The Normalcy of Natto

The early morning sun slowly filtered into the spare room Harry had been crashing in at Reo’s house. It was comfortable enough, a desk and a dresser sitting bare, not like he had many clothes with him, as well as the tatami mat he slept on. It had taken him a few days to get used to sleeping on the floor, feeling like he was in his late teens again passed out on his buddy’s floor. But the past was the past, and this was the now.

Everywhere except, of course, in his dreams.

“Nothing I could do…nothing I could…” Harry moaned in his sleep, his head tossing and turning, sweat on his brow. The dream again. No. Not dream. Memory. Harry could see it as clear as if he were actually in the grimy alley in New York. The smell of fire and blood, the sounds of screams and gunshots and roars. And Lisa. Always going back to Lisa. Her blood on his hands. The light leaving her eyes. His own life bleeding out. Her face scrunched up, trying to tell him she forgave him for not being able to save her. At least, it’s what he always hoped she was trying to say.

Harry’s eyes snapped open. Japan. Of course. Not New York. Lisa was long dead. So was he, technically. He grabbed his phone, the bright screen burning his eyes. 6:32 in the morning. He sighed, his arm slamming back to the ground with his phone. A slight, bitter laugh escaped his lips. “They say you relive your life when dying. I’ve got the opposite problem. I relive my death while living. Over and over again. And you know what sucks?” He looked around the empty room briefly, as if expecting an answer. He scrolled through his phone, his morning ritual taking place as he found the message from Lisa in his voicemail inbox. He smiled as he heard her tell him the dishwasher needed to be repaired. Simple. Normal.

Gone.

“I’m ungrateful. There are times I loathe this second life,” Harry said softly as the message ended, Lisa’s ghost leaving him alone once more.

The door creaked open, letting a sliver of light from the hallway in. A slight young girl, rail thin and pale skinned, waved to him. “It’s breakfast time,” she said softly. Harry couldn’t help but smile, his dark thoughts broken by Reo’s little sister, Hinata, the girl who refused to let any moment stay sad.

“If it’s natto again I’m killing myself,” Harry said.

Hinata crossed her arms, a pout appearing on her thin lips. “I suppose you want a big greasy plate of bacon and eggs, mister American?” Hinata asked, leaning forward a bit.

“Should I be insulted?” Harry asked, standing up and stretching.

“Are you proud of enjoying grease?” Hinata asked.

“Yes,” Harry said, patting her head with his massive hand as he passed by her. They both laughed, the morning already feeling a bit brighter.

They walked into the living room, a communal area which, in the past two years since Reo had taken it over after his and Hinata’s parents had been killed, had been taken over by his hobbies. Anime and tokusatsu posters adorned the wall and there were three bookcases of superhero and monster figures, each meticulously placed and posed. Whenever he came into this room strained not to brutally mock Reo and ask if he had a girlfriend.

“Morning,” Reo said, not looking up as he enjoyed his natto. His chopsticks were eagerly shoveling stinky beans into his mouth as he sat on the couch, his sister sitting beside him with her own bowl. Harry slumped into the chair across from him, looking at his foul bowl. Natto. His arch nemesis in Japan. The insisted upon breakfast from his kind host. Full of protein, he was assured. He knew he shouldn’t complain. He also knew beans shouldn’t taste like a bizarre combination of sticky and bitter which made his mouth wish it was filled with cement instead. An acquired taste, Reo had called them. It was a taste Harry desperately hoped he never would acquire. Hinata finished swallowing the last of her morning pills, ensuring her heart would keep ticking, giving him her weak, apologetic smile as she shrugged and dug in. Harry let out a deep sigh, some fermented beans leaving a sticky trail in the air as he brought them to his mouth.

They talked about small things as they ate. How did you sleep? Did you see on the news the new Demon Restoration Act was passed by the U.N.? Think it will rain today? Reo would stop after a few minutes and check on Hinata. She accepted it, slightly annoyed but acknowledging the intent behind it. Harry knew she had some kind of heart condition. Only reason she survived the months after D Day was her mom had been a doctor, ensuring the hospital staff knew her. He could only imagine the made up demons running around in her teenage head, knowing she had gotten the medicine others would have killed for because the docs and her parents had been buddies. But he never pushed. His best friend growing up had a club foot. Harry knew when people wanted to talk about their messed up bodies and when they simply wanted to be normal.

Normal. He couldn’t help but smirk as he finished off his natto. Yeah, there were times he hated being a survivor, he thought as he looked at the siblings. There were also times he realized how lucky he was to be alive. For two years he had been alone. Utterly alone. He had never been alone before then. But suddenly he was eating with friends again, talking about bullshit, preparing for work. It wasn’t normal, but it was dangerously close. Reo stood up, taking all of their bowls, giving Harry a look as if he knew exactly what he was thinking.

“So, what’s on tap today?” Harry asked, glad to be rid of his horrid natto bowl for the rest of the day.

Reo dumped the bowls in the sink and began to wash them quickly and methodically. “Gaku needs help with disappearances in Akihabara.”

Harry let out a short laugh, partly because he would have to spend the day with another of Tokyo’s eccentric exorcists. Gaku, a man who would sleep with anything, male, female or inanimate, buying drinks for the boys afterwards. The other part which amused Harry was where they would be spending the day.

“What?” Reo asked at the laugh.

“Nothing. I’m imagining you shopping, nerd,” Harry said, the geek haven of Akihabara well known to him from the time he had spent in Japan. It was one of the first places Reo had taken him to relax, and Harry had been thoroughly confused.

“Shopping?” Reo asked.

“Yeah,” Harry said, standing and stretching. “Geeking out over more plastic bullcrap.”

“Please. When I’m working I’m all business, Harry,” Reo said, setting the last bowl on the drying rack.

Harry made an overly complex tokusatsu pose. “Hiya!” Harry cried out.

“You’re an ass,” Reo said, grabbing his keys and heading for the door.

“You tolerate me,” Harry said with a shrug. “See you later, Hinata!”

The girl gave them a small wave. As they made their way through the streets of Tokyo, Harry’s mind wandered to normalcy. He wasn’t sure he would ever get what he had lost back. But the sun was warm, the company was good and the job was important, if not always pleasant. He could maybe convince himself he was happy.

So long as he could get past the natto.