Categories > Movies > Moon Child > The Beginning
Sho was asleep, the tattered sheet wound around his legs, as he lay on the mattress. One of his arms was over the edge of the mattress. Shinji was leaning in the corner, whimpering in his light doze. His leg was hurting him, understandably. Sho had managed to fish the bullet out of his brother's leg with two wires, but Shinji would probably walk with a limp the rest of his life. It was not like these street rats could afford an actual hospital, with a real doctor. Toshi lay on a pile of blankets, one thumb wedged in his mouth, sleeping the sleep of the innocent. The floor around them had a few empty pizza boxes, their usual dinner. They would call in an order, then 'forget' to pick it up. When the shift was over, the pizza place would toss out the boxes, and they would grab them. Kei lay next to Sho, not on the mattress, but close enough to hear the boy breathe. It was strangely comforting, sleeping with these outcast kids. Kei murmured in his sleep, dreaming the old dreams of his time with Luka. Tonight, his mind was gentle, and was reliving some of the good times.
The building they were hiding out in used to be a clothing factory, where young girls had been literally chained to their sewing machines. Most of the overhead racks and machines were gone, this building long picked clean by others needing something to sell or pawn for cash. Standing at the corner of a long table that was bolted to the floor stood a sewing dummy. Her hair was long gone, but her fabric smile was still visible through the grime. The warehouse had almost no defensive spots, but it had something better. In almost any direction you ran, there was a way out. These kids had learned through hard lessons against the older gangs, that it was better to be able to run, than to hold up in a corner and get beaten, or worse. Escape was important, more priceless than a roof to keep out rain or doors to protect them. They ran, because they could not fight back.
Shinji heard it first, since he was the lightest sleeper due to the pain in his leg. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Shinji hobbled over to one of the broken windows. He could hear the sound of people walking in the alley, scattering the trash and knocking around beer bottles that had not been snatched up for the deposit. It was not boots, and not kids. It was the sound of adults. Looking out the broken window, he saw something that scared him more than any of the local gangs. It was adults in suits, leading some of the street kids they had rounded up to a brown painted bus. That could only mean one thing to Shinji. It was that time of year again, when the orphanages were paid by the police to round up the kids and take them away. Shinji had sworn to Sho and Toshi, they would never see the inside of those concrete walls ever again. Kids that were caught and no parent or surrogate could be found, were sent to the factories, their wages paid to whichever orphanage supplied the child slave labor. Never again, Shinji had sworn. He was not about to let that happen to his family.
Sliding across the gritty floor over to Toshi, Shinji shook the younger kid by the arm, holding his hand over Toshi's mouth. When Toshi was roused, he removed the hand and whispered to Toahi. "It's the orphanage! Go wake up Sho, we have to get out of here, now! I'll go ahead and find a safe way out, go get my brother." Shinji headed back to the window to see which way the adults were going, so they could bolt in a different direction. They only had a few minutes before their location was no longer safe, but running in the wrong direction could be just as bed as just staying where they were.
Toshi hurried over to Sho, and shook him. Sho did not wake up, merely rolled over, the sheet wrapped around his feet, and one leg joining the arm over the edge of the mattress. Toshi shook him again. Sho curled up into a ball, murmuring, "Go 'way, I'm sleeping." A few more shakes finally got him sort of awake, and he looked at Toshi with half asleep eyes, blurry from the sudden awakening.
"We have to get out, Sho. The orphanage people are here. Shinji is looking for a way out, we're going to follow him."
Sho blinked at the news. "But... Shinji's leg... how will he run?" Turning to look over his shoulder, Sho saw the adult he had adopted from the day before. Shaking Kei's shoulder, Kei mumbles something about "not enough sleep..." Sho continued to try to rouse Kei. "Wake up, we have to get out! The orphanage people are outside, catching kids. We have to escape!"
Those words finally sank into Kei's mind, and he sprung into action. No one was taking his kids away from him, not while he was still alive and kicking. Pushing Sho towards his older brother, he said, "Get going! Get out of here. I'll watch your back. Now hurry, don't just stand there!" With one more shove, Kei sent Sho running over to the other two, with only Sho looking back a few more times.
Sho wrapped his older brother's arm over his shoulder. Toshi took the other side, and the three headed for an exit from the decaying building, leaving Kei alone.
Kei smiled to himself. this would be fun. Standing in the beams from the flashlights, three of the men entered into the echoing room. Kei held his hand up, shading his eyes for a moment, taking a head count and deciding just what he wanted to do to these men that threatened his new family. The man in the lead looked around the room, then turned back to Kei.
"Ah, no street rats, but a filthy derelict. I'll make you a deal, Japanese trash. You tell me where those ratty kids ran off to, and we won't run you in to jail tonight for squatting here. Sound like a good deal?" The man offered a greasy smile. Picking up kids paid, but picking up adults, that was just fun in his opinion. "Come on, it's a sweet deal. You don't have to sleep in jail, and I get my money for getting those kids."
Kei grinned in return, but it was nothing resembling friendly. It was the baring of teeth of a predator. It was enough that one of the men took a step back in a moment of uneasiness. "Filthy squatter? Nope, just me and you rats. Why don't you go play a nice game of hide and go fuck yourself?" The lead man hissed at this, but Kei continued. "Now, I recommend that you get the Hell out of here, before I rip your heart out and shove it down your throat. Deal?" With that, Kei slightly bent his knees, then took to the air with an inhuman scream. The first one got his head crushed with a rather audible "Crack!" sound as Kei landed on the man's head, feet first. Before the other two could react, Kei turned on them, bloodlust shining in his eyes. He would drink well tonight, that was sure.
The three boys were almost out of the building, when they heard a sound that could not possibly come from a human throat. Sho turned back to look, and saw someone... flying through the air? No way, he thought, not possible. "I have to go back, guys. He might be in trouble. We'll meet back up at the fifth street park, that's not too far from here. Toshi, help Shinji." Sliding loose of Shinji's grasp, Sho turned to go back into the building. Shjnji grabbed Sho's wrist, and hissed at his younger brother.
"He's trouble, I tell you. He's bakamono, a monster! He's nothing but trouble. Quit being selfish, Sho, and let's get out of here. Leave the monster!" Sho slipped out of his other brother's grasp, leaving Shinji scowling. Toshi pulled Shinji the other way, and the two hit the streets outside, not minding the light drizzle that made the streets slick with moisture. The park that Sho had named was only a few blocks away, but with Shinji's leg, it would be one serious hike.
Sho ran back into the building. The sounds of the fight had faded, and the building was filled with Sho's breathing and ominous silence. Skidding around the last corner, Sho figured he would see his new friend splattered all over the floor. Instead, he saw the remains of a very one sided fight. Two fo the men were obviously dead, their necks at angles that the body was not supposed to bend. Kei was kneeling by the body of the last man, drinking his fill before the blood ran too cold.
Instead of doing the right thing, the wise and smart thing, which would be running like Hell as far from the gruesome sight as his short legs would carry him, Sho walked closer. Stepping over the other two bodies, he knelt to get a closer look. Kei looked up, blood dripping from his lips. "Still not afraid?" asked Kei. Sho smiled.
"Wow... cool."
The building they were hiding out in used to be a clothing factory, where young girls had been literally chained to their sewing machines. Most of the overhead racks and machines were gone, this building long picked clean by others needing something to sell or pawn for cash. Standing at the corner of a long table that was bolted to the floor stood a sewing dummy. Her hair was long gone, but her fabric smile was still visible through the grime. The warehouse had almost no defensive spots, but it had something better. In almost any direction you ran, there was a way out. These kids had learned through hard lessons against the older gangs, that it was better to be able to run, than to hold up in a corner and get beaten, or worse. Escape was important, more priceless than a roof to keep out rain or doors to protect them. They ran, because they could not fight back.
Shinji heard it first, since he was the lightest sleeper due to the pain in his leg. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Shinji hobbled over to one of the broken windows. He could hear the sound of people walking in the alley, scattering the trash and knocking around beer bottles that had not been snatched up for the deposit. It was not boots, and not kids. It was the sound of adults. Looking out the broken window, he saw something that scared him more than any of the local gangs. It was adults in suits, leading some of the street kids they had rounded up to a brown painted bus. That could only mean one thing to Shinji. It was that time of year again, when the orphanages were paid by the police to round up the kids and take them away. Shinji had sworn to Sho and Toshi, they would never see the inside of those concrete walls ever again. Kids that were caught and no parent or surrogate could be found, were sent to the factories, their wages paid to whichever orphanage supplied the child slave labor. Never again, Shinji had sworn. He was not about to let that happen to his family.
Sliding across the gritty floor over to Toshi, Shinji shook the younger kid by the arm, holding his hand over Toshi's mouth. When Toshi was roused, he removed the hand and whispered to Toahi. "It's the orphanage! Go wake up Sho, we have to get out of here, now! I'll go ahead and find a safe way out, go get my brother." Shinji headed back to the window to see which way the adults were going, so they could bolt in a different direction. They only had a few minutes before their location was no longer safe, but running in the wrong direction could be just as bed as just staying where they were.
Toshi hurried over to Sho, and shook him. Sho did not wake up, merely rolled over, the sheet wrapped around his feet, and one leg joining the arm over the edge of the mattress. Toshi shook him again. Sho curled up into a ball, murmuring, "Go 'way, I'm sleeping." A few more shakes finally got him sort of awake, and he looked at Toshi with half asleep eyes, blurry from the sudden awakening.
"We have to get out, Sho. The orphanage people are here. Shinji is looking for a way out, we're going to follow him."
Sho blinked at the news. "But... Shinji's leg... how will he run?" Turning to look over his shoulder, Sho saw the adult he had adopted from the day before. Shaking Kei's shoulder, Kei mumbles something about "not enough sleep..." Sho continued to try to rouse Kei. "Wake up, we have to get out! The orphanage people are outside, catching kids. We have to escape!"
Those words finally sank into Kei's mind, and he sprung into action. No one was taking his kids away from him, not while he was still alive and kicking. Pushing Sho towards his older brother, he said, "Get going! Get out of here. I'll watch your back. Now hurry, don't just stand there!" With one more shove, Kei sent Sho running over to the other two, with only Sho looking back a few more times.
Sho wrapped his older brother's arm over his shoulder. Toshi took the other side, and the three headed for an exit from the decaying building, leaving Kei alone.
Kei smiled to himself. this would be fun. Standing in the beams from the flashlights, three of the men entered into the echoing room. Kei held his hand up, shading his eyes for a moment, taking a head count and deciding just what he wanted to do to these men that threatened his new family. The man in the lead looked around the room, then turned back to Kei.
"Ah, no street rats, but a filthy derelict. I'll make you a deal, Japanese trash. You tell me where those ratty kids ran off to, and we won't run you in to jail tonight for squatting here. Sound like a good deal?" The man offered a greasy smile. Picking up kids paid, but picking up adults, that was just fun in his opinion. "Come on, it's a sweet deal. You don't have to sleep in jail, and I get my money for getting those kids."
Kei grinned in return, but it was nothing resembling friendly. It was the baring of teeth of a predator. It was enough that one of the men took a step back in a moment of uneasiness. "Filthy squatter? Nope, just me and you rats. Why don't you go play a nice game of hide and go fuck yourself?" The lead man hissed at this, but Kei continued. "Now, I recommend that you get the Hell out of here, before I rip your heart out and shove it down your throat. Deal?" With that, Kei slightly bent his knees, then took to the air with an inhuman scream. The first one got his head crushed with a rather audible "Crack!" sound as Kei landed on the man's head, feet first. Before the other two could react, Kei turned on them, bloodlust shining in his eyes. He would drink well tonight, that was sure.
The three boys were almost out of the building, when they heard a sound that could not possibly come from a human throat. Sho turned back to look, and saw someone... flying through the air? No way, he thought, not possible. "I have to go back, guys. He might be in trouble. We'll meet back up at the fifth street park, that's not too far from here. Toshi, help Shinji." Sliding loose of Shinji's grasp, Sho turned to go back into the building. Shjnji grabbed Sho's wrist, and hissed at his younger brother.
"He's trouble, I tell you. He's bakamono, a monster! He's nothing but trouble. Quit being selfish, Sho, and let's get out of here. Leave the monster!" Sho slipped out of his other brother's grasp, leaving Shinji scowling. Toshi pulled Shinji the other way, and the two hit the streets outside, not minding the light drizzle that made the streets slick with moisture. The park that Sho had named was only a few blocks away, but with Shinji's leg, it would be one serious hike.
Sho ran back into the building. The sounds of the fight had faded, and the building was filled with Sho's breathing and ominous silence. Skidding around the last corner, Sho figured he would see his new friend splattered all over the floor. Instead, he saw the remains of a very one sided fight. Two fo the men were obviously dead, their necks at angles that the body was not supposed to bend. Kei was kneeling by the body of the last man, drinking his fill before the blood ran too cold.
Instead of doing the right thing, the wise and smart thing, which would be running like Hell as far from the gruesome sight as his short legs would carry him, Sho walked closer. Stepping over the other two bodies, he knelt to get a closer look. Kei looked up, blood dripping from his lips. "Still not afraid?" asked Kei. Sho smiled.
"Wow... cool."
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