“Ehhh? Come on fellas? Why are you wearing suits? We aren’t trying to sell chocolate factories here? You know very well no matter how we mask our intentions, we’re just delinquents in the end!”
“Shut your mouth lunatic! Moru, you may try starting up your own family but your attitude shows your immaturity, you’ll all die.”
“Oh? Is that so… because I’m ready to do whatever it takes to protect them.” His eyes glint with rage and everyone quickly backs away for caution. “What’s goin on guys? Why are you moving away?”
He glances to his left seeing a bit of space and a tall metal fence in front of some thick bushes. To his right is the back entrance to a quiet ramen shop, and an old man fearfully standing beside the conflict and blocking the door.
“Moru!” The old man shouts. “I.. I…”
“Hm?” His comedic atmosphere fades as his expression shifts to his intensity.
He cracks his neck and pulls a metal bat off of his back.
“Its fine Mr.Motogushi, I understand.” His deep voice shows the five men in front of him how serious he is.
“How are you always so confident! Jackass! You piss me off so damn much!” One of the men rushes forwards with a knife and Moru swings his bat in defense, missing the man, leaving an opening for the knife to swipe just barely past his arm.
“Ghck-”
Crack..
Moru’s knee smashes into the mans ribs as he tries to get past Moru to leave him surrounded.
“Eh? Whats the matter? Its only a few ribs, you take lives for a living and you’re scared of a little pain?”
“You.. I’m gonna-”
Dng~...
The metal bat swings into the back of his skull, knocking the man unconscious.
Moru glares back up to the rest of them and four of them rush forwards, two of them receive swift blows to the heads leaving them to no longer be threats.
“Mm?”
One of them charges down low, dodging the swing of his bat. Moru watches the knife jab towards him and uses a hand to stop their wrist, giving it a twist with a horrid cracking sound. Moru finishes him with a blow to the head but quickly looks up and his eyebrows furrow.
Tsk.. the other is behind me, he’s being cautious. The last one has a gun pointed at the owner, meaning they clearly don’t want me dead yet. Their real goal is likely Zimba.
“Well- Ksh!” With an explosive strength he throws the bat straight to the man with the gun, discarding Moru’s only external weapon.
“Moru if you want!-”
Crrck-...
They begin to fall to the ground in front of the old man as Moru holds up his arm, preparing for a jolt of pain.
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“Gah-!.. Ohg..” He winces.
He shakes off the pain as his body twists and he throws a fierce kick to his attacker's skull. They watch his heel swing around towards their face and hope drains out of them after noticing how close it suddenly is.
“Khh.. sh.. Kh… Gah!..”
He tries handling the pain, stumbling to his side and pushing his body against the tall metal fence for support.
“Sir-.. kh!.. Agh.. are you safe?” Moru shouts, holding his arm and feeling a throbbing pain burst through it.
“Y-yes Mr.Moru! You… saved me, I can never repay you! Thank you! Thank you so much…”
As Moru hides his ragged breaths he tosses up a wincing thumbs up.
“No problem sir.. Your daughter was with you today, right? Is she safe? Did I get here on time?”
“You did.. I’m so grateful…” The old man rushes over to help Moru but he stands tall.
“Its fine Mr.Motogushi, your safety is all I want. Next time, if I come here with a little girl, give her food a discount, k?”
It hurts.. A lot.. Its fine, I’m fine!
He smiles charmingly and holds the old mans hand.
“Get back to work, k? Wouldn’t want to lose business because of these guys. I’ll make sure to deal with them.”
“I can pay you for your trouble if that’s alright!”
“No… our unnamed family, we’re no criminals, we aren't here to take from you, we’re here to get paid the normal amount for protecting your business, just- kh.. So we can live. They’re my family after all, I can’t let them starve? Nor can I let you.”
The old man's heart wavers as he looks up proudly. “Hmh.. you take them in, give them a home, and protect them. Your compassion will be the death of you someday you know?”
“Hahaha… I know that.” Moru smiles just as a father would. “Anyways, farewell Mr.Motogushi. Say hi to little Shiki for me, k?”
The old man bows with a thankful sigh.
They both wave to each other as he walks away and Motogushi returns to work.
…
Chirping birds echo through the melancholy sky, one free of chains that hold people from grasping a handful of life's light.
“Hmm~ Hmm… hm~! Hm-hmm~ hm~....” He feels his chest softly vibrate with his hums, as if a violin is being played, and his body is a concert hall. “Hmmm~... Hm..”
It sounds lovely, it’d be nice if I had a song to sing rather than just humming.
He sits quietly on a bench, looking up to the view of the sky peaking between the buildings that distantly surround him.
“Hhh… what an idiotic world. We’re all just thugs, fighting due to a difference in perspectives.. None of us are wrong, none of us are right, there’s purpose to our fights yet we could avoid them if we simply cared a little more… Goji… Zimba.. Hotura… Gorou.. Tsh- Somba.. People fight such unfortunate and gruesome nightmares just because that’s the way things are.. I wish we didn’t have to fight, I wish I could give them all a home, a family, safe lives where they could smile freely.”
His eyes glint with desire, with impatience, with passion, the shimmer in their deep orange flicker like embers in the abyss.
“Hahaha.. Hahahah!... I guess humans are pretty stupid huh? I want us to have hearts of compassion, so all of them, even without me some day, can understand the one lesson I can’t simply tell them.. ‘The rainclouds will never chill my bones, as long as my heart warms me.’ Eh?..”
A smile slowly grows on his lips after he rubs the short bristly hair on his chin.
“Warm huh? That’s what Somba said.. Two hearts… what a strange girl.” The sunlight flickers between his fingers, blurring the rest of the canvas painted clouds on the horizon.
An entrancing view, one so gorgeous you can only appreciate it in the moment, knowing this specific light only shines in this place, in this way, once.
“Demons.. We’re the Moonlight Demons. Hah.. hahahah! We needed a name! Its perfect! Oish-” He makes a sound as he stands from the bench. “Guess it's time to go home. To my family.”
. . .