Lucifer

Monday, February 23, 19989:47:59 PM

A very short story…Ahem, getting longer in the end.

[Prologue]

"GET LOST!" His mother shouted, shoving him away. "YOU! You are only a burden!"

Ken looked up unhappily. "But…"

"FACE IT, Ken! You are not wanted." His father dragged him into his room.

He leaned against the door, trying to hear what was being said.

"……You…… CRAZY!"

"It's…… Ble…"

"……'Vorce"

"WELL!! Not like……"

"All because of Ken……"

That was all he needed to hear. They were quarreling, and not even he, their own son, can stop them. They wanted a divorce, and from what he heard it wasn't good.

He flung himself onto the bed and sobbed.

[One. —On the streets of Chicago]

"Come, Ken."

"Have you and mother patched up?"

He shook his head. "Well, here's some money. Keep it, okay?"

"What's it for? I don't think I can eat this," He said, trying to chew it up.

"Don't. You'll kill yourself." He sighed. "Use it to buy things like Daddy does. Ken is grownup enough to do that, right?"

Ken puffed up his chest. "Sure I can. Ken's grownup. Ken will be like Daddy."

Mr. Mann shook his head, smiling. "Don't. Daddy's bad. He's throwing away something he loves."

"But… Why?"

"You see, Daddy needs to go on. With that thing Daddy cannot go on."

"I see." Ken scratched his head, puffing out his lower lip.

"Here, you want anything?"

"Yeah. Ken's cold at night. I want a sweater like Daddy's."

"Daddy's too big. But Daddy'll get you something better, okay?"

"Okay…"

[Two. —The lamp post.]

He hugged the sweater tightly. Daddy was gone for a long time… It was getting dark and cold. But Daddy would come back, he told himself. He said he would be back.

He waited and waited. But Daddy did not come back. He was all alone on the street, he realized, hugging the lamppost, which somewhat felt warm. Daddy would not come back.

Again, he cried.

[Three (I told you it was short…). —Killed.]

He looked at the food on the floor near the bin. Should I eat this? But—even if I live on, will there be any use? Even Dad does not want me. Should I?

"But…" He sighed, and turned away. Even if he died, who would care?

His father had killed him. Killed the energetic him who bore hope. So he was not afraid, not even when a group of people, those who were always looking for people to jump on and beat up as long as they were not their buddies, surrounded him. Because he was not even afraid of death itself.

"Let me cut your hair, little kid…"

Little by little the golden bunches came off, and he cringed. Soon the hair which his father had always praised him about as his father, too, had the beautiful hair, would be gone.

Suddenly he was furious. He punched the leader in the face, which of course hurt but never broke anything. The leader's knife jerked, and he got a deep gnash on his neck. Blood spilled. It was a lot.

"Oh no! RUN!"

They ran helter-skelter, all scattered in different directions.

[Four. —Rebirth.]

He was not crying.

He was strong, he knew, and would not cry. He had not cried since a long time ago. And he wasn't going to cry then. But…

It hurt a lot. God knows how many pints had gone. It was red, he remembered. Red…

He managed to crawl to the wall. His breath quickened, as if to run away from death. But he knew that soon everything would be over.

God only knew he had sat there for how long.

"Master! Look! There's a knife… And bloodstains! All leading into the alley!"

'What happened…?"

"Blood!" the young energetic voice repeated. "Fresh…!"

"There might have been a murder… Well, it's better not to go in and be mistaken for a murderer, Ryu."

"But… A person might be in need! He might be dying…"

"No."

Footsteps could be heard. Running, then, as if carefully, softer and slower. "Hello? Anybody there?"

"Anybody…?" He paused, as he heard quick breathing as he approached Ken. "There?"

He looked around, in quick steps.

Finally, a young oriental-looking face peered in at him, blocking the moon behind him. "You alive?"

Ken nodded weakly.

"Come…" He dragged Ken out. "Master! He's alive! Come quick!"

A bald man came running in, too. "But he's dying." He said after a quick look.

"Let's rush him to the hospital!"

"Okay. Run quick."

[Five. —Ryu.]

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" He tried to sit up, but felt too weak.

"Rest…" The boy said. "Here's a cup of water. You want?"

"No. I want lemon tea."

"But… The doc said that you must eat well to recover fast."

"Lemon tea's good. Please?"

"Okay…"

The boy ran out and he said, "Sucker."

Finally, after a while, the boy ran back, carrying a cup of yellowish orange liquid. "Here. I had to hide it when I smuggled it in."

"Chee, thanks." Ken said. Why did this sucker, the biggest one ever, went through this much trouble? Is it because he was abandoned and he felt sympathy for him? Upon that, tears rushed to his eyes and he blinked them away.

"What's the matter?"

"I… I don't need your sympathy!" He threw the cup of lemon tea at the oriental boy, who dodged. Angry with himself for missing, Ken stuck his lower lip out and buried himself under the sheets. "Just leave me alone, okay!"

Anyway nobody wants me, nobody cares. They're all bad people. Upon that, he started to cry again. He was all alone. He was the child that nobody wants.

Silence reigned the room, though his heart was beating madly.

Finally. "Sorry… I didn't mean it this way…"

The voice sounded so sad that Ken simply melted. But, why should he feel sad for others when none showed him any compassion? He peeped out of his blanket and saw the boy still sitting there.

"So? What did you mean?"

"I don't know. I just did what I felt. I cared for you."

"What?" He was incredulous. Why would a complete stranger care for him? Why?

"I really…You frightened me to death when the doc said you'd die of blood loss."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah… I asked whether mine would do but the doc said I'm too young. But Master's was suitable. His was 'O'."

"Duh…"

"What's your name?"

"Huh?"

"Your name is 'huh'?"

"Oh, Ken. Yours?"

"Ryu." He replied.

"Ryu…"

He paused for a while. "Thanks."

[Six. (This is getting rather long…)—"Masters".]

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Master."

"You're not my disciple yet, you know."

"But Ryu calls you that. It must be your name." He said, confused.

"Ryu's my disciple. You're not."

"Then can I be?"

"Better not. You must have a family who are anxious of your disappearance."

"Family?" Hot tears welled up his eyes once again, but he refused to let them fall. "I don't have a family! They divorced. All my old friends whose parents divorced were weird and laughed at, called 'bastard' by others. Then Daddy threw me out on the streets like Hansel and Gretel. Only thing is, this time I will never find him again. Even if I did, he will not want me back. He said that with me he could not go on."

Gouyun sighed with compassion as he felt the boy's ki rise in pattern with his tears as he forced them in. "How would you like coming with us?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want to come traveling with us? Ryu learns how to fight under me. Perhaps you should learn, too."

"Really?!'

"Yeah."

"Thanks!" He practically jumped up from the bed and hugged Gouyun. "Oh, thank you!"

"What's the matter?" Ryu came in then, holding Gouyun's breakfast.

"I… I'm coming with you!"

"Really?!" Ryu yelled. He chucked the plastic bag into Gouyun's arms and grasped both of Ken's shoulders, making him wince in pain. "Really?!" He repeated.

"Ryu, don't grasp him too hard. He's not like you, you know."

"Oh, sorry." He released him. "Is it true?"

"My not like you or what?"

"That you are coming with us."

"Yes."

"Thank you, master!"

"Actually, you boys make friends really fast. Ryu was asking me if you could come."

"I like him." Ken said.

"Same here." Ryu nodded.

Gouyun smiled and asked, "So, Ken, what's your surname?"

"Mann…"

"Reminds me of the 'Mann's Chinese Theatre'… Hmm. Do you want a new surname? To say that you're a new person living all over again."

Ken thought for a while and nodded. His father had disowned him, so why not?

"Well…"

"How about 'Masters'?" Ryu asked. "So that you will be a great one in fighting and… you know…"

"Masters… I like that."

"Ken, are you sure?" Gouyun asked.

Ken nodded, tight-lipped.

"'Masters' it shall be."

"Because I want to remember Ryu every time I remember myself." He paused. "My new self."

[Epilogue. —The other half.]

Ryu plopped down onto the soft green grass, exhausted. He was already ten, and Ken was nine. They had met four years ago. He could still remember it all so well. Yet the enigma that Ken never told him was how he ended up on the street like that.

Well, he never asked. Ken never told him anything about himself unless he asked, because he was too busy asking about Ryu. He sighed. Besides that Ken talked rubbish sometimes. Ken was funny, he admitted. Crazy, mad, funny. Obviously he had adopted a new character after he started going with them and forgot about the past, whatever happened he knew it was not happy.

He'd better, or I'd help him forget. He thought, determined. He wasn't about to see his friend suffer.

Just then, Ken plopped down besides him. "What's the matter, Ryu? Never seen you use your brains this hard before."

"You mean I never think?!"

"Bingo… Ouch!" He cried as Ryu punched him softly.

"Stop exaggerating."

"Hee hee… Seriously, what's the matter?"

"I was thinking about how we met."

"Yeah?"

"How did you end up bleeding on the streets like that?"

"It all began one day, when my parents were quarreling. 'GET LOST! You are only a burden'…"

When he finished, Ryu felt the pain which Ken felt. Silently, he patted Ken on the back.

"Thanks, Ryu… You are really like my the other half which I found."

"Same here."

{Author's notes}

I say! Ken and Ryu must believe in "Ai su ru hi to wo mmo ru ta be ni". I think it means guys should protect those whom they love or something. It's only right, right?

Anyway, 'Gouyun' may be the wrong name for Ryu's master. Because I only have the Chinese comics, I dunno Gouyun's real name. So, 'Gouki' means 'hao gui'. Ryu's master is 'Hao yun' so I suga suga gaseng gaseng call him 'Gouyun'. 'Gou' should be correct but about 'yun' I don't know. So please email me  if you have the name.

If you have any pics or fics that perhaps you'd want me to put up, please email me, too… I think the only fics I have are from my different personalities. Sigh… And please—lyrics. Email me if you have traanslations for songs or sound wav files. Cause I'm a computer idiot who still doesn't know how to really use the sound recorder.

And please gimme your comments, ok?

Arigato Gozaimasu(?!) Sayonara.

Thank you for your kindness(?!) goodbye.

Xie xie ning de hao yi(?!) zai jian.

Tata!
 

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voidmatsumoto@yahoo.co.uk