Chapter Text
"I'm sorry, the Hell Guard are what?"
Zanka was having a good day up till now. He got up early to train, patched up some injuries from his fight with a certain raider that had reopened slightly, had a nice breakfast alongside Riyo and Eishia, completed a smaller cleanup and was ready to take on another job with Tomme in the afternoon.
Well, that was the plan before most cleaners and supporters, not actively on missions like Riyo or Tamsy, were called to the common room for an impromptu meeting by Semiu and their boss.
"In regards of recent incidents involving givers, the Hell Guard deemed it necessary to learn more about vital instruments and anima as a whole", Corvus sighed as he took in the confused faces around him, "To get first-hand experience, Kyouka Nijiku had been quite insistent on them staying at our headquarter to be able to train with our givers, instead of us going to the Kamuatari District."
As soon as he finished talking the room went silent. Zanka felt some glances shot in his direction, but he was too shocked to mention anything.
Kyouka. His sister was going to be staying here at HQ. The one place he felt safe enough to be mostly himself. The one place on the ground he didn't have to hide behind fake smiles or empty words.
He clenched his fist tightly.
Damn, he was itching for fight to get his mind off the dreaded feelings on how he'll be crushed under her expectations again soon.
He just hoped his expression didn't show his thoughts too much.
Not surprisingly, Enjin was the one that broke the silence first, "So, let me get this straight. Because some givers went rouge, we have to play host to some Hell Guard trainees? Man, talk about a massive pain in the butt. "
After someone finally spoke up, the room erupted into chaos. Questions were thrown around, opinions were being yelled and Zanka decided to keep himself out of the conversations entirely.
He winced slightly when he saw Rudo almost being crushed between Bro and Guita that were trying to get their answers first.
Maybe he should leave...
Falling back next to the door was easy enough, considering everyone else was too busy to notice, slipping out however was deemed impossible by Semiu glaring at him as if to say: Stay here or I'll whoop yer ass.
So Zanka just stayed there, next to the way to freedom. So close, yet so far...
'... yes, I know Hii, but I can’t just ask that! Hiding me just because I'm an ex-raider? I- We are a part of the cleaners now, remember? Enjin told us to pull our weight...', Fu mumbled under his breath, to not let anyone notice him talking with his jinki.
Unfortunately for him, Zanka heard it clear enough. At least he wasn't the only one needing to watch his back constantly.
He let out a sigh loud enough to spook the ex-raider out of his silent ramblings, earning him two big eyes, threatening to spill tears at any given time, trained on him.
Jabber had mentioned how he adored catching Fu off guard after one of their semi routine fights. Said he looked like a scruffy racoon caught digging through scraps.
It was weirdly accurate.
An ear-piercing shout from Delmon brought him back to the moment. The yelling in the room didn't seem to die down anytime soon, instead growing only louder and more hectic as more and more questions got thrown around.
"What about Rudo, huh? He's under our protection, yes, but who’s to say-"
"... that they can just demand to stay here like that? What do they think are we, a hotel? And-"
"... is it really necessary? I mean they have books on givers have they not? Surely they can't learn that much from watching us work."
Alright, fine... Leave it to him to look in and ask more important questions, even if the thing about Rudo would also be good to know.
As he stepped forward the room went quiet once more. Every pair of eyes trained on him and he hated it. Well time to get this over with.
"When and how long are they gonna stay?", his voice cut through the room.
Semiu looked thankful that the chaos had died down, and someone asked something she can actually answer, "We don't know how long exactly, but around a month at least. As to when, they will come here on Monday."
"But that's just four days from now-", Follo shouted before being cut off by Gris putting a hand over his mouth.
"Let Zanka talk! He probably knows more about the Hell Guard than any of us combined", the supporter whisper-yelled at his colleague.
Zanka didn't pay any mind to them. He needed to know more, especially, "Who of my... Who will come specifically?"
Nobody mentioned his slip up.
"The commander will be bringing mostly older trainees or newly instated Hell Guard", Corvus answered to the best of his abilities.
Shit.
"Well, there is a good chance that some of my old classmates are going to be there...", Zanka chuckled nervously, hoping his years of training kept his face mostly neutral. Inside he wanted to scream till his voice was gone and pull his hair out in frustration.
Of course. That's just his luck. Seeing the ones that looked at him with pity when he picked up Assistaff again. The very same that stared at him with horror as he accidentally activated his jinki for the first time in the middle of training and injured the one he was fighting...
Yeah, Zanka was not looking forward to it at all.
"I doubt that you can take the whole month off, but I'm sure our boss man would be so kind to give you a week, right?", Enjin slung his arm around his neck. Normally, he would be ecstatic but now, he couldn't even be bothered.
"Well about that...", Corvus looked around the room, "It'll probably be best if we discussed that matter in private."
Zanka frowned. What did that mean?
Well, at least he didn't need to wait long for an answer.
------<{ ○¤○ }>------
"Please Zanka, have a seat", Corvus gestured to the couch across from him.
He took his staff from the holster on his back and did as he was told, leaning Lovely on the arm rest next to him as he sat down.
Shortly after the meeting in the common room concluded, he was asked to meet the boss in his office.
He would have liked it better if Semiu would have been there as well, however she unfortunately had to stay back and answer some more questions from the others.
"You might be wondering what this is about, so I'll keep myself short", his boss started.
Zanka only gave a short nod as a reply.
"As you heard your sister will be there, but so will your brother Goka-"
"What?!", the staff wielder was shocked.
One of his siblings he could have handled, but both?
"Won't it be just some training mission? I can't imagine moth- the Hell Guard would send two of their most valuable assets just to supervise some trainees!", Zanka stood up too quickly. Now his head swam and his vision blacked slightly. Dangit.
Corvus crooked his brows, taken aback by the cleaner's small outburst.
"Well...", the boss cleared his throat, "I can't say for certain what they have planned. But they did inform us that at least one Hellguard will need to accompany the Cleaners during jobs..."
"Huh?", Zanka watched as his boss closed his eyes and his lip twitched. He had a bad feeling for what comes next.
"Kyouka also insisted that you specifically cannot take any days off."
Like he said before. Nothing can ever go his way.
He let himself fall back onto the couch, closed his eyes and took a deep breath in to calm his mind as Corvus continued talking,
"Unfortunately, we'll have to comply with their request. However, since I know that's unfair to you, I decided on some things to maybe ease your mind."
Oh?
Zanka sat back up straight and glanced at his boss.
"First, the curfew put in place for the younger Cleaners will not affect you during the Hell Guard's... prolonged visit. You can even choose to stay out the whole night if you wish, however, if you do, please inform Semiu beforehand", Corvus gave him a smile that made him shudder slightly.
Did he know about...
He didn't comment, so his boss took it as a sign to carry on, "Next, if any of the guards bother you or anyone else around you, you are allowed to mess with them. To a degree of course, but I'm fairly certain August would love to talk about his latest work, don't you agree?"
The comment made Zanka snort. Those 'talks' always lasted for literally hours and knowing how polite some of the guards were raised, they'd probably not interrupt him.
Okay, so psychological torture is on the table. Got it.
"And finally, you will have the last say on who of the Hell Guards is allowed to accompany you on any of your solo missions", Corvus concluded, "Any questions?"
Zanka thought about it for a moment, those bonuses were nice and all, however that didn’t make the fact that both of his older siblings would be here any better. As he debated his options, a question clouded his mind, "If- If they request to meet with me, alone..."
"They won't be permitted. Me and Semiu would step in and stay by your side. They might be your siblings, but you are a valued member of our team, so we won't let anything happen that you don't actively consent to", Corvus reassured him with a kind smile.
The cleaner was glad their boss was as kind and considerate as he was.
"Thank you...", bowed once after he got up. An old habit he never quite seemed to shake.
As he grabbed Assistaff, ready to head out and do the job he didn't get to this morning, Corvus stopped him, "Ah, before I forget. Since you can't take leave during their stay, why don't you take today off."
While Zanka would like time to get his thoughts in order, he still has work to do, "I have a job with Tomme scheduled."
"Don't worry. Semiu already sent someone else in your stead", his boss reassured him, "And Zanka, please... Do not believe you are worth any less to our team just because we reassigned a single job. You deserve to rest one day."
Zanka did in fact think that for a moment, before he got freaked out and lost his train of thoughts.
"Can he read minds...", he muttered quietly to himself as he walked towards the door.
"What was that?"
The cleaner looked back and saw Corvus still seated, giving him a warm smile.
Never mind...
He bowed one more time and took his leave.
Once he was far enough away from the boss's office, most of the tension in his body seemed to disappear and he slumped against the wall behind him.
Zanka closed his eyes and silently went over the conversation in his head.
While he really didn't want to face his siblings again, he'll just has to see it as another job. Don't let his guard down. Be aware of his surroundings. Fall back if he has to. Fight as long as he needs to get the win.
Immediately after she heard the word ‘fight‘ come from his thoughts, Assistaff hummed in delight within his hands. She had been itching for one since this morning. Well...
Technically, she has taken up the habit of constantly begging for some after his arrangement with a certain raider started, often trying (and most times succeeding) to convince Zanka to meet up with said raider for a quick clash with Mankira.
Honestly, he slowly stated to believe Lovely had developed a thing for those sharp claws... He couldn't really blame her.
The cleaner bought his instrument closer to his face and leaned his forehead against her. "Ya wanna go fight them again today?", he whispered sweetly to the wooden staff.
< Yes! Yes! Yes! ꉂ(˶˃ ᗜ ˂˶) >
A chuckle made its way from his lips, "Alright, alright. You know I can't refuse ya when yer this exited."
< (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) ‹𝟹 >
"Damn, Zanka. Flirting with Assistaff in the middle of the hall like that? Making even me blush...", a voice came up next to him, startling him slightly before he realised who it was.
"Well, she is Lovely, ain't she Riyo", the staff wielder could only squint his eyes at his friend as she tried her best to hide her smile behind her hand.
When their gazes met they both knew it was too late and broke out in laughter. They took a while to calm back down and Zanka had to wipe a small tear away as he asked, when Riyo got back from her job.
"Shortly after you left to meet with the boss, I think? At least that's what Amo told me", she shrugged before her expression grew slightly somber, "So, the Hell Guard, huh?"
"Yep", he awnsered, popping the 'p' as he did.
Riyo swallowed before continuing with, "And your sister-"
"Both of them", Zanka cut her off. He normally let's people finish their words, but his family had always been a touchy subject for him, even during his days in Hell Guard training.
"Huh?", his friend blinked once, not quite following his words.
Zanka sighed again, he was already tired of the whole ordeal, "Corvus told me Goka will be staying as well."
"Oh shit", Riyo looked genuinely shocked.
So, he was the first to know about that...
The staff wielder nodded, before letting out a short chuckle, "Yeah. But hey, I got at least today off!"
The joke didn't land... Heh...
"Will you sneak out to train tonight?", Riyo asked him, trying to change the subject. But he could see she was worried.
While she didn't know what the 'training' entailed exactly, she has caught him coming back injured one too many times before she started asking questions. When he told her that he had started fighting trash beasts off-the-clock as practice, he could tell she didn't believe him and a small fight broke out between them when he came back badly hurt once more.
In the end, Eisha got somehow roped into their mess, making him promise to watch out more and to come to her for the worst of it.
Zanka had agreed but made them promise not to alert anyone. He still didn't tell them what he was doing out near the No Man's Land.
"Probably...", the cleaner nodded, when suddenly the girl’s choker started to crackle, signalling an incoming call.
"Riyo, could you please come to the front desk?", Semiu's voice came through clearly after she picked up.
The girl shook her head and shrugged her shoulders when Zanka gave her a look asking what that was about.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a sec", she told the receptionist quickly, then gave a short wave to the other cleaner, "See ya!"
Zanka waved back and made his way towards his room. Once there, he locked the door behind him and sat down on the edge of his bed.
He lifted his wrist with his choker. Not to do anything yet. Just to stare.
Honestly, he didn’t know how the whole 'training with a raider to get stronger' thing started to become a routine. One day he was fighting for his life within a trash beast, the next he was being chatted up by the very same raider that nearly killed him. Twice!
They didn't even exchange their choker connections normally. According to Jabber, he just figured with all the blood flying about some of it must have gotten on them to count and hit him up.
But that doesn't matter now as the cleaner looked at his choker like it wronged him personally, contemplating if he should call Jabber first or wait for the other to do so like usual.
Assistaff hummed lowly in his other hand, urging him to make a decision.
Fuck it.
Zanka brought his wrist closer to his mouth.
"Jabber..."
No answer.
Was he too busy to pick up?
He paced around his room nervously as he waited for a response.
"Jabber", the cleaner tried once more.
Still nothing.
As he was about to say something again, the line crackled slightly and what sounded like a yawn came through.
"What is it?", a sleep riddled voice came through the chocker, "Man, I was sleeping so good and shit..."
The cleaner was stunned for a moment. Zanka knew realistically the other probably needed rest like any other human being, but having only seen him energetic and bouncing around at any given moment did make him wonder at times.
The raider continued more agitated after he got no answer, "Hellooo? Yo! Ya called me, so this better be urgent or-"
Zanka's lip twitched up to form a small smirk,
"Ya up for a fight?
The sound of shuffling, followed by a loud thump echoed through the speaker, before Jabber presumably brought his chocker closer to him.
"Mr. Bad Attitude!", the raider giggled, "Ya never call me first! And so early as well! Did ya miss me that much?"
"In yer dreams maybe", the cleaner scoffed.
The laughter that followed echoed through his room and made Zanka's stomach twist when it faded.
"Oh Zanka... Ya already star in each one, there's no need to say that", the raider practically moaned, making his face light up bright red.
< (˵ ¬ ᴗ¬ ˵) >
Assistaff hummed smugly and Zanka glared at her, "As if yer any better..."
"What was that, Zan-zan?", Jabber sounded excited at the prospect of being in the cleaner’s dreams as well, "Did ya just say what I think yer said-"
The other couldn't even finish running his mouth when Zanka interrupted him, "I was talking to Lovely... ANYWAY! Question still stands, ya wanna fight?"
The raider's hair cuffs jingled quietly in the background, and Zanka guessed the other was nodding, "Obviously, ya know I love-"
Jabber's ramblings were foiled once again before it even started.
"Good", the cleaner didn't even pay mind to the dumbfounded spluttering from the raider, "Meeting like usual, in two hours at the abandoned town close to the No Man's Land.
Don't be late."
Jabber regained his composure before he chuckled, "Wouldn't dream of it! Get it? Cause we was talking about-"
For a third time, Zanka cut the raider off, this time by simply hanging up.
He hoped Jabber would be annoyed at that, because the other always used the best poisons on him whenever he was slightly agitated...
. . .
He actively chose to ignore what he just thought and just focused on getting to their fight with no major issues.
Luckily for him, his room was on the opposite side of the main entrance. That and the fact that it was already growing slightly dark outside, meant he could leave without being spotted.
Perfect.
He opened his window and climbed out, making sure that he'll be able to get back in later.
Scaling down the drainpipe had become easier and easier after a while, so he wasn't really worried, but he still made sure to be as quiet as possible.
Once down on the ground, he looked around for any signs that somebody else was there. When he found no one, he fastened his half-mask around his face and set out.
He couldn't wait for his fight with the raider.
------<{ ○¤○ }>------
Their jinkis clashed heavily against each other, making them vibrate from the force alone.
It wasn't often vital instruments were able to resonate this clearly with each other and their users revelled at that fact.
Maybe that's why they are here like this.
They had chosen this abandoned town for two simple reasons at first. One, no one was around anywhere close, so they can be as loud as they want, and two, no one would care if somethings got damaged.
Though there was another, even better bonus. The air was clean enough so they wouldn't need to keep their masks on all the time.
So, the cleaner always got to see the raiders manic smiles and bloodied teeth clearly.
And he loved it.
Zanka already got some good hits in and just made another. He had used Assistaff's weight to gain enough momentum and threw Jabber through a wall after the hit landed.
There had definitely been a crack as Assistaff connected with the raider's side, but he didn’t care. The other had walked off a broken rib a number of times and adding one more to that list won't make much of a difference.
What mattered was that Lovely was happy and she truly was.
< (˶ •`ᵕ´• ˶) >
Zanka assumed a fighting stance, ready for the other to spring up and go at it again for another hour or so. However, he knew he wouldn't be able keep their current speed up that long, since he already felt himself grow more sluggish by the minute.
Jabber, as predicted, had brought the "good" stuff within Mankira. A slow working paralytic agent mixed with something that made his veins sting and his muscles protest at every move.
The dizziness also pointed towards a hallucinogenic being thrown into the poison cocktail, but either the dose was too small or-
The cleaner was not able to finish his thought as claws were already back near his face again. He blocked the attack, pushing the other back enough to take a good swing...
Before his legs gave out suddenly and he collapsed right on top of Jabber, who graciously caught him in his arms careful about where his Mankira was.
"Man, that was fun!", the raider still looked like he was bursting with energy, maybe he was, but Zanka didn't care. He just wanted to curl up into the other's warmth, stay there and fall asleep for the foreseeable future.
However, Jabber didn’t seem to get the memo and kept talking, "How do ya like the new mixture from Mankira? It's a sort of neurotoxin that kinda acts like a weak paralyzant at first, so ya think yer still got a fighting chance and then- Bam! It hits ya full force!"
He was still blabbering what seemed like nonsense to Zanka as he pricked his neck, injecting the cleaner with some kind of painkiller before deactivating his jinki and lowering him to lay down on the ground.
"Ahhh, and you hit me so well!", Jabber seemed ecstatic while he sat down next to him, before moving to scratch his head, "Though it's weird that ya were able to keep thinkin' straight for so long! I could've sworn I put in a stronger hallucinogen..."
All of the sudden, the raider visibly perked up, "Mankira thinks ya probably built up a resistance to some of her poisons! Man, ya always know how to get me goin'!"
Jabber laughed before he settled down and grew quiet enough for Zanka to think he left for a second, but he still heard his irregular breathing and occasional mumbling, so he knew he didn't.
Finally, after having waited to feel some sensation come back to his body, he cracked open his eyes and turned his head towards the other.
Jabber had shifted to lay down next to him and looked peacefully blissed out while he prodded and poked at his injuries. Murmuring something along the lines of 'so good' and 'treats me and my Mankira so well', but the cleaner didn't listen too closely.
As they laid there on the ground, Zanka's thoughts wandered back to earlier that day and he realised something, "We might not be able to see each other for a bit..."
"Huh? Why? Yer not havin' fun?", Jabber immediately sat up, as if he hadn't had his ribs broken not that long ago.
The cleaner decided to follow suit and straightened up to the best of his abilities, pain be damned. All though the raiders painkillers worked wonders, it still stung a little.
"Some Hellguards are gonna stay at our HQ, so sneaking out will be harder. Even if I don’t have a curfew during that..."
Jabber for some reason burst out laughing, "Damn, why they got ya under watch? Yall cleaners did somethin' to piss 'em off?
Immediately, Zanka bit his tongue. He almost slipped up and told a raider, his enemy, valuable information.
He should know better than to be this careless. Were his siblings right? Had he grown too soft now he's a giver?
Jabber on the other hand was completely oblivious to his inner turmoil and took his silence as embarrassment.
"So, yall did do something!", his eyes shone bright with glee as he started pestering the cleaner, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts, "Come on tell me! Tell me, tell me!"
Weighing his options, Zanka finally caved, "Promise you won't say anything to the other raiders?"
"Cross my heart, I swear I'll cut off my tongue before they'd hear a word from lil' old me", as if to show his honesty, Jabber stuck out his tongue and made a snipping motion with his fingers.
Zanka scrunched his nose as he watched the other's spit started to coat his hand. Saliva pooled around Mankira in a way it made the jinki glisten oh, so beautiful and he wanted to lick her clean-
Before his mind could wander too far, he grabbed the wrist of the raider and pulled it away from the others face, "Don't do that..."
Jabber only cackled at his (feigned) disgust, only stopping once he realised Zanka wanted to talk again.
"The Hell Guard thinks it's good practice for the trainees, which sucks cause some of them know me...", the cleaner sighed.
Jabber, surprisingly calm for once, looked at him confused, "Huh, why's that?"
"..."
Zanka opened his mouth for a moment but didn't speak. Did he truly not know?
He crooked his head and squinted at the other, "Ya do realize I was a Hellguard in training before I became a cleaner, right?"
Judging on how fast Jabber's jaw dropped, he guessed not.
"Haa?! Ya were Hell Guard?!", the raider immediately got right up into his space, causing Zanka to put his hand on the others mouth as he felt his hot breath on his face. Way too close!
"Oh, fuck off...", he tried pushing him away and reluctantly Jabber followed his command.
He on the verge of doing something he'd definitely regret later.
Shaking off his thoughts, the two settled next to each other once again. The cleaner's breath was still a little shallow and he hoped the raider won't mention it.
After a short moment of silence, Jabber perched his chin on his hand and stared off into the distance, before he spoke, "But why are ya a cleaner now? Being prim and proper like the guards feels like it would be yer thing..."
Zanka scoffed. Yeah, he thought so too...
"I got kicked out soon after I presented as a giver. They gave me the ultimatum: Cast aside that staff or get out!", he tried mimicking Goka's voice to moderate success, evoking a small giggle from the raider, even if he didn't know who he was copying.
"Ya can see what I decided on...", the cleaner lifted Lovely Assistaff slightly, smiling at her as she hummed in delight from the attention.
"Damn...", Jabber nodded once, then smiled as he turned his head towards Zanka, "I'm glad ya chose to become a cleaner though."
"Why's that?", he asked, genuinely curious.
Jabber's magenta eyes looked deep into his eyes and Zanka saw his lips finish moving before he even processed what the other just said.
"Cause if ya hadn't, we might have never met."
------<{ ○¤○ }>------
Zanka laid awake on top of his clean sheets.
After he snuck back into his room he hadn't even bothered with changing out of his clothes and just let himself fall onto his bed.
He was too distracted by Jabber's words lingering in his mind to care.
Was he glad he became a cleaner?
Yes.
Did it sometimes feel like he had taken the easy way out and brought shame to his family?
Also yes.
As a child he was always told that he was destined to become a great Hellguard like every Nijiku before him. Being drilled to be prefect. That failure wasn't an option...
He remembered the day he became a giver well. The blood on the floor, his injured classmate, how he ran to hide like a little child.
Goka was the one that found him on the roof. He didn't know if his brother still remembered but they used to play hide and seek when were younger. His brother always found him in the very same spot on the roof.
But now instead of laughter, the older told him to throw his staff away. To pick a new, stronger weapon. Suited for a Nijiku...
Jabber never told the cleaner that he was weak or unsuited for something. Probably because he didn't know who Zanka's family was but still.
He made him feel wanted.
Made him feel strong even when he lost.
The raider didn't try to make him a better person and that's exactly what he needed, even if he claimed otherwise a million times.
Jabber always called him a sadist when he saw how much fun he was having.
Maybe he was.
He stretched is arms upward, looking deeply at his Lovely Assistaff.
The raider often claimed he was still holding back on him, not letting her true self out.
While he never thought he was, somehow, for the other's sake, he always tried his hardest regardless.
Zanka chuckled at the thought, closing his eyes and letting his staff fall on his chest, "We have it bad, huh?"
< ( ˶ᵕᴗᵕ)⁾⁾ >
His vital instrument agreed as he thought back to the last moment with the raider.
'Ya can always call me if those Hellguards get too annoyin'. Mankira and I will deal with 'em', Jabber had said before he left and Zanka agreed without thinking. The laugh he got in exchange made up for it though.
Hopefully, their stay won't be as bad as he thinks...