Vol 9 Chapter 4.1 (2/2)
I want to bring back those days, those moments I spent with Nezumi in that room. I would give up anything.
But he would not return. Those days had long pa.s.sed, never to come within his grasp again.
Ever.
It was a premonition―a premonition which he almost certainly believed would come true. s.h.i.+on purposely averted his eyes from it. He knew well it was a sign of weakness, but he did it anyway.
s.h.i.+on stood up and turned to face Nezumi.
”Can you move?”
”Somewhat.”
Nezumi lifted himself up from where he was leaning on the wall, and let out a long breath. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead.
”Aria, can you measure his blood pressure, pulse, and body temperature? Based on that, tell me what an appropriate treatment for him would be.”
”Understood. Understood. Blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, commencing measurements. Commencing measurements.”
”No need.” Nezumi shook his head in refusal. ”It's a waste of time.”
He brushed off Aria's extended pipes, and sighed again.
”M'lady, with all due respect, allow me to politely decline your offer. We don't have time for treatment.”
Aria blinked, and her eyes turned yellow.
”Due respect, decline, time. Cannot comprehend. Cannot comprehend. Aborting measurements.”
”Nezumi, you plan to go?”
”Of course.”
Inukas.h.i.+ and Rikiga looked at each other.
”Go where?” Rikiga asked. Inukas.h.i.+ scowled in silence.
”To city hall,” s.h.i.+on answered.
”City hall? You mean the Moondrop?”
”Yes.”
”Wh―do you know what state that place is in right now?” Rikiga exclaimed. ”I mean, I don't know myself, but... it's sure to be chaos. The Security Bureau is cracking down on citizens left and right―shot some of them, even. They've probably gotten word of what happened to the Correctional Facility. The rest of the people will find out about it soon―No. 6 doesn't have the power to suppress the spread of information like it used to. The confusion is only going to get worse. It'll be completely out of control.”
”That's why we're going.” Nezumi smiled wanly. Nezumi had countless deft ways to smile. This one was a cold smile with a hint of mockery.
”It's our once-in-a-lifetime chance to see No. 6 perform its last dying shriek on stage. We better hurry, or we won't even get standing seats.”
”With the state you're in?” Rikiga replied incredulously. ”You can't do it, Eve. Sure, you might be stronger than you look, but you're human. You have limits. Don't do it. No. 6 will play its star role even if we're not in the audience. It'll pull off its role of the wretched, self-destructing giant with flying colours.”
”You're telling me to throw away this chance and retreat with my tail between my legs?”
”Yes. You two destroyed the Correctional Facility, and that definitely helped trigger the demise of No. 6. That's amazing, and you've done enough. More than enough. Eve, s.h.i.+on, don't go further than this. Back off and let nature take its course. It's time for you two to retreat backstage.”
”Being backstage staff is not my style,” Nezumi said. ”Neither is throwing away a chance that's already in my hands.”
”Your greed is bottomless,” Rikiga said in disgust. ”Listen to me, don't make me say this again. Your part is over. It's not worth it to risk your lives to stand onstage.”
s.h.i.+on stood in front of Rikiga and shook his head.
”Rikiga-san, we have to go. We have to go, no matter what.”
”s.h.i.+on, you too? Why? What for? You were able to escape the Correctional Facility, a d.a.m.n miracle it was. Why won't you retreat to where it's safe? Doesn't your life mean anything to you?”
”We're not going because we want to die,” s.h.i.+on said firmly. ”We're going because he's the only one who can stop Elyurias.”
”Elyurias?” Rikiga's eyes darted about. ”What is that? Someone's name?”
”She's the queen who once ruled over this land. I don't know if 'queen' is the right name for her―she never tried to dominate her subjects or drain their wealth like humans do. She only protected the rules of the forest, and the workings of nature.”
”s.h.i.+on... what are you talking about?” Rikiga drew his chin back. A bead of sweat rolled along his jawline, across his five-o'clock shadow.
”Humans―the humans who attempted to build No. 6 on this land trampled Elyurias' land and tried to reign over everything within it. They burnt the forests, ma.s.sacred the Forest People, and tried to build a world that was solely for themselves. Only their own abundance, their own wealth, their own safety and prosperity was their concern. They built a disconnected utopia on a foundation of others' sacrifices.”
”s.h.i.+on,” Nezumi called. It was a quiet, beautiful voice. ”You know everything?”
”No. What I know is probably only a small part. I only read what was in Rou's chip.”
Nezumi sank to the floor. He curled up, and muttered, ”I see.”
”Hey, keep going,” Rikiga said. ”I still have no idea what you're talking about. Sounds like complete gibberish. So how is Elyuri-what's-her-face related to what's happening to No. 6? What do you mean when you say Eve is the only one who can stop her? s.h.i.+on, give me the details.”
”I'd love to hear all about it, too.” Inukas.h.i.+ clicked his tongue lightly. His hands were full with numerous bags.
”What―where did you go? What is all that?”
”Clothes and food. Bland soup and bread just doesn't do it for me. And besides, if we're going to watch a play, I think we need to look a little more decent. They wouldn't even let us in the standing seats.”
Inukas.h.i.+ dug out a chunk of meat and a roll from the bag, and tossed it at the dogs. The dogs promptly pounced without even raising their voices. The mice skilfully stopped a tumbling roll, and lined up to nibble at it.
”Good. Eat,” Inukas.h.i.+ said proudly. ”Eat as much as you want. You guys worked hard. You did a good job. This is your reward. Heh heh, that's the amazing thing about No. 6. Even a clinic in the middle of nowhere like this has a kitchen full of food. Not to mention expensive-looking clothes. Heh heh, heh heh heh heh, this place is full of top-notch items. I could get a good price for this in the West Block.”
”You've come this far and you're still thieving?” Rikiga said.
”Who cares? The doctor is dead. Dead people don't need food or clothes.”
”Well... I guess you're right. Hey, pa.s.s me some ham, bread, and those blue pants.”
”I'll sell them to you for one silver piece.”
”Inukas.h.i.+, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you just said goodbye to your ride,” Rikiga snarled. ”You can walk back to the West Block.”
”I was kidding, yees.h.!.+ Old man has no sense of humour. That's why all the women trick you out of your money. Anyway, come on, let's eat. We gotta prepare for the road ahead.”
Inukas.h.i.+ turned a bag upside down. Ham, apples and bread tumbled out.
”Let's have a banquet while we listen to the story s.h.i.+on The Great has got to tell. Sounds like an interesting one.”
Inukas.h.i.+'s eyes glittered from underneath his long bangs. His pink tongue flitted across his lips again and again.
”Maybe he'll tell us who Nezumi really is. This is bound to be interesting. In fact, I'm way more interested in this than a drama starring No. 6, to be honest.”
s.h.i.+on scooped up an apple.
”Nezumi, can you eat?”
”Ah, I haven't recovered to that point yet. I'm not hungry.”
”I figured as much. Aria, can you give him some glucose solution?”
”Understood. Understood. Commencing glucose transfusion.”
”I'd like a transfusion of wine,” Rikiga chimed in.
”You'll have to settle with grape juice. There were two bottles in the fridge.” Inukas.h.i.+ handed a bottle of reddish-purple liquid to Rikiga.
”Alright, s.h.i.+on. We're all ready. Spit out everything you know.” His pink tongue flitted across his lips again. s.h.i.+on peered at Nezumi, apple still in hand.
”Nezumi... is it alright?”
Nezumi inclined his head very slightly. He propped his knees up, and put his face down on his arms. He looked like he was either crying, or bearing a wind that was blowing against him.
s.h.i.+on took a bite of the apple. Its tart juice burst inside his mouth.
Inukas.h.i.+ and Rikiga leaned forward, Inukas.h.i.+ clutching a piece of bread and ham in each of his hands, and Rikiga gripping a bottle of grape juice.
The two had put their lives in the balance for s.h.i.+on and Nezumi. They had acted on s.h.i.+on and Nezumi's word with next to no knowledge of what they were doing. In other words, they had believed in the two boys. They had invested their lives into their belief. Telling them everything was the only way to match the leap of trust they took, and to answer to their dedication.
He knew Nezumi must feel the same.
s.h.i.+on began to speak.
I don't think I need to tell you about how No. 6 was created. Humankind tried to build a utopia once again on this planet, which was half destroyed by human hands.
Before No. 6 was born, this area was a miraculously preserved stretch of beautiful, abundant forest. I said miraculous, but this land―its forests, woods, and lakes― was actually meant to survive. Elyurias and the Forest People protected this realm. It was because of her that this land's wildlife was spared damage.
No one can explain who or what Elyurias is. Even the name Elyurias was given to her by a researcher. ―I met him, in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the Correctional Facility.
”Bas.e.m.e.nt of the Correctional Facility?” Rikiga choked on his juice and had a coughing fit. ”So there was a bas.e.m.e.nt in there, after all!”
”There was.”
”How about gold bullion? Was there gold bullion in there, s.h.i.+on?”
”Gold? No. There were people living underground. Back when the Correctional Facility wasn't such a brutal and vigilant incarceration facility, people who escaped but couldn't return above ground began to build their own underground world in secret. The leader of this group was called Rou.”
”...So there was no gold, after all.” Rikiga hunched over, clearly crestfallen. Inukas.h.i.+ guffawed, baring his teeth.
Rou was a member of a revival project team chosen to design and build No. 6 on this land. Before No. 6 was created, there used to be a small, pretty town at the edge of the forest. People who survived through the waste and decay lived modestly here in a tightly-knit community. This town was the mother of No. 6.
Bright young people were chosen from that town to form a team to build a utopian city.
”My town.” Rikiga drew himself up. ”That's the town I was born and raised in. It used to be called the Town of Roses―that's how beautiful it was. Karan also used to live there.”
”No one asked you, old man.” Inukas.h.i.+ bared his teeth even more. ”If you're not gonna shut up, I'll tear apart your throat for you.”
”I'd like to see you try. You can rip my throat out, but I'll still keep talking. Oh, yes, that revival project team. I heard about them. Back in those days, I was still a pimply youngster chasing after girls and blus.h.i.+ng at their ankles. They were holding some kind of selection exam to gather skilled young people from the science fields to make a brighter future for humankind. Yes, yes, I remember.”
Rikiga folded his arms and nodded enthusiastically.
”That was how No. 6 began. And not long after that, No. 6 was born as the sixth and best, most optimal utopian city. It grew at an astonis.h.i.+ng speed.”
”And before you knew it, you dropout failures were shoved outside the walls. Pity,” Inukas.h.i.+ said nastily.
”You should be the one keeping your mouth shut, Inukas.h.i.+. I'll yank out that long tongue of yours and turn it into mincemeat. In those days, I'd just become a journalist. The fact that the city-state was walling itself in, trying to build a barrier around itself, just seemed really shady to me. I wrote a whole slew of articles that talked about it. It was natural that I was thrown out of the city. It was around that time that No. 6 became more and more intolerant and domineering.”
It was precisely that.
No. 6 grew at a stunning rate. Its infrastructure, governing bodies and regulations were swiftly and skilfully laid out. In the midst of it all, Rou met Elyurias.
Rou himself wasn't able to define Elyurias well―was she a forest spirit? Or a species of animal unknown to humankind?
The only thing he knew for sure was that Elyurias existed long before the birth of humankind, protecting this land. The Forest People wors.h.i.+pped her, revered her, and lived in harmony with her.
”Right, so who are these 'forest people' that you keep talking about?”
”Will you shut up, old man? Can't you listen quietly for once? Geez.” Inukas.h.i.+ gave an exaggerated sigh.
s.h.i.+on turned and glanced at Nezumi slumped against the wall. His eyes were closed. His profile was beautiful, but it looked somewhat artificial.
”Glucose transfusion, 50% complete. 50% complete. Continuing transfusion.” Aria's eyes blinked green.
Nezumi said nothing. His eyes remained meditatively shut, his body perfectly still.
Continued in PART B.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. 156. (back)
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