Post by Gjenrei on Oct 20, 2013 10:25:21 GMT
*The conversations are again, in Japanese, with subtitles.*
{The man in the mask sat on the floor, next to the table. Miyoko came over with two plates of food and sat. She placed one in front of him, and then dug into her own. Gjenrei didn't move right away, and she stopped to look at him.}
" Something wrong..? "
" ......No.. it's nothing. "
{Carefully he started to eat. She watched him a long moment. In truth, the scenario between them was one of mystery to most people. It unraveled as it should or so the universe thought, and the two agreed never to speak of it to others. That meant, that they never spoke of it to each other as well, even if they didn't agree not to.}
" Why did you come? "
" To see you, obviously.. "
" I mean to the door. "
" ..... "
" It's kind of insulting to think you didn't think I would notice all those times you came by just to stare at my door. "
" I was aware you noticed. I just didn't know what to say, so I left you be. "
" Did you think I had nothing to say to you? "
" I'd imagine if you did, I would have heard it sooner or later. People can rarely hold in anger as long as you did. "
" ..You know I wasn't angry with you. "
" Yes, I know. "
{There was a short silence, then she said, almost a whisper.}
" I've loved you since the moment I saw you.. "
" ...That.. I also know.. "
" Is that why you stay away? "
" ...Yes. "
" ...Don't.. "
{The last word was barely spoken, so close to being unheard. Gjenrei looked at her, and he thought she might start crying.}
" I can't stay. You know that.. "
{She didn't say anything for a long time. Then she cleared her throat and composed herself, she was Japanese, and she had a guest in her home.}
" Then, if you can't stay forever, please stay as long as you like. "
{He bowed customarily.}
" Thank you for your hospitality. "
---------------------
"In ages past, I beat her. A beating so terrible that a hemorrage in her right eye caused her permanent blindness in it. A mark she would carry forever, done by my hand. Her hatred drove her to me, drove her to take that abuse, to keep standing when she hurt so much."
" We need some help here.. "
" Oh my.. Nurse! I need a trauma room as soon as you can. Call the bank, we may need some transfusions down here. Get Dr. Shizue down here, I have a feeling I'll need her. "
" Yes, Doctor. "
{People scrambling. A man, with a broken and bleeding face, carrying an unconcious and bloody girl into the ER.}
" Can you tell me what happened? "
" A fight broke out. "
" How involved did she get? "
{The doctor did a once over with his light pen, checking for her pupil dialation, noting that her right eye was completely red from a hemmorage. He looked up at the man holding the girl, noting his solemn face.}
" Details later, right now, we need to take care of her. "
{A nurse came by with a gourney, and the man laid the girl atop it, and soon the team rushed off to perform emergency medicine. With her taken care of, another nurse grabbed the man by his arm.}
" Sir, we need to look at your wounds. "
" I'm fine, see to her. "
" But.. sir.. "
{The look he gave her showed he would brook no argument. She bowed politely, and stepped away, throwing a worried look over her shoulder. When the man stepped out of the hospital and onto the street, she grabbed the phone and dialed the emergency number.}
"It wasn't hard to track me down after that. I was, after all, something of a celebrity, and in the same tune, so was she."
-------------------------
" I'm going to kill you, you bastard! "
"That was the first thing she said to me, on the day we met."
" For my father, I'll have your head. "
{Miyoko dropped into a karate crouch, and the porcelin mask just stared at it, almost as if it was looking fondly at a lost puppy.}
" Do you even know what he did? Your mother.. a shell of a woman.. afraid of her own shadow, because of him. "
" He may have been a drunken asshole, but he was my father. And now, he cannot even move his legs at all! "
" He chose his own path. When you live with regret, you accept what comes your way as a form of punishment, so has it always been. I was not the reason, simply the tool. Nothing more. "
" I... I.. I don't care! Face me like a man, you coward! Demon! "
{The porcelin mask was in the process of turning away, and he stopped, turning back to face her. She flinched, but only a little, standing ready to face him.}
" This is not a path you wish to go down, that I assure you. However, I will not deny you what your heart tells you is right. If you desire vengeance, you may have it, at whatever cost it gives you. "
"She simply, would not, stay down.. for her heart was true."
----------------------------
"Too soon, it was over. She lay before me, a shell of her former self. Even through the pain, the broken body, the blood loss, she was trying to stand. Her heart was beating, strong and sure, even though her mind was trying to quit. I couldn't stand seeing any opponent like this, I picked her up, and carried her out of the alley."
" I.. I'll.. I'll kill you.. "
" I know, but rest now. "
" ..You.. you monster.. "
" Yes, I know, rest now. Save your strength. "
" ..I.. I love you.. Kurohito.. "
"Those were the last words she said to me, before passing out in my arms, on the day we met. Though her heart continued to beat on."
-----------------------
{It was early morning on Saturday, and Gjenrei stared out the window from behind his new mask. He had to leave soon, to make the first of many connections to get back to America, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry.}
" You go home now? "
" I must. "
" ...Can I come with you? "
{The man in the mask didn't speak, exhaling slowly.}
" I did not think you would allow me to. "
" ...One day, when I am a man worthy of the love of a maiden with a heart as pure as yours, then you can join me. "
" I'll wait forever for that day. "
{There was a long silence, then Gjenrei picked up his bag off the floor, and headed for the door.}
" I hope that day comes while we both still breathe. "
-------------
"Sins, Alex? Have you heard nothing I said? I thought perhaps you were a smarter man than most, but it seems once again you've open your mouth and proved me wrong. Let me lay it out straight for you.
A sin, is an action a man regrets committing, because afterwards he realizes that the reason he did it, wasn't what he really wanted. He traded a piece of his honor for something else, usually something material that ends up being completely irrelevant. Just think of how many times in your life that you've seen it, ignoring how many times you've done it.
Betraying a friend to win a match, or a title, or a woman.
Working for people you don't like, or don't agree with, for any of those same reasons.
Those are sins. When you look back on those, you regret that they happened. Hindsight tells you that if you could go back in time, you'd change the course of history, you would do something different the second time around.
Redemption, is just another form of that regret. Another way to try and erase all the things you don't want to think about. I understand the notion, and that's precisely why I don't stand here and rehash your history or my own to make a point. I live for the next moment, and I've refused to waste my time with regrets.
What I think about your life, your career, what you should do, does not matter. It doesn't matter to me, to you, or this match. The moment you allow me to make your decisions for you, is the day you stop being Alex Jones. The very fact that you had to tell me how big a deal you are, and how much your career has accomplished over the years, shows me that you, yourself, aren't even convinced it's real.
Are you trying to convince yourself of your own power, Alex? Or do you just like hearing somebody tell you that you're a good man?
A man should not need to justify his actions, but if people ask, I tell them the truth. I beat a young girl until she was near death, because she challenged me to a fight. Am I ashamed of that? No.
I treated her like an equal, a warrior who made a choice. How many around can say they have the strength to do the same? You can call it whatever, beating the weak or the helpless, but that girl had a heart much more pure and a thousand times stronger than anyone on this roster, myself included.
You think she'd be sitting there, contemplating what she would do? No. She'd already know.
You can say whatever you like Alex, mock me for what I do, how I approach things, but so far, the only one who seems to be indecisive. I didn't go to Japan for a life altering revelation, I went to see someone I don't deserve to know. I went to remember what her heart was like, the power it contained.
You spent all week not knowing what you're going to do. Crying into your cheerios because the people you've hurt before didn't immediately drop to their knees and forgive you for all your transgressions.
The trials you endured, the misdirection, the suspicion, these weren't for your friends benefit, they were for yours, to determine if you really were sincere. You still have a chance to prove that you are, or you could just waste the last few months for..
What, exactly?
Cable and I don't "follow" Spike. Our goals are similar, and while they are, he is not my enemy. Needing help to accomplish your goals isn't weakness, provided you can find the same type of warrior that's within you as the help.
So what kind of warrior are you?
A pure heart?
Or just a "big deal"..?
One is admirable, the other is a lot like what I've been doing the last five minutes..
Talking.
You decide."
{The man in the mask sat on the floor, next to the table. Miyoko came over with two plates of food and sat. She placed one in front of him, and then dug into her own. Gjenrei didn't move right away, and she stopped to look at him.}
" Something wrong..? "
" ......No.. it's nothing. "
{Carefully he started to eat. She watched him a long moment. In truth, the scenario between them was one of mystery to most people. It unraveled as it should or so the universe thought, and the two agreed never to speak of it to others. That meant, that they never spoke of it to each other as well, even if they didn't agree not to.}
" Why did you come? "
" To see you, obviously.. "
" I mean to the door. "
" ..... "
" It's kind of insulting to think you didn't think I would notice all those times you came by just to stare at my door. "
" I was aware you noticed. I just didn't know what to say, so I left you be. "
" Did you think I had nothing to say to you? "
" I'd imagine if you did, I would have heard it sooner or later. People can rarely hold in anger as long as you did. "
" ..You know I wasn't angry with you. "
" Yes, I know. "
{There was a short silence, then she said, almost a whisper.}
" I've loved you since the moment I saw you.. "
" ...That.. I also know.. "
" Is that why you stay away? "
" ...Yes. "
" ...Don't.. "
{The last word was barely spoken, so close to being unheard. Gjenrei looked at her, and he thought she might start crying.}
" I can't stay. You know that.. "
{She didn't say anything for a long time. Then she cleared her throat and composed herself, she was Japanese, and she had a guest in her home.}
" Then, if you can't stay forever, please stay as long as you like. "
{He bowed customarily.}
" Thank you for your hospitality. "
---------------------
"In ages past, I beat her. A beating so terrible that a hemorrage in her right eye caused her permanent blindness in it. A mark she would carry forever, done by my hand. Her hatred drove her to me, drove her to take that abuse, to keep standing when she hurt so much."
" We need some help here.. "
" Oh my.. Nurse! I need a trauma room as soon as you can. Call the bank, we may need some transfusions down here. Get Dr. Shizue down here, I have a feeling I'll need her. "
" Yes, Doctor. "
{People scrambling. A man, with a broken and bleeding face, carrying an unconcious and bloody girl into the ER.}
" Can you tell me what happened? "
" A fight broke out. "
" How involved did she get? "
{The doctor did a once over with his light pen, checking for her pupil dialation, noting that her right eye was completely red from a hemmorage. He looked up at the man holding the girl, noting his solemn face.}
" Details later, right now, we need to take care of her. "
{A nurse came by with a gourney, and the man laid the girl atop it, and soon the team rushed off to perform emergency medicine. With her taken care of, another nurse grabbed the man by his arm.}
" Sir, we need to look at your wounds. "
" I'm fine, see to her. "
" But.. sir.. "
{The look he gave her showed he would brook no argument. She bowed politely, and stepped away, throwing a worried look over her shoulder. When the man stepped out of the hospital and onto the street, she grabbed the phone and dialed the emergency number.}
"It wasn't hard to track me down after that. I was, after all, something of a celebrity, and in the same tune, so was she."
-------------------------
" I'm going to kill you, you bastard! "
"That was the first thing she said to me, on the day we met."
" For my father, I'll have your head. "
{Miyoko dropped into a karate crouch, and the porcelin mask just stared at it, almost as if it was looking fondly at a lost puppy.}
" Do you even know what he did? Your mother.. a shell of a woman.. afraid of her own shadow, because of him. "
" He may have been a drunken asshole, but he was my father. And now, he cannot even move his legs at all! "
" He chose his own path. When you live with regret, you accept what comes your way as a form of punishment, so has it always been. I was not the reason, simply the tool. Nothing more. "
" I... I.. I don't care! Face me like a man, you coward! Demon! "
{The porcelin mask was in the process of turning away, and he stopped, turning back to face her. She flinched, but only a little, standing ready to face him.}
" This is not a path you wish to go down, that I assure you. However, I will not deny you what your heart tells you is right. If you desire vengeance, you may have it, at whatever cost it gives you. "
"She simply, would not, stay down.. for her heart was true."
----------------------------
"Too soon, it was over. She lay before me, a shell of her former self. Even through the pain, the broken body, the blood loss, she was trying to stand. Her heart was beating, strong and sure, even though her mind was trying to quit. I couldn't stand seeing any opponent like this, I picked her up, and carried her out of the alley."
" I.. I'll.. I'll kill you.. "
" I know, but rest now. "
" ..You.. you monster.. "
" Yes, I know, rest now. Save your strength. "
" ..I.. I love you.. Kurohito.. "
"Those were the last words she said to me, before passing out in my arms, on the day we met. Though her heart continued to beat on."
-----------------------
{It was early morning on Saturday, and Gjenrei stared out the window from behind his new mask. He had to leave soon, to make the first of many connections to get back to America, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry.}
" You go home now? "
" I must. "
" ...Can I come with you? "
{The man in the mask didn't speak, exhaling slowly.}
" I did not think you would allow me to. "
" ...One day, when I am a man worthy of the love of a maiden with a heart as pure as yours, then you can join me. "
" I'll wait forever for that day. "
{There was a long silence, then Gjenrei picked up his bag off the floor, and headed for the door.}
" I hope that day comes while we both still breathe. "
-------------
"Sins, Alex? Have you heard nothing I said? I thought perhaps you were a smarter man than most, but it seems once again you've open your mouth and proved me wrong. Let me lay it out straight for you.
A sin, is an action a man regrets committing, because afterwards he realizes that the reason he did it, wasn't what he really wanted. He traded a piece of his honor for something else, usually something material that ends up being completely irrelevant. Just think of how many times in your life that you've seen it, ignoring how many times you've done it.
Betraying a friend to win a match, or a title, or a woman.
Working for people you don't like, or don't agree with, for any of those same reasons.
Those are sins. When you look back on those, you regret that they happened. Hindsight tells you that if you could go back in time, you'd change the course of history, you would do something different the second time around.
Redemption, is just another form of that regret. Another way to try and erase all the things you don't want to think about. I understand the notion, and that's precisely why I don't stand here and rehash your history or my own to make a point. I live for the next moment, and I've refused to waste my time with regrets.
What I think about your life, your career, what you should do, does not matter. It doesn't matter to me, to you, or this match. The moment you allow me to make your decisions for you, is the day you stop being Alex Jones. The very fact that you had to tell me how big a deal you are, and how much your career has accomplished over the years, shows me that you, yourself, aren't even convinced it's real.
Are you trying to convince yourself of your own power, Alex? Or do you just like hearing somebody tell you that you're a good man?
A man should not need to justify his actions, but if people ask, I tell them the truth. I beat a young girl until she was near death, because she challenged me to a fight. Am I ashamed of that? No.
I treated her like an equal, a warrior who made a choice. How many around can say they have the strength to do the same? You can call it whatever, beating the weak or the helpless, but that girl had a heart much more pure and a thousand times stronger than anyone on this roster, myself included.
You think she'd be sitting there, contemplating what she would do? No. She'd already know.
You can say whatever you like Alex, mock me for what I do, how I approach things, but so far, the only one who seems to be indecisive. I didn't go to Japan for a life altering revelation, I went to see someone I don't deserve to know. I went to remember what her heart was like, the power it contained.
You spent all week not knowing what you're going to do. Crying into your cheerios because the people you've hurt before didn't immediately drop to their knees and forgive you for all your transgressions.
The trials you endured, the misdirection, the suspicion, these weren't for your friends benefit, they were for yours, to determine if you really were sincere. You still have a chance to prove that you are, or you could just waste the last few months for..
What, exactly?
Cable and I don't "follow" Spike. Our goals are similar, and while they are, he is not my enemy. Needing help to accomplish your goals isn't weakness, provided you can find the same type of warrior that's within you as the help.
So what kind of warrior are you?
A pure heart?
Or just a "big deal"..?
One is admirable, the other is a lot like what I've been doing the last five minutes..
Talking.
You decide."
Well howdy there pardner.