Chapter Two – War
Tetsu was lying flat on his stomach on the floor of Hope's living room, watching a talk show with an air of great concentration. He had discovered television the day before, and been completely enchanted. The way the little people inside the box moved and talked like real life humans, as real as if they had been in the room with him... and yet they were unreachable, shut in behind a pane of glass. It fascinated him.
He grabbed the remote control and switched channel – another amazing thing about the box; just one press of a button and the scene changed completely – chancing upon a news program. A pretty girl in a white shirt said something about a country with a name that was hard to pronounce, and then came footage of a battle field, dying or dead men lying in droves.
A buffet, thought Tetsu. Hope came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, and gasped as she saw the scenes on the television.
"Terrible," she said, sitting down heavily in the armchair, "oh, it's terrible... All those young men, throwing their lives away..."
Yes, terrible, Tetsu agreed in the privacy of his mind. All that meat going to waste.
"It's so mindless," sighed Hope, shaking her head. "They don't know why they do it, or even what they are doing, but they are told to kill and they kill, and all because of something terribly petty like land, or religion... because someone else, someone powerful, has decided that war is the best and only solution. War, war... why is it such a large part of our life? Why do we have to see it every day?"
"But it's far away," said Tetsu, who had concluded as much from the news report. Hope looked at him kindly.
"Yes," she said. "But war also happens all around us, every day and every hour. Because it's close to home we can't see it, but it's there. Kids kill each other because of gang alliances. The next-door neighbours scream at each other over the head of their five-year-old son. Murders and robberies happen in these streets, outside our windows. We are surrounded by so many horrendous deeds, we turn blind, refuse to see them."
She smiled suddenly. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to listen to the ramblings of an old woman like me. Come into the kitchen!"
"Why?" asked Tetsu, but turned the television off and rose from the floor, following her.
"I have made stew," she answered, showing him the table with place for two, and the steaming pot of meat. "I haven't seen you eat once in the four days you have been here. You don't have to eat out all the time! You are living here now. This is your home. Feel free to use it."
So that's what the kitchen is for, thought Tetsu, who had wondered. You make food in here. Then he sneered, scoffing at the pot on the table. "You think I'd eat that?" he asked. "I'm going out."
Cooked meat, he thought once out of the house, laughing to himself. Humans. He was running across the roofs, throwing himself across the open space between houses and feeling more alive than he had for long. But even as relaxed as he was feeling, all the while he was keeping his senses alert, searching for an unwary human, one that could be lured away and snatched. Hope's invitation had reminded him of his hunger, and he realized that he needed to feed again. Why he didn't just eat Hope he wasn't sure.
Tough to chew, he thought. But that was just an excuse.
Something caught his attention, something in the corner of his eye, and he skidded to a halt right at the edge of the roof. He walked back to the other edge and looked down into the alleyway below. He grinned, sharp teeth glinting. Well, well. This was what she had talked about, wasn't it?
"Well, this is a nice wallet," said one of the youngsters, holding the object of his admiration into the air. "Pity we aren't going to let you keep it."
"Those are very nice teeth, too," said another, leaning in close to the young man, little more than a boy, they had cornered. "Pity we aren't going to let you keep those either."
"Fuck you! He will come after you for this," spat the boy, struggling against the two larger men who were holding him. "You think you're so big, breaking out and doing your own thing, but in reality you're just a flock of frightened sheep who will run as soon as he barks. You're pathetic!"
"No, you're the sheep," answered the second young man. "Following your leader mindlessly, bleating your appreciation of everything he does..."
"Wow," said a voice. The group of youngsters all turned around simultaneously, and saw Tetsu walking towards them, grinning happily. "This is "war", isn't it?"
"What are you talking about, man?" asked the man who was still holding the wallet. "There hasn't been a gang war for ages. And there probably won't be for a long time yet, either – not with the pussies who are in charge. We aren't at war. This is just..." he grinned, "sending a little message."
"And you think you're so cool for doing it!" snapped the lone youngster, spitting on the ground in front of his captors. "He will have you down on the ground and begging him for mercy. You're nothing! Think you are something for breaking out, but really you are nothing!"
"Shut up," said one of the men, and the two large youngsters tightened their grip on their victim's arms.
"This is even better than television," said Tetsu, who had perched on one of the rubbish bins and was watching the exchange with the same fascination he had for soap operas. The man who had been talking about teeth turned towards him.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked.
"Tetsu," said Tetsu, and pointed at the captured boy. "And I agree with him. You are nothing."
"What?" The young man with the wallet turned his full attention to Tetsu, too, looking angrily at him. "Think yourself something big?"
"Maybe we ought to show you what happens when you mess with us," said the other. "Maybe you are one of his little buddies. Maybe you think just because we quit the gang we're weak. Well, we're not." He nodded to the muscle men to let go of the captured one, and all four moved towards Tetsu, grinning. He pouted.
"Four against one? Oh, come on." He jumped down from the rubbish bin and stretched towards the sky, then grinned back at them. "Too easy."
The lone boy had run away, Tetsu noted, idly licking his fingers clean. That was another thing about humans, curious and intriguing: the way they themselves administered pain to their enemies without a second thought, cruelty coming naturally... and yet they were strangely reluctant to watch it in others. And it wasn't as if he had committed a great wrong, Tetsu thought as he watched the torn bodies of the four youngsters. He had merely wanted to eat. He would have been satisfied with just the one or two, as well, but when all four had thrown themselves at him he hadn't had much choice.
He sat back on his haunches, stretching his arms to ease the tension. It had been good to use his body again. Sheltered inside Hope's home, he was afraid he was growing soft. The comforts she offered him were strange and alien, yet he found himself enjoying them almost against his own will – carpets protecting his bare feet from a cold floor, a soft bed to rest in at night, artificial lights when he wanted to see. Human comforts, aids for a softened species.
He thought about what she had said to him, earlier. About war and its horror. He thought he understood, a little. War was a human thing altogether, being part of their daily life in a way he would never understand. War was when people hurt each other, not for food or self defence but for human reasons – unfathomable to him – like riches or pride. He remembered the murder he had seen only weeks before, when a man, driven to desperation by the thought of how his reputation could be ruined, had taken the life of another human being. The man had been a despicable creature, weak and gutless, and Tetsu's lip curled in scorn just thinking about him. Was that war, too, when a worm like him committed atrocities to save his own miserable skin? When a man killed, seeing only his own future and caring nothing for the one he had just erased?
War certainly came in many forms, Tetsu decided. He would have to study it further.
He spent the night out in the streets, running across the roofs and mapping the streets, and returned to Hope's house only the next morning – with a full stomach and a pleased mind, happy over having encountered so many new things to think over. When he arrived he found her waiting for him. She said nothing, only smiled, and closed the door behind him.
He realized that the soft click of the door as it shut no longer put him in mind of a prison.
That night, she invited him once more into the kitchen. Curious and amused, he wondered if she had really not understood what he had said the night before or if she was just being obstinate, refusing to listen.
She had made soup, on cinnamon and pumpkin and with bread to go with it.
"You should have told me," she said, her tone half despairing and half indulgent, "that you are a vegetarian. Dear boy, you have to talk. I can't guess all the time what goes on in your head."
Part of him wanted to laugh out loud, part of him felt something he had never felt before. Something warm... He shrugged the feeling off, regarding the table with quiet amusement. The things she thought up... really.
Oh well, every creature needed a balanced diet...
"You're right," he said. "I should have said."
He sat down, and smiled at her as she poured him a bowl full of soup.
Hi! Sorry for the time it took me to update – haven't really had access to the internet in a while.
Thank you to those who read this – makes me happy to know that even if this is an old story it's still interesting to some. (Because we all love our Totetsu, don't we...) This is probably the chapter I am least happy with in this story. Hope you liked it anyway. :)
Until next time!
