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Chapter 3
Daisuke packed the last of his things into the car. He pulled the trunk down and turned back to his building. He had no one to say good-bye to as all of his friends had already left for home. He smiled at the memory of the first to leave. It had seemed that nobody had wanted to say the first good-bye, but they knew it had to come. Each member of the group had left with promises of staying in touch over summer. That gave Daisuke a bit of hope. He also reminded himself that in just a few months he'd be back here with them.
"Was that the last of it?" asked his sister from the driver's side of the car. Daisuke turned to her and nodded. She rolled her eyes. "Then what are you waiting for, get in the car. We've got a long drive ahead of us."
Daisuke sighed and got into the passenger seat. Jun got in and started the car. Daisuke watched his building as they rolled away, fighting back the tears that were welling in his eyes. Wasn't it funny that it was so much harder to leave school than it was to leave home?
He looked at his sister. For whatever reason, Jun had offered to pick him up and drive him back home. Daisuke had been pleasantly surprised. When she had called him he was in the middle of trying to figure out how to get home with all his stuff. He couldn't carry it all in the train, and the likeliness of his dad remembering he needed to be picked up was slim. Still, he didn't know why she did it. They had never really been all that close. Thinking about their relationship he was sure they could win several awards for all the fights they had gotten into. She had completely ignored him over winter break and they never talked to each other when he was at school.
"Thanks for giving me a ride," he said quietly.
Jun looked at him in surprise. "You're serious?" He looked at her in confusion. She smiled, shaking her head as she turned back to the road. "What did you think I was going to do, leave you to hitchhike?" She laughed at the look on her brother's face. "You seriously thought that? My god, Daisuke, I'm not that cruel." She sighed. "I was there when you packed for school. There's no way you could have taken all that on the train. And Dad--well Dad isn't exactly in the best of places right now." She frowned at a memory. "Don't be surprised if he asks why you're there. And ignore most of the comments he might make to you."
Daisuke didn't know how to respond. In a way, he understood the logic behind Jun's actions, but he still didn't understand why. While most could have used the "You're my brother" line, he just didn't see Jun that way. Perhaps he didn't know her as well as he thought he did; a scary thought considering she was his sister. There was silence in the car until Jun cleared her throat.
"Look Daisuke," she said, glancing at him. "I know I'm not your favorite person in the world. And I can understand why. But I think it's time we had some serious conversation."
Daisuke looked at her in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"
Jun sighed. "We haven't had the best relationship in the past, not even close. But I don't want it to stay that way. I don't know. Maybe it's the divorce." She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "It's just; our family is falling apart, isn't it."
Daisuke was surprised by the sadness in his voice. He knew the divorce had affected her, but not this much. He realized she was waiting for a response. "Yeah, I guess it is."
She pushed a hand through her hair. "I can't control Mom and Dad's actions. I also can't control the way they act. And the way they're acting now...I don't think I can have any kind of relationship with them." She paused. "I'm ashamed to call them my parents."
Daisuke blinked at the confession. "Have they gotten worse, then?"
Jun laughed spitefully. "That's the understatement of the year." She looked at him again. "But I don't want my family to fall apart. I may not have parents left, but I'd hope I still have a brother."
Daisuke looked at her, trying to figure out where this conversation was going. "I don't think I get what you're saying," he confessed.
She smiled. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...well, sorry. Sorry for all the fights I started and any number of horrible things I did to you. I want to forget all that. I think it's time we figured out what being brother and sister really mean, and leave the messy mistakes to our parents." She took a deep breath. "I met someone who has no ties with his family members. He walked away from them and never talked to them again. He has no one. I don't want that."
Daisuke sat in a state of shock. This was just a little much to take in. A summer with an annoying and, hopefully, absent Jun, he could handle. He could even survive a Jun that would constantly be around to make his life miserable. But a Jun that actually wanted to act like a sister? He didn't know how to deal with that.
But he also shared the same sentiments. Despite the front he put up, he actually did care about his family. The fact that it was falling apart was no small grief to him. Perhaps, with Jun's new attitude, at least part of it could be saved. He nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. I mean, family's everything, right?" he said turning to Jun with a smirk. The irony was not lost on her and she chuckled in response. "It's not like I didn't have my share in the fights. If you're willing to put it aside, I guess I could do the same. I don't particularly want to be that guy either you know."
"I know," whispered Jun softly. They were silent for awhile, with the engine of the car the only sound.
Daisuke could have left it alone. He could have sat in thought for the rest of the car ride, but he remembered something Jun had said and curiosity got the best of him. "How bad has Dad gotten?" he asked quietly.
He could see the strain in Jun's face as she struggled with what to tell him. "He's at home more often now."
Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He took in the look on Jun's face. "I take it that's bad?"
Jun frowned. "After the divorce, we rarely saw him. I know I brushed it off when you brought it up, but all I wanted," she paused to keep her self under control. "All I wanted was for things to go back to normal." She laughed bitterly. "I don't know what my problem was. I mean, it's not like he was around all the time anyway. But then I knew it was work. But now," she blinked back some tears. "Now it's like we're not enough. Like without Mom there, nothing's important. Unfortunately I didn't realize wishing he was around more could have consequences."
Daisuke waited for Jun to continue, but she seemed to have spaced. That wasn't necessarily a good thing since she was still driving. "Jun?"
She shook her head. "Sorry. Anyway he's home more often, but now I think I know where he went before. I think after work he would go to a bar or something. Now he just drinks at home. Every night. The front room reeks of alcohol and the entire house smells like smoke. I can't bring anyone over anymore. No matter how much I clean you can still smell it. And then I'm afraid of how he'll act. Dad's not...the nicest person when he's drunk."
Daisuke stared her, eyes wide. He felt anger boiling up inside of him. "He hasn't hit you has he?"
Sadly, Jun didn't seem all that surprised by the question. "No he hasn't, which is surprising. I try to stay out of his way when he gets like that. It's just, he has a way with his words." Her hands clenched the steering wheel. "Why beat around the bush? He's an absolute jackass."
Daisuke watched his sister as she tried to control her anger. How did things get this bad? How did they go from being a happy family to this? Okay, so maybe they weren't the most affectionate of families before. His father's job kept him busy and his mother, though always home, wasn't exactly the mothering type. And he and Jun were always gone for some reason or another. But they had still been a family. And they understood that their dad's work was important to him. Now, things just seemed to be getting worse and worse.
"How's Mom?"
Jun snorted in disgust. "Exactly where she's been. Same shitty apartment. No stable job. Doesn't even try to hide the fact that she smokes anymore. And the counter's always full of bottles."
"So basically just like Dad?"
Jun nodded. "With no job."
Daisuke sighed. This is why he didn't want to come back home. Maybe he would work full time if what Jun was saying was true. It was too late to register for summer classes. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? Perhaps he could just stay over at Ken's more often. He was sure he wouldn't mind. Or at least he hoped he wouldn't. Then he looked at his sister, and finally noticed her appearance. She was a lot thinner than he remembered, her bracelets now hanging loosely from her wrists. Her hair, which she had always taken great care for, was pulled back into a plain pony tail. It had lost its shine and he swore that he could see split ends from where he was sitting. Her eyes no longer held the fight they used to. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't had very much sleep.
He deeply considered the question he was about to ask before deciding to just go ahead and ask it. "How are you doing?"
She glanced at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"How are you doing with all of this?"
She sighed. "Okay, I guess. Cursing myself for not learning more about cooking before Mom left. Dad seems to have forgotten there's another person living with him. He usually grabs something on his way home from work or orders in. No more money left on the table."
Daisuke looked at her in horror. "You mean you don't eat!"
Jun saw his expression and hurriedly explained, "No, no! I eat! It's just that I have to fend for myself. I started using my own wages to order out, but that gets a bit expensive. So, I had to teach myself how to cook." She laughed at herself. "The first attempts were...interesting. Luckily Dad hadn't started coming home so early at that point. It was peanut butter and jelly for a while then. I finally figured out how to do simple stuff. So, that's what I've been eating."
"What kind of simple stuff?"
She waved her hand. "Oh like grilled cheese and macaroni and things like that. Mostly stuff that comes with directions. Nothing too difficult, and no casseroles for sure. I'm too afraid I'll give myself food poisoning."
Daisuke widened his eyes. "You're not eating any meat?" (1)
"Oh I eat hot dogs and stuff. And sometimes I'll get fast food or something. But I never realized how expensive food can be. I've had to ration a bit. I'll be reduced to stealing soon!" she said, only half joking.
Daisuke tried to ignore the feeling of nausea he suddenly felt. This conversation had just decided his summer. He couldn't leave Jun alone like that any longer. She couldn't deal with this all by herself. They didn't know how to do any of this. And he would have to work full time. Adding another person would only strain the food situation.
"Are you going to work this summer?" Jun asked.
Daisuke nodded. "Yeah, full time."
Jun looked at him, surprised. "I hope you're not doing that because of me. I can take of us. This is your vacation; you should relax as much as possible. Do things, hang out with friends, that kind of thing."
Daisuke smiled at his sister's sincerity. Could a person really change that much in one semester? "No Jun, it's okay. I want to. I don't really have a whole lot of people to hang out with anyway."
"Sure you do. What about all your friends? Like Ken, and Miyako, and all them?"
Daisuke shook his head. "I don't really talk to them anymore. Well, except Ken. And he's gonna be busy with summer classes anyway."
Jun grimaced. "Why would he take classes in the summer?"
"He's double majoring."
"Figures."
Daisuke stretched as he got out of the car. The drive had been incredibly long, and it was now dark outside. He watched Jun grab a couple of his bags and he grabbed a few boxes. They closed the doors to the car and began to walk up the steps. Jun stopped in front of their door. "Remember what I told you," she said quietly. He nodded. She unlocked the door and stepped through. He heard her make a disgusted sound and followed her in.
He barely recognized the front room. There was mail piled up on the table and there were bottles everywhere. There was an ashtray tipped over on the counter. A box of cigarettes lay opened on the floor. The TV was on but no one was watching it. The couch had been stained several times and a broken vase lay right next to it.
Jun groaned. "I leave for two days. Two days!" She shut her mouth as they heard the toilet flush. They could hear someone staggering down the hall.
Daisuke's dad emerged wearing boxers and a white t-shirt. He was holding a half-full bottle of beer in his hand. He blinked when he saw them, as if trying to focus.
"Don't you know how to knock?" he slurred.
"We live here," Jun bit back.
He looked at them in mild confusion before shrugging. He looked like he was going to go toward the couch when he turned to look at them again. Daisuke could feel his father's eyes settle on him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at school."
"I'm done for the year."
"How'd you get...?"
Jun rolled her eyes. "I picked him up."
"Right then..." He turned back to the couch and flopped down on it.
Jun nudged Daisuke and motioned for him to follow her. They moved quietly to the hall and walked to Daisuke's room. He was surprised to see a lock on it.
"I had these put in when his drinking started getting bad," she whispered. "Just in case." He nodded and she unlocked it.
He brushed past her and stepped into his room. Flipping on the light switch he looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, save a pair of keys on his desk and some clean sheets folded on his bed.
Jun fidgeted at the door. "Those are the keys to your and my rooms. I thought it'd be good if we each had a set, just in case…" Her voice trailed off. She cleared her throat. "I did laundry the other day, so I figured I'd just leave a set of sheets out for you. Now let's go get the rest of your stuff. It should be fine unlocked for now." Daisuke followed his sister in silence.
That night Daisuke sat in his room unpacking. He thought about the events of the day. It was unbelievable that Jun could change so much in such a small amount of time. Then he thought that maybe she hadn't really changed. Maybe circumstances just brought out a side she'd always been too afraid to show? He shook his head. For being a business major, college sure was turning him into some kind of philosopher.
(1) I know plenty of people are vegetarians and get along just fine without meat. But it's not healthy unless you're getting protein and iron from other sources.
A/N: Yeah…not much happened in this chapter I guess. Sorry about that, but I wanted to get some of Daisuke's history out of the way (but not too much!). And what's this, Jun's actually being nice? Looks like things are looking up for Daisuke, but for how long?
As always, please review!
