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FluffandCrunch

Lilly Route: Conflict: 2-2: Rooftop Rumba

Nov 7th, 2013
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  1. We leave the track shed in disarray, junk flung everywhere inside and out, the pilfered cones and dodge balls under our arms. I have to take a break lugging them back halfway through the school, but me and Kenji hide in the shadow of a building and avoid detection. I don't see anyone or anything on the way and I'm starting to think the night guards I heard about don't actually exist.
  2.  
  3. Back on the roof, we set everything up, a long line of orange cones for a bowling lane. Kenji sets up my empty soda cans at the far end of the line, but not before adding a few to them by washing his mouth out, complaining about the taste of whatever it was he drank in the track shed the whole time. "How do women drink that stuff? Oh, man, it's sticking to the roof of my mouth! This is terrible! It's like a lemon fresh hell! I'm never drinking something like that again!"
  4. "Are you sure that was alcohol?"
  5. "Of course it was! What else could it possibly be?"
  6.  
  7. We finish setting up the game and take turns knocking over the cans with the dodge balls and taking hits from the bottle of Scotch. It's hard to get the balls rolling without bouncing them into the target, but after a few throws, with each of us exchanging the duty of pin setup, we get the hang of it.
  8.  
  9. We take turns going for strikes, taking drinks off the bottle as reward for good throws. We keep score using pretzels for counters and chips for wagers.
  10.  
  11. I'm actually having fun.
  12.  
  13. I don't know how long it is, but we keep talking about mindless topics and pointless stuff late into the night. Eventually we move away from the topic of feminism and evil societies towards more real world applications for which I'm grateful. Talking to Kenji about women is like talking to a theoretical physicist; everything he says makes sense only to him and gives me a glimpse into a scary world I don't want to be a part of. "Has summer been sucking as much for you as it is for me?" Kenji asks after I get a spare.
  14. "Well, it was. I'm going to spend some time with Lilly at Shizune's house."
  15. "Who?"
  16. "Shizune, she's the class president. She's Lilly's cousin."
  17. "Ahah! I knew it was all connected! That proves it! The student council has links to organized crime! You're my witness!"
  18. "For the last time, Kenji, my girlfriend is not in the mafia."
  19.  
  20. He waves me off, throwing the ball at the cans after I set them up again. "Dude, how do you know? Foreigners don't talk about that stuff with outsiders! They have a code of silence about the Family!"
  21. "I would know, believe me."
  22. "Not likely! If you knew, you'd be dead. Since you're alive, you don't know! You're not one of them! You're not of the blood. They don't like outsiders like us. Hey, if you're going to the student council president's house, you should keep an eye out for valuable intelligence. I could make use of that stuff."
  23. "I'll see what I can find, but I plan on spending most of my time with Lilly." I sigh, worry in my tone. "If I can."
  24. I throw the ball, missing entirely. It bounces several times and falls off the roof through the collapsed section of fence. "Damn it."
  25. "You throw like a girl. Don't worry, we got more. Why are you so down? What's eating at you?"
  26.  
  27. I shrug helplessly. "It's nothing really. I was supposed to spend the day with Lilly but we got sidetracked. We hardly spent any time alone. We haven't..." I stop talking, getting uncomfortable about the trailing topic.
  28. "What? You haven't what?" Kenji says, hurling and missing terribly with a new throw and a fresh ball.
  29. "We haven't... been alone," I eventually say. "You know. Like 'that' in a long time. She was upset about some stuff and got distracted."
  30.  
  31. Kenji blinks and his face lights up. "Oh! I get it! Yeah, that must be rough. Do what I do, occupy yourself with work. Idle hands, you know. Pick up something like woodcarving or sewing."
  32. "Sewing?"
  33. "Yeah, every man should know how to sew, it's a useful skill. He can take care of himself and he can throw off the chains of oppression that is the female dominated clothing industry. If not, you can borrow some comics I have. I've got a whole stack of them in my room." He glares at me. "No dick girls though; that propaganda is a tool of the feminist media!"
  34.  
  35. I shudder and retrieve the ball. "No, thanks, man. I appreciate it. It's not that big of a deal, I just miss her."
  36.  
  37. Kenji nods sagely. "I know that feeling."
  38. "You do?"
  39. "Of course! What do you take me for, a soulless abomination! I know loneliness! I know despair! You have no idea what I've been through! You may not believe me, but I had a girlfriend once!" He shakes his head sadly. "I miss her sometimes."
  40.  
  41. I'm floored, shocked and appalled all at once. I doubt Kenji's words at first but if I didn't know any better, I'd swear there was some genuine emotion in his voice. "I thought you hated woman!"
  42. He glares at me and takes the ball from my hands, swiping at it several times and missing. "Does your misogyny know no ends! I don't hate women, I hate feminists! Not all women are feminists, you jerk!"
  43.  
  44. He drops the ball suddenly. "Speaking of which, I made you something!" Kenji fishes out of his pocket a large disk and hands it to me. It's a red circle with the word 'Feminist' on it, a large cross out over the kanji. "What is this?" I ask.
  45.  
  46. "It's a pin for your girlfriend. Since you're so convinced she's clean, I decided to clear her status as a favor to you. Congratulation, she's no longer one of the enemy! This way she won't be shot on sight when the war begins! Just make sure she wears that at all times, I won't be blamed for what happens once the gender cleansing begins. If it's got lady parts, it gets shot on sight."
  47.  
  48. I pin the button to my jacket, feeling very official as I do. "Thanks, Kenji. I'll hold onto this. I appreciate it."
  49. "No problem, man." He glowers at me. "She's still in the mafia, though."
  50. I roll my eyes. "Tell me about this girlfriend of yours," I say, changing the subject.
  51.  
  52. Kenji blinks a few times, then focuses down the alley at the cans, his eyes trying to adjust. "Well... everything was great for a while. We had a lot of fun. We went on dates, we bowled like this, it was cool. I thought she was the one, man! I thought she wasn't evil! Then we had sex."
  53. "Was it bad?"
  54. "It was awful! I felt drained of all vitality! I'm convinced woman suck the life out of you through intercourse! Have you ever experienced that?"
  55.  
  56. I shake my head and tell him that I haven't. My heart may leave me pretty tired after that sort of stuff, and I'm no expert, but I remember my first time together with Lilly as being awkward and a little frightening, but pleasant and memorable.
  57. So was the second.
  58. ...and the third.
  59.  
  60. "There's been a couple times where I've had a heart flutter, but nothing like that. Are you sure you did it right?"
  61. Kenji harrumphs and throws the ball, nailing several cans. "Of course I did, I did everything just like in the comics! Lucky you, your girlfriend must not have soul draining capabilities. Just keep an eye on her, you never know when she might try and drain the life out of you through your dick!"
  62.  
  63. I shrug, grabbing the ball and handing it to Kenji, setting up cans as I do. "I don't think much of that will be happening. I don't think Lilly and I are going to have much time alone."
  64. "Why not?"
  65.  
  66. I really didn't want to talk about this, but now it's the only thing on my mind. "Lilly's dad is in the country and he doesn't like me."
  67.  
  68. Kenji goes to throw the ball but fumbles, hurling it off to the side as he topples to the ground screaming. "Her father? You mean... the Don!?"
  69. "What? The 'who'?"
  70. "The Don! The head of the Family, the leader of the mafia, man! Holy shit, you're dating the Don's daughter!? What the hell is wrong with you? You crazy sonofabitch! You madman, you madman!"
  71. "Dude, calm down! Mr. Satou isn't in the mafia either, what is wrong with you?"
  72.  
  73. "Oh yeah?" Kenji stands and dusts himself off. "Let me guess; he's a really big guy, wears a suit, drives in a fancy car, has lots of money, acts and talks like a foreigner?"
  74. I blink in confusion and Kenji's spot on description. "Well, yeah. And, uh," I hesitate.
  75. "What? What else?"
  76. "He carries this expensive cane around with him. Is that bad?"
  77. "Oh, shit! That's not good! That's like, his scepter, his sign of authority! You watch out, he may have a sword in there or a gun or something. What's his job?"
  78. I stammer a bit in alarm. I'm starting to get freaked out. "I think he's a lawyer."
  79. "A likely story, probably a cover! What better way to get around the law than practice it! Mark my words, Hisao, you're treading dangerous territory here!"
  80.  
  81. Normally I brush Kenji's theories away, but it's either my situation or the booze that makes me consider that what he's saying may have some truth to it. I really don't know anything about Lilly's family other than Akira and considering what happened earlier tonight between her father and I, I don't know how much of what Lilly says I can believe. Akira has never talked about her parents in a positive tone and she seems to have a very different opinion of them than Lilly does.
  82.  
  83. Not too mention they've always been very reluctant to discuss their family and their business....
  84.  
  85. Oh God.
  86.  
  87. I don't think Mr. Satou is into crime, but if someone was, I'd expect them to look and act like he does!
  88.  
  89. "Oh, man! You don't... you don't really think that, do you Kenji? That Lilly's dad is some sort of criminal mastermind, right? That... that can't be true,it can't be."
  90. "You bet your sweet ass it is, and you're the one feeling up his little girl!" Kenji shakes his head sadly and drunkenly. "It's been nice knowing you, man."
  91. "What do I do?"
  92. Kenji shrugs and throws his arms in the air. "Hell if I know."
  93. "Kenji, you have to help me!"
  94. He thinks for a while, scratching the stubble on his chin. "When is Lilly's birthday?"
  95.  
  96. I'm pretty proud that I don't have to think about it for very long, but I don't see what it has to do with anything. "February seventh, why?"
  97. "Well, you could ask him to spare your life on her birthday."
  98. "How would that work?"
  99. "On the occasion of his daughter's birthday, the Don always grants a wish! Like a genie or something."
  100. "I can't wait that long! I'm spending the whole summer with her and I don't know how long he's going to be here!"
  101. "You're running out of options, man! The only other way I can think is to join them!"
  102. "Join them?"
  103. "Yeah! Join the Mafia! Become a made man! But you're gonna have to do something for them."
  104. "Like what?"
  105.  
  106. Kenji thinks for a minute, finding the bottle of Scotch and taking a long drink from it. "Well, you're already banging his daughter, so you owe him."
  107. "Hey, watch it! That's my girlfriend you're talking about."
  108. "Sorry, just stating facts, you admitted it. You're in a relationship with the daughter of the Mafia head! You owe him! To become a made man, you need to join the Family. That means you may have to kill someone for them!"
  109. I panic, giving into my drunken alarm. "I don't want to kill anyone!"
  110. "You may not have a choice!" Kenji screams back at me. "If you don't they'll whack you! Kill you! Concrete shoes, man! Haven't you seen the movies!? You're going to wake up with a horse head in your bed or a dead fish in your mailbox! They'll have you kill someone to bind you in blood to them! Assassinate someone who's been bothering them, a thorn in their side!" He stops suddenly, clamming up.
  111. Kenji stares at me for a long time then glares menacingly in an inebriated manner behind his thick glasses. "If you come after me, I will end you."
  112.  
  113. I shake my head, putting my hands up defensively. "I'd never kill you, Kenji. We're... we're friends, right?"
  114. Kenji blinks and then slowly nods. "Yeah, yeah, I think we are. That's cool, man; I'd never kill you either, I promise."
  115.  
  116. He puts the bottle down and sits on the gravel floor of the roof, pointing at me with a shaky finger. "Still, you have a problem. This guy isn't going to let up until you get your hands off his precious little girl. You have to find something on him, something that could protect you! If not, you're going to have to commit murder so he'll trust you. Blood on your hands! Look on the bright side though; if you do and end up marrying his daughter, you're on the fast track to being the head of an international crime syndicate. You'd have power and prestige! Maybe even a bad ass nickname like, 'The Cutter', or 'Hisao The Brick! That would be cool, right?"
  117.  
  118. I slip down to the floor next to him and lean against the wall, feeling very dizzy all of a sudden. "I don't want to join the mafia...."
  119. "You ain't got a choice. You're gonna have to be a hard ass from now on. Don't back down, don't take shit! Someone talks back to you, you smack them! Someone comes after you with a knife, you come back at them with a gun!"
  120.  
  121. Kenji hands the bottle to me. Feeling mortified by my future, I drink the whole thing to the bottom. "This is terrible," I groan, glad I'm getting as drunk as I am.
  122. "It'll be cool, man. Just take it easy. Just don't forget the little guys like me when you make it big with your Italian ville in Sicily."
  123. "Lilly is Scottish."
  124. "Fine, London! Even worse! Do you know the shit that the Irish Republican Army does?"
  125. "I said Scottish."
  126. "Exactly! No one would suspect her of being a double-agent-mafia-terrorist!"
  127.  
  128. I groan and hang my head between my knees. This is not going the way I thought it would. I wanted to relax and forget about today, but that's all I can think about now and Kenji has filled my head with boozy thoughts.
  129.  
  130. Kenji shufflers over, staggers next to me and sits to my left, taking the bottle from my hand and drinking from it, despite it being empty. I doubt he realizes it. "It's cool, man. You'll figure it out. 'Every cloud has a silver something or other'; you'll get some spend time with your girl, that's worth something." He shakes his head remorsefully. "You're lucky, you have a lot of friends. People are always coming and going from your room and they all seem to like you. I'm a soldier, the solitary man, the lone wolf without a pack. You won't be around and it'll just be me against the feminist hoard!"
  131.  
  132. He looks up at the stars, slipping his glasses off and letting the night sky filter into his eyes. Even though it's dark out, I can see a dim flickering in his pupils, an unsettling stress and thinness to his face. He looks tired, weary and sleep deprived. "I hate my life," he grumbles.
  133. "It's getting late. You should get some rest," I tell him in way of compassion.
  134.  
  135. "Are you kidding? I can't sleep, there's no time! Do you know what happens while you sleep? Do you think being unconscious for most of the day is normal? The world keeps spinning, man, it never stops. There's only twenty-four hours in a day, and that's only if daylight savings time isn't on, stupid Americans. Did you know daylight savings time is a plot by the feminists to rob men an hour of sleep for half the year?"
  136. "I thought it was invented by farmers?"
  137. "Yeah, but it was the wives of those farmers who were feminists who made them change it! It's because they needed men to lose an hour of sleep to keep them off balance so they could attack us when we least expect. That's why I don't sleep at night, I'm keeping a watch out for all of you, and you guys are up during the day totally ignorant of the danger you're in! There's only twenty-four hours in a day," he repeats. He starts ticking them off his trembling fingers. "Twenty-four. They tell you to sleep eight hours a day, so that's sixteen left. Then you have to do stupid stuff like go the the bathroom and brush your teeth and take showers, walk to places and eat, so that's like, maybe, thirteen hours. Then you have jobs which are eight, leaving five hours. Five hours, man! Do you know what can happen in five hours!? I can't sleep, what if something goes down? What if there was an attack while I'm in dreamland? The pressure gets to me, I couldn't live with that kind of guilt, knowing I was safe in bed and someone got hurt because I wasn't around. I have to keep watch, I must remain vigilant, a silent guardian! I'm all alone with no one to back me up. I've got to do it on my own."
  138.  
  139. I bump him with my fist to his shoulder, feeling sorry for Kenji. He may be strange, but it's clear he's rather lonely. Being as weird and awkward as he is, he must not get along with other people. I guess me being his neighbor is the closest thing to a friends he's had in a long time. "Don't say that. I'm going to be gone for the rest of the summer, but we can still hang out when I get back. When school starts, we'll do this again. Not the, uh, vandalism and theft stuff, but just hang out on the roof, maybe have a drink, have another picnic together."
  140. Kenji blinks at me, his eyes small and dark. "You mean that, man?"
  141. I grin back at him. "Yeah, I do."
  142. Kenji smiles and replaces his glasses, settling them on his nose and wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "That's cool. It'll be nice not to be alone anymore. I've seen things you couldn't imagine. Truths that would haunt you for the rest of your life. Things and stuff that change you, gets inside your head and warps you, twists you into someone you don't recognize in the mirror, staring back at you with a mask of denial and shame! We all have our burdens to bear, I guess it'll be nice not to have to carry mine alone."
  143.  
  144. It's funny, but this whole moronic conversation reminds me of Lilly and myself. No one should have to go through their problems on their own, not even Kenji. It feels nice to be there for him, even if I don't know if I'm helping that much at all. Maybe just being there is enough, giving him someone to talk to. It must be lonely for him. The last few weeks alone at school have been awful for me without Lilly, what must it be like for him to go through that all the time? Those times he cornered me in the hall were probably the only human contact he gets. I feel bad for blowing him off before, if I had just a little more patience and tolerance, maybe he and I would have hit it off a lot sooner. I should have paid more attention to him, just like I should have done with Lilly. People express themselves and their trouble in different ways; Lilly kept silent, I avoided the issue and Kenji makes up wild stories to get attention.
  145.  
  146. I decide I'm going to try and be more accepting from now on. A little care goes a long way and I've already learned more about Kenji tonight than I ever did before. I took the time to listen and it paid off. Lilly was there for me and Hanako so I should be able to be there for Kenji if he needs it. It'll help him out and take my mind off of my own problems, if only for a little while.
  147.  
  148. I can't help but reflect on the absurdity of the moment. I have a necktie wrapped around my head, a sheet for a cape, track gloves and a button that declares I am not a feminist. Kenji looks equally ridiculous, but I find myself unconcerned with how stupid we must look.
  149.  
  150. I'm having fun.
  151.  
  152. I look up at the night sky, the stars high above. "Yeah, yeah, I guess it will be. Thanks for talking, Kenji. I don't feel much better, but this was fun."
  153.  
  154. He grins and talks through a mouthful of pretzels he shoves in his mouth. "Anytime, Hisao. What are friends for?"
  155. I pat Kenji on the shoulder in a brotherly manner. I may not understand him, but I think I made a new friend today, a friend I never knew I had all along.
  156.  
  157. We look up at the sky and at the majesty of the star filled heavens.
  158. "Hey, Hisao?"
  159. "Yeah, Kenji?"
  160. "Are you hitting on me?"
  161. "Uh, no."
  162. "Then get your hand off me, you queer."
  163. "Sorry."
  164.  
  165. ----------------------------------------
  166.  
  167. 2-3: http://pastebin.com/GGVKKmnJ
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