I hope you all like this chapter. I made it more dramatic than the usual, since this is like a turning point in Ryouske's pointless existence. And he derives direction from Yumi's lessons in life. =)
Tick…tack…tick…tack…
The sound of the pendulum clock moving back and forth was like a lullaby making Ryouske drift off into sleep. He appeared to be lying down on a reclining seat, his head resting against a pillow. The inside of the comfy room was painted red, giving it a glowing appearance. Ryouske was blindfolded, but the strong light from the overhead lamp still reached him. He was hearing many sorts of things, most of them either garbled or muffled sounds.
"Now, Mister Takahashi," a very soothing voice spoke to him. "In a few moments you will feel calming peace. You'll see a ray of white light. Do not be afraid to come to it." Ryouske was doing what the voice was telling him to do. He entered the light and felt the intensity of it consume him.
"You will feel dizziness, so strong it seems like your falling in an abyss. But do not be afraid…"
It felt to him that the voice was equipped with sleeping drugs. He felt his consciousness slipping slowly away, and his eyelids seemed to weigh ten times heavier; he couldn't keep his eyes open beneath the piece of cloth.
"Now tell me what you see."
Ryouske stood up from the cold floor. He looked around and saw a very big screen, similar to the ones found in cinema houses. The screen was showing a scene that was very well known to him. He'd played many times in his mind, he memorized every detail of it.
"Ryo! Ryo!" Shizuka called to him from deep within his mind. She was smiling now, without the sadness he'd dreamed about her often.
"What do you see?" The soothing voice broke through his thoughts once again.
"I see Shizuka. She is calling for me to come to her."
"Go on… Come to her. Discover what you will."
Ryouske did as he was told. He joined Shizuka, and they seemed to fly towards a forest. "We're entering a forest." He looked around and realized that the forest was the image of the one he'd seen many times in his dreams . "And we're coming towards the Wishing Tree…"
"Tell me, Ryo. What did you wish for from the tree?" Shizuka was very near him now.
"I… I wished to be able to live again."
A bright flash of lightning marred the sky's beauty and woke him from sleep. He was suddenly returned to consciousness, and to reality. He removed the blindfold, momentarily blinded by the bright light of the overhead lamp, and saw the therapist looming over him with a smile on his face.
"Welcome back, Ryouske-kun." The soothing voice said to him.
Ryouske didn't know why that memory came to his mind from out of the blue. He was just sitting there on the dining table, thinking, when he suddenly remembered.
"Hmmm… Oishi!" Keisuke exclaimed almost too eagerly. His brother was eating the served baked lasagna with great gusto. "Yumi-chan, you're a great cook! How I wish to eat the food you served everyday." He was unmindful of his table manners now, a childish thing he never grew up on. He was chewing his food with an almost wide-open mouth, so most of the tomato sauce got stuck on the sides of his mouth.
Flattery, Ryouske decided, was the best way to a woman's heart, as much as food was to a man's. Judging from the look on Yumi's face, he realized that she was really sensitive when it comes to her cooking. And judging from his brother's way of devouring the food, he was positive that Yumi already won his brother's heart.
"Arigatou, Keisuke-kun" Yumi felt her chest burst with gratitude. At least someone acknowledges my cooking skills! "Not many people are kind enough to compliment my cooking." She stole a glance at Ryouske, who was, as usual, keeping his distance from the friendly conversation. He seemed to be drowning in his own deep thoughts, with his eyebrows deeply furrowed in consternation and a frown pasted on his handsome face. He wasn't even touching the spicy gambas on his plate. Kira seemed to have noticed it, too.
"Ano, Ryouske-san," Kira tried a friendly approach, "you really look familiar to me. Haven't I met you before?" She was not bluffing; he really looked familiar to him.
Ryouske was caught off guard with the question, he barely had time to think about his reply. "You must have seen me on a magazine cover. My brother and I use to model for them." By the time his answer registered to his mind and hit him with full force, it was already too late. The two ladies who he was dining with were staring at him open-mouthed and with wide eyes.
It was Keisuke who broke the awkward moment. There was no use trying to hide the truth, now. Was there? Ryouske was the one who brought it up, so he wouldn't be blamed for it anyway. He cleared his throat and began his explanation. "You see, ladies," the two women turned to him with genuine interest, "Ryouske and I are hard-core mountain racers. We are members of the famous Akagi Red Suns." He flashed them a hunky grin. He was being subjected to intense cross-examination, but it didn't make him uneasy. "Due to our debonair looks, people demand to see us on magazines. You'd often see us on the covers of female magazines."
Yumi could not suppress her laughter. So that's why she found Ryouske to be so handsome the first time they met. And she even thought he looked familiar! How could he not, if his face was slapped on every cover of for-her magazines? But aside from that, she also found it funny how a timid guy like this Ryouske could be so ferocious on the road and popular with the girls. She looked again at him, and by this time, she was already doubling over from the pain in her diaphragm from too much laughter.
Keisuke was perplexed, however. He didn't find anything funny about his confession. "Eh, what's so funny?"
"Nothing." Yumi answered, still not able to control herself.
"So," Kira had an unbelieving look in her eyes, "you are the hot and famous Takahashi Brothers of Akagi?" She looked from one brother to the other, noting the resemblance to the models she'd seen earlier on the cover of her Lollipop magazine . "I cannot believe it!"
"Well," Keisuke had his sleek personality back on again, raking a hand through his yellow hair, "it's us. Really."
"But where did the Nobunaga thing came from?" it was a demanding query that came from Yumi, who had gained control of herself once again.
"Actually…" Keisuke started his long explanation, which involved his brother mostly, but Ryouske didn't let him get on with it.
"I just wanted people to treat us normally." It was Ryouske who finished the explanation. He was saying it matter-of-factly and lacking a certain degree of coldness. "I figured it would be better if people didn't know who we really were, so they would treat us as equals. I hate being pampered and treated like a prince. It's so unnerving."
It was the longest sentence/s Yumi had heard from him since their first encounter. She was surprised at his ability to speak. So he wasn't dumb, after all! However, she found a disagreeable subject in his language and quickly countered it, "And how can you be so sure that every woman you'll meet will pamper you?" She was glowering at him. "For all I know, there are also women out there who will not acknowledge you or think highly of you!" Maybe I'm speaking for myself, but I don't care. This bloody bastard is so full of himself.
"Actually…" Keisuke was alive once again. He decided that too much lasagna would make his gut wrench, so he finished with it and turned his attention to the luscious-looking fish fillet, "aniki hasn't had any girlfriends since … since high school because the girls are not interested in him . They are interested in what they will gain if they are seen with him." He was getting the hang of gobbling up the fillet.
"So you mean they just flaunt him?" Kira asked in a sympathetic tone. She knew how it felt to be seen only as an accessory.
"Well, sort of."
"How sad."
"True."
"Uh-uh…"
This is infuriating! They are talking about me like I'm not here in front of them. Like I can't hear what they are saying! Am I such a pity?
Ryouske was so consumed in his anger. His ears were turning red, and his teeth were gnashing painfully against his lips. He wanted to get up and pounce at his stupid brother, just to shut him up! But all of anger was momentarily forgotten when he caught a glance at Yumi. She was sitting silently beside him, with her hands folded neatly on her lap. She had an odd look on her face, a look of distance that was almost similar to sadness... which was unusual for her, since he only saw enthusiasm from her since they met. So she was also capable of being serious once in a while!
Ryouske suddenly felt the need to comfort her, make her return to her lively self. It was already awkward for the two people there to talk about him without even realizing he was there. The air would be heavier if Yumi would also shift into serious mode. This night is getting weirder!
Ryouske took a hold of Yumi's hand and muttered under his breath, "Serious is the worst look you can have on your face." She looked up at him, and he saw that she was surprised, "Erase it quickly before they see it."
It was a statement that wasn't really consoling or encouraging. It was rather enraging, and it surely sounded like an insult! She twisted one of his fingers painfully, her face twisted into an evil grin, "Satisfied now?"
Yumi's expression turned distant when she heard about Ryouske's experience with his life. Due to his popularity and extraordinary skills, people no longer see him as a person but as one of higher order - like a genius. However, women now see him as an accessory. Dating him would be a chance to show off, show off how beautiful they were to have captured such a big fish! Somehow, she could relate to it with all of her heart. Somehow, she could feel the pain and disappointment of being treated differently. Some people would like to be praised and seen as high and mighty. But she wasn't like it. She just wanted to live normally - like what Ryouske said earlier. Being a very young and talented doctor as she was, Yumi also had her share of frustrations about her love life. She wondered how Ryouske felt about this? She felt a hand tightly gripping her own hand. She looked up to see Ryouske's face just inches above hers. She was confused.
"Serious is the worst look you can have on your face. Erase it quickly before they see it."
Yumi's expression changed from solemn to turbulent. In just a few moments, the wildfire in her returned. She didn't mean to be sentimental earlier, but she couldn't help it. Just hearing about it made her sad. But then, Ryouske was there to reactivate her true self. She was a little thankful to that twerp, but she felt the pain from his tight grip earlier. Giving him a malignant smile, she twisted Ryouske's pinky as revenge and mouthed the word, "Saitsfied?"
"Ano, Kira-chan," he was finished with the fillet and was now starting on chicken wings. "What do you do for a living?" Keisuke said before stuffing his mouth with more wings.
"Can't you guess?" She was looking at him with playful eyes. As she was getting bored with the immature fighting between Ryouske and her friend, she wanted to have some fun with this spike-haired guy.
"Um, let's see…" Keisuke was chewing on some wings, "nurse?"
She was surprised at his answer. She didn't have an inch of a nurse's quality in her. "Look around, so you'll see."
He looked around and saw the impressionist paintings and the clay sculptures that amazed him earlier. "Ah, so you're an artist, after all." He stopped chewing on the wings and focused on Kira. "I was wondering where you got all these wonderful art pieces. I'm sure they cost a fortune."
"Well, they are really expensive when you sell them. But no, I didn't make all these," she admitted. "I am an artist - a sculptor, to be exact. My sister did all the paintings."
"What an artistic family!" Keisuke said, amazed at this family's talent. He found the conversation more appealing than the wings, which he cast aside. "No wonder you are able to turn a normal apartment into a museum!"
Keisuke and Kira talked for a long while about paintings and sculptures. And finally, Keisuke asked for a detailed tour of the house's "mini museum" to which Kira agreed wholheartedly.
Yumi got control of herself after drinking some apple juice. It was her "personality medicine." Whenever she felt anything negative, all she had to do was sip some apple juice and she would be fine in a matter of minutes.
"So, Ryouske," Yumi started a friendly conversation with the annoyingly silent Ryouske. Even she wanted to strangle him earlier, the apple juice made her see the better of it. Besides, she didn't want to be imprisoned just for the likes of him. Hehe . "How did you start your racing career?"
Ryouske was surprised at her friendliness. Earlier, she seemed to want to wring his neck. Now, she was talking to him with an almost honeyed voice! What as her scheme now? "I got my first car when I was eighteen."
His reply was too short, Yumi decided. I guess he still needs a little prodding . "And? How did you discover that you could drive that fast?"
"Actually, I didn't just discover it." He was already eating the spicy gambas that was neglected earlier. "I studied how to drive fast on mountain passes."
"Really?" She was amazed at how he said it. Even if he was the famous Ryouske, he didn't sound arrogant in any way. What an admirable person! "But why did you want to be a racer?"
He studied her expression, wanting to make sure she was really interested to know about him before answering, "I wanted to be a racer, so I could drive fast. So I could get away from the worries of the world." Ryouske said it so simply, but the underlying bitterness was unmistakable.
Yumi felt the sadness emanating from him. "I'm sorry, Ryouske-san, if I touched a very sensitive subject matter."
"No, I don't mind." He looked up at him and saw the regret in her eyes, "Don't worry. It's nothing."
Another minute of eerie silence passed between the two. No one spoke; neither was afraid to see the other's reaction. Ryousek was silently eating his gambas, while Yumi was gulping the apple juice like there was no tomorrow.
Yumi finally found the courage to start another conversation. If I fail again, I'll shut up for the rest of the evening! "So, Ryouske-san. How were you discovered by the Red Suns?"
Ryouske suddenly stopped eating and looked at Yumi straight in the eye. "I wasn't discovered. I founded the team."
"Wh-what?" Yumi almost spilled the apple juice onto her lap. She was surprised to hear his admission. "You were the one who established the great Akagi Red Suns?" Even though Yumi grew up outside Japan, it wasn't unknown to her how the Akagi Red Suns gained the prestige they were holding right now. She'd read about them through the Internet and for-her magazines Kira had. "So you're a genius, after all." She was complimenting him now, though she was still amazed at how a young man like him could achieve such a great thing. But at least, Yumi thought, I wasn't the only one who could do such a thing!
Ryouske and Yumi talked for several hours just like old friends. Their topic of conversation ranged from cars to trees to water… They seemed to be warming up to each other now.
"Ey, Kira-chan," After dinner, the group split up into two pairs. Ryouske and Yumi went out to the garden, while Kira and Keisuke went to the "mini-museum" of the house. Keisuke was studying a nude painting on the far wall. He was fascinated by the vividness of the portrayal of the painting. It seemed to be alive! "Did you sister paint that nude woman?" He asked, pointing to the painting. "Oh, that one?" Kira was astonished at his interest. Normally, people would be more interested on other paintings and would not even give a second look at that one. "My sister, Chiisa, worked on that. Why are you interested? It's not even spectacular, if you ask me."
"No, it's not that." Keisuke said, almost hurt at her judgement of the painting. "The woman looks ashamed of her pose. She doesn't seem to be enjoying what she's doing. It's obvious on her face and her body language…" Keisuke was thinking now.
"You are right." Kira said. "I wasn't happy when Chiisa made me model for that." She said so straight, like it didn't matter that a guy was staring at her nude body preserved on a painting!
"You what?!?" Keisuke almost fell off the chair he was sitting on. "You modeled for that painting?" He peered closely at the painting and saw the resemblance. "Come to think of it, you were younger in this painting. About two years ago?"
"No." Kira was smiling naughtily at him. "Chiisa painted that when she was twelve, and at that time I was fourteen." She paused for a while to think and continued, "Chiisa made it seven years ago!"
Wow! At the age of fourteen, your body was already that great? How much more now? Keisuke just thought for a while, with a playful smile on his lips.
Meanwhile, Ryouske and Yumi were talking about Ryouske's career as a racer. She asked him how it felt to achieve so many things at a young age; how it changed his life, and many things, until Ryouske got tired of being on the spotlight. "You're acting like a lawyer cross-examining a witness!" Ryouske said without a hint of laughter in his voice. He may seem to be a little carefree now, but the distance was still there. "It's annoying!"
Yumi laughed, thought it wasn't a joke. And this confused Ryouske.
"Why are you laughing? There's nothing funny in what I'd said."
"I'm not laughing because something's funny," she said in between gales of laughter. "I'm laughing so I can hear my own happiness!" She started laughing again.
"You are a strange being, Yumi." Ryouske said, shaking his head. The whole night, the two of them talked about many things, including Ryouske's career. However, they hadn't touched any topic about Yumi's life. And now, he was getting interested.
"Say, Yumi-chan," Ryouske said casually. "You weren't born here in Japan?"
"No," Yumi shrugged. "I was born in London."
"But how come you can speak Japanese to well?"
"I almost grew up here in Japan." She picked a yellow rose from the pot and smelled the sweet scent from the flower's nectar. "My father was British, so we went to live there. But then, my father divorced my mother when he found a younger woman for a wife." She was telling him her life story like it was written on a bedtime storybook. "After they got separated, my mother and I went back to Japan. I was barely a year old then." She didn't even sound bitter or sad about the things that happened.
"Aren't you mad at your father for doing this?" Ryouske said with caution.
"Why should I?" Yumi looked at him, her eyebrows shot up. "I don't even remember how he looks like." She picked another flower, this time a chrysanthemum. "And besides, if he hadn't left us, I wouldn't have a real loving father to care for me." Now her voice contained a hint of sadness, though he didn't know why. She sensed his confusion, so she continued her story. "You see, my surname Smith is my stepfather's. He adopted me after he married my mother. He loved me like a real daughter, because he can't have a child. He's sterile."
Now Ryouske understood. For Yumi, one bad thing led to a good thing. Her life was balanced in its own way. "What happened next?"
"My family moved to Tennessee when I was eight. As you can see, I look like a gaijin - a caucasian, in fact, so I fit easily there." She turned to him, so he could see her green eyes and other foreign features, except the shape of the eyes. Her eyes still looked Japanese to him. "I had my wonderful childhood there, so I was happy my real father left us."
He contemplated over what she told him. It was odd how she lived a normal, happy life, despite the bad things that happened to him. Earlier, he thought that she was just a normal, happy-go-lucky person who had no care in the worries of the world. But after hearing her life story, he realized how he'd wronged her, even just in his mind. He was prejudging her, which was wrong of him to do. Now, he thought of her as a person who also had her share of bad luck in life. But she was a fighter; she didn't choose to sink in the bottomless pit that her problems give her. She was unlike him in many ways, he realized. She was a fighter, while he was a loser, in life. There were so many things in life that he could learn just by being with her.
"Hey," Yumi whispered. "it's getting late. It's almost midnight." She looked at her watch to double check. "Akagi is still far from here."
Ryouske realized that the dinner and their conversation took longer than he'd expected. "Yeah. I think we should go now." He turned his back even without saying goodbye to her.
"Wait," she tugged at his sleeve, so he wouldn't go. "Before you go, I want you to have these." She handed him the flowers she picked earlier from the garden. "I want to give these as thanksgiving. For this wonderful night." She smiled up at him, a smile that was made more beautiful by the moonlight.
Ryouske gathered the flowers and walked away, "You're welcome." He was already out the gate, when he faced her again. "Tomorrow morning," he sounded unsure of himself as he said these words, "do you want to go for a drive? I'll give you a free tour around Akagi."
Yumi smiled at is invitation. "Sure. See you tomorrow, then."
And then Ryouske disappeared in the darkness. Keisuke was already waiting for him outside the car when Ryouske came. That night, Ryouske drove with joy in his heart.
To be continued...
I hope you liked it. The next chappie will be a date between our characters. Ooh! Amai!