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Brothers; A leviathan take |
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<center>Just Another Saturday Night
~~~</center>
It was just another Saturday night, or at least that's what he always told himself. Letting out a breath of air, he trudged along, making his way from the bus stop, eyes downcast as he moved along at a steady pace.
"..." He glanced at his watch every now and then, as if wondering if he was late, or maybe early. It was always the same, the days hot and sticky; the nights cold and chilling. Pulling the jacket closer to his body, he stopped, long enough to remove a worn out cigarette from a beat up carton. Holding it with his lips, he took out a book of matches, striking it several times a small flame finally appeared and the cigarette came to life.
"Hey." The voice drifted out from behind him, and normally he would have been wary at someone sneaking up on him, but he recognized that voice. Only one person could have it after all.
"Hi.. sorry I'm late." He said with gruffness, as he turned around, a trail of smoke rising above his head, losing itself into the night. In front of him was a young man, about the same age as himself, wearing a pair of glasses, a black and white striped scarf around his neck. A buttoned up jacket covered his body, and his hair was wavering slightly, as if he had doen a rush job to comb it.
"Late? When are you never late?" Both men laughed softly, before walking down the street again, now that they had met up. The walkw as silent for the most part, only the sounds of their footfalls heard every now and then until the silence was broken.
"They want to get me banned, did you know?" The smoker said, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, his head turning to the side to look at his companion.
"Say what?" The other replied, with genuine surprise, which ended in a tired tone. This wasn't the first time he'd heard something like this anyway. "No ******** way, for what?!"
The smoker, merely kept staring forward as they both walked, silent for a moment. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it. Maybe he couldn't beleive it himself. Maybe it just hurt too much to even answer his brother. For yes.. they were indeed brothers. "Chih..."
"....." Pushing up his glasses, he didn't say anything for a while. Their footfalls continued sounding out along the street. "I'll be damned if she doesn't have a connection to that. I dont know if you talked to him to verify things, but I stand by what I said a while back. I'll help the people I've been helping, like assisting that boy and finishing his transformation. And then I'm leaving, no show, I'm just hitting the quit button and walking out."
The stretch of silence continued on, only the dull red of his cigarette showing in the gloom of the late night. Finally, without another breath he said, "I'll go too."
Soft laughter, as both men decided to stop, perhaps to rest a bit. the laughter came from him, as he was pushing up his glasses, leanign against the rear end of a car. Resting against the back of a wall, the smoker tilted his head to the side, blowing out more smoke. He listened as his brother spoke to him.
"I honestly dont have any reason to stay, dont get me wrong, I'll be in the old home with the children. But this guild is dead, I owe a few people things and it would be wrong of me to leave them hanging, but I have no home there anymore." He said, in a solemn tone, while looking at his smoking brother.
"I've been trying to leave for the longest." Was all the smoker replied with, his eyes staring at whatever was ahead of them both.
"I'll ask that man first, before I go back to where it all started." The black covered man said, pushing up his glasses yet again; it was quite the habit. A good one compared to his brother's habit. "I'll ask if he wants me to go away, and if he says yes, I will."
Almost a snort of laughter, and turning his eyes back on his brother, the smoker stared at him, shaking his head. "You know he won't say yes." Taking hold of the cigarette between his fingertips, he managed to blow out a ring of smoke, as he started up to the moonlit sky. "Why do you think people want you gone? Why are you the one to pack up and go?" He shook his head, from side to side, still smiling to himself. "Its me everyone always wanted gone." Turnign is gaze back to his brother he said, "When are you gonna realize that already?"
The spectacled man replied quietly, "If theres no place for my family, theres no place for me."
"Dont get dragged down with me." The words cut into each other, as if they were two different swords, biting into one another, but never able to woud each other.
"It doesnt always involve you bro, the fact is true that if theres no place for you I wont feel right. But dont go super-heroic. Be realistic, even the best part of that place is dead. That guild, used to be dying, and we were sad, we promised worlds of change, but we sat on our asses and it fell apart. Its dead now, and no one can bring it back." The man said matter-of-factly, with another push of his glasses.
It always had bothered him how real his brother's words could sound, as if he always saw the truth in things. Were his own eyes always clouded then? Was he a blind old man then?
His train of though was broken, as his brother spoke once more. "I always get kreeped out in graveyards."
Closing his eyes, he banged the back of his head against the wall as he leaned against it, takign a deep drag of his cigarette, before speaking out. "I'm not dead yet." Yellowed eyes opened, but they weren't really yellow. "With one last move I'll make everything right." His brows furrowed, but they really weren't furrowing. "Look in my eyes and you'll see my conviction. My blood will grow the most beautiful of flowers; you'll see." A shadow of a man.. a strong man, a fiery man.
The other just watched quietly, not saying anything. "....." Pushing up his glasses, he let out a sight. Discontent? Tiredness? Disbelief maybe? "Brother this is me..." He pushed off the car, and strode over to the smoker. "I'm very, very simple." He leaned in close, and plucked out the cigarette from the smoker's mouth, letting it fall away to the ground. "I dont get anything out of the epic anime lines beside desperation."
He leaned back now, taking off his glasses, and staring down the street, from where they had walked. "And desperation doesnt suit you well." He blew hot air against the lens of his glasses, his head bent down. "Drastic measures do nothing beyond proving their point." Taking the ends of his jacket, he cleaned out the lens, before putting his glasses back on.
With a low growl, he folded his arms across his chest, annoyed at having his cigarette taken from him. "There's nothing epic behind a dying's mans last words." He pushed off the wall, and started walkignf orward once more. "And if the feelings in my soul come out as silly then I'm sorry, but this is how I feel." His head was downcast as he continued moving along. " Its probaly best if I left."
"Blah blah blah."
He stopped in his tracks, his back to his brother.
"Giving up." He turned his head to the side slightly, but all he saw was the sheen from his brother's glasses int he dark. Like a loomign shadow, the othe rman stood there, as if he were at home.. and would never leave. His heart skipped several beats.. it was.. strange.
"Its not you brother, and it looks terrible on you." Walking forward, the scarf around his neck billowing slightly, his brother was smiling. "The only thing that looks worse, is stubborn-ness."
Standing there, almost seemingly dumb-struck, the older one just clenched his fists. "So what do you want me to do then?" His eyes shut tightly, as he stared to the ground. "I can't please anyone!"
"Give up, explode and kill yourself. You want action, you want notice, you want to actually have something to do. And day after day, after day of constant boredom has made you angsty, has made you cranky, has made you snap at people.I know, because I feel it too, the exact same thing." His words cut like daggers into his resolve.
Who was he kidding.. what resolve did he have?
"Dont please everyone, your not a savior, or god." A hand came up and rested firmly upon his shoulder.
"Why do you hate them so much?" Wa shis only reply.. as he continued staring down at the floor, not willing to look into his brother's eyes.
"Please one person, find yourself a purpose, a person and please them. ******** everyone else." His brother continued on, as if purposelly bypassing the question, to get to a mroe pressing destination. "Its funny---"
He looked up, glancing to the spectacled man, a questioning look on his face.
"Your the one who acts mean to every one of them, but you love them." That haunting smile again.. as if it were peircing right into his soul, ripping out all the infedilities, and taking hold of everythign that mattered.
"I put on this smile and kindness, but beside those I consider my family, or those I call friend in private...I hate them all. Your a brother true and true,not by blood but its undenyable. I could never hate you." He squeezed the smoker's shoulder's reassuringly, as he nodded to himself. " But beside that I am disappointed by every sign and action those "children" do. They refuse to grow up, they refuse to fix their problem even when the answer is to simple."
"I'm one of those children." The smoekr stammered out, his eyes becoming clouded.
"Heh, no your not." The smile brightened considerably, as he let his hand fall from the shoulder, and pushed his glasses up once more. "Thats the problem." He turned to the side slightly, and stood facing the opposite side of the street. "Your not. But you want to be."
The smoker, closed his eyes, finding himself on the ground, on his knees, breathing hard. " And like little kids when they get old enough, they laugh at the old man, he's not cool anymore."
"Help me clean it all up." Was all the smoker could say, staring down at his hands.
"Its the way they find these huge problems in tiny things, then they look back and say how stupid all the problems were...only to do it all over again." His borther continued on, standing by his side.
"Help me clean up my mess please.." The smoker said again.
His brother shook his head, speaking softly as he replied, "I feel like Mr. Incredible said, "I'm like the maid, 'I just fixed this mess cant you people keep it clean, for FIVE MINUTES!?!'" A soft chuckle escaped the spectacled man's lips. "But its been a long time since I helped anything brother."
"Please."
"I'm not.. ready."
His brother, quirked an eyebrow, staring down at the smoker. "Not ready for what?"
"I don't know. I just know I'm not ready."
Shaking his head, he spoke again. "I'm not part of the solution any more brother. I'm part of the problem. In a year I've gone from helper, savior, rescuer, and declined into that place to murderer, and modder. If I were me, I'd take my sword to my own neck."
Soft laughter echoed out, as the smoker shaked, his laughs echoing otu against the empty street. "So we're all just a bunch of pitiful has beens then. Nothing to do but whine and watch things pass us by." His fist banged into the ground, the knuckles reddening.
"I'm tired of it. Tired of myself."
His brother could only smile, as he pushed up his glasses once more. "Decided to open your eyes?" The spectacled man, knelt down beside his brother, lfiting the bruised hand up. "I've never heard purer truth from you before in my life. I cant speak for anyone else, but I know thats what I've become."
Eyes narrowed as the smoker merely shook his hand free, droplets of blood staining the ground. "Forward.. move forward.. nothing to do but move forward. I want to stand on that roof with you, laughing at the world; with cape billowing."
Silence stretched on.
"I want to move forward and reach that goal."
"And you will."
Another stretch of silence.. "Do you think any less of me.. brother?" the smoker asked, breakign the silence.
"Less?" The brother scoffed, as he smoothed a hand over the front of his jacket. "Let me ask you something, its off topic, but stick with me...
Have you read the bible? All of it I mean."
"Yea."
The brother nodded to himself, and pushed his glasses up once more. "Back when you were going for preisthood, did you love god? It relates I promise, just stick with me."
Taking hold of another cigarette, he slid it out of that beat up pack as he responded. "Yes, I did."
"Did you love him even after you read about things like Sodom and Gamora? Or about how he left the Isrealites in the desert for 40 years feeding off Manna? Or how moses had to die, for one mistake?"
"I did."
The flick of a match, and the cigarette was lit.
"Then how can I love you less, after these tiny things you see as so bad?" Like a hammer-fall, the resound pounding of his words etched themselves into the smoker's heart.
"Heh." Soft laughter escaped his throat, his body shuddering slightly.
"Why are you laughing at me?" The spectacled man, got comfortable on the ground, spreadout his legs and leaning back lazily. "Is it that hard to believe?" He yawned slightly, before turning his head to the side, watching a seagull flap its wings, takign enough lift to cross the street. "If you cant believe the answer, why ask the question? I've lied to alot of people in my life brother, but not to you."
The silence that stretched on was deafening, almost frightening. The laughter had logn since subsided.. the cigarette burned out into the ground. both men sat their quietly, for a good twelve minutes, before the coda was broken.
"I'm laughing because I always feel so dumb next to you, like a kid looking at a big wall. And he never realizes where the door is."
His brother suddenly burst into laughter as well, throwing his head back slightly. "Funny--- Because I always feel like the kid waiting in line for an autograph, shaky hands, sweaty brow. Memories that just let him be awe struck by what this person is."
The smoker merely shook his head. "You should be past all that now.. the real thing can't live up to the 'legend'. Or so the saying goes."
He added after a bit, "Not that its a bad thing. Because I often wonder who admires who more."
Shaking his head, his brother grinned ear to ear. "Naw, its not like that. See, that kid waits in line, then he walks up, his hands sweaty and he hands the guy the notebook, and the guy goes "Bro you didnt have to wait in line, I coulda signed it when we got home a hundred times". And instantly you feel cool, just for knowing that person, at all."
"I'd shake your hand if I could right now."
"Just remember that feeling and do it in august."
His brother continued, standing up once more, and stretching out slightly. "Thats what I'm doing anyway. As for the guild, brother, I'm sorry. You dont have the power to change anything in it anymore, and the only person who does, doesnt care. We'd need to take command and authority." He stretched out an arm to the smoker, offering to help him stand back up on his feet. "The children, with their anime powers would need to understand that there are rules, and respect. And if they continue to be kids, they can be sent to a school to be trained, and or, quit, or be banned."
The smoker took the offer, and was puleld back up to his feet, the cogarette forgotten about, as he listened to his brother speaking. "Why cant we do that? Because now everyone see's everyone in the lounge, its not even ABOUT the game anymore." Nodding to himself, he tapped his chin, his glasses sliding a bit down the bridge of his nose. "First and fore-most thing I would do is delete that thread. And note that any chatter that dominates a page will result in the subsequent posts being deleted, and if it continues a temp ban. In the past we never did these things, in the age you and I were in we had respect, its gone now and it needs to be taught."
Both men started walking forward once more, walking down the street, as the headlights of cars passed them by, like streaming stars, swallowed into the blackhole that was the boulevard.
"But niether of us has the power to do it. The age that we grew up in is dead, theres no respect. Everyone is already a master, or a goku. The screening process has failed. I could kill everyone, but its useless. Its already dead."
"I guess all thats left is to have fun."
"Heh, hehahahaaaaaa." His brother started up into laughter, as they continued walkign along. Turnign his head to the side, he said-- "Optimism, when did you learn that?"
"About 50 seconds ago."
"Damn. Late in the game bro, too late." The spectacled man shook his head. "You cant play obliterate against a burn deck when you have no creatures and you know they have a stack of mana."
Smiling, the smoker spoke quietly. "I always pull the card I need when I'm in trouble."
His brother responded solemnly. "Sorry, we dont have a "become mod" card.."
The stretch of silence took place once more, as they both came to the corner. They waited for the light to turn red, so they could walk. The smoker stood out on the street, while his brother waited patiently on the sidewalk edge. The stark difference between both men.. apparent in even their actions.
"Maximos."
The smoker turned his head, a little surprised.. but why should he be.
"Is going to turn human. He's going to fight someone, one of our super powered gods pretending he's still a shadow. And he's going to die." The light turned, and it was safe to cross. They both started out, the long walk to reach the other side.
"Cerebus will make the coffin and their'll be a funeral."
Silence.
"I hope you'll be there."
Walking forward, slightly hunched over, with both hands stuffed into his pockets, the smoker curtly said, "There'll have to be two coffins then."
"It'll prove the point brother." The smoker stopped, and turned to face his brother, they both stood in the middle of the street. "It'll prove it finally, the only way I know how." his brother stared up to the sky, arms streching out wide. "I WILL fight to my fullest and best. As a human being, but it will not be enough for one super god. Like the ones we have running around."
It started out slow. Drop by drop.. bit by bit, the skies darkened, the clouds amassed and it broke free, with the rolling thunder.
Like the widespread
wings of a bird
at last...
The final fateful
thunder!!!
"They will have no respect and kill me, like they kill each other. Maybe people will then see that this has become a place of Ego, Pride, and Super Power, not skill." The rain poured on down, drenching both brothers, as they stood there, staring at each other.
"Your death, will just give them what they want. Dont do that." The brother said as he pushed his glasses up.
"I'm one of those gods you hate." the smoker replied.
"No your not." His brother said, smiling.
"My death is what they want." the smoker said, the rain runnign rivers down the street.
"Which is why they shouldnt have it." Closing his eyes, his brother stared up once more to the darkened skies, standing there under the downpour, as if the rains could clean away all the firt from both their souls. "My death is what they DONT want. So they should get it."
He pointed straight at the smoker, finger outstretched. "Your not a god, your a legend, sitting in the temple his people built for him, and shoved him in. And wondering, why dont they come around anymore. We are like the old people yelling becaue the rules of the game have changed."
The smoker stood there in the rain, staring at his brother, eyes clouding and glad for the rain that hid tears that freely rolled down his cheeks. "I dont want you gone."
A soft smile, as the specatcled man, pushed his glasses up yet again. "Its ok. I really havent been there much anyway."
The stillness of the silence was broken, by the beeping and buzzing of something. After a moment, the smoker managed to pull out what appeared to be a cell phone. Answering the call, he stood there, slightly turned from his brother.
"Tell her I said 'Hi'."
The smoker looked to his brother. "She says hi back..."
"And thats about as far as any of my conversations with Women go." The spectacled man said, laughing softly, as he started walkign forward, through the rain.
"I just listen a lot." the smoker said softly, as he resumed walking alongside his brother, the both of them heading for the edge.
"Good man."
"I wish."
A slight pause.. before the smoker spoke again, as the two of them sloshed through the muddy waters at their feet. "Sometimes I look at my brother sleeping.. And I see innocence. No realization of the world hes coming into. No level of understanding. I see pure unhindered joy at seeing the world thats aroudn him, with no concept of it being bad. And I find myslf envious. I find myself glad."
He raised a hand, to wipe away the water on his face.
"I want to make it a place that my brother can grow up in without fighting. So he can always keep that smile.. unhindered."
"Your a good person."
The spectacled man scratched at his nose idly, as they both continued walking, walking.. walking. "I see the same world and I see pain. I see suffering. I see person after person broadcasting with pride the stupidity of this race, and all that it stands for. I see a race given everything and destroying everything. Hell I see myself as one of them. I see a child and I see them cry begging for what they want, only what they want or else....you want to see peace."
The spectacled man continued on, finally just taking off his glasses, and shaking his drenched hair to and fro, that scarf of his damp to its maximum as it clung to his chest. "I dont think we deserve to infect this world any more. The good are so far and inbetween they couldnt help if they tried. Unfortunately I know, that honestly, I am not one of the good. I'm just a bad person. I dont deserve life either, but I'll leech it."
"Are we all devils then." The gruff response left the smoker's lips.
After a short pause, his brother smiled gently and spoke tentatively. "No, there are people like you, saints hidden in the guise and belief that their purity is a curse. And that they SHOULD be devils. No, your honestly a good and nice person. And you think your a monster."
The spectacled man laughed lightly as he pointed ot his own chest. "I AM a monster. But for some reason they see me as good."
"We see the world through a kalidescope of dreams. I guess.."
"I see it in shades of gray."
Another lengthy stretch of silence... before it was broken by the brother.
"If you had it to take into your own hands, to save everything, would you do it?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, as he raised his left arm. As they continued to walk along, he clentched his fist slightly. "I'm not super-man, So I can't say anything big like I'll protect everyone on earth."
"I'm not a modest guy who will say it's enough if I cna protect as many people as my two hands can handle either. I just want to protect and save... A moutain-load of people."
"And if you could start with the arena, taking it into your own hands, would you?"
The smoker smiled brightly, for that breif moment. "I would."
"Even despite what they said?"
"If a man could die.. forgiving an entire race.. I think I can forgive one stadium."
Rolling his eyes, his brother scoffed as he grinned and spoke with sarcasm. "Oh you just HAD to bring HIM into this..." a short pause.. and his brother spoke in a serious tone. "You know if I were there, I wouldnt have let him waste his life like that."
A slight hand-motion, as he waved his brother off, the smoker shook his head. "He died thinking it wasn't a waste.. he died at peace with himself I think."
"I'd hate to know what he thinks now."
"Its obvious by now."
"Is it? What do you think he would think now?"
Smiling yet again, the smoker turned his face to his brother. "He would think theres still hope."
His brother snorted slightly, and shook his head. "Hmph."
"What would you expect from someone who gave his life?"
another stretch of silence, as the rain started to ease up, their walking carrying them down the boulevard. The smoker, closed his eyes for a bit. "Remember Pandora's Box?" he said to his brother.
"Opened and caused thousand years of darkness?" His brother responded, with a push of his glasses.. but they weren't there anymore.
"Even in that, Hope was there."
"Where?"
"Thats right.. you might not have seen it. Any one would just about drop the box at seeing all that terror. But it was there. The last to come out, small and weak. But it was there; Hope." The smoker nodded as he spoke.
His brother laughed gently. "Why dont I remember that part of the story?"
"Because you were like me.. we dropped the box from fear. Fear at the awful truth of it all."
A short pause, and the smoker shook his head. "I sound stupid, I know. Sorry. I'm not as good with words as you."
"No, thats not why I was silent."
"..."
"I was thinking."
The smoker nodded silently.
"That and that scene at the end of Metropolis with Ray Charles singing, always hooks me."
"Chih..."
They stopped, both standing before what looked like the entrance to an apartment building. Standing under the awning, they tried to dry themselves off, the both of them quiet and in their own thoughts..
"So this random person-- Random, last person from left field. IM's me, and tells me how much I've helped them, and how me you, and a few others were like unbeatable masters but now he looks forward to trying to fight each one of us and learning to be better. And actually thanks me, and all of us, for the help we gave him, with or without knowing."
Soft laughter escaped the smoker's throat as he tilted his head back. "Hope."
His brother stared at him for a moment, before putting his glasses back on. ".....you made him say that didnt you?"
"Don't be an idiot."
The rain continued on.. it would eventually stop.
It always came to a stop.
I hate rain.
It rains in you too.
When you are moody, it becomes cloudy.
When you are sad, the rain comes down..
I can't stand it.
Can you understand?
How horrible it is to get rained on when you are all alone?
In order to prevent that from happening..
I'll lend you whatever power you need!
If you can trust me...
I won't let one drop of rain fall from that sky!!
It was just... another night.
<center>~fin~</center>
 Vahn Fah · Mon Dec 10, 2007 @ 10:30pm · 0 Comments |
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