Strain from Stress

The restaurant was moderately crowded, although there were no diners nearby. Ren and Pirika sat at a small table near a window, and the evening sky revealed colorful patterns of the sunset and clouds through the glass. Ren ate his food very quickly and didn't move his eyes away from the bowl of rice he was focused on. Pirika's food remained untouched, and she held her hands underneath the table in her lap and stared at him.

"So they're getting married soon," she said blankly, "Yoh and Tamao."

"Yes," Ren replied as he continued inhaling the rice.

"What do you think about that?" She asked as her eyes narrowed.

He paused, swallowing quickly, and frowned as he stared at the table, "I don't have an opinion about it."

"Is that so?"

Ren didn't seem to understand why she spoke in this tone, but continued to eat his food.

"I think it's a bad idea," she sighed, "He's clearly insane."

"He's stressed," he corrected her and moved on to a small bowl of vegetables.

"That's an interesting point of view," she scoffed, "You think he's stressed out?"

"Yes," he paused, "If you consider everything that has happened, his actions are probably normal."

She frowned but didn't respond.

"But unlike the rest of us, he hasn't been able to release any of his stress. So, it has been building up for months. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have progressed so far, but he had a breakdown."

"From stress?" She asked skeptically.

"From not releasing it," Ren replied calmly.

"So, are you saying he doesn't have a split personality?" Pirika's question sounded like an accusation.

He didn't respond so she continued.

"Are you saying he snaps without warning because he's so stressed out? That he tried to kill me because he was too stressed out to talk to me? Or, that he only beats Tamao to relieve stress?"

"I'm not a doctor," Ren replied.

"No, you're not," she snapped.

Ren glanced at her and noticed the anger in her eyes. He resumed eating, but stared at the table with a frown.

"If it's just stress," she resumed, "Why are you and my brother so afraid of him?"

"I'm not afraid of Yoh," he replied bitterly.

"Really?" She frowned, "It would seem then that one of you would step in and tell him his actions are unacceptable. But, you two just let him run around the house and do whatever he wants. And, that isn't fair because Tamao can't stand up to him. At least I admit on a daily basis I'm afraid of him."

"Where is this coming from?" He asked with irritation.

"It doesn't matter," she said quickly as she waved one of her hands in the air, "That's not what I want to talk about."

He frowned at her, and his eyes revealed slight confusion. They sat in silence for a few moments until she exhaled and rolled her eyes at him.

"So, are you going to tell me?" She growled, "Or, do I have to pull it out of you?"

"Tell you what?" He asked weakly as he moved the bowls away and placed both of his hands on the table.

"I want you to explain this infatuation you have with Tamao," she said angrily.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Ren," she groaned, "I'm not blind."

"I don't have an infatuation," he replied bitterly.

"Oh, stop it," she snarled, "You're so obvious about it."

He stared at her with a confused frown, but she ignored it.

"You stare at her like you want to rip her clothes off," she continued bitterly, "You don't even try to hide it."

"What?"

"Or is it that you don't realize you're doing it?" She added.

"I don't look at her in any way," Ren sounded offended by the accusation, but she didn't seem to care.

"You can't even focus on a conversation with me if she's in the room," Pirika seethed as her voice elevated.

Ren stared at the table as if processing the information, and she exhaled heavily.

"At least admit you're attracted to her, Ren," she said weakly, "Maybe I wouldn't be so irritated if you just admitted it."

"I'm not attracted to her," he said without meeting her eyes.

"You're a liar," she growled, "But, now I wonder why you feel the need to lie?"

"You're angry?"

"Yes, Ren," she sighed, "You'd rather sit here and stuff your face, something you NEVER do, than tell me the truth. You've tried so hard to pretend like it doesn't bother you that they're getting married when your body language betrays you. It irritates me that you can sit here and pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm angry because you're hiding something from me, and I'm angry that you have the nerve to do it."

"I don't understand where this is coming from," he replied with a weak frown.

"You're lying to me, Ren," she growled, "I hate when people lie to me."

Ren exhaled and briefly closed his eyes as she continued.

"I'm not a fool, and you're not going to make one out of me," she said through clenched teeth, "Tell me the truth."

"We're not going to have this conversation here," he said abruptly.

"We're having this conversation right now, Ren," she snapped, "Don't dismiss me."

"No," he sighed, "We need to leave."

Pirika stormed out of the restaurant and waited for Ren to pay for their dinner. Hunger pangs attacked her stomach suddenly, and she realized she allowed her anger to keep her from eating. When Ren exited the restaurant, she walked quickly down the sidewalk, leaving him there on purpose, and he made no attempt to catch up with her.

The walk back to the house seemed much longer than normal. They were silent the entire time, and Pirika was much too angry to look at him. She knew now that she was right, and the feeling didn't settle well in her stomach. There was also the possibility he wanted them to leave the restaurant so that she wouldn't make a scene. The thought boiled her blood quickly, and she clutched her hands tightly against her folded arms as she sped her pace.

Ren noticed her increased pace but didn't adjust. He kept her in his sights and buried his hands into his pockets. He didn't want to have this conversation with her tonight. He didn't want to have the conversation ever, but she was forcing his hand. Until she mentioned it in the restaurant, he honestly had no idea he was watching Tamao so much, and the thought angered him. How could he do something so obvious without being aware? Tamao had been ignoring him on purpose, but he didn't seem to accept the action. His pace slowed even further when they reached the front of the house. She glared at him angrily to force him to stop stalling, and she slammed the door when they entered.

When they reached the dining room, Horo was sitting in one of the chairs with a concerned frown, and Tamao was pacing nervously in front of him. Pirika's pace slowed, and she stared at her brother silently for a few seconds. Her demeanor quickly shifted to worry, and she pulled a few strands of her hair out of her face. No one was speaking, adding to the sudden tension, and Ren noticed Tamao's eyes were red and puffy.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"Yoh's missing," Horo replied gravely.

"What do you mean, missing?" Pirika asked as she took a step closer to her brother.

"He's been gone for at least ten hours," Tamao sniffed, "I haven't heard from him."

"Maybe he just went out for a while," Ren suggested.

"No," Tamao rebutted, "He always goes for a walk at the same time every day. He's usually gone for an hour. That's it. But, he left today and didn't come back."

The tears returned, and she continued pacing while biting the tip of her thumb.

"You don't go for a walk for ten hours," Horo sighed, "It's already dark outside."

"He could be anywhere by now," Tamao added as her voice revealed her panic, "Something could be wrong."

She paused for a moment as the tears escaped her eyes rapidly and her body began to tremble.

"Tamao," Ren said weakly.

"Something could be wrong," she repeated hysterically.

Ren embraced her quickly, and she buried her face into his shirt and continued sobbing. She had no intention of crying, but wondering about his whereabouts increased the fear that was ravaging her brain. Ren rubbed her back a few times and kissed her ear.

"I'm sure he's fine," he said softly, "Please don't cry."

Pirika closed her eyes briefly and clenched her teeth but was startled when her brother stood from his chair.

"We tried looking for him, but it's like he just disappeared," he groaned.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be found," Pirika blurted, "Which might be why you can't find him."

Tamao pulled away from Ren slightly, an action he seemed disappointed with, and turned to her.

"What do you mean?" She sniffed.

"He probably just wants to be alone," Pirika continued, "He'll come back when he's ready."

"She has a point," Horo agreed, "I guess if he doesn't come back in the morning we can worry."

"Right, so there's nothing we can do about it tonight," Pirika's tone was incredibly bitter, but she didn't attempt hiding her disgust, "So you can stop consoling her now."

Tamao took a few steps back and sat in the chair Horo abandoned, "What?"

Ren frowned at her but didn't respond.

"He heard me," she groaned.

"Are you okay, Sis?" Horo asked with a frown.

"I'm fine, Horo," she replied quickly.

"I'm sorry," Tamao said sadly, "For freaking out about this. Maybe you're right. Maybe he's fine."

"It was a normal response," Pirika replied with a smile, "Try not to worry about it, okay?"

Tamao sniffed a few times as the tears returned. She needed to know things were fine now, not in the morning. She closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck with her hands then walked slowly into the kitchen. Horo followed her and glanced briefly at Ren before disappearing behind the door.

Pirika and Ren stood in the room silently. He stared at her with a strained expression, and she glared angrily at his neck.

"Pirika-"

She slapped him hard across his face, interrupting his statement.

"Save it, Ren. I have my answer."

Pirika narrowed her eyes at him before storming down the hallway. He stared at the floor as he listened to her furious pace and closed his eyes when she slammed her bedroom door.