The Reason We Fight

Chapter 31. The Fortune, Part I

Kakume had recently begun to mistrust Tam. She caught him eyeing an online auction for the Scarlet Eyes. I may not know much, but even I can recognize a damn big number when I see one. It turned out, the Kurta had been massacred because their eyes fetched a good price on the black market, simple as that. It wasn't retribution, it was greed. She also found out that the ones responsible for it were the Phantom Troupe. She had met them half a dozen times, in the past two year. They had established a working relationship with Tam. Really makes me wonder... did he have anything to do with it? I have told him about what they've done to me before, in blind anger. I've told him where their village was... That was a line of thought Kakume wasn't willing to venture into. She turned on the TV.

"...the Red Hands orchestrated a precision disruption in the financial arteries of the Veritas Ventures Conglomerate, targeting key logistics hubs and disruption the flow of commerce, they effectively paralyzed the notorious corporation. Authorities are grappling with..." Tam turned it off.

Kakume objected. "I was watching that!"

He scoffed. "The Red Hands are idealistic fools who don't understand that the world is an ugly place where every man is on his own. Things won't change... because being self-interested is human nature. You might as well enjoy it while you can, and get everything you can get out of it, because it sure isn't going to give a damn about you. The world works because there are those who are willing to do labor, so that others can gain the profit, and that's really all there is to it. I'd rather be the latter".

She thought of Daro then. I'll turn all of this into ashes. This nightmare. I'll be a revolutionary, a kakumei-teki. I'll create a world where no children cry, because they are hurt or hungry. That's what he told her, and it resonated into her heart. She felt it flutter, the pain still there after all these years.

"Listening to your drivel feels like labor, does it mean you should pay me for your right of free speech?", Kakume asked, resentfully.

He chuckled. "You're starting to get a mouth on you. Taking that from your old man, I'll wager." He took her by the arm. "Come on, we're going to be late for our appointment".

-

The finesse game they were currently engaged in was a fortune-telling scam. When a client would arrive, Tam would use basic cold reading techniques, such as shotgunning and Barnum statements. That usually puts the client at ease. Once the target has been caught into the ruse, they would take it one step further. Tam would get Kakume to tail them and find out as much as she could from them. Meanwhile, he would scour the internet for additional information. So much about a person can be found on social media. This technique is called hot reading. In the following session, their predictions would be more accurate, because they would be much more specific to the mark. The woman they had an appointment with was a return-client. Her name was Destiny. She was a lady in her mid-30s, and had scarves of every color framing her face, dark eyes intense and expressive. Her silver jewelry clinked every time she moved. She had an air of mystique, which made Kakume feel uneasy.

Tam had a ridiculous disguise. Purple turbans and robes, he was stroking a crystal ball. "Ah, the cosmos reveals a path of abundance and fulfillment. But, to unlock these secrets, I shall need a small contribution to enhance my connection with the ethereal realms."

The woman smiled. "A contribution, you say? Very well, here's something for your efforts."

"Thank you, kind soul. Now, let me peer into the cosmic currents. I sense... a profound encounter with love and unimaginable prosperity. But... your current wealth is tainted. You would do well to get rid of it, for it will bring you bad luck in love. I sense... you have lost love before. Someone by the name of Riven? You sealed your heart since then. To fully unlock my power to release it, however, a larger contribution might be necessary".

The woman approached him, worry on her face. "What I really want to know now is... how am I going to die?"

Tam stroked her hand in comfort. "Worry not. If you do as I tell you, you will live well into your 80's, surrounded by fat grandchildren."

Destiny stood up, her face hard, gun pointed at Tam. "Don't move, hands in the air. You are under arrest, for fraud. You have the right to remain silent... And by the way, my heart is not sealed, asshole."

Tam raised his hands, and smiled, intrigued. "Ah. What gave it away?" Kakume watched from behind the curtain, piercing the skin of her arm and letting the blood flow into a handgun, a skill Tam had taught her recently by making her memorize the structure of it.

The woman smiled. "My Nen. I already know how I am going to die. It's not today, I'll tell you that much. Not only can I know all the details of any person's death, I can transfer it to them. Yours is quite interesting, I must admit. In a way, you might call me a real fortune-teller." They heard the police come up behind her, kicking the door down.

Kakume shot the woman two times in the chest. She collapsed. When the policemen came in, Tam released a barrage of beetles. Kakume advanced and turned her blood into a shield, to protect herself from their gunshots. Destiny dragged herself on the floor, a trail of blood following her. Then, she grabbed both Kakume and Tam by the ankles and showed them their fate.

-

They returned back home, blood on their faces. The policemen were dead, the woman was injured. They would need to relocate again...

She noticed that Tam was shooting furtive glances her way. Tension crackled like an unseen electric current, each silence pregnant with unspoken words. The subtlest of movements reverberated, magnifying the gravity of the moment.

"Tell me, Tam", Kakume said carefully, breaking the silence. "If you were tasked to kill an innocent, would you do it without question?"

Tam frowned. "There is no such thing as an innocent. And no, I wouldn't. Not without question." He paused, and smiled. "I'd ask how much".

In this instant, Kakume hit him right on the back of his head with a big club she had made with her blood. As Tam collapsed, briefly unconscious, Kakume ran as far as her legs could bring her. She ran and ran, until her legs burned and she could no longer take it. She jumped into a boat that was in the process of leaving shore, and hid within the crates in the cargo hold, amongst the rats. She breathed fast, scared and uncertain. No matter where I'm going, it's going to be far from you, Tam. It might be written in stone... unavoidable, even, but I won't let you kill me... yet.