Chapter 12: Ken and Osamu

On the deck of the ship, Takeru and Daisuke enjoyed the beautiful view of the night sea.

As the saline breeze caressed his hair, Takeru prepared to talk about his tenderest feelings towards Daisuke. It would be a very beautiful speech that would certainly move the other to tears. However, a commotion on the other side of the deck interrupted Takeru's plans.

Miyako, who had been teaching Ken how to write, was at that moment trying to stop an argument between him and Osamu.

"What's the problem with her teaching me how to read and write?" Osamu asked.

"You can't just ask that from her!" Ken was furious. "Know in your place! A few days ago, you were trying to kill her and all her loved ones!"

"Because that was my job, Ken!" Osamu stated. "But now I'm no one's henchman anymore! I am no longer an enemy of the revolutionaries and I am not trying to kill anyone!"

"That's true," Miyako agreed. "I'm not opposed to teaching Osamu. If there are more educated people in the world, lesser will be the power of the monarchs!"

"Miyako, you can't just ignore all the bad things my brother has done!" Ken argued. "He may not have killed revolutionaries, but that doesn't mean he didn't take innocent lives!"

He turned to Osamu and inquired:

"Do you deny that you have killed innocent people, brother?"

Osamu looked away.

"I was doing my job," he said. "I wouldn't have needed to do any of that if all the peasants paid their debts."

"You disgust me!" Ken had contempt in his voice.

"Don't act like you're better than I!" Osamu shouted. "I only became a henchman to support both of us! You should thank me for everything I've done for you, you ungrateful brat!"

"I am not responsible for your mistakes!" Ken stated, walking away.

Miyako was about to follow Ken, but first she had something to say to Osamu:

"I really don't mind teaching you. But you need to sort out your problems with your brother first."

After that, Osamu also left the deck. Takeru and Daisuke had watched everything.

"What a tragedy!" Takeru exclaimed. "Brothers should never fight! This is so wrong!"

"Actually, siblings argue all the time, usually over more banal things than what those two were talking about..." Daisuke commented. "It's a complicated situation."

"We need to sort this out, Daisuke!" Takeru decided. "In the name of brotherly love, we need to get those two to make peace!"

"Do you think it's a good idea to meddle in their lives?" Daisuke was worried.
Takeru took him by the shoulders and gave him a serious look.

"Daisuke, my dear, we have the moral responsibility to meddle! Two brothers fighting is absurd! It is contrary to all natural laws! We have to resolve the situation!"

Daisuke found Takeru's words strange. Had he never argued with Yamato in his entire life? However, he thought it best not to touch on the subject. From what he understood, the two brothers had been separated when they were both children. Realizing that they never had the opportunity to grow up as normal siblings who fight over silly things made Daisuke sad.

He hugged Takeru.

"Alright," Daisuke said, "let's help them!"


In the wheelhouse, Koushiro was piloting the ship while Osamu was away. Mimi was sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall, as she read fortune-telling cards.

"I wish I had the power to see the future like you..." she said.

"I wish I could talk to the dead when I'm not dead, like you do," Koushiro said back.

"To stay in touch with Hikari?" Mimi asked, chuckling.

Koushiro blushed.

"What did Hikari tell you about me?" he asked.

"Things you're not ready to know yet," Mimi replied. "She cares a lot about you. She says that you always work too hard and don't let other people help you. That's why she asked me to take care of you."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Koushiro told her.

"Everyone needs to be taken care of by someone," Mimi stated, smiling at him, "even the Devil!"

Suddenly, Osamu burst through the door, furious.

"My brother is under some spell, isn't he?" Osamu asked. "He had never disrespected me like this before! The way that ungrateful brat spoke to me... after all I've done for him... how dare he?"

"No one has put any spells on your brother, I can guarantee that," Mimi said, getting to her feet. "I would know if there was someone bewitched around."

"Didn't you do anything to his soul?" Osamu inquired Koushiro.

"I need to confess something..." Koushiro hesitated, turning to Osamu. "I kind of made up that story about stealing your brother's soul to make you cooperate... to be honest, I don't actually have the power to steal souls."

Mimi looked down, frowning.

Osamu wasn't really shocked to find out that Koushiro didn't have that kind of power. In the last few days he'd lived with him, he'd never felt in him the malevolence necessary for cruel acts. Osamu knew that malevolence all too well.

"Then, Ken is just rebelling against me..." Osamu concluded. "Now that he has new friends, he thinks he doesn't need me anymore and thinks he has the right to treat me with disrespect..."

"Why do you think you deserve respect?" Mimi asked. "The spirits talk about you, Osamu. They talk about the things you did… some of them were your victims."

"Mister Osamu may have made mistakes, but he can change and become a better person," Koushiro said, showing the other boy an encouraging smile. "If you show Mister Ken that you've changed-"

"Why should I change? I have never done anything wrong!" Osamu stated. "Everything I did in life was to survive and to take care of my brother! All the people I hurt, all the lives I took... I did everything for him, and I would do it again as many times as necessary!"

Mimi shuffled the divination cards while staring at Koushiro's sad expression.

"You don't really mean that..." Koushiro muttered. "Surely you must regret having caused so much pain to so many people. You may not be ready to admit it, but I know you must wish to become a better person."

Osamu stared at Koushiro for a few seconds before turning his back on him. He was about to leave when he said:

"I don't care if you're really a demon or not, but I don't want you talking like you know anything about me!"


Sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall, Iori was trying to write a letter to his parents by the light of a lantern when Ken and Miyako abruptly entered the cabin he was in. Ken was pacing back and forth, shaking with rage, while Miyako observed him.

"While I appreciate that you want to protect me, I don't like it when people try to decide things for me," Miyako said. "I have no problem teaching your brother how to read and write, and I will not stop doing so because of your conflicted relationship with him!"

"How can you not have a problem with him?" Ken was outraged. "How can you all just accept his presence here? He is a murderer!"

"Most of Yamanaka's henchmen had no ideological identification with him. They were just poor and desperate people," Miyako mused. "If they had better opportunities, they could change."

"Are you arguing over Ken's henchman brother?" Iori asked, slightly interested.

Ken immediately turned to Iori and asked:

"You agree that he doesn't deserve forgiveness, don't you? You understand how dangerous having him around is, don't you?"

"If it were up to me, not even you would have joined the group, let alone your brother," Iori replied. "But he is alone on a boat full of revolutionaries, the Devil and a witch. Honestly, I don't think he poses any real danger to us."

"You all are unbelievable! No wonder you used to live cornered in the woods!" Ken shouted. "My brother is a bad person! He should be punished for that! Instead, he got a boat and is learning how to pilot it, and then he wants to learn how to read and write! It's not fair!"

Iori and Miyako exchanged looks.

"Say we arrested him, what consequences would that have?" Iori asked. "It wouldn't undo everything he's done. Who would benefit from his arrest? If he doesn't pose any real danger, what's the point of incarcerating him? Would it be just for you to feel satisfaction?"

"It would be for justice!" Ken yelled.

"The men who killed my grandfather and Sora's father also believed they were on the side of justice," Iori said. "When I was a child, I wanted to punish those men. I wanted them to suffer, and I believed that what I wanted was justice. But as I grew up and became more informed, I began to understand that the henchmen were tools used by the oppressors, not the oppressors themselves. Wouldn't it be inconsistent if we didn't try to free them too?"

"The scholar Sabine Weiss defended in her books that the right thing would be to work on the re-education of criminals and their reintegration into society." Miyako added. "Punitivism pure and simple is a form of oppression."

"You were willing to punish Yamanaka!" Ken reminded them.

"In case you forgot, the plan was to hold a trial for him," Iori clarified. "Only afterwards would the punishment be decided."

"Yamanaka was an oppressive noble who posed real danger to everyone!" Miyako stated. "His situation was different from that of poor peasants co-opted to fight other poor peasants!"

"The fact that they used to be peasants only makes what they did worse!" Ken argued. "They turned against their own people for money! My brother witnessed henchmen kill our parents! And then he became a henchman himself and did the same thing to other families! Don't act like he didn't have a choice or like he's just a victim of society who can't be held accountable for his crimes!"

"We're not saying he shouldn't be held accountable, we're just contesting how it should be done!" Miyako protested.

"There's no use talking to him, Miyako," Iori said. "Ken doesn't want to discuss Sociology, he just wants to be angry at his brother and feel justified in his anger!"

Ken clenched his fists.

"You revolutionaries think you're so superior...so educated..." Ken hissed. "But you don't understand the feelings of ordinary people at all!"

After saying that, Ken left the cabin.


Takeru and Daisuke had split up to look for the Ichijouji brothers. Takeru found Osamu at the back of the boat, staring bitterly at the ocean. He knew that it would be unpleasant to deal with someone in that mood, but the conversation couldn't be avoided. It was unacceptable to Takeru that two brothers didn't get along.

"Hello," Takeru greeted, standing next to the other. Osamu didn't respond.

"Being a big brother must be hard," Takeru continued. "Always trying to protect your little brother, hiding your true feelings, trying hard not to worry him… it's in the nature of older brothers to be overprotective, isn't it?"

Osamu looked at the other, intrigued.

"Don't you think I'm a monster?" Osamu asked.

"I know you did bad things, but you didn't have many options, did you?" Takeru replied. "Life was hard when I lived on Turtle Island, and my family had a farm! I cannot imagine what it must have been like for a peasant child with no parents and a little brother to look after."

Osamu remained silent for almost a minute. When he spoke, his voice was filled with sadness.

"After our parents were killed… when those men prepared to attack Ken and me, I promised them that I would pay my family's debt. If they spared us, I would even join them. I'll never forget how Ken looked at me that night... but the important thing was that they had accepted my proposal. On my first mission, we intercepted a family trying to escape. They killed the adults and sent me to check if there was anyone else in the wagon... I saw two frightened children hiding under a blanket and I did a very stupid thing..."

"What did you do?" Takeru asked, gulping.

"I told the henchmen that there was no one there," Osamu replied. "While I was distracting them, those kids escaped... but one of the goons saw them. Instead of running after them, they punished me. My face got so swollen I couldn't open my eyes for two days... all because I helped two children I didn't even know. On the next mission, they gave me the pistol and told me to shoot the fugitives. If I disobeyed, they would shoot me and then go after Ken to kill him too. I obeyed... and kept obeying every other time, until they didn't have to give me that order anymore... I was only eleven years old..."

"I'm sorry..." Takeru said, unable to imagine how Osamu must've felt. Takeru didn't know if he had the resilience of spirit to do what the other did for his brother.

"Don't be sorry!" Osamu told him. "I did what I needed to do! I put up with all that to protect myself and my brother! He should be grateful for my sacrifice! Nevertheless, Ken hates me!"

"I don't believe he hates you, brothers shouldn't hate each other..." Takeru said.

"What does he expect from me anyway?" Osamu asked. "Does he want me to apologize for keeping him alive all these years? For bringing food home? He knew it was just a temporary job until I paid off our debt, and then we would leave that island! What did Ken want me to do? Let those men kill us? He thinks that wanting to survive makes me a bad person! Apparently that's what everyone thinks!"

Takeru was surprised that Osamu was being so upfront with him. That was very different from what Yamato used to do. Takeru wondered if the other had ever had someone he could vent to. It would be nice if everyone had that...

"I don't know if I can give an opinion about being a bad person... I don't think I'm a very good person myself..." Takeru admitted. "I like to have a comfortable life... I went with my mother to the Old Continent, while my brother chose to stay on the farm with our father. We exchanged letters and I always invited Yamato to come visit us, and he always said he couldn't leave our father... that made me feel guilty. I always wondered if Yamato didn't resent me for living a life of luxury while he was left behind to take care of our father. But I know that if I asked him that, he would just deny it... he never told me how he felt... and it makes me wonder if I really know him at all, if I understand him... to be honest, I don't know if he really wants me to know him or if he has any interest in really getting to know me. After all, our cordial relationship is so comfortable for us... we are brothers who love each other and never argue over anything... that's how brothers should be, isn't it?"

Osamu said nothing for several minutes. Takeru no longer had the courage to continue with that conversation. He was just trying to show empathy, but ended up talking about unpleasant things that had nothing to do with the Ichijouji brothers. What was he thinking? That wasn't a simple problem that someone like Takeru could solve. After all, what did he really understand about brotherly love?

"You and your brother are two idiots," Osamu said, turning his back to Takeru and walking away. "But I am not."


Daisuke found Ken at the other side of the boat and approached him. The moon was lower at that hour, but its reflection in the sea was still beautiful."Do you also like to look at the moon?" Daisuke asked. "It's very romantic. You should call Miyako to see it as well. Takeru invited me earlier... it was pretty nice."

"I should call Miyako, of course..." Ken had a sarcastic tone, "all I need now is for her to teach me how my brother isn't responsible for his own actions and everything he's done is actually society's fault, but this time under moonlight!"

"Oh, she was lecturing you, wasn't she?" Daisuke laughed. "I still remember when she and Iori spent four hours discussing historical materialism... they didn't let me sleep that night."

"If they're right, then everyone would have sold their soul to Yamanaka like Osamu did! But that didn't happen! Basic human decency is not something everyone is willing to forget in order to survive!" Ken continued. "My parents never sold themselves out... and I... I may have had a moment of weakness following Osamu up the hill, but I stayed true to my principles when it really mattered!"

Daisuke watched as small tears formed in the corners of Ken's eyes. He wished he had something insightful to say that would make the other feel better. But he knew that he wasn't great at giving speeches.

"I'll be honest with you," Daisuke began to say, "I never liked reading the big, complicated books that Miyako and Iori like. I must be the last person qualified to talk about philosophical matters."

"I don't care about Philosophy or Sociology or whatever!" Ken raised his voice. "Why do you people like to complicate things so much? There is right and wrong in the world! There are good people and bad people!"

"Then, your brother is a bad person even though he became a henchman because he wanted to protect you?" Daisuke asked.

The other shivered.

"I never asked him to do that! His atrocities are not my fault!" Ken stated.

"Is this something you know for sure, or is it something you want to convince yourself of?" Daisuke asked.

Ken stared at Daisuke with puzzled eyes.

"I just think you're putting too much energy into loathing your brother and distancing yourself from him..." Daisuke continued. "Could it be that you're actually trying to run away from your own feelings of guilt?"

"I have no reason to feel guilty..." Ken muttered.

"Really?" Daisuke asked. "Maybe I'm just projecting my own feelings onto you..."

"What do you mean?" Ken wanted to know.

Daisuke took a few seconds to explain:

"When Yamanaka's men killed our parents, Jun and I were hiding in the back of the wagon. There was a boy with the henchmen... he must have been my sister's age. He saw us but told those men there was no one hiding in the wagon. Jun and I managed to escape, but they saw us... we heard the boy's agonized screams in the distance..." Daisuke closed his eyes, but that didn't stop his tears from flowing, "I wanted to go back, but Jun said that there was nothing we could do for him... that boy saved our lives, and we never knew if he survived or not... we never even learned his name..."

"A henchman kid... saved you and your sister?" Ken asked in amazement.

"I think people are more complicated than we can imagine," Daisuke said, wiping his tears with the backs of his hands. "I tried not to let myself be consumed by guilt over what had happened to that boy. That would be of no use to anyone. Instead, I chose to try to become someone who wouldn't let something like that happen again... someone who could do something to save a helpless child... the past may be immutable, but the future isn't."

Ken admired Daisuke for a while.

"Thank you for talking to me," Ken whispered, softly. Soon after that, he left.


It was past midnight and Ken knew that everyone should be asleep, except for one person. That was the time when Osamu had agreed to stay at the helm. Still hesitant, Ken climbed the stairs to the wheelhouse, where his brother was. Osamu turned around briefly to see who had entered the room. A moment later, he turned back to face the sea.

"I won't apologize for what I did for you," Osamu announced.

"Alright. I won't thank you for what you did for me either," Ken said back.

"Okay," Osamu replied.

They remained silent for long, uncomfortable minutes.

"I wasn't trying to force that girl to teach me how to read and write," Osamu explained. "I don't know how what I said sounded back then, but I was trying to ask her a favor. If I am going to live off this boat, knowing how to read and write would be useful."

"Nothing that happened between us today was because you asked Miyako to do that..." Ken muttered. "Not really..."

"I know..." Osamu said.

Silence filled the space between them once more.

"You must hate me a lot, don't you?" Osamu asked. "The way I always acted around you, as if killing people didn't bother me… I thought I was being strong for your sake, that I was protecting you… but from your point of view, I think I just made you think I was a monster."

"If it weren't for me, would you still have done all that?" Ken asked, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know," Osamu replied. "I would probably still have wanted to survive at all costs, but I might not have been able to continue on that path for too long... without you, I don't think I'd have the strength to endure all that..."

Ken felt his eyes getting warmer.

"Everything I did was because I chose to," Osamu stated. "You don't have to feel responsible for my actions. It was wrong of me to act like you owed me something."

"What will happen now?" Ken asked. "What are we going to do about the future?"

"After I drop you and your friends off in Tierra Roja, I can sail away," Osamu proposed. "You won't have to see me ever again, if that's what you want. Just promise you'll take care of yourself."

The prospect of never seeing Osamu again didn't make Ken happy.

"We could exchange letters from time to time," Ken suggested. "That way you wouldn't be worried about me, and I'd know you're moving on with your life. Maybe in the future, when all this stops being so painful, we could even meet again... if you want to..."

Osamu turned to Ken and showed him a small smile.

"I would like that," the older brother said.

"Me too," the younger brother replied.

After saying those words, the silence between them was no longer so uncomfortable. The distance remained, but it seemed smaller. And if the two of them were willing, it wouldn't be impossible to build a bridge.