By : Naki
Chapter Five
Once Ichiro and Rei were dry and dressed (Ichiro in a red flannel shirt and Rei in a plain white T-shirt) they found themselves sitting in the living room on the couch. Rei simply crossed his arms and stared straight ahead while Ichiro looked around, bored.
In the kitchen Mitsuko busied herself with making lunch for Masaru and herself. She wasn't sure where Masaru ran off, but Jiro stood in the kitchen, next to the refrigerator. He watched her. After placing a pot of water of the stovetop to boil, she turned to Jiro and crossed her arms.
"Are you mad, Mitsuko?" He asked.
"No," she replied. "Since you've decided to stay, however indefinite that may be, you're now considered a member of the household." You've been part of the family nearly since the beginning, she thought. "And as part of the family, you're now required to entertain your guests. Those two," she pointed in the direction of the living room, "your brothers, are here to see you. And that makes them your guests."
Jiro took a moment to digest this. "I still have a lot to learn. But I want to stay here with you, Mistuko."
"Jiro," Mitsuko said with a smirk. "We're going to be in the same house. It's not like we're going to be miles apart. The living room is right through that wall." Mitsuko knew he was being sweet and he wasn't even aware he was doing it. He was so brutally honest that it was hard to take sometimes and, on the same token, he couldn't tell a lie even if he wanted to. Even though she knew it was against his programming to lie, but there was that something in his personality, a distinct trait, that made him detest lying. It made him all the more endearing.
As the pot of water began to boil, Mistuko opened the refrigerator and retrieved two eggs from the inside of the door and carefully placed them in the pot. She picked up a timer shaped like a rooster and twisted it to set a time. She set it on the back of the oven.
"What are you making?" Jiro asked, hovering behind her and peering over her shoulder.
"Tuna."
"Isn't that a fish?"
"Of course."
"But those are eggs." He pointed at the pot.
Mitsuko thrust her arm backwards and elbowed him lightly in the stomach. He backed up a bit. "Yes, they are eggs. You can put all sorts of things in tuna fish salad. I happen to like eggs in it." Mitsuko explained. She walked into the pantry and came back with a small can.
Jiro glanced about the kitchen and observed it more closely. It occured to him that he'd never been in this kitchen before. White walls, white ceiling, and white linoleum floor. The oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator were also white.
"Mitsuko?" Jiro asked.
"Yes?"
"Why is the room so white?"
"Um," Mitsuko paused from what she was doing and stared off into space, lost in thought. She was used to all these kind of questions. Jiro was a lot like Masaru in that fashion. "I heard somewhere that the color white makes a room appear larger than it really is."
"Oh." Jiro went back to observing. Mitsuko pulled a large ceramic bowl out of a cupboard and emptied the tuna into the bowl. She walked over to the fridge and retrieved a mayonnaise jar from the door. She tried to open the jar but found the lid was on too tight. Sighing, she thrust it at Jiro.
He simply looked at the jar. "Huh? Why are you giving the jar to me?"
Mitsuko blinked, having thought you intention was clear. "I can't open it."
"Why not?"
"The lid is on too tight. I'm not strong enough."
"Alright." Jiro hesitatingly took the jar from her.
"You'll need to turn it clockwise, like the direction the arms of a clock take." Mitsuko pointed at the plain circular white clock on the wall and she traced it circumference in the air.
Jiro focused on the motion of the thin red second hand as it ticked around the clock. He then looked down at the jar in his left hand. Easy enough. He gripped the metal lid tightly and turned it hard, expecting the lid to pop off in his hand. Unfortunately for Jiro fate had a way of painfully pointing out that he still had much to learn. For instance, he shouldn't grip a glass jar so tight...
The lid did come off in his hand and it immediately crumpled; the jar didn't fare much better. It shattered and flung mayonnaise all over both of them.
There was a moment of shock and then Mitsuko blinked. In a situation such as this she would have usually gotten irritated but, looking at Jiro who was gazing forlornly at the shattered remains of the jar with a glob of mayonnaise hanging on the tip of his nose, Mitsuko couldn't help but giggle. He looked so much like Charlie Brown standing next to the sad little tree that was bent over by the giant red ornament ball and saying, "I killed it." Mitsuko tore a paper towel off a roll next to the sink and carefully wiped his nose off.
"You need to be a little more careful with glass jars, Jiro."
"I'm trying."
"I know you are, but you need to try a little harder."
"Okay."
"Hey, what's going on?"
Jiro and Mitsuko turned to see Ichiro standing in the doorway that led into the hall. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw a small glob of mayonnaise that stood out like a neon sign in Jiro's dark hair. "Wait...don't tell me you tried to cook, Jiro."
Jiro motioned with the hand that held the broken jar and flung mayonnaise onto the far counter. "I don't know the first thing about cooking."
Mitsuko bit her lip to keep from saying what had just run through her head. Jiro would probably burn the house down if he tried to cook!
"Oh, really?" Ichiro sounded doubtful and looked pointedly at his brother.
"I was just..." he held up the jar, "just opening the jar for Mitsuko."
Ichiro smirked and looked at the tattered remains of the jar in Jiro's hand. "Yes, and I see you did a wonderful job at that as well."
Mitsuko reached around Jiro and carefully extracted the broken jar from his grip. "I, uh, I think there's enough left to use. And..." she pulled a hand towel out of a drawer next to the sink, "you can clean up this mess."
As Jiro took the towel from Mitsuko, Ichiro decided the time was ripe to add his two-cents worth in. "Hah! See, this is why I avoid the kitchen. Hope you enjoy cleaning. At least I don't have to."
Mitsuko whirled about, her eyes flashing dangerously. Ichiro took a step back. "Nobody gets off scot-free in this household, buddy. One more word out of you, and you'll be out mowing the lawn in the rain! You get me?"
Ichiro emitted a sound that sounded suspiciously like "Eep!" and tore off like a scalded cat. Jiro just stood there, towel in hand, staring at her in surprise at the way she'd snapped at Ichiro.
"Whoa, Mitsuko-neechan!"
She turned to see Masaru and Rei standing in the doorway at the opposite end of the kitchen. Rei's blank eye surveyed her and he said matter-of-factly, "Hell hat no fury like a woman's scorn."
About an hour later, lunch was over, and Mitsuko, Jiro, Ichiro, and Rei all sat at the dining room table idly conversing. Mitsuko had in front of her a small notepad on which she was writing a grocery list for the next day.
"Mitsuko-neechan?"
She turned. "Yes?"
Masaru poked his head into the room. "Can I go check the mail?"
"Okay. Just be careful. And put on your raincoat. Masaru!" Mitsuko jumped up as she heard the front door creak open, knowing that he hadn't put it on. She hurried down the hall, threw on her long pink raincoat and grabbed Masaru's little yellow one from the hook on the wall. She stepped out onto the porch and scowled at Masaru as he made his way down the long driveway dodging raindrops.
"Ma--" Mitsuko began but was cut off when the ground shook suddenly and violently. Mitsuko swayed on her feet and fell forward, catching herself on the support column next to the porch steps.
"Mitsuko!" Jiro called, running forward. He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Just as Ichiro and Rei came out to investigate, the ground lurched again, knocking Masaru off his feet.
"Masaru!" Mitsuko called. She attempted to run to him, but Jiro kept a tight grip on her. Just then the sound of a person whistling a hauntingly familiar melody reached Jiro's ears. He gasped.
Behind him Ichiro grabbed his head and screamed, thrashing himself from side to side.
"Ichiro!" Jiro exclaimed. "Fight it!"
Beside Ichiro Rei grunted and gripped his heand with a hand. He silently resisted as his face contorted and the iris of his one visible eye turned a menacing shade of red.
"No..." Jiro muttered as he steered Mitsuko behind him in an effort to protect her. As Ichiro took a step towards them Jiro felt the blind rage coming from the interaction between the submission circuit and his Gemini build up inside him, threatening once more to take him over. He balled his hands into fists. No. He was never going to show that side to Mitsuko. Not ever. He stepped backwards, forcing her to retreat further back.
"Brothers!" Jiro pleaded. "I don't want to fight you!"
Ichiro dove towards Jiro, madly swinging his fists. Jiro caught his brother's fist and pushed him away and into Rei.
"Jiro!" Mitsuko called.
Ichiro turned his attention from Jiro to Mitsuko. He then dove for the space between his brother and the porch railing to get to her. Jiro stopped him and threw a punch that connected with Ichiro's face and threw him to the porch floor. Then Rei came at him. Jiro pressed his hands against Rei's chest to stop him. As they struggled Jiro looked over his shoulder at Mitsuko. "Run!"
Mitsuko nodded and ran around towards the back of the house. Ichiro jumped to his feet and went after her, cutting her path off by landing in front of her.
"Mitsuko, no!" Jiro called frantically after hearing her short scream. Rei took advantage of this brief distraction and punched Jiro with enough force that Jiro flew backwards through the porch railing and onto the lawn, where he laid motionless on his back. He heard Mitsuko scream a second time. It was then Jiro made a split second decision between his brothers and the woman he loved. A decision between the brothers he had bonded with and the woman who had captured his heart and nurtured it into emotional maturity. A decision between the brothers who could be and have been rebuilt and the woman who was human and couldn't be rebuilt. A decision that was hard to make and yet so easy at the same time.
Jiro screamed wordlessly from his position on the ground, catching the attention of Rei on the porch and Ichiro pursuing Mitsuko. Ichiro turned, released Mitsuko, and left her gasping for breath on the ground. Jiro's eyes narrowed as he balled his hands into fists and then activated his switches. First his left shoulder and then his right.
"Switch on!"