Tsunami of Dead Tears: Part 2

Chapter 21

Tsutomu would not let Gordon die in vain.

Yes, he was going to die. That was quite clear the moment he grabbed that sword. But he knew exactly why, and as sorrowful as it made him feel, he would allow it. It was Gordon's choice to sacrifice himself, and Tsutomu wouldn't -and couldn't- object that.

Besides, the American believed in a heaven.

Hiro was blindly running along with him. He didn't have a choice, since Tsutomu had been gripping his arm, but the way he looked was... different. He looked disgusted.

They had been running for a while, and Tsutomu's legs had started to turn sore. But he decided to use the slow-down as an opportunity. "Your Majesty?!"

Hiro looked up. "Yes?"

"I know where we should go!" Tsutomu said, still running of course, but not so fast that he wouldn't be able to speak in between breaths. "There's an abandoned mansion in these woods, not that far ahead. It's an old Yakuza hideout, I think. We'll find help the-"

"Were you working with the American?"

Tsutomu skidded to a stop. He raised his eyebrow at Hiro. "Y-Yes."

At the mention of that, Hiro glared at Tsutomu suddenly. He jerked his hand away from Tsutomu, effectively pulling it out of his grasp. "Scum."

Tsutomu crunched his face up with a puzzled expression. "W-What?!"

"You don't know, do you?" Hiro said in an accusatory manner. "Of course you don't. Peasants like you have no idea what's best for you. Damn ignorant masses, purchasing silk from off-hand white men, when you don't realize how cruel they actually are."

Tsutomu's expression transformed from puzzled to offended. They were running for their lives, and all this kid could talk about was racist comments. "What's your point?"

"My POINT," Hiro sneered. "is that you've been helping the very people that bring this country down! Those pests... might as well call them invaders, 'cause that's all they like doing. TAKING for themselves."

Tsutomu didn't have time for this. "Look, I don't care what your political opinion is on whities, but we've gotta alert the other slayers about the attack! Otherwise, everyone's going to end up dea-"

"Don't change the subject!" Hiro snapped. "I'm sick and tired of the Japanese people tolerating such animals! You know what they did to the Philippines, right? Yeah, they pillaged them! Bought them the way a slaver buys a slave! SPEAKING of slaves, America has done pretty horrible things to the bla-"

"Shut up!" Tsutomu snapped back, tired of all this political rambling that he didn't care about. "That doesn't have anything to do with Gordon!"

"Oh, does it?" Hiro said. "Well, let me guess, he probably plucked you off the streets and offered to help you, didn't he? Well, guess what, he's not there to help you get a better life, no, no, he was probably going to work your ASS OFF so he could make some money of his own!"

Tsutomu gasped. He knew that for a period of time, Gordon had asked them to perform a kabuki play all by themselves one time, and he had earned money from the stage owners.

But he split the money with all of us...  Tsutomu thought.  He's not a bad person... right?

"Oh, and you probably had to travel along with him, right?!" Hiro continued. "How many times has he used you as his personal packman? Eerily similar to the slavers back in his piss-stained hometown, huh?"

No, that was out of gratitude... he took me under his wing...

"How many times has he fed you less than he fed himself?!"