking away.
“Wait!” Kite ran up in front of them and got hold of Hiro’s shoulders, “REVENGE” He summed up all that he had to say in just one word and gazed right at them.
“For what?” Hiro asked a little amazed, “What did we do to you?”
“You embarrassed me in front of everyone. On the day of the opening ceremony I asked you if I could be a part of the Dragon knights and you shoved me away without even considering me. I was laughed at by my friends and ridiculed and made fun of.” Kite slowly calmed down as he spoke further and dropped his hands from Hiro’s shoulders.
“Then they are not you friends Kite” Dai said.
“What?”
“True friends don’t make fun of you Kite they support you and root for you even when you fall” Dai concluded smiling.
“Especially when you fall” Goro added.
It did not take Kite much time to understand what the people standing in front of him were saying. He felt the same way somewhere deep down as well. He knew the truth. But that did not comfort him much.
“Why do you wish to join us Kite?” Hiro asked seriously.
“Well… I have been idolizing you three since the day Dragon Knight was formed” Kite replied, “You probably don’t remember me but you formed your gang and named it in front of me.”
A quick flashback flooded the mind of the three boys as they recalled the same day. Six years ago on a day when it was raining heavily, they were bought together by fate. Even though they were classmates but they never considered each other friends, in fact they practically disliked each other. But that day was different. After school as they were going back home they saw a little boy getting bullied by a few seniors of some other school. No one said anything and people just walked by chatting on and about their own lives, reason being that the ones bullying were some famous and strong gang.
But these three were different, they couldn’t even bulge from their spot after they saw the little guy crying and the indifferent attitude of the people passing by only fueled their rage. This was so unfair and they were no match for the bullies.
The three of them were thinking the same things and trying to come up with a plan when they noticed each other. Knowing that there was going to be some help after all, the three geared up in excitement and without thinking they dashed into the crime scene, caught the boy and ran with him. Well that was the only thing they could do as fighting was not an option when losing was determined to be the outcome.
“And so we ran with all our might without even turning back” Goro winked at Dai and he smiled back.
“So you were the boy from back then” Hero mused, “You sure have grown up”
“Yes” Kite replied back. . . .
That day after the three outran the bullies, with the boy, they felt more alive than ever before.
“What say we form a gang? One that can beat those punks and be at the top!” little Hero had proposed the idea.
“Sounds good to me!” Goro replied with zeal and Dai put out his fist in the middle and the three fist fived each other.
“What should we call ourselves?” little Dai asked jumping.
“What about the ravens?”
“It sounds girly”
“The pirates?”
“We don’t have a ship”
“Hmm… then what?”
“How about the Dragon Knight?” Hiro suggested. And so the Dragon Knights were born.
. . .
“Sorry for embarrassing you Kite but the things is that we are a gang and Dragon Knights doesn’t recruit” Goro said and then asked sternly, “And if you do like us so much then what’s with all these baldies attacking us?”
“I thought that maybe you would give me a second chance if I could make you accept my strength. I hired them and told them to beat you up and then when you would have needed help, I would have saved you…” Kite lowered his head at the stupidity of his plan. “I am sorry!” he clasped his hands together in a pleading pose and bent over in front of the three. “Please forgive me! Can you still consider me only as a friend?”
“After all that you have done…” Dai’s voice drifted off in an unsure tone. Kite maintained his posture and waited for an answer patiently.
“Of course we can all be friends, you should have said so from the start and saved us all the trouble. Idiot”
“Really?” Kite’s eyes filled up with tears as the three smiled back at him. “Well I did ask you but you totally disregarded me!” Kite added quickly with a poker face.
“HAHA well… that was my bad” Dai said scratching his head, “You told us that you wanted to be a part of our gang and many kids keep trying to get in. But becoming friends is a different matter.”
“Well now that we are done for the day let’s get back already” Hiro said and started and started walking forward.
“Yes!” Kite replied happily.
“What about them?” Goro asked about the baldies who were already leaving after hearing the whole discussion.
“We can just let them be. I’ll talk it out with them later” Kite replied.
Slowly the night darkened but the moon shined bright and showed the valiant school boys their way to the train station. It’s a mystery as to what new adventures await them in the future but the one thing that is definite is that their friendship and comic life will never run out of color in this big city of Crakville, where gang fights are never a big deal until the big shots want to sweat it out… and maybe they will.
