Chapter Twenty-One:
Brotherly Argument
Mamoru knocked on the door to Raize's room the next morning, after the previous day's burnt mess of pictures and paper had been cleaned up, after Sean had gone to work, and after Ailee and Nami had left to gofor some last-minuteChristmas shopping.
"Raize? Open up," Mamoru said. "We need to talk."
"What about?" Raize's muffled voice asked from inside.
"Yesterday."
"Go away."
"No, I need to talk to you. Now."
"Yeah, now that everyone else is gone!"
"NOW, Raize!"
Raize slowly got up, and opened the door. "What?" he asked.
"You very well know 'what'." Mamoru walked inside, shutting the door behind him.
"What if I don't?"
"I'd think you'd gotten amnesia."
"Who are you?"
"Raize," Mamoru sighed. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Ruin Nami's photo album!"
"I didn't ruin it, I burned it," Raize said bitterly.
"Is there a difference? But why? She's been working on that for weeks! It was for Chaud's birthday!"
"So?"
"So, she wanted to give it to him in a decently presentable state," Mamoru said. "I highly doubt she liked what you did to it."
"I know."
"Why did you burn it?"
"I..." Raize broke off. "He wouldn't have liked it..."
"He would have loved it," Mamoru said testily. "Because she made it for him."
"Why does it matter? I burned a bunch of paper and pictures, who cares," Raize snapped, flopping down on his bed.
"Wh does it matter? It matters because Nami was planning to give it to him," Mamoru said.
"But he didn't want it," Raize pointed out.
"Says who?"
"Says him," Raize lied.
Mamoru shook his head. "Look. Just... behave, ok? Christmas is tomorrow, and I bet you anything she's going to try and put it back together for him in time. Please don't destroy it or disfigure it in any way this time," Mamoru sighed. "Please. For her sake."
"Yeah, sure... whatever."
Mamoru left, leaving Raize to himself.
"So. We gonna listen to him?" Torch asked once he felt Mamoru was a safe distance away.
"Course not," Raize said. "Hey... you know where a guy can get some mistletoe...?"
Torch laughed. "You are SO DEAD when Nami gets her hands on you."
"Yeah, I know," Raize admitted. "But hey. Better now than later."