Chapter 4: The Drama Continues
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Surprisingly, it was Chizuru who was able to speak in that frozen tableaux.
Loudmouthed, simple-minded, and dense Chizuru who was able to say, "Toru, can you please close the door," in an even tone of voice.
Toru, who flinched at the sound of Chi's voice, nodded. He closed the door softly.
Chizu leaned her forehead against Ryu's forehead. Ryu was feeling cold and clammy, and Chizu's forehead was hot against his skin.
To his further surprise, she began to laugh. And he felt the tension leave his shoulders a little.
"We better get dressed," he said.
"And do the walk of shame," Chizu added, snorting.
Ryu leaned back, "And why is this funny exactly?"
Chizu looked at him, and shrugged her bare shoulders, "What else can I do, Ryu? Beat myself over the head? I don't regret touching you or wanting to be touched by you."
Ryu shook his head. "And when did you suddenly mature?"
Chizu was getting off Ryu as she answered absent-mindedly, "I dunno. Maybe since I started lo—" and she suddenly snapped her mouth shut, looking down at him with wide eyes.
"What?" Ryu said.
Chizu shook her head. "Nothing. You're right, we better get dressed."
She said nothing more as she started putting on her bra, and closing the clasp. As they pulled on their shirts and pants, and combed their hair.
Ryu was already dreading the inevitable talk with Toru. As he walked with Chizu to the door, he almost bumped into her, when she stopped.
He looked down at her as she whirled and pressed her lips to his. Then, she backed away and smiled at him, luminously. She darted out of the door, and was gone, leaving behind a dumbstruck Ryu, looking after her.
That smile.
That was Chizu. And not Chizu at all. It had all her playfulness, all her cheeriness. But there was also something more. It wasn't the smile of complete adoration that she had for Toru when they were children.
It was the smile of the woman who, on her birthday, waited for him with onigiri. It was the smile of the woman who knew her allure, who was confident of her place. It was the smile of the woman Chizu was becoming.
Ryu groaned. He thought the embarrassing scene earlier had extinguished all of his desire. But with that smile alone, Chizu had made him want again.
There was a knock on the door. "Ryu."
Ryu pinched the bridge of his nose, and breathed in and out. "Yeah, Tori-nii. Just a sec."
He breathed again, preparing himself, and adjusting his pants. He opened the door.
Only to have Toru's fist fly into his face.
He staggered back, but caught himself in time. He shook his head, and looked up to see an angry Toru. He noted with satisfaction Toru massaging his knuckles. He straightened up.
From below, their Father's voice came up. "Ryu? Toru? What was that?"
Toru called back, his eyes not leaving Ryu's. "Nothing, Dad. Just an accident." With that, he stepped into Ryu's room and closed the door with a click. He locked it.
Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that first punch, Toru-nii. But I'll be damned if I take a second one without an answer. I'll finish whatever you need to start."
"You bastard, what the hell were you doing to Chi?"
Ryu simply crossed his arms. "I wasn't doing anything to Chizu. Don't insult her strength. She would have kicked my ass if I tried anything funny. And whatever Chizu and I do is really none of your business."
"I've watched that little girl grow up, so it is my goddamn business, you brat. Are you guys going out? Are you serious about her? Or are you playing with her?"
Ryu's eyes narrowed, his teeth grinding. "I've loved her all my life," he bit out. "Loved her and supported her, even when she cried over you."
"And how sure are you that you're not a substitute?" Of course, as soon as Toru said it, Ryu saw that he regretted it. Ryu saw that Toru wanted to take back the words as soon as he said them. That he wanted to say them another way. That he didn't mean it the way it sounded.
But that was all buried by the fury that washed over Ryu, and by the way he tackled Toru to the floor.
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Surprisingly, Ryu's room was still pretty intact for all the fierceness of the fight that happened in it.
It was their Dad and Pin, who came and broke up the fight. Their Dad had to stop in the middle of cooking to beat some sense into them, and Pin heard the commotion and decided to help their Dad out.
Pin, while a completely tactless idiot at times, could show surprising perceptiveness and restraint. He made himself scarce as soon as he could. And he helped distract Chizu, who had been called over by Togano-san, the assistant cook at the ramen shop.
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"What the hell is going on?" Their father said, seated on his haunches, between Ryu and Toru. Both were looking down at the ground, their shirts torn, and sporting bruises in their faces.
Both Ryu and Toru remained silent.
Their father sighed, "Are you guys going to make me ask Chizu-chan?"
At that, both of their heads snapped up. They looked like each other so much in that instant, in the way they were instantly concerned when Chizu's name was mentioned, that their Dad had to keep himself from smiling.
"It was nothing, Dad. I said something I shouldn't have to Ryu." Toru said, sighing. "I'm sorry, Ryu."
Ryu looked away, still silent.
Their Dad sighed. "O-kay. I've never really seen you guys get into a fight before. You guys usually have such a good relationship. So, I'm going to trust that relationship right now and let you both resolve it. And if you can't resolve it, right now, it's okay. Maybe, cooling down is good, too. But just remember not to let this go cold, or it's something you guys will find harder and harder to resolve. Okay?"
They both nodded.
Their Dad stood up. "Toru, come on. You can come down with me. Ryu needs space, I think."
Ryu stood up. "No need to. I'm going out for a run, anyway."
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Ryu avoided even Chizu.
And luckily enough, baseball camp came.
Ryu left for a couple of days.
It was running away. He knew that. Pure and simple. But right now, he didn't really care.
That specter of his brother's words— substitute – didn't leave him. Even if he reasoned forward and backward and tried his best to be objective, the word floated around his head like a poisonous cloud. He was afraid if he stayed around either Chizu or Toru (who was coming back every other day or so, his poor wife), he'd snap and do something unforgivable.
Or even worse, that Chizu would realize it. Or confirm it. That he was nothing but a substitute for his brother.
Ryu wondered, too, when the hell had he become this much of a coward.
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And for the second time in his life, when Ryu opened the door, a fist came flying out.
He staggered back, managing to avoid the punch, but overcompensating and falling on his ass.
He looked up, surprised, as Chizu stomped out of his house.
"You bastard," she seethed. "If you don't have the balls to talk to me, then you don't have any right letting anything end and wanting something to begin. You want something to begin between us? You better not be running around with a tail between your legs, and feeling sorry for yourself. Face me. Understand that, Ryu?! Face me!"
She stomped away, back to her house.
Ryu, overwhelmed, and seeing his dad looking curiously through the doorway, looked up at the bright blue sky and leaned back to lie on the ground, splaying his arms and legs out. His bag lay beside him, dirty from camp.
And to the confusion of Ryu's father, Ryu began to laugh.
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But he was going to be all right, Ryu's father thought. Yeah, that kid's going to be all right. He watched Ryu jump up and run after Chizu, shouldering his bag.
He paused in preparing the noodles, contemplating the past ten years. He hadn't done shoddily by them, if he had to say so, himself. Of course, Chizu-chan was helping him raise his two boys, but by God, he wouldn't hang his head when he next meets up with wife, may she rest in peace.
For sure, he had been a little worried about Ryu. He had always kept things to himself. But now, Chizu-chan, well…he'd never seen Ryu that happy before. Or that energetic.
"Yeah, you're going to turn out all right, Ryu." He murmured to the empty shop. "Go get her."
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The End of Chapter 4: The End of the Drama Continues.
