Categories > Movies > Moon Child > The Beginning
Years passed. Toshi got a job flipping pizza at the local Happy Pizza, and moved into a nearby apartment. Soon, the pizza was a money maker in more ways than one. A few drugs, and suddenly the takes on Sho's heists got a lot easier to collect. Shinji fell head over heels with a woman whose father owned a prosperous koi business, and moved in with her into the loft above the business. Shinji was also a drug user, having graduated from pain pills to the opium pipe and the occasional line of cocaine. This left a bitter taste in Sho's mouth, and he started avoiding his big brother as much as he could. Sho and Kei got a nice little studio apartment together, simply because Kei would not live alone, and the idea of living with the other two would not work out. Toshi was still in the dark about Kei's vampirism in spite of all the proof in front of him, but that was Toshi, blind to the obvious. There was no way that Shinji would live with Kei. He still hated Kei for stealing away his little brother, ignoring that he had stepped aside for that position in his own way.
Deep down, Where he refused to admit it to himself, Kei stuck with Sho for one reason. He was never treated as a monster by the young man, never treated like an outcast. Kei's 'little brother' had grown up, and was more like his 'big brother' than either man would admit to. They were family, and family stuck together, even when they argued about what flavor of coffee to pick up from the store, or the constant complaints by Kei that Sho needed to get out more during the daylight hours. They put up with each other out of something deeper than friendship. They were family.
Sho was about fifteen, when his world came crashing down. He had finally noticed the most dangerous creature to walk on two legs. He had seen a female, a girl. Kei, when he found out, knew immediately that this could destroy his friend faster than any speeding bullet.
The first sign of danger was when Kei came home one morning from running to the corner store for more cigarettes and a few new lighters, to be attacked by the scent of half a dozen flower arrangements, all sitting in glass vases and dripping dew all over the kitchen. Kei took a look at the sudden floral theme in the kitchen, and checked the store label. They all came from the same flower boutique, that was about a half an hour walk away. There were roses in pink and white, some irises, and more sprigs of baby's breath than he cared to count. Something was up, Kei mused, but said nothing. He wanted Sho to be the one to say something.
Instead of asking questions, Kei just tossed Sho a pack of smokes as the younger man came out of the bathroom. "Here you go, I even got us some more lighters, since we keep losing them." Sho nodded, his mind elsewhere, as he sat down on the small couch and started packing the box. Sho liked boxed smokes, while Kei preferred soft pack. But it really didn't matter since by the time the sun came up, they both would be bumming off the other. It was tradition.
Kei went back to the kitchen, and had to move one of the arrangements to get to the coffee maker. He could drink 'human' drinks, and really liked coffee, though it did little when it came to the caffeine kick. Moving another set of flowers to get to the sink and fill up the coffee pot with water, Kei remained silent but for a bit of humming a catchy tune he had heard blasting from a car stereo. "So you want to be a rock and roll star..."
Sho looked up, then turned his gaze back at the night stand by the couch, poking at one of the roses in yet another arrangement. Kei was fighting back a grin, since he knew too much hilarity would bring on a drama storm from his younger friend. Filling the pot and starting the coffee, he continued his humming. "Just get yourself an electric guitar and learn how to play..."
"I hate flowers." Sho finally spoke, as if seeing all the flowers for the first time. He wrinkled his nose, then sneezed. "They give me a runny nose, and they're too bright." Sho looked around, then sneezed again.
"So... get rid of them. They're just flowers, after all." Kei poured himself a cup of the fresh coffee, adding his favorite creamer to it, filling the room with the scent of vanilla.
"I can't! I got them from... her... store." Sho looked to be near tears at the suggestion of ditching the vases of flowers. Then he sneezed again.
"Sho, if you sneeze all day, and keep me awake, I'm going to keep you up next time you try to sleep in revenge. Now... who is this 'her' you speak of?" Kei came out of the kitchen, and took a seat on the couch next to Sho, who was wiping his nose with a tissue.
"She's wonderful! She has long black hair, and these really beautiful brown eyes, and such pretty hands... she works down at the flower boutique, the afternoon shift." Sho motioned to all of the flowers. "I didn't want her to think I'm some sort of stalker, so every time I went in to see her..." Sho shrugged.
"You bought flowers every time you went in." Kei finished the thought. Oh Hell, Kei mused. Sho has a crush. This might be bad. "Does this 'she' have a name? Or is she just the flower girl?"
Sho sighed, and leaned back on the couch. "Her name is Mika. She's so pretty. I'm just some punk kid, I don't stand a chance. She has nice looking boys follow her around. Kei, look at me, I'm just some punk in fancy clothes. She's never going to want to see me!" Sho leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his knees, and commenced to bawling. "I'm ugly! She's never going to look at me!"
Kei rested a hand on Sho's back, and waited for the storm to pass. Then he took a new look at his young friend. Sho's thin frame was draped in the latest styles he could steal, his bright blue contacts making his gaze more than somewhat dangerous to young girls. He had a face that some would cheerfully kill for. And he considers himself ugly, Kei mused. When Kei was not looking, his little friend had grown up. Kei had seen some of the ladies on the street watching Sho, but had paid it no mind. 'I wonder how many broken hearts are out there,' he thought, 'that would kill for one look from my friend.' Taking courage in grip, Kei shook Sho from his crying fit.
"Alright, I'm only going to say this once, so you better listen. You are a fine looking man, and she's going to love to talk to you. You just need some guts, that's all. Now, I hear from you one more time that you are ugly, and I'm going to stuff you into the fridge, with the pizza from two weeks ago. Got it?"
"Yeah... I get it." Sho looked up to Kei, eyes still slightly watery from the crying fit. "Shat should I do to get her attention? To get her to go on a date with me?"
Kei stopped there. When did he last go on a date? How many decades ago was that? He had to think fast though, or Sho would start crying again. He hated to see him cry, it made him feel like a failure himself, for not protecting his family. Well, his family needed his advice. Too bad Kei didn't have any.
"Umm. Err. Hmm. Well, I'm sure she's not going to fall for you just because you buy flowers from her store. Not to mention, she's not going to be turned on if you are sneezing all over her. We just have to look at this from another angle." Kei sighed, then leaned forward on the couch to flick some ash into the ceramic ashtray on the table. "I'm sure we can think of something." Kei smiled. "Something better than drugged pizza. We just have to think."
Sho grinned. "Thanks." Then he frowned for a moment. "If you tell Toshi, I'm going to make sure you never get any more rest. You help me out, and I'll be a good roomie. Deal?"
"Deal."
Deep down, Where he refused to admit it to himself, Kei stuck with Sho for one reason. He was never treated as a monster by the young man, never treated like an outcast. Kei's 'little brother' had grown up, and was more like his 'big brother' than either man would admit to. They were family, and family stuck together, even when they argued about what flavor of coffee to pick up from the store, or the constant complaints by Kei that Sho needed to get out more during the daylight hours. They put up with each other out of something deeper than friendship. They were family.
Sho was about fifteen, when his world came crashing down. He had finally noticed the most dangerous creature to walk on two legs. He had seen a female, a girl. Kei, when he found out, knew immediately that this could destroy his friend faster than any speeding bullet.
The first sign of danger was when Kei came home one morning from running to the corner store for more cigarettes and a few new lighters, to be attacked by the scent of half a dozen flower arrangements, all sitting in glass vases and dripping dew all over the kitchen. Kei took a look at the sudden floral theme in the kitchen, and checked the store label. They all came from the same flower boutique, that was about a half an hour walk away. There were roses in pink and white, some irises, and more sprigs of baby's breath than he cared to count. Something was up, Kei mused, but said nothing. He wanted Sho to be the one to say something.
Instead of asking questions, Kei just tossed Sho a pack of smokes as the younger man came out of the bathroom. "Here you go, I even got us some more lighters, since we keep losing them." Sho nodded, his mind elsewhere, as he sat down on the small couch and started packing the box. Sho liked boxed smokes, while Kei preferred soft pack. But it really didn't matter since by the time the sun came up, they both would be bumming off the other. It was tradition.
Kei went back to the kitchen, and had to move one of the arrangements to get to the coffee maker. He could drink 'human' drinks, and really liked coffee, though it did little when it came to the caffeine kick. Moving another set of flowers to get to the sink and fill up the coffee pot with water, Kei remained silent but for a bit of humming a catchy tune he had heard blasting from a car stereo. "So you want to be a rock and roll star..."
Sho looked up, then turned his gaze back at the night stand by the couch, poking at one of the roses in yet another arrangement. Kei was fighting back a grin, since he knew too much hilarity would bring on a drama storm from his younger friend. Filling the pot and starting the coffee, he continued his humming. "Just get yourself an electric guitar and learn how to play..."
"I hate flowers." Sho finally spoke, as if seeing all the flowers for the first time. He wrinkled his nose, then sneezed. "They give me a runny nose, and they're too bright." Sho looked around, then sneezed again.
"So... get rid of them. They're just flowers, after all." Kei poured himself a cup of the fresh coffee, adding his favorite creamer to it, filling the room with the scent of vanilla.
"I can't! I got them from... her... store." Sho looked to be near tears at the suggestion of ditching the vases of flowers. Then he sneezed again.
"Sho, if you sneeze all day, and keep me awake, I'm going to keep you up next time you try to sleep in revenge. Now... who is this 'her' you speak of?" Kei came out of the kitchen, and took a seat on the couch next to Sho, who was wiping his nose with a tissue.
"She's wonderful! She has long black hair, and these really beautiful brown eyes, and such pretty hands... she works down at the flower boutique, the afternoon shift." Sho motioned to all of the flowers. "I didn't want her to think I'm some sort of stalker, so every time I went in to see her..." Sho shrugged.
"You bought flowers every time you went in." Kei finished the thought. Oh Hell, Kei mused. Sho has a crush. This might be bad. "Does this 'she' have a name? Or is she just the flower girl?"
Sho sighed, and leaned back on the couch. "Her name is Mika. She's so pretty. I'm just some punk kid, I don't stand a chance. She has nice looking boys follow her around. Kei, look at me, I'm just some punk in fancy clothes. She's never going to want to see me!" Sho leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his knees, and commenced to bawling. "I'm ugly! She's never going to look at me!"
Kei rested a hand on Sho's back, and waited for the storm to pass. Then he took a new look at his young friend. Sho's thin frame was draped in the latest styles he could steal, his bright blue contacts making his gaze more than somewhat dangerous to young girls. He had a face that some would cheerfully kill for. And he considers himself ugly, Kei mused. When Kei was not looking, his little friend had grown up. Kei had seen some of the ladies on the street watching Sho, but had paid it no mind. 'I wonder how many broken hearts are out there,' he thought, 'that would kill for one look from my friend.' Taking courage in grip, Kei shook Sho from his crying fit.
"Alright, I'm only going to say this once, so you better listen. You are a fine looking man, and she's going to love to talk to you. You just need some guts, that's all. Now, I hear from you one more time that you are ugly, and I'm going to stuff you into the fridge, with the pizza from two weeks ago. Got it?"
"Yeah... I get it." Sho looked up to Kei, eyes still slightly watery from the crying fit. "Shat should I do to get her attention? To get her to go on a date with me?"
Kei stopped there. When did he last go on a date? How many decades ago was that? He had to think fast though, or Sho would start crying again. He hated to see him cry, it made him feel like a failure himself, for not protecting his family. Well, his family needed his advice. Too bad Kei didn't have any.
"Umm. Err. Hmm. Well, I'm sure she's not going to fall for you just because you buy flowers from her store. Not to mention, she's not going to be turned on if you are sneezing all over her. We just have to look at this from another angle." Kei sighed, then leaned forward on the couch to flick some ash into the ceramic ashtray on the table. "I'm sure we can think of something." Kei smiled. "Something better than drugged pizza. We just have to think."
Sho grinned. "Thanks." Then he frowned for a moment. "If you tell Toshi, I'm going to make sure you never get any more rest. You help me out, and I'll be a good roomie. Deal?"
"Deal."
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