Rain was coming down once more, crashing against clay shingles and concrete textures in a wash of old and slowly emerging new. In this shifting Tokyo, further into this little neighborhood they who milled about as scorned freeloaders or hard pressed, rushing businessmen who pitter pattered every which way called Akiba, one scene against dreary gray skies retold an unchangeable story of man's primal conflicts.

"Get 'er Maki! Kick 'er ass!"

"Right jab Nikkochi! She's sprained a wrist!"

The two competitors scowled with thickly knotted brows furrowed in such anger they knew not where it began or ended. Fists raised closely, inches from their own faces, the one called Maki found her eyes stinging with salt, sweat mixing in an amalgam with increasingly thicker downpours from the heavens above. Adding in a split lip that burned seemingly in sync with her throbbing right wrist, it was enough to have her opponent smirk. Circling in slow paces around and round, their eyes shifted to every visible body part imaginable, who would strike next and where? The cries and shouts of the spectators only grew drowned out by the hush of rain and fog of focused killing intent. Then bam! With a spring and pivot forward, Niko as they called her leapt in for a right jab, just as her compatriot had instructed. Try as she might to dodge, it was but a second too late as the hit connected squarely on the stomach for a body shot. Maki's eyes went wide, spittle flying at impact. She was small this Niko, but instead of sulking she had sharpened it to an advantage, that much was clear as many times as they had done this dance. Staggering backward, a sickening numbness overcame all her extremities, spreading out from her core like the branches of a tree. Slightly bent forward, she only provided Niko a second opening as next thing Maki knew her nose smashed in from a uppercut below.

"Gahk!"

Out flew more spittle, her head knocked up and over. She swore her ears picked out the sound of Hanayo and Rin screeching at her sorry sight. Next thing she knew, soft leather gloved hands gripped her shoulders and stood her upright. Niko had managed to knock her a good half a meter away from their acknowledged ring.

"Maki! Can you keep going?"

"Rin no leave her be! She's so busted up I can't stand to watch anymore!"

"But damnnit, if we lose here we lose territory to that Russian!"

"Is that worth putting Maki in the hospital again for?!"

Rin could merely grit her teeth before adjusting her grip on her wounded friend.

"Hanayo, I..."

Cold blue eyes peered hawkishly with an eerie precision on their trio. It was her, the Russian, formerly perfectly tied back golden hair now matted by ceaseless waters yet still a cutting figure. Her aura alone made them tremble even under some sense of control.

"No Rin, let me go. I, I can finish this alright?"

"Maki!"

"I've got this Hanayo, trust me."

Stumbling at first with gaining confidence, Maki returned to standing on her own two feet. Slowly she made her way over to the grinning Niko who smugly released a short bark that resembled a laugh.

"She isn't called Maki the Stalwart for nothing." The Russian's lieutenant softly chimed with a playful giggle, her oddly purple hair even more loosely tied than her leader's.

"Even castles fall, Nozomi."

"Enough wise man sounding crap comin from you two! She wants more so I'll just knock her flat on 'er ass next!"

Niko's rude brash yell cut across all with the striking power of a sword. Though it didn't save her ego from blocking her hearing till the last moment, when Maki's hardened leather boots tread puddles in the mud fast enough to greet her with the blitz of an incoming punch. Shock muffling her already delayed steps in processing what her eyes glimpsed, Niko's head snapped sideways at the connecting blow.

"Gaahg! Fuck!"

Her tiny knees bent as her body shook as jelly. Yet with some reserves of strength she managed to regain footing, spinning out the way of another punch with a sucking of teeth. Maki had overstepped her reach and applied too much force in the false hope of gambling her strike on Niko's possible numbness. Unfortunately for her, what crashed into her seconds later was but the tough skull of her child sized enemy, ramming just below her rib cage for soft tissues that stood no chance. With a groan rising to an agonized shout, she found herself falling, the pint sized attacker wasting no time in completing her tackle. Slugging lefts and rights seamlessly, Niko felt her heart pumping at maximum output, so fast that her brain echoed with pounding sensations to match the feel of slicked skin and drawing blood from her opponent's face against bony knuckles.

"Stop it! Please stop!"

Hanayo burst forward toward the locked battle before Rin could catch her, a winner already appearing to be determined till Maki spat a slimy wad of crimson saliva that matched the delinquent color of her hair in Niko's eyes. Using the distraction as Niko jerked away from punching to wipe at the mess with a curse, Maki threw herself forward. Tackling the runt, their positions were now reversed, the payback in Maki's fists freezing Hanayo to her spot and bone worse than the sky's tears. Slugging her victim in a frenzied barrage, a deep rumble came up to the surface in Maki's throat like a guttural roar. Try as she might, even Niko couldn't roll her head away fast enough once this rampage had begun. Her blearing vision could simply spot demon like amethyst eyes glowering down on her with power to pierce through her heart. She was going to be killed. This person had snapped and was finally going to put an end to the existence called Niko Yazawa. Yeah right! Gradually the demon's muscles wore away, her movements growing slow in sloppy work. Seizing her chance by the throat, she thrust her torso upward to collide head on in another skull crush charge to Maki's weakened nose and slamming into her forehead amidst the weakened rain of blows. Launched on her ass, Maki wondered why all she could hear now rested in a single endless beeping noise, layering a filter before the world went black. Staggering to her feet in huffs of breath, Niko managed a forced laugh, doing whatever she could mentally to block the pain. It was in the mind after all, wasn't it?

"Haa...ha ha...see? Flat on, her ass."

Gasping as she drew her hands to cover her gawking mouth, Hanayo's conscious slammed a return to her body as her legs propelled her.

"Maki!"

"Oh shit, shit! Maki!"

Rin's treading through building brown sludge soon landed her by Hanayo's side, the alley walls seemingly closing in to imprison with this choking distance. Holding the battered Maki's head in her lap, Hanayo had already broken into her usual wailing while Rin could only glare daggers with a quivering lip.

"Geez I dunno why you're so ticked. This is just business. Ain't it Eli?"

The Russian spoke not a word of the tongue but a sentence with a stiff nod.

"I'll tally up South Akiba on our map, Elicchi."

"Right. But don't be so hasty, there's a final task left."

Stepping cooly past Niko's bloody pulped face still somehow leading a cheeky strained smile, Eli stopped an inch from Rin's position.

"You there, we've beaten your best girl in single combat. So admit your defeat honorably and swear submission."

"What?! You bastard, you won't even give the wounded their rightful space!"

"Need I remind you that the burden of her condition rests on your shoulders? Let's not forget who ordered her into this to begin with." Came the authoritative threat disguised as calm.

"You...you're the one who challenged us!" Rin threw back, voice shaking.

"Rin just don't, we shouldn't be-"

"Even so this could have been avoided had you chose to merely comply civilly. Putting blame on others where they owe none is shameful don't you agree?"

Fingers trembling to curl fists, tears fled her without a thought of regret. Violence sparked madly in the disgraced leader's eyes, a fist prepping to rocket up in an explosive move until Hanayo's gentle touch stayed her hand.

"Don't." She whispered, fear leaking helplessly.

Lowering her head, Rin's body shook as her shoulders heaved along with her tears.

"Alright."

"Yes?"

"You win. South Akiba is yours."

"Hmph."

Dismissing herself in an about face, Eli motioned Niko with two fingers to follow. Stomping along, the brawler secretly found her eyes glancing behind for a glimpse, cringing at the fallen Maki as heart stung worse than flesh for but a fleeting moment.

"Nikkochi, don't fall behind."

"Heh? Er, right!"

Slyly smirking, Nozomi was no fool with her cattish glare registering every change in expression. Only her mouth stayed closed, feet reaching to match pace where they belonged by Eli's side.

"Damnnit...fucking damn it all to hell."

Rin's once proud voice had shrunk in on itself to a tiny mewing.

"We have to get her to her family's hospital now. Come on Rin, help me lift her."

Slowly nodding while wiping salty grime and rainwater away with her palms, she snaked her arms across a now upright but unresponsive Maki. Lifting her on the count of three, they began their journey one baby step at a time. In that moment neither could run through the list of excuses they could possibly make this time around. The spark of another idea jumped out their synced conscious, tumbling from Hanayo's mouth first as they traversed the sidewalks before Rin fully opened hers.

"We have to call in the Homura Gang."

A/N: Yay my first Love Live! fic! I recently finished the anime and am addicted to the game while I wait for the movie with subs like everyone else. This'll be a long one so don't worry. I'll be working on this alongside another long fic that's for Strike Witches but I feel this'll be out faster. I wanted to write gang material after seeing a suggestion someone had on Tumblr where each year of our Muse members had their own three girl gang and eventually come together to kick A-Rise's collective ass. Also lots of Grandmaster Flash's The Message and NWA's Straight Outta Compton.