Izumi

Kaoru slowly peeled back his eyelids at the smell of jasmine rice. The covers fell back as he lifted himself out of the futon, positioned just beneath some closed blue curtains. When he folded back a corner of the curtain, however, all he could see was the side of the neighboring house. He glanced at the computer adjacent to the window and noticed framed picture on the desk. The picture had been torn and taped at the middle, the white seam running between a young, grinning brunet and an older man donning a subtler smile. They were in their swim attire, a dragon tube wrapped around the boy, his fingers sticky with sand.

"...hmm?..." blood rushed to his cheeks upon realizing he wasn't in his room. That's right! Ms. Izumi had picked him up from home after finally being coaxed out of his room by Daisuke's virtual encounter. The teen gasped. Daisuke! He viewed the photo with his image in mind and gently smiled at the resemblance between the brunet and his red knight. Was this him with his father?

"Oh, you're awake." Kaoru shoved the photo behind him as he turned to a suspicious Daisuke, though he didn't leave the doorway as he announced breakfast.

When he joined Daisuke and his mother in the front room, he sent a bow of appreciation and the gesture was reciprocated in acceptance. He then took the place across from Daisuke and the three of them happily scooped balls of rice and egg into their mouths. The room was full of the sound of chewing and smacking, casual conversation between mother and son occurring through grunts and hums. Kaoru could remember when his family used to eat together like this. That sense of unity, however, was soon disrupted by the click of chopsticks being slapped over a bowl.

"All righty!" Daisuke exclaimed as he shot up from the table, "Thanks mom! I'm going to get dressed and head off to work!"

"Do you need a ride, Daisuke? I was going to drive Kaoru home before heading off, myself." Ms. Izumi sounded, and the teen gratefully accepted the offer before disappearing down the hall to get ready.

"So how is it that you met Daisuke, Kaoru? He seems to care about you an awful lot, but I've never heard your name." Kaoru blushed at the statement.

"O-Oh…we met online."

"Oh! I see, through that online game he played so much. Daisuke might've mentioned you after all, then. Are you friends with Shouta and Yasuhiko as well?" the teen shrugged in uncertainty and the woman smiled at his hesitation.

"Acquaintances, then? Well, at the very least, I'm glad Daisuke has found such good friends. He was bullied a lot when he was younger because he was so small. As you can see, he is naturally very thin, so his father had him take Aikido as a child. They took it together, in fact."

Kaoru giggled at the mental image of a tiny Daisuke posing defensively beside his father, white belts strapped around their waists. He wasn't sure if they had belts in Aikido, but the thought was cute nonetheless.

"That was before his father changed jobs...he and Daisuke were so close, believe it or not. Though I suppose that makes sense, given how hurt he is by the separation."

"...If you don't mind my asking...what...happened between them?"

"Oh...well..." the woman lowered her gaze, "...It's my fault, you see. Apparently...Daisuke caught his father using 'The World' to cheat with other women...and he's become...quite defensive of me. We separated, but we're still technically married because I didn't want Daisuke to lose a father in the process. His father and I are trying to make amends for his sake, but it's hard for me, too. I can't really trust him." she then matched his eyes and smiled sympathetically.

"Your father said you were quite damaged by a separation as well. I...I know it's hard for you kids, and we can't really make up for what we've done, but...we're struggling just the same." Kaoru shyly nodded at her warm reassurance.

"Well, thank you for the meal, Missus Izumi, it was delicious." the teen praised as he placed his chopsticks atop his bowl, "I won't keep you waiting! I know you have to be at work."

"Mm, thank you, dear. Perhaps one day we'll get better acquainted, mm? I can tell you all about Daisuke-"

"Not so fast, mother." Daisuke interjected, now donning his freshly cleaned work outfit, "The last thing I need you to do is embarrass me in front of the new kid."

Kaoru lightly chuckled at the brunet's defensive stance and, as he viewed the boy, he realized how brunet he was. He wondered if it was naturally that light, and if his eyes were truly that green! Despite knowing the teen for a good few months now, Kaoru felt as if he was seeing Daisuke for the first time. He was finally beginning to separate player from character, as Daisuke's image was even appearing during his gameplay in 'The World'. Apparently that was how Kaoru's father had tracked Daisuke down. Embarrassingly he'd been calling out for him, but in Kaoru's defense, he'd been in a desperate situation.

"Well c'mon, mom! Let's get going! You got all your stuff Ichinose?"

Kaoru lightly jogged into Daisuke's room to snatch up the backpack he'd been keeping his luggage in. He quickly returned with the bag straddled over his shoulder, but found his eyes drifting along his schoolmate's physique before properly greeting him again. Things really were different in the real world.

"Damn Ichinose…how'd you get to be so tall, anyway? Your dad didn't look that tall."

"Oh, my mom…she was a model, so I get my legs from her." the teen confessed, earning a light nudge to the arm.

"Lucky bastard. I inherited HER genes." he said with an accusing finger pointed to his mother, who was now waiting near the door in her business suit, "Well c'mon, better get you home before I ditch my lame ass job."

Kaoru liked this, though…talking like they used to. It was hard to leave upon reaching his humble abode with his father's care parked just outside. He almost wanted to join Daisuke at the fish market, and he hated fish.