Chapter 16 -

You guys spoiled me so much, I was getting used to getting reviews but that last chapter... crickets. I was waiting forever to get to this chapter... finally the two boys get a chance to talk!

Tora didn't look up right away when he walked in. Instead he proceeded with his normal routine. He set his bag down near the door, took off his shoes and loosened his tie as he walked over to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Tora," Misaki said from the couch, "you're home early."

He was looking in the fridge for a lemon for his water and didn't look up. "Yes. The meeting was ended early so we could all get ready for the dinner party."

Misaki couldn't believe he was so distracted. How had he not seen that they had a guest. She was trying to figure out how to point it out without upsetting Tora or offending Takumi when Takumi spoke.

"I suppose I should get going then, so I can get ready too," Takumi said as he stood up from the couch.

Upon hearing Takumi's voice, Tora shot up from his crouching position and he hit his head on the refrigerator shelf. He barely noticed the sting as he spun around to look at the uninvited guest. His golden eyes narrowed. Tora had been trying for days to be as charitable as possible but today, after that phone call, he'd reached his breaking point and he was feeling pure hatred toward Takumi. Still, Tora knew how to play the game. Takumi was hoping to push his buttons. Takumi wanted him to loose his cool in front of Misaki so he'd look like the jealous asshole that attacks the poor Takumi for no apparent reason. Tora would play it cool for now, but he was going to corner Takumi one way or another, tonight, and set some things straight.

"Hey Takumi," Tora smiled, "let me walk you to your car. I haven't had a chance to see you much during this visit and I'd like to catch up."

Takumi, of course, knew Tora wasn't actually hoping for a nice little chat. Tora was clearly angry and wanted to get him alone, but Takumi wasn't afraid of Tora. He knew he was stronger and faster, more powerful, and he was in the right. Besides, Tora wasn't the only man in this room that was angry. Takumi also had a few words he wanted to say to a Tora.

"Great idea," Takumi said picking up his keys. He bent over and gave Misaki a kiss on the cheek as he said goodbye and told her he'd be back in an hour to come pick her up for dinner. He knew he was taking a risk with the kiss. She wouldn't like it and she would get angry at him, but it would also piss off Tora beyond measure. Right now, he'd take the risk for that kind of payoff.

The two men exited the apartment and to any onlooker they would have appeared a pair of good friends. The elevator stopped one floor down and picked up another passenger so the men continued to hold their tongues until they left the apartment building and were standing in the streets out of ear shot from the doorman.

Tora was the first to speak, "Who the hell do you think you are? Misa doesn't belong to you. She isn't your girlfriend anymore and, if you know what's good for you, you'd damn well better never just drop by our house again unannounced."

Takumi's eyes flashed, and he let out a short wicked laugh, "That is so rich coming from you. You, the guy that follows my girlfriend to college and tries everything he can think of to worm his way into her heart. Then you follow her to graduate school, still unrelenting in your efforts to try to trick her into falling in love with you. But that doesn't work. She'd just not interested, so you wait until I make one tiny error in judgement and swoop in acting like some noble fucking hero. Only she still didn't fall for you, did she? You were never going to be good enough for her. But lucky you. Misa suffered a brain injury. So you… you sick perverted piece of shit…you use that to your advantage and implant yourself into MY GOD DAMN LIFE." Takumi realized he was yelling and lowered his voice back down to a low angry hiss, "Do you think that you can keep that from her? Do you think she won't remember? She doesn't love you. She only thinks she does because when she is looking at you, she is remembering me." Takumi pushed Tora. He wanted to punch him. He'd been wanting to punch him for days, but it would be easier to explain to Misa why he beat up Tora if he could get Tora to throw the first punch.

Tora tried to remain calm. He too wanted to punch Takumi. In fact, it took every bit of self control he could muster to keep his fists by his side.

Takumi wasn't finished. He stepped in close to Tora and growled at him, "And who do you think Misa belongs to Tora? It certainly isn't an imposter like you."

Tora scoffed, "You think you made a little mistake? You think it was me that wrote you out of her memories? You are such a fucking idiot. Unlike her ex-boyfriend, I don't lie to Misa. If Misa doesn't remember you or, if she replaced you, it was because deep down Misa knows you aren't worthy of her time. I don't know why or how she could ever love an asshole like you, but there was a time that she would have done anything for you. Do you honestly think that what ever happened between you two in England was what broke her heart? You could have killed her mother, and she would have forgiven you. All you had to do was say you were sorry and ask her to forgive you. But not you. No. You had us all fooled. We all thought you loved her… that you'd come crawling back and all would be forgiven. But when push came to shove, and you would have had to swallow your pride, it turned out she wasn't all that important to you. You didn't come after her. You didn't send a letter. You didn't make a phone call. No text. No e-mail. Nothing. You treated worse than you would treat a friend. You didn't even check up on her to see if she was okay. Instead you completely wrote her out of your life. It was like you never even knew she existed. You made it perfectly clear that you never really cared about her at all. It was all just some game. You just wanted her because you couldn't have her. And once you had her, she just wasn't worth your time. That's all it is this time too…. Admit it! If she dumped me for you, you would still spend 15 hour days at work. And if she put a crimp in your plans, she'd need to shut up and put up with your shit or else you would kick her to the curb. Just like you did before. Stay out of her life!" Tora turned and stormed back into the apartment complex. He couldn't go back to Misa yet. He was too angry but he had to get away from Takumi before he hit him. He reminded himself that Takumi would be gone from their lives soon but, right now, he was an important business partner. Tora couldn't get into a fight with him. Tora decided to take the stairs because it would help him blow off some steam and it would give him a minute to regain his composure before going back to Misa.

Takumi stood silently in front of the apartment building. Had Tora spoken the truth? Is that what she had believed? Would she have forgiven him? If he told her now… would she understand or would she hate him more… if he told her... if she knew ...why he hadn't come after her? Could he live with himself... could she live with him... if she knew what had happened… what he let himself become… after she left him… because she had left him? He had buried that part of his life and hidden it from the world. He felt so much shame and guilt. He had never planned to tell anyone, but the alternative would be that she would someday remember him and would believe that he had simply not come to her because he didn't care.

Takumi ran across the street to a bar. He needed to revisit a time in his life that he had shut away in a box in a far corner of his mind. That box held a demon and he wasn't about to open that box until he had finished at least one stiff drink.