I loved the ramen shop. I loved the ramen shop so much. Even more so, I loved that it happened to be Thursday. No host club. No clingy girls trying to get my number. Nothing but bowl after bowl of noodles and my boyfriend to share them with. I thought about doing a Lady and the Tramp thing with him, but that meant sharing. Neither one of us were that willing. We'd kill each other first. Or it'd end up in someone getting bit.
"I can't wait for tomorrow," I swooned, stretching my legs on my side of the booth.
"Me either," Ritsu took my hand, "You, me, and Hakone. And we'll do it right this time. We won't be in nearly as big of a rush."
"That's right," I couldn't hold back a smile if I wanted to, "Just the two…"
"Shhh…" he cut me off, glancing over my shoulder, "Not so loud."
"Uh…" I gave him a look, "Why?"
"Because," Ritsu kept his voice down, "I want you to discreetly check your four. And I cannot stress that discretion part more."
"Ok," I went to stretch back, keeping my face hidden, but I had enough room to look over my right arm. Alright. Now, I see what had Ritsu sweating. A big mother fucker sat behind me. By the looks of him, he's not from around here. If I had to fathom a guess, I'd say he's American, "What about him?"
"Ever see the guy before?" Ritsu wondered.
"Not that I ever remember," I thought, "Tourist?"
"Maybe," he lowered his gaze, "But I don't want to stick around to find out. Come on. Let's get out of here. I want some suspicions taken care of."
"Ok." Either Ritsu was paranoid as all hell or his instincts were razor sharp. Given that he and I are in the same line of work, I'm guessing it was a healthy mixture of both. He made sure his hand was in mine when we walked out and the two of us headed a couple blocks down past my building. I wasn't quite sure what the hell that was all about or why we didn't take the bike, but who was I to judge? By the looks of the guy, he did seem kind of sketchy.
Not a word was said between us. No matter how hard I tried. Ritsu wouldn't even look at me. His eyes kept shifting all over the place, and I couldn't blame him. As much as I hated to see him like this, it did put me at ease that he could be protective when he wanted to be. I wrapped myself around his arm, doing my best to keep him from flipping his damn lid. Just because I wanted to see Ritsu go all out on someone one day didn't mean that was today. Relax, baby. If all else fails, I'm sure you'll have my back. Just like how I'll have yours.
"Rei…" Ritsu broke the silence, leaning into my ear, "I don't want you to freak, but we're being tailed."
"So," I hardly budged. Been here, done this. Only it's usually when I'm by myself, "What should we do?"
"Giggle," he demanded, "Giggle like I just said the cutest fucking thing you've ever heard."
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Ritsu scoffed, "Like when I told you I was a dancer and you called bullshit on it because my legs weren't shapely enough."
I let out a tiny giggle, "That was kind of cute."
"Perfect," he praised, "Very good, Rei. We just need to keep suspicion off us."
"Ritsu…" I started to sweat a little, "What's going on?"
"I don't know, baby," Ritsu pulled me closer, "I don't know if this guy's here for you or here for me. One thing's for damn sure, though. There's no fucking way you're staying at your place tonight."
"What?" I squeaked, "Why not?"
"If he's here for you," he barely spoke above a whisper, "I don't want him knowing where you live. If I take you somewhere else, there's no way he can follow us on foot. I'm not going to allow you to be a sitting duck. I don't want to risk a hotel either. Fuck it. You're staying with me tonight."
"Wait a minute," I stopped him, "Why can't I stay at my place?"
"Reila…" Ritsu sighed out, "Please don't fight me."
"No!" I squeaked, "You don't think I can handle myself? You don't think I can fight my way out of anything?"
"It's not…"
"Because I can," I got in his face. This was about more than whoever was following us. This was a wound to my pride, "I've been through situations that would keep most people up at night with a level head. I've had a .45 pressed between my eyes with a man threatening to pull the trigger on more than one occasion. I've kicked the ever loving shit out of men twice my size and had them turning tail. And the ones who were left were begging for my forgiveness. Don't you ever fucking dare think I can't keep an eye on myself."
"It's not that, you idiot!" Ritsu snapped, "I know you can protect yourself, but I love you and I don't want you getting hurt!"
For a brief moment, the world had gone still. My body had gone cold, but there was the strangest feeling of warmth in my chest. It could only be one thing, "What did you just say to me?"
It even took Ritsu a minute for it to register. Much like the incident at the café, I don't think that was supposed to come out. Instantly, his face turned bright red, "Nothing. Don't worry about it. You're coming with me, Rei. End of story. You're not going to fight me on this and we're not going to argue."
"Ok," I knew his anger came from a place of concern, but love? That was something a bit different. A little smile crept across my face.
"Shut up," he gave me a little shove.
"I didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to," Ritsu jumped down my throat, already walking back toward his bike, "That shit eating grin on your face said all that needed to be said."
"I didn't say a word," I assured, biting the inside of my cheek. For that moment, we forgot all about whoever was following us and went back to being us.
"Get on the bike," he ordered, swinging his leg over first.
"Ok," I buried my face in his shoulder blades, "I love you, too, Ritsu…"
"Rei…" Ritsu tensed up, shaking a little, "Please. I don't ask you for much, but please. Stay with me tonight. I know you can take care of yourself. I've heard the stories and I know they're all true, but like I said…I don't want you getting hurt. And we'll leave for Hakone after school, too, ok?"
"Ok," I wasn't going to fight him anymore. I know my pride kind of got in the way, but I know he understands. I wrapped my arms around his waist, cuddling into him. When we first rode his bike together, I remember him telling me not to be his big spoon, but I couldn't help myself. Something about knowing he's there just…It put me at ease. That's why I told him I loved him, too. How fitting that the first time Ritsu and I tell each other we love each other is in the middle of a fight.
When I moved to Japan, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't get attached while I was here. No friends. No boyfriend. Hell, I wouldn't even like my penthouse. It'd just be somewhere I could crash from time to time. But as much as I piss and moan about the host club, they have taken me in like I was one of their own. As for Ritsu…He was Ritsu. He was my Ritsu. He fell for me and I fell for him. It didn't even hurt. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would. Only the feeling of a few pin pricks and I could handle that. Besides, it's not like I'd never see the Kasanoda compound eventually. Although, I think this was like our trip to Karuizawa and Akihabara. It's happening a lot sooner than we intended and under all the wrong circumstances.
I thought it'd take us an eternity and a day for us to get there. I'm surprised we didn't pack a lunch. Ritsu did say he lived on the outskirts of town. And this sure as hell was pretty fucking remote. Not too remote, though. I could still see city lights from the big ass gate. Ritsu punched in a number on the keypad and the giant doors parted. On the other side, the entire sidewalk leading up to, what I'm guessing was the main house was lined with guys on both sides.
"The young lord is home!"
"Welcome home, my lord!"
"Excuse me," one of them grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Ritsu. I shoved my other hand in my pocket immediately, feeling around for my knife, "Step away from the young lord. You are not authorized to…"
Ritsu glared a hole through the prick and he dropped my arm. That's what I thought, you asshole. I let go of my grip on my knife handle. Looks like I get to see Ritsu put on the yakuza hat tonight. Neat, "Everyone…This is Reila. She'll be staying here tonight. You treat her with the utmost respect. From here on out, she's under our protection. But don't let the pretty face fool you. She's the toughest little bitch I've ever met in my life."
"Thank you, Ritsu," I took my bows, reveling in the compliment.
"Reila," Ritsu asked, "Do you have your knife on you?"
"You know it, baby," I spun it around on my fingers.
"That's my girl," he shot me a wink before addressing the others again, "Now, if any of you treat her with contempt or in any way that makes her the slightest bit uncomfortable, she will tell me and you will be dealt with accordingly. Do we understand?"
"Yes, my lord!" they all barked out.
"Wonderful," Ritsu praised, "And trust me when I say you'd much rather me deal with you than her. Reila…"
"Yes, Ritsu?" I laid my head on his shoulders.
"How many guys' kneecaps would you say you've shattered over the years?" he wondered, "Just a rough estimate will do."
"Probably…" I thought it over for a moment or two, "Shit…You had to ask. Are we starting at nine and working our way up?"
"Sure."
"Probably," I mulled it over, "Five hundred? At least."
"You know," Ritsu put his hand up to my cheek, "You scare the shit out of me."
"I try," I shrugged.
"Come on," he took my hand, "It's getting late. We should be getting to bed."
"Ok," I followed him up the stairs and into his house. Wow…I thought it'd be bigger, yet his entryway was the size of my front coat closet. I kicked my shoes off next to his and stuck close to him, "Is it just you here, Ritsu?"
"Most of the time, yeah," Ritsu nodded, "My mom took off when I was younger. I can't really blame her. The yakuza life isn't for everyone. Myself included. Just don't tell the others that. Or the old man. He'd be pissed. But she was too gentle a soul."
"Is she still around?" I asked, taking a seat on the couch.
"Yeah," he sat next to me, "But like I said, she wants nothing to do with the life. And that means me, too."
"That's bullshit," I gasped, "You don't…"
"No," Ritsu cut me off, "It's not that. It's for her own good, too. This shit had her so fucked up for a long time. Landed her in the hospital once because she broke down so bad. She held on for my sake, but she saw the path I was headed down and knew what had to be done. I miss her."
"I know what you mean," I curled into him, "At least yours is still alive."
"Why do you think I want out so bad?" he wrapped his arms around me, "Because if I get out, then I can see her again. But it's kind of a catch-22. Do I never get to see my mom again or do I want the old man on my ass for the rest of my life?"
"I never thought of that," I admitted, "I've been at this for so long that I don't know anything else. The thought of running the family, having that power, being the one on top…It always looked like something shiny and beautiful to me. And I wanted it more than anything."
"Wanted?" Ritsu gave me a look, "I don't know about you, Rei, but I could see you making a kickass boss. What's got you questioning that?"
"I don't know," I shrugged, "What makes everyone turn soft?"
"I don't know," he thought it over, "When someone bigger and badder takes over?"
"No," I shook my head, "Not that."
"Um…" Ritsu hummed, "I don't know, Rei. You have me at a loss."
"Well," I nuzzled my face in his ribs, "Think about it. It's mostly your fault. And the most beautiful way to go down, if you ask me."
"I thought you said that wasn't an option…" I see things have finally clicked in your head, haven't they, Ritsu?
"Option or not," I pointed out, "That doesn't stop it from happening anyway. No matter how hard I fight it."
"You still fell in love," Ritsu hugged me tight, "And who knows how long this is going to last? It could be a bright flash and it's done."
"Or it could be a slow, steady burn," I argued, "And it could be just the two of us for the rest of our lives."
"I don't think we're ready for that kind of commitment, Rei," he chuckled to himself, "I'm just now coming around to the idea of you being a girl."
"You're just barely over your nosebleeds when you see me," I giggled, "I'm going to miss that. In all honesty, I took it as a high compliment."
"You're so fucking weird…"
"I love you, too," I kissed his cheek.
"Come on," Ritsu pulled me onto my feet, "Bedroom's this way. I'm tired and I'm sure you are, too."
"Ok," I let him drag me along to the bedroom down the hall. For this being Ritsu's bedroom, it wasn't anything extravagant. I don't know why I'd expect anything over the top. Ritsu was a simple creature.
"Come here, baby," he jumped into bed, "Come lay with me."
"My pleasure," I cuddled my way into his arms again. Although, this time felt different. Like…he was afraid to lose me, "Ritsu? Are you ok?"
"Yeah," Ritsu brushed it off, "You'll be safe here, Rei. I promise. As long as you're here, no one can touch you."
"Except you," I flirted a little, just enough to get him out of his head.
"Except me," he gave me a little kiss, "That's right. And you know I wouldn't ever want to hurt you, right, Reila?"
"Right," I could trust him. He's told me things that I can almost guarantee he's never told anyone. Then again, that would require someone getting close to him. I think I can call that one a win. How many others can say they've gotten through the layers and layers of concrete he's put himself in? I'm guessing not very many.
"Good," Ritsu got out of bed, "Hey, I'm going to go make a quick phone call. Stay here, ok? Don't wander off. I'll be right back."
"Ok," I watched as he walked out of the room. Maybe since it's just me now, I should check my messages, too. I dug my phone out of the side pocket of my bag. Huh. Things are quiet uptown. That's weird. I thought that at least Daddy would've left me something when he woke up this morning. Well, if that's the case, then I should probably check in on whatever kind of shenanigans my boyfriend's getting into, yeah? Sounds like a plan. I got out of Ritsu's bed and put my ear up to the door. Sue me. I'm curious.
"You know how I feel about her…" Ritsu began, "She's lucky her fucking head's attached most of the time. She's impulsive and reckless. She's just…What can I say? I'm worried about her. And now, all this? But please…Thank you, Morinozuka-senpai. I owe you."
Morinozuka-senpai? What the hell would Ritsu be calling Mori for? I mean, I knew they were cool and everything, but again, what the hell would Ritsu be calling Mori for? And by the sounds of it, they were talking about me. At least I think they were. Unless I'm that level of vain. No. There's no way he wasn't talking about me. But with Mori? Whoever this guy at the ramen shop was, he had Ritsu freaked. Poor baby. I get it, but I'm sure everything's going to be ok. If all else fails, either he'll kick the shit out of him or I will. I bet we'd make a hell of a team. As soon as I heard footsteps heading back toward the bedroom, I jumped back in bed and shut my eyes.
Then, shortly after, I felt an arm wrap around me and a warm, solid chest on my back along with a gentle kiss on my cheek. And then, a soft whisper melted in my ear, "Good night, Reila. I love you…"
I couldn't hold back a smile if I wanted to. I pulled Ritsu's arm a little tighter around me, "I love you, too."