17 years ago**
Yo, pig. Won't ask ya again. How ya get yer hands on such a big sum?"
"...."
Slap!
One of the two boys, impatient at Unko's hesitation to speak, hit him.
"This ugly baboon. You really gonna make him repeat himself!?"
Two huge thugs loomed before Unko Mori, a lean, tall teenager who wore tattered brown t-shirt and an oversized black trousers, with a seemingly unkempt brown hair. He was an older sibling of the 'Guardian Angels Orphanage'.
"S-Sister Elizabeth asked me to pay this into the bank. Said it's part of the orphanage's loan." Unko said nervously clutching the huge money envelope he held tight to his chest.
"Haa, lying cunt. Just what do you take us for?" One of the thugs blasted, the one with a square-shaped face.
"Boy's full of shit, thinks we're retarded. You think we don't know ya stole the cash, eh?" The other one with outstanding cheekbones and lower lip supported.
"Come on dawg. No need to be so stuffy about it, we steal things too."
"I s-swear, I didn't steal it. I would never steal from the orphanage. We can head back to clarify with Sister Elizabeth."
Sigh
"Ya know man, being a thieving scum is alright. But there ain't noth'n more disgusting than a scum claiming to be a saint in front of fellow scums. Was gonna let ya have a share in the cut as an act of recognition to a fellow scum but I've changed my mind now." The young square face thug said with a grin.
He reached out his arm to Unko, "Here, hand it over." he added,
"N-no! P-please I can't. The orphanage can't afford to lose a single penn-"
"Give it here already. Dammit!" The square faced delinquent reached and grabbed on the envelope with forceful hands, interrupting Unko's words.
"Let go right now! Don't make me repeat what I just said!" Squre face threatened Unko, an ugly expression on his face, while Cheek bones stood by, waiting impatiently.
"P-please don't do thi–"
Slush!
Before Unko could finish, he saw himself airborne, the world spinning around him. Then with a bone-jarring thud, he crashed to the ground, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.
Cheek bones had tackled him out of fury.
Still unable to fully grasp a clear view of the situation, both assailants pounced on Unko, fists flying as they beat him mercilessly before he knew.
Just then, Uta, another older sibling from the Guardian Angels Orphanage, happened to be passing by. He looked tall, dressed in blue shirt and black shorts. His bright blue pupils resonated with his light blue hair, giving his face a charming touch.
Uta froze for a moment, taking in the scene, then sprinted towards the attackers.
"Unko! Hey! Leave him alone!" Uta shouted, his voice filled with urgency as he rushed to help Unko.
Uta didn't hesitate. He charged forward, grabbing the two delinquents and yanking them off Unko with a fierce determination.
He attempted to engage them in a fight, but the thugs were quicker. In a flash, they snatched the envelope from the ground and bolted, disappearing into the shadows before Uta could react.
"Huff… Huff. You alright, Unko? The hell are you doing here? Ain't you supposed to be in the bank queue waiting to make the deposit?" Uta panted as he spoke.
"T-that's right, Uta," Unko stammered, wincing from the pain. "But they took the money!"
"What?!" Uta's eyes widened in shock. "The money for the loan deposit. They took it!"
As Unko's words sank in, Uta dropped to his knees in exhaustion, realizing the gravity of the situation.
This was a big problem, not just for Unko but for the entire orphanage.
"What… what the hell do I do now?" Unko wept bitterly, kneeling opposite Uta. "I begged them! I did, but they insisted I had stolen the money. I begged them, Uta. What the hell do I tell the sisters now? What do I do?"
Uta reached out, placing a comforting hand on Unko's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, Unko," he said softly, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. "Listen. We head back to the house, we explain everything to the nuns. They'll understand. We'll find a way to get through this. You did your best, after all."
Later that evening, the orphanage's courtyard was filled with the sharp sounds of all sorts. Unko was tied to a bench, his bare buttocks exposed to the biting wind and the harsh lashes from the whips of two nuns.
"Arrghh!! I swear, I pleaded with them! I begg–"
WHAPP!!
"Arrrgh!"
"Shut your mouth, thieving bastard. What have you done with the loan money, you selfish parasite!" one of the nuns screamed, her voice cutting through the air as sharply as the whip.
Uta knelt by the side, shadows cast over his face. His fists were clenched as he watched Unko being unjustly punished, unable to intervene.
Weeks later.
KNOCK KNOCK!
"Hey Unko, open up." Uta whispered one night, standing behind Unko's window. Unko slid it slightly open.
"Huh, Uta–"
"Here." Uta interrupted, passing a huge piece of sandwich through to Unko.
Staring at the food for a bit, Unko reached and grabbed it. "Thanks. Wait, I'll go bring a knife." He added.
"Ah, no! Don't worry about it. I really have no appetite. Besides, the nuns stuffed me merciless this afternoon, felt like some farm cow getting fattened up for Christmas."
"Bet. Must suck to get all the special treatment."
"Ah, didn't mean to pour it on your face like that."
"Pfft, It's alright. Besides, thanks to all that I get to have this big sandwich alone. Never seen one made this big before, though."
"I know, right?" Uta chuckled,
Hearing some faint steps approach from the distance, Uta continued; "Yo, catch you later, Unko. It would be a bit troublesome for you if the nuns see me around here. For some reason, they've been unusually vigilant since the incident with the loan money."
"Yeah, and they acted like they didn't believe me back then. I don't blame them though. With how huge the sum was, they know that whoever those thugs were, they'd get an impression that there's more," Unko nodded.
"And more, there is, indeed." Uta said with a smirk, turning to leave,
"Hey Uta..."
"Huh," He turned around, hearing Unko's call.
"Thanks for back then. If not for your plea I probably wouldn't be let off with just a month of carrot meal." Unko said,"Don't know how I'd get through this without you."
"Now, don't leave out the ass whoopings, pfft." Uta added with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, that too." Unko scratched the back of hid head with a smile too.
"Hey, Unko, you're my brother," Uta said with a sudden resolute expression, reeaching an arm on Unko's shoulder. "..And brothers do things like that for each other. Don't ever thank me for something like this again, you hear me?"
Unko nodded without a word, and Uta turned and walked away.
After a while, Unko, whilst eating, suddenly began to choke on his food.
He gasped for air, rushing towards a water basin beside the second window. Seeing its empty, Unko dashed outside to get himself some water.
"Huh." He heard something.
'It's too late at night though. Who–' Unko's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice
–It was Uta's.
He peeped and his eyes widened a bit, seeing it was actually him. Uta who was seated on a rock had his back rested against the well, while two other kids from the orphanage sat right on the well, one's leg actually swinging inside. They were Noah and Charlie–orphanage's older siblings just like Unko and Uta.
Pondering on what kind of discussions they could be holding out in the dark at that time, Unko wanted to eavesdrop.
He knew it wasn't anything shady, Uta was involved, after all. But he still felt too curious to just leave. Besides, he still wanted water from that well. It would be a straight up hassle to go for the other well located towards the orphanage's kitchen. And they might even accuse him of trying to steal some food if seen.
There was no choice, so he decided to spy a little.
"Ah, Uta. To think you'd give him the whole meal this time. You growing kinder on us, eh?"
"Pffthe. What meal? You mean that ratshit sandwich they feed us here," Uta scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Don't be so harsh. Remember that 'rat-shit sandwich' used to be one of your favorite meals when we were younger," Charlie teased, smirking.
"Hahahaha. To be honest with you, Charlie, I never once liked that shit. Simply didn't have lots of choices back then. Who in this world'd like something that tastes like burnt clothes and tomatoes" Uta replied, laughing.
"Well, seeing how roughed up carrot meal's got Unko, he'd probably eat it crying tears of appreciation." Noah said, shrugging.
"Ha! That nigga's an exception. Dawg would eat actual burnt clothes if they could satisfy his hunger. He's like a farm goat who appreciates anything you throw at him," Uta sneered, shaking his head.
"I swear. Can't understand why you go out of your way to bother with him, Uta. Gotta hand it to you, man, you doing great withstanding his ominous body odor? To think he's the same age as us. Even the younger siblings don't smell that bad," Charlie grimaced.
"Pfft. Hear body odor gets worse the older the person gets without trying to get rid of it. Probably the issue with Unko's. And well, as the person who stole his money, only natural that I show some love, don't you think? He's the reason we've been eating so well these past few weeks, after all. Without that money, we would still be relying on the ratshit they feed us here," Uta explained, a smug smile on his face.
"You know, Uta, I'm still curious how you got those delinquents to do the work. You're a real crook, man. Also, seeing how you brought most of the cash with you, you probably didn't give them that much," Noah said, raising an eyebrow.
"Ryota and Taro are like my blood brothers. Used to play together when we were younger before my parents passed out. They are brothers, but share different fathers, and most importantly, they are real delinquents, the real deal. For them something like this ain't no biggie, especially if it's for an old time homie like myself." Uta replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Whaa. Real delinquents? Ya mean the real thing? Thought they just belonged to one of these highschool gangs.. You know, the real-delinquents wanna-be groups."
"Yeah, that was in the past. Don't know the full detail, but I heard they recently took the oath of brotherhood with Hebikizu."
"Woah. You mean the Hebikizu gang? the same Hebikizu that rivals Tujaja blood rats gang?" Charlie asked in surprise.
"Hell bro? Know of any other Hebikizu gang?" Uta looked a bit disgusted.
"Damn, that's so cool, man. Wish I've got badass bro's like those too. You know, you sorta give off a delinquent vibe yourself, Uta. Always knew there's gotta be some kinda connection," Charlie said, nodding in understanding.
"Well, once I'm outta here, I plan to join the Hebikizu gang too with Taro and Ryota's connections. They say for starters, you've got to have your own underlings. Hear they only take in highschool gang leaders, or any delinquents who've made reputation for themselves. Apparently, Ryota and Taro used to lead the Black-swamp highschool gang, so they had a few underlings to begin with."
"Black swamp? Never heard of it, though. But I guess it's good enough to earn them a seat alongside the big men of Hebikizu. I'll be sure to stick with you, Uta. Even though I pretty much was doing it already, just say I'm making it official. From today, I, Charlie, am officially your underling." Charlie said, jokingly bowing slightly.
"Yeah, do what you want. Just don't be a burden."
"Hey, me too. Although I've got no intention of making myself your underling, I'll make a reputation for myself. More importantly…" Noah's eye suddenly widened in bewilderment as he continued, "How the hell are you gutsy enough to steal from those scary nuns? You really are cut out for this kind of life, dawg."
"Heh. You think so?" Uta uttered with a slight smirk, savoring the praise.
"Thought it was a joke when you brought up the idea of looting the loan funds. And you, not only are you the real proprietor, and the biggest problem child, but you've also managed to win the hearts of those heartless sisters. Even if they caught you red-handed, they probably still wouldn't believe it," Noah concluded, admiration in his voice.
"Hahaha. Well, I've always been good at putting on acts. That's me for you, bro. Flawless in my game." Uta laughed proudly, unable to withhold the pleasure from all the flattery.
Unko, who had heard the entire conversation, froze in shock.
Since they were kids, Uta was the only one of his siblings he was really close with. The other kids bullied and discriminated against him for his ugly looks and timid nature. Uta was the only person who never did that.
Uta was positive with everyone, the sisters alike, and they all loved him. He was seen as the golden child of the orphanage, and Unko took him as his blood brother.
Unko's heart was broken at what he had just witnessed. He flinched, causing the cup he had to drop.
Clang!
"Huh, who's there?" Uta and the rest flinched at the noise behind the wall.
One of the kids went to see.
"Oh, it's just... Unko," Noah said, looking back at the others.
"..." Uta was silent.
"Huh, you just say Unko's there? That little.. tsk. Fuck are you still doing there? Come here, Unko!" Charlie commanded, his voice dripping with disdain.
Hearing Charlie, a younger sibling of his command him, Unko felt bitter as usual, but had no choice but to comply. With a pale frown, he walked out quietly from behind the wall.
"Oh, look at him. Just how much did you hear? fucking wall gecko." Noah sneered.
"To think you had the guts to spy on me. You've grown some balls of steel, haven't you, Unko? Too much carrots give you some kinda energy boost or sumn?" Charlie added, glaring at Unko.
"...That's enough, you two—Uta.." Uta began, but Unko interrupted.
"… Did you know I was here? You knew I was hiding here all along, right?" Unko asked, his voice trembling.
"..." Uta was silent.
"All those things you said, you were just playing around because you knew I was here, right? You didn't actually steal that money.. and those two delinquents... Those two..." Unko's voice broke as tears dripped from his eyes.
"Please tell me that you really had nothing to do with them, and you were just making jokes for me to hear. Please, just... just tell me it was all a lie! The meals you shared with me, it was because you cared and pitied me, right?" Unko pleaded, his voice desperate.
"..." Uta still didn't reply, his face expressionless.
"You know... unlike you, I never met any of my family. You guys here are all I've ever had. Those days, while we were younger, when you'd protect me from Charlie, I'd think tha… I'd think that if I ever had a real family, they'd be just like you, Uta." Unko said, his voice breaking further.
"...."
"A farm goat... heh.. That really all I ever was to you? Man, life sure sucks. Kinda regret the eavesdropping thing now... Shit head, Unko. You shoulda just kept walking… heh, you shoulda just moved on man, why'd you stop here? Weren't you choking? I thought you wanted water, why did you stop here?" Unko said in regret, tears streaming down his eyes.
"You!! Why won't you say something?!" Unko suddenly filled with rage at Uta's silence, rushed and grabbed him by the collar, but at that instant—
GBAAMT!!
"Urrrh...." Before Unko understood anything else, he was already spinning mid-air.
SLAM!
He crashed on the ground, lifting dust at his wake.
Uta had unleashed a powerful punch on Unko's nose.
"This fuck.."
GBOMK!
"Know your place, cunt!"
GBAAKK!
Charlie and Noah rushed and began to pounce on him on the ground, slamming into his gut with their legs.
"That's enough," Uta intruded sharply, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Hearing this, Charlie and Noah stopped the violence, stepping back.
Looking down on Unko with a disgusted expression, Uta continued, "Next time you touch me like that, I'll crush your bones, pig. So you were listening, huh?" He sneered, shaking his head. "Was wondering where the foul smell was oozing from all this while. Already started to doubt your hygiene, Charlie."
"Dirty fucker," Uta spat, glaring at Unko. "What did you want me to say? That it was all a lie? Bastard. I only put up with you, who everyone else had rejected all these years, just to maintain my good face in the orphanage. Who's your family? Man, I know I called you my brother earlier, but a guy's got to have some sense of humor. I mean, look at your face... see, I don't usually give a shit when guys are ugly, but damn bro, would you really accept someone who looks like you as your brother? Be honest with yourself. Don't ever come near me again, dawg." Concluding, Uta glanced at both Charlie and Noah in turns, before returning his gaze to Unko.
"As for everything you just heard.." Uta added, his voice low and menacing, "I'm sure you already know what'll happen if you don't behave. Doubt they'd care, but if the nuns do ask about your nose, tell 'em you did it to yourself as atonement to your sins."
Uta, Charlie, and Noah turned away, leaving Unko crumpled on the ground. Their footsteps faded, Unko lay there, tears streaming down his face.
"Heh… Uta. How.. could.." Unko whispered, unable to complete his words, his voice breaking.
Watching the trio's back disappear into the darkness, the scene shifted instantly.
Present day**
The night cricket cries were replaced by the honk of cars, and the eerie chill was replaced by the warmth of the evening sun.
'Ah… That dream again…' Vonn pondered, 'Gives me headache, man.'
'Damn Uta.... Always wondered If you still live in balland. Wouldn't wanna meet, though, you should be in your fourties now, anyway...'
'....Ha, fucking oldie...'
'...I died and got reborn, would you even believe it, you wicked bastard?..'
'...And I've also got real blessings this time around, man. I've actually got a mom, now, and I've got her.' Vonn thought, his lips twisting into a warm smile.
The last fading fog of his dream drifted away, and with a calm exhale, Vonn's yellowish eyes jolted open, beads of sweat dotting his severally plastered forehead.
He found himself resting on someone's lap, his gaze embracing the worried face of a beautiful young lady.