Kanpai

>Kris is spending the night at Susie's and her family is over
>He'd been trying to learn Japanese to please Susie's grandfather, but he could only say a few words
>Nothing he could live by
>After Susie falls asleep on the couch Kris goes into the kitchen to see what he can scrounge up for himself
>The smell of ponzu sauce and pork dumplings waft into his nose
>Her grandfather is sitting alone, eating potstickers and drinking sake
>He sees his old drinking/acting buddy in Kris and wishes to speak with his friend's reincarnation once more
>At least, that's what he liked to believe
>For the first time, Kris hears him speak actual english
>"Come. Drink."
>It was heavily accented, but still understandable
>Kris was still a minor, but he wasn't about to deny a chance to speak with Susie's grandfather
>So many stories that have gone unheard due to him speaking in a different language
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>Kris sits across from Grandpa Goji
>The elder monster pours him a glass of sake
>Kris holds it and takes a sip
>Begins coughing as he swallows it
>Goji laughs and pours himself a cup
>"Takes a while to get used to, but you learn to like it."
>Kris chuckles and coughs as the sake finally makes its way down his throat
>The duo sit in silence for a few minutes silently drinking
>Finally, Goji speaks up
>"It has been a long time since I did this."
>Kris asks him what he means
>"Talking to a human. Of course, back in Japan I speak with them all the time but to actually have a peaceful moment like this is so rare in the hustle and bustle of the business."
>Grandpa Goji sighs and smiles
>"It reminds me of older times..."
>Kris asks him what it was like living back then.
>The old monster's smile fades and his face becomes more solemn
>"Back before, humans and monsters were not as close as they are now. They didn't understand us, and what they did not understand they feared and hated. We were demeaned, made secondary class, and given the jobs humans did not want."
>"I had always wanted to become an actor, to star in big pictures. But that was not something a monster could do. It was a human's profession. That is, I thought it was until I met Eiji."
>Grandpa Goji's smile returns at the memory of his old friend
>"Eiji was the only person back then who treated me like a person and not just a lowly street animal. He was a director at one of the biggest studios in Japan. He befriended me and managed to secure me a job as a background extra in a few of the bigger productions. It wasn't great money, but it was definitely a claw in the door to getting a bigger role."
>Kris hadn't touched his sake since his first sip, he was too engrossed in Goji's story
>Also he really didn't want to puke in front of Susie's grandfather
>Grandpa Goji had finished off the dumplings and put the sake away for now
>"One day, Eiji decided to pitch to the studio a drama about a monster. Now, this wasn't something out of the ordinary; the studio had been producing movies with monster characters for a while now, but anything central was portrayed by humans in rubber suits."
>Goji shuddered at the thought of the horribly offensive costumes
>"Eiji didn't want that. He wanted a monster in the starring role. The first of its kind."
>"At first, the studio laughed at him, but he was serious. The producers eventually decided that the novelty and controversy could potentially make the movie a hit, so they agreed."
>Kris interrupts the story and says that he thinks he knows where it's going
>Goji silently laughs and pours another round of sake for the two
>"The movie was a success, but it came at a heavy cost. Eiji was blacklisted from most studios. Once he had dozens of proposals and deals from other companies, but now he was down to one. Despite my breakout performance, I became hated and vilified by the general public. Many people spit in my face and I was involved in my fair share of street fights. I grew increasingly resentful towards humans, I am ashamed to say."
>Kris winced at this and Goji slowly nodded his head
>"I was in a dark place. I did not trust any human, not even Eiji. Scripts for newer movies were sent to me, but I never responded. I began drinking heavily. I never left my apartment."
>Tears began welling in Goji's eyes. He wiped them away with his wrist and cleared his throat.
>"One day, Eiji stopped by to check up on me. I reluctantly let him in and he had a stack of newspapers with him. He began telling me how much of an impact I had made on not just his career but the entire Japanese film industry as a whole. He showed me one of the papers, the headline talked about the company's increasing number of monster-starring films and the massive success they generated. Eiji's name was attached to every single one."
>"He gave me another, this one talking about a monster rights march in Osaka. Another talked about a new anti-discrimination legislation. The photo featured a red monster with a sash around its shoulder...and Eiji, standing at his side."
>"I felt devastated with how I treated my only friend. I apologized profusely but Eiji would not have any of it. He looked me straight in the eyes and told me that I didn't owe him anything, that he was proud to call himself my friend, even in my darkest times. He told me that I was a hero to all monsters in Japan and that what I had done with my one film had changed the course of history. He stood up to leave, turned back and threw another paper at me. This time, it was a script for a new movie. I looked at him and nodded."
>"Unfortunately, that was the last I ever saw of Eiji. Two days later, he was found in an alleyway about a mile from my apartment with gunshot wounds in his back. The victim of a Yakuza hit."
>Kris' face immediately turned pale thinking about the incident
>Goji sighed as more tears began appearing. He did not wipe them away, this time letting them fall freely.
>"From that point on, I dedicated my entire career to Eiji and what he had done for our kind. There wasn't a kinder soul in all of Japan and there still has not been one since his death. Eiji was someone who could truly see the good in any person, no matter their species. He gave everyone a chance, human and monster."
>Goji turned to Kris and smiled warmly at him
>"When I look at you Kris, I see that same warmth I saw in Eiji so many years ago. My granddaughter grew up in a troubled home with a troubled childhood. My daughter tried her best to keep things going after her husband's passing but she could tell it was having an adverse effect on Susie. She became bitter, much like I was. It pained me to see her go through the same emotional turmoil that I once went through."
>"So when I came to visit this past summer and saw her smiling for the first time in years, I knew she had met her Eiji."
>Kris smiled at this compliment. Indeed, since their journey to the Dark World, Susie had been a much happier person. She still had her tough girl persona to keep up at school, but she was certainly less hateful towards other students and had actually tried getting better at her studies. She and Kris hung out almost every day after school and nearly all hours of the weekend. They were inseperable. To Kris' knowledge, there hadn't been a moment since that fateful day where Susie wasn't smiling.
>Goji raised his glass of sake
>"Kanpai, Kris."
>Kris raised his glass and asked what the phrase meant.
>"In Japan, it's a way of toasting someone and saying 'good luck'. I am proud to have shared this story with you and I hope you will continue making my granddaughter a lively and happier person. Arigatou, Kris."
>They clink their glasses together and down their sake.
>"...And I hope you two will give me plenty of grandchildren in the future!"
>Kris gagged and sputtered, spilling sake everywhere.
>Grandpa Goji laughed heartily