For muruto koumei-chan, who was so badly thrashed by sako-chan. ; .;
Once, when Koumei was young, he heard an argument going on between his father and Zenmei. It went a little something like this, violent and rough and peppered with swear words. He was hardened around the edges even then, at the age of nine. He remembered that he had stood behind the door, listening to the argument that raged between the two.
"You little motherfucker, I'm your father, how dare you talk back -"
"I'm not talking back, you shitty old bastard. Where's our money? We've been going without food for a fucking week -"
"You can steal, can't you, Zen-chan? Don't think I don't know. Running around stores stealing things, bringing shame to the family, you and your brother, my sons - Huh, I would've preferred to have dogs and pigs as sons rather than the two of you!"
"Bringing shame to the family? US? US? You old fucker, who brought shame to the family in the first place, going around gambling, getting drunk, calling prostitutes, who was the one who beat up moth -AGH!"
Father had punched Zenmei in the mouth. He was always a bit touchy about the subject of their mother. Koumei had ran out from behind the door when he heard the yelp of pain issued from Zenmei. It was a nasty sight, his father staring at Zenmei with his bruised mouth and Zenmei glaring back at him. It was a common sight in that dysfunctional household of theirs.
Then Zenmei looked up.
"Kou? Let's get the fuck out from here."
Koumei remembered that he had nodded mutely, and padded quietly after Zenmei, dragging a duffle bag and throwing things he would need on the streets into it. Zenmei had stormed around the house, muttering furiously and tossing stuff into his own patched-up bag. Then Zenmei had peered into Koumei's duffle bag.
"Kou, we don't need this." He pointed at the photo nestling amongst the candy bars and water bottle. "It's shit. Throw it away."
"But brother -"
"We don't need it. Leave it here. It's useless."
"It's the only -"
"A photo of mother and us as one big happy family isn't going to help us. It's fake, anyway. Photographer probably told the two of them to play happy families for a few seconds."
"Brother -"
"... Just leave it, Koumei."
Koumei had left it, left it in the room he shared with his brother. He had tucked the photograph carefully into the space between the bed and the wall. He wouldn't put it past his father to tear it up. Like stated earlier, father had always been a little touchy about mother. Then, Koumei had picked up his duffle bag and ran out of the little, dirty flat, to where Zenmei was standing outside, holding the door open.
Their father's screams had followed them.
"Leave then, LEAVE, you two little punkass bastards. You'll probably come back within a week, crying for money and for food, filth, that's what you are -"
The worst thing was that Koumei knew his father was right. The longest the two of them had been able to hold out was a week and five days. But apparently, Zenmei had a plan this time.
"We'll break into school. Stay there during the nights, the canteen would probably have food left in there, and we can force open the lockers if we need stuff."
Unfortunately, they were found out within four days. Zenmei and Koumei had been forced to make a break for it, sprinting out of the school with a janitor, a policeman and a fatass principal hot on their hills. This time, they knew, they could not return to that school of theirs.
"Who needs school anyway, we don't even need to use those things they teach us in life. Like geography of the fucking world, who would need to know how to find the longitude and latitude of some fucking island in the middle of the fucking sea?"
Koumei knew that Zenmei's best subject was geography. Zenmei would not have even bothered to know what longitudes and latitudes were if he disliked the subject. For him, Koumei had loved history. It was nice; he had remarked once to his half-awake brother when both of them were staring at the television, it was like reading a big storybook.
Huh, his brother had replied, I prefer geography. It's fun.
That had been the end of the conversation.
Right now, currently, both of them were huddled in an alley behind a restaurant. Zenmei was thinking of another crackpot plan.
"Why not we smash the door open?"
"There's an alarm. See?" Koumei had stated that reasonably, pointing out the warning sign pasted on there. "And there are three people coming after us right now, setting off an alarm isn't that smart. Try it tomorrow night."
"Huh..." His brother had glanced over at him; something had flickered over his face at the moment. "Hey, Koumei."
"Yeah?"
"I want to leave a mark on this town."
"Ehh, we probably did. Stealing things, graffiti, getting into fights... All at the age of nine and ten." Koumei had yawned, and was already starting to prepare for the night. He laid his head on the duffle bag. They would have to wake up early tomorrow morning to avoid the owner of the convenience store. The man or woman would probably call the police up when he or she saw them.
"No, Koumei. I want to make a permanent scar on this place. So that no-one, no-one, would forget us."
Koumei had glanced up. There was madness in Zenmei's face, dancing and flickering about. Zenmei was staring at Koumei, a feverish look to his eyes. Somehow, Koumei had known, Zenmei was not seeing him. He was looking through Koumei, looking at the future he had already planned out for the both of them.
"You make the plans then. I'll follow ya."
"So you should. You're younger."
There was a rustle as Zenmei settled down, stretching his body beside Koumei. Zenmei could already hold his own with people a few years older than him. He had came home with a new scar last week, blood pouring down his nose and swollen eyes. Koumei had gotten an icepack for him; his father was too drunk to care.
"Don't act up, brother. I'll follow. Doesn't mean I'll listen to you for every little thing."
"Huh... I s'pose so."
"Yeah."
"Haaah, how are we going to survive for the future, eh?"
"I don't wanna think about stuff like that."
"Yeah, me too. But we're going to have to grow up, don't we?"
"Then we'll jobs, or whatever adults do."
"Or maybe we'll follow our father, get a wife, have some kids, and beat her up."
"Hhu. Maybe we will."
"Yeah. There's always that possibility, eh?"
"Yah... Oi, I want to sleep!"
"But I can't sleep."
"I don't care. Night, bro."
"Tch. Useless."
"..."
"Night, Kou."
"Yah, night."
They were family, the two of them. Koumei would follow Zenmei to the ends of the earth. It was his duty, after all.
end.