[Remedy]

((A fair warning to anyone considering reading through this roleplay; it will be mature, as the warning in the title already states.  For a more specific warning, there will probably be A, B, D, G, L, R, S, and V.  So yeah, pretty much everything.  Continue at your own risk. C:))

~~~

With a heavy sigh, Magnus slumped into the old, tattered, brown couch in the living room of his small appartment.  It was one of the few pieces of furniture he owned aside from a stiff bed with rusty springs, a narrow coffee table with a wobbly leg, and a small, out-dated television resting on a cardboard box against the wall opposite of him.  Student loans had taken their toll on him, and he was just now starting to pick back up with a new job.
Fresh out of school, Magnus had been working in this new job for a month now, finally pursuing his goals of being a truely professional scientist.  The hard work was beginning to pay off, as his first paycheck was given to him earlier that day.  He was relieved that now he might be able to pay off some of his other debts and maybe even get some decent furniture in his home.  That way he could finally start entertaining guests in his free time... if he ever got any time off, that is.  Magnus had been working hard from early in the morning to late at night, and the loss of sleep was beginning to have a downward effect on him.
 
Kicking off his shoes, he used his feet to push them under the coffee table in front of him- accidentally bumping the wobbly leg and causing the table to lean slightly more to that side.  The TV remote that had been peacefully resting there began to slide that way as well, but his hand shot out to catch it before it could hit the floor and spill its batteries.  The reaction was more of an unconcious reflex for Magnus, who was now looking down at the remote in his hand.
With another sigh, deep blue eyes focused on the TV, watching as the channels flipped by with each click of a button on the remote.  It soon settled on a news channel, and he listened to the people talking, their voices almost monotone.  Slowly and unintenionally, his eyes drifted shut and he almost slipped off into deep, peaceful sleep.  Almost.

Suddenly, the outdated flip phone he kept in the pocket of his pants for emergencies began vibrating strongly, causing him to instinctively spring from his seat with a start.  He took an unconcious step forward and effectively stubbed his sock-covered toe on that damn wobbly table leg, causing it to finally break off and the tabletop to fall further on that corner.
Cursing profusely as he only rarely does, Magnus located the cause of his current annoyance and flipped it open, squinting at the sudden brightness that the screen now presented him.  Not recognizing the number, he decided to answer the phone anyway, if only to scold the person on the other end for calling so late.
"Hello?" Magnus called with a raspy sound, moving the phone away from his face temporarily so he could clear his throat of that tired noise.

"Hello?" he tried again, this time with more clarity.

[Elektra]

On the slightly darker, or at the very least, dirtier part of Medicai, a man in his early twenties paced back and forth in a small apartment.  The complex wasn't actually open for rent, but he and a couple of other younger teens had made it their home.  The problem, however, was that one of those teens had just been taken away from him.  They might not have been family, but they were close enough.  And Shanks was gonna be damned if he didn't do something about it.

He and Izumi had left Yumiko and a couple of other newer people in the apartment while they went to go stock up on food and medical supplies, only to be stopped half way by an older woman.  She certainly wasn't the most pleasant sight to behold, but asked them for help.  Unable to turn her away, Shanks helped her with the bags she had, and carried them to a shabby little house a couple blocks in the other direction of their destination.  When he came back, he was a little worried at first when he didn't spot Izumi.  His fear set in, however, when he noticed a bloody splotch on the ground, along with an unusual earring that he'd made her a while back when they first met.  

The blood drips continued on for a little while, taking him through various alleys and down a considerable way until they crossed over into what was literally the worst part of Medicai.  Back where they had all started out before gaining the courage to cross over and try to start a new life in the light.  His eyes narrowed, and he searched around with an eery calmness, looking for anything to help him.  

There was litter all over the area, but a clean white envelope with an in intricate seal on the back stood out among it all.  He tried not to run over, and scooped it up.  Throwing caution and his attempt to remain level headed to the wind, he sliced through the top with a switch blade from his pocket and quickly unfolded the note.  Inside it read:

Shanks, my boy.  We aren't gonna make this hard, promise.  It's pretty cliche, taking the girl and holding her hostage.  Seems like it's been done to many times to even count.  Thing is, it always works out one way or another.  So, here we are.  We've been following you for quite some time now, and know just how important this girl is to you.  If you couldn't tell from the mess she made fighting my men back near the market, we've got proof she's with us.  So, you owe me money and I owe you a girl.  Come back to the base, and we'll talk.

Taped to the back was a small sticky note with a bloody pawprint on the back, and what looked like tear marks all over it.  There was no way he wouldn't recognize that print.  Which meant it was official.  Those guys were going to die a painful, torturous death.  Problem was, if these were the men he thought they were, they vastly outnumbered him.  He needed help.


And so he found himself pacing back and forth once again, trying to figure out who would even be willing to listen to his plight.  That's when the name hit him.  An old friend, if he could call him that.  Back when Shanks actually thought that he could make it in the big world, and tried medical school using the money from an older business.  That was about the only person he could possibly think would listen.

He fumbled around, and finally found an old cell phone, then flipped it open, only to realize he didn't really remember his number.  "Shit!" he said loudly, balling his hands into fists.  There were a couple of different numbers to try, but he didn't have all day.  So he dialed one, and hoped to hell that it was the right one.  His efforts were rewarded when a person finally picked up on the other end.  

"Magnus!  I need help, bad!" was all Shanks managed to get out.  He was really starting to lose it now, that was apparent.  And it all rode on whether or not Magnus even remembered him.


((Long post is, well, actually long.  Just don't expect them to stay this way.  xD;))

[Remedy]

Magnus yawned as he listened for an answer on the other end, and almost dropped the cell phone when he heard a panicked voice call his name.  The voice was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite put a face or a name with it.  He knew he must have met the person at some point, because he - as it sounded - obviously knew him.
His original ideas to scold this individual flew out the window when he heard the desperation in that voice.  All at once his calm, level-headed, professional doctor side came out, a characteristic that attributed greatly to his growing success in his profession.  The ability to stay calm in difficult situations proved itself useful time and time again, and Magnus was eternally greatful to have been gifted such a useful ability that others, at times, just could not achieve.  
With a deep breath, he spoke again into the phone, his first goal being to clear up the original question brewing in his mind...

"Okay, okay.  First of all; we must've met sometime before, but I do not recognize your voice.  Who am I speaking to, exactly?"

He waited for the person on the other end to respond before going on to the inevitable question of 'What's wrong?'.  Somewhere in the unconcious part of his mind, he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

[Elektra]

Shanks sighed when Magnus didn't hang up on him immediately.  He wondered at first why the man didn't remember him, considering they'd spent a considerable amount of time together until Shanks had chosen to drop out of medical school, but realized that it probably didn't matter.  Either way, he had to get help.  And he was equally sure that the man would remember him the moment they came face to face again.

For now, though, his name would have to suffice. "It's me, Shanks.  Remember, from med school?" he said, hoping for a reaction.  It really did ride on whether or not Magnus was willing to help.  Shanks didn't bother to what for his opening though, and chose to just let it all out.  Pride was useless in this situation. "Magnus, please, I need your help to get Izumi back.  Things happened, during that time I dropped out.  And they've come back, only to hurt someone else.  Please, I can't do this alone." Shanks said, not even caring that he was begging at that point.  He'd lay down everything, his pride as well as his life, if needed.  That girl, she was everything to him.  And he needed her back.

[Remedy]

Magnus almost facepalmed when he heard who he was talking to.  Of course the voice sounded so familiar!  Shanks had been one of his best buddies in school, and it was a great disappointment to him to learn that he'd dropped out.  With his new job, Magnus hadn't gotten a chance to get back in contact with him.

"Oh!  Sorry Shanks, for some reason I didn't recognize your voice.  I guess it would be a little dry to ask how you've been."  Magnus said, laughing nervoulsy.  He knew that his old friend had gotten in to a bit of money and drug trouble in the past which had lead to the end of his education, but he hadn't realized how bad it was.  He was beginning to feel a bit guilty for not having tried to contact Shanks sooner to see how he was doing, but brushed those feelings aside because he knew that with his own money problems he wouldn't have been able to assist him.
Magnus listened quietly to his friend's desperate plea for his help.  It would cause him a lot of problems to get involved, but he knew he didn't have a choice- he absolutely could not say no when someone close to him was in trouble.  He was a lot like Shanks in that sense, and there had once been a time when they had been like brothers.  
With a sigh, he bent over to retrieve his shoes from underneath the broken coffee table.  As he slipped them on, he reached into the pocket of his pants for the keys to his car- a rusty, old hand-me-down he'd gotten from his father.  It was his first car, and surprisingly it had yet to break down on him.  He was very thankful for this, since he obviously didn't have the funds to get a new one.  
Walking towards the front door, Magnus voiced, in the form of a question, his way of saying he was on his way;

"Where are you?"

[Elektra]

Shanks sighed in relief, but realized that this was asking a lot of someone like Magnus.  He knew how much the other man had worked to get through school back when, and how much he still worked to make it in this world of theirs.  Saying thanks, however, just didn't seem worth it.  As if it was pointless to say something like that after asking a friend to get involved in something this dangerous.  Because he knew these people they would be dealing with; he had been one of them long ago, and knew they'd go to the extremes to get what they wanted.  He didn't even want to think about what they'd do to Izumi if he refused to comply.  That was simply to horrendous.

"I'm near the farmers market near the old apartments on the other side of the building you've been working at." he said quickly, hoping that he'd be seeing his old friend soon.  "Just knock at the entrance to the building three times, and then two more times to have someone let you in.  I've gotta get back there myself, so if I'm not there when you arrive, give me a minute or two."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back in one of the warehouses of the lower districts, Izumi found herself slowly coming to her senses.  Everything around her was blurry, and her head was throbbing.  She tried to move, only to find herself constricted by some old rope holding her hands behind her back.  Her feet had been tied together, then tied again down to a peg on the floor.  There was some sort of cloth stuffed into her mouth, and kept their by a piece of duct tape sealing it shut.  She was aware of some sort of dried liquid on the side of her head, and realized that must have been the blood from the gash they gave her as they fought.  

Which brought to mind the fact that she had indeed been kidnapped.  Who the hell had the motives to do that though?  She'd showed up a couple of months ago on the higher side of town, and had stayed low, even after meeting Shanks.  As far as she knew, there wasn't really anyone who even knew her name around the city.  So who was it that was keeping her bound up like an animal here, and why the hell did they do it in the first place?

[Remedy]

Magnus stepped out of the front door to his apartment and made sure to lock it securely behind him.  He made a mental note of Shanks' instructions and knew that he would not forget them.  It was yet another quality of his that had proven itself over the years; his almost flawless memory.
Concluding with the single word, 'alright', Magnus pulled his cell phone away from his ear and hit the red end button.  He was about halfway down the stairs at this point; living one one of the top floors of the apparat net building could be quite a hassle.  On normal days when he had to get up early to go to work, the long walk down the stairs could be helpful in that it woke him up.  However, in an emergency situation like this, he knew he had to move fast.
Smiling lightly to himself despite the situation, he decided to do something rather juvenile to speed things up.  Facing away from the banister that ran the length of the staircase, he supported himself on it with both hands as he jumped up.  Now properly seated on it and only slightly concerned as to whether or not it could support his weight, he slid down the rest of the way, accelerating perhaps more than he ha originally intended to.  Thankfully, he was able to hop off at the end without falling flat on his face (something he experienced frequently when trying that in his younger years) and was able to get a jogging head start to his car, which was parked not too far away.  

Once he reached it, he unlocked it and hopped in, wasting no time before turning it on.  The old thing took a few seconds to sputter before starting up, and he hoped with all he had that it would not fail on him tonight.  
Soon he was on his way, and he quickly pulled out of the parking lot before speeding down one of the roads towards his destination.  Unfortunately, in a big city like Medicai, there were plenty of people on the streets even in the middle of the night.  Hopefully the traffic would be merciful and not hold him back for too long.

[Elektra]

Shanks hurried back to the complex, narrowly avoiding people as they idly went through the market.  He'd had to cut through after leaving to find that letter at the border, or else there was no way he would've gotten back in a reasonable amount of time.  He was running on adrenaline honestly, his instincts guiding him.  His mind was out of commission, to caught up in processing what had really just happen to function properly.  He remembered the first time that they had met, he and Izumi.  She was lying on the ground, bloody and crying without a sound.  The mere sight of her stunned him, but even more impressive was that she refused to let out a sound.  That moment was when he realized he wanted her.  Not necessarily in a sexual way, not yet, but he wanted her to be with him.  He needed someone who had felt pain, both physically and emotionally, someone who could understand him, but who wouldn't break down and wallow in self pity because of those experiences.  From then on, they'd become closer and closer, Izumi showing interest in him as she matured herself.  They'd met other people and taken them in, shown them a better side of life that had been hidden for such a long time.  And now this.

They had been fooled into believing that they could make it work, that they could live lives that weren't destined to stay the same as when they were each born.  They didn't have to stay in poverty, to stay on the lower end of society.  It seemed that in the end, this wasn't meant to happen.  Shanks was despairing, and quickly losing grasp of everything he had taught them.  All because of her.  All because he couldn't protect her from a small mistake he made in the past.  He supposed though that he was going to have to face it anyway, but it didn't change the fact that they had Izumi.  Nor did it change the fact that someone was going to die for this.

[Remedy]

It had taken a while, but Magnus finally reached his destination.  Along the way, he had gotten quite a few horns honked in his direction and only narrowly avoided catching the attention of an on duty police officer.  Now that he was here, he took a deep breath and carefully thought over his next course of action.
The appartment building that Shanks had directed him to looked very rundown, and it might seem strange for someone to park their car directly in front of it as if they lived there (though he knew some people actually did).  Despite the fact that he was trying to hurry and his car looked equally as rundown as the building, he decided it would be best to pull on to the end of the block and park the car down there.  He didn't know who all he was dealing with, after all.
Once the car was parked and the keys were pocketed, he ran back to the building and knocked as he had been told; three times, then two.  As he waited outside patiently, he started to really feel how cold it was at night, and was actually thankful that he had been too tired to take off his coat when he got home; otherwise he may have forgotten it.
While standing out in the cold, it was just beginning to truely occur to Magnus what he might be getting himself into.  A knot of uncertanty began to form in his stomach, but he knew that there was no way of backing out now.  Magnus was not a man to go back on his word, and certainly not one who would go back on a friend.

[Elektra]

Shanks noticed the sudden increase in honking drivers, and wondered for an instant if that could be Magnus hurrying along.  On the off chance that it was, he to increased his pace, taking his jog to a run, sprinting where he could without knocking people to the ground.  Though he noticed a car already parked a little ways away, he arrived at the end of the block to see Magnus at the doorway.

At the same time, however, Yumiko opened the door, grabbed the collar of Magnus coat, and pulled him in quickly.  She let him go as soon as the door slammed shut, and twirled around on the tip of her heel to walk over to a worn out sofa.  There was a small TV with a radio on top of it, the couch, a coffee table, and three old recliners to the side.  On the table were old instant ramen dishes, used chopsticks, and wrappers of beef jerky.  The girl looked over it all and spotted the remote.  Grabbing it, she flipped the TV on and went straight to some cartoon that seemed to be picked up from another source judging by the quality of the images.  A couple of minutes later, she sighed. "I guess I should say hello, but it's so troublesome.  I've never met you before though; are you an old acquaintance of Shanks?  Because that knock you used is a code given by any of us to trusted guests.  So just make yourself at home; Shanks and Izumi should be back soon." she said lazily.

[Remedy]

Magnus was, needless to say, very startled when he had suddenly been yanked into the building by a young woman.  He was briefly glad that his instincts hadn't kicked in and he hadn't punched her; it would do terribly for his pride to hit a woman.  Listening to her... introduction, if it could be called so, he looked around the room as she spoke.  Hearing that she was expecting Izumi home with Shanks was a bit concerning to Magnus; apparently he had been the first Shanks had called- although that may have been because there might not be a working phone in this building.

As Magnus surveyed the room, he noted that it looked much like the condition of his own appartment- cheap meals and old furniture.  This place actually seemed more furished that his own home, but that was probably due to the fact that multiple people lived here.  Bringing the half of his attention that had been distracted back to the woman talking, he thought a moment before answering.
"I see... Shanks and I are old friends, yes.  My name is Magnus.  He asked me to come here for... well... to do him a favor." He explained, deciding that it would probably be best for Shanks to tell his friends about the situation, if he intended to.  He may not want them to get involved, though, and Magnus would respect that possibility for now.  Anyway, it was a little obvious that this woman didn't seem to care about what he was saying.  Even so, his manners would not allow him to let an awkward silence fall over them.
"Pardon me for asking, miss, but... what is your name?"  He asked this question mostly out of genuine curiosity, having caught on to the fact that she failed to mention it previously.

[Elektra]

"Hmph.  Well, I guess it won't matter if I do tell you.  Name's Yumiko, I'm Izumi's adopted sister.  Magnus, huh?  Shanks had told us about some guy with the same name that he made really good friends with back when he was alone - without us I mean.  Guess you're him." Yumiko said, bored.  Whenever Shanks and Izumi weren't home, none of them were actually allowed to go out, which meant she was couped up in this damn place for who knew how long.  And being stuck in any place for to long made her get really crabby.

Her unspoken question was answered when Shanks burst through the door, and smiled widely when he saw Yumiko.  "Hey hun, I guess you've met Magnus here." he said casually as he closed the door and made his way over to the refrigerator as calmly as possible.  He opened it up and grabbed two cans of soda, tossing one to Magnus.  "Thanks for coming Mag, I really appreciate it." Shanks said, doing his best to remain calm, despite the horrible feeling nagging him at the back of his mind.  He opened his and chugged about half of it before setting it down on the counter and motioning for Magnus to follow him into another room.

He winked at Yumiko before openign a door that led into a hallway.  From there he quickly made his way down the long hall and opened a room at the end.  "I don't want them overhearing any of this.  I'm pretty sure I know these people, and I don't want any of those kids getting involved.  It's bad enough they got Izumi, anyone else and I just won't know what to do."

[Remedy]

Hearing that Shanks had spoken about Magnus relieved him.  He had thought before, when he got the call, that it might have just been a call-the-only-one-available type of deal.  Now he had the basis for knowing that even after they hadn't seen each other for a while, Shanks still trusted him.
He was about to reply to Yumiko when Shanks walked in.  Magnus couldn't help but crack a grin despite the situation; it was good to see an old friend after so long.  He looked and sounded like every bit of the old devil Magnus remembered him to be, but he knew that that was just a cover-up - at least for now.
 
"Glad to be of help," Magnus said as he caught the soda can and opened it while following Shanks into the other room. One Shanks closed the door, the mood had changed.  He listened to the man talk and nodded solemnly before saying, "Yeah, I figured that since Yumiko didn't know, I shouldn't say anything.  She was expecting Izumi back here with you.  So, while we're here, mind giving me a little background history on who we're dealing with as long as you think you know?"
Magnus stood there expectantly as he waited for an answer.  Whatever Shanks had done must've been worse than he thought to have gotten himself in this deep.  Without knowing who or what they were dealing with and what's been the cause of the whole mess, there wasn't much he could do.

[Elektra]

"Hey, thanks for not mentioning anything...  I just don't know what to do with them now that it's come to this..." Shanks said, angry that he had to hide this.  However, he certainly couldn't let them know just how much trouble they could be in at the moment.  He simply couldn't chance Yumiko or any of the remaining kids here with him getting sucked in as well.  He could barely keep his cool knowing that Izumi was somewhere alone, without any help, most likely hurt, and all because of him.

"Look, I dropped out not because I didn't have what it took mentally, but I just couldn't keep up the payments.  I started with a smaller drug dealer, and we grew the small deals into a whole bussiness.  Then I caught the other guy, BB, forcing some little girl into bed with him.  She was there because her parents had gotten to far in with drug debts and BB sent some men for her.  I basically beat him up to the point he was barely breathing, and made off with some of the money.  I guess that's why they took Izumi, to force me to give them back what I stole all those years ago..." Shanks sighed, and realized that there were tears rolling down his soot and mud stained cheeks.  How odd, for someone like him to be crying...  I guess that's what happens when you hit rock bottom... he thought to himself.

Shanks realized he'd been stuck in his own thoughts, and turned back to Magnus to explain the rest.  "I'd been rolling in cash for a while before that, and these kids, they don't know that.  They came and they trusted me because they saw me as one of them; someone who had gone through life poor, and still made the best of it.  If they knew how I'd acted before I met them...  I just don't know what they'd do."

[Remedy]

Magnus nodded silently as he listened to Shanks' explanation.  He felt a bit surprised when the man started crying, but it was understandable in this kind of stressful and emotional situation.  As a doctor, he had been trained not to form emotional ties or let the ties of others effect him as he worked, but this wasn't like his job.  No, this situation was entirely different.  Even so, it would do no good if he started getting worked up as well.

Taking a deep breath as Shanks finished talking, Magnus finally spoke up.
"I can't say you did the right thing, running off with those people's money...  Although it was good of you to protect the girl.  But there is no use in worrying and regretting the past; I wish I would've known then so I could try to help you, even though I was having money problems of my own and probably wouldn't have been able to do anything.  However, at the moment there are other things at stake and this is what we need to focus on.  Knowing this story, I have a better idea of who we're dealing with, and that helps more than you know.  
Although I must say... it is concerning to hear how this man treats women..."
Magnus trailed off at that, a crease in his brow now decorating his face with a disturbed expression.  Shanking his head, he took a deep breath and asked, "Well Shanks, let's get to it.  Ya got any ideas on where to start looking?"