Cutlass Volume 1 Part 1 Translated by Tae-chan --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1 - The boy who sees dreams of fishes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 8 Return to the sea The translucent water is your soul I am waiting for you ---- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 9 I am waiting Tsubasa stares at his computer screen in shock, then falls from his chair in class. A student sees him fall and calls out, “Aaah, teacher, Sendou kun has...” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 10 On the computer: I am waiting I am waiting I am waiting Tsubasa is lying in bed in the infirmary. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 11 He hears a knock on the window. Tokimaru is perched at the window sill. “O – pen – up!” Tsubasa sweatdrops. Tsubasa “What’s up Tokimaru? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Tokimaru “I’d heard that you passed out again. (You’re such a weakling). As your older brother, I was worried so I can’t just go to class. It’s fine, you seem well.” Tsubasa isn’t impressed. “You’re just using me as an excuse...” Tokimaru suddenly puts a hand on Tsubasa’s shoulder. Tsubasa: ! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 12 Tokimaru puts a hand on Tsubasa’s forehead. “Doesn’t look like you have a fever.” Tsubasa “Mm...” The door opens and the two brothers look up. Tokimaru sweatdrops and mutters, “Uh-oh.” The infirmary nurse is mad. “Tokimaru Sendou! What the hell are you doing!” Tokimaru sweatdrops more. Two female students behind her giggle. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 13 You can hear the nurse shouting from outside. Nurse “Listen up! Get down from there, it’s dangerous!” Tokimaru “Thanks for everything you do for Tsubasa, nurse.” Tokimaru gives Tsubasa a wink as he begins to leave. Tokimaru “So you don’t have to walk, I’ll return with my bike. See ya.” Tsubasa “I don’t need it. Riding on your bike is rough.” Tokimaru grins “But it’s a thrill so it’s good, right?” The nurse is horrified “Where are you going you idiot? Get back here Sendou” The nurse strides past Tsubasa. “You as well! Don’t just sit there watching, stop him! If he falls from up here....!” Tsubasa grabs her leg as she goes past and she falls with small scream. “It’s okay, nurse,” he says. “That guy’s as agile as a monkey.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 14 Tokimaru jumps out of the window. “Woo hoo!” and lands right on his motorbike while other students look on. “Way to go Tokimaru!” Tokimaru scratches his chin. “Heh heh heh.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 15 Tokimaru calls up to Tsubasa “See ya after school Tsubasa!” The exasperated nurse has given Tsubasa a good punch. “Geez, are the two of you really brothers? You’re not at all alike.” (And it’s still too early for you to touch a woman’s legs.) Tsubasa smiles at her. “That’s because though we say we’re brothers, we’re not really related.” The nurse replies, “Oh, sorry. I said something I shouldn’t of...” We see Tokimaru driving off on his bike while the nurse continues with a small giggle, “But it’s strange that the two of you are in the same grade though you’re not twins or anything.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 16 Tsubasa “We were pulled together through our parents marrying each other when we were little.” Tokimaru thinks as he rides, “ ---- yeah. We met for the first time five summers ago.” Tokimaru remembers younger Tsubasa is standing behind his father. “I was taken by my mother to a high class restaurant to meet her fiance Hajime Sendou.” Tokimaru remembers Tsubasa’s hostile expression. “He spoke to us like we were his enemies and glared at us.” We see younger Tokimaru greeting Tsubasa with a nervous grin, sweatdropping. “Yoroshiku” While Tokimaru thinks “I was still in shock since ever since father died my mother always kept to herself. But I was an adult so unlike him I did my best to smile----“ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 17 Young Tsubasa stretches out his hand without a smile. Young Tokimaru resolutely holds out his own hand. “Yeah --- he had great composure.” Young Tokimaru “Gyaaaah!’s” as Tsubasa grips his hand tight. Tsubasa’s father sweatdrops while Tokimaru’s mom bifs him over the head with a blush. “Tokimaru, don’t yell like that!” Young Tokimaru nurses his poor hand, thinking “Shit --- he left nail marks in the palm of my hand.” “Something like classic spite” Young Tsubasa smiles angelically. “Yoroshiku.” “My first impression of that guy was ‘I can’t live with this bastard’!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 18 Tokimaru sits on his bike drinking, staring out into the sea. “The sea is nice...” “I wonder when that impression changed----“ Later, Tokimaru is waiting for Tsubasa outside the school. “Yo.” Tsubasa sighs a bit. “..... Um, Tokimaru...” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 19 Tokimaru lights up a cigarette. “Mmm?” Two girls call “Tsubasa ku~n, Let’s go home together.” Tsubasa looks kind of disgusted. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to go home with? (You’re such a loser).” Tokimaru facefaults. “You’re a real jerk y’know? When I came here just for you.” “I’m –so- indebted to you.” Tsubasa takes the cigarette from Tokimaru’s lips and smokes it. “Since I feel sorry for you, I’ll volunteer. Ride.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 20 The girls complain, “ Ah, dork.” “Guys riding together is obscene." Tokimaru “What’re you gonna do about your girlfriends?” Tsubasa “I wanna get rid of them." Tokimaru “You always say that. Here.” Tsubasa “What are you gonna do for a helmet?” Tokimaru “I don’t need it. I’ve got a head of stone.” Tsubasa snickers. “Ahahaha, that’s right!” Tsubasa sticks out his tongue while Tokimaru sulks, “You’re really not a cute guy!” “I don’t want you to be in danger --- but I just can’t tell you.” “When was that... it was when we all went to the beach.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 21 Younger Tsubasa is standing at the sea shore, and Tokimaru comes up behind him, astonished to see him crying. “I didn’t know why he was crying ----- but” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 22 Younger Tsubasa rushes past Tokimaru. “I--- it felt like the first time I had seen this sort of sorrowful tears.” Tokimaru reaches out a hand to Tsubasa but he is too far away. “I always knew that his mother had disappeared over the sea, but...” Younger Tokimaru stares out over the ocean. “At that time, I thought ‘Tsubasa, I want to protect you ---‘” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 23 Younger Tokimaru clenches his fist “I want to protect you----...” Back in the present, Tokimaru is deep in thought on the ride home. “ --- Well, it’s kind of strange to think that about a guy.” Suddenly everything goes negative. “! What!?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 24 Tsubasa looks up, surprised. Tokimaru yells, “Wha... what the hell is this” A school of fish are swimming around them, chanting “Escape... escape... escape.. escape” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 25 Tokimaru yells as the fish swim around him chanting “escape”. Tsubasa exclaims “Tokimaru!” then speaks to the fish “Stop that! Tokimaru is here. Don’t coil him in.” Tokimaru looks at Tsubasa in shock. “Tsubasa!?” then yells again as a bright light flashes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 26 Tokimaru begins to fall. “That time, I saw a city I’d never seen before swaying beyond the light.” People run towards the scene of the accident in concern. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 27 Tokimaru has fallen, cradling Tsubasa in his arms. Tsubasa opens his eyes and kneels over Tokimaru, upset. “Tokimaru --- you were protecting me...!? Tokimaru! Tokimaru!” A thought lingers in Tokimaru’s unconscious mind. “---- Tsubasa... thank god... you’re okay.” Tsubasa meanwhile tells him, “Hang on Tokimaru!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 28 “What is it, Tsubasa” Tsubasa: “I’m sorry... It’s my fault --- I’m sorry Tokimaru.” “Are you crying...?” “ Don’t... cry. I’ll protect you ---“ “I’ll....” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 29 “What are you doing here, Tsubasa” “Hey, Tsubasa” Tsubasa turns his head “---- Ah...” “Watch out Tsubasa----!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 30 Tokimaru wakes up with a shout, the lingering image of Tsubasa disappearing in a cloud of smoke in his mind. “---- a dream...!?” He puts a hand to his head. “Ow ow ow.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 31 Tokimaru leaves his room whistling, well pleased with himself. “Even if I do say so myself, I am very sturdy (to come out of it with just a graze)! He pauses in the hallway. “Huh? Tsubasa is still up?” A strange light is coming out of Tsubasa’s doorway which Tokimaru notices in concern. He pushes the door open yelling “Tsubasa!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 32 Tsubasa is sitting at his desk as usual. “Hmm----? Shut up, alright? You’re disturbing the place when you shout.” He is surprised when Tokimaru’s hands come around him. Tokimaru sighs in relief. “Thank god. I thought... you had gone somewhere...!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 33 Tsubasa sighs. “What’s with you. Don’t start sounding like my father!” “Like your father?” “After my mother disappeared over the ocean, he would often hold me and say that.” “You’re mother must have been a beautiful woman huh.” “Yeah, she was. There wasn’t anyone as beautiful as her --- but that’s only the memories of when I was a very small brat.” Tsubasa notices himself crying in surprise. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 34 Tsubasa puts a hand to the tears on his cheeks. “H... huh? Strange... tears are just falling by thimselves...” He blows his nose on his brother’s shirt. Tokimaru says “(Sure, sure, do what you like) You’re sort of unstable, somehow unaware of yourself, huh.” He looks at Tsubasa. “Like you’re not really someone from this world.” Tsubasa freezes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 35 He replies quietly, “---- and if I wasn’t, what would you do?” Tokimaru is taken aback. “Huh?” Tsubasa sticks out his tongue. “Idiot. Of course I’m not.” Tokimaru closes the door behind him. “Of course. What was I thinking. Him being from another world is too silly...” “Good night.” He puts a hand to his forehead. “The scene I saw before the accident --- was also a dream I guess...” Tsubasa stares after Tokimaru, sad. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 36 He hears a noise and turns in surprise. On the screen of his computer is a visual of his mother, tied up, and the words If you want to save your mother, come here ---- your real home “MOM!?” Your real home is here. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 37 The next day Tokimaru is ribbed by his friends. “Kyahahahahah! You were in an accident! Your wonderful bike is in the garage isn’t it! It’s such a joke!” Tokimaru growls. “Fuck off you dorks.” A female student approaches Tokimaru. “Um.. Sendou-kun, do you know what happened to Tsubasa-kun?” Tokimaru says in surprise, “Huh? Tsubasa should have left before me this morning to go to club practice.” The female student continues, “It’s strange. I haven’t seen him at all from this morning. Unlike you he wouldn’t cut class or anything so I wonder what happened.” Tokimaru thinks “What is this uneasiness...” He grabs his friend’s bike and makes off with it while his friend exclaims, “Oi, Tokimaru where are you going! That’s mine!” Tokimaru just calls with a wave, “Sorry, I’m just borrowing it for a sec!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 38 Tsubasa is standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea. Tokimaru peddles furiously. “Somehow I don’t quite know why, but it feels like if I can’t find Tsubasa here it’ll be really terrible. Where are you Tsubasa...!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 39 Tsubasa grips on to the railing, surrounded by the fish who chant “You mustn’t come, you mustn’t come. Run away, run away.” Tsubasa just looks blankly ahead. “Even though you say that, my body can’t move.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 40 A beam of light shoots up from the sea. The fish begin to say, “Run awa...” but then disappear. Tsubasa stares into the light. A group of people some distance away see the light and start talking. “Waa.. what is that, some kind of new fireworks!?” “The region of light is going up.” Tokimaru on the bicycle notices the light too, then he hears a voice saying “Please go towards the light.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 41 A fish appears flying above his head and points. “Over there.” Tokimaru majorly sweatdrops. He grabs the fish by the tail and stars poking at it. “Helium gas?” The fish wiggles it’s fins “Please stop – what are you doing?” Tokimaru smacks his head in SD amazement. “The fish spoke! A fish! (He died)” He leaves the fish and resumes his race. “Daaaa----- Mega rare!" The poor fish calls after him, “Please wait! Don’t you care what happens to Tsubasa-sama?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 42 The fish continues, “Tsubasa-sama was scared that the people around him would be sucked in through his own fault, because he began to realize his own fate. The fish sighs. “And ever since you got injured he thought that even more... that he shouldn’t be here!” Tokimaru says, “Tsubasa shouldn’t be here....? Who said something like that!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 43 The fish keeps up with Tokimaru as he peddles. “You’ll probably be able to save Tsubasa-sama, but please hurry! There isn’t any more time! Tokimaru peddles down the path towards the cliff, thinking, “Tsubasa, please be safe until I get there...!” Tsubasa is wrapped in columns of light. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 44 Tokimaru calls Tsubasa’s name as he gets closer. Tsubasa slowly turns his head as Tokimaru tries to leap into the columns of light. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 45 Unfortunately, he can’t get in. “Ow ow ow. What the hell is that? The fish looks worried. “It seems as though the light region that surrounds Tsubasa-sama is making a barrier.” Tokimaru leaves the bike and tries to climb his way in. “Shit, this is tough.” The fish frets. “It’s useless, please stop. You’re arms are getting all torn.” Tokimaru does a battle yell. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 46 He reaches out a hand to his brother. “Tsu... basa.. Come... here!” The light barrier comes between them, and the cuts he receives from it bloodies his hands, and that blood spatters onto Tsubasa’s face. Tsubasa suddenly notices him there. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 47 “Toki.. ma.. ru!?” Tokimaru grits his teeth and yells to him, “Don’t just stand there, take my hand! Hurry!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 48 “Ah...” Tsubasa leans over to talk to Tokimaru. “ ---- Stop, Tokimaru. I... I have to go and save my mother.” Tokimaru calls back, “Your mother? What is it? Your mother disappeared over the sea----“ “Anyway, Tokimaru, I don’t want you to get pulled in. This is my problem. Pull back your hand, it’s getting bloodied...!” Tokimaru yells in return, “I don’t wanna, I won’t! If I let you go like this we might not be able to meet again, right? I don’t want that to happen! If you gotta go save your mother, then I’ll go too!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 49 Tsubasa “For now just let go already! If this keeps up they’ll be torn to shreds.” Tokimaru grins confidently. “Two is more convenient than one.” Tsubasa grits his teeth in irritation. “This obstinacy!” He calls out, “Well then if you’re going to come, then try. Then if you end up crying over it later, it isn’t my fault. Idiot-maru!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 50 The fish squeezes in. “You mustn’t go. If you do, you'll become a mummy cradle's mummy! E dictionary says 'Miira' means mummy, so this is my best guess at what he's saying. I can only assume he means Tokimaru will be wrapped up by the bands of light! ^^;;> Tokimaru grins, “Shut up about all this ‘mummy’ ‘mummy’ shit. There's nothing stopping me." They grab each other’s hand. The fish covers his eyes. “Oh god, these two.” The two keep hold of one another as they are pulled in by the light. Tokimaru “In this situation, I‘ll take the best way to consent with myself.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 51 Tokimaru grabs hold of Tsubasa. “Tsubasa, though you say the destination that guides me is hell ---- I have decided. I will protect you...!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- page 52 “What the hell is this... ---- it isn’t anything much ---- The bicycle is left at the cliff edge. “Sorry --- mom. Please don’t worry, ‘cos I’ll return... soon...” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 53 I am Tokimaru Sendou, an ordinary cool high school student, and this is my slightly weird younger brother, and when I’m with him there’s no problem! --- at least that’s how it should have been! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 54 Why did this happen? I don’t get it...! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go back to the Cutlass Translations [1]