Chapter 21
"Take it," Ryoki said, handing Hatsumi the plain white envelope.
"But what is it?" Hatsumi asked curiously.
"Something from Asuza," he said, not wanting to say more. Asuza has asked him to try and get Hatsumi's forgiveness for him, but Ryoki seriously didn't want to get involved. Hatsumi had a right to be mad, and he wouldn't blame her if she stayed mad at Asuza forever. He wondered why Asuza even cared so much.
Hatsumi looked at him, searching for clues on what the envelope contained. Since it was blank she proceeded to open the envelope. She took out the letter and read it in complete silence. When she was done she put it back in the envelope and crammed it into her coat pocket. They kept walking, and since she didn't say anything Ryoki also kept his mouth shut. He was curious what she thought about the letter, but it was her own business.
"Are you doing anything today?" she asked her voice normal.
"Nothing really. Just homework," he said. "I have a test tomorrow."
"Oh, that sucks. Are you busy tomorrow?" she asked.
"Why do you want to do something?" Ryoki asked, surprised.
"Well, if you're not busy," Hatsumi said, blushing. Ryoki smiled.
"We can do something today. I don't need to study," he said.
"No, you should study. I'd hate to be a bad influence on you," Hatsumi said. She made it sound like a joke, but her face looked upset.
"What's wrong?" Ryoki asked, slowing down his pace. They were near her house now, and he wanted to have enough time for her to tell him what was wrong. He watched her hesitate, and bite her lip.
"It's my brother. Yesterday I found out he wasn't my real brother. He's adopted and he's planning on moving out of the house. We've always been so close, but all of a sudden he's become so distant. It hurts me when it's awkward between us, when we've always been together before," she said quietly. Ryoki nodded, not knowing quite what to say. So her brother was adopted, why did that change things between them?
"Just treat him the same as you always do," Ryoki suggested. "I'm sure eventually he'll turn back to normal. He's probably just worried now that you know." Hatsumi nodded, but didn't look any happier than she did before.
"I care about him so much. He's the only one in my family who truly understands me. I don't know how life will be when he leaves. I don't even want to think about it," Hatsumi whispered, tears coming to her eyes. Ryoki gave a sigh, and pulled her into a hug.
"Don't worry about him, alright? If he wants to leave then screw him," Ryoki said, but it just made Hatsumi cry harder. Alright, maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. But he couldn't just tell her it would be alright. Because a lot of the time it didn't turn out alright, and the last thing he wanted to do was lie to her. "No matter what happens I'll always be here for you," Ryoki said.
"Promise?" Hatsumi asked, looking up at him with teary brown eyes. Ryoki smiled, loving the way she needed him.
"I promise," he said. He wiped away her tears, his thumb sliding over her soft cheek. She caught her breath, waiting for him to kiss her. He did, pushing her against his body. They kissed for a long time, but it seemed short. Eventually she went inside, trying to smile as she closed the door. He walked away, back towards his house. He loved spending time with her, and he wished desperately she'd be happier tomorrow. Because although he loved being there to comfort her, he loved seeing her smile even more.
He was doing his homework when the phone rang. He picked it up before his mom could answer, hoping it might be Hatsumi. It was Asuza. He was breathing hard, as if he was running. Ryoki waited for him to say something, but it was a long time before he did.
"Ryoki, you have to help me," he panted into the phone.
"Wait a minute, what's wrong?" Ryoki asked, wondering why Asuza was calling him when technically they weren't even friends anymore.
"These two guys are chasing me. One's got a gun," Asuza said. Ryoki froze, the phone hanging next to his ear. It took him a second before he could speak.
"Who are they?" Ryoki asked.
"I don't know. Never seen them before in my life," Asuza said. Ryoki didn't know what to do. There was no way Asuza could be joking about something so serious. But what could he have done to get him into this much trouble. Before he could ask he heard Asuza swear. There was no time to think. Asuza could end up getting shot. But what could he do? He could call the police, but he didn't want them involved. Wonder if Asuza has done something to get himself in trouble as well. And he couldn't tell Asuza to come here, not with his mother home. The only thing to do was to go out and try to find him.
"Where are you Asuza?" Ryoki asked, his voice even.
"Right now, I'm running through the parking lot at school," Asuza said.
"I'll be there in five minutes," Ryoki said, hanging up before Asuza could reply. He raced downstairs, pulling on his shoes. The phone rang again, and his mom answered.
"Ryoki, it's Hatsumi," she said, calling from the kitchen.
"Tell her I'll call her back as soon as I get in," he shouted back, tossing on a coat.
"She sounds kind of upset, like she's crying," his mom said, walking into the hall, the phone in her hand. Ryoki looked at it, but knew he didn't have time to waste.
"I'll call her as soon as I get back," he said again, racing out the door. He ran the six blocks to the school, searching the parking lot for signs of Asuza. He ran around the wall, and paused when he heard shouting. Two large guys had Asuza up against the wall, and were beating him up. When he saw the gun he ran into the wall, hiding himself so they wouldn't see him. There was no way he was going to be able to help without putting his life in danger. But there was no way he could just watch from the sidelines. He thought of a stupid risky plan, but decided to use it anyway.
"Stop right now, this is the police," he shouted, holding up his hands as if we were also holding a gun. If the guys looked too closely they would know he was lying. But there was a chance they'd panic and run, not being able to tell in the darkness. He was willing to take the chance. The guys looked over at him, alarmed. Ryoki couldn't see any of their features, so hopefully they couldn't see him either.
He breathed a huge sigh of relief as they took off, running across the parking lot. Ryoki immediately ran over to Asuza, and crouched down beside him. He could see blood pouring out of several spots in Asuza's chest. He wasn't moving. Ryoki shook him, but he remained still. He felt panic rise within him. Those fucking bastards had just killed his best friend. Asuza was dead, and they were just going to escape. Ryoki spotted the gun on the ground beside his foot. Without thinking he picked it up. Asuza was dead, but maybe those guys wouldn't go unpunished. He took aim and shot.
The bang that was produced was louder than expected. Ryoki almost fell backward with the force. But he kept his eyes up, and saw that one of the guys fell to the ground. The other guy kept running, leaving his friend behind. Ryoki realized he'd been holding his breath, and suddenly let it out. And when he breathed in the full impact of what he had done sank in. He took the gun throwing it into a sewer grate. He grabbed Asuza's cell phone, and dialed 911, careful not to touch it with his fingertips so he could be identified. And then he simply ran home.