The Successful Evasion

The room filled with eerie tension that rattled her bones. Tamao clutched the tail of the jacket she wore with nervous fists and stared at his neck with wet eyes. Horo was standing a few feet in front of her; his silence increased her fear. Many uncomfortable possibilities filled her mind as she considered what to say. He accused her of lying many times, and although he was usually right he was unaware. His eyes were filled with anger and disgust. Tamao knew that combination was difficult to counter, but now she was in an impossible situation. Admitting the truth would make things worse; she would have to confess she lied. Keeping the lie going was equally dangerous; she couldn't tell if he knew something she didn't. The pause was taking too long; his breathing elevated slightly. She knew she had to do something.

"Have you eaten?" she asked. "I'll make you something special for dinner."

"Don't dismiss me."

She took a deep breath. "I...have to get out of these clothes. Let me go change, and then we can talk about dinner."

"We're talking about Yoh."

His eyes narrowed when he noticed her freeze. Tamao slowly met his eyes with a terrified stance. He took a step forward.

"It was nothing!" She waved her hands. "Most of it was just waiting for the storm to pass. I barely talked to him!"

Horo said nothing when she paused. Her chest ached.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be upset! I'm sorry! Nothing happened, Horo. I swear!"

He clenched his teeth.

"It was nothing. It really was...nothing."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"I'm sorry, Horo. Please just...let it go."

"Let it..go?"

Horo's hands were shaking, though he didn't notice. His face was filled with frustrated redness. She glanced at the floor briefly as he resentfully scratched his neck.

"That's not what I meant," she said quickly.

"You think I'm stupid?" He took another step forward. "You think I don't know when you're lying to me?"

"No..." She vigorously shook her head and backed away. "I'm sorry!"

"You lie about everything." His shoulders tensed uncomfortably as he bared his teeth.

"Please calm down," she said as softly as possible. "Let me make you something to eat...and...you can relax."

"Stop that."

"Please, Horo." She couldn't stop talking. It was a nervous habit. "You'll make it worse. Just relax."

"Stop it."

"It's just a misunderstanding. We should...eat something...and you can relax for a while. Maybe...maybe take a nap...and you'll feel better—"

He grabbed her by the neck with his right hand and slammed her against the wall, interrupting the anxious statement. She hit her head hard against it and gasped. Her eyes were wide for a delayed pause she couldn't control, and tears escaped in a thin line down her cheek.

"STOP."


"When is he coming back?" Pirika paced back and forth in front of the dining table with her hands clutched behind her back. Anna watched the display with weariness and rested her hands against the table while leaning back in the chair.

"Maybe another hour," she sighed.

"Anna..." She stopped in front of her. "I don't feel comfortable talking to Yoh about this. Horo was really mad when I mentioned him this afternoon, and I don't want to make it worse."

"You said he was smoking, Pirika. That's not odd to you?"

"It is, and I'm worried. I just don't want to involve too many people."

Anna tapped her fingers against the wood with a reluctant frown. She thought about the conversation she had with Ren and Ellie about Tamao visiting in the middle of the night. It was something she hadn't discussed with her husband yet, but it seemed like relevant information now.

"There are things we don't know about your brother," she said. "He's definitely changed."

"I don't understand it." Pirika sat in one of the vacant chairs and folded her arms over the table. "How can he just turn into a completely different person overnight?"

"It wasn't overnight. It's been two years since you've seen him."

She pondered the statement and heavily exhaled. Anna was right, but she couldn't admit it.

"He was just so...angry," she whispered. "I don't know why."

"We have to consider the possibility..." Her voice trailed off. Bringing it up was more difficult than she thought.

"What possibility?"

Pirika stared at her with innocent curiosity. Anna took a deep breath and swallowed.

"That he could be violent."

"What are you talking about?" Her voice slightly elevated, and she straightened in the chair.

"The 'bathtub' incident..." She said it with emphasis. "...was suspicious. And I know there has been at least one other occasion where she had wounds that were indicative of a beating."

"My brother didn't hit her." Pirika said it with a growl.

"You don't know that."

She stood from the chair and frowned. "I know my brother wouldn't hit her. If Tamao said that she's lying!"

Ellie entered the room carrying a large shopping bag that she dropped onto the floor. Ren was standing beside her. Pirika balled her hands into fists as they slowly approached the table and clenched her teeth when Ellie pointed at her.

"I'm saying it, Pirika," she said. "Ren can back me up."

He didn't speak. Anna stared at the table.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Pirika stepped away from the table and shook her fist at her. "I won't let you bad mouth him like that!"

"Tell her exactly what you told me, Ellie," Anna said with a commanding voice. "None of your opinion. Just what happened."

"Sit down, Pirika," Ren said with a reluctant sigh. "Please."


Yoh muttered to himself as he sat rigidly in the back seat of the taxicab about whether or not this was necessary. If he walked the trip would have been thirty minutes; this route placed him outside Tamao's apartment building in exactly ten. He smiled at the driver and paid him an amount over what was owed, which the man seemed very appreciative of, and slowly stepped out.

"Mr. Asakura?" He rolled down the window. "Do you need a ride back? I can stay, if you want."

"No thanks. Have a good evening."

"Thank you very much, Sir."

He knew it wasn't a normal offer; the man was probably being extra nice for a specific reason. Walking around town for too long was a constant chore because of unwanted attention. Yoh had Anna to thank for that. Many of the benevolent and selfless things he was credited for doing on behalf of the city he didn't even know about. She was incredibly skillful in building his reputation while simultaneously strengthening their business. Being well liked was much better than being despised. Yoh knew long ago the smart thing was to let his wife control areas requiring savvy he could never possess. And over the years she became quite the master.

Uneasiness filled his mind as he stared silently at the building. Coming to Tamao's apartment unannounced was a risk, but he was so worried he didn't know what else he should do. Calling would be a waste of energy; she definitely wouldn't answer.

"Just go," he whispered and closed his eyes.

Tamao's unit was on the third floor. He was displeased with having to climb all of those stairs but because his wife forced him to regularly exercise he was able to clear them with no effort. A light breeze feathered through his hair as he walked down the wide corridor, and he paused when he reached her door at the end.

There was screaming inside. Loud screaming. And other crashing noises that raised the hair on the back of his neck. He beat against the door with frantic repetition, pounding against it with both fists.

"Tamao? Tamao!"

Yoh couldn't unlock the door. She refused to give him a key, and it was too thick to break down. Panic set in as he considered his next move. Calling the police was an option, but he was afraid they would arrive too late to make a difference. Rousing the neighbors would be just as time consuming. A heavy thud against the wall distracted him and he froze. Perhaps he could reach one of the windows and break it open. His eyes saturated with tears as he hit the door again. The windows were not in reach of any landings. Breaking them would be impossible without equipment. Fear and frustration consumed him as he beat on the door as hard as his hands could stand. He slowly stepped back when he heard shuffling noises inside and widened his eyes when she opened the door.

Tamao stepped out and quietly closed it. She leaned against the frame and for several moments didn't speak. He couldn't see her face. It was hidden with a large hood.

"...Tamao?"

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was frail and fatigued. She didn't lift her head.

"What's going on?" He took a step forward but she raised her hand to stop him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Go home."

Her hand was trembling. Tears fell softly onto his shirt.

"Is Horo in there?" He balled his hands into fists.

"Go home, Yoh," she repeated.

"I'm not...leaving you here." He clenched his teeth and bitterly closed his eyes. "Let me take you to the Inn. Or...to the police station—"

"I don't need your help," she said with irritation. "I want you to go home."

"Tamao, you can't just—"

"If you don't leave right now, I'll never speak to you again, Yoh. I promise I'll disappear."

She gave him no opportunity to respond. He watched with shock as she quickly entered the apartment and slammed the door. Yoh stared at it as she secured all of the latches and locks; the sound of each speared through his chest. He couldn't leave but he knew she would keep her promise if he didn't. Anger, fear and sadness overwhelmed him as he grabbed his shirt with a tight fist. He stood there, crying, for several minutes and then finally walked away.


Tamao took a short glass out of the kitchen cabinet. Her hands were shaking as she filled it with water, and she placed it onto the counter being careful not to spill it. She darted out of the kitchen briefly, disappearing into the bathroom, then returned holding a thin bottle of pills. She squeezed the bottle in one hand and held the glass in the other as she walked slowly into the living room. She carefully stepped over the television that was shattered against the floor and sidestepped around the coffee table that had been broken into three pieces. Horo was sitting on one end of the sofa. His left hand lightly bled through the bandage. She placed the glass gently into his right hand and slowly opened the bottle.

"For the headache," she said with a whisper. "You have to take it."

Horo took two of the white pills and chased them with a sip of the water. Tamao took the glass back into the kitchen then removed the jacket she was wearing and gingerly placed it onto a nearby chair. She then began the painstaking task of cleaning. Gathering pieces of broken furniture. Sweeping up glass. Placing the artwork that hadn't been damaged back onto the walls. Her back was facing him for most of the effort, but there were a few instances where she glanced at him with a warm smile.

It was difficult...impossible to smile back. Her left eye was lightly swollen; her nose was reddened from where it had been bleeding only minutes before. The crew shirt she wore showcased bruises on her arms fading with the passing of time. She was crouched on the floor picking at a shard of glass stuck between the seams of the wood. The small of her back was exposed; the purplish black skin was still visible.

He closed his eyes.

She gathered all of the trash into a large bag and disappeared into the kitchen again. He rubbed his face slowly with his hand as it became saturated. There was a song he could hear her humming from the kitchen; it was a routine that had become too disturbing for him to bear. When she returned he was staring at her with red eyes.

"Tamao..." His voice was almost too soft for her to hear.

"I'll make dinner soon," she said. "I have a bit of tea left. It will help with your headache."

"Tamao—"

"You should get some rest so you can get up in the morning for work. I don't mind if you spend the night. You shouldn't drive right now anyway."

She was ignoring him on purpose and he knew it. The silence that resumed was agonizing. Tamao knew where this was going; the taste of metal began to sting her jaw.

"Tamao—"

"It's okay. We're okay, Horo."

"I want you...to leave me."

"...You don't mean that," she said softly.

"You promised, Tamao."

"You don't mean that," she repeated as her voice quickly elevated.

"...I mean it." He closed his eyes again as new tears formed.

She climbed onto the sofa and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders. He tried to push her back, but she grabbed his shirt with her fists.

"No!" Her hysterical wails were heartbreaking. "Don't do this! Please...please don't do this!"

"You...promised," he whimpered.

"We can fix this!" Tamao crawled into his lap and buried her head against his neck. "Everything will be okay. I promise. I promise!"

"I love you," he said with a labored breath. His heart raced as he held her waist. "I love you."

"I love you!" She couldn't hear him. "Don't do this to me!"

He gazed at the wall with distressed eyes as she kissed his neck. She whispered something he didn't hear and ran her fingers through his hair. Horo rubbed her back, and she winced quietly, leaning her weight against his chest.

"I love you, Horo! I won't let you go!"

He attacked her lips with an aggressive kiss. She fell out of his lap and onto the adjacent cushion. As she hit her back against it there was a brief grimace, but she recovered quickly when he towered over her fragile form. He couldn't focus on making any decisions. He couldn't remember what they were talking about. She captured all of his attention with her desperate moans; her heart raced with painful veracity as his body heat suffocated her ability to properly reason. He fell against her when she latched her legs around his waist, and she pulled his hair gently with her hands as his tears returned.

Horo knew he couldn't live without her. He needed her. She needed him. And nothing else mattered.