Smirk

Chapter 2: The Criminals

Like I said before, I visit the poor quite often. That night I was so close from lifting the small blue haired boy’s soul from his frail body; but he was saved just in time. It sure does save me time. How rude of me, I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself.

I am Death.

I was called to that disastrous town of Seikatsu late that night. Just as it was almost his time to greet me (and surely he would with a smile) two mysterious looking boys arrived just in time. One had short black and pink hair with a strange gas mask on along with a bizarre symbol on his sweater; almost like a crescent moon. As I thought back to the other boy, he also had the same symbol on a handkerchief dangling from his pocket. The other boy had long silver-blonde hair, coming close to covering his eyes. But something even more bizarre caught my eye about the blonde boy. He had no shoes on. He walked looking straight ahead of him, but he didn’t step on one rock. They certainly were a strange pair, and I couldn’t help myself but to want to observe them. Maybe I have found my diamonds in the rough.

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                “Do we really have to do this tonight, I’m tiredddd.” My friend Aki complained to me.

                “Do you want them to starve?” I quickly shot back. The “s” word seemed to always shut him right up. Tonight was one of many similar nights that started a couple months ago. We stole from our families, and gave it to the people who needed it. Simple right? The reason, now I’ll have to explain that later.

                The night started like any other. We gathered the food and supplies we found necessary and headed out. Yurei grabbed his bow, I grabbed my gloves, and Aki… well we’re lucky we got him to go. It’s not necessarily that we needed the weapons, it was just in case. The three of us ducked under the usual opening in the fence. I always had to duck extra low being that I was 6’2. Once we reached the Kasuka zone, meaning poor zone, Aki split up with us like usual. He went to deliver the stolen items to the families, while I and Yurei went to the ever so expanding orphanage to deliver the items there. It’s sickening how many scared, sad, children are transported there every day. Children who have lost their parents from the greed of the Kanemochi, or rich. Most importantly because of the greed of my family. The same family that killed the only person I ever loved.  In the midst of my thoughts Yurei starting speaking, which was rare for him.

                “They’re here.” He said with an uneasiness in his voice, and I knew exactly who he was talking about. They stood out arrogantly in their bright yellow uniforms against the brown of the city. Aha, my father’s ridiculous choice. They were the enforcers. Their jobs started out simple, to keep the Kasuka away from the Kane, but they slowly became Kasuka’s worst nightmares. Anything they could come up with to exterminate them, they did. Lets just say us and the enforcers aren’t the best of friends.

                I grabbed ahold of my blind friend’s hand and started running as the yellow asshole shouted out to us. Oh how it was nice to be recognized. We ran and ran and ran through the busy city streets with the enforcer a good distance away from us. They must have hired younger people. I thought to myself. We could usually out run them in about 5 minutes, but this one was not planning on going anywhere. It felt as if I had been running for 30 minutes and I thought I was going to collapse.

“Yurei-,” I said panting. “Do you thi-think you should?” I didn’t have to elaborate because he knew exactly what I was thinking. That was the thing with Yurei, he didn’t really need to talk. We have always understood each other ever since I was young.

                I let go of Yurei’s wrist as he flung around and grabbed his deadly bow. As soon as I looked back at him, the arrow was already flying from the bow right to the enforcers. He sure was always accurate. I laughed to myself. He really was a real life ninja. I slowed down my running so he could catch back up with me and we continued running through the bleak town. I looked up at the sign above me as we ran “Seikatsu Town.” Odd name for a place like this, I thought to myself. I slowed me and Yurei’s pace to a walk eventually I hunched over taking deep breathes. I looked up at Yurei and gave him a smirk, somehow he replied with a smile.

“Where the hell are we?” Yurei replied with a simple shake of the head. We decided to just keep walking down the street and see where it would take us. A little ways ahead of us I saw a small, fragile looking boy with radiant blue hair and a bright red jacket on. He was quit colorful against the brown of his city. Even though we were a couple blocks away I could hear his violent coughing.

“Probably the Red Plague.” Yurei stated to me. He was quit talkative tonight.

“No. No, that can’t be. The Red Plague is only in Kane. He must just have a-.”As soon as I said that the boy collapsed to his knees and soon after his face made a connection with the ground below him. I and Yurei went running to the stranger. I guess we both have some good inside us. Upon arriving closer to him, I realized he wasn’t wearing a red jacket at all. The jacket was covered in blood. It was definitely the Red Plague.

                I propped the child in my lap and demanded for Yurei to get the needed medicine. Luckily for the boy, everyone in Kane was required to carry the needed medicine to cure the Red Plague because of the recent outbreak of sickness. Yurei handed me the medicine and I opened the child’s bleeding mouth and poured the sweet smelling liquid in. I sat there observing his baby face. He looked all too innocent, but I don’t think it was a random occurrence that he got the Red Plague. Judging from his pale, skinny body he only wanted some food. Either die from starvation, or from the Red Plague. I think he was willing to take his chances. Once the bleeding stopped and he regained normal breathing I picked him up to move him from the road. I guessed he only weighed 75 pounds. There was a pool of blood along with his blood soaked jacket I removed from him and set aside. He was starting to regain some conciseness but the only thing he could manage to mumble from his mouth before he collapsed again was “Mom.” I set him gently against a tree and left him some of the food we managed to keep from our long run. I didn’t exactly want to leave him, but my parents would be awake soon and angry parents were the last thing I wanted to deal with.