Part Six: Secret No Longer
Chapter Eight: Conflict
Without warning, the bedroom door flew open and both Tai and Kari's heads turned when they heard the sound of it hitting the wall. Stood in the doorway, expressions of horror smeared over their faces were their parents. The collective hearts of all four individuals were in their owner's mouths as colours drained from faces. And for a few moments of deathly silence, the two couples just stared at each other. Then everything seemed to happen at once.
"Mom…" Tai and Kari stammered together, "…dad…"
"WHAT THE HELL!" Susumu yelled, even though he had known full well what he was about to witness before opening the door.
However, the sight of Tai fucking Kari had been too much for Yuuko and she turned from the door and ran towards the kitchen. A wave of nausea swept over her and she retched. She just managed to get her head over the sink before her meagre stomach contents spewed forth. Her breaths came in sharp rasps as she struggled to take in enough air. The sight of her children doing that had been far worse than she had imagined.
Back in the bedroom and the blood had quickly drained from Tai's penis, causing it to slip out of his sister's vagina. He scrambled back to allow Kari to get off of all fours, which she did immediately.
"Both of you, put some clothes on, NOW!" Susumu barked, even though Tai and Kari were already hurriedly pulling on their pyjamas. It had been the only thing he could think to say. Any thoughts or ideas of how he had intended to handle the situation had evaporated the moment he saw his children.
"Dad, we need to talk with you and mom," Tai then managed to say, as he struggled into his shorts. His limbs were trembling and he could feel his right wrist begin to itch. Of all the ways for their parents to find out about him and Kari, this surely must have been the worst.
"We already know about you and your sister's depraved relationship," Susumu spat. He could feel anger coursing through himself. He'd wanted to be reasonable, to try and understand the how and why this whole affair had come about, but seeing his children fucking like that had felt like one massive fuck you to everything he had ever tried to teach them. Both Tai and Kari were smart, sensible kids and they would have known how wrong incest was. Yet despite all their common sense and everything he and Yuuko had taught them, they had still chosen such an amoral, reckless and downright idiotic course of action. Both of them should have known better. Only, in hindsight, he should never have used the word depraved.
"WE'RE NOT DEPRAVED," Kari yelled as she spontaneously combusted. Her fists clenched and her body began shaking with rage. She had known her parents would not take kindly to finding out the truth, but to hear one of them use such a word to describe something she considered to be beautiful and pure, proved to be more than she could stand. "TAI AND I ARE IN LOVE. I FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT HIM AS YOU DO ABOUT MOM."
For a brief moment, both Tai and Susumu looked at Kari, absolutely stunned at the sheer force with which her outburst had been delivered. There was not a shred of the innocent little girl she had once been. Instead, she stood as a strong, fearsome woman, who was fully grown in maturity, if not in years.
Out in the kitchen, Yuuko finally managed to draw in a proper breath. Picking up the first mug that came to hand, she filled it with cold water from the tap and took small sips in-between subsequent breaths. She shuddered upon hearing Kari's yell. The tone her daughter had used, reminded Yuuko of the one the girl had turned on her after she herself had lost her temper and slapped Tai all those months ago. Not only that, but the content of Kari's words confirmed the fear she had shared with her husband before they entered the apartment; their children believed what they were doing was right. She set the mug back down on the countertop. This had to end tonight, for the sake of both her children, even if it cost her their love. Which meant she had to go back in there.
Back in the bedroom, his daughter's outburst had served only to enrage Susumu further. If she thought that the love shared between two teenagers, one of whom was still in middle school no less, could be compared to that of a couple who had been together for over twenty years, then she had just proved her own naivety. And that was before even considering the moral implications of incest. It seemed his own assessment of her had been well wide of the mark. Unfortunately, the result of this was for him to react to her as though she were a child. "Watch your tone, young Lady," he snapped, before rounding on his son. Hopefully, Tai would have some semblance of sense about him. "This ends now, Tai. Do you understand? Now!"
"No," Tai said defiantly, his tone level but firm. He had suspected this would be the immediate, knee jerk reaction from his parents, regardless of how they found out and he needed to stay strong and weather the storm. Perhaps then he and Kari would have the chance to explain their side of the story and how they felt about one another. Unfortunately, his father's reaction to his sister had not helped matters.
"DON'T TRY AND TREAT ME LIKE I'M FOUR, DAD. AND HOW DARE YOU TRY AND DISMISS ME, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE FEEL."
"KARI KAMIYA, BE SILENT," Susumu yelled at his daughter. He had heard his son's response, but his daughter's second outburst succeeded in momentarily diverting his attention.
It had been a funny thing for Tai to be the one who had managed to keep his cool. Unfortunately, his father's complete dismissal of his sister quickly put pay to that. "DON'T TRY AND SILENCE HER, DAD. JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT SHE'S SAYING. KARI AND I ARE IN LOVE."
Before she managed to reach Kari's bedroom, Yuuko heard the room descend into a mass of yelling voices, to the point that she could no longer discern what was being said. It did not matter, for she intended to take control of the situation. Her husband may have been the bread-winner in the household, but when it came to family matters, she ruled the roost. The moment she crossed the threshold of her daughter's bedroom, Yuuko raised her voice above those of her assembled family and said, "THAT'S ENOUGH, ALL OF YOU!" The room fell silent and all eyes turned to stare at the matriarch. There was no question as to where the power lay in this household. When Yuuko Kamiya spoke, everyone stopped to listen. Her voice lowered to an acceptable level, though the tone remained authoritative, when she focused her attention on her children, "I know enough about the relationship the two of you are engaged in, to know that it is unhealthy for you both. Therefore, it ends immediately. If we need to send either of you to counselling or for therapy because of it, then so be it. But any and all romantic interactions between the two of you end now. Is that clear?"
Tai reached out and put a hand on Kari's shoulder. He met her gaze and it was enough to stop her from lashing out again. He then focused it on his mother. Somehow, she had found out about their relationship before tonight, which meant that this evening had been a deliberate set up to try and catch them in the act of doing something 'inappropriate'. Well, he and his sister had fallen for a trap neither had seen coming. But that did not change anything. The only thing that mattered now was trying to make their parents understand how he and Kari felt about one another. "I'm sorry, Mom, but we already tried that and it made us both miserable. You saw how bad Kari was in December and to be honest, I felt the same only I managed to hide it better."
Kari took the hand her brother had placed on her shoulder, lowered it and interlocked their fingers. A small gesture, but a visible sign that they would not easily be parted. "You talk about our relationship being unhealthy for us, Mom, but the truth is, not being together is far worse. I was depressed for a full year before I eventually admitted how I felt to Tai. And ever since then, bar the five weeks after we split up, I've actually been happy."
Yuuko lowered her gaze and shook her head slightly. She had expected this sort of reaction. Tai and Kari were, at present, beyond any form of sane reasoning. And it was quickly becoming apparent that both her children's mental wellbeing had suffered at some point; just another thing to add to her list of failures. Regardless, they'd somehow found their way to each other and like when they were children, used one another as emotional crutches. Internally, Yuuko shed a tear. This indecent relationship between her children had to end now, for their own sakes, only it was not going to be pretty. Not to mention that both would almost certainly need some sort of therapy, but that could wait. She brought her gaze up to meet that of her son. She already knew the outcome, but felt she had to try the diplomatic approach first. "Tai, go to your room," Yuuko said in a firm, no-nonsense manner. "I don't want you near your sister until your father and I can figure out how we're going to handle this situation. Is that understood?"
Tai stood defiant and tightened his grip on his sister's hand. It did not seem likely that their parents would be willing to entertain reason at the moment, however, he at least needed to try. "No, Mom," he began, drawing on his courage to face any adversity. "Kari and I won't be separated, just because you and dad don't approve of our relationship."
"We're in love and want to be together," Kari then added, having managed to reign in her un-tempered emotions. While she felt slightly calmer, for the moment, she sensed that things would soon explode once more. Her mother would not willingly take no for an answer.
Susumu had also managed to temper his anger in the moments since his wife had entered. However, he had a bad feeling about where this was headed and a single glance at Yuuko's grim facial expression confirmed his fears. They were going to have to physically separate their children. This was going to be problematic. Tai had matured into a strong young man and would probably put up a strong fight if he could not subdue him quickly. He did not wish to hurt his son but knew that there would be little choice. Instead, it would become about inflicting the minimum amount of injury that he could. He looked Tai up and down. If, after separating the kid's, he could deliver one quick, hard blow to his son's abdomen, it might be enough to subdue him. He could only hope that the boy would not see it coming.
Yuuko looked between her children and sighed. The damage she did here to her relationship with both, would probably be irreparable. She could only hope that somehow, someway, that proved not to be the case. "So be it," she said in a defeated tone. Catching the eye of her husband, she nodded.
Before either Tai or Kari knew what was happening, their parents lunged at them.
Caught completely unawares, Kari felt her mom's arms wrap tightly around her torso and upper arms. Instinctively, she began to thrash to try and throw her off, but this was made more difficult due to the fact that one of her hands was still interlocked with Tai's. The very link her parents were now trying to break. "Mom, let go!" she hissed, as she twisted her shoulders this way and that, but to no avail.
Tai's situation was just as bad, if not worse. His father had tackled him around the shoulders and used the momentum to force him away from Kari. His arm was now at full stretch as he tried to maintain contact with her. "Fuck off, Dad," he yelled in anger as he struggled to keep his footing.
The element of surprise had worked exactly as the Kamiya parents had hoped. By forcibly dragging their children in opposite directions, their bonded hands quickly began to strain.
"This is for you own good, Kari," Yuuko said firmly as she tried to pin her daughter's arms to her sides.
"You could have done this the easy way, Tai," Susumu barked as he pressed home his advantage against his stumbling son.
The pain in both Tai and Kari's extended arms quickly mounted as they were forced further apart. And despite their best efforts, their fingers began to part.
"Tai!" Kari yelled when she felt the last sliver of her brother's fingers slip from her grasp.
"Kari!" Tai called back as he staggered backwards. Suddenly he felt his father's grip around his shoulders vanish. As he struggled to maintain his footing, he quickly became aware of the slight distance that existed between his father and himself. It was only at the last moment when he saw the man's fist fly towards his gut, did he realise what was happening. He had no time in which to defend himself.
Kari, who was still struggling against her mother, could see exactly what her father was about to do. "NO, DAD!" she yelled frantically, but it was too late.
The blow hit Tai's unguarded stomach and he doubled over as pain flooded through him.
"I'm sorry, Son," Susumu uttered grimly as he quickly grabbed Tai's right arm, spun him around and placed him in an arm lock.
"TAI!" Kari cried out as she furiously intensified her attempts to break free of her mother's hold. She could not believe that her father had just struck her brother and with what appeared to have been a good deal of force.
Yuuko struggled to maintain her grip around her daughter's torso and took a few scuffed kicks to her shins for good measure. Eventually, just as Kari managed to break one of her hands free, she did the only thing she could think of and shoved her daughter backwards against the edge of the bed. The girl's knees hit the woodwork and the momentum sent both mother and daughter crashing down onto the mattress.
Tai struggled for breath as the pain continued to ravage his body. There had been little restraint in the blow his father had dealt him. Disorientated and with his vision obscured by watering eyes, he could do nothing to prevent the second pain that came from his right arm as his father forced it into the lock.
"Move," Susumu said with more force than he had intended, as he increased the pressure on his son's arm to indicate that he was not messing about.
There was only a very brief moment of resistance, more to do with the surprise of the situation, before Tai complied and began walking forward. He could barely make out where he was going and required his father to guide him out of Kari's room. He did not even get the chance to take one last look at his sister. Out in the hallway, it did not take long for his father to manoeuvre him into his own bedroom. He was given a moderate shove as his arm was released. Staggering forward, Tai desperately tried to remain on his feet, but quickly fell to his knees. Bent over on the floor, he struggled to take in a proper breath; his entire abdomen still hurting like hell.
Susumu looked down at his son and felt a conflicting mix of guilt and anger. While he had managed to subdue him without much issue, it had taken a fair amount of force and caused the boy an injury that he would probably feel for days to come. It had been necessary, he told himself. The pain Tai felt at this moment in time paled in comparison to the emotional damage he would endure, should his incestuous relationship with his sister be allowed to continue. He glanced around the room and his eyes fell upon the desk, where his son's cell phone and laptop sat. He walked over to it and picked both of them up. They needed to prevent all contact between their children until such a time as they could figure out what to do with them Although he suspected that may need to be an indefinite thing. Susumu then headed for the door. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Tai," he said as he took one last look at his son's crumpled form. He then removed the key, closed the door and locked it behind him.
Back in Kari's room and Yuuko was having difficulty in keeping her daughter pinned to the mattress.
"LET GO OF ME!" Kari yelled in frustration, as she bucked her hips and tried to throw her mother off.
"I'm sorry, Kari, but this is for your own good," Yuuko hissed, as she caught hold of her daughter's one free hand and pinned it to the mattress once more.
"FUCK YOU AND WHAT YOU THINK IS FOR MY OWN GOOD!"
Susumu shook his head in disdain as he walked into his daughter's room in time to hear her latest curse. Quickly, he found her cell phone and laptop and removed them. "Yuuko, leave her," he said from the doorway upon his return."
It was a struggle for Yuuko to disentangle herself from her daughter's flailing limbs and manage to stand. Breathless, she hastily made for the door.
The second her mother was off of her, Kari sprang to her feet. "OH NO YOU DON'T" she screeched when she realised that her parents intended to lock her inside. Diving forward, she caught her mom's trailing arm and tried to haul her back across the threshold. Only one thought filling her mind; she had to get to Tai.
Yuuko yelped when she felt her daughter yank on her arm and attempt to pull her back into the room. She struggled to free herself, but Kari's grip was too strong.
Not willing to allow the incident to be prolonged, Susumu put one arm around his wife and pulled her towards himself. The second she crossed the threshold, he then shoved his daughter in the chest with his other hand. Her grip on his wife released and she staggered backwards.
Kari felt a sharp pain in her chest as a result of the blow her father had just dealt her, but it was not enough to shatter her adrenaline-fuelled state. As soon as she regained her balance, she darted towards the closing door. However, she was too late. The door shut and she heard the click of the lock sound just before she battered her fists against it. "LET ME OUT!" she yelled at the top of her voice, as he continued to pound the woodwork. She grabbed the handle and tried to wrench the door open, but the lock held it firm. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US!"
When it quickly became apparent that she was not getting out of her room without her parents say so, Kari felt the adrenaline drain from her. Tears welled up in her eyes on account of having just been forcibly separated from her brother. How could their parents do this to them? They had not even been willing to sit down and talk, electing instead to go with the nuclear option. Not to mention the fact that her father had injured Tai. At this very moment in time, he was probably lying in pain and desperately needed her. IT WASN'T FAIR!
Pressing her back against the door, Kari slowly slid down it and to the floor, tears now streaming down her cheeks. What happened now was anyone's guess. And she could not bear the thought of not knowing when she might see Tai again. That night she would eventually fall asleep where she lay from exhaustion.
Across the hallway and locked inside his own bedroom, Tai could barely spare a thought for anything beyond his abdomen, such was the pain that still engulfed his mind from his father's blow. His breathing was ragged and his arms began to shake as they struggled to support him. In the end, they gave way and he collapsed onto the cold wooden floor with a heavy thud. He too would spend an uncomfortable night on his own bedroom floor.
Now that they had successfully separated their children, Yuuko and Susumu felt physically and emotionally drained. If asked, both would certainly agree that tonight had been the most difficult night of their lives as parents, perhaps ever. Unfortunately, they did not know what to do now and were in no state to discuss it. With barely a word said between them, they went to bed.
That night, no one in the Kamiya household had a restful sleep.