Chapter 10 – Brutal Honesty

"What are your plans for today," Takashi asked, having freshly showered after practice with Satoshi.

"Oh, I have to turn in grades and make sure to update the curriculum is updated online. It's funny to think of elementary school kids using computers." Satoshi walked in, having just showered as well, and sat down for breakfast, Pome and Piyo in tow.

"Hey, that's pretty buck" he said cheerfully.

"Satoshi, you're using it wrong! I don't even know what you're using it for," Izumi laughed.

"Will you be home later than normal since it's the end of the first trimester?"

Looking up from petting Piyo, "Um, yeah probably. I should be home by 4pm."

"I'll make sure someone is waiting to pick you up."

"I can take her home. I have a few meetings before the break starts, Taka." Takashi smiled at his younger brother, grateful that the two got along so well.

"That would be really sweet Satoshi. Thanks. Babes, you'll be dropping off Mitskuni and Reiko at the airport right?"

"Yes that's today."

"Oh, so that's why you were asking how long she'd be, you won't be there to pick her up!" Satoshi assumed he deduced the reason for his questioning.

-.-.-

"IZUMI!" Satoshi called, running up to her.

She was saying goodbye to her students, who were going in circles around her, asking her about her plans, if she'll remember them. "Of course I'll remember you, silly." The children finally separated from her and Satoshi walked up, grabbing her books. "Oh you don't have to do that."

"It's a gentleman's place to carry books when he's escorting a lady."

"Okay now you sound like a Host Club member in training-" Izumi stopped. "Are you joining the host club?"

"hahaha, No! But that doesn't mean I can't be nice."

Izumi arched a brow, "Satoshi, are you practicing for a girl or something?"

Satoshi went red, but kept his composure, "Don't flatter yourself, you're too old for me."

They joked all the way to Takashi's house. Satoshi escorted Izumi to the door, "Are you coming in to see Takashi?"

"Maybe for a bit, I want to get home in time for dinner with mom and dad."

"Takashi? We're home." Izumi and Satoshi walked towards the sitting room where she saw Takashi looking at…something? Izumi rounded the corner and squealed.

Lucas stood and walked towards her opened armed and she jumped into his arms wrapping her arms and legs around him. They spun clinging happily to each other. Satoshi, however, was confused, and looked at his older brother to see his reaction. Takashi, who stood when he saw Izumi enter (or rush into) the room, just smiled.

"Satoshi, this is Izumi's best friend and dance partner, Lucas."

"Oooh." He paused, "they're awfully close." He was still debating if her reaction was really warranted.

"Yes we are," Izumi said, still clinging to Lucas, although now she was standing. "We've known each other for what… 15 years?"

Lucas looked at her, "yeah that's about right."

"I'm taller than you," Satoshi noted, in surprise.

"Everyone's taller than me, that's was Izumi is a great dance partner. We're both short."

"But you look so big on tv."

"Yeah tv does that." Lucas offered his hand, "I'm Lucas, it's nice to finally meet you."

At that, Satoshi beamed, "You talk about me?" He said, turning to Izumi.

"Of course I do!" And then she turned to Takashi, hugging him. "Spill it mister."

Takashi looked down. "Spill what," he joked, running his hand through her hair.

"What is he doing here," she tugged on his shirt like a little girl.

"To see you," he plainly said, smiling still.

"COME ON!" she pulled some more. I love seeing her like this, so excited like a child.

"I picked him up at the airport." Again, he plainly said. Frustrated Izumi turned to Lucas.

"Okay okay. I called the house and asked one of the servants for Takashi's number. So I called his cell asking him if it was okay for me to visit since I have a month off from the show."

"But what about your family?"

"Oh, Dom is in soccer camp all summer and mom and John are working and then going on a cruise, so this was the best place for me to go… plus I haven't seen you in about a year. I did meet Mitskuni and his girl at the airport. I arrived before they left."

"You guys planned this behind my back," Izumi said with her face buried in Takashi's torso. She looked up, and kissed Takashi gently on the lips. "Thank you."

"Okay, I'm going to sleep now. I saw you, but I have jet lag."

"What about dinner? Satoshi are you staying?"

"I'd like to Izumi, but I want to have dinner with mom and dad. So I have to get going to make sure I'm not late."

Takashi patted him on the back, "Good man."

"Only because I had you to follow Taka!"

Takashi saw his brother out and Izumi and Lucas went to the guest room. Lucas leading the way of course, as Izumi had no idea of what room he would be staying in. Lucas hopped in the shower and Izumi went in the bathroom to continue talking with him.

"So what happens with the tour now?"

"Hrmm? I get a month or two off, but only a month here because I eventually want to try and see my family… dunno how realistic that will be… plus I'm going site seeing with a few people from the group."

"It's fun isn't it," Izumi asked dreamily.

"Yeah," Lucas replied softly. "I wish you were there." He said shutting off the water.

"I'm okay where I am," Izumi put his towel close to the door and walked out.

"Do you miss it?"

"No."

"Liar," he said while brushing.

"Okay a little bit. Kind of like the way I miss driving or how things are done in America."

"Liar."

"I miss dancing, but not like you're probably imagining it."

"I always thought we'd do something like this together," Lucas walked out of the bathroom and joined Izumi on the bed.

"You knew we'd end up going separate ways eventually," she said pulling back the covers.

"What, are you going to bring me a warm cup of milk now and tuck me in up to my chin?"

"I could arrange for the staff to bring you something," she smiled, and kissed him on the forehead. "Get some sleep."

When she was nearly towards the door, Lucas whispered, "I miss you," but Izumi didn't hear. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to hear or not.

-.-.-

Lucas woke up and found Izumi and Takashi saying goodbye in the foyer. He was gently caressing her face and her eyes were closed as she leaned into his hand. "I love you."

She laughed softly, her fingers trailing down his chest. "You always say it so seriously." She looked up at him, "But I love you very seriously too."

They laughed and he bent down, as she stood on her toes, and they kissed. Takashi's actions always spoke volumes and she relished each second of his movements. "Have a good day today. Tell Mitskuni I said hello."

"You as well," and Takashi went into the waiting car.

"Mistress Izumi, do you require anything at the moment?"

"Oh no, but thank you. If you want to leave you can."

"Oh, Mistress, nothing of the sort. I just wanted to make sure your needs were tended to. The Master did leave you in our care."

"It's been months, I'm okay, but thank you." The two started to walk towards the sitting area together when they saw Lucas.

"So you're up."

"I've been here how long? I will never get used to seeing that."

"You've been here 3 weeks I believe… and which part? Takashi and I or the staff?"

"All of it."

"You hungry," Izumi asked changing the subject.

"Yes."

"Cool, we can go out to eat. Everyone wanted to come over for dinner. Haruhi and Tamaki will come depending on how Haruhi is feeling."

"How far along is she?"

"Hrmm, a few months? Why don't you get changed and I'll make sure that the driver is ready."

"Remember when you used to do things for yourself?" Lucas said underneath his breath as he climbed the stairs. In the brief time he was downstairs with Izumi, his bed was already made. It irritated him. He glared at the bed, daring it to do something. What the hell? It's like she runs off to Japan and has become some sort of kept woman. He found some clothes and threw them off. Everything is done for her. She doesn't even have to work… teaching English is a fucking joke. What happened to dancing? 'I don't miss it' my ass.

Before he left, he took in his surroundings. The servants, the perfectly coordinated rooms, the well-blended design of Japanese and western architecture… the perfectly made bed, that he didn't even make… he walked over it and ripped off the covers for good measure before returning downstairs.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!" he fake smiled as they went towards the car.

"Mistress, where shall I be taking you today?"

"Oh, downtown Tokyo. You don't have to wait for us, I can call you when we're ready to be picked up."

"Yes Mistress," he bowed as the two stepped into the car.

"So where's the sound proof glass?"

"It's a car, not a limo."

"You may as well have a limo."

"This is fine enough. I can't imagine them with a limo."

"What is this anyway?"

"Bentley Mulsanne." Lucas didn't know what a Mulsanne was, but he knew Bentley.

"So why this car and not a Mercedes?"

"Honestly Lucas, does it even matter?"

He didn't respond. He just sank into the seat and stared out the window, wishing he hadn't come.

-.-.-

The rest of the day was a hit or miss for them. At some points, the two would be happy, laughing, joking around like old times. At others, he was sour, rude, and unapproachable.

"You are really turning my summer break into work," Izumi said after minutes of silence.

"Oh, what you're talking to me now? The soundproof glass isn't up… oh wait, is that some uninstalled option in this thing?"

The driver did his best to ignore the fight that was brewing in the back of the car. They two started taking snipes at each other. It was random things they were picking on: toe points, leg extensions, hair color, wrinkled clothes, the way they chewed… it was like children fighting.

They pulled up to the house, but Lucas tore out of the car before it even came to a full stop.

"What the hell?" Izumi said chasing after him. "Why are you being so rude?"

Before Lucas even reached the front door, it flew open. This was more fuel to add to the fire. "Gosh, I didn't even say the magic words this time!"

"You're being an ass!"

"Oh," he said feigning clarity, "my manners. I totally forgot, we're being watched and judged. Here," he kicked off his shoes, sending them flying into the wall, "look, I took off my shoes!"

Everyone from the host club was waiting for them to return so they could enjoy dinner together… but all they could hear were shouts. They eyed each other, unsure of what to do. Most fighting was done with polite tones and fake smiles. Real fighting was kept out of public eye. These two were flinging everything they could at each other.

Takashi was troubled. He asked Lucas to come as a surprise for Izumi and now it turned into this. It pained him to think that someone so close to her was causing this much pain. She was screaming, "fuck" and "goddamnit." He'd never seen her act like this.

"Stop that Lucas!"

"What I'm just bowing…"

"You're bowing to everything."

"Well I should show my respect to the stairs, I am stepping on them…" He stomped up the stairs like a child in a tantrum.

Takashi got up, unsure of what he could do, but he went to follow Izumi… the host club trailed him in support.

"You're being racist."

"Oh, you're playing that card now…"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Lucas had made it into the guest room when he turned on her, "First your own parents throw you out and now your other ones are dead. So which card are you gonna play now? Asian, Filipino, Japanese, White? Oh wait, you're playing the 'I'm poor someone rich love me so I don't have to do shit.'"

"You…" Takashi saw Izumi tighten up, fists clenched, shoulders taught, "you goddamned mother fucker…" she flew through the air, cocked back her fist and connected with Lucas' face.

The host club gasped, Takashi bolted toward the room, but not before Lucas grabbed Izumi and flung her into the wall.

"You're a fucking liar," he yelled at her.

Takashi accidentally knocked Lucas over in his rush to get to Izumi. She was already on her feet; throwing whatever was closest to her at Lucas.

"Stop this, both of you," he said trying to restrain Izumi and see where she was bleeding from.

They kept yelling at each other like Takashi wasn't even in the room. He had never seen her this riled up. He wished Mitskuni were here to help restrain Lucas. He could have knocked them both temporarily unconscious, but something told him that this was a fight that needed to happen.

"You said we'd always be together," Lucas broke.

"We're best friends!"

"You said it would always be us, through thick and thin..." he was on the floor now, crying.

"Lucas!" Takashi loosened his grip on Izumi and tried his best to blend into the background.

"You betrayed me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"My family takes you in, helps you through everything, and then… when you're almost back to normal, you run off! But not just run off, you go out of the country! Then you send me all these emails and texts and pictures and then just stop! How can you go from multiple messages a day to every two weeks?"

"Luca-"

"Then you and the damn host club, damned Mori…I thought… I thought when you came home things could go back to normal, but you had to bring that damned gook with you."

"Don't you dare call him that!"

"You couldn't even commit to focusing on dancing, you had to run away again! I flipping drive you to see him…I had to drive you!"

"Lu-"

"And then after your accident… YOU FUCKING RAN BACK HERE! TO YOUR FUCKING CHINKY ASSED—"

Izumi backhanded him. "Don't you dare call him that, or anything else like that …. Don't you dare speak ill of him." She was livid, having been called so many things because of her circumstance... "Lucas, of all people, I expected you to understand that the most…"

"Why because I'm gay? My section of the bookstore is larger than yours," he commented flatly.

"What is with you?" She said slumping to the floor, exhausted emotionally and physically.

"Why did you have to go so far away…when did we stop being on the same page? When did I stop mattering to you?"

Izumi crawled toward Lucas, blood mixing with her tears down her face. She pulled him into her arms and cried with him.

"You never have…"

"You stopped considering me…"

"You know," she said cradling him like a child, "at some point we were going to have to walk different paths…"

"I thought we'd go through it all together… I thought you'd just come home from Japan and we'd go about our lives as normal…"

"I never planned any part of my life… you should know that…I never planned to fall in love." She looked up and saw Takashi across the room. She smiled at him softly, "But Lucas, you say anything bad about him ever again, I will break you."

Lucas looked over at Takashi and prostrated himself, "I'm really sorry for calling you all those words."

Takashi got up and walked over to them both helping them up. "I won't say that its okay, but I'll forgive you for your words." He looked Lucas in the eye and held him, "You hurt Izumi again, and I will stop you."