Kasumi tied her sneakers and headed out into a cloudy late afternoon for a run. Tenzou was still in the kindergarten but she would pick him up on the way back from her run. She had taken a well-deserved two days off work, so Kasumi took the opportunity to do a little training and spent more quality time with her son. She started off the run with a slow pace to warm up her muscles, and then raised the speed once she got into the right rhythm. While running, a lot of thing ran through her mind, but mainly Ryu. It was rather odd to her that he hadn't come back to the city as she was expecting to see him again... even Hayate hadn't had any contact with him when she had asked. Kasumi didn't quite know what to think.
On top of that, there was another issue she came to face this week. Tenzou's kindergarten teacher had complained to her about his recent behavior. Her son had been acting aggressively towards other children in the kindergarten. At first, Kasumi thought that it was the typical kid's behavior where they had argued about toys or something of that nature, but from what his teacher had told her, he had been violently hitting the other kids until they started to cry. This was out of her son's character. Beside from the massive tantrum she once experienced, she hadn't seen Tenzou acting aggressively towards her or anybody else. When they visited the Mugen Tenshin last week, he seemed to get along just fine with the village kids. So she didn't know what exactly was going on with her son...but whatever it was, she needed to get to the bottom of it before he got out of hand.
Then she thought back at the conversation she had with Hayate. What her brother said really strike a deep chord. Her feet paused from running. Kasumi took out her phone from the kangaroo pocket of her hoody jacket and dialed Takeshi's number. No answer, only the voicemail. She decided to leave him a message. Right afterwards, Kasumi continued running for another five miles. Once she reached her five-mile mark, she turned back and headed towards the kindergarten as it was time to pick up Tenzou.
Once at the kindergarten, Kasumi was expecting an excited Tenzou running up to her with his arms wide open to give her a big hug as he usually would. But instead, he was rather quiet and seemingly looking upset. Kasumi was once again pulled aside by his teacher for the briefing of Tenzou's day. She said that he had missed out on a lot of activities for that day because he kept misbehaving and was sent to the time-out corner a few times. Kasumi was sad and disappointed to hear that.
The walk home was quiet. Tenzou was kicking the small stones as he was walking with his gaze lowered to the ground the entire time. Anger was his expression. He didn't even want to hold Kasumi's hand and had kept a slight distance from her. Usually, he would nag his mother to carry him and he would talk and talk all the way home until Kasumi got tired of listening to him as her son had too much energy where she sometimes struggled to keep up with, and therefore his silence was odd to her.
It was a chilly day. "Hey, what do you say we go get hot chocolate and doughnuts?" She decided to try and cheer him up. Tenzou lightly shook his head but kept his eyes to the ground.
"Okay, how about we stop by the playground?" She tried again, as the playground in the city park nearby was his favorite place to go and play. It didn't work either since he gave her no sign of reaction.
"How about, we buy some bread and go feed the pigeons at the park, you love that don't you?" This time she was certain Tenzou wouldn't be able to say no, as that had become their daily rituals on their way home from kindergarten.
Much to her disappointment, Tenzou was still not giving her any reaction. But she wasn't ready to give up. Kasumi then paused from walking and touched Tenzou briefly on his shoulder signing him to paused for a moment.
"What's wrong? You can tell me." She asked, bending down so she was looking right into Tenzou's eyes. But he refused to look at her and determined to keep his silence. If anything he looked rather annoyed by his mother's nag. Sighing hopelessly, Kasumi left him alone for now and nothing she suggested seemed to work, and so they headed straight home.
During dinner, Tenzou ate his meal in silence. It might look as he was just behaving nicely but to Kasumi and knowing her son, his calmness was again strange. Clearly, something was eating him up. No three-year-old would have this sudden change of demeanor without a good reason.
Back at the Mugen Tenshin, Kasumi had asked her mother of why she would still love and accepted her after all the troubles she had caused, and then abandoning the village to live a different lifestyle free from the shinobi rules and duties. Ayame had replied, "My love for my children was never conditional or time limited, it has no expiry date. I want you, Hayate and Ayane to know that I would always love the three of you no matter what you choose to do in life…" and that was the kind of mother Kasumi inspired to be, that no matter what her son was going through or done, she will ride with him until the wheel fall off.
"Did you do anything fun in the kindergarten today?" Kasumi casually asked with a smile, hoping he would finally talk to her again. He hadn't said a single word since she picked him up from the kindergarten.
He only shook his head.
Kasumi frowned curiously, "Why not?"
Still no response. Kasumi felt hopeless.
"I don't like going there anymore…" He suddenly mumbled in a low voice, refusing to look at his mother when talking. Though Kasumi was glad to hear his sweet voice again.
"But I thought you love it there, what happened?"
"They're mean to me mama..."
Her frown deepened, "Who is mean to you?"
"The other kids, they said I have scary eyes and they laughed at me…" His expression changed from sad to anger. All of sudden, he slammed his spoon on the table, startling Kasumi and then curled his fingers into a fist.
"So I showed them!" He said proudly with his eyebrows drawn closely together looking like he was ready to hurt someone.
Kasumi paused from eating when an unexpected image of Ryu flashed through her mind as she looked at her son. Her breath all tangled in her throat looking at Tenzou's striking resemblance to Ryu's warrior kill mode expression… It broke her heart to hear what he had just told her. He was too young to comprehend any of it. She may not like hearing him being made fun of for his unique eyes color, but she didn't want him to become aggressive and hitting other children. That was not how she wanted to raise him, making him think that violence was the way to deal with his problems.
He'd gotten a scraped cheek from the fight. Someone must have fought him back and caused it. Kasumi reached across the table and touched his face.
"I understand that it makes you mad when they tease you. However, it's not okay to hit others. That will only get you into more trouble."
Tenzou looked at her confused.
"Remember what uncle Hayate said about Karate? That you're only allow to use those moves as self-defense, that means if someone is physically attacking you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
He lowered his head and gaze back down at his plate. Another silence surrounded the table. Kasumi didn't know what else to say to him.
Kasumi then smiled, "Someday someone will appreciate those unique green eyes and true friends will accept you for who you are." She tried to lift his spirit up a little.
Her words suddenly lightened up his little face. "You mean someone like Momoi?"
Kasumi looked a little curious, "Who's Momoi?"
"She's my friend. She said my eyes are cool like the forest."
Kasumi couldn't help but smiled warmly, a little amused as well as she now remembered who Momoi was. A four-year-old girl who played with Tenzou when they were at the Mugen Tenshin. Then on their way back to Tokyo, she noticed that Tenzou didn't bring his favorite new teddy bear Ryu back with him. When she had asked, he said he gave it to someone he liked.
Tenzou didn't seem to be so upset anymore, and he went back to his bubbly self. He also promised his mother that he wouldn't hit the other kids in kindergarten. Kasumi plan on talking to his teacher about what he had told her so the teacher would pay more attention if it happens again.
The doorbell rang.
He got here fast… Kasumi hurried to open the door.
"Hitomi…" Kasumi greeted in surprised, as it wasn't who she was really expected. "What brings you here?" She then wondered curiously.
"I'm sorry to show up like this…" Hitomi hesitated a little before continue. "Hayate said that you were his sister, and so I was wondering if you maybe know how I could get a hold of him?"
Kasumi felt rather bad now since Hayate had made it clear that he didn't want to get involve or see Hitomi again. But it wasn't her place to tell Hitomi anything, just in case her brother would change his mind later on. Even if she wanted to tell where her brother was, Hitomi was a regular civilian and Kasumi couldn't risk telling her where the Mugen Tenshin was located, exposing her clan to a stranger. Only few trustworthy people knew of their existence.
"Hitomi, I don't quite know how to tell you this but…"
"I know you guys are ninjas and that Hayate lives somewhere far in the forest." Hitomi then sighed, as she figured that Kasumi couldn't give her any information.
Kasumi's eyes widened, "Hayate told you about us…?" What the hell was her brother thinking telling Hitomi about their existence. Even Takeshi didn't know her true identity. Hayate must really trust this girl, she thought silently.
But Hitomi read Kasumi's mind through her concern expression. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She assured with a smile. "Anyway, I figured it was a long shot but I thought I gave it a try since he was in the city the last time I saw him…"
"Well, Hayate sometimes comes by to visit us, but he doesn't often let me know when he comes to the city. When I see him next time, I will let him know that you were looking for him." That was the best deal she could give.
"That would be nice. I guess I better get going…and thank you for your time." Hitomi smiled and bowed. Kasumi responded the same.
Later that evening as Kasumi was preparing a little evening snacks for Tenzou, she was starting to wonder if Takeshi had seen the message she sent him… and if he did, he might be ignoring her. Though she wouldn't blame him if that was the case as he had all the right to be mad with her. After all, she had been ignoring his calls and texts for the last couple of weeks. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Kasumi marched back out to the living room with a bowl of cut-up banana and apples for Tenzou whose eyes were locked on the TV screen watching cartoons. Thirty-minute left before she would start nagging him to get ready for bed. Hopefully this time he would just obey nicely and make bedtime a little easier than usual as she was already getting sleepy. That way they both could get a good night sleep. In the meantime, Kasumi laid herself down on the couch watching cartoons with her son. Only seconds later, her honey brown eyes suddenly closed but then she heavily forced them open again repeatedly, struggling to keep herself awake. Before Kasumi knew it, everything became a blur and she was fast asleep.
Once Tenzou was done with eating his snacks, he climbed down from the couch and put the bowl on the table. Then he marched to his mother and peeked at her closely. His finger gently poking Kasumi's shoulder up and down while he whispered, "Mama…" repeatedly to wake her up. But no reaction nor movement. She had fallen too deep asleep. Tenzou glared at her for a moment, then went and grabbed the blanket nearby to cover his mother. "Good night, mama." Next he took his empty fruit bowl and walked to the kitchen with it. The sink was a little high for him, so he placed the bowl on a table instead before he went back out of the kitchen.
Kasumi woke up and sat up on the couch in panic looking around the living room for Tenzou, but he was nowhere in sight. She gazed at the clock on the wall, Damn it…she hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep and had been sleeping for almost two hours even though it felt like seconds to her. The TV was still on.
Oh no, Tenzou… How could she just fall asleep so recklessly? Kasumi asked herself in annoyance. She quickly shoved the blanket off her, then turned off the TV and hurried toward Tenzou's bedroom hoping to find him there. Kasumi breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Tenzou sleeping soundlessly in his bed. Her shoulder leaned against his bedroom door as she gazed toward her son, smiling like any proud mother would.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang startling the heck out of Kasumi. She gently closed the bedroom door and then hurried toward the front door to see who it could be. After a quick look through the peek hole, she opened it.
"Sorry I couldn't come sooner, I just got back in town but I hurried here once I saw your message."
"It's fine, I'm just glad to see you." She leaned in to hug Takeshi. He eagerly responded, but neither of them wanted to let go, so they stayed like that for a moment.
"I've missed you," He whispered.
"I've missed you too," She responded.
Kasumi retreated first and invited Takeshi inside the apartment. She briefly studied his appearance, he looked tired and he was wearing his work suit. They went to the living room.
"Have you been out of town?" Kasumi asked.
He nodded light, "Business trip..."
"You didn't have to come straight away you know, if you're tired and such."
"You're being rather considerate." He said in a flat voice. Though Kasumi wasn't sure if he was being a tease or sarcastic. He noticed her frown. "Since you have been completely ignoring me after that night..."
"There's a reason for that…" Kasumi sighed. "Um, do you want tea or…"
He ignored her small talk. "Kasumi, why am I here?"
She didn't respond right away which made Takeshi anxious.
"Is this about that night?" He began, trying to figure the reason she wanted to talk to him. "I know we agreed on taking things slow, but…" They had gotten intimate again that night, and he thought that was the reason Kasumi had kept her distance.
"This is not about that, if anything it was amazing." She replied.
This was it, Kasumi had thought about it and it was time to be completely honest. They would never go forward unless she put everything out there. Takeshi deserved the truth. She didn't want to waste any more of his time, so with a deep breath Kasumi began to spill everything. Who she truly was before she met him. A Kunoichi. She figured that none of that would matter because it was her past, therefore she trusted him enough to finally let him know. Kasumi briefly talked about her family, that she was once a rouge shinobi. Takeshi had never known who her parents were. She had lied to him about them. That she didn't have any relationship with her parents nor siblings, except for Hayate who Takeshi had met a few times. That was the truth at the time, as she didn't have the best relation to her family.
He stood frozen as he listened to every word she was saying, but Kasumi wasn't done. She needed to let it all out before her courage deserted her. There was one more detail left.
"And that guy, who showed up at my door in the middle of the night… he was Tenzou's father." She swallowed a huge clump of fear after she said it. There, everything was now on the table.
A long silence settled over them. Takeshi wore a blank expression, perhaps he was in shock, thought Kasumi. But she wanted the silence to end as it felt like decades to her making her more anxious.
"Please say something…" She softly pleaded.
Takeshi ran his hands down his weary face, trying to let it all sink in. Hearing about Ryu being Tenzou's biological father wasn't bothering him, as Kasumi was already pregnant when he met her. She had been honest about her pregnancy since the very beginning, and that was also the reason she couldn't date him at the time. He accepted it all, and he was happy to be a father figure to her child. He raised and consider Tenzou as his own for these past three years. Kasumi never really told him anything about Ryu, only that he wasn't going to be in the picture.
"What did he want…?" He asked in a monotone voice.
His calmness bothered her, but Kasumi didn't know what to expect either. "He wanted to know if Tenzou was his. But I couldn't tell him, deep down I didn't want him to know because nothing good would come out of him knowing about Tenzou. You know the rest, he left. I haven't heard from him since then…"
"I see…" He let out a deep sigh, "Is he a bad guy? Is there a reason you don't want him around Tenzou?" He looked somewhat irritated at her as he asked the question.
She wanted to be honest and so she would answer anything that need to be answered.
"No. He's not a bad guy…in fact, without him, I wouldn't be here today."
Takeshi frowned, "Then why wouldn't you want him to know that he has a son...? I saw the anger in his eyes that night. I'm assuming he wouldn't mind to know if he had a son."
"I had no choice Takeshi! I had to protect Tenzou."
"Protect him from what?" His voice suddenly became a little rougher. The tension rose up, and Kasumi was beginning to feel the pressure.
"From that world. If people knew who Tenzou's biological father was, a great demanding task will be put on him. I didn't want him to follow that dark path. I wanted him to have a choice for a better life…" Her voice then softened, "A normal life…"
Another silence fell between them. Takeshi placed both his hands behind his neck and breathe out a frustrated sigh. But then he smiled, slowly his smile turned into chuckles and then into a ridiculous soft laughter.
Kasumi frowned at him, getting a little irritated herself as nothing about this was funny to her.
"Tell me Kasumi, are you delusional?"
Her eyes grew wide, "What…?"
"Do I seriously look like an idiot to you?" He continued.
"No, of course not. Why are you saying that…?" She was rather confused and insulted at the same time.
"I don't care about that guy. I knew what I got myself into when I marry you. He might be Tenzou's biological father, but I'm the one who has been there since day one." He continued.
"And I'm not trying to take that away from you…" Kasumi cut in.
"You should have stopped there, but you just had put a lie on top of another lie…"
"What lie? I wasn't…" She cut in again but Takeshi wouldn't have it.
"Do you seriously want me to believe that you're a ninja? That there were assassins used to chasing you around trying to kill you? And that Tenzou belongs to some kind future leader of a clan… I would have believed this three hundred years ago. This sounded like something from a movie scene, not real life." He looked amused at her, like she was a big joke.
Kasumi was stunned. Tears began forming on the corner of her eyes as she began to realize that this conversation was taking a different turn, for the worse. She knew it was a long shot but she thought his love for her was strong enough that he would believe her.
"If you want to get rid of me that badly then all you need to do was say it's over. Do you even know what you want?"
"I want for us to be a family again, to let the past be the past…that's what I want." She replied disappointed. Then she felt warm tears dribbled down her cheek.
He looked at her, unmoved by her spilling tears. "I can't deal with this anymore Kasumi. I've only been putting up with you because of my…Tenzou."
Kasumi felt something squeezed in her stomach like cramps, then Kasumi wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked at him. She didn't know what to say to him at this point, his words were tearing her heart.
"I don't know what was it at first, why you were so afraid of love. But now I don't think that you're afraid, but that you're just simply selfish."
The softer he spoke the harsher those words sounded to her ears. Selfish…she couldn't seem to escape that word.
"Takeshi…" The way she said his name sounded more like a plead.
He didn't want to be there anymore and he didn't want to even hear it anymore. "I was offered another position in another city. At first, I wanted to turn it down so I wouldn't be too far away from you and Tenzou. But now I might reconsider it…"
Kasumi couldn't keep the tears from running down her cheek, "Why are you talking like this…and what about Tenzou? You can't do this to him again!"
He didn't respond to that. She could see it in his eyes how much this hurt him too, so she didn't understand why he was saying the thing he was saying.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go." He turned away and marched towards the door. He looked like he was holding back his tears.
Kasumi rushed to him, "Takeshi, please don't do this. We can still fix this…" she had never sounded so desperate in her entire life.
He turned to her for the final time, "There is no point to keep on dragging this…I'm sorry." Just like that he left and closed the door behind him, leaving Kasumi sobbing by the door.
The clock suddenly stopped ticking and it was complete silence. She could hear her heartbeat racing. This felt different to her, they had fought before and he had left during arguments. Even when he left after their divorce, she knew that it wasn't completely over between them. But this time, it felt as it was truly over. He wouldn't come back even if she had begged. She wanted to make things right, but it backfired. Anger began to rise toward herself, maybe if she would just have kept her mouth shut, he wouldn't have left. It slowly started to sink in as she stood there, how much she was still in love with the man…her feet wouldn't move, her stomach clenched in a funny way. It hurt so bad. Kasumi fell to her knees and began crying hysterically. She tried to keep her sobs low because she wouldn't want Tenzou to wake up and see her like this.
"Mama…?"
Kasumi's eyes grew wide and her chest felt heavy at the sound of her son's voice calling her. She quickly wiped all her tears with the back of her hands, collected herself and then rose back up to her feet. When she turned, Tenzou was standing in the middle of the hallway looking at her in a concern expression. She didn't know how long he had been awake.
"Why are you sad, mama? I can help you…" He said softly with a deep frown, unaware of what was going on. He had interpreted that when someone was sad, it was because they needed help.
She rushed to him and lowered down to his level. "I'm okay baby, don't worry okay." She forced a smile.
Suddenly, his hand reached forward and wipe the rest of his mother's remaining tears, and then he gave Kasumi a big hug. She held him tightly and whispered, "I'm so sorry…" when tremendous guilt washed over her, realizing that her son was the one who will be hurt the most out of this. All she wanted to do was to protect him, but now she was the one who keep hurting him. Kasumi felt like a failure as a mother.
New York
One week later…
Another cold lonely morning…Irene had woken up to Ryu's side of bed empty again. She missed his muscular arm wrapped around her every morning, she even missed his scent…that was how far distanced her husband had become these past weeks. Irene shifted with a sigh, then flipped her pillow to the cool side and kept on thinking. What is going on with him…? She asked herself as she laid there wondering and asking herself question after question. At first Irene thought that Ryu needed a little space, but now she wasn't sure that was the case anymore. She kept telling herself that things weren't slowly going wrong with them, that it was just her imaginations. She then glanced at the digital clock on the little table next to the bed that displayed the date, time and temperature. It was time to get ready for work. Both her and Ryu had been working way too much where they once again hardly had any time for each other.
Later that evening…
Ryu got home tired and hungry after a long day. But as usual, he would eat dinner by himself. Sometimes he wished he could come home to his wife's cooking or that she greeted him with a kiss. He was beginning to feel slightly lonely in this marriage. He admitted that he was perhaps a little old fashion type of husband, and despite him understanding Irene's demanding profession. Exhausted, Ryu marched to his living room to relax a little. He still had his coat on. He then unzipped his coat and tossed it on the couch. Irene would usually nag him about it, but she wasn't home so he didn't care.
"I thought I heard someone,"
Startled at the voice, Ryu turned to see.
"Irene? What are you doing home this hour?" Frowning, trailing his eyes at the apron she was wearing.
"Yeah, I think I should stop overworking and start coming home earlier. I hate that we hardly have any time for each other." She responded. Then Irene tilted her head slightly and looked behind Ryu, with a gentle sigh she hurried toward the couch, took Ryu's coat and hang it by the door where it was supposed to be. Then Irene marched back to Ryu to give him a kiss. But he hardly responded much.
"You don't seem happy to see me…" She teased.
"I am." He replied in a flat voice.
"Well, dinner is almost ready." Irene smiled and hurried back to the kitchen to check on the dinner before she burned down her kitchen.
Ryu still just standing there, unmoving, looking at Irene disappeared toward the kitchen.
Soon after, Irene served dinner.
After eating for a while they still hadn't said anything to each other. The only sound was their forks and knives on the plate. Irene studied Ryu from across the table. She was expecting a compliment, or that he would say that the food tasted good, but nothing. More minutes had passed and the silence was starting to annoy her.
"Irene, is something wrong with your car?" Ryu asked out of the blue.
"No, why?"
"Then why has someone been picking and dropping you off work for the past few weeks…" He frowned at her.
"Oh, that…well he's a co-worker. We were assigned on an undercover mission to play a couple. It would look more believable if we arrive together." She casually responded.
Somehow Ryu didn't like it, but it wasn't anything he could say as it was her work. He would have just sounded like a jealous insecure husband.
"Why haven't you told me..."
This time, Irene couldn't help but role her eyes when Ryu wasn't looking, "No offence Ryu, but you're not that approachable lately. So I didn't think you'd care." It came out a little harsh, but it was just her frustration slowly began playing out.
Another silence. Irene stopped from eating and leaned back on her chair staring at Ryu.
"What?" He asked.
"Is it me? Because lately, you seem like you don't like being around me…what is going on with you?"
Ryu only sighed and continued on eating, which ticked Irene off.
"Why is it always silence with you?" Her voice raised a notch out of frustration, desperate trying to understand why her husband had distanced himself and was cold toward her. She had been ignoring it, telling herself it would pass and that it wasn't her.
"I don't want to argue." Ryu responded.
"But sometimes we have to argue to get pass the problems, not talking about it would only make things worse."
"Irene, not tonight." He looked at her strict, a look that said back off.
That really put her off even more, and this was how Ryu would talk to a stranger not to her. "What is so important that you can't even talk to me about?"
He gave her no answer but to stare at his plate looking aloof or angry. She wasn't sure what to make of his expression.
"If I'm not wrong, it looks like you have gone back to your old self."
That statement made him look back at her but still held his silence.
"Blank expressions, hardly talk, three-word answer…and cold." She knew she sounded mean, but deep down she wanted to provoke. The truth, she was hurt inside and desperate for answers to her worries.
"If you truly want to talk," Ryu replied.
"I have been thinking…" He began but paused briefly while he re-think the placement of his words. He then proceeded, "No, I have decided to go back and continue fulfilling my duties so I can one day lead my clan. I've taken a long enough break."
Irene had an idea that it was about that. She had dreaded to the day, and therefore she wasn't at all surprised to what he had just told her. But what annoyed her was how flat and cold the way he was telling her, as if he wasn't concern how she would feel about it. He wasn't even asking about what she thought about it since he had already made the decision. It was his decision to make but as a married couple it would be nice if he could have at least included her in the decision making process. She too had thought about it for a long time, and even though he wasn't asking for her opinion, she would still give it.
"Well, I want you to know that I respect and fully support your decision to go back to your main job as a shinobi."
Ryu frowned, "Just like that?"
"What else did you expect me to say? The only down side to this is that you will be gone a lot more, it sucks but we will make it work." She shrugged with a sigh.
"I suppose…" Ryu responded in a low voice but not in so convincing tone.
"That's it?" Irene chuckled, "You have been so bothered and had distanced yourself from me over that? Maybe you should trust me a little more…" She teased, trying somehow to light up their tension.
"Trust…" He suddenly muttered, "Such a dangerous word."
Irene looked puzzled to why Ryu was mumbling to himself. Then she looked at his hand on the table that was slowly curling into a fist.
"I went to see Kasumi." He blurted.
The pit of her stomach felt cramped. Irene had suddenly lost her appetite and that felt like a knife through her chest. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Irene…" He tried to say something but Irene slammed a hand on the table when pure irritation sliced through her.
"I don't care if you went to see her, but it pisses me off when you said that you wouldn't and then you still did it behind my back. What is it with you and that girl?" Anger rose from her voice. Suddenly something suspicious crossed her mind… as why would Ryu mention Kasumi, she wondered. Did he sleep with her? Was that why? As what else would he even brought it up unless something had happened. She couldn't help but get paranoid.
"Ryu, please tell me you didn't…"
"No, it's not like that." He quickly replied. But then he frowned, "Is that the kind of guy you think I am?"
"Of course not, but…"
"But what? When in four years have I ever make you feel like you couldn't trust me?" He was insulted and became defensive.
Somewhat that annoyed Irene, "Then tell me that you've never slept with her in the past?"
Her woman instinct sometimes told her that more had happened between them. Irene had seen how Kasumi looked at Ryu, and how he had looked at her. Irene wasn't an insecure woman, so she didn't quite know why just hearing Kasumi's name made her so insecure. Perhaps due to the power Kasumi had over Ryu at the time. Funny, she thought, as Kasumi hadn't even realized it that she could snap her finger and Ryu would come running. It was obvious to her that Kasumi was in love with him, but something was holding her back from reacting on her desire. She wondered if Kasumi hadn't held back, would he have chosen to be with Kasumi instead? Irene despised herself for doubting his love for her.
Ryu kept his gaze down at the table and not responding to her question. Her gut squeezed into a knot as his silence just confirmed that he did sleep with Kasumi at some point. Irene tried to keep it together as much as she could.
"When…?" She dared and asked.
"About four years ago, three months before I moved here." He gave her the clearest answer he could remember, because otherwise Irene wouldn't be satisfied and would go all CIA on him until she got the more detailed answer. He knew her well enough.
"That's the only time?"
He nodded lightly.
"So you went to see someone that you've slept with in the past behind my back, and I'm supposed to believe that nothing happened this time? There must be a reason to why you wanted to see her again."
"For the simple fact to see if she was okay and nothing else." He replied honestly. But Irene made a disgusted sound to that, as she didn't believe him. It was suddenly hard for her to believe him.
"Babysitting days for Hayate is over Ryu, but you just can't let her go can you…"
Ryu didn't appreciate his wife's mockery, though he understood her anger and let it slide.
"Were you in love with her?"
"No, I don't think I was. I don't know what I felt for her…" He sighed.
"You don't think?" Irene made disgusted kind of sound, "Great…"
They were suddenly talking in calmer tone.
In the back of Irene's mind, she began doing a little math. "Ryu…you and I were already together and being intimate at the time. You basically cheated on me." Her breathing increased at the thought that was slowly tearing her heart and making her angrier. Tears began rolling down her cheek, thinking that this wasn't happening to her right now.
Ryu didn't know how to explain himself, and somehow he didn't feel like explaining himself.
"Then why?" Irene shook her head upset to her core. "Why did you play me like that? Why are you even bringing the past now? Just to hurt me, to hurt us?"
Ryu rubbed his eyes, and then scraped his hands down his weary face.
"I guess we're even now…" He suddenly said. His voice was low and toneless. He wasn't the type who would raise his voice no matter how angry or frustrated he would get.
"What are you talking about now?" Irene wondered, getting fed up with Ryu at this point. Nothing seemed to make sense to her. Ryu's demeanor, as if he didn't care how upset she was. It wasn't affecting him in the slightest. She was still puzzled with why he had brought Kasumi into their conversation. If everything was in the past and he didn't sleep with her the last time he was in Japan, then why are they even talking about her now… Irene wondered to herself.
Ryu took a deep breath, as they were about to have a very long evening. He leaned back on his chair and looked at his wife dead-on.
"You wouldn't betray me right, Irene?"
His stare gave her chills, in a not so pleasant way and confusion was registered on her face, Ryu was being really strange tonight. At this point she just wanted the conversation to end.
"Why would you even ask me that? You know, you're acting really stran…"
"I know about you and Hayate." He angrily interrupted.