The Black Swan Behind

94 The Hell Gate’s Brotherhood

Ron could only silently look down. He looked down at his tattooed arms. But if they looked more closely, the black ink streaks that make up the various images were covering a lot of scars. The scars formed from such a dark past.

“I won’t let Hell Gate collapse! I’m the strongest man here. They won’t be able to get past me if I’m not dead!” Ron exclaimed.

Kei looked at the figure of a man whose whole body was covered by the tattoo. A man with a body that had very dense and dry muscles. The muscles that seemed to be fused to his bones. The muscles were carved with blood and suffering. He was still standing in the middle of the room with his hands clenched tightly.

Kei cleaned up all his food waste into the trash can and got up from the chair. He walked towards the door to exit the room. When passing Ron’s standing figure, Kei patted him twice on the shoulder, “As always, I’m always counting on you, Ron.” he whispered as walked away.

***

Ron walked slowly down the hospital corridor. No matter how much money he had, he still looked very messy. Perhaps, his homeless aura had stuck to his soul. But, he was used to it, receiving stares and scorn from those who passed him.

The hand slid a door with a small window beside the handle. Inside, there was a bed that accommodated a large man, who was lying unconscious with various life support devices. Beside the bed, there were two men who immediately stood respectfully when they noticed Ron’s arrival.

“Welcome, Big bro Ron!” They greeted together.

Ron smiled faintly as he nodded, “How are you guys doing? Have you guys had lunch?” he asked.

.....

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then, shook their heads slowly while looking down, “Big bro Kei said, the financial conditions are not good now. So, the food allowance for all members had to be cut. But.. we don’t have a problem with it, Big bro! ” One of them explained by giving his thumbs up at the end of the sentence. His eyes looked fiery.

Ron smiled faintly, then stepped closer to them and patted both of them on the shoulder, “Only a few men like you guys are left.. But at least.. there’s still some, right?” he whispered. Then, he reached into his tattered coat. From it, he took out some bucks and handed them to them, “Here. You two, go have lunch. I want to talk with Mezu for a while.”

The two men who looked much younger than Ron, immediately broke into a smile as they looked at each other. Then, they quickly bowed respectfully to the man they respected the most in the world, “Thank you very much, Big brother Ron!”

Ron laughed and then give a boys-roughly-pat on the shoulders of the two men, “Hurry up and go.. Your stomachs are making a lot of noise!” he laughed, followed by the two of them.

As soon as his two men were out of the room, Ron sat on the chair beside Mezu’s bed. He put the bunch of lilies he had brought into the vase on the table, “How are you doing, Mezu? I brought your favourite flower. You know, right? It’s winter now. It’s very difficult to get it in this season. Yeah.. you can show your gratitude by waking up from your nap quickly,”

Ron looked at Mezu’s face, which had several tubes attached, with a sad expression. He didn’t think it would end like this. Gozu got into prison and Mezu laid in a coma from severe head and cervical spine injuries. The doctor said that maybe when Mezu woke up, he would lose some of the functions of his limbs. He would be disabled.

It felt like just yesterday when they were all finally able to laugh together. Living in a small house that accommodated about twenty boys that felt very stuffy, a stomach that was always groaning with hunger, and shabby clothes that were rarely changed. That’s called Hell’s Gate. A place where parents dump their children.

Ron Smith, a child abandoned by his father who remarried after his mother’s death. He became homeless at the age of ten. Ron’s father dumped him in front of an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, near the harbour area. To Ron, it was hell for him. Because of that, he always referred to the place as Hell’s Gate.

At first, Ron just lived alone in the house. Had no one and was not cared for by anyone. He got food from the fishermen who feel quite sorry for him. But for some reason, the news of the abandoned house was known by several other parents who did not want their children.

Ron started making friends, who were the abandoned kids his age or younger. From the fishermen, they learned to find their own food by fishing and begging around the harbour and port area.

Year, after year had passed. The children turned into teenagers. However, the abandoned house where they lived was eventually demolished, because it stood on the land that had been purchased by a seafood company that was about to build their office building. Therefore, they had to sleep on the street. Fight with other homeless people for a begging stall and ground space to sleep on.

Although they were tramps, Ron Smith and the twins named Addo and Andrea Windsor, were very strong and good at fighting. To survive in an increasingly cruel environment, they began to become brutal. Stealing, pickpocketing, and extorting people. They brought out of all their power so that their group could survive.

Ron was the strongest and the oldest of all his stepbrothers. In order to earn money for a better life, he worked as a gangster servant, then, ended up as an underground fighter.

Ron was got into an illegal underground fighting show in Handway City which had no regulations. He should fight with the guarantee of life or death in a poorly built Ring. Bet life against an opponent who was even allowed to carry sharp weapons.

At that time, Ron’s body was already covered in wounds. On the battle ring floor, he fell down after successfully defeating a man with a very large body with a scythe. Previously, Ron had agreed to fight him with an empty hand for higher pay, even though he knew what would happen to him.

In the end, even though winning the unfair battle, Ron fell with a body full of scythe wounds. In his blurred vision, he saw a pair of expensive shoes standing in front of his face, before he finally fell unconscious.

Ron still remembered very well the time when he woke up in a cloud-soft bed, which he had never felt before.. or rather, had forgotten how it felt. He was in the hospital with a guy who looked the same age as his. A guy in very nice clothes. Smooth skin and charming silky hair. Even in the eyes of other men, the guy looked handsome.

“You’re very strong. Your name is Ron Smith, right? How about we work together?” Asked the guy.

From there, the lives of Ron and his brothers changed drastically. Kei Matsumoto was a young guy who had a brilliant brain. Actually, Ron didn’t know the guy’s background. However, from his appearance and what Kei could do, made him know that the guy was the son of a rich family.

Kei offered Ron to set up a group that would run a business with a simple organizational structure. Namely.. Kei as the brain of the business, and Ron would lead all the members to grow the group bigger. Kei said, he only cared about business and Ron would be the leader. Because, Kei was not part of the brothers.

“Since this group is yours, then, you will be the one who gives the name,” Kei asked Ron with a friendly smile.

Ron and the rest of the brothers looked at each other with happy smiles on their faces. Ron thought for a moment then said, “Hell Gate.

“Hell Gate?” The others repeated.

Ron nodded, “We were able to gather together like this, because of our parents who abandoned us in this out of nowhere world. Since then, our lives have been miserable. It’s as if they threw us at the gates of hell. But, we don’t have to fear this hell anymore. Because, we will rule in it.”

Kei gave enthusiastic applause, “Wow! Your idea is very good, Ron! Hell Gate.. I like that name,” Then, he pointed at the two twin boys standing beside Ron, “And you two! From today on, your names are Gozu and Mezu! You are the pillars of the fortress that guard the Hell Gate. I will make you pillars that are very strong and cannot be destroyed!”

“YEAHHHH!!!!” They all exclaimed with burning enthusiasm.

***

“It feels like only yesterday you were practising wrestling. Now, you and Gozu have become very strong pillars.” Ron said in the silence of the room.

But Mezu didn’t answer. Only the Multi-parameter Monitor was sounded for him. Ron rubbed the corner of his watery eyes, “If it weren’t for that damn group, we wouldn’t have ended up like this. I.. didn’t have to watch you guys get destroyed. It’s all my fault, Isn’t it?”

“I think, only by being able to deposit into the Black Hole on time and the business continues to run smoothly, then everything would be fine. We could still laugh together, enjoying life. Even though I have to bear the sins for ruining the lives of many innocent girls.” He added while holding Mezu’s big hand, “I was indeed too naive, thinking Black Hole and Dragger were the only ones I couldn’t beat. But apparently... I am that weak. I should’ve been stronger.”