harmonize_rpg | (no subject)

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imaizumi mirai

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Who: Ryouya and Mirai.
Where: Kyoto.
When: Tuesday, May 2nd, early morning.
What: An unavoidable conversation.

Mirai kept a quiet foot on the stairs, but still they creaked underneath. It might have woken up the entire house. It took him a moment to climb down their steep steps - and on several times did he certainly remain still and teeter and tense, which he stopped by bracing himself by spreading his hands on the walls. It took him a long time to get to the bottom. Then he was off, showing no regard for the generations of feet that had passed first.

He began to search for the umbrella stand. He helped himself to a small parasol and hooked the handle over his arm. Then he picked up a coat, tying up the belt first, and then searching the pockets with his fingers. And he found a couple of coins. He threw his rucksack against his back when he lifted it from the floor, and still he just stood there. He was twisting back. He could hear the noise of his father moving in the kitchen. Cupboard doors and footfalls and boiling water. The radio was switched on, which was what had drawn his attention.

He groaned, then quietly headed towards the front door. A conversation was all he needed.

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Ryouta speared a piece of bacon and took his time finishing it. It wasn't hesitance or even guilt. It was more the person in control of the situation controlling it at his leisure. Only once he was finished, he looked up across the table and replied,

"Come now, I'm sure you've already built up enough reasons for yourself. For country, for impartiality, for your own good, you can decide which suits you best. But it wouldn't do well for your classmates' impressions to leave them all now."

Ryouya was as aware as Mirai was. Mirai might act out but he wouldn't ruin things for himself casually.

Mirai stared at him. He could hear that it was beyond his father to understand him. So he thought only of himself and how best he might get some wealth out this situation. He had tried to understand and even asked for help, but now saw a brick wall that was blocking him before he could walk anywhere. No longer did he worry. He only gave the mildest of shrugs.

"... Nope. And I'll actually make a friend there one day."

He meditated on this. His grin turned into a heavy half-smile and, busy man that he was, he continued to eat his breakfast.

"Someone who isn't a 'special friend'?" Ryouya commented dryly.

He finished the last of his breakfast and began draining his coffee.

Mirai understood why his father said this. He leaned back in his chair, doing nothing to help, and put on a bit of charm.

"May I ask why you listen to my voicemail without leaving even one message?" he asked.

"I left one asking you to change it," Ryouta pointed out simply. "You didn't change it so you either heard it and didn't care or you deleted it."

The last of the coffee done, he stood and carried his dishes to the sink. "You seem to prefer making late night phone calls anyway."

Mirai saw it was time for some quick thinking. "Why not? I'm a caring guy," he said. "It's not the best time, sure - but I'm checking on you all the same. Some people would pay me for that."

"I doubt that," Ryouya replied. His words were intercut with the light clinking and splashing from the sink as he worked. "That would require taking an interest into matters outside yourself."

Clink.

"That would be you, though. Offer you enough money and you'll do anything."

Mirai listened to the clatter of knives and forks as his father washed them, and thought the noise was far louder than he could remember. Then Ryouya picked up a plate and splashed it with water. He began to feel like he could no longer block each sound, and started to warm in the face. He looked vacant behind his eyes - more than Ryouya would remember.

"....."

Ryouya noticed the silence but didn't comment. He finished washing his dishes at his own pace and, once he was finished, poured himself another cup of coffee, finishing the pot. He took a sip and continued, as though Mirai wasn't sulking at the table,

"Remember to wash up before you go and be home for five. If you regularly check in your your grandparents and me, you'll find they're less inclined to expect you to volunteer to spend time with them."

Mirai, who had some awareness of when his father implied things, wished he could be rid of each new threat. But it was clear that Ryouya was not going to drop the matter. It caused him to rub his forehead.

"Very well. Five it is." Or rather, five minutes to seven. "Are you admitting to blackmailing me, then?"

Edited 2013-11-03 08:51 (UTC)

"Five PM sharp," Ryouya clarified. In response to the question, he didn't seem bothered at the accusation in the slightest.

"This is coming from someone who implies extortion every argument?" Sip. "I'm only reminding you to spend your time off wisely."

"Yes, I see," Mirai said. He was succinct as his father when he wanted to be. He was also disappointed his interpretation of time had been seen through easily.

"Then I suppose you're going to make me play cards again?"

"Yes, unless your grandfather wants to play mahjong," Ryouya replied. "The usual rules and play."

Which meant that everyone would be cheating each other senseless.

"I see," Mirai said again. He was still dizzy from the last time his grandparents had worked together to fleece him.

He was in no rush to repeat the experience. "I can just sit there and not do anything, right?"

"No. That wouldn't be entertaining," Ryouya replied.

"Get better if you don't like losing all the time."

Mirai, who had no great desire to be anybody's entertainment, thought that possibly he could work with his father first and cheat his grandparents afterwards. But it was such a horrid thing to think about that he was forced to think he was quite mad for suggesting it.

"Ah - then you should improve at being a good son instead of dumping grandma on me all the time," he bristled.

Edited 2013-11-03 10:04 (UTC)

Always so melodramatic. Ryouya wiped one of his lens as the steam rose.

"Your grandmother likes spending time with you. I'm with her much more than you are. I haven't run off to ditch her the moment a walking pair of breasts went by yet, which is more than you can say."

At the accusation, Mirai slid down from apparently lounging on his stool - and Ryouya would find his eyes fixed on the back of his head.

"Oh my. You're just jealous that I make women interested in me," he said derisively. "How about asking yourself for a moment why mum left? You told me that it wasn't anything to do with me, right? Well then, why don't you tell me what you did that drove her off? Or is that going to be my fault as well?"

That accusation drew a look as Ryouya put down his coffee. He was leaning back on the counter, gripping it slightly, as he replied evenly,

"You keep asking but the answer won't change. She left because she ended up chasing after some toy." He added, critically, "Which you apparently picked up from her."

Mirai's smile thinned, but he said strongly, "That's just an excuse. She's not been around for years. Strange that you should blame her for most of my problems when she wasn't even here."

A shrug. "I wasn't even chasing girls till I was fifteen. You've got to admit I've got good taste," he added, referring to the intern. "And if only she was around then you could have blamed her for that too."

"And yet, you resemble her easily," Ryouya retorted, ignoring the barb. He continued, with a pointed look,

"But your inner self is apparently the seductive devil so maybe all those flaws are just you."

Something fluttered over the face behind Mirai's calm expression.

He had been keeping a firm lid on the anger underneath it all. Now he felt frustration bubbling through, but then it was gone so swiftly that he was left tired and in need of a gentle pair of hands to stop him breaking apart.

"Well then, just what flaws are you trying to fix here? Better the devil you know, right?"

He caught the old man's need to fix something; but he was perfect as he was, just as good as anybody else.

Seeing that fluttering of something on Mirai's face caused an assured smile to spread on Ryouya face. Another sign of proof he had control.

"Why settle for the devil when you can reform him?" Ryouya asked. "Even the devil has to play nice to get what he wants. The world's not a nice play otherwise."

Mirai caught the self-satisfaction of his father's smile. Which enraged him even more. He raised his hand and spread his thumb and forefinger to rub his forehead.

"Sure. I'll play nice. You'll give me twenty thousand yen for the trouble, then?"

He leaned back with a wry smile, and on the inside he was planning to rest and gather thoughts.

"Anything for money," Ryouya pointed out with a critical glance, but the smug look of someone who'd gotten affirmation.

"500 yen. Don't complain. That'll get you a coffee and a snack if you spend it wisely and you'll be home for dinner anyway."