ZOMG LONG-PLANNED IZUKO ANGST
We have been waiting for this moment for months. >D AND NOW I BRING YOU IZUMO AND KOTETSU'S NOT SO HAPPY HOLIDAY.
Who: Izumo and Kotetsu - as well as Izumo's far too genki older sister Kaori (whom we all LOVE, DON'T WE), the rest of the Kamizuki family, and Kotetsu's darling mommy.
What: Izumo and Kotetsu leave Kotetsu's family after Christmas and head to the Kamizuki estate in Kobe - and all hell breaks loose when Izumo finds a secret omiai waiting for him.
When: A few days-ish before the New Year begins.
Where: Some random trains, the Shink, the Kamizuki mansion home, the road, and Kotetsu's family's house
Warnings: LONG LOG ZOMG. Took forever to clean. Also, a bit of mansmut mixed in there (because we could), some crazy family angst, a scheming omiai whore, and of course KAORI BEING HER USUAL OVER GENKI AND OVER CURIOUS SELF.
Izumo clenched the tea bottle in his hand tightly, breathing slowly. He was tense, it was readable in every muscle of his body, nervous, tight, like a string ready to snap.
Going home for New Years was never easy.
This year, he had decided, teeth clenched, that he would be telling his parents about his relationship with Kotetsu. He wasn't going to hide it any more, if they had a problem, well. . . he was prepared, in some respects, to deal with it.
And Kotetsu would be there with him the entire time. Nothing to worry about. Well, plenty to worry about but at the moment, he wasn't going to worry about it.
Something like that, anyway.
He took a swig of tea, and sighed. Kotetsu was with him. That's really all that mattered, wasn't it?
Kotetsu wrapped his hand around Izumo's, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey," he said quietly. "It'll be okay, babe. It'll be fine."
"I know," he said, letting go a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "Just stress, I always get stressed when I go home. You know that." He smiled briefly, lips pressed tightly together.
"I know," Kotetsu murmured. He always got stressed too, but he managed to keep it under wraps - managed to hide it pretty well. "But hey, this'll be over before you know it. Kaori-san will do some crazy thing, creep us out a little even though we love her, and then it'll be next year, and we'll be goingback home to Oshima."
"Oh, and let's not for get the part where I go to my dear old tousama, and say, 'Hey, I'm gay!'" said Izumo, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. We'll be back at Oshima before we know it. . . . . . Still. It's good you're here. Ahh, I wonder if Kaori-chan will follow us to the love hotel again. . . . "
"Let's hope not. It's kind of a turn off to have your sister try to watch us." Kotetsu leaned his head against Izumo's shoulder. "Don't worry, babe, 'cause I'll be right there with you. I mean, you're not just gay. You're gay with me."
Izumo laughed. "Shit, yeah, I'm gay with the hottest fucking man ever," he said, grinning. "Ahhh, the fact that I like your cock in my mouth more then I like a breast there. . . man. Never thought I'd say that." Izumo blew a kiss and winked at the old woman who looked at him in horror, and snickered.
"I wish dealing with tousama would be that fun."
Kotetsu laughed despite himself. "Don't worry, babe. I'll make it worth your while."
"You already have," said Izumo grinning. "A few times, you know, when your parents were out and you screamed so loud. . . God, I love it when you yell. It's fucking awesome."
Kotetsu chuckled. "I'll scream all you want when this is over with, babe."
"Promise?" Izumo asked, grinning close to Kotetsu. (At the moment, he didn't care about proper public decency.)
"Cross my heart, Izumomo." Kotetsu was very tempted to lean in and snog Izumo right there - but he wasn't sure he really wanted to go that far.
Izumo kissed Kotetsu gently, showy but not over the top, and sat back, holding Kotetsu's hand. "I'm glad. I'll always scream for you, you know. . . "
Kotetsu grinned despite himself. "I know, babe." He squeezed Izumo's hand again. "I think we're almost there..."
Izumo took a deep breath. "Oh joy. Did I tell you that we have to take a taxi? Koari-chan's car is in the shop, and I refuse to be picked in the family car at the eki.. .. "
"Ah, no, you didn't say that. But I'd rather be taking a taxi anyway."
"Yeah, she's a bit crazy when she drives," said Izumo. "And we can make out in the backseat til we get there. .. "
Kotetsu only smiled. (If it would keep Izumo happy till they got to his house, he'd do it.) "Sounds like a plan."
"Oooooh, good, cause I've always wanted to do that," he said. "That, and suck you off in a purikura booth. . . . "
Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "That's the first time you've said anything about that one....well, after the new year, we could totally do that."
Izumo laughed. "Ohhh, I am full of wants and desires," he said, rolling his eyes. The train was rolling into Shin-Kobe now, slowly starting to come to a stop.
"I can see that." As soon as the train had come to a halt, Kotetsu stood up, still holding Izumo's hand. "Come on, babe. Let's go find us a make-out taxi."
"Sounds fun, we can make out all the way to Hell!" he said, cheerfully sarcastic. (Hey, gotta deal with the stress somehow.) Izumo grabbed his bag, and they headed out to find thier make-out taxi.
Izumo slid into the seat, and gave instructions to the driver. As they took off, Izumo grinned at Kotetsu, and ran his hand through Kotetsu's hair. "You're gorgeous, you know that? I am absofuckinglutely lucky."
Kotetsu smiled, leaning in. "We're both lucky, babe. We're the two sexiest men on earth and we've only got the best."
"Fuck yes. We are fucking amazing. The world is envious," he said, kissing Kotetsu slowly. "I love you."
"Mmm. I love you too, babe." Kotetsu slid an arm around Izumo's waist and pulled him in for another kiss. (So what if the cab driver was probably a little freaked out? Fuck that. Izumo was in need of kissing.)
(Izumo was always in need of kissing, if you asked him. Kissing, blowjobs, sex, all that. Always needing.) Izumo leaned into the kiss, tongue sliding against Kotetsu's, taking pleasure in the warmth of the other man's bady against his through the layers of clothing.
Kotetsu slid one hand up Izumo's back, trailing his fingers up his neck, as he kissed the other man deeply. He eventually forgot that they were riding in a cab, that there was actually someone else in there with them, and he pulled Izumo half on top of him comfortably.
While taxi cab sex was on Izumo's list (shush, yes, he had a list), he had no intention of having sex in this particular cab. Izumo moaned a little into the kiss as he moved into kotetsu's lap. If there was a driver, he wasn't noticing him right now.
Kotetsu had his fun making out with Izumo in the cab, but the ride suddenly seemed all too short, because before he knew it the driver was clearing his throat, and Kotetsu jerked back, grinning sheepishly and flushed. "Hey - Izumo - wallet?" he said, a little breathlessly.
Izumo smirked, and slid off Kotetsu, and pulled out his wallet. "I know it's not something I should do, but seriously? Keep the change. Do not give it back, thanks." Izumo handed the poor, bewildered man more then enough to cover the ride (uh huh, ri-i-ide baby, he'd ridden Kotetsu all the way home, yeah), grabbed thier bags, and headed inside, for once at ease with being home. Izumo suspected it had something to do with the making out on the way there.
Opening the door, he yelled. "Tadaima!!! Kaoriiiiiiiii!!! WHERE ARE YOUUU???"
A flash of pink and white launched itself at Izumo, hugging him. "IZUMOMO-CHAN!!!! O-KA-E-RI!"
There were good things about home. "Hey, nee-chan. I missed you too."
Kotetsu laughed. "Hey, Kaori-san. Hisashiburi, ne."
"Kotetsu-chan!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him. "Awww, you are like a brother to me!" she said, kissing his cheek. "Mamma and Papa are out tonight, so we are all to ourselves! Oh, but Izumomo, Papa said that he wants you to come to a meeting tomorrow about the business, okay?"
"Eh?" asked Izumo.
"I don't knooooow," she said, whining. "Some business meeting. Very boring, I think. But you're supposed to be all dressed up."
"I don't want to go to business meetings for a business I don't ever plan on owning."
Kaori shrugged. "Neeee, little brothers, let's have dinner together, okay?"
Kotetsu kind of felt bad for Izumo, especially since he figured he wouldn't be allowed into this 'meeting', and that would leave Izumo all alone with his dad....
But he'd be fine. Izumo wasn't a baby.
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, let's do that. What did you have in mind for dinner, Kaori-san?"
"Oooohhhh, will Kotetsu-chan cook for Kaori-chan and Izumomo?" she asked, batting her eyes a bit.
Izumo rolled his eyes. "He always cooks for me."
"WAH! Hidoooooi!!!"
Kotetsu chuckled. "You know, I really don't mind cooking. It's kind of my life's work, after all... If you want me to cook, I can."
"Ohhh, yes!" she said, hugging Kotetsu's arm, and dragging him towards the kitchen. "Cook isn't here tonight because I knew that you two would want the kitchen! Izumomo, you must make dessert."
"But of course, Kaori-hime," he said rolling his eyes. "Just how late are tousama and kaasan out?"
"Pretty late. It's a business meeting. Soooo. . . maybe midnight, maybe. . . "
Kotetsu grinned sideways at Izumo. If he and Izumo pleaded fatigue from their travels and hit the sack early, there'd be plenty of time...
"So what shall I make then, Kaori-san? What are you two in the mood for?"
"Nothing that's wholesome," said Izumo.
Kaori giggleed like a madwoman. Izumo rolled his eyes.
"Neee! Kotetsu-chan," she said. "You should make me your specialty! I want to taste the best food in the world."
Kotetsu did make his specialty - a wonderful kind of red wine beef stew that made Kaori squeal (just a little too loudly) with delight - and dinner was unexpectedly pleasant, for being at Izumo's family's place. Afterwards, Kotetsu pleaded exhaustion from the trip and promptly seized that opportunity to cuddle up with Izumo before his parents got back.
Kissing Kotetsu, Izumo smiled. "I know Kaori's here, but. . . . ," he said, unzipping Kotetsu's pants, "I really, really don't want to have to pay for a room tonight. . . "
"Mmm...babe, I don't care..." Kotetsu reached down to tug Izumo's pants down. "As long as your parents aren't here...then we're going to have all the fun we can."
"Mmm, I like this plan," he said, pulling off his shirt, then kissing Kotetsu. "And now. . . Mmm. I'm going to enjoy this very much."
"Mmmf..." Kotetsu pulled back to tear off his own shirt, then immediately dove back in. "Mmm, we both will...c'mere, you..." He kicked away his pants, pulling Izumo over to the futon.
Izumo was glad that he had taken the time to lock the door before he had started kissing Kotetsu.
Izumo kissed down Kotetsu's chest, licking his nipple, his arms wrapped around Kotetsu's waist, rubbing against him. It was so. . . . dangerous and appealing to be having sex in his family home. Izumo loved it, and was very, very eager.
"Haa..." Kotetsu groaned approvingly, tangling his fingers in Izumo's hair. He felt himself hardening against Izumo's touch, back arching slightly against the futon.
Izumo grinned. He licked his way to Kotetsu's other nipple, one hand holding him up while the other ran up and down Kotetsu's side, feeling his skin. His hand idled by his lover's thigh for a moment, his thumb rubbing against Kotetsu, before sliding up Kotetsu's chest, teasingly.
Kotetsu's head tipped back slightly, reaching for Izumo's hand to nudge it back down. Izumo was such a tease, he thought as he pushed up against him, trying to create some friction.
Izumo snickered, and let his hand be pushed down again. He rested his hand right beside Kotetsu's growing erection, knowing that the teasing would be worth it. He licked the side of Kotetsu's neck, grinning.
Kotetsu shifted beneath him. "Nnnh...Izumo," he muttered, "stop being such a tease..." He let his hand slide along Izumo's back, dragging fingernails lightly over the skin.
"Mmm, not teasing," he said, smirking. "Enticing. Making you enjoy it as long as possible." He kissed his way down Kotetsu's chest, stopping to suck and lick his nipple, again. "Mmm, make a little more noise, baby. For me. . ."
"Aaahhh..." Kotetsu's breath hitched in his throat, body tingling. "If I'm louder...nnh...will you go faster?"
Izumo licked his lips. "Is that what you want?" he asked, huskily. "Hard and fast?"
The tone of Izumo's voice sent chills down Kotetsu's spine, and he grinned wofishly. "Mmmm, yeah. Hard and fast, baby."
All you had to do was ask."
He slid down Kotetsu's body, and took Kotetsu's erection in his mouth, waisting not more time. He reached for his bag, and while licking and sucking with all the skill he had, he fished the lube out, unscrewing the lid and grinning.
Kotetsu arched his back, letting out a loud cry. If Izumo's parents weren't home, then he certainly wasn't going to bother being quiet about it. He'd be as loud as Izumo wanted him to.
Izumo grinned as Kotetsu cried out--that's what he liked to hear, Kotetsu's voice, the louder, the better. Spreading the lube on his fingers, and then a little more (after four years, it was a skill he prided himself on, doing one handed), Izumo thrust two fingers into Kotetsu. The other man had said he wanted it hard and fast, and Izumo aimed to please.
"Nnngh!" Kotetsu's world flashed as he felt the two fingers shove inside of him, and he bucked slightly. "Aahh - Izumo - "
Izumo slid his fingers in and out of Kotetsu, and lapped the head of his erection sliwly, his tongue enjoying the taste of Kotetsu. Izumo started moving his fingers faster, in and out of Kotetsu.
Kotetsu sucked in a breath, head swimming slightly with the force of it all. "Aaahh - Izumo..." His voice rose unevenly, louder, and at that point he didn't even care if Kaori was videotaping this or something from a remote location. This was just too good.
Smiling, Izumo lifted his head up, and smirked at Kotetsu. "Ready babe? Cause I was born ready," he said, withdrawing his fingers. He positioned himself with ease, and as he leaned down to kiss Kotetsu, he thrust inside him.
Kotetsu kissed back, hard, body jerking and seizing slightly as Izumo pushed into him with abandon. His arms reached up to wrap tightly around Izumo's neck, groaning loudly into the other man's mouth.
Izumo's tongue roughly slid against Kotetsu's as he found his pace, thrusting in and out of his lover, holding onto him. He groaned a little and pulled away for a moment, gasping for air.
Kotetsu waited only half a second, crying out loudly, before grabbing Izumo and pulled him sharply into another kiss. Their teeth clacked against one another's for a moment before they found their position again, and Kotetsu's tongue pushed into Izumo's mouth without hesitation.
Izumo's tongue pushed against Kotetsu's, moaning with his thrusts. He wanted to just here Kotetsu scream all night. He dragged his nails down Kotetsu's side, then grabbed his erection, and stroked it, hard.
"Nnnh - " Kotetsu made all sorts of nice, loud noises into Izumo's mouth, bucking only slightly against the touch. He moaned Izumo's name, muffled by the other man's mouth.
Izumo's thrusts and strokes quickly fell into a rhythm, hard, fast, and just a little rough. He broke away from the kiss for a moment to gasp, pleasure wracking his body, and fell back into the kiss, his tongue forcing it's way back into Kotetsu's mouth.
Kotetsu kissed him back fiercely, muffled cies growing louder. It wasn't long before he reached his climax, and he pulled away to let out what was just about a scream as his release spilled onto his stomach and Izumo's hand.
Thrusting a few more times into Kotetsu, Izumo came, crying out. He kissed Kotetsu again, licking his lips, and smiling.
Kotetsu's eyelids fluttered slightly as he tried to catch his breath. His head was still spinning from the force of the orgasm (it was always so much more intense when he was on the bottom) - he swallowed, sucking in a breath. "Mmmh..."
Izumo kissed Kotetsu's cheek, and rolled to the side, curing up against Kotetsu. "Mmm indeed."
"Haa...mm...we've gotta clean up, you know..."
"Mmm, yeah. . . God, that felt good though," he said. "I haven't had sex here since high school. And it was not that good. Damn. . ."
"Mmmh..." Kotetsu grinned lopsidedly. "C'mon - I'm gonna fall asleep...let's clean it up soon, Izumomo..." He was exhausted from the travel, then the cooking, and now the sex.
"Mmm, okay," he said getting up. He grabbed a bpair of pants, and his robe. "You go get a shower, I'll take care of this in here, okay?"
"Nnh, you sure, babe? You don't want my help?"
"Nah, it's cool. Just get a shower, and when you get back, there'll be a warm bed waiting, and I can get a shower," he said. He smiled. "Least I can do for you, babe."
"Heh, okay..." Kotetsu sat up, reaching for his pants (he wasn't about to walk around naked in this house, especially not with Kaori lurking around every corner), and he leaned over to kiss Izumo. "Love you, babe."
"Love you more," he said, kissing Kotetsu back.
"That's an insult." Kotetsu pouted. "You underestimate me." He pulled on his pants and headed for the shower to get nice and cleaned up.
Izumo took care of the mess while Kotetsu showered, Kaori giggling. "What?" he asked her.
"Nee, Izumomo-chan, I heard you all the way on the other side of the house. Is it always that loud?"
Izumo snickered. "Usually, Kaori, I wouldn't tell you. .. but," he said, leaning close to her, "Sometimes it's louder."
Kaori erupted into fits of giggles as Kotetsu came back into the room in fresh clothes, toweling off his messy hair. "You're not telling her shit, are you, Izumo? That's like handing her a gun and asking her to pull the trigger."
"Mmm, I'll be back. I need to get a shower," said Izumo. He kissed Kotetsu, and smiled, then headed off to get cleeeaaaan.
Kotetsu plopped himself down onto the futon, thoroughly tired out, and only shook his head at Kaori, who was still giggling. Sleep time. Mmmm, sleep...
Izumo shoved Kaori out of his room, and locked the door. He walked back to the futon, and curled up next to Kotetsu, pulling up the blankets. "Mmm. . . I love sleeping on futon. . . . we should geta nice futon for our tatami room. . .. "
"Mmm, yeah..." Kotetsu snuggled up against him. "Wait... is it a good idea to sleep in the same place? Aren't your parents coming back in a few hours?"
"You won't be able to sleep without me," said Izumo, pulling Kotetsu close. "Besides, we're telling them, yeah? I'm not going to hide this anymore, babe."
Kotetsu closed his eyes, resting his head on Izumo's shoulder. "All right. I just wasn't sure when we were telling them, that's all..."
Izumo petted Kotetsu's hair, and smiled. "I want to tell them on New Years Day, personally," said Izumo. "But I'm not going to make you sleep apart from me. You'll be a mess without me, and you'll toss and turn all night. I know you."
"Mmm, okay." Kotetsu nuzzled him sleepily. "Love you, babe."
"I love you too," said Izumo, kissing Kotetsu's head, and closing his eyes.
The next morning, Kotetsu was still snuggled tightly against Izumo, face buried in his shoulder. He groaned as the morning light somehow managed to leak its way to his eyes, and he pulled a pillow over both of their heads.
Izumo mumbled as he felt the pillow cover their heads, and laughed when he realized what it was. "Dork," he muttered.
"Don't call me a dork," Kotetsu mumbled into Izumo's neck. "Loser."
"Pfft, I'm not a loser," said Izumo. "I got you, don't I? Yankee boy."
"'m not a yankee. Shut up now...still sleeping..."
"Yankee," he mumbled, curling up.
"Shut up already. It's too early..."
Izumo snickered, and snuggled Kotetsu. He kissed the other man's forehead. "Baka. You're awake. Let's get up."
Kotetsu made a whiny groaning noise. "Noooo. Too early. Want sleep."
There was a soft tapping at the door. "Izu-chan," said Kaori, through the door. "Izu-chan, Papa and Mama are awake. They told me to come and get you. . . "
"Shit," Kotetsu muttered, sitting up immediately. He sighed. "I guess we should get our asses moving, then..."
Izumo stretched up, and kissed Kotetsu, smiling. "Yes, but you know what? I don't think I could do anything but smile today." Izumo stood up, and got dressed, humming. It was the first time he'd felt good about being home in a very long time.
Kotetsu smiled a little as he threw on fresh clothes. "Hey, glad to hear it, babe. Come on, let's go and eat."
Izumo was still smiling as they sat down for breakfast, happy to see that his favorite food was indeed there--mmm, tamagoyaki. He put a few peices on his plate. "Ohayou Gozaimasu, Kaasan, Tousama. Breakfast looks wonderful. Itadakimasu," he said, eating rice.
[20:07:22] Kotetsu nodded, greeting Izumo's family as well. "Itadakimasu." He began eating himself, making sure to offer his compliments on the food (even though he totally made better tamagoyaki).
"Izumo," said he father. "This afternoon, I want you to meet some of my business partners."
Izumo swallowed his food, and set the bowl down. "Tousama, I told you, I'm not interested in taking over the bread business," said Izumo, calmly. "I want to work on my desserts, and open a dessert shop, or maybe help Kotetsu if he ever quits teaching and looks into opening a resturant."
"I know your feelings, but at the same time, I want you to joing us," said his father, making it quite obvious that there was no room for argument. "Please dress formally."
Izumo sighed. "Kaori, why don't you take Kotetsu out or something? Like, go to a movie."
"Oh yay! A date with Kotetsu-san!" she said, smiling. "I would looooooove to! Yay! Luckyy!!"
Kotetsu laughed a little, but not too much; he was never entirely sure what to say to Kaori's (fake? yeah, fake) flirting when Izumo's parents were around. "That'd be nice," he said, politely - he was always so polite and formal around Izumo's family. "You can show me more of this area."
Kaori smiled. "Yay! I am so lucky, deeto, deeto!"
Izumo rolled his eyes at Kaori. "So, what time are your business partners getting here?"
"Around two pm," said his father. "Please be dressed and in the formal gathering room then."
Izumo smiled and nodded. "Yessir," he said.
"You certainly are in a good mood this morning, Izumo dear," said his mother.
"Yeah," said Izumo. "Just a lot of things are coming together at school and stuff right now. I've finally discovered the recipe for the perfect, most fluffy chocolate cake ever. It's amazing. I should make it today."
Kotetsu grinned. "Hey, yeah, you should. And I think I have a good idea for a few lesson plans when we get back, too."
"Oh, we should talk about them then," said Izumo. "I think Hidan is in our class next semester--that should be interesting, eh?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely. That kid's just a nut job, I swear." Kotetsu chuckled. "We've also got an...Inuzuka Hana next semester, too. I think I've seen her around before."
"Oh yeah," said Izumo. "She's the student with the nice rack, isn't she?"
"Izumo!" said his mother, shrilly. "That is no way to talk about a student or at the table."
Kaori giggled. "Izu-chan, that's bad."
"Aw, come on, I'm a guy! And it's true, she does!"
Kotetsu nearly choked. "Gah - Izumo, she's our student!" He shook his head.
"It's not like I'm attracted to her!" he said. "Really. I was just commenting on the obvious. Sheesh."
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "Right, right. I have a good idea for a Valentine's Day/White Day thing, too, and I bet the girls in our class will love that." Haku, too, probably, because he might as well be a girl.
"Ohhh, making chocolates?" asked Izumo. "I've finally perfected my methods for making chocolate, so that would be a lot of fun. . . . "
"Cookies, too. And little mini cakes or whatever. Bet they'd all love that. And we can teach them about tasteful pastry decoration."
"Ooooo, yes," said Izumo. "I think I have a couple of different sized heart cake pans too, left over from college. . . yeah. . . . Ohhhh, Kotetsu, that idea's just brilliant." Izumo made a mental note to make Tsunade-sensei an amazing chocolate cake for valentine's day.
"Yeah, we should really get right on planning that as soon as we get back." Kotetsu was grinning again, and he set down his chopsticks. "Gochisousama deshita."
"Goshisousama," said Izumo, setting down his chopsticks. "Hey, we can work on it now, if you want? I've got a bunch of ideas. And when Kaori's ready to leave, she can grab you, and I can get changed. Sound good, Kaori-chan?"
"Un!" he said, grinning. "I'll look for a movie--it's a real date with Kaori-chan, Kotetsu! You better be ready for it!"
Izumo laughed. "I'll get some pens and notebooks, and we'll start working on plans for the upcoming year. . . "
Kotetsu and Izumo spent a few hours planning new lesson plans for the upcoming semester, and then Kotetsu went to get ready for his not-date with Kaori. (He hoped their parents didn't think he was actually hitting on Kaori or anything. That....would be awkward.) "Hey, Kaori-san - I'm ready to go!" he called, stepping out into the hall.
Kaori came out, and grabbed Kotetsu's hand. "Yay! I dressed up, just for you, Kotetsu-san!" she said. She was wearing a red skirt and black sweater with a wide belt, and a long dark red coat. "Izu-chan! Be good! We'll be back!"
"Yeahyeah, be good Kaori-chan," he said. "Don't eat him alive, all right? I kinda need him."
"Haihaiii," she said. "Come on, Kotetsu-san!" Kaori dragged him towards the door, and pulled on black boots.
"Hai, hai...I'm coming!" Kotetsu slid his feet into his sneakers at the genkan, and they headed outside. "So what movie are we seeing, anyway?"
"Deathnote!" she said. "Ahh, Light-kun is so se-ku-shiiiiiii!"
Izumo rolled his eyes. "Kaori. . . don't," he said, warningly. She looked at him, and pouted.
"Haiiiiii," she said, dragging Kotetsu out the door.
Kotetsu shook his head as they headed outside. "Aww, come on, Kaori-san. You wouldn't really hit on me like that. And for the record? L is so much cooler."
Izumo shook his head, and went to go get changed. His mother poked her head in to tell him to put in his kimono, that these were very formal business partners, and Izumo shrugged, putting on his kimono. He put on his hakama as well, smiling as he thought about the matching kimono and hakama that he and Kotetsu had back on Oshima.
He headed to the formal meeting hall. Opening the door, he was a bit confused. His father's business partners seemed to be a man, his wife, and thier (gorgeous) daughter, and thier two body guards.
"Hey. . . . what's going on here?"
"Have a seat, Izumo," his mother said. "This is the honorable Yugehiko family, and this is their daughter, Yugehiko Yukiko-sama."
"Ah, yoroshiku onegaishimasu," he said, bowing before he knelt down. Yugehiko was a familiar name, he was sure of it.
"Izumo, your mother and I have become concerned as of late," said Izumo's father. "The Yugehiko family has been doing business with our family for years. Kaihara-sama, Yukiko's father, has come and asked for a marriage to be arranged."
Izumo stared at his father. "What? This is an omiai?"
"Yes," he said.
"You said this was about business!" said Izumo.
"It is," said his father. "The business of you being properly married, and the business behind the bread business."
"Behind?" asked Izumo, warily.
His father looked at him levelly. "Yes," he said. "Izumo, are you so foolish to not have noticed that we share our name with one of the largest yakuza families in the Kansai region?"
Izumo stared. "I was never interested in that kind of thing--wait. What does this have to do with me?"
His mother gave him a slightly stern look. "Izumo, I think you are aware of what this has to do with you. You are, after all, the family's only son, and therefore the only successor to your father's business, whatever it may be."
Izumo shook his head. "Look, I didn't want to follow in Tousama's footsteps before! I'm not made to be a yakuza! I'm not that kind of person. I'm an asshole, yeah, but I'm not a criminal."
Izumo's father glowered "You don't have a choice, Izumo."
"Like hell I don't!" he said. "I have a choice, and I--"
"Izumo-sama?" said Yukiko, smiling pleasantly. "Can we talk? Perhaps, if I tell you my position on this, you will change your mind."
"I doubt it."
"Please," she said, smiling, "indulge me."
They were shoved into a small room. "So, what do you want?"
"Izumo-sama," Yukiko said, still smiling pleasantly (seductively? coyly?), sitting down opposite him in the small room, "I understand that you might feel a bit put off, being so suddenly thrust into this...but I think if you look at it in the proper light, then this is really a beneficial arrangement. If we work together, and combine our families' power, we could come to be one of the most powerful yakuza families in all of Japan. Think about it, Izumo-sama - we could have anything we wanted."
Izumo sat down, and looked at her. "Look, you're a gorgeous woman, Yukiko-sama," he said casually (why bother being polite out of the sight of parents?), "But aside from opening my own dessert shop, or becoming a pastiery chef, I've got everything I want in life. What you offer would only cause stress. Why the hell would I want to be a crime lord? How could that benefit me?"
Yukiko's lips curled slightly. "You may think you have everything you want now, Izumo-sama," she said, "but I don't think you realize just what you could obtain by marrying me. You could have your own dessert shop - you could have a hundred of them! And besides," she added, perhaps a bit too boldly for the role she was supposed to be playing, "can you honestly say that you wouldn't want to marry me? You did, after all, comment on my looks..."
Izumo rolled his eyes. "You are gorgeous. And probably three years ago, I would have thought about this offer a lot harder. But it's come to my attention that you just aren't my type. Besides, what's the fun of having a hundred dessert shops if I can only bake in one at a time?"
Bake? By himself? What a....plebeian thing to say. "If I'm not your type, Izumo-sama, then what is?" How could he not be interested?
Izumo smirked. "Brown hair and brown eyes, and a slim body," he said. "Needs to know how to cook dinner, and make yakitamago just the way I like it. Also, should have sexy eyes and be good in bed. You fit a few of those. Can you cook, Yukiko-hime?"
Cook? "I was never instructed in such a thing," Yukiko all but sniffed. "I do, however, play the shamisen beautifully, and I know ikebana. And I can dance - I know quite a few dances." Her eyes hinted at the double meaning there.
Izumo raised an eyebrow. "So, you can't even cook? That's a basic skill," he said. "Dances, hmm? I'm almost enough of a whore to ask, but I've got a good idea how you learned that. How many men did you dance with to learn, hmm? Or did you dace with women? Cause that would be kinda hot."
Yukiko looked apalled. "How could you even suggest something that - that vulgar? Ugh - other women? Don't make me laugh. I'd never stoop to something so dirty."
"But dirty is what makes it fun, Yukiko-sama," said Izumo. "You can't have fun without getting dirty. And me? I'm very, very dirty."
Yukiko narrowed her eyes slightly. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Izumo-sama?"
Izumo smirked. "I'm a very happily married man," he said. "So what do you think it means?"
Yukiko's eyes widened. "What? How - how can you be married? You're supposed to marry me!"
"Yeah, you see, but I'm not going to," he said. "I like women, love them, in fact, breasts are God's gift to men, really, but, alas, traditional marriages just aren't for me. I like something being shoved up my ass and fucking me, Yukiko-sama. So, unless you're hiding a dick under that gorgeous kimono of yours, Yukiko-sama, you're not my type."
Yukiko balked. "You - you must be joking - you're one of them? You...you're disgusting! Filthy! I can't believe my father tried to set me up with someone...something like you!"
Izumo laughed. "One of them? Trust me, I'm hardly that bad," he said. "I've only ever fucked one man--I prefer women, really, but I love him. Funny how that worked out."
Yukiko blanched, and she jumped to her feet (or at least as much as she could in a kimono), storming out of the small room. "Otou-sama! How could you?!" she shrieked. "How could you try and set me up with something - someone like that?"
Her parents, as well as Izumo's mother, looked up, alarmed.
Izumo came out of the room, rolling his eyes. "Someone like that, really, Yukiko-sama, you'd think I was a murderer, not a baker."
Izumo's father stood, and glared at Izumo. "What do you mean, Yukiko-sama?" he asked.
"He - he's a - he likes men!" she burst out, face red with anger (and embarassment, perhaps?). "Is this some kind of joke? To try and set up an omiai with him?"
Oh SHIT--He was an idiot. When Izumo had been teasing her, he hadn't thought--fuck.
"We know," said Izumo's father, staring at Izumo while answering Yukiko. "This relationship is unacceptable, so we did what any family would do, arrange an omiai. Your father, Yukiko-sama, is well respected in the organization. Therefore, we thought it was appropriate to offer his daughter the chance to marry my son and make him respectable, and at the same time, advancing her own family in the organization."
Yukiko seemed to calm down, but she still looked rather perturbed. Still upset, most definitely. "But he's...he's a - "
"If anyone could rectify that, Yukiko-sama, it's you," Izumo's mother said.
"I don't think it's something you can rectify, mother," said Izumo. "I won't marry her."
"You don't have a choice," said Izumo's father. "You will marry Yukiko."
"I will not!" said Izumo. "I was planning on telling you both this anyway, but, I'm married. Kotetsu and I are, for better or worse, married. Maybe it's not legal, but that doesn't matter to me. We are."
"If you do not marry her," said Izumo's father, "you will be diswowned. I will do it, Izumo. You will no longer me apart of this family in anyway. You will be taken out of the registar and will and everything."
"What the hell?" asked Izumo. "Are you fucking kiding me?"
"No," his father said, glaring. "You will marry her, or you will never be allowed near this house ever again."
"Mother?" asked Izumo. "You can't be letting him do this--it's crazy!"
Izumo's mother only sighed, and closed her eyes. "Won't you at least consider, Izumo?"
Izumo stared at her. "But I love him. How could you ask me to. . . to marry her when I love someone else?"
"It would be in both of our families' best interests, Izumo, and yours, too. Please."
"Let me think about this," he said. "Just. . . give me an hour. I. . . it's a lot to think about."
His father's eyes narrowed. "You have thirty minutes."
Izumo hurried out of the room.
Thirty minutes later, he came back into the room, his and Kotetsu's bags hastily packed. "Fine. If you can't respect my wishes. . . then. . . I'm leaving," he said. "Kotetsu's been more of a family then you've ever been to me. I'll be sure to let Kaori know what you've done."
"You'll regret this," said Izumo's father. "You will be entirely cut off from this family's money, power, everything. Life won't be so easy for you anymore."
"I don't want your help," said Izumo, shaking. "What do you know, anyway? I'll prove to you that this. . . that this is better then you!"
There was a touch of sadness on his mother's face, but it was covered up just as quickly. "If that's what you've decided, Izumo."
Izumo stared at her, then his father. "Yes. That's my decision," he said. He bit his lip--Kotetsu should be there, with him, dammit.
"Then I don't have a son," said his father. He looked at Yukiko and her family. "I am sorry for making you come here today, for no reason. If I had a son. . . "
Izumo didn't hear the rest, didn't want to hear the rest. He hurried out of the house, and found his bike. Strapping his and Kotetsu's bags to him, he took off, and left his family's home.
Kotetsu sat back in his seat on the train. They were almost there, but the entire ride, Kaori had been unusually quiet. She wasn't babbling about her latest BL manga or even making fake passes at him like she usually did. He cocked his head to the side a little. "Kaori-san? You okay? You don't get motion sickness or anything on trains, do you?" Maybe that was it.
"Eeto, no," she said. She fidgeted in her seat. "Anoo. . . . I am sorry, Kotetsu-san! Kaori will do her best to be genki!" she said, smiling.
Kotetsu frowned, and gave her a look. "Kaori-san? Are you sure you're okay? What's up? Come on, tell me. You know you can talk to me."
"Ano saa, Kotetsu-san. . . I really wish this was a date," she said. "That would make this easier. . . ara. Mamma and Papa. . . "
"Kaori-san, you're making less and less sense." Kotetsu was just a little confused. "What's going on? What about your parents...?" And why would she wish it was a date? (She was about as happy for him and Izumo as he'd seen anyone be.)
She looked at Kotetsu pleadingly. "Please don't be made with Kaori-chan!" she said. "Mamma and Papa arranged an omiai meeting today for Izu-chan. .. . "
Kotetsu blanched. "They - they what? Why the hell would...wait. You knew? Why didn't you say anything last night, Kaori-san?!"
Kaori gulped, her eyes watering. "I didn't know until this morning, when I got you," she said. "I wanted to tell you but. . . . I couldn't! It was too scary! Poppa's so scary, Kotetsu-san! And I didn't want him to hurt you. . . and. . . it's. . . It's just a meeting, deshou?"
Kotetsu swallowed. "But Kaori-san," he said, trying to speak slowly, "if Izumo can't give a good reason to refuse the omiai, then don't you think that your father just might figure out that, you know, something is up..." They had planned to tell Izumo's parents, but...this was too soon. And they were supposed to do it together.
"They already know that," she said, looking at her hands in her lap. She bit her lip. "That's why the omiai. . . that and. . . other things. Poppa couldn't stand Izu-chan's. . . you know, and so, he. . . and Mamma. . . . and Yugehiko-sama. . . . "
Kotetsu felt his stomach plummet. "They already know? What - they..." He swallowed the surge of panic that rose immediately in his throat. "Kaori-san, we need to go back. Right away."
She nodded. "They know. . . Mamma said that she knew since she came to visit. .. they weren't sure before that, only suspicious. .. but now. . . " Kaori flung herself against Kotetsu. "I am so sorry, Kotetsu-san!"
Kotetsu's blood ran cold. They knew. Oh, god. Oh, god.
"Fuck," he said quietly, as the train slowed to a halt. "Fuck. Kaori-san - we need to go now. Now. We need to get back to your parents' house." He felt sick.
Kaori sniffled, and nodded. She looked at him, tears still in her eyes. "Is Kotetsu-san mad at me?" she asked.
"No - Kaori-san, no. It's not your fault." Kotetsu tried to swallow again, sucking in a steady breath. "We just - we need to get back. Make sure Izumo's okay. And I mean - I mean soon. Kaori-san...is there anything else I should know?"
She nodded. "But I can't say it."
Kotetsu groaned. "Kaori-san - please - if it's something I should know...you need to tell me."
She shook her head. "It's too dangerous to say!"
Kotetsu stood up as people began filing off the train, and he took Kaori's hand, pulling to her feet. "Kaori-san...you're freaking me out. Seriously. What is it? You have to tell me..."
They got off the train, and she walked to the end of the platform, where no one was. She waited, until the train took off again, and looked at Kotetsu, fearfully.
"Yakuza," she whispered.
Kotetsu's eyes widened slightly. "Kaori-san," he said slowly, just as quietly, "what about the yakuza?"
"Pappa is yakuza."
Kotetsu sucked in a breath. "Fuck. Fuck, no." He ran his hands down his face. This just made shit worse. "Oh, god. Those thugs who beat on my dad - those were your dad's goons, weren't they? Shit."
"What?!" she said. "I don't know, oh Kotetsu-san!"
Kotetsu rubbed the bridge of his nose. Now he really felt sick. "Shit. When's the soonest train back? We need to get the fuck back and make sure Izumo's okay..."
"There should be one anytime. . . trains run fairly often," she said.
"Okay. Good." He'd almost forgotten this was the city, not the remote little inaka he hailed from. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
Kaori followed Kotetsu under the tracks and to the other side of the station, to the platform heading back to thier home.
Kotetsu's phone rang.
Kotetsu snapped his phone open, recognizing the personalized ring tone as Izumo's. "Izumo?!"
"Hey babe," said Izumo. "Where are you?"
"Shit - we're about to get on another train to head back. Where are you? Are you okay?!"
"Ahh, well, I got kicked out and I stole my bike, but I'm okay," he said. "Where are you? What station? I'll meet you."
Kotetsu told him the station, but it was just as quickly followed up by other questions. "Shit - kicked out? Wait, what does that mean? Fuck, Izumo, they've known all along!"
"Yeah, babe, look, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said. For now, his voice was mostly calm.
"Shit - yeah, okay. Okay...see you soon." Kotetsu shut his phone, leaning against a nearby wall, and heaved a sigh. "Ugh. He's on his way over here, I guess...I think some shit went down..."
Kaori looked worried. "We should wait for him outside the station, maybe?" she said.
"Yeah - yeah, let's do that..." Kotetsu swallowed. "He says...he got kicked out. What...exactly does that mean, Kaori-san?"
Kaori left the station with Kotetsu, looking at her feet. "Maybe. . . . . Izu-chan. . . isn't my cute little brother anymore."
Kotetsu stared at her. "You...you're kidding, right? Your parents aren't that crazy...are they?"
She gave Kotetsu a look. "Father can be very strict. . . "
"Your dad would be insane enough to legally disown him?!"
Kaori just nodded.
"Fuck. Fuck." Kotetsu buried his face in his hands. "Ugh." He didn't know what to say.
After awhile, Izumo came riding up, stopping his bike in front of his sister and Kotetsu. He took his helmet off, and smiled at Kotetsu. "Hey Babe. . . "
Kotetsu hurried toward him. "Izumo! Are you okay? God, what the hell happened? All Kaori-san told me was that there was an omiai, and your family - your dad's a fucking..."
Izumo got off the bike and hugged Kotetsu, tightly. "Yeah. It's all true. I. . . . had to choose. .. ."
"Fuck...Izumo, I'm..." Kotetsu hugged him back. "I'm sorry, babe...fuck. I should've been there..."
"Wai!! Izu-chan I'm so sorry!" Kaori said, flinging herself on them. "It's all my fault, but I didn't have time to tell you think morning when they told me, waahhhh I am so sorry!"
Izumo kissed Kotetsu's cheek and then hugged his sister. "It's not your fault, Kaori-chan."
"Yeah....Kaori-san, don't...don't worry about it. Really..." Kotetsu shook his head. "What now, Izumo? What...what are we supposed to do now? God...your parents, they don't want to see you again, and..." He sighed, resting his forehead against Izumo's. "Got a plan, babe?"
"Not really," he said. He felt. . .sad. Sad didn't really cut it, but. . . It was the only way to describe what he was feeling. He sighed. "What do we do?"
"Don't worry, babe." Kotetsu kissed him briefly, thinking for a moment. He tried not to dwell on what had just happened. "Let me call my mom. I bet she'd love to have us for New Year's...you know? How's that sound, babe?"
"Sure," he said. "I'm not looking forward to the roadtrip on my bike but. .. . yeah. Let's do that."
"Don't worry, babe. I know my parents. They'll let us sleep all day if we want after that. Just a second, okay?" Kotetsu stepped back, calling his mother up. He quietly explained the situation to her, talked with her a few minutes, and then hung up. "Yeah, it's fine, like I thought. Come on, babe...we should probably get started..." He turned to Kaori, sighing. "Will you try to keep in touch, Kaori-san...?"
She nodded, tears in her eyes. She flung herself at Izumo. "You are always my brother!" se said, sobbing. "Always, Izu-chan, Izumomo, my little brother. . . I love you."
Izumo stepped back, overwhelmed by the force of her hug. He held her back, a few tears sliding down his cheek. "Ahh, Kaori. . . . I love you too, nee-chan. . ."
Kotetsu smiled a little, but kind of sadly, just watching them. "Hey, if you can ever manage it, Kaori-san, come and visit us in Oshima, all right? Or, if we're ever in Akita, you're always welcome to stop by, so..."
Kaori pulled back, and kissed her brother on the cheek. "I'll visit. Maybe I'll move soon. Maybe Poppa will make me his yakuza heir instead," she said, rolling her eyes. "Go. I'll. . . see you. . ." She sniffled.
Izumo hugged her again, and nodded. Putting his helmet on, he handed Kotetsu the other helmet. "Prepare to have an unfun sore ass, Ko."
Kotetsu sighed, putting the helmet on. "Yeah, yeah...definitely unfun. Take care, okay, Kaori-san? At least you're still respectable." He grinned crookedly, sliding onto the bike and wrapping his arms around Izumo's waist. "Let's go, babe."
Izumo waved to his sister, and they took off, down the road, heading for the highway.
Hours and a few tanks of gas later, they finally reached Kotetsu's home in Akita. Somehow, he managed to get off the bike, but he was dead tired. Driving that long, on the motobike had been cold, and uncomfortable at best.
Kotetsu slid off the bike with a groan, grabbing their bags. "Come on," he muttered, dragging himself to the door. It was late, but his mother was at least up, waiting for them. She ushered them inside with a worried look on her face.
"You two look absolutely beat..."
"Yeah," said Izumo. "I think. . . i just wanna. . .you know. Die." Or something. He took off his shoes, and headed stiffly to Kotetsu's room, falling onto the bed, still in his clothes.
Kotetsu's mother looked after him worriedly. "Is he all right?"
"I don't know," Kotetsu said tiredly, and it was the truth. "Sorry, Mom - I'm going to go see what's wrong with him...sorry to bug you so late at night."
"It's nothing, Kotetsu. Go...take care of him. He looks like he needs it."
Kotetsu nodded, allowing his mother to take their bags, and he went to his room, shutting the door behind him. "Babe?" he whispered, curling up on the bed next to Izumo. "Talk to me, Izumo..."
Izumo stiffened a bit, and forced himself to relax, a little. "I .. . . dunno. I don't really feel like talking, right now."
Kotetsu kissed Izumo softly on the cheek, drawing him into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I really am. I should have been there with you. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way." He reached up to stroke Izumo's hair comfortingly. "I know you don't want to talk right now, Izumo, but you know if you need anything..."
Izumo just nodded, trying his best to relax in Kotetsu's arms, shaking a little as he felt Kotetsu stroke his hair.
"Not your fault," said Izumo. "I'll be okay. . . "
"I know you will," Kotetsu murmured. "Everything will be fine. But right now? I know you're not fine. I'm not really, either. But that's what we have this vacation for. That's what we have each other for. You know I love you more than anything else in this world...and if there's anything you need, babe, anything at all, you don't hesitate to ask. I know that was a shit decision to have to make. But maybe one day, your parents will realize how stupid it was of them, because it's just their loss."
"No they won't," he said. "Like, you know my parents. My mother might regret it, but father never will, so she'll be the good wife and not regret it either. So, no. They won't come to thier senses. My family's not like yours, Ktetsu."
Kotetsu closed his eyes, holding him tightly. "I'm sorry, Izumo. I am. God, I just...I wish I could do something. But I can't, and I feel like shit for it. I wish there was something I could do, because if I could I'd give you everything you ever wanted."
"I know," said Izumo.
Kotetsu kissed Izumo's cheek again, holding him. "I love you, Izumo," he murmured.
Izumo just nodded, curled up against himself. He didn't care that Kotetsu was there, he just wanted to think. No words. Just thoughts.
Kotetsu sighed quietly, settling into the bed. He kept his arms around Izumo, but he couldn't keep himself awake any longer. It wasn't long before he had fallen into a heavy, dreamless sleep beside Izumo.
Izumo laid there in his ball, not really sleeping, just dozing here and there. He was tired, but. .. . what had happened, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
His parents hated him.
There was a soft knock on the door, but Kotetsu didn't even stir. He was dead asleep. The door opened slightly, and Kotetsu's mother looked inside quietly.
"Izumo, dear? Are you still awake?" she asked softly.
"Hey kaasan," he said softly, getting up. "Yeah, I am. shouldn't you be sleeping?"
She smiled a little, tiredly. "I was just making myself some tea before I went to bed. Would you like some?"
"Sure," he said, heading out to the hallway.
She led him into the kitchen, inviting him to sit down at the small table, and brought out the teapot. "Can't sleep?" she said, knowingly, sympathetically.
"Not really," he said, smiling weakly at her.
"I'm sorry, dear," she said, and there was a world of sincerity in her voice that even Kotetsu, as much as he loved Izumo, couldn't manage, sincerity without the slightest trace of pity - a mother thing. She brought out the tea, putting some into the teapot.
"Thanks, kaasan," he said.
"It's nothing." She got the hot water ready, setting it to boil, and came to sit by him, placing one of her hands gently over his. "Is there anything I can do?"
Izumo shrugged. "Not really," he said. "I mean. . . you do enough as it is. Thank you."
Without saying anything, she pulled him into a light hug - just to let him know she was there. "Again, it's nothing," she said, her voice quiet in the silent house. "I hope everything works out, dear."
"Ahh, that would take a miracle," he said. "I. . . expected this, you know? When. . . when I made up my mind that i wanted to make the commitment solid, and tell my parents. . . I knew this would happen. I knew that I'd have to choose, and i already knew I'd choose him. Still. It. . . doesn't make this any easier."
"I know, dear," she said soothingly. "It never does. But at least you two still have each other."
"Yeah. . . ," said Izumo. "It's just. . .I love him, kaasan, you know that. But. No matter how awful they are, they are my family. . . "
"I know, dear. I understand. No one will ever replace them; suggesting that anyone could would just be an insult. But we will always be here for you nonetheless."
"Thanks, I mean it. I know I sound ungreatful, but. . . I just. Kotetsu doesn't really get it," said Izumo, raking a hand through his hair. "You and Hagane-tousan are. . . you're good, loving people. He's always known he was loved. Your family's so.. . warm. And good. My parents. . . I don't hate them. I kinda understand. I mean, they are my parents, I love them. . . I want to hate them for this, but. . . I can't."
"It's never an easy thing to come to hate one's parents. It doesn't happen as often as people think. You're not ungrateful in the least, Izumo. I'd be surprised if Kotetsu really did understand, as much as he loves you. The two of you come from different lives. He tries, though."
"Yeah. . . ," he said. "I dunno. I feel bad. I know he wants to be there for me right now, but I just want to. . . curl up ad be left alone for awhile, I think. I dunno. I just need space, and I hate that, cause I know he needs me too, but. . . . I dunno. I'm not a very good boyfriend."
"Not at all," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's perfectly normal of you to feel like that. Do you want to sleep in the tatami room tonight?"
"Maybe," he said. "I feel bad. He doesn't sleep well without me, but. . . God, it feels like I'm coming out all over again. I mean, I liked kissing him, but I didn't want any thing to do with him for a few days. It just. . . feels like that all over again. I don't know. I'm trying not to be a moody teenager in love about this," he said, offering her a lopsided smile. "But it's not quire working."
"It's all right, dear. You're going through a difficult time. He's already asleep - go stay in the tatami room. You need your space."
"Thanks, kaasan," he said. "I'll get the blankets and stuff out. If he. . . if he wakes up, could you just. . . tell him I need space. I love him, but. . . . I dunno. I'm glad we're here, and at the same time, I wish I was somewhere else. Far away from my parents and everything. I just. . . wanna clear my head. I dunno. I know I did the right thing, made the right choice, but. .. .it still is hard."
"Sometimes, the right way is the harder way. Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She gave him another hug. "If you can't sleep tonight...well, feel free to lock the door so no one bothers you, all right?"
"Thanks," he said, smiling a little. "I might just. . . hide for awhile. And come out for tea, occasionally."
"No problem, dear. Try and get some rest, won't you?"
"Yeah," he said. "I just need to sleep, I think. I'll probably be clinging to Kotetsu by the end of the day." He laughed a little.
She smiled a little. "I'm sure he'll welcome it. Sleep well, dear. I'll be heading to bed too, but if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
"It's okay, I'll be good," said Izumo. "Just. .. get some rest, kaasan. I don't want to worry about you on top of everything else." He gave her a smile, and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight," he said, before heading to make his bed and turn on the heat in the tatami room.
DON'T THINK THIS IS THE LAST WE WILL EVER SEE OF THE KAMIZUKI FAMILY. OR ADORABLE KAORI FOR THAT MATTER.
enjoy, hos.
Who: Izumo and Kotetsu - as well as Izumo's far too genki older sister Kaori (whom we all LOVE, DON'T WE), the rest of the Kamizuki family, and Kotetsu's darling mommy.
What: Izumo and Kotetsu leave Kotetsu's family after Christmas and head to the Kamizuki estate in Kobe - and all hell breaks loose when Izumo finds a secret omiai waiting for him.
When: A few days-ish before the New Year begins.
Where: Some random trains, the Shink, the Kamizuki mansion home, the road, and Kotetsu's family's house
Warnings: LONG LOG ZOMG. Took forever to clean. Also, a bit of mansmut mixed in there (because we could), some crazy family angst, a scheming omiai whore, and of course KAORI BEING HER USUAL OVER GENKI AND OVER CURIOUS SELF.
Izumo clenched the tea bottle in his hand tightly, breathing slowly. He was tense, it was readable in every muscle of his body, nervous, tight, like a string ready to snap.
Going home for New Years was never easy.
This year, he had decided, teeth clenched, that he would be telling his parents about his relationship with Kotetsu. He wasn't going to hide it any more, if they had a problem, well. . . he was prepared, in some respects, to deal with it.
And Kotetsu would be there with him the entire time. Nothing to worry about. Well, plenty to worry about but at the moment, he wasn't going to worry about it.
Something like that, anyway.
He took a swig of tea, and sighed. Kotetsu was with him. That's really all that mattered, wasn't it?
Kotetsu wrapped his hand around Izumo's, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey," he said quietly. "It'll be okay, babe. It'll be fine."
"I know," he said, letting go a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "Just stress, I always get stressed when I go home. You know that." He smiled briefly, lips pressed tightly together.
"I know," Kotetsu murmured. He always got stressed too, but he managed to keep it under wraps - managed to hide it pretty well. "But hey, this'll be over before you know it. Kaori-san will do some crazy thing, creep us out a little even though we love her, and then it'll be next year, and we'll be goingback home to Oshima."
"Oh, and let's not for get the part where I go to my dear old tousama, and say, 'Hey, I'm gay!'" said Izumo, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. We'll be back at Oshima before we know it. . . . . . Still. It's good you're here. Ahh, I wonder if Kaori-chan will follow us to the love hotel again. . . . "
"Let's hope not. It's kind of a turn off to have your sister try to watch us." Kotetsu leaned his head against Izumo's shoulder. "Don't worry, babe, 'cause I'll be right there with you. I mean, you're not just gay. You're gay with me."
Izumo laughed. "Shit, yeah, I'm gay with the hottest fucking man ever," he said, grinning. "Ahhh, the fact that I like your cock in my mouth more then I like a breast there. . . man. Never thought I'd say that." Izumo blew a kiss and winked at the old woman who looked at him in horror, and snickered.
"I wish dealing with tousama would be that fun."
Kotetsu laughed despite himself. "Don't worry, babe. I'll make it worth your while."
"You already have," said Izumo grinning. "A few times, you know, when your parents were out and you screamed so loud. . . God, I love it when you yell. It's fucking awesome."
Kotetsu chuckled. "I'll scream all you want when this is over with, babe."
"Promise?" Izumo asked, grinning close to Kotetsu. (At the moment, he didn't care about proper public decency.)
"Cross my heart, Izumomo." Kotetsu was very tempted to lean in and snog Izumo right there - but he wasn't sure he really wanted to go that far.
Izumo kissed Kotetsu gently, showy but not over the top, and sat back, holding Kotetsu's hand. "I'm glad. I'll always scream for you, you know. . . "
Kotetsu grinned despite himself. "I know, babe." He squeezed Izumo's hand again. "I think we're almost there..."
Izumo took a deep breath. "Oh joy. Did I tell you that we have to take a taxi? Koari-chan's car is in the shop, and I refuse to be picked in the family car at the eki.. .. "
"Ah, no, you didn't say that. But I'd rather be taking a taxi anyway."
"Yeah, she's a bit crazy when she drives," said Izumo. "And we can make out in the backseat til we get there. .. "
Kotetsu only smiled. (If it would keep Izumo happy till they got to his house, he'd do it.) "Sounds like a plan."
"Oooooh, good, cause I've always wanted to do that," he said. "That, and suck you off in a purikura booth. . . . "
Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "That's the first time you've said anything about that one....well, after the new year, we could totally do that."
Izumo laughed. "Ohhh, I am full of wants and desires," he said, rolling his eyes. The train was rolling into Shin-Kobe now, slowly starting to come to a stop.
"I can see that." As soon as the train had come to a halt, Kotetsu stood up, still holding Izumo's hand. "Come on, babe. Let's go find us a make-out taxi."
"Sounds fun, we can make out all the way to Hell!" he said, cheerfully sarcastic. (Hey, gotta deal with the stress somehow.) Izumo grabbed his bag, and they headed out to find thier make-out taxi.
Izumo slid into the seat, and gave instructions to the driver. As they took off, Izumo grinned at Kotetsu, and ran his hand through Kotetsu's hair. "You're gorgeous, you know that? I am absofuckinglutely lucky."
Kotetsu smiled, leaning in. "We're both lucky, babe. We're the two sexiest men on earth and we've only got the best."
"Fuck yes. We are fucking amazing. The world is envious," he said, kissing Kotetsu slowly. "I love you."
"Mmm. I love you too, babe." Kotetsu slid an arm around Izumo's waist and pulled him in for another kiss. (So what if the cab driver was probably a little freaked out? Fuck that. Izumo was in need of kissing.)
(Izumo was always in need of kissing, if you asked him. Kissing, blowjobs, sex, all that. Always needing.) Izumo leaned into the kiss, tongue sliding against Kotetsu's, taking pleasure in the warmth of the other man's bady against his through the layers of clothing.
Kotetsu slid one hand up Izumo's back, trailing his fingers up his neck, as he kissed the other man deeply. He eventually forgot that they were riding in a cab, that there was actually someone else in there with them, and he pulled Izumo half on top of him comfortably.
While taxi cab sex was on Izumo's list (shush, yes, he had a list), he had no intention of having sex in this particular cab. Izumo moaned a little into the kiss as he moved into kotetsu's lap. If there was a driver, he wasn't noticing him right now.
Kotetsu had his fun making out with Izumo in the cab, but the ride suddenly seemed all too short, because before he knew it the driver was clearing his throat, and Kotetsu jerked back, grinning sheepishly and flushed. "Hey - Izumo - wallet?" he said, a little breathlessly.
Izumo smirked, and slid off Kotetsu, and pulled out his wallet. "I know it's not something I should do, but seriously? Keep the change. Do not give it back, thanks." Izumo handed the poor, bewildered man more then enough to cover the ride (uh huh, ri-i-ide baby, he'd ridden Kotetsu all the way home, yeah), grabbed thier bags, and headed inside, for once at ease with being home. Izumo suspected it had something to do with the making out on the way there.
Opening the door, he yelled. "Tadaima!!! Kaoriiiiiiiii!!! WHERE ARE YOUUU???"
A flash of pink and white launched itself at Izumo, hugging him. "IZUMOMO-CHAN!!!! O-KA-E-RI!"
There were good things about home. "Hey, nee-chan. I missed you too."
Kotetsu laughed. "Hey, Kaori-san. Hisashiburi, ne."
"Kotetsu-chan!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him. "Awww, you are like a brother to me!" she said, kissing his cheek. "Mamma and Papa are out tonight, so we are all to ourselves! Oh, but Izumomo, Papa said that he wants you to come to a meeting tomorrow about the business, okay?"
"Eh?" asked Izumo.
"I don't knooooow," she said, whining. "Some business meeting. Very boring, I think. But you're supposed to be all dressed up."
"I don't want to go to business meetings for a business I don't ever plan on owning."
Kaori shrugged. "Neeee, little brothers, let's have dinner together, okay?"
Kotetsu kind of felt bad for Izumo, especially since he figured he wouldn't be allowed into this 'meeting', and that would leave Izumo all alone with his dad....
But he'd be fine. Izumo wasn't a baby.
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, let's do that. What did you have in mind for dinner, Kaori-san?"
"Oooohhhh, will Kotetsu-chan cook for Kaori-chan and Izumomo?" she asked, batting her eyes a bit.
Izumo rolled his eyes. "He always cooks for me."
"WAH! Hidoooooi!!!"
Kotetsu chuckled. "You know, I really don't mind cooking. It's kind of my life's work, after all... If you want me to cook, I can."
"Ohhh, yes!" she said, hugging Kotetsu's arm, and dragging him towards the kitchen. "Cook isn't here tonight because I knew that you two would want the kitchen! Izumomo, you must make dessert."
"But of course, Kaori-hime," he said rolling his eyes. "Just how late are tousama and kaasan out?"
"Pretty late. It's a business meeting. Soooo. . . maybe midnight, maybe. . . "
Kotetsu grinned sideways at Izumo. If he and Izumo pleaded fatigue from their travels and hit the sack early, there'd be plenty of time...
"So what shall I make then, Kaori-san? What are you two in the mood for?"
"Nothing that's wholesome," said Izumo.
Kaori giggleed like a madwoman. Izumo rolled his eyes.
"Neee! Kotetsu-chan," she said. "You should make me your specialty! I want to taste the best food in the world."
Kotetsu did make his specialty - a wonderful kind of red wine beef stew that made Kaori squeal (just a little too loudly) with delight - and dinner was unexpectedly pleasant, for being at Izumo's family's place. Afterwards, Kotetsu pleaded exhaustion from the trip and promptly seized that opportunity to cuddle up with Izumo before his parents got back.
Kissing Kotetsu, Izumo smiled. "I know Kaori's here, but. . . . ," he said, unzipping Kotetsu's pants, "I really, really don't want to have to pay for a room tonight. . . "
"Mmm...babe, I don't care..." Kotetsu reached down to tug Izumo's pants down. "As long as your parents aren't here...then we're going to have all the fun we can."
"Mmm, I like this plan," he said, pulling off his shirt, then kissing Kotetsu. "And now. . . Mmm. I'm going to enjoy this very much."
"Mmmf..." Kotetsu pulled back to tear off his own shirt, then immediately dove back in. "Mmm, we both will...c'mere, you..." He kicked away his pants, pulling Izumo over to the futon.
Izumo was glad that he had taken the time to lock the door before he had started kissing Kotetsu.
Izumo kissed down Kotetsu's chest, licking his nipple, his arms wrapped around Kotetsu's waist, rubbing against him. It was so. . . . dangerous and appealing to be having sex in his family home. Izumo loved it, and was very, very eager.
"Haa..." Kotetsu groaned approvingly, tangling his fingers in Izumo's hair. He felt himself hardening against Izumo's touch, back arching slightly against the futon.
Izumo grinned. He licked his way to Kotetsu's other nipple, one hand holding him up while the other ran up and down Kotetsu's side, feeling his skin. His hand idled by his lover's thigh for a moment, his thumb rubbing against Kotetsu, before sliding up Kotetsu's chest, teasingly.
Kotetsu's head tipped back slightly, reaching for Izumo's hand to nudge it back down. Izumo was such a tease, he thought as he pushed up against him, trying to create some friction.
Izumo snickered, and let his hand be pushed down again. He rested his hand right beside Kotetsu's growing erection, knowing that the teasing would be worth it. He licked the side of Kotetsu's neck, grinning.
Kotetsu shifted beneath him. "Nnnh...Izumo," he muttered, "stop being such a tease..." He let his hand slide along Izumo's back, dragging fingernails lightly over the skin.
"Mmm, not teasing," he said, smirking. "Enticing. Making you enjoy it as long as possible." He kissed his way down Kotetsu's chest, stopping to suck and lick his nipple, again. "Mmm, make a little more noise, baby. For me. . ."
"Aaahhh..." Kotetsu's breath hitched in his throat, body tingling. "If I'm louder...nnh...will you go faster?"
Izumo licked his lips. "Is that what you want?" he asked, huskily. "Hard and fast?"
The tone of Izumo's voice sent chills down Kotetsu's spine, and he grinned wofishly. "Mmmm, yeah. Hard and fast, baby."
All you had to do was ask."
He slid down Kotetsu's body, and took Kotetsu's erection in his mouth, waisting not more time. He reached for his bag, and while licking and sucking with all the skill he had, he fished the lube out, unscrewing the lid and grinning.
Kotetsu arched his back, letting out a loud cry. If Izumo's parents weren't home, then he certainly wasn't going to bother being quiet about it. He'd be as loud as Izumo wanted him to.
Izumo grinned as Kotetsu cried out--that's what he liked to hear, Kotetsu's voice, the louder, the better. Spreading the lube on his fingers, and then a little more (after four years, it was a skill he prided himself on, doing one handed), Izumo thrust two fingers into Kotetsu. The other man had said he wanted it hard and fast, and Izumo aimed to please.
"Nnngh!" Kotetsu's world flashed as he felt the two fingers shove inside of him, and he bucked slightly. "Aahh - Izumo - "
Izumo slid his fingers in and out of Kotetsu, and lapped the head of his erection sliwly, his tongue enjoying the taste of Kotetsu. Izumo started moving his fingers faster, in and out of Kotetsu.
Kotetsu sucked in a breath, head swimming slightly with the force of it all. "Aaahh - Izumo..." His voice rose unevenly, louder, and at that point he didn't even care if Kaori was videotaping this or something from a remote location. This was just too good.
Smiling, Izumo lifted his head up, and smirked at Kotetsu. "Ready babe? Cause I was born ready," he said, withdrawing his fingers. He positioned himself with ease, and as he leaned down to kiss Kotetsu, he thrust inside him.
Kotetsu kissed back, hard, body jerking and seizing slightly as Izumo pushed into him with abandon. His arms reached up to wrap tightly around Izumo's neck, groaning loudly into the other man's mouth.
Izumo's tongue roughly slid against Kotetsu's as he found his pace, thrusting in and out of his lover, holding onto him. He groaned a little and pulled away for a moment, gasping for air.
Kotetsu waited only half a second, crying out loudly, before grabbing Izumo and pulled him sharply into another kiss. Their teeth clacked against one another's for a moment before they found their position again, and Kotetsu's tongue pushed into Izumo's mouth without hesitation.
Izumo's tongue pushed against Kotetsu's, moaning with his thrusts. He wanted to just here Kotetsu scream all night. He dragged his nails down Kotetsu's side, then grabbed his erection, and stroked it, hard.
"Nnnh - " Kotetsu made all sorts of nice, loud noises into Izumo's mouth, bucking only slightly against the touch. He moaned Izumo's name, muffled by the other man's mouth.
Izumo's thrusts and strokes quickly fell into a rhythm, hard, fast, and just a little rough. He broke away from the kiss for a moment to gasp, pleasure wracking his body, and fell back into the kiss, his tongue forcing it's way back into Kotetsu's mouth.
Kotetsu kissed him back fiercely, muffled cies growing louder. It wasn't long before he reached his climax, and he pulled away to let out what was just about a scream as his release spilled onto his stomach and Izumo's hand.
Thrusting a few more times into Kotetsu, Izumo came, crying out. He kissed Kotetsu again, licking his lips, and smiling.
Kotetsu's eyelids fluttered slightly as he tried to catch his breath. His head was still spinning from the force of the orgasm (it was always so much more intense when he was on the bottom) - he swallowed, sucking in a breath. "Mmmh..."
Izumo kissed Kotetsu's cheek, and rolled to the side, curing up against Kotetsu. "Mmm indeed."
"Haa...mm...we've gotta clean up, you know..."
"Mmm, yeah. . . God, that felt good though," he said. "I haven't had sex here since high school. And it was not that good. Damn. . ."
"Mmmh..." Kotetsu grinned lopsidedly. "C'mon - I'm gonna fall asleep...let's clean it up soon, Izumomo..." He was exhausted from the travel, then the cooking, and now the sex.
"Mmm, okay," he said getting up. He grabbed a bpair of pants, and his robe. "You go get a shower, I'll take care of this in here, okay?"
"Nnh, you sure, babe? You don't want my help?"
"Nah, it's cool. Just get a shower, and when you get back, there'll be a warm bed waiting, and I can get a shower," he said. He smiled. "Least I can do for you, babe."
"Heh, okay..." Kotetsu sat up, reaching for his pants (he wasn't about to walk around naked in this house, especially not with Kaori lurking around every corner), and he leaned over to kiss Izumo. "Love you, babe."
"Love you more," he said, kissing Kotetsu back.
"That's an insult." Kotetsu pouted. "You underestimate me." He pulled on his pants and headed for the shower to get nice and cleaned up.
Izumo took care of the mess while Kotetsu showered, Kaori giggling. "What?" he asked her.
"Nee, Izumomo-chan, I heard you all the way on the other side of the house. Is it always that loud?"
Izumo snickered. "Usually, Kaori, I wouldn't tell you. .. but," he said, leaning close to her, "Sometimes it's louder."
Kaori erupted into fits of giggles as Kotetsu came back into the room in fresh clothes, toweling off his messy hair. "You're not telling her shit, are you, Izumo? That's like handing her a gun and asking her to pull the trigger."
"Mmm, I'll be back. I need to get a shower," said Izumo. He kissed Kotetsu, and smiled, then headed off to get cleeeaaaan.
Kotetsu plopped himself down onto the futon, thoroughly tired out, and only shook his head at Kaori, who was still giggling. Sleep time. Mmmm, sleep...
Izumo shoved Kaori out of his room, and locked the door. He walked back to the futon, and curled up next to Kotetsu, pulling up the blankets. "Mmm. . . I love sleeping on futon. . . . we should geta nice futon for our tatami room. . .. "
"Mmm, yeah..." Kotetsu snuggled up against him. "Wait... is it a good idea to sleep in the same place? Aren't your parents coming back in a few hours?"
"You won't be able to sleep without me," said Izumo, pulling Kotetsu close. "Besides, we're telling them, yeah? I'm not going to hide this anymore, babe."
Kotetsu closed his eyes, resting his head on Izumo's shoulder. "All right. I just wasn't sure when we were telling them, that's all..."
Izumo petted Kotetsu's hair, and smiled. "I want to tell them on New Years Day, personally," said Izumo. "But I'm not going to make you sleep apart from me. You'll be a mess without me, and you'll toss and turn all night. I know you."
"Mmm, okay." Kotetsu nuzzled him sleepily. "Love you, babe."
"I love you too," said Izumo, kissing Kotetsu's head, and closing his eyes.
The next morning, Kotetsu was still snuggled tightly against Izumo, face buried in his shoulder. He groaned as the morning light somehow managed to leak its way to his eyes, and he pulled a pillow over both of their heads.
Izumo mumbled as he felt the pillow cover their heads, and laughed when he realized what it was. "Dork," he muttered.
"Don't call me a dork," Kotetsu mumbled into Izumo's neck. "Loser."
"Pfft, I'm not a loser," said Izumo. "I got you, don't I? Yankee boy."
"'m not a yankee. Shut up now...still sleeping..."
"Yankee," he mumbled, curling up.
"Shut up already. It's too early..."
Izumo snickered, and snuggled Kotetsu. He kissed the other man's forehead. "Baka. You're awake. Let's get up."
Kotetsu made a whiny groaning noise. "Noooo. Too early. Want sleep."
There was a soft tapping at the door. "Izu-chan," said Kaori, through the door. "Izu-chan, Papa and Mama are awake. They told me to come and get you. . . "
"Shit," Kotetsu muttered, sitting up immediately. He sighed. "I guess we should get our asses moving, then..."
Izumo stretched up, and kissed Kotetsu, smiling. "Yes, but you know what? I don't think I could do anything but smile today." Izumo stood up, and got dressed, humming. It was the first time he'd felt good about being home in a very long time.
Kotetsu smiled a little as he threw on fresh clothes. "Hey, glad to hear it, babe. Come on, let's go and eat."
Izumo was still smiling as they sat down for breakfast, happy to see that his favorite food was indeed there--mmm, tamagoyaki. He put a few peices on his plate. "Ohayou Gozaimasu, Kaasan, Tousama. Breakfast looks wonderful. Itadakimasu," he said, eating rice.
[20:07:22] Kotetsu nodded, greeting Izumo's family as well. "Itadakimasu." He began eating himself, making sure to offer his compliments on the food (even though he totally made better tamagoyaki).
"Izumo," said he father. "This afternoon, I want you to meet some of my business partners."
Izumo swallowed his food, and set the bowl down. "Tousama, I told you, I'm not interested in taking over the bread business," said Izumo, calmly. "I want to work on my desserts, and open a dessert shop, or maybe help Kotetsu if he ever quits teaching and looks into opening a resturant."
"I know your feelings, but at the same time, I want you to joing us," said his father, making it quite obvious that there was no room for argument. "Please dress formally."
Izumo sighed. "Kaori, why don't you take Kotetsu out or something? Like, go to a movie."
"Oh yay! A date with Kotetsu-san!" she said, smiling. "I would looooooove to! Yay! Luckyy!!"
Kotetsu laughed a little, but not too much; he was never entirely sure what to say to Kaori's (fake? yeah, fake) flirting when Izumo's parents were around. "That'd be nice," he said, politely - he was always so polite and formal around Izumo's family. "You can show me more of this area."
Kaori smiled. "Yay! I am so lucky, deeto, deeto!"
Izumo rolled his eyes at Kaori. "So, what time are your business partners getting here?"
"Around two pm," said his father. "Please be dressed and in the formal gathering room then."
Izumo smiled and nodded. "Yessir," he said.
"You certainly are in a good mood this morning, Izumo dear," said his mother.
"Yeah," said Izumo. "Just a lot of things are coming together at school and stuff right now. I've finally discovered the recipe for the perfect, most fluffy chocolate cake ever. It's amazing. I should make it today."
Kotetsu grinned. "Hey, yeah, you should. And I think I have a good idea for a few lesson plans when we get back, too."
"Oh, we should talk about them then," said Izumo. "I think Hidan is in our class next semester--that should be interesting, eh?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely. That kid's just a nut job, I swear." Kotetsu chuckled. "We've also got an...Inuzuka Hana next semester, too. I think I've seen her around before."
"Oh yeah," said Izumo. "She's the student with the nice rack, isn't she?"
"Izumo!" said his mother, shrilly. "That is no way to talk about a student or at the table."
Kaori giggled. "Izu-chan, that's bad."
"Aw, come on, I'm a guy! And it's true, she does!"
Kotetsu nearly choked. "Gah - Izumo, she's our student!" He shook his head.
"It's not like I'm attracted to her!" he said. "Really. I was just commenting on the obvious. Sheesh."
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "Right, right. I have a good idea for a Valentine's Day/White Day thing, too, and I bet the girls in our class will love that." Haku, too, probably, because he might as well be a girl.
"Ohhh, making chocolates?" asked Izumo. "I've finally perfected my methods for making chocolate, so that would be a lot of fun. . . . "
"Cookies, too. And little mini cakes or whatever. Bet they'd all love that. And we can teach them about tasteful pastry decoration."
"Ooooo, yes," said Izumo. "I think I have a couple of different sized heart cake pans too, left over from college. . . yeah. . . . Ohhhh, Kotetsu, that idea's just brilliant." Izumo made a mental note to make Tsunade-sensei an amazing chocolate cake for valentine's day.
"Yeah, we should really get right on planning that as soon as we get back." Kotetsu was grinning again, and he set down his chopsticks. "Gochisousama deshita."
"Goshisousama," said Izumo, setting down his chopsticks. "Hey, we can work on it now, if you want? I've got a bunch of ideas. And when Kaori's ready to leave, she can grab you, and I can get changed. Sound good, Kaori-chan?"
"Un!" he said, grinning. "I'll look for a movie--it's a real date with Kaori-chan, Kotetsu! You better be ready for it!"
Izumo laughed. "I'll get some pens and notebooks, and we'll start working on plans for the upcoming year. . . "
Kotetsu and Izumo spent a few hours planning new lesson plans for the upcoming semester, and then Kotetsu went to get ready for his not-date with Kaori. (He hoped their parents didn't think he was actually hitting on Kaori or anything. That....would be awkward.) "Hey, Kaori-san - I'm ready to go!" he called, stepping out into the hall.
Kaori came out, and grabbed Kotetsu's hand. "Yay! I dressed up, just for you, Kotetsu-san!" she said. She was wearing a red skirt and black sweater with a wide belt, and a long dark red coat. "Izu-chan! Be good! We'll be back!"
"Yeahyeah, be good Kaori-chan," he said. "Don't eat him alive, all right? I kinda need him."
"Haihaiii," she said. "Come on, Kotetsu-san!" Kaori dragged him towards the door, and pulled on black boots.
"Hai, hai...I'm coming!" Kotetsu slid his feet into his sneakers at the genkan, and they headed outside. "So what movie are we seeing, anyway?"
"Deathnote!" she said. "Ahh, Light-kun is so se-ku-shiiiiiii!"
Izumo rolled his eyes. "Kaori. . . don't," he said, warningly. She looked at him, and pouted.
"Haiiiiii," she said, dragging Kotetsu out the door.
Kotetsu shook his head as they headed outside. "Aww, come on, Kaori-san. You wouldn't really hit on me like that. And for the record? L is so much cooler."
Izumo shook his head, and went to go get changed. His mother poked her head in to tell him to put in his kimono, that these were very formal business partners, and Izumo shrugged, putting on his kimono. He put on his hakama as well, smiling as he thought about the matching kimono and hakama that he and Kotetsu had back on Oshima.
He headed to the formal meeting hall. Opening the door, he was a bit confused. His father's business partners seemed to be a man, his wife, and thier (gorgeous) daughter, and thier two body guards.
"Hey. . . . what's going on here?"
"Have a seat, Izumo," his mother said. "This is the honorable Yugehiko family, and this is their daughter, Yugehiko Yukiko-sama."
"Ah, yoroshiku onegaishimasu," he said, bowing before he knelt down. Yugehiko was a familiar name, he was sure of it.
"Izumo, your mother and I have become concerned as of late," said Izumo's father. "The Yugehiko family has been doing business with our family for years. Kaihara-sama, Yukiko's father, has come and asked for a marriage to be arranged."
Izumo stared at his father. "What? This is an omiai?"
"Yes," he said.
"You said this was about business!" said Izumo.
"It is," said his father. "The business of you being properly married, and the business behind the bread business."
"Behind?" asked Izumo, warily.
His father looked at him levelly. "Yes," he said. "Izumo, are you so foolish to not have noticed that we share our name with one of the largest yakuza families in the Kansai region?"
Izumo stared. "I was never interested in that kind of thing--wait. What does this have to do with me?"
His mother gave him a slightly stern look. "Izumo, I think you are aware of what this has to do with you. You are, after all, the family's only son, and therefore the only successor to your father's business, whatever it may be."
Izumo shook his head. "Look, I didn't want to follow in Tousama's footsteps before! I'm not made to be a yakuza! I'm not that kind of person. I'm an asshole, yeah, but I'm not a criminal."
Izumo's father glowered "You don't have a choice, Izumo."
"Like hell I don't!" he said. "I have a choice, and I--"
"Izumo-sama?" said Yukiko, smiling pleasantly. "Can we talk? Perhaps, if I tell you my position on this, you will change your mind."
"I doubt it."
"Please," she said, smiling, "indulge me."
They were shoved into a small room. "So, what do you want?"
"Izumo-sama," Yukiko said, still smiling pleasantly (seductively? coyly?), sitting down opposite him in the small room, "I understand that you might feel a bit put off, being so suddenly thrust into this...but I think if you look at it in the proper light, then this is really a beneficial arrangement. If we work together, and combine our families' power, we could come to be one of the most powerful yakuza families in all of Japan. Think about it, Izumo-sama - we could have anything we wanted."
Izumo sat down, and looked at her. "Look, you're a gorgeous woman, Yukiko-sama," he said casually (why bother being polite out of the sight of parents?), "But aside from opening my own dessert shop, or becoming a pastiery chef, I've got everything I want in life. What you offer would only cause stress. Why the hell would I want to be a crime lord? How could that benefit me?"
Yukiko's lips curled slightly. "You may think you have everything you want now, Izumo-sama," she said, "but I don't think you realize just what you could obtain by marrying me. You could have your own dessert shop - you could have a hundred of them! And besides," she added, perhaps a bit too boldly for the role she was supposed to be playing, "can you honestly say that you wouldn't want to marry me? You did, after all, comment on my looks..."
Izumo rolled his eyes. "You are gorgeous. And probably three years ago, I would have thought about this offer a lot harder. But it's come to my attention that you just aren't my type. Besides, what's the fun of having a hundred dessert shops if I can only bake in one at a time?"
Bake? By himself? What a....plebeian thing to say. "If I'm not your type, Izumo-sama, then what is?" How could he not be interested?
Izumo smirked. "Brown hair and brown eyes, and a slim body," he said. "Needs to know how to cook dinner, and make yakitamago just the way I like it. Also, should have sexy eyes and be good in bed. You fit a few of those. Can you cook, Yukiko-hime?"
Cook? "I was never instructed in such a thing," Yukiko all but sniffed. "I do, however, play the shamisen beautifully, and I know ikebana. And I can dance - I know quite a few dances." Her eyes hinted at the double meaning there.
Izumo raised an eyebrow. "So, you can't even cook? That's a basic skill," he said. "Dances, hmm? I'm almost enough of a whore to ask, but I've got a good idea how you learned that. How many men did you dance with to learn, hmm? Or did you dace with women? Cause that would be kinda hot."
Yukiko looked apalled. "How could you even suggest something that - that vulgar? Ugh - other women? Don't make me laugh. I'd never stoop to something so dirty."
"But dirty is what makes it fun, Yukiko-sama," said Izumo. "You can't have fun without getting dirty. And me? I'm very, very dirty."
Yukiko narrowed her eyes slightly. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Izumo-sama?"
Izumo smirked. "I'm a very happily married man," he said. "So what do you think it means?"
Yukiko's eyes widened. "What? How - how can you be married? You're supposed to marry me!"
"Yeah, you see, but I'm not going to," he said. "I like women, love them, in fact, breasts are God's gift to men, really, but, alas, traditional marriages just aren't for me. I like something being shoved up my ass and fucking me, Yukiko-sama. So, unless you're hiding a dick under that gorgeous kimono of yours, Yukiko-sama, you're not my type."
Yukiko balked. "You - you must be joking - you're one of them? You...you're disgusting! Filthy! I can't believe my father tried to set me up with someone...something like you!"
Izumo laughed. "One of them? Trust me, I'm hardly that bad," he said. "I've only ever fucked one man--I prefer women, really, but I love him. Funny how that worked out."
Yukiko blanched, and she jumped to her feet (or at least as much as she could in a kimono), storming out of the small room. "Otou-sama! How could you?!" she shrieked. "How could you try and set me up with something - someone like that?"
Her parents, as well as Izumo's mother, looked up, alarmed.
Izumo came out of the room, rolling his eyes. "Someone like that, really, Yukiko-sama, you'd think I was a murderer, not a baker."
Izumo's father stood, and glared at Izumo. "What do you mean, Yukiko-sama?" he asked.
"He - he's a - he likes men!" she burst out, face red with anger (and embarassment, perhaps?). "Is this some kind of joke? To try and set up an omiai with him?"
Oh SHIT--He was an idiot. When Izumo had been teasing her, he hadn't thought--fuck.
"We know," said Izumo's father, staring at Izumo while answering Yukiko. "This relationship is unacceptable, so we did what any family would do, arrange an omiai. Your father, Yukiko-sama, is well respected in the organization. Therefore, we thought it was appropriate to offer his daughter the chance to marry my son and make him respectable, and at the same time, advancing her own family in the organization."
Yukiko seemed to calm down, but she still looked rather perturbed. Still upset, most definitely. "But he's...he's a - "
"If anyone could rectify that, Yukiko-sama, it's you," Izumo's mother said.
"I don't think it's something you can rectify, mother," said Izumo. "I won't marry her."
"You don't have a choice," said Izumo's father. "You will marry Yukiko."
"I will not!" said Izumo. "I was planning on telling you both this anyway, but, I'm married. Kotetsu and I are, for better or worse, married. Maybe it's not legal, but that doesn't matter to me. We are."
"If you do not marry her," said Izumo's father, "you will be diswowned. I will do it, Izumo. You will no longer me apart of this family in anyway. You will be taken out of the registar and will and everything."
"What the hell?" asked Izumo. "Are you fucking kiding me?"
"No," his father said, glaring. "You will marry her, or you will never be allowed near this house ever again."
"Mother?" asked Izumo. "You can't be letting him do this--it's crazy!"
Izumo's mother only sighed, and closed her eyes. "Won't you at least consider, Izumo?"
Izumo stared at her. "But I love him. How could you ask me to. . . to marry her when I love someone else?"
"It would be in both of our families' best interests, Izumo, and yours, too. Please."
"Let me think about this," he said. "Just. . . give me an hour. I. . . it's a lot to think about."
His father's eyes narrowed. "You have thirty minutes."
Izumo hurried out of the room.
Thirty minutes later, he came back into the room, his and Kotetsu's bags hastily packed. "Fine. If you can't respect my wishes. . . then. . . I'm leaving," he said. "Kotetsu's been more of a family then you've ever been to me. I'll be sure to let Kaori know what you've done."
"You'll regret this," said Izumo's father. "You will be entirely cut off from this family's money, power, everything. Life won't be so easy for you anymore."
"I don't want your help," said Izumo, shaking. "What do you know, anyway? I'll prove to you that this. . . that this is better then you!"
There was a touch of sadness on his mother's face, but it was covered up just as quickly. "If that's what you've decided, Izumo."
Izumo stared at her, then his father. "Yes. That's my decision," he said. He bit his lip--Kotetsu should be there, with him, dammit.
"Then I don't have a son," said his father. He looked at Yukiko and her family. "I am sorry for making you come here today, for no reason. If I had a son. . . "
Izumo didn't hear the rest, didn't want to hear the rest. He hurried out of the house, and found his bike. Strapping his and Kotetsu's bags to him, he took off, and left his family's home.
Kotetsu sat back in his seat on the train. They were almost there, but the entire ride, Kaori had been unusually quiet. She wasn't babbling about her latest BL manga or even making fake passes at him like she usually did. He cocked his head to the side a little. "Kaori-san? You okay? You don't get motion sickness or anything on trains, do you?" Maybe that was it.
"Eeto, no," she said. She fidgeted in her seat. "Anoo. . . . I am sorry, Kotetsu-san! Kaori will do her best to be genki!" she said, smiling.
Kotetsu frowned, and gave her a look. "Kaori-san? Are you sure you're okay? What's up? Come on, tell me. You know you can talk to me."
"Ano saa, Kotetsu-san. . . I really wish this was a date," she said. "That would make this easier. . . ara. Mamma and Papa. . . "
"Kaori-san, you're making less and less sense." Kotetsu was just a little confused. "What's going on? What about your parents...?" And why would she wish it was a date? (She was about as happy for him and Izumo as he'd seen anyone be.)
She looked at Kotetsu pleadingly. "Please don't be made with Kaori-chan!" she said. "Mamma and Papa arranged an omiai meeting today for Izu-chan. .. . "
Kotetsu blanched. "They - they what? Why the hell would...wait. You knew? Why didn't you say anything last night, Kaori-san?!"
Kaori gulped, her eyes watering. "I didn't know until this morning, when I got you," she said. "I wanted to tell you but. . . . I couldn't! It was too scary! Poppa's so scary, Kotetsu-san! And I didn't want him to hurt you. . . and. . . it's. . . It's just a meeting, deshou?"
Kotetsu swallowed. "But Kaori-san," he said, trying to speak slowly, "if Izumo can't give a good reason to refuse the omiai, then don't you think that your father just might figure out that, you know, something is up..." They had planned to tell Izumo's parents, but...this was too soon. And they were supposed to do it together.
"They already know that," she said, looking at her hands in her lap. She bit her lip. "That's why the omiai. . . that and. . . other things. Poppa couldn't stand Izu-chan's. . . you know, and so, he. . . and Mamma. . . . and Yugehiko-sama. . . . "
Kotetsu felt his stomach plummet. "They already know? What - they..." He swallowed the surge of panic that rose immediately in his throat. "Kaori-san, we need to go back. Right away."
She nodded. "They know. . . Mamma said that she knew since she came to visit. .. they weren't sure before that, only suspicious. .. but now. . . " Kaori flung herself against Kotetsu. "I am so sorry, Kotetsu-san!"
Kotetsu's blood ran cold. They knew. Oh, god. Oh, god.
"Fuck," he said quietly, as the train slowed to a halt. "Fuck. Kaori-san - we need to go now. Now. We need to get back to your parents' house." He felt sick.
Kaori sniffled, and nodded. She looked at him, tears still in her eyes. "Is Kotetsu-san mad at me?" she asked.
"No - Kaori-san, no. It's not your fault." Kotetsu tried to swallow again, sucking in a steady breath. "We just - we need to get back. Make sure Izumo's okay. And I mean - I mean soon. Kaori-san...is there anything else I should know?"
She nodded. "But I can't say it."
Kotetsu groaned. "Kaori-san - please - if it's something I should know...you need to tell me."
She shook her head. "It's too dangerous to say!"
Kotetsu stood up as people began filing off the train, and he took Kaori's hand, pulling to her feet. "Kaori-san...you're freaking me out. Seriously. What is it? You have to tell me..."
They got off the train, and she walked to the end of the platform, where no one was. She waited, until the train took off again, and looked at Kotetsu, fearfully.
"Yakuza," she whispered.
Kotetsu's eyes widened slightly. "Kaori-san," he said slowly, just as quietly, "what about the yakuza?"
"Pappa is yakuza."
Kotetsu sucked in a breath. "Fuck. Fuck, no." He ran his hands down his face. This just made shit worse. "Oh, god. Those thugs who beat on my dad - those were your dad's goons, weren't they? Shit."
"What?!" she said. "I don't know, oh Kotetsu-san!"
Kotetsu rubbed the bridge of his nose. Now he really felt sick. "Shit. When's the soonest train back? We need to get the fuck back and make sure Izumo's okay..."
"There should be one anytime. . . trains run fairly often," she said.
"Okay. Good." He'd almost forgotten this was the city, not the remote little inaka he hailed from. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
Kaori followed Kotetsu under the tracks and to the other side of the station, to the platform heading back to thier home.
Kotetsu's phone rang.
Kotetsu snapped his phone open, recognizing the personalized ring tone as Izumo's. "Izumo?!"
"Hey babe," said Izumo. "Where are you?"
"Shit - we're about to get on another train to head back. Where are you? Are you okay?!"
"Ahh, well, I got kicked out and I stole my bike, but I'm okay," he said. "Where are you? What station? I'll meet you."
Kotetsu told him the station, but it was just as quickly followed up by other questions. "Shit - kicked out? Wait, what does that mean? Fuck, Izumo, they've known all along!"
"Yeah, babe, look, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said. For now, his voice was mostly calm.
"Shit - yeah, okay. Okay...see you soon." Kotetsu shut his phone, leaning against a nearby wall, and heaved a sigh. "Ugh. He's on his way over here, I guess...I think some shit went down..."
Kaori looked worried. "We should wait for him outside the station, maybe?" she said.
"Yeah - yeah, let's do that..." Kotetsu swallowed. "He says...he got kicked out. What...exactly does that mean, Kaori-san?"
Kaori left the station with Kotetsu, looking at her feet. "Maybe. . . . . Izu-chan. . . isn't my cute little brother anymore."
Kotetsu stared at her. "You...you're kidding, right? Your parents aren't that crazy...are they?"
She gave Kotetsu a look. "Father can be very strict. . . "
"Your dad would be insane enough to legally disown him?!"
Kaori just nodded.
"Fuck. Fuck." Kotetsu buried his face in his hands. "Ugh." He didn't know what to say.
After awhile, Izumo came riding up, stopping his bike in front of his sister and Kotetsu. He took his helmet off, and smiled at Kotetsu. "Hey Babe. . . "
Kotetsu hurried toward him. "Izumo! Are you okay? God, what the hell happened? All Kaori-san told me was that there was an omiai, and your family - your dad's a fucking..."
Izumo got off the bike and hugged Kotetsu, tightly. "Yeah. It's all true. I. . . . had to choose. .. ."
"Fuck...Izumo, I'm..." Kotetsu hugged him back. "I'm sorry, babe...fuck. I should've been there..."
"Wai!! Izu-chan I'm so sorry!" Kaori said, flinging herself on them. "It's all my fault, but I didn't have time to tell you think morning when they told me, waahhhh I am so sorry!"
Izumo kissed Kotetsu's cheek and then hugged his sister. "It's not your fault, Kaori-chan."
"Yeah....Kaori-san, don't...don't worry about it. Really..." Kotetsu shook his head. "What now, Izumo? What...what are we supposed to do now? God...your parents, they don't want to see you again, and..." He sighed, resting his forehead against Izumo's. "Got a plan, babe?"
"Not really," he said. He felt. . .sad. Sad didn't really cut it, but. . . It was the only way to describe what he was feeling. He sighed. "What do we do?"
"Don't worry, babe." Kotetsu kissed him briefly, thinking for a moment. He tried not to dwell on what had just happened. "Let me call my mom. I bet she'd love to have us for New Year's...you know? How's that sound, babe?"
"Sure," he said. "I'm not looking forward to the roadtrip on my bike but. .. . yeah. Let's do that."
"Don't worry, babe. I know my parents. They'll let us sleep all day if we want after that. Just a second, okay?" Kotetsu stepped back, calling his mother up. He quietly explained the situation to her, talked with her a few minutes, and then hung up. "Yeah, it's fine, like I thought. Come on, babe...we should probably get started..." He turned to Kaori, sighing. "Will you try to keep in touch, Kaori-san...?"
She nodded, tears in her eyes. She flung herself at Izumo. "You are always my brother!" se said, sobbing. "Always, Izu-chan, Izumomo, my little brother. . . I love you."
Izumo stepped back, overwhelmed by the force of her hug. He held her back, a few tears sliding down his cheek. "Ahh, Kaori. . . . I love you too, nee-chan. . ."
Kotetsu smiled a little, but kind of sadly, just watching them. "Hey, if you can ever manage it, Kaori-san, come and visit us in Oshima, all right? Or, if we're ever in Akita, you're always welcome to stop by, so..."
Kaori pulled back, and kissed her brother on the cheek. "I'll visit. Maybe I'll move soon. Maybe Poppa will make me his yakuza heir instead," she said, rolling her eyes. "Go. I'll. . . see you. . ." She sniffled.
Izumo hugged her again, and nodded. Putting his helmet on, he handed Kotetsu the other helmet. "Prepare to have an unfun sore ass, Ko."
Kotetsu sighed, putting the helmet on. "Yeah, yeah...definitely unfun. Take care, okay, Kaori-san? At least you're still respectable." He grinned crookedly, sliding onto the bike and wrapping his arms around Izumo's waist. "Let's go, babe."
Izumo waved to his sister, and they took off, down the road, heading for the highway.
Hours and a few tanks of gas later, they finally reached Kotetsu's home in Akita. Somehow, he managed to get off the bike, but he was dead tired. Driving that long, on the motobike had been cold, and uncomfortable at best.
Kotetsu slid off the bike with a groan, grabbing their bags. "Come on," he muttered, dragging himself to the door. It was late, but his mother was at least up, waiting for them. She ushered them inside with a worried look on her face.
"You two look absolutely beat..."
"Yeah," said Izumo. "I think. . . i just wanna. . .you know. Die." Or something. He took off his shoes, and headed stiffly to Kotetsu's room, falling onto the bed, still in his clothes.
Kotetsu's mother looked after him worriedly. "Is he all right?"
"I don't know," Kotetsu said tiredly, and it was the truth. "Sorry, Mom - I'm going to go see what's wrong with him...sorry to bug you so late at night."
"It's nothing, Kotetsu. Go...take care of him. He looks like he needs it."
Kotetsu nodded, allowing his mother to take their bags, and he went to his room, shutting the door behind him. "Babe?" he whispered, curling up on the bed next to Izumo. "Talk to me, Izumo..."
Izumo stiffened a bit, and forced himself to relax, a little. "I .. . . dunno. I don't really feel like talking, right now."
Kotetsu kissed Izumo softly on the cheek, drawing him into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I really am. I should have been there with you. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way." He reached up to stroke Izumo's hair comfortingly. "I know you don't want to talk right now, Izumo, but you know if you need anything..."
Izumo just nodded, trying his best to relax in Kotetsu's arms, shaking a little as he felt Kotetsu stroke his hair.
"Not your fault," said Izumo. "I'll be okay. . . "
"I know you will," Kotetsu murmured. "Everything will be fine. But right now? I know you're not fine. I'm not really, either. But that's what we have this vacation for. That's what we have each other for. You know I love you more than anything else in this world...and if there's anything you need, babe, anything at all, you don't hesitate to ask. I know that was a shit decision to have to make. But maybe one day, your parents will realize how stupid it was of them, because it's just their loss."
"No they won't," he said. "Like, you know my parents. My mother might regret it, but father never will, so she'll be the good wife and not regret it either. So, no. They won't come to thier senses. My family's not like yours, Ktetsu."
Kotetsu closed his eyes, holding him tightly. "I'm sorry, Izumo. I am. God, I just...I wish I could do something. But I can't, and I feel like shit for it. I wish there was something I could do, because if I could I'd give you everything you ever wanted."
"I know," said Izumo.
Kotetsu kissed Izumo's cheek again, holding him. "I love you, Izumo," he murmured.
Izumo just nodded, curled up against himself. He didn't care that Kotetsu was there, he just wanted to think. No words. Just thoughts.
Kotetsu sighed quietly, settling into the bed. He kept his arms around Izumo, but he couldn't keep himself awake any longer. It wasn't long before he had fallen into a heavy, dreamless sleep beside Izumo.
Izumo laid there in his ball, not really sleeping, just dozing here and there. He was tired, but. .. . what had happened, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
His parents hated him.
There was a soft knock on the door, but Kotetsu didn't even stir. He was dead asleep. The door opened slightly, and Kotetsu's mother looked inside quietly.
"Izumo, dear? Are you still awake?" she asked softly.
"Hey kaasan," he said softly, getting up. "Yeah, I am. shouldn't you be sleeping?"
She smiled a little, tiredly. "I was just making myself some tea before I went to bed. Would you like some?"
"Sure," he said, heading out to the hallway.
She led him into the kitchen, inviting him to sit down at the small table, and brought out the teapot. "Can't sleep?" she said, knowingly, sympathetically.
"Not really," he said, smiling weakly at her.
"I'm sorry, dear," she said, and there was a world of sincerity in her voice that even Kotetsu, as much as he loved Izumo, couldn't manage, sincerity without the slightest trace of pity - a mother thing. She brought out the tea, putting some into the teapot.
"Thanks, kaasan," he said.
"It's nothing." She got the hot water ready, setting it to boil, and came to sit by him, placing one of her hands gently over his. "Is there anything I can do?"
Izumo shrugged. "Not really," he said. "I mean. . . you do enough as it is. Thank you."
Without saying anything, she pulled him into a light hug - just to let him know she was there. "Again, it's nothing," she said, her voice quiet in the silent house. "I hope everything works out, dear."
"Ahh, that would take a miracle," he said. "I. . . expected this, you know? When. . . when I made up my mind that i wanted to make the commitment solid, and tell my parents. . . I knew this would happen. I knew that I'd have to choose, and i already knew I'd choose him. Still. It. . . doesn't make this any easier."
"I know, dear," she said soothingly. "It never does. But at least you two still have each other."
"Yeah. . . ," said Izumo. "It's just. . .I love him, kaasan, you know that. But. No matter how awful they are, they are my family. . . "
"I know, dear. I understand. No one will ever replace them; suggesting that anyone could would just be an insult. But we will always be here for you nonetheless."
"Thanks, I mean it. I know I sound ungreatful, but. . . I just. Kotetsu doesn't really get it," said Izumo, raking a hand through his hair. "You and Hagane-tousan are. . . you're good, loving people. He's always known he was loved. Your family's so.. . warm. And good. My parents. . . I don't hate them. I kinda understand. I mean, they are my parents, I love them. . . I want to hate them for this, but. . . I can't."
"It's never an easy thing to come to hate one's parents. It doesn't happen as often as people think. You're not ungrateful in the least, Izumo. I'd be surprised if Kotetsu really did understand, as much as he loves you. The two of you come from different lives. He tries, though."
"Yeah. . . ," he said. "I dunno. I feel bad. I know he wants to be there for me right now, but I just want to. . . curl up ad be left alone for awhile, I think. I dunno. I just need space, and I hate that, cause I know he needs me too, but. . . . I dunno. I'm not a very good boyfriend."
"Not at all," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's perfectly normal of you to feel like that. Do you want to sleep in the tatami room tonight?"
"Maybe," he said. "I feel bad. He doesn't sleep well without me, but. . . God, it feels like I'm coming out all over again. I mean, I liked kissing him, but I didn't want any thing to do with him for a few days. It just. . . feels like that all over again. I don't know. I'm trying not to be a moody teenager in love about this," he said, offering her a lopsided smile. "But it's not quire working."
"It's all right, dear. You're going through a difficult time. He's already asleep - go stay in the tatami room. You need your space."
"Thanks, kaasan," he said. "I'll get the blankets and stuff out. If he. . . if he wakes up, could you just. . . tell him I need space. I love him, but. . . . I dunno. I'm glad we're here, and at the same time, I wish I was somewhere else. Far away from my parents and everything. I just. . . wanna clear my head. I dunno. I know I did the right thing, made the right choice, but. .. .it still is hard."
"Sometimes, the right way is the harder way. Don't worry. I'll take care of it." She gave him another hug. "If you can't sleep tonight...well, feel free to lock the door so no one bothers you, all right?"
"Thanks," he said, smiling a little. "I might just. . . hide for awhile. And come out for tea, occasionally."
"No problem, dear. Try and get some rest, won't you?"
"Yeah," he said. "I just need to sleep, I think. I'll probably be clinging to Kotetsu by the end of the day." He laughed a little.
She smiled a little. "I'm sure he'll welcome it. Sleep well, dear. I'll be heading to bed too, but if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
"It's okay, I'll be good," said Izumo. "Just. .. get some rest, kaasan. I don't want to worry about you on top of everything else." He gave her a smile, and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight," he said, before heading to make his bed and turn on the heat in the tatami room.
DON'T THINK THIS IS THE LAST WE WILL EVER SEE OF THE KAMIZUKI FAMILY. OR ADORABLE KAORI FOR THAT MATTER.
enjoy, hos.