Chapter Seven: The Arts of Saving Regrets

"Can I go?" Jinx asked, on the edge of the bar stool excited. She had been dying to get of the apartment. Sure she had been out, but it had always been with someone. This time it was by herself. Not with a member of the team. Alone. No 'parental' guidance. Was it too much to much to ask for?

Rico shrugged, "'ure." She launched a fist with delight Jinx knew Rico wouldn't let her down. She figured that since they were all talking care of her it would be totally okay if one of them said yes, because it pretty much meant a yes all around, right? That was her logic. She gave Rico a fist bump for his good choice, he grinned madly excepting it.

She rushed to her room, making sure not to miss the one step-up that was there in the kitchen. Jinx had missed it before equaling out to her falling out on her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. She locked her door, and threw off her pajamas landing them in the dirty clothes bin, which was the floor. The young girl grabbed the clothes that she had left out for today. Pulling up her acid washed skinny to her waist, and buttoning her white Peter Pan collar shirt all the way up to her neck she was thankful for the new clothes she had gotten. Though it had felt completely strange when Skipper, being the male he is, took her to shop she thought as she slipped her black sneakers on she threw back her brown hair into a low ponytail.

From there she dropped into the bottom of her small closet to toss out her saggy military green backpack that could strap her beloved skateboard down. Jinx had to make a deal with Skipper to get the purple sticker skateboard, a fair deal at the most. So long as she kept up with her chores around the 'H.Q.', and wore the proper safety acquirements, the skateboard could stay. Clicking on her helmet, she was out.

Quick as a bunny she tried to make it to the front door only to knock into Kowalski. Fantastic. Now she had to get him to let her go. Kowalski amused face causes her to lie through her teeth, "Rico and I are going somewhere!" She blurts out, she mentally face palms she always been bad at lying. She was good at being blunt girl, not the lying type though.

Kowalski eyebrows go upward, "Your going to the fish market with Rico?"

Jinx vigorously nods, "Yep, don't you know how much I love fish?" She starts to walk near the door keeping her eyes on Kowalski seeing for any signs of unbelief, "Look Rico half way gone, I have to go catch him, Kowalski. I don't want those fishes swimming away from me!" Without another word she skidded out of the room.

Kowalski shook his head, and went back to writing on his clipboard, "Strange girl," he mutters as he enters the kitchen, to glance at Rico who was eating a fish sandwich, "Oh, hello Rico." He sits down unaware then looks back up to the weapons specialist, "Rico?" He shouts in surprise, "Why aren't you with Jinx?"

Rico tilts his head in confusion, "'inx? She left."

Kowalski gives deadpanned face, "I knew that, but why isn't she with you?"

Rico points at himself, "Me?"

Kowalski face palms stretching his face downward, "It's like I'm talking to an owl."

Picking up the hustle, Jinx, dropped her skateboard on the cemented pavement. Sliding by with a gracious balance that would make a ballerina jealous, she glazed through the thick crowd of people. Of course Yorkers, as she called them, would give her furious examinations of her rebellion. The fourteen year old would typically shrug it off.

Turning a sharp curve down a anonymous alley, that she vaguely knew, to take her in the direction of a skate park that she use to hang out at. During her 'stay' with the Rat King she would get to have free days away from all the fighting, away from the action. She would get a breather. Nowadays it seemed everyday was a breather with her team. The team had set her on the right path, and she couldn't be more thankful.

Her thankful thoughts tumbles through her she is skidding to land flat on her face into the graveled ground. She groans sitting up her back, blinking out of her daze to see figures emerges out of the alley, "A trip wire." Her green eyes swoop back to see the light reflecting the silver lining that's stretching across between the two buildings that created the pathway for her.

"Jinx, boss has been looking for you. He ain't happy." Jinx kept her position on the ground knowing for sure if she was to run these rats would catch her, "Once he finds out you've been hanging around those Penguins he's gonna be more than unhappy."

So the Rat King was still alive even after that vicious fight she saw that fateful day, "And let's make sure he doesn't find out." Remarks Jinx, as she watches the Rat King's servants come towards her, "You know as well as I do that I can take you rats on my own."

Shink!

The weasel that had spoke to her first switch out a shiny blade, "Sure you don't need your new daddy's help?" He gives gnawing grin around the few others that the prick rat invited to the beat down. They gather around her like she's crumbs on the ground that they need so desperately need to survive.

Jinx takes in for action in a slow but steady motion. She tumbles to her askew board that got her here. She hears the Rat King's gang tumble not to grab her, without a second to spare she's gliding on her skateboard. She pumps her aching leg to make her go faster than ever before. She hear running footsteps close behind her she doesn't look back, in stead she pull out her cellphone from her back pocket. She hits redial very quickly, she waits through the redirecting tone on the phone.

"Jinx! Where-" Kowalski voice never sounded so better to her, even though she interrupts him.

"Kowalski, the rat pack is chasing me," She tries to breathe in and out to keep up her steady pace, "The Rat King trying to get me back, I'm going to try-" She turns on a corner as sharp as possible when Kowalski interrupts her this time.
"You are going to do more than try, Jinx. Rico, and I are coming to you know, where are you?" Kowalski sounds desperately urgent to Jinx's ears.

Jinx pants, "Maybe six or seven blocks from the H.Q." She rolls much more, and glances at her chasers, "I'm going to try and keep this away from the public eye." She hears shouting on the other line, "Kowalski? What's going on?" She asked panicking, what if the sewer rats found the H.Q.? No, no, no, they would not take her family...whoa...Did she just say family?

"Jinx! Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Jinx sighs in relief the ruckus was just a worried Skipper. Oh God, Skipper, was gonna kill her after this! Not the best time to think about it, but he was.

"Nope, just working a sweat right now, help would be much obliged." She can hear the running footsteps of Skipper, "Skipper, I have to go...I think I'll be doing what I had done before you met me, fighting." She hangs up, and keeps the phone close in her hand though.

Shifting to use her left leg she finds herself into a dead end. Dead. End. What charming words. She flips up her skateboard, and sees the five mousy rats found their way to her, "Fellas, do you really want to put this burden on yourself?" They continue to crowd her immense space that she has, "Guess not."

She throws her skateboard up, and catches the end of it. Swinging back her arms, along with the board she slams it into the first guy that comes at her right smack in the head he falls, but others rush at her. She dodges the the jab at her stomach by bringing down the arm of her opponent she's facing, and twisting it back releasing the knife he had in his grip into her open hands. Quickly she pushes his scrawny head towards the brick wall behind them. Two down.

The three remain decide to gang up on her, Jinx ducks as one fist comes toward her left eye. When she had ducked, the man who decided to punch her, actually punch his fellow companion instead making him double back faintly. Three down. Automatic they're angry at her actions each one gives a sling and swing at her missing her entirely, because their so flustered.

Jinx lands a spin-around-kick into both of the two remaining rat's face. Causing the gum of their teeth to soak in blood. Raging at her like bulls doing random no planned actions they attack her. One lands a sucker punch in the brown headed girl's jaw, while the other kick her in her chest causing the wind to fly out of her.

Now they have the upper hand as she lands on her back against the cool brick that supports her spine. Just in rage one punches her again this time in the right eye causing it to turn a bright swollen pink color. Jinx grits her teeth when they shove her to the wall pinning her.

"The Rat King said to bring you back alive, but he said nothing about you damaging you." One mocks her, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind, besides once we give you to him there's no telling what he has plans to do to you, so really we're going easy on ya kid." He cackles, pushing his nice shiny blade to her ivory skin upon her narrow cheek.

Idiots. They forgot she still has that little parting gift that they dropped into her hands. Raising her hand up to place on the rat who was raising the weapon on her, she then raises her own weapon to the man's heart. He chuckles pathetically at her, "Please, you don't have the guts."

Jinx knows he's right, but wittily says, "All true, but doesn't mean I can't do this!" She brings the knife to cut his right cheek smooth creating blood to seep. It causes him to retreat in agony, enough time to start hustling again, but she she doesn't get two steps. She is slammed onto the hard broken pavement.

"I've had enough of you, brat!" The cut-face rat said, wiping his cheek as his partner, and the rest of the gang join in closing around her, "Ya know boys I completely forgot what the Rat King said, didn't you?" The all nodded eagerly, press all near her body.

With the knife in her hand she backs to the brick wall, forcing her shaky self up,

"I'm not going back." She says, demonically, "I will never go back." A punch erupts her stomach, and laughter echoes her gains.

The lead rat grabs her throat, and knife in such a motion she couldn't stop the attack, "Who says you're going back now?" He grits his as he takes the knife she had used on him before, and he began to slice her cheekbone where she sliced him, "Stings doesn't it?" He drops the blade, and tussles to hold her hair back to face him.

Jinx feels violated, and disgusted by their actions towards her defending herself. By the tussle of her hair she is throw into a different direction, scraping her arms, and knees as she goes down. She fights to stand up, but only to be kick in the side of the head. Regaining another feel of adrenaline she tackles one of the main rats, bringing him down to the ground with her. Jinx pulls in a few punches that Skipper would be ashamed she used, and would call it dirty fighting, then she was gripped, punched, cut, and kicked plenty of more times. She was out number, and almost out of breath, they wouldn't let her have a sip of air, or fair victory. She knew where these guys were from they would never give her that chance.

Jinx does something cowardly, she screams. Never once did she want to be the one to ask for help, or even beg for it. But she needed it, oh, she needed it. She was hollering for so many people, mostly her teammates. Then a scream broke out that wasn't her high cries.

It was one of the rats, and he was holding a stained blood, his blood, arrow. A voice rang out that Jinx tries to look for, "Next time it will be plunged into your heart." It was a threatened statement.

The cut-face rat smirks, and breaks the arrow holding it up in the air for dominance. He wishes it away with one tosses and turns to Jinx, "Did your cry for help actually summon 'dada'?" He cooed, rubbing his nasty little finger across her wounded cheek, making her whimper in pain, "Puny thing, and all this time we all thought you were the big bad wolf." He slaps her cheek this time instead of pressing on the bleeding wound, she howls, and curses a bit.

Whoosh.

It zooms past the corner of her eye she finches as it did, thinking that it was another punch becoming available for her face. The leaders of the pack of rats fell for air, gasping, choking, and pleading to Jinx. Jinx saw the arrow sticking out of his back carelessly, the three remaining rats trembled at the dead bodies, "Who's willing to go next?" Jinx finally sees the archer when he enters out a darken corner like a waiting shadow.

Raven hair that had been gel was now messed up in the front showing a dwindling curl, his eyes were wide with wild ambitious set to kill. His quill was pulled to his rosy cheek that gritted with aggravation, she had seen him before. It seemed long ago, but now she remembers it was when she first met Skipper,

"Mr. Tux?" She slurs out of her bloody lips.

The rats look terrified of the words, or name spoken out of her mouth, "T-Tux?" They questioned with dry mouths. They back away slowly from Jinx, except one who stood his ground, proud, and tall shoving Jinx over to him. Holding her neck strangling her bruising more to her pain staking body.

"I will-" He starts to threat, but it was a empty threat making Mr. Tux end it all. Jinx closes her eyes as the body slips away from her landing with a thud. Jinx reopens her eyes, and doesn't turn to see the count of bodies around her. He stares at her, and she gladly stares back.

"Why would y-you help m-me?" She stutters out, holding the brick wall for support, "I've heard about you-"

"Do you believe everything you hear?" He asks in a dark tone, putting back a arrow that he had drawn from his midnight black sheath.

"Jinx!"

Jinx loses the sight of the young man who saved her to shift over to see her team. Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico rush at her. She shuts her eyes as the group hug forms a protective wall surrounding her. After the group hug distinguishes she is given each a single hug from all of them. Kowalski takes the longest, because he scans her new protruding scars. He gently wiggles his finger to the constant bleeding slash on her face, pressing around it to notices what needs to be done, "You'll have some stitches," he barreling down on medical terms, but he stops when Jinx's tears form, "Please, please, don't cry, I'm no good with tears, and girls."

Skipper is the last to give her a hug, Jinx hugs her guardian tightly, "I t-thought I was going to be a punching bag for the R-Rat King." That's what brings the hot streams on her face, the fear of going back. Going back to where they could lock her up in that fighting cage, and let her have it till they said so. Till they told her to cry. Till they said it was okay to die. Till they say, 'until you learn your lesson'. Until they made her this rag doll that was made for the trash. She doesn't like to cry in front of anymore, but right now it seems impossible not too.

Skipper shushes the girl with a soothing humming sound, and notions a circular pattern on her back, "Buck up, dollface, we're here." Jinx could only press her face in more to Skipper's newly damp shirt, "Shush," he commands, as she hiccups, making Skipper feel awful for making her wait so far.

"He saved me." She whispered, enough for the team took hear.

Rico looks around for this certain angel that helped their smallest cadet, and to a avail he see him, "Pri'?" He chokes on himself, nudging Kowalski to see the direction he was staring into. Kowalski saw too. Skipper seen it to.

Private, Percival Mason Caldwell stood not but twenty feet away from them, looking a little run down, and in need of a good shave. He had gotten so big, "Rico," he nods, "K'walski." Private didn't mention Skipper at all.

In that moment of time, Private was just Private. He wasn't Mr. Tux, nor was he this agent of death. He was their little brother who was gone for eight years, who they hadn't seen a wink from. Kowalski lunge for him, and Rico carried the same passion. Private grimace towards their warm, trusting, unconditionally love to him returning. It was painful, it felt like molting guilt was poured all over him to smother him.

Kowalski pressed his eyes, and breathed, "D-Don't," he rung his arms around the smaller figure strongly to get the point across, "go, don't run, alright?" Private bite his gums as Rico mutters the same thing in his gibberish format.

Then the headache that swarmed his body become intensified, "T-Thank you," he felt slender arms around his torso to burn him with seething envy. The little brat, as he would call her in his mind hug him appreciatively, he wanted nothing more to suffocate the twerp between the hugs. That wasn't apart of the plan though, "I-I wouldn't have been back to them if it wasn't for you." He tried so very hard not to strike at her, how so very unnerving was it.

And their was Skipper, who crossed his arms behind him to intimated the young man. It was like poison was inflected into Private's eyes, or Skipper's. It was anger, he was unworthy towards his un-benevolent attitude, unlike the child. Private gulped, "Skippah?" He was ready for the smack down of his life.

"Jinx let go of him," Jinx turns her streaking reared face out of her hold on her savior, "Jinx, let go," His voice was so venomously demanding, she was stunned, Kowalski, and Rico both knew this Mr. Tux, the man had also saved Skipper too. Why was he so hateful to Mr. Tux who's only done good for her comrades, "Jinx!" She shakes, as she shouts, she watches, as he comes for her jerking her up into his arm.

She too tried, or weak to fight him off, she relaxed her head on his shoulder, "He saved me, Skipper." She tries to reason with him, but he tunes her out by commanding the others.

"Kowalski, Rico, we're leaving, right now." It was a desire too, hoping they could skip the questions for later.

Kowalski blinks, "Excuse me, sir?"

Rico crosses his arms defiantly, and shakes his head, "Not 'out him. Not 'out bro."

Mr. Tux gives an uneasy smile to the leader, waiting for it to really become messy, "Just go," he says lowly to them, begging them just to vanish now from this game he was going to play with them, "I'm fine, but she's not." He motions to the girl, who was cradled into his older brother's arms sleepily.

Skipper hiked up Jinx a little more to his chest, it was beginning to be a chilling harsh night, by the looks of things, "Skipper," Kowalski voice, strangled with lacing chokes of spit, "We are bringing him back, their are no orders that you can command me not too, because I want the stories, the facts." Kowalski glares down on Skipper, extremely upset, he even takes the beaten girl from his arms, and places her with him now walking away from the scene, "We can leave finally."

Rico follows after him, and Jinx shouldering past his leader. Skipper turns face to face with Private, "Did you kill all these people tonight?" He jesters to the bodies displayed before him with arrows poking out.

Private fist clench, "They were going to kill her,"

"Don't pretend you like her, boy."

Private is silent, but replies back evilly, "Maybe I don't like being replaced."

Skipper gives a amused snort, "You wouldn't have been replaced if you would have stayed."

Private eyes glisten at his brother's tough words, "I had too."

Skipper shook his head, "Whatever you had too, was the cowardly way out." Skipper get oddly close to his ear, "Private, I swear to God, if you hurt her, or this team during your 'little stay'... You will know what a failure you have become to me. I already know it burns you up, when someone doesn't trust you," He starts to back away to ponder into the streets of his city, "I wonder what it would it would feel like being a failure to you?"

Private stands there. He closes his eyes to better memory. A better time. A better whenever. He opens them to answer Skipper back, "I already know what it feels like, Skippah. Regret."

Hey guys, happy almost Thanksgiving! Gobble-Gobble!

Schools been busy, and others things I've been working on, so sorry for the wait but it's here! Hoozah! (Did I spell that right?) So what did you think, and also what do you think is going to happen? I'm a curious soul, so tell me in the comments/reviews I would gladly hear them out.

Also I'm going to start typing up Private's First Kidnapping here pretty soon. Exciting...Somewhat I find it oddly disturbing that we really want to see that happen to poor little Private. We really like the angst don't we?

Like I said before I'm a curious sole...But I've been wanting to hear this or really ask this for a while. If you guys were able to cast a live action humanized movie who would you chose for the penguins I'm curious...?

Here's my choices:

Skipper- Hugh Jackman, or David Boreanaz.

Kowalski- Jamie Dornan

Rico- Tom Hardy, or Jeremy Renner

Private- John Francis Daily, or Robbie Kay

What do you think? I could see these guys I don't know about you though.

-ADORKable Rosy

P.S. I am stumped on The Truth so if anyone has ideas, or suggestions it would be amazing to hear! Errr...See.