Sorry guys for the wait. I've been moving for the last week and some so I didn't have internet :) Hope you like this chapter I'll have another up soon I hope. I'll be on my way Out West in a few days so bear with me guys
Peace
Chapter 6
The Morning Breaks
A matter of complication
When you become a twist
Izzy awoke to the streaming blue light of the television beaming into his face. Kari was breathing lightly, asleep in his arms. Both were wrapped up in a blanket and in the corner of the couch. Izzy yawned, rubbed his eyes and then gently woke Kari.
"Kari, I've got to take you home you can't stay here tonight... Kari?" He shook her shoulder and she stirred, opening her eyes.
"Mhm..." she mumbled and raised to a sitting position on the couch. "It's 8..." she said mindlessly and leaned back down on Izzy's shoulder.
"Kari... I said I've got to get you home, I'm sure everyone's worried about and wondered where you went" he looked into her eyes and then followed up with, "even Tai..."
"Yea I'm sure he's just frantic right now not knowing where I am..." She stood and straightened out her clothes. "Look Izzy, I came over here because I didn't know where else to go and ... well ... like I said I like you but if you don't want me coming here just tell me." She stood rigid and cold waiting for Izzy to allow her to stay but he just lowered his head.
"Kari, I'm sorry but I can't let you stay here. It doesn't mean I don't like you ... but it just means I don't want to cause any more trouble with Tai then I already have."
She sighed and then wrung her hands together trying to say the right words. "I- don't know what you guys talked about earlier but I'm not always going to be here Izzy so when you make up your mind let me know...I just thought..." She grabbed her coat and began walking to the door.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Izzy asked hastily but Kari shook her head and left giving Izzy one last look. He let out a sigh and began tiding up his living room thinking about the work he should have got done that day.
Izzy sat in front of his laptop, the curser just blinking. He didn't know what to do or what he was doing. On one hand he didn't want to hurt Kari by telling her he's not sure if he wants to be more then friends but equally, he would be hurting her if he pretends to like her anymore more than that.
He rubbed his eyes. The weekend was one misfortune after another and he didn't get any work done. He closed his lap top and it clicked echoing through the empty house suddenly making Izzy suddenly feel lonely. He stood and stretched and knowing he had work on Tuesday he had to get this report done by tomorrow evening.
However, as if on cue his phone rang and he debated whether to pick it up. It rang again and Izzy stared at it. A third ring and Izzy turned his back to the phone and walked back to his office. A forth and final ring before his answering machine picked up.
"Koushiro!! Why aren't you picking up your phone!" Kari was crying on the other end and he rushed over and answered it.
"Whoa what's going on?" he asked.
"It's Tai- I don't know he just wont wake up I'm really scared" she said through uncontrolled sobs.
"Well is he breathing?" he was trying to weed through what was the biggest concern at the moment.
"No... Yes! I don't know I think so..." Kari was really hard to understand and if she didn't know whether Tai was breathing or not wasn't a good sign that she should be alone.
"Did you call an ambulance?"
"Not yet, I wanted you to come over first and see how he's doing before I get anyone involved... please just hurry"
"Well Kari if you think it's serious call an ambulance... I'll be right over" He hung up the phone and headed over to the Yagami residence.
The room was warm. Karis tear streaked face looked up from the floor where she had rolled Tai over. Izzy knew right away that Tai was going to be alright, perhaps not in the long run of things, but for right now he would be alright.
"He just drank too much" he told Kari and nodded towards the open bottle of alcohol.
"But why would people just leave him? If he passed out why didn't anyone look after him?" Kari looked at her brother and more tears fell from her eyes. Izzy helped Kari put Tai on the couch.
"I don't think anyone was even here Kari. I didn't even know he drank alone... but I guess he does..."
"No he doesn't. I know he doesn't and so do you. And I know he never usually drinks until he passes out that's just not like him at all." She paused and looked sceptically from Izzy to her brother. "Are you sure he's going to be alright?"
"Yea Kari, I think he'll as fine as one can possibly be if they pass out from too much alcohol" he said and then he and Kari took Tai from the couch and into his bedroom. "Place him on his side, just in case and make sure you keep an eye on him. When he wakes up make him drink lots of water" Kari nodded and then gave Izzy sorrowful eyes. He gave her a half smile and shoving his hands in his pockets he tuned and left leaving Kari to look after her bother.
Izzy didn't go home right away. Instead he walked around town for the longest time trying to think of the most logical way to approach what happened in the past weekend. He knew it was going to confront Tai; he had never been good at ever since they were little. Tai was that natural born leader and would remain that way, or it would if Tai would learn self control. But Izzy knew that Tai was never one who knew what self control was- always pushing himself to be the leader and pushing himself to be the one who rescues everyone.
Izzy yawned and looked at his watch and noticed it was midnight; deciding it was time to retire for the night he headed home. Waiting for him was a message on his machine from Kari telling him not to worry; Tai had woken up for a brief time.
Despite his lack of sleep Izzy was up at 6, finished his report that he had to have finished by tomorrow morning to hand into his boss. He looked around his house, spotless and dust free and he wondered what he should do for the afternoon. He thought about fixing up his computer but wasn't sure what needed to be fixed.
His phone rang and he did want to answer it. He hoped it was Tai but at the same time his stomach was doing flip because he wasn't sure how to confront him yet.
"Izumi residence" he answered, his mouth feeling like a desert.
"Good afternoon" Kari sang on the other line and suddenly Izzy felt relieved.
"Hi to you too" he replied not really wanting to ask what she was calling for.
"Do you think you could meet me, so we can talk?" She asked sweetly and then added, "I'm on my lunch break, and to be honest I'm worried about Tai." Izzy was sold. This was going to be a conversation on how to help Tai so Izzy couldn't refuse going to meet her.
He looked at the clock on the wall and then checked his watch to make sure both were correct. He was to meet Kari at a coffee shop close by the high school in five minutes so he decided to take his bike. When he walked in Kari was already sitting in a booth by herself sipping on a hot chocolate.
"Thanks for coming" she said. "Tai seemed really mad at me last night when he woke, and he wasn't there when I got up for school in the morning and no ones seen him" she told him and Izzy was surprised she got right to the point so quickly. "I'm just worried about him- he never drinks alone"
"He's making everyone worry" he said knowing that he was just as worried about him as she was.
"I just don't know what to do- he's never acted so immature before; well not about this anyway. He never used it as a crutch before" she wasn't even looking at Izzy. She was staring at her reflection swirling in the brown liquid.
"What do you mean by crutch?"
"Well, I mean I know he does drugs but he doesn't do them to escape from reality-" she made quotations with her fingers and continued with what she was saying. "Izzy both you and I know something is really bothering him and that is what made him..." she paused and took a deep breath. "drink so much by himself. He's using it as a crutch to down out whatever it is he's going through and Koushiro I need your help to find out what it is. I don't care what you do; have an intervention if you want!"
"I don't think Tai wants to even see me right now so I don't think it's a good idea"
"But Koushiro he's your friend, good friend; you guys are best friends and I'm sure he's over it. If you can't get even get over what happened- whatever it was- then you're not being much of a friend... and you might not be the person I thought you were.' Her hands were wrapped around her mug and her eyes were glazed over. "So please..." she begged and then stood."I have to go to class now" she paid for her drink and left Izzy sitting alone with his thoughts and her last words. For several minutes after, Koushiro stared at the brown ring on the napkin and the way the spoon cast an oblong silver reflection.
You might not be the person I thought you were... so please. The words rang through Izzy's head and he walked around trying to come up with a plan of action. Did Kari really believe he could do something about this problem? Confronting Tai is never the best way of getting him to do something, His arms were crossed behind his back and he was deep in thought... So please.
He let out an exasperated sigh and a lady gave him a dirty look as if he was an impatient teen. He looked at the "don't walk" sign and then back at her and just as he was about to explain himself the lady walked across the road. He hung his head and continued his thinking. Izzy found himself outside Karis school and decided to wait for her to get out of school. He needed her help if he was going to try and help Tai.
"We need to get him calm and sitting so we can at least talk to him before he gets all defensive" Izzy began. "That's where I really need you" He looked at Kari. "If Tai is still mad at me from the other day he wont even let me in the house."
"Ok" she nodded "and then you'll talk to him?" it was Izzy's turn to nod and he did so while standing.
"But its late so I should get you home and we'll just hope that this works"
The walk to the Yagami house was quiet. Neither spoke; when they were about to no words were able to be formulated. Both were deep in thought thinking about how this attack on Tai would turn out. Kari had high expectations for Izzy and was hoping that he would straighten out Tai.
"Ok you just go ahead in, when he's calm I'll come in..." Izzy said but the door opened and Tai was standing in the door frame glaring at Izzy.
"Tai" Kari was in shock.
"Get inside Kari its ten! You didn't call, you didn't tell me where you were! I called the school and they told me there was nothing going on? What the hell is a matter with you?!" Tai grabbed her arm and brought her inside. Kari held back tears and wanted to defend herself but wasn't sure what to say to him.
"Back off Tai, she was with me and she's worried-"
Tai looked at Izzy with fierceness and then back at Kari. "Now I found out you've been gallivanting with Koushiro." He pointed at the open door. Izzy walked in and grabbed Kari by the shoulders.
"Just go to your room" he said calmly and she nodded and stumbled to her bedroom and gingerly closed the door.
"That's not how a father figure works Tai." Izzy said bitterly and looked around the room noticing open bottles. "You've been drinking alone again?" he asked disappointedly. "Don't you realise how serious this is getting- you're really scaring your sister"
Tai lunged forward and grasped the front of Izzys shirt and pushed him backwards through the open door. "And when would I have time to notice? She's always around with you and as far as I can see you're just using her! Leave my sister alone." Tai shoved Izzy away and balled his fists.
"There is nothing going on between us Tai, what is your problem?" Izzy's temper began to flare.
"You, you're my problem Izzy. This whole thing with my sister what do you think you're doing with her anyway?'
"I'm not using her. I'm trying to help her Tai. And if you would stop your drinking you'd notice that" Izzy shouted. He did like Kari; she was the good in Tai that Izzy admired. He wished that Tai would notice that he didn't need to act tough all the time. " She at least has a head on her shoulders you just went down hill after high school Tai, and I can't deal with that." His breathing was rigid and before he could stop himself he added, "and sorry about the other night I don't know what I was thinking, but it was a mistake"
Tai froze. His last words stung and he didn't know how to react. He let his head look to the street, avoiding Izzy's eyes.
He continued with bitterness in his voice. "We both know if I wasn't drunk it wouldn't have happened." Izzy didn't move but stood straight and waited for Tai to say something. Tai pushed him hard into the wall.
"Did you know that you touched my sister? Did you know that you did the same thing to her that you did to me? Only she's not as smart as I am- she doesn't understand- she thinks you like her and you don't! You're just using her so stop it!" He yelled and slammed his fist beside Izzy's head and wide eyes.
"N-nothing happened... that night... she told me" Izzy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't believe that she didn't tell him about it even after he asked.
"SHE LIED TO YOU! Just like you're lying to her. And just because YOU don't remember something doesn't mean it didn't. It did and now she's hurt" Tai's eyes burned and he was having a hard time thinking clear.
"She's hurt because of you. Because you're an irresponsible and childish brother if you can even call yourself that anymore. You're going to land yourself in the hospital or in jail and you're trying to drag everyone else around you down with you so just let her live her life and stop trying to control what you cant!" Koushiro knew this wasn't helping the situation and this wasn't at all how he wanted the night to go. He wanted to calmly talk to Tai and tell him the truth nice and easy.
Before Izzy could calculate what Tai was doing he felt and pain in his right cheek. His hand flew up to his face and covered the spot that was targeted by Tai's fist. He felt himself being pulled from the wall and thrown to the ground and in another second Tai released another punch to his right eye.
"Leave Kari alone" he seethed and then stood. Izzy picked himself off the ground and stared at Tai.
"You can't just control her Tai" he turned and left feeling his face start to swell.
"That wasn't very nice Tai." Kari angrily said to a seething Tai who stood in the doorway with clenched fists; clothes and hair dishevelled. Kari was in her pyjamas and was holding her headphones in her hands. Her eyes were yielding and waited for Tai to turn around and look at her. "Mom's going to be home tomorrow" she said softly and left a long pause for Tai to speak but nothing came.
"Stay away from Koushiro Izumi..." he ordered with a low and steady voice. Kari's eyes widened and she was unsure of what to say. "You're better then him." He closed the door and turned around and looked at her; stone faced and emotionless. 'Go to bed Kari, you've got school tomorrow."
I know it all seems weird right now but trust me- it'll alllllll work out :D
Review
Sweet roses
