Here's the drill: Anyone comment on Never Again parts 1-2, and I'll continue translating it.
Otherwise... (hido heaves a sigh) I'm really exhausted typing out that fic. My favourite bit is actually the part at the Whispering Gallery, but there's too much thoughts and character development in between, which is hard to plow through. (And anyway hido figured it's alot easier to translate her own fictions.) There's 13 parts in all, and hido has only got 3 parts done.
Translator's Foreword:
About Otona no Yakusoku, I wrote this fic some time in a week at around December to January. This fic is somewhat OOC, written more to explore the concepts of the individual members rather than the members' characters. (For example, hido doesn't really think Hyde'd go on a manic shopping spree for Tetchan IRL.) Personally I quite liked this, although minor things aren't resolved at the end realistically... But what the hell, it's postmodern! :-D
It's written from
Sakura's viewpoint; Takano Tetsu, Ogawa Tetsuya and Camui Hyde (son of
Camui Gackt ^^;) are the other characters in the fiction. At the beginning,
it's HT/ST, but later, it kinda evolves into a 3-P. Enjoy.
Adult's Promise 1/9
Written & Translated
entirely by hidoko Matsumoto.
24 Feb Mon 2002, 12:56AM
I'd never liked children;
they bear the heart of wild beasts but hide it well underneath a demeanour
of innocence-- that is to say, children are the purest form of humanity.
It could be said that adults are just about as annoying, but at least adults
lack this innocence and therefore can only accept their punishment without
excuses.
Then I met him.
An innocent little
prince came under my roof.
Beaneath that soft,
fluffy hair are innocent eyes and a genuine smile. Yes, my little prince
was that cute. As soon as he stepped in, I'd felt utterly despaired, because
this kid happens to be one of the stereotypes that I hate most.
"Bloody hell, where'd
you get this kid? You're already more than a handful."
"What are you complaining
about, it's not like I'd wanted it." Takano scratched the back of his head
as if he was developing a migraine, "That sow at home gave birth to him,
you might as well blame her."
"You've got so many
brothers and sisters, why aren't they taking him in? I mean, you're just
a broke gangster..."
"Everyone wants their
inheritance! Who'd want this stinky little kid?"
At this point in
time, Little Prince came running in with large, sparkly eyes.
"Look! Tetchan made
this model!" He boasted to Takano with pride.
Takano glared at
me and patted his head with a smile. Looks like although Takano's mouth
stinks, he really does kinda like this Little Prince.
"You wouldn't understand
the adult world, but I'll protect you."
Takano's gentility
made me develop an interest in this entire affair.
"So, kid, how old
are you?" I smiled at Little Prince.
"Mom told me not
to talk to strangers," He didn't even look at me as he wrapped his arms
around Takano's waist.
"Sakura's not a stranger,"
Takano patted his head, "He's my brother, so he's your brother too."
"Brer Sa." He called,
smiling innocently.
"Your name?"
"I'm Tetsuya. Ogawa
Tetsuya."
"Tetsu... Strange."
Tetsu happens to be Takano Tetsu's name as well. But why are their surnames
different?
"Call him Tetchan,
everyone calls him that," Takano laughed at my befuddlement, "I thought
Mom wanted me to be a philosopher, but nooo, looks like she just has a
kink for philosophers."
"Yours is a gangster
philosophy." I studied Tetchan's limbs and hands; they're soft and slender,
quite unlike a kid's. Besides, he's 5"4 tall, just a head shorter than
Takano. "How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
Fifteen?! Looks like
his brain isn't well-developed!
I stared at him with
a strange conviction.
"Don't tell me you
have a kink for kids, too?!" Takano laughed at my expression while reaching
for Tetchan's model.
"The most I'd give
him is twelve."
Takano glared at
me. After luring Tetchan back into his room, he came back out into the
living room.
"You're just asking
to be beaten up," I felt like I had a responsibility to remind him, "If
you stare at anyone else like that, you've had it."
"I'd rather get beaten
up than have to sell my pride." He gazed at me meaningfully, and I blushed.
"Don't think you
need to do that, you and your brother's got a nice place for free. The
most you have to do is to wash the dishes and make dinner, because I can't
do that myself."
Takano smiled.
"But really, is he
retarded?"
He lowered his head,
and when he lifted it again, he was angry: "Don't think that just because
he's different you can pick on him."
"I'm not." I said
quietly, "Tell me the truth, that's the least you could do."
Takano flushed as
he said, "His IQ's great, just that his personality..."
Silence. I waited
for him to continue.
"So, nobody wants
him. Out of so many siblings, only one brother gets along well with him,
but he's..." Takano gesticulated slightly, "Never been back since he's
moved to America with his father. And anyway, my mom's got so many husbands.
Tetchan's the smallest, but nobody knows where his dad went, and he doesn't
look like my dad, either. My dad's long dead anyway. ...I guess he's an
orphan, in that sense?"
"So, you like tetchan."
"...Un."
"But I must warn
you, I hate kids. I don't care if he's a retard or a genius, so long as
he's a kid, I'll hate him."
"He can't help being
a kid."
"Then let him grow.
Growing's the least he could do; I don't expect him to sell magic mushrooms,
but at least he could be someone whom I don't hate. He's already fifteen,
and since he's not retarded, it's not impossible."
Takano lowered his
head.
"I know you like
him this way, but he's gotta grow one day," I lectured, "Only adults are
suitable for this world, so he's gotta grow."
***
"Hey, are you Russian?"
Hyde smiled, "No,
Japanese."
"You look very special,
not the least bit Japanese."
"..."
"So, whatcha doing
tonight?"
"No thanks," Hyde
remained smiling, "I'm always busy."
After he was done
with breakfast, Hyde decided to go shopping. He bought some stuff at Louis
Vuitton, then at Kenzo. The bags he piled into the car, and the chaffeur
drove him for lunch.
"That old fart's
gonna nag as soon as he sees me, so I might as well buy up more to make
up for it," He smiled at his bodyguard.
"It's for Tetchan?"
"Yeah, hope he likes
it. Mmm, it's pretty fashionable, too. Aa, I forgot Godiva chocolates...
Stop here. Comeon, Ken, let's go."
Hyde is Camui Gackt's
only son and hence the sole inheritor. One day, after Gackt's patience
was tested to the extreme, he'd locked Hyde up in his room so that he'd
study, but at the end of the day, Gackt saw Tetchan's portrait all over
the walls. ("Aaaaaa! My imported Italian wallpaper!!!" Gackt screamed.
Hyde grinned up at him: "Isn't it cute, Daddy?")
The truth is,
Hyde is a genius. He just lacked the enthusiasm for anything other than
Tetchan. Once Camui Gackt noticed the affection that Hyde had for Ogawa
Tetsuya, he'd deemed that person as an enemy. It was also why they'd moved
to America.
But...
"Aaa, so cute! Is
this model the newest? How much? Peanuts! Here, I'll get it, and this,
and this, and this. Oh, I bet Tetchan will like this, too! How's this,
Ken, wouldn't he want this, too?"
A tall guy lapsed
behind a shortie, and they were running amok with shopping bags.
***
Since the Little
Prince wasn't going to disappear from my life anytime soon, I'd developed
a sort of sadistic twinge towards him.
"You should've thrown
these models away," I glared at him, "Kids should be studying, not playing."
"No! Mom said once
I got my BA I could stop."
"BA?! Bachelor of
Arts?! How stupid do you think I am?" And so I started throwing away his
models.
"Waaa! My models!"
Tetchan pulled at my shirt, and in the midst of tugging and pulling I'd
succeeded in getting the box of models to the garbage collection point.
His large, watery eyes made me annoyed, so I said he deserved it. And so
he locked himself up in his room.
"What did you do
to him again?" As soon as Takano came home, he'd asked.
"He's not a real
kid. Even if he really wanted his toys, he shouldn't have lied that he'd
gotten a BA. He must've gone nuts."
"He got his BA when
he was twelve," Takano said coldly, "Just because I didn't mention it doesn't
mean it's impossible, he's a prodigy."
"What a thin line
between ingenuity and idiocy!"
At this point in
time, the doorbell rang. "Who is it?"
A man in Fedex uniform
was carrying a large box.
"Takano, your stuff!"
I yelled at him.
"Okay!" He answered,
and went to recieve his stuff.
We agreed to respect
each other's privacy, so whenever I saw people sending him stuff I kept
both eyes closed. But as soon as I saw him carry it into Tetchan's room,
I knew that something was wrong.
Adult's Promise 2/9
Written & Translated
entirely by hidoko Matsumoto.
24 Feb Mon 2002, 2:18AM
Upon seeing him emerge
from the room with several packages, I knew that this kid has got someone
strong behind him. He has this knack of making everybody fend for him,
simply by being innocent. In fact, it could almost be said that his innocence
is a tool for making use of people.
"Hey, chocolates~"
Tetchan made a face at me when he saw me, "None for you!"
"He's just an adult,
don't take it to heart," Takano told Tetchan, "Children must always forgive
adults for being blockheaded."
Takano's words reminded
me of Le Petit Prince by Antoine De Saint Exupery; I remember having read
that book somewhere. At the end of it all I'd thought that it was just
a simple escape from reality.
"I'll forgive you,"
Tetchan told me again, and passed me the chocolates, "Say thanks."
"Idiot, it's not
as if I can't afford chocolates," Although it looked expensive, "Who sent
this?"
"Brer Hyde," Tetchan
replied as he opened a US edition of Asuka model. "Wa~ So cute!"
"Che, if you wanted
a real girl, I could find you one."
"Don't corrupt him...
Ahhhhh!" Takano almost snapped when he came across a particular game: "Although
this is Eva, you can't play it!"
"Wa! Brer Takano..."
Tetchan tried snatching it back from Takano, but failed, as he was too
short. He resorted to begging with teary eyes.
"No, you can't. It's
for your own good." Finally he relented upon seeing Tetchan's tears, "Don't
cry, I'll get you another game."
"But Brer Hyde sent
this game."
Silence. I cut in,
"Isn't that Eva's dating game?"
Takano glared at
me, "That's why. It's A-rated."
"All the more he
should be playing it. Otherwise he'll never grow up."
"You know nothing!"
Tetchan scolded me, "Brer Hyde sent this... If Brer Hyde can't be by my
side, then at least let me play his game..."
So the three of us
under the same room harboured such different thoughts. I felt like I'd
learnt a lesson.
"No arguing, it really
doesn't suit you. Okay, I'll scratch the game, so you can still keep it,
how about that."
Tetchan nodded reluctantly,
so Takano got a pair of scissors to scratch the silver side up. As soon
as Tetchan got the ruined game, he ever so happily kissed the thing.
At 9pm, as Takano
was preparing dinner, Tetchan was playing with his new toys in the dining
room. I took the opportunity to get near him: "Isn't Asuka's body great?"
"Un..." He blinked,
"Hyde's body's better."
"But he's a guy.
Women's bodies are better."
"Nah."
"I know you admire
Hyde, but once you've grown up you'll like women. Stop thinking about your
brother, it's not normal afterall, and besides, only women have these cute
32-24-32 figures."
Tetchan gazed at
me steadily, and it was then that I realised that he wasn't a kid; he was
an adult who chose to be a kid. "I hate women."
"Why? Women are the
greatest since sliced bread!"
"I hate my mom and
sis." he continued playing with his models.
"And you like Asuka?"
"She's not a woman..."
My mind wasn't twisted
enough, so I couldn't understand what he meant by "Asuka is not a woman".
***
I had only Takano
and Tetchan's Freudian slips to gauge Tetchan's past from. Tetchan walked
around the house carrying Hyde's stuff, sometimes even treating the toys
like a lover.
I knew that I couldn't
change his mindset, so I went along with him, although my bloody mouth
sometimes set some fireworks going. Usually, after locking himself up in
his room, he would come out with a smile, saying, "I'll forgive adults.
Here, have some chocolates."
I was always at a
loss upon seeing his smile.
I knew that Takano
loved him so much only because he was a little boy. That was why he wouldn't
let Tetchan grow or be corrupted by A-rated stuff.
Once I decided to
broadcast A-V on the TV, and made him sit down beside me to watch it. He
sat down about 10-cm away from me (usually he sat right next to Takano,
but he always kept a distance from me) and started watching, but after
a while, he jumped up, yelling, "I hate these adult things!" And ran back
into his room. Of course, Takano gave me a lecture as soon as he came back.
I knew that Tetchan's
family consisted of a sow of a mother, who married and divorced three times.
There were 8 kids, 5 girls 3 boys. Of the boys, there was Hyde, Takano
and Tetchan. Hyde was lucky since his father actually wanted him badly,
but Tetchan, like Takano, were illegitimate children, so they lived with
their mother. Whereas Takano ran away, Tetchan had to stay to endure his
sisters' antics. Their treatment of Tetchan had worsened as the sisters
fought for their inheritance.
Tetchan's closest
relative was Hyde. I had no clue why, but Takano seemed to be jealous of
that guy. "He's not as smart as Tetchan, he's just got a rich dad," Takano
liked to complain.
Takano was a guy
who dumped his girlfriends as often as he changed clothes, and yet he was
so attached to his brother. It was almost phenomenal.
Takano would mess
up the stock market for me in the past, but now he's retired to working
at a restaurant for a tiny salary. I stayed in that line for some rich
sod; there was once when he bailed me eternally out of prison, so I was
his for the rest of my life.
Of course I wasn't
stupid enough to stash my cash into the bank and live vicariously; if anything,
I was quite stingy. If anyone knew about what I did, I would've been dead
a long time ago. I kept hearing stories about how people jumped off buildings
in a recent crash.
I only began to accept
Tetchan when Takano went to Taiwan to crash their economy for me. At that
time, I had some stuff to do locally, so I returned home late. Tetchan
was left alone at home with lots of food in the fridge, so I hardly saw
him.
Once I saw this figure
standing in the darkness, so I yelled, "Who is it?"
"Brer Takano..."
"It's me," I knocked
his head gently, "Why aren't you asleep?"
"Why isn't Brer Takano
back yet?" He asked me with watery eyes.
"He's got important
stuff to do in Taiwan," I saw that his eyes were red, so I fluffed up his
hair. "Don't think about him so much."
"..." And so he ran
back to his room.
After I was done,
Takano was delayed. He was finishing a good job, so I had no reason to
worry about him. Instead, I slacked off. In the meantime, Tetchan's skin
grew snow-white because he always stayed indoors, and his eyes glittered
like an angel's. And so I had to face him and take care of him everyday
while Takano was away.
Although I wouldn't
have given in to his whims, I still felt guilty leaving him alone at home
just to go have sex with my girlfriend. And so I stayed home and watched
A-V, until I couldn't stand it any longer and went to my girlfriend's house
for an entire day before returning home immediately. I must've gone insane
worrying about whether he's been eating properly, although I knew that
he'd eat whenever he's hungry. Yet he seemed so lonely that he smiled brilliantly
whenever I returned, even going so far as to prepare dinner for me.
But of course, his
cooking skills sucked; the rice became congee and everything else was burnt.
He'd even mistaken salt for sugar in his home-made dessert.
There was once when
he tried to fry fish. The fish's exterior was burnt, while the interior
was uncooked. He'd even burnt his finger. Of course, my skills weren't
great either, so I bandaged his finger and brought him to a nearby ramen
stand.
I was even quite
touched by his apparent happiness to see me return. Only one person had
ever relied on me this much, and that was Takano Tetsu.
But only Tetchan
could have sought me when he burnt his finger; an adult would never do
this. It's the kind of thing a child does when seeking empathy from his
parents. And me, I became his brother.
Such useless things,
kids...
But to tell the truth,
I didn't detest this kind of relationship. In the past, while Takano was
gone, I would be left alone at home, so I usually ended up at my girlfriend's
place pissed drunk. Now, I ceased drinking just so that I could play with
him for an entire night.
That smiling face
somehow told me of his reliance. Sometimes I thought of it when I came
in my girlfriend's body. I felt like a sinner when I went home, but upon
seeing his smile, I couldn't give a damn.
Adult's Promise 3/9
Written & Translated
entirely by hidoko Matsumoto.
27 Feb Thurs 2002, 7:24PM
Such a change shocked
me, although I maintained that it was because Takano wasn't around and
I was lonely that this could have happened. I'd never trust my so-called
"brothers"; I only trust Takano. As for my girlfriend, it's much healthier
to maintain a bodily relationship. I'd never fall in love with anyone;
it's too dangerous.
When Takano came
back, he kept nagging about Tetchan.
"Go ask Tetchan yourself!"
I'd retorted, annoyed, "That kid's always bugging me, and he doesn't pay
rent, either."
"He's just a kid,
and anyway you're bloody rich."
However, when we
went to look for Tetchan, he was sleeping with that scratched Eva ROM in
his arms, his face streaked with tears.
"Why's he crying?"
Takano asked.
"How'd I know?"
I brought them out
to celebrate Takano's success once Tetchan'd woken up.
"Tell me the truth:
did you bully Tetchan when I wasn't around?"
"Yes!" Tetchan butted
in, "He left me alone at home and made me watch AV even though he knew
I didn't like it..."
"What! You made him
watch AV?!" Takano erupted, "You knew that he's underage and you made him
watch AV?! Bloody hell--"
"You--" I wrapped
my arms around Tetchan's neck and strangled him.
"Koff, koff... Let
me go..." He struggled. Realising that he was too fragile and I had been
too rough, I let go. "Stupid panda!"
"Panda?" Takano's
expression looked like he'd been bitten by a dog.
"Hahaha..." I burst
into laughter, because that was our secret joke.
"Tell me what's it
about."
Tetchan explained,
"See, we played poker and he lost... Un~ So he owed me 2000 yen's worth
of snacks..."
"And when we went
to the supermart, this kid actually bought a cartload, it was definitely
worth more than 10000 yen!"
"You said it was
OK!"
"Yeah, but still
that's going too far!"
"So? It's OK so long
as you're not bankrupt by now! And when we went home, we found this box
of chocolate biscuits... Koff koff..." He started laughing, "Hahaha, it's--
Ha-- called Saku Saku Panda! Sakura Sakura Panda~~~ hahaha..."
"And that's how Sakura
became a panda." I smiled.
Takano looked shocked
at this revelation-- that Tetchan and I actually became friends.
Days then passed
by peacefully; we had lots of free time because we were done with the major
projects. Once, when the three of us sat together watching TV, Takano said,
"It'd be so nice if we could go on a holiday together."
"Holiday?" I was
interested, "Where to?"
"I wanna go America!"
Tetchan raised his hand.
"America... Hn,"
Takano patted his head, "Everyone's been there, so let's go elsewhere."
"But... Brer Hyde's
in America..." He gazed at Takano with puppy eyes.
"All right, all right."
"Yeah, since he misses
that wossname so much, why don't we go to that guy's house?" I was interested
in Hyde's affairs, too.
"Impossible. Hyde's
father wouldn't let us in." Takano replied curtly.
"Oh." I could understand;
I'd be against it if my own son went out with this kind of suspicious kid.
We didn't pursue
that issue any longer. Besides, I didn't want to travel far. We ended up
at Hokkaido for two days, two nights. While Takano and Tetchan played in
the sea, I watched them (as much as I oogled at women). After that, we
went to get some of those facial paper for my girlfriend, and for dinner
we ate at an expensive restaurant.
Tetchan had been
very happy.
And so I asked him,
"Why're you grinning like that?"
His answer had been
simple: "It's delicious!"
How can someone be
so happy when eating? I didn't quite understand this notion, although a
warm feeling settled in my stomach. This is a child's constitution; even
such a simple thing like eating could bring him such immense enjoyment.
It isn't so bad to
be a kid, after all.
Takano seemed to
share similar sentiments. "You like this? OK! I'll order more!"
Yet my mouth couldn't
shut up for once: "You're gonna get fat from eating so much and get diabetes
or something."
"You wish!" Takano
rolled his eyes.
"Un~ I'll stop after
I get fat!"
***
I didn't know much
about Hyde. At least, not as much as Takano. Since they didn't talk about
it, I didn't ask; we thus lived our lives neglecting this important yet
unseen factor.
Sometimes when Takano
and I were busy running errands, Tetchan had to make do with the amount
of pocket money that we left him at home. Tetchan must have been lonely;
he gave whoever came home first a bear hug. And so although both Takano
and I were deadbeat, we attempted to come home earlier than the other in
order to get Tetchan's limited edition bear hug (TM).
It was thus that
I grew accustomed to having a pet at home. I guess this is what constitutes
a home, which is why people like to breed like pigs. I never had a home,
except for the times when Takano came back to argue with me.
I became like Takano--
I adored this cute little critter. Yes, he is simply adorable. It's quite
surprising that such an uncute creature like Takano would have such a cute
little brother.
Once I went out to
get something for Tetchan. Knowing that he'd only had Eva and Gundam toys,
I decided to buy him something special, so I chose a lifesize Doraemon.
As soon as I got back, he was so happy that he pounced on me and started
sobbing. I'd never really seen him cry while he was conscious, so I was
shocked.
"Don't cry, why,
isn't Doraemon good? Don't you like it?"
He didn't answer;
neither did he let go, so the two of us stood there, with him in my embrace.
When he was done, I dabbed at his teartracks.
"Why're you so nice
to me?"
"There's no why...
I wanna be a good brother, that's why."
Without a word, he
rested both hands on my chest and gazed at me for such a long time, almost
like a girl in the arms of her lover. It was then that I discovered, in
his eyes, how much he relied on and needed me. Only a child could have
bestowed an adult such trust.
I guess that was
how I truly fell in love with him.
From the beginning,
I'd never dared to use this word because sure as hell I'd never been a
pedophile. Yet, before this, I'd merely liked him; now, I fell in love
with him.
That instant, I fell
in love with a child.
To Be Continued... on
next update! (1 April 2003)
The
continuation of this fiction is only available at SCAReCrØw.
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's special fiction is updated every month. Older fictions will be archived
at Just A Jumble of Words. Both
websites are subdivisions of main website xz0ne.