K (karanguni) wrote in 1931, @ 2008-04-23 14:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | translations |
1932: Epilogue Part 2
And we're done! Usual disclaimers, etc. \o/
At the Genoard household, Eve was at the dining table. In her hand was the piece of paper. She recalled her brother and Luck silently.
-- should I save Dallas-niisan just like this...? Would it be doing the right thing?
That was what she'd originally hoped to do – why did she feel swayed?
Would her bold actions bring pain to that man...?
Even if she did still want to save her brother?
What do do? What to do? I, I--
'Why so down? Go on, eat something. You'll feel better.' Eve turned towards the voice, only to see the Asian-looking man coming towards her with some dishes. 'I don't know what's got you worried, but why don't you go ahead and have your dinner first. People are happiest when they're eating.'
'Don't say such stupid and backward things!' said the Irishman next to him.
Even though she had no appetite, Eve couldn't help but take up her fork and knife upon smelling how wonderful the food tasted. '—oh! This is really good! As good as the food that Miss Katie cooked!'
'Katie? Who's Katie?' Feng asked the chamberlain and Samansa uncomprehendingly. Now that Eve had returned to her former, smiling self, the two of them had become similarly happy.
Seeing those around her, Eve was once again reminded how lucky she was. But her father and brother were no longer again; that was the hard truth. Thinking about them would not bring them back. But Dallas – Dallas was still alive.
What should I do? Eve thought as she ate.
What should she do? What could she do which could make both Dallas, Luck and the rest of the Gandors happy?
--ahh, I'm thinking only of happiness.
She thought of saving her brother right then. The more she thought about things, she needed to do what she could, for now.
Yes, she – she needed to become like those two people.
Like those two self-centred thieves who always thought of what they could do for the people around them, always thinking, always thinking – so that they would not hesitate afterwards, when it came down to actually doing what they did. By making other people's issues their own issues – they never let happiness escape.
As Eve thought about those two thieves, the worry in her heart faded.
As if she'd made up her own mind, she gripped the piece of paper tightly in her hand.
------------------
2002, August. Outskirts of New Jersey.
'Begg.'
Maiza said a name that he hadn't said in years, but there was no response from the other man. Begg was curled up, alone, in a corner of the room, as if he was caught up in some internal misery.
'It's been a good few decades since this all started... About thirty years ago, after Baltoro Runorata died, he's been like this. Didn't you know? That famous Mafioso of his generation.'
'I've only heard of the name.'
Baltoro Runorata. Even though Maiza hadn't interacted with him directly, he'd still heard of the famous man. He was Begg's boss, the one person his "old friend" had trusted. The last time Maiza'd seen Begg had been when Baltoro was still head of the Runorata organisation. For some reason, at that time, Begg adopted the view that the world was very hopeless, and so followed Baltoro's instructions to create a new drug.
Seeing how loyal Begg had been to Baltoro, Maiza had been concerned about what Begg would do after Baltoro died...
'Do you still remember me? Begg.' Maiza called out repeatedly to Begg, but the man's eyes remained unfocused.
'Who funds this hospital's drug and medical fees?' he asked the nurse on duty.
'It's a national charity. Oh, Genoard-san donated plenty of money as well, when he was still alive. But the drugs are only so effective, and they haven't been working very well on him.'
'I see...' Maiza didn't ask any further questions. He continued watching the man in the corner of the room.
'Always been like that. Doesn't respond to anything. ... How do you know the patient anyway?'
'We're old friends.'
'....'
The nurse didn't say anything. This man had lived for several decades without eating or drinking – to say that he was an "old friend" when the visitor here looked only about thirty years old...? But the FBI had already said "not to be concerned" about this particular patient. Who on earth was this man? The nurse wondered, vexed, but he said nothing.
Mazia walked into the room, but Begg still didn't respond. 'Right now, there've been drugs developed which are even better than the ones you cooked up. Those that make people happy, those that don't.... In the same small alleyways, the drugs that are being dealt are ten times as strong as yours. Even though they know there's an 80% chance of dying when they take them, there are still many people who are addicted. – humans are such strange creatures.'
Nothing Maiza did after that helped matters. He said many, many things to the man, but Begg's eyes showed no signs of response.
'Begg...'
Maiza slowly lifted his right hand, laying it gently on Begg's forehead.
If you wander eternally in darkness...
When Maiza's hand touched his head, Begg mumbled a few familiar names.
'... Czes... look at that...bilge... over there... look.. that ship... is going to America...'
As he listened to Begg's stuttering words, Maiza put his right hand down.
Begg – wherever he was – had cast himself back to happier times. He was with that boy who'd been on the ship with them, talking about their inspection of the ship's interior.
'I'll come again.' Maiza stood and prepared to leave, but at this time Begg suddenly spat out a few words—
'Thank you, Maiza – for not – eating – me.'
Seeing the nurse raise his head in alarm, Begg returned to his previous comatose state.
-- he didn't seem angry.
Maiza put on his hat, nodded his head, and left the hospital.
'How did it go?' Outside, a child of about ten was waiting for him.
'Oh, nothing much. He looked a bit tired, but he'll recover eventually one day.' That said, Maiza slipped into the driver's seat of his car. 'One day...'
Maiza said nothing more, and the boy got into the car as he started the engine. They drove towards a place they hadn't been in over ten years – New York.
------------------
Druggie.
1932, some day in January
Aaah, that feels good.
But there doesn't seem to be anything other than this.
What's missing? What. Must try to recall...
There isn't anything here. Everything is in my head.
In front of my eyes, everything is blending together. The sky the ground the forests the streets the day the night they're all blending together.
This is reality, I guess. My fingers have melted into each other, my palms, legs, waist, head, chest, bones, heart, everything around me is narrowing down to a point, everything that I can see, in myself. In my body, the entire world is in my body.
Even my eyeballs are melting together. Ah, ah, I think I can see every corner of this world. But now, now, what does the world look like?
I want to see things outside of the world inside my eyes.
I've already become one with the world. The world is mine.
There's nothing I don't know about this world.
Besides me, there is no one.
'-oy, Roy...'
Who's calling me?
Who. It doesn't matter who any more, I don't want to see, don't want to look. I am here, in this place. Ah, my world is bright. As if it wants to claw at my eyes, as if many hands are grabbing for me. Grabbing hands, don't come at me, ahh, the sound, the sound is drifting further away. Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop
'Roy... Roy...'
My body has sunk to the bottom of the sea. There is nothing else around, nothing, just this completely dark black world. If I don't float to the surface now it'll be too late. I'll drown. Closer and closer to the bright water's surface, the entire world erupting in light. The sky the ground the streets the day the night, all these familiar things are appearing before me. My memories are slowly coming back to me under that bright, bright light, my consciousness on the water's surface, heading towards the direction of the sound, fighting, fighting to break the water, swimming –
'Roy!'
Then I broke the surface of the water.
-----------------
When he woke, Roy found himself in a hospital room.
'Good, you're awake!'
'Edith.'
Looking around, it was a familiar hospital. It was the Fuleide (ed: I can't translate that name) Hospital in West Village. He'd been admitted here the one time he'd sustained a serious head wound. The doctor had gone overseas for some extended period, so operation had ceased before; who knew when it'd reopened.
There was a drunk old man and a man whose face and legs were wrapped in bandages on the beds around him.
'He looks good,' a doctor dressed in grey said. Yes, it was Fuleide. When had he hired that man next to him? He looked like some assistant.
'You always end up here when you overdose on drugs. We don't deal with drug cases, but when it comes to you, you always seem to end up admitted with some other dangerous injury.'
Following that, the assistant-type guy took up some instruments and started inspecting Roy's bandaged right hand. He didn't berate or lecture Roy about his drug use, and left the room immediately after he was done. The doctor was also like that.
Looking to his side, Roy found Edith watching him as if she wanted to say something.
'Thank you, Edith. All of this was my fault.'
Best to apologise first before getting cursed out by Edith for being an idiot.
'This is good... I thought you weren't going to wake up! Thank god!'
She didn't call me an idiot. That's a bit weird...
The both of them didn't know what to say after that. After a long, long silence, Edith seemed to think of something and spoke, finally broking the impasse.
'Oh! Right, right, the car—'
-- car? Oh, thinking about it. The car I stole when I grabbed the Runorata drugs. Looks like the police are going to drag me away no matter what happens now.
Roy felt the strength leave his limbs. But he'd already committed the crime, there was nothing for it.
Edith laughed. 'Relax. I've settled it.'
'Huh?'
'The Gandors have already repaid the owner. In other words, the police weren't notified. Everything's settled.'
Then Edith said something unexpected. 'Of course, this is just a loan! The Gandor's have only loaned you the money!'
'Ha? What? What?'
'With a very high interest rate. You've got to work hard in order to repay it. The Gandors are infamous for their interest rate policies!' Edith said before smiling quietly, touching Roy's face. 'You know that you've got to make up for what you've done wrong. Because I'm here to look after you, I'll do anything to help you. Once the Gandors have arranged to get you a job, you'll have to work at it diligently. Also, you have to apologise to the man who's car you stole.
-- damn it! I thought I'd finally escaped from the deathly grips of the Runorata family, who'd have guessed that I'd fall straight into the Gandor Family's hands immediately after! I can't run now, and if I want to continue with my drug habit, I'll need to pay off my debt to the Gandors as quickly as I can. Might as well do some honest work. I can't run now for sure.
Edith looks like she's guessed what I'm thinking. I'm well and truly in her hands now. After this, I'm afraid I may never be able to look her in the eye ever again. I've got a feeling about that. But there's nothing I can do now, I'll just do what I have to for now. Just for now.
... what's that strange feeling..? As if something's missing....
Could it be? Could I still be dreaming...?
Looking at Edith, Roy suddenly discovered that she looked different from before.
'Did you cut your hair?'
'Took you that long to notice? You idiot.'
After he heard that, he finally realised that he was really awake.
'It suits you. Yeah, it really suits you.'
Looks like he was a really lucky guy.