Merciless

“Hm…or I’m just bad at intimating since I’m occupying this meat suit….. just kidding hahaha ..” Silence as he takes another helping of sake. 

“…More than usual actually and restless.” He pours another one. 

A slow night, guess he can take a drink.

“Better than being delusional.”

“Hahahaha…. no. You mistaken.”

You’re the absolute worst.

The owner of the child’s voice stepped out of the shadows (if a little hesitantly) and gazed up at the older man, cautious eyes scanning ever feature of his face… Quite the inquisitive child; he had to of been no older than five years old at most.

“ No, I am looking for somewhere that sells some good quality sake…I want to get some as a present for my mother”

The boy was unfamiliar with this place, even more so with the strange buildings that were dotted around the area…there was much about the outside world he did not know. “ I am new here…a-and I do not know my way around…”

He quirked an eyebrow at what the child had said. This small child wanted to buy his mother some sake? As much as he wanted to help out, he wondered if it would be strange to buy the sake and hand it over to the child. What if someone saw and got the wrong idea?

“Some...sake? Well, I mean I know a few places but they won’t exactly let you buy it. You’re just a kid after all.” 

He chuckled, but upon seeing the child’s expression he bent down to be more at level with him. 

In a place where one had to fight to survive, here he was silently wishing for his death sentence. Immediately upon his arrival, he was bombarded by the healing church insisting that he drinks this… concoction of blood in order to protect himself. Although he nodded in agreement, he silently tucked it away into a bag containing his other belongings. Even though he was promised safety within the church as long as he kept drinking the conoction, he left. There was someone he needed to find.

It didn’t take long for him to fall ill. Even the beasts stopped chasing him – had he become one of them? He wasn’t sure. His body ached and coughing up blood had become a common occurence. He looked up at the moon which had become his only friend during this dark journey. Often he would find himself feeling weak and cold, over time that feeling stopped, and it was then he wished he could feel something. Anything.

His lips were dry. When was the last time he had eaten or drank anything? He recalled the concoctions he had saved up in his bag, but he couldn’t do that… Right? Leaning against a nearby wall, feeling his body drenched with sweat, overcome with a sudden heat throughout his entire body, he decided to drink the concoction. Most of it spilled along the side of his mouth, but it still felt nourishing enough. Admittedly afterwards he felt nauseous as he fell to his hands and knees feeling worse than before. A coughing fit ensued and tears welled up in his eyes. It burned.

He slowly crawled forward as if movement would distract him from his discomfort but instead collapsed, succumbing to this sudden pain in his body. Even if he wanted to die, he couldn’t give up. Not yet. There was someone he needed to find. Blood continued to spill on the sides of his mouth as he managed to drag himself a few more inched before stopping his breathes becoming slower. He deserved this, didn’t he? He hadn’t notice how truly ill he had fallen; he didn’t see the way his eyes looked. A truly ill man driven by a determined madness.

It was no wonder beasts never bothered with him, for he became one of them. He looked at the moon once more, allowing himself to bask in its warmth. The moon – his only friend.

Lightly biting his tongue as he sweep the shattered glass on the floor, he made sure the bigger pieces near her feet were swept away first. At the mention of Goofydachi coming here at night which was true for the most part until he unconsciously pictured her at home…pretty late and worrying about him. 

“Haha…I can see that, he does come here and he does come visit me often. I guess between me and him kinda fell apart.” …He really should put more care of thinking on what to say before saying them out loud. 

“I guess that’s an exaggeration…more like we’re not as close as before and…done there should be no more glass.” He moved the dust bin away from Michiko and walked over to gather some news papers to wrap the glass shards before throwing them out. 

“Anyway, enough about me how are you doing these days? High school life been pressuring lately?” 

She watched as he swept up the glass, somehow mesmerized by the action as she recalled memories from her past. This strain on Egodachi and Goofydachi’s friendship effected her too. She missed spending time with her uncle, it wasn’t fair that she had to become distant from him also, but, she had come to understand. 

“Oh. I see.” Michiko wanted to say more, but knew she shouldn’t give her opinion considering this was a matter between them and not her. She couldn’t help but frown though when Egodachi admitted that he and Goofydachi were not close anymore. This was something Michiko knew and knew well. Her father was never the same since he and Egodachi stopped being close. He seemed different, maybe as though he was missing something. 

“Thank you... I’m sorry again. I really don’t mind paying for what I broke, sir.” It was odd to treat him as a stranger. She sighed, “I know he might not tell you, but papa really misses you. He keeps things to himself, but I know he’s struggling...” even if it wasn’t Michiko’s business, she was definitely concerned about the both of them.

“Ah…that’s true.” Maybe he was having fun in that would explain that bit of how much time seems to fly when he’s inside. 

“Well.. I guess I don’t really go anywhere unless for a good reason… or to stock up.” And sometimes when he does go there what seems like a few hours it becomes dark as soon he went out. “…Maybe some parts.. what  about you do you think you have changed?” He refrained from saying a bit; for the worst or better a part of him hoped it was just for the best. 

“Haha.. yes I know that too well. Though even if it’s drunken ramblings they’re interesting to listen to. Sure some of them could be just ramblings but I think once I met someone drinking there and I found another place to restock.” He’ll admit, some of them he did check if they were real, and …it did end up a little dangerous then he would had liked for just restocking. 

“… Yeah she visits makes my day a little less noisy, which is good considering not a lot of people come through here… nor liked talking to either.” They were a few blocks away from his apartment where Egodachi sudden felt a bit insecure. He doesn’t go back to his apartment often… he wonders if he had at least cleaned up a little… 

“… So after using the shower you got something to do? Like…I donno… meeting someone after?” 

“Hm...” Admittedly, he wasn’t surprised by this. After all, Egodachi didn’t seem like the type to go out often, he was always like this, or at least this is what his memory of him was like. Then again, what did he know? They haven’t really spoken like this in years. “Well, it sure sounds like you know how to keep busy.” Ah...has he changed? “Maybe. Michiko-chan says I’m a lot more quiet these days. She even says that sometimes I seem like a normal dad, can you believe that?” 

Goofydachi shoved his hands deep into his pockets, he felt himself yearning to be close to his former friend but knew it was mostly impossible at this point. He looked away before speaking again. “I’m sure you’re never bored at your shop since there’s always someone new to meet, huh?” 

“Hm, yeah, that’s nice. You would think people going for alcohol would be a bit more chatty, but, I guess there are some quiet drunks too.” 

He had almost forgotten the reason why he was going to Egodachi’s apartment until the other reminded him. 

Tohru rests his head against the counter, after seeing Goofydachi out the store he felt a little drowsy. Either that was from sleeping late last night even though he had closed the bar at 2pm (latest) and opened up shop around 9. He had a few business, and none of them had cleared the shelves which was a relief to him. That meant he doesn’t need to stock up certain items. Letting out another yawn he pulls the cup of cool tea towards him, took a sip and made a face once the icy liquid went down his throat. 

The little bell attached to the front door rang and that perked his interest. A customer? Ah… Look alive Tohru… Well that is what he tells himself to. Once he looked over he tilted his head at empty doorway. Huh where they did go?…  Paying no heed he rest his head on the counter, closing his eyes and using the sleeves of his kimono to make it seem darker for him to rest. 

Then he heard something moved and the sound of shattering glass. The man jot awake and immediately looked for the source of the sound to have his gaze met with someone too familiar to him. 

“M-Michiko-chan?” Surprise was very clear in his voice as he blinked a couple times just in case if his eyes were deceiving him. He rubbed his eyes a few more times before really starting to believing what he was seeing is real. 

“W-whoa you… gotten taller.” It seemed a bit strange for him to say that; or rather it has been quite some time since he saw her. “E-er…D-don’t worry about that er.. “ Well he can’t really say that but it was an accident. Besides he can’t really get angry with her around. 

“About the glass… er… don’t move for a bit I’m coming over to sweep it.“ What else should he say… it’s like he sorta forgotten how to interact someone like Michiko. Lifting the counter up he step out from behind the table and takes a broom and dustpan to clean the shattered glass. After sweeping a few shards and move them far from Michiko a question came up in his mind. “So what brings you here?… I’m surprised you can find this place… “ 

Upon hearing her name, this had confirmed what she already had known. Maybe she was a little too old now to get away with trying to meddle in her father’s affairs. A cute pout and asking for her uncle to make up with her father was something she wouldn’t be able to pull off at 15. 

She remained in her bowing position, trying to avoid making eyecontact with the other as if this would somehow spare her the embarrassment of having to explain what she had been doing there. She wondered if there was a reason why her father had never really mentioned her uncle to her anymore... if Goofydachi hadn’t really talked about Egodachi then maybe it was a bad thing that she had been here. Still, she had to find out for herself. Standing up straight again, she held the straps of her bag with both sides as if though it would help her strike up a conversation.

“H-hey...hello, sir.” she hesitated for a moment almost calling him her uncle but wasn’t sure if she was allowed to anymore.

“Well it’s been ten years so... I guess that would happen.” She was briefly reminded of her carefree days as a child who used to have an obsession with mochi. Well, maybe that hadn’t entirely changed but instead matured. 

“Oh. Okay.” She didn’t have much of a choice unless she wanted to potentially slip and fall onto glass; although maybe that didn’t seem like such a bad idea either. “I was just checking on papa. He’s been... a little off lately and he comes home a little later too. So I followed him here...I never thought he had been going to see you.” 

Heh, do I actually even know you anymore?

That stung, even though he could see how Goofydachi thought of that, ten years… That’s a large time gap for anyone to change. Unlike before he wasn’t as ‘sensitive’ to time passing for some reason it was hard to believe that. The only thing he would count a day has passed was him cleaning up the store for the night. 

Even then he wasn’t wearing a watch all the time, and drunken ramblings of patrons weren’t a reliable way to figure out how much time has passed. 

“Hm… fair enough and has it already been that long? Ten years I mean..To me it didn’t felt like it…” 

Sensing maybe saying that doesn’t sound he was being sensitive he picked up his threaded cane before making his way towards the  front door. 

“I mean here’s a bit cut off .. maybe I should put a clock or calender something to keep track… but beside the point I don’t feel I have changed a whole lot.” Then again that’s how he felt, the usual calm and perhaps a little more cynical than the past. 

“No problem… least I could do.” He held the door open for other and waited for the other to walk through it so he can lock it behind him. “…Speaking of which how’s things I’ll be honest with you I don’t get news from a lot of people. They are either drunk rambling some… other place or they’re from you and Jo-chan.” 

He seemed to fall into the old habit of rubbing the back of his neck nervously at Egodachi’s observation. Yes, it certainly had been that long. Goofydachi wouldn’t admit it to the other, but he had spent countless days reminiscing on their best as close friends. He couldn’t really recall the cause of the demise in their friendship, but he has always tried so desperately to fix it. 

“Ah...Yeah, well... You know what they say. Time flies.” 

or whatever.

Goofydachi always wondered who came up with those phrases. Just who were they and why did they matter? He followed Egodachi’s lead, although he made sure to keep distance in between them (mainly just in case Egodachi got mad at him and tried to smack him with his threaded cane). 

“Cut off? Do you really just spend all of your time here? Huh? You don’t have a clock or calendar... ? Haha, well... I’m sure you’ve changed even if you don’ realize it. No one’s ever really the same.” 

For some reason he didn’t believe his own statement though. Even if people do change overtime, there are certain things about them that will remain the same. There were things about Egodachi he had hoped remained the same, but wasn’t going to openly say this.

“Ah...Thanks.” He had been surprised to see his former friend holding the door open for him as he hesitantly passed through, putting his hands into his pockets as he walked outside. “You’d think with all the people you get in here you’d hear about a lot of things, but maybe drunk people aren’t the most reliable source of information. I’m sure a lot of them come because they want to forget about their troubles, huh?”

Goofydachi could relate, considering he often was a rambling drunk except with no one to really ramble to.