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“People speak sometimes about the ‘bestial’ cruelty of many, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts; no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.”
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky
If you accused Ryuji Goda of going to the pet store to look at cute animals, he would adamantly deny any such thing before returning his gaze back to where a group of sleeping puppies lay, waiting for the day they were adopted. No one would believe if you told, anyway—thee Ryuji Goda, who was only twelve but already looked like a teenager, wandering around a pet store cooing at cute animals? Not a chance. He was more likely off stealing bontans or shooting glares at pesky adults standing in his way.
Ryuji reasoned with himself as he walked around Paco’s Pet Store, knowing his classmates didn’t make habits of sneaking around this area of Kansai. Even if someone did see him petting a small orange kitten and talking to it softly, so what? Ryuji could just threaten them not to tell. They would listen because other kids always listened; it was hard to not obey the tall, blonde boy when his voice already sounded like it had been through puberty twice. These reasonings allowed Ryuji to relax a little as he strolled around the pet shop, paying special attention to each lonesome cat and rodent and dog he could find.
There were many different pets to choose from, all the way from snakes and fish, hamsters and gerbils to kittens and puppies. Not that Ryuji was picking one out for himself—he would love a pet of his own, but father didn’t allow them. They were even messier than pre-teen boys, apparently. Ryuji tried not to think about it as he gently ran his hand over a white and grey sheepdog puppy sleeping at the window display; after checking that nobody in the shop was listening, the twelve-year-old whispered to the animal quietly.
“Ya like lying in the sun, don’t ya?” He asked, large fingers getting tangled in the puppy’s long fur. “Yeah…yer gonna find a nice home real soon. Bet ya’d like a big farm to run around on, eh?”
The lazy puppy rolled over in its sleep, exposing its belly to the world and allowing Ryuji to rub it tenderly.
“Ha. Wish I could laze ‘round all day…but that’s too boring. Ya probably like it, though.” The sheepdog made a sleepy noise, yawning loudly before plopping back onto its side and resuming its peaceful nap. “I hear ya.”
Ryuji briefly glanced at the clock, figuring he had to get back home before his dad’s subordinates started worrying about him. He always thought about putting a puppy inside his jacket and running for his life, but knew Jin Goda would make him bring it back. Ryuji didn’t want to emotionally scar any puppy like that, and so shoved his hands inside his pockets and left the pet store without incident.
Stupid Dad, he thought bitterly, kicking at a rock. Why doesn’t he let me have a damn dog? I’d take care of the thing. I ain’t so lazy that I won’t take care of them…why can’t I have one like the other kids?
Rotten bastard.
“Oh, Ryuji-kun—hi!”
Ryuji glanced up to see that he had almost run over one of his classmates, the boy who always wore a red hoodie and red sneakers. There was something different about him today, however, not in fashion, but in the blue bird calmly perched on his shoulder. It blinked at Ryuji silently, as if sizing the other human up from his pedestal.
“Oi, Yuta,” He nodded stiffly. “Whatcha got there?”
“This is my new bird, Petri!” Yuta explained, affectionately stroking the bird’s velvety feathers. “I don’t like when he’s cooped-up in his cage all day while I’m at school, so I thought I’d take him for a walk outside.”
“Won’t he fly away?”
“No way! Petri loves sitting on my arm as we walk—don’t ya, Petri?”
On command, the blue bird ruffled its feathers in total agreement, making Ryuji’s lips twitch just a little. When the bigger boy’s hand reached out, Yuta thought he was going to pummel him, but all he did was press a fingertip against Petri’s wing, feeling the soft texture and bone beneath. Birds wouldn’t be Ryuji’s first pick of pet (he preferred dogs for their sturdiness and fluffy fur), but he thought it was cool, how they were so loyal to their masters even when they could just fly away and be free. Yuta stayed just as still as his bird until Ryuji pulled his hand away and shoved it back into a pocket.
“See? Isn’t he so cool?” Yuta grinned up at him. “I’ve only had him a week, but he already knows a lot of tricks.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah!”
It was just the slightest glance, but Ryuji saw two men in fine suits and nasty faces creeping around the street corner; men sent by his father, most likely. Suddenly feeling intruded on, Ryuji’s shoulders tightened up, and he hid all traces of humor from his expression. Sometimes he really envied his normal classmates who had regular lives with blue-collar parents, got to have pet birds, walk around town on their own without someone hanging over their shoulder every minute.
“I gotta get going.”
“Oh—okay,” Yuta nodded, his bird mimicking the movement. “See you at school tomorrow!”
“Sure.”
The boys went their separate ways, Ryuji doing his best to out-run the men watching him, just for kicks. He beat them to the “family house” in record time, slowing his pace and looking drearily up at the fancy building—it was empty when the teen entered, save for the maids and bodyguards tip-toeing around him like a glass statue. That never changed, no matter how old Ryuji got. The cold greeting of low bows and murmured, cautious words fit the uncomfortable atmosphere of the supposed “home” Jin was raising his son in.
What Ryuji wouldn’t give to have a cat or dog, or even a bird, like Yuta had, around to happily greet him when he walked through the front door.
***
The following day, Ryuji was still feeling down about not having a pet of his own, and hurried to the pet store after school got out. A few cats had been bought, some hamsters missing, plenty of fish to go around, still; today Ryuji was most interested in the snakes, wondering how bad-ass it would be to tell people you owned a snake. They were mostly bland colors, greens and browns, but there were a few with bright yellow stripes and creepy, golden eyes staring back at Ryuji through the glass. Ironically, the rodents were placed next to their exhibit, running around restlessly as if they knew a predator was watching their every move.
Although Ryuji spent more time with the reptiles on this particular visit, he always ended-up back at the puppy section, specifically the sheepdog puppies that did not yet have homes. There were four in total, and all but one were busy playing with each other and rolling around in the woodchips—the same one that had been bathing in the sun yesterday recognized Ryuji, jumping up against the crate with its tail wagging wildly. That was the best greeting the blonde boy had received in a long time.
“Hey, little fella,” Ryuji petted it playfully. “Yer awake today, haw?”
“Woooof!” The puppy responded.
“Haha—that was pretty powerful. Have ya been practicing yer bark?”
After bonding with the sheepdog for so long, Ryuji was seriously considering stealing it as he exited the shop, pondering how he could get away with kidnapping a big, fluffy puppy. It wouldn’t fit in his backpack, but maybe if he hid it inside his jacket…
Dad would make me bring it back, though, Ryuji frowned in displeasure. Jackass. I can have a dog if I want! Maybe I’ll buy it as a present for him, and when he doesn’t want it, I’ll get to keep it at the house. What would be a good name? Hmm…something super bad-ass and dangerous. Rambo? Ryuji and Rambo?
As Ryuji Goda was walking, he happened to pass an alleyway and heard a strange noise that interrupted his dog naming process. Someone was crying, and not just the sniffling, pitiful crying Ryuji heard after beating people up. Normally the teen didn’t get involved with Kansai citizens unless they were selling meat, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to check, just in case some poor lady was seriously injured or something. Ryuji backed up a few steps, narrowing his eyes to see who was standing in the alleyway, shocked when he recognized one of his classmates. The hell was that little punk doing, staring at the ground and crying?
“Oi, Yuta!” Ryuji hollered. It was definitely loud enough for the boy to hear, but he just kept standing there, sobbing, so Ryuji jogged down the alley to confront him. “Why’re you…”
When Ryuji came onto the scene, all words died in his throat; his feet came to a startling halt just before he accidentally ran over the small blue object lying on the path below. The teen’s mundane evening suddenly took a dramatic turn as his eyes widened in shock at the dead bird on the ground, looking anything but peaceful with one wing spread out, bright feathers covered in dirt. There was something especially disturbing about the scene to Ryuji, who could only stand there and stare for a long, painful moment.
It was Petri, Yuta’s beloved pet bird.
“What…What happened?” Ryuji asked, horror filling his low tone.
“T-They br-oke h-his neck!” Yuta wailed, barely able to speak with how hard he was breathing. Hot tears were still streaming down both of his cheeks, red from exertion and adrenaline.
“Haw?! Who did?!”
“I-It…two boys, o-ne with—w-with a golden chain, a-nd the other with a backwards hat…they said they wanted to pet him, b-but then they—!”
Yuta couldn’t finish his explanation, covering his face as another wave of sobs overwhelmed him. Ryuji didn’t move to comfort him, eyes still glued to the eerie scene below them; seeing animals killed was entirely different than seeing humans killed. It was way worse, in Ryuji’s opinion, because animals didn’t beg for their lives—they didn’t cheat or steal or lie, yet somehow Petri had ended-up lying in some alleyway like discarded trash. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t holy. Pets deserved to be buried by the people they lived for, the owners they loved.
Ryuji was still thinking that when he bent down and carefully grabbed Petri’s dead body, wrapping it up in a tissue from his pocket. Yuta only reopened his puffy eyes when Ryuji held his deceased pet out to him.
“Go home,” He instructed firmly. “I’ll take care of those bastards.”
Yuta nodded sadly, cradling the bird close to his chest as he exited the alleyway, sniffling every few steps. Ryuji gathered himself for a minute before following him out—the punk teens who did this couldn’t be far. They were probably wandering the area looking for more trouble. Paying no attention to his own safety, Ryuji began scouring Kansai, glancing into every shop and opening boys liked to hang-out at. No one bothered him (because who would bother a frighteningly tall pre-teen boy who looked ready to kill?), no one stopped and asked who he was looking for. Ryuji was on a mission, and he wasn’t going to stop until he accomplished what he set out to do.
Finally, around five p.m., as Ryuji made his way through the red light district, he found two boys who matched the description Yuta gave. The two morons were hanging around a hostess club, trying to sneak a peek at the girls inside; one had a fake gold necklace on, the taller a backwards baseball cap. Ryuji’s focus locked onto them from afar, body tingling with rigid anticipation as he rolled-up his sleeves and stormed across the road.
“Hey—get lost, kid,” The one wearing a hat sneered when he noticed Ryuji approach where they were hiding in a narrow alley. “Yer gonna blow our cover!”
Ryuji didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to do anything to get their attention, shorter teen shooting a glare right back at the boy. Man, did Ryuji really want to just deck him right then and there…
“What’s yer problem, bitch?”
“You the ones who killed Yuta’s bird?” Ryuji asked in a menacing growl.
“So what if we are?” The second teen grinned. “What’s a punk-ass kid like you gonna do ab—”
A fist of fury slammed into his face, sending the boy crashing into the dirt below as his friend stood there in shock; he stepped forward to retaliate a second later, but Ryuji was already on him, sending a blow onto the left side of his jaw. Both teenagers were on the ground, now, minds reeling from surprise that quickly turned to terror when the blonde boy leaned over their bodies like a hungry viper zoning-in on a helpless field mouse. Ryuji’s large hand reached out and snatched the cheap necklace, pulling the teen close enough where he could finally see the dangerous glimmer in his hunter’s golden eyes.
“Ya wanted to see how things are handled in the animal kingdom?” Ryuji hissed. “You got it.”
Ryuji Goda wasn’t one to space-out when he was beating on someone. He remembered every last bit of it, every horrified and pained expression, every wince and whimper as he reigned blows with his middle-school fists. The bruises started to get bigger and bigger until Ryuji finally busted them wide open, blood splattering onto the dirt below, joining their spit and tears. Neither teen got a single hit off, even though they outnumbered and were slightly bigger than Ryuji—they were no match for his ferocity, his powerful punches to their stomachs and every exposed portion of muscle he could find. And he did find every last vulnerable spot.
Ryuji hoped they were starting to understand how the animal kingdom worked. Did they feel powerless and defeated when Ryuji twisted their arms back? Were they frightened at how much blood of theirs was on the ground? How did it feel, being violated and assaulted until their vision was starting to get blurry? There were no tap-outs, no breaks or second chances in the animal world. Surely anyone who liked to kill knew that. Ryuji used all his strength to beat on them until he thought the message had finally been received, stepping away from his prey to gather his breath.
The teenage boys laid on the ground pathetically, coughing, crying, struggling to breathe through their bloody gums and bruised lungs. Ryuji felt triumphant as he stood over them, claiming his title as king of the animal world—this is how it should be, Ryuji thought darkly, staring down at his victims. This is how business works: no rules, no laws, just instinct. And if you can’t follow your instincts to the top…
A quiet noise broke through the music exiting the hostess club, alerting Ryuji to the presence of another; he glanced out of the alley with a threatening gaze, thought it twitched when he recognized Yuta’s head peeking around the corner. The boy’s eyes were wide and glossy, but before Ryuji could decode his expression, Yuta run off into the crowd.
“Ugh…”
“Shut up,” Ryuji spat at the teen, giving him an extra kick. “Yer lucky I didn’t break yer other arm, too.”
Seeing that no one else cared what was going on in the alley, Ryuji casually brushed himself off and gave the punks one last glare before starting the long walk home. The bodyguards must not have been watching him today, but even if they were, Ryuji didn’t care much; he couldn’t stop thinking about that poor blue bird lying in the dirt, about Yuta’s sobs and horrified expression when he saw his classmate beating-up the culprits. Ryuji was used to people being afraid of him, but it still hurt to see sometimes.
His mood was noticeably sour by the time he entered the family home, and of course, Jin Goda had to be waiting in the living room today…
“Ryuji,” He greeted, face changing when he saw the blood on his son’s knuckles and clothing. “What…why are you all dirty? What happened?!”
“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Ryuji grumbled, brushing past him. Jin caught the boy’s arm and forcibly turned him around, looking over his body to make sure he wasn’t seriously hurt. There was a lot of blood stains, but apparently they didn’t belong to Ryuji. Jin wasn’t sure if that was comforting or concerning.
“What happened?” The yakuza boss repeated, this time in a softer tone.
It wasn’t enough to pull the truth from Ryuji. Instead, he slowly slid his arm out of Jin’s grip and turned away, continuing towards his bedroom.
“Just some problems in the animal kingdom, is all.”
***
Ryuji wasn’t planning on going to the pet store for the third day in a row. His dad promised to take him to a professional baseball game, but something came up at work and he wasn’t able to go anymore—Jin offered to let Ryuji take a friend, but Ryuji didn’t have any friends, so he stomped out of the house and began wandering Kansai in search of something (or someone) to unleash his anger on. He could feel himself starting to get a taste for violence, and maybe in a subconscious desire to end that taste, Ryuji walked into the pet store again.
The kittens were playing with an obnoxious ball that had treats stored inside, pawing it against the wall and anything else they could hit it against. The black kitten was the best at their game, nibbling happily on a treat as her siblings struggled to get one out for themselves. Ryuji watched them for a while, moving onto a brown hamster spinning in its wheel; how something so simple could look so fun, Ryuji didn’t know. Seeing the pets happy in their own little worlds calmed him down significantly, soothing his earlier rage and lowering his blood sugar a bit. The sheepdog puppy was still available, although he was alone now because his siblings had been adopted, but his tail wagged happily when Ryuji came over to pet him.
Maybe I’ll own my own pet store one day, the blonde boy thought with a snort. Dad would sure love that…at least I’d have my pick of the cute animals. Wouldn’t be such a bad life.
The shop became busier the longer Ryuji sat with the sheepdog, a mother and daughter entering to look for their very first pet; Ryuji decided he had tortured himself long enough, exiting the store and contemplating what else he could do to kill time. Just as he began walking down the sidewalk towards the arcade, a voice stopped him.
“Ryuji-kun.”
“Haw?”
Ryuji turned around, surprised to see his classmate Yuta standing there with a small smile on his lips. He also had a new bird perched on his hand, soft yellow in color and much more energetic than the one that came before him. It was just as happy as Petri, wings fluttering with excitement when Yuta’s classmate hesitantly stepped a little closer to investigate. He thought for sure he had seen the last of Yuta after the incident yesterday—afraid the smaller boy would come to his senses any second, Ryuji quickly thought of something to say.
“Got a new one already?”
“Yeah. This is Peetri, with two E’s, because he’s the second!” Yuta explained as the bird bounced between his fingers. “Mom surprised me with him this morning.”
“Ah…cool.”
“Wanna hold him? He’s a lot more friendly than Petri the first.”
Ryuji tried to decline the offer. Honestly, he was afraid his large hands would accidentally crush the damn thing, but Yuta encouraged Peetri to jump on his finger. The yellow bird landed on Ryuji’s hand, little talons tickling the outside of his skin and causing Ryuji to go very still as the creature settled down. Once the bird was comfortable, the blonde student carefully lifted a thumb and stroked the yellow feathers very softly—Peetri seemed to like the sensation, motionless as Ryuji’s finger went up and down the edge of his wing.
How can people be so cruel? The twelve-year-old wondered with a frown, looking down at the innocent bird. What’s there to gain from hurting this little guy?
“I guess he’s alright,” Ryuji shrugged, holding his hand out so Yuta could take his pet back. “Ya better hurry home, get him somethin’ to eat.”
“Yeah…”
Ryuji stepped past him to walk away, but Yuta quickly turned after him.
“Uh—Ryuji-kun!” He called.
The taller teen glanced over his shoulder in questioning. Yuta gave a sudden bow, full of respect and awe for his classmate, not of fear like Ryuji was so used to.
“Thank you for avenging Petri!”
Ryuji’s immediate reaction was to refute this claim (even though it was obviously the truth), but found his mouth slowly drifting closed. Yuta straightened up with a smile and ran off with his new bird, leaving Ryuji standing alone on the sidewalk contemplating. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the pet store door opening, little girl with pigtails running outside with her new sheepdog puppy attached to a leash.
“Mommy, let’s take Shep to the park!” She insisted, adjusting the dog’s new blue collar. “We’ll meet lots of new friends there, won’t we, Shep?!”
“Alright, alright…make sure you hold his leash tightly.”
“I will!”
The little girl bounced past Ryuji excitedly, not noticing how her puppy paused and gave the boy a special look before running after his owner. Ryuji watched them go merrily on their way until they disappeared around the corner together, headed for the nearest park—he had no doubts the sheepdog would be happy with the girl, or that he would protect her like she would to him. Ryuji promised himself that one day, when he was older, stronger, he would have a pet, too, and would make damn sure he could protect them from all of mankind.