Kapitel 17: Side Story 1 - Admiration [Canon]
"Lee, can I ask you a question?"
The question came suddenly, right in the middle of me looking through the movie library in search of the DVDs we decided to watch during the evening. Not that there was a day and night cycle within this spiritual world in the first place, but it was easier and more comfortable for everyone to keep using the normal world's different periods of the day.
Minato had expressed an interest in George A. Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Dawn of the Dead', saying that while he disliked modern horror movies both were enough of a classic to be an exception, followed by Rin revealing that in his world Romero made different movies by taking inspiration not from zombies but vampires. The movies themselves didn't exist in the world of Sasuke, Riku, Killua and Laharl, so at the end we unanimously decided to have a Zombie Apocalypse Movie Night.
The Overlord thought they were comedy, and not horror. Something something, horse wiener, something.
I stopped scrolling through the DVDs in the N-section and looked up at Killua, who was lounging on an armchair while skimming through a volume of Hunter X Hunter. I wondered how that felt, to see your life made into a manga. "Yes Killua? What do you want to know?"
"At first I wanted to comment on how Leorio, during the Hunter Exam, looks much dumber than I remembered. Never thought he would go that far." He chuckled. I had to agree with him there, Leorio was a bit of a comic relief in the original series but the man also worked hard for what he wanted and could be very reliable when needed. "But then, while reading, I was reminded that this manga's official protagonist is Gon. That made me wonder."
Killua closed the volume and put it away, sitting straighter to look at me with an intrigued gaze. "Why us, and not someone else?"
I blinked at the, frankly, confusing question. I wasn't the only one, even the other nine guys were now paying attention and showing varying degrees of confusion. "Could you elaborate? Because if you expect me to pick up clues and connect them we will be here all night."
"Remember when we first met, Lee? You said that we were all people you greatly admired, even though at the time you believed our worlds to be fictional, and that it could be a possible reason why your powers chose us. But why did you admire us?" He picked up the manga volume again and waved it around. "In my case, why me and not Gon? For another example, why Sasuke instead of that Naruto guy?"
The Ninja scoffed. "Are you saying he should have chosen the dobe over me?"
"Dude, I am the first to admit I don't have the cleanest of backgrounds but at least I tried to follow Gon's example." The Nen user looked unimpressed. "You? You betrayed your village for a vague promise from an extremely shady guy to help you become stronger faster than normal. Then, three years later, you became so focused on your desire for revenge you ended up lashing out at everything and everyone."
Sasuke clenched his teeth. "I paid for my mistakes."
"Good for you. It doesn't change the fact that, from the point of view of the average person, you were one of the villains." Killua shrugged. "And yet, here you are."
Ah, I finally understood Killua's question. Can't say I liked how he approached Sasuke's past, but it was a valid argument: Sasuke was a big asshole before Naruto eventually redeemed him.
"I do not believe Lee' unconscious decisions are based on criterias like 'protagonist' and 'villain'." Tsuna interjected. I could see in his eyes that he already reached part of the answer. "Admiration, after all, does not necessarily follow logic. Lee, why don't you shed light on this argument and tell us why we are people you admire?"
"Sure. After all, we have all the time in the world." The joke generated a few chuckles. I spent a few minutes in silence, gathering my thoughts, then began with the one who started everything. "Killua. Hunter X Hunter is not only the story of Gon, even if your world is first introduced through his eyes. You, Leorio, Kurapika, Netero... hell, even Hisoka. Everyone in your world has their own personal strengths, flaws and quirks. There are many stories, all equally good, and together they paint a world that feels alive. Your story, Killua, is the one I liked the most because of your personality: you were energetic and mischievous, but you also showed the maturity of an adult despite your apparent age. Despite your tragic past you kept a positive attitude and never let your bloodlust control your actions. On the contrary, your unyielding loyalty to your friends and natural kindness were your greatest character traits. You never let your own past and the expectations of your family define who you are, and you struggled to become the type of person you could be proud of. That is why I admire you, and why I wanted to have the same strength of character."
"Geez, that's embarrassing. Nobody ever called me a good role model before." Killua crossed his legs and rubbed the back of his head. "But really, never mention Hisoka ever again: that guy was a creep. No, calling him a creep is an insult to all the creeps in existence."
Fair: the anime reworked most of Hisoka's questionable tendencies, but the manga was fully uncensored. If the author was aiming for a creepy clown, it was a huge success. "Sasuke. I will not list what you did wrong, since you already spent a whole life dealing with the consequences of your actions. What I will say, it's that if we look at your life as a whole and not just your individual decisions... then it makes sense: you were a young boy that suffered a terrible tragedy, and circumstances saw fit to rub salt on the wounds. I will not pretend I understand Itachi's motives, but using Tsukuyomi on you not once but twice left terrible scars on your mind."
"You think I haven't thought about that for years?" Sasuke snapped, then calmed down. His tone turned contemplative, for once reflecting his true mental age. "Living through the peaceful years following the Fourth Great Ninja War, seeing Konoha and the other Villages rebuild themselves... It made me realize that my brother, for all his skills as a Ninja, in truth really hated war and violence. He witnessed the Third Great Ninja War when he was only four years old, and his prodigious skills forced him into a life full of violence and little to none human contact. The more blood Itachi got on his hands, the more he felt like he couldn't stop or hesitate, lest all the previous sacrifices were for naught."
The ninja crossed his arms and looked away. "Even after everything that happened... I hope that, in death, he found the peace he never could in life."
Good job me, what a way to touch such a delicate subject. Still, I couldn't exactly dance around the subject. "And that's part of the reason I found you admirable, Sasuke: of all your bad decisions, none of them were made out of selfish reasons. They were made out of love: love for your family, who had been betrayed: love for your brother, who had been manipulated; and love for your friends, who never gave up on you. Do you really think that Naruto and Sakura would have tried so hard to help you if they weren't sure you were worth the effort? Your tale gave me hope that, were I to step on a dark road, there would be someone willing to drag me back into the light."
Sasuke stared at me with a wide-eyed stare, only a faint amount of disbelief passing through the cracks in his mask. He scoffed and looked away again. "Truly, they were both idiots... to never give up on someone like me."
I grinned. "You married one of those idiots."
"Yeah, and that's why I'm saying this to you and not her." Cheeky bastard. But as far as anti-heroes went he was by far my favorite even with such an attitude. I turned to the others. "I apologize in advance but the reasons I like you guys are much simpler so I will not spend many words explaining them."
"As if you were able to wax poetic in the first place. Not that I would want to hear it in the first place, that stuff's for heroes." Laharl scoffed. "A true villain only needs the screams of his enemies to exalt his glory!"
"I totally agree." I replied with a perfect deadpan before grinning. "Your game, Laharl, was my introduction to the world of Disgaea and I adored it. The tasteful parody of classic RPGs, the humor, all the zany stuff... It was love at first sight. And you, as the first of many future protagonists, obviously holds a special place. That the story also touched deep stuff and revealed there was also a human side to you, that you were able to feel and suffer just like a normal person, just made everything better."
The hair antennas on his head stood straight up, his eyes turning a pure crimson. "The great Laharl does NOT have a human side with a peon's pathetic emotions! Wait, now that I think about it all the stuff that happened back then is on display for all players to see... Aaaaaaaagh!!!"
"Wow, I never met a man being so stereotypical in his refusal to be honest." Rito commented as he and the others moved away from Laharl's seat and his outburst.
"It's how it is." Which meant it was extremely funny, but I wasn't going to admit it in Laharl's presence. "Rito, I believe I mentioned it already but I always found your resolve to stick to your principles and reach out to those in need, even in the middle of danger, very admirable. You treated others for who they were, not what they were, and that's a rare gift. Of course I was also incredibly jealous of your insane luck with girls!"
"You and everyone else." He groaned. "Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side."
"If it's about luck with women then I don't come second!" Issei boasted, a thumb pointing at his chest and a grin on his lips. "You were jealous of me too, right?"
"Yeah... just like you were of those riajuu bastards and pretty boys you kept cursing. Also annoyed at the narration, which was from your point of view, constantly mentioning boobs every few sentences." Issei curled up into a ball, crying about how he 'turned into the enemy'. "But, I also admired your courage: you were always honest about your passion, despite all the problems it caused, and never ran away from danger if those you cared about were threatened. You were blessed with great luck, and yet I am not sure someone else in your position could have achieved the same results as you did. In a way, you were able to turn a possible tragedy into a comedy, and the lives of those around you improved. You may be annoying but you also are a great person, Issei."
"Turn a tragedy into a comedy? I'm not sure that's a wholly positive thing." Riku commented, chin resting on one hand and legs crossed.
"Maybe, maybe not." I conceded. "Riku, your story may appear similar to Sasuke's but there are differences. Maleficent took advantage of the negative feelings in your heart to manipulate you, yet in the end you still helped Sora close the Door to Darkness. Within Castle Oblivion you found your own truth, stopping to just believe what others told you, and accepted both Light and Darkness as part of yourself. After that there would be many highs and lows, yet you always strived to fix your mistakes and help your friends. Your tale was one of maturing, of a child growing up into a fine adult."
"A fine adult? I'm pretty sure I was a teenager before becoming an adult, and even then I still managed to piss off a lot of people. Intentionally, mind you." The Keyblade Wielder laughed. "But yes, all those adventures taught me a lot of valuable lessons. Eh, guess I truly got my wish to travel and explore the world outside Destiny Island in the end."
"Tsuna, your story was also full of many memorable characters, all with their own lives and goals." I nodded in the insightful boy's direction. "Reborn and the Mafia World, despite the latter's dangers, helped you awaken and develop your inner talents: something that a normal life as a normal person never could. As a loser you were relatable to many, especially in your reaction to the outrageous actions of Reborn and the others, and when you finally accepted your heritage as a Vongola it was in order to protect your friends. Not for personal gains or avenging yourself on those who hurt you in the past, but because you were honestly grateful for the genuine bonds you developed. You taught me that even the most hopeless person has something they're good at, that they can cultivate it and be happy even if the path ahead is rough."
"Glad to hear the story of my life was a source of positive inspiration." The orange-eyed boy smiled kindly. "Yeah, it was pretty rough being 'No-Good Tsuna': everyone should have a chance to improve their lives. Especially if it does not involve the Mafia."
"Love-hate relationship? Boy, do I know about that?" Ranma commented with a fond smile. "My turn Lee. Do tell, which part of my great self did not impress you?"
"Your overinflated ego and the absolute lack of a poker face." The martial artist groaned in dismay. "Yes you have a lot of personal flaws, like being stubborn and rude, but you also take your duties as a martial artist very seriously and treat other people well if they don't antagonize you first. I enjoyed your story mostly because of all the comedy, but it also taught me that even a flawed individual can still be a good person. They only need someone to conk them on the head when they're being dumb or insensitive."
I hummed. "It's also amazing how, despite being raised by Genma, you did grow up half-decently and not another useless sack of fat."
He squinted his eyes at me. "Is that a compliment or an insult? And what do you mean half-decently?!"
"That's for you to find out. Anyway!" I turned towards the last two, Minato and Rin. "Minato, you too are someone who is relatable to many people. You are highly intelligent, yet you initially struggled to make use of it due to external pressure and a lack of confidence."
"True, true. I don't want to talk badly about my mother, but being raised by her was not easy." He scratched his head. "In hindsight, I never quite learned how to make my own decisions and stick by them before the Sekirei Plan."
"But you did, and became a dependable person. Moreover you refused to use violence unless absolutely necessary and cared deeply for your enemies, even if they previously gave you plenty of reasons to hate them. You are a great leader, Minato."
He smiled. "Not exactly who I wanted to become while growing up, but I don't regret how everything turned out."
"The last one is me, uh?" Rin chuckled, sounding a little self-deprecatingly. "What did Mayumi once call me? Ah yes, 'a man who can be a god, a demon king or an ordinary man'. Honestly, I was fine with being a normal person living a normal life. I doubt my story was as exciting as the others."
"Just because it wasn't full of shonen battles and crazy events doesn't mean your story was a boring one, Rin." I told him. "You lost your parents at a young age, and instead of blaming someone else you decided to never let other people be as sad and hurt as you were. Your kindness was your greatest strength and your greatest weakness, but it doesn't mean it was wrong to feel that way. You helped others with their personal demons, and in return they helped you with your own. Before everyone else, it was your story that taught me the true value of kindness. Never forget that."
"...I wasn't lying, I never saw myself as someone special. But if people like me were common then the world would probably be a better place." Rin's smile was still bashful, but all the self-deprecation had vanished. "My younger self ended up having such an impact on someone else... Eh, it's actually touching."
"To be a young child's hero is always something to be proud of." Tsuna walked up to the DVD library and, reaching out confidently, took out both 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Dawn of the Dead'. "A good thing to celebrate with a movie marathon, yes?"
"Totally." I agreed.
I will always be thankful for the chance to meet those who shaped my life so much. Because it allowed me to show them how grateful I was.
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