" Eh?" Shingo exclaimed suddenly. Tsuyoshi, who is walking beside him reading his timetable, raised his head curiously. " I thought I saw a familiar figure."
" Where?" Tsuyoshi asks curiously, stretching his neck to look around the bunches of students gathered in the corridor.
" Bingo! I know my eyes did not betray me!" Shingo said happily. " Momoko chan!"
A girl turned upon hearing him shout across the hall. The thin face lit up immediately but not before both of them saw the distressed frown on her face. " Hi guys!"
" What are you doing here?" Shingo asks bluntly.
" What's wrong?" Tsuyoshi asks.
" I just transferred here and I am lost!" Momoko pouts.
" Don't tell me you are the new transfer student in my class!" Shingo exclaimed excitedly. Momoko's eyes widen joyously.
" Really? Really?" she cried happily. " I am saved! You have no idea how lost I can get!" she laughs embarassingly. " I usually get very lost on my first day of class."
Shingo laughed with her to lessen her embarassment. " Come on, I'll show you where our classroom is." Shingo said after she finally stopped laughing. Turning around, he waved at a vexed looking Tsuyoshi before turning his full attention to his new classmate.
Tsuyoshi sighs lightly and shook his head as he stare after his atrocious brother. Somehow he knows another fight is in the making. Sighing lightly again, he follows them down the hall to his classroom.
Chapter 10
" So much food tonight?" Nakai starts to wonder when he saw the table covered with food.
" Goro got a huge commission from his boss." Takuya replied. " Come get your dinner!"
" Yes, that's why we can have a celebration tonight." Goro added with a smile. " I bought everyone's favorites." Shingo cheers loudly as he plopped himself before the table. He grabbed a meatball and threw it into his mouth before Nakai can stop him. He starts munching happily when Nakai gave him a resounding smack on the head.
" Wow!" Tsuyoshi exclaimed aloud when he saw his long missed favorite food before him.
" Go on, tuck in!" Goro urged excitedly. While his brothers ate, he observed the smiles on their faces. To him it is considered a blessing to be able to make his brothers happy, even for a moment.
" How did you get such a big commission? " Shingo asks curiously as he stuff a fried shrimp into his mouth.
" I managed to sell the whole consignment of liquour last week to 3 major supermarket chains." Goro relates with pride.
" Wow! How did you do that?" Shingo asks in awe.
" I met the managers a day before the meeting and got all the contracts signed." Goro explains gleefully. " When the other 3 reps from another company came the following day, they were too late!"
" They must be real sore?" Tsuyoshi asks.
" Yes they were. Came to the office to make trouble. My colleague told me their company has a dubious background. That's how I won the contract so easily." Goro admits seriously.
" Will you be ok?" Shingo asks worriedly, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.
Goro laugh instead. " Don't worry! I'll be fine!" He reassures waving the possibilty away callously. Nakai turn to Takuya and they exchanged a worried look.
" Stop being so careless!" Takuya reprimands severely. Goro stops laughing and stare at each of the troubled expression on their faces.
" I'll be careful." He promises quietly.
After dinner, Nakai took over the washing of the dishes while Takuya took Goro out for a talk. Takuya led the way to a nearby park and found an empty stone bench to sit down. The night wind is starting to blow harder than before as Takuya tries to light his cigarette while Goro tries to keep his fringe of his eyes.
" What's wrong?" Goro asks quietly. Nothing much unspoken can really escape his eyes unless he chooses to ignore. The tension within Takuya is one he can sense a mile away yet cannot ignore.
" Everyone's worried for your safety." Takuya starts to say while looking straight ahead. " Why did you have to put yourself in jeopardy like this?"
" I did not know it could end up like this. I was only trying to earn more. Besides, in the business line, survival of the fittest." Goro said nonchalantly.
" You were never so competitive. What happened?" Takuya observes.
" I just thought it would be nice if this year we can have a decent New Year dinner." Goro explains. " We hadn't had one since ~"
Takuya remain silent. Suddenly he felt old. As he thought back the ten odd years, he could recall every vivid detail. Goro hears his long deep sigh and turn to stare at his profile. In the pale moonlight, his brother looks haggard; a side he has never seen. To him, his second brother is always the strongest and the least likely to reminisce about the past.
" I want the gentle Goro back." Takuya said at last. " Our family needs him back."
Goro is taken aback by Takuya's words. He has always felt that his mild character made the least contribution to the family. That's why he chose to be competitive when the opportunity struck.
" We need him back." Takuya repeats solemnly. He studies the changes occurring on Goro's face and he know that he had driven home the crucial point.
Chapter 11
" Where's everyone?" Nakai asks over the phone. He had to work late and he needs Tsuyoshi and Shingo to get their own dinner since Takuya has a late night party to cater too.
" Goro is working late and Tsuyoshi is over at a classmate's home doing a project." Shingo informs. " I'll get a burger later."
" Ok," Nakai agrees. " I'll be home in 3hours."
Three hours turned out to be five. He caught the last train in the nick of time after running like his feet are on fire. As the doors of the train closes, he flopped onto the nearest empty seat and heaved a sigh of relief. He is grateful that he is not too out of shape to run a few blocks in an emergency. Looking around, he saw a couple of schoolboys in the next car. That led to thoughts on his siblings and he is really glad that he knows exactly where they are; at home in bed.
Meanwhile a light drizzle had started. After leaving the empty train station, Nakai pull up his collar and hunched his back against the cold rain as he made his way home as fast as he could. There is no one about on the streets on such a wet windy night.
As he turned around the street corner towards his apartment, he hears a commotion just a few feet ahead of him. The moment he round the corner, he realized that a group of men are fighting on the street. Caution made him stop in his tracks as he studied the situation and decide what to do. The street is a narrow one and he needs to pass through to get to his apartment building. 3 men are attacking one as far as he can make out in the dark. Suddenly he caught sight of the victim!
Goro had worked later then he planned to that night. In order to catch the last train, he brought his work home with him to work on in the train. Thus he did not see the 3 men who are watching him with pure malice a few seats away. The streets are empty and a drizzle is starting when he left the station so he hurried home as fast as his legs can carry him. In his haste, he did not realize that he is being followed.
Just as his home came into sight, he heard footsteps behind him. Before he could turn around, an arm landed on his shoulder and yanked him around. That's when he came face to face with his 3 assailants. Without a word, one punched him in the face. Shock and pain made his knees buckled and he slumped onto the wet ground. Taking advantage of the situation, his attackers rained merciless punches and kicks on him. When the pain became too much for him to bear, he felt himself leaving his body. Like a bystander, he stood watching as his body underwent further torment. " They are going to kill me." He thought sadly.
When he felt that he could no longer hold on, his body gradually became numb. Just as he is about to close his eyes, he distinctively heard footsteps running towards him. The kicking seems to have lessened too. As his senses restored, he realized that his assailants are no longer attacking him but focusing their wrath on another. Lying still on his back, he floated between sub consciousnesses. The pain he is experiencing is totally indescrible.
Nakai is never a good fighter. Being smaller in built then most men of his age, he had the disadvantage of not being able to throw strong punches and kicks. Seeing Goro being attacked mercilessly had sprung him into action but he did not expect to win either. His only wish is to lure the attackers away from his brother. A moment of exhaustion had been fatal to him. Before he could recover his stance, his attackers had gained the upper hand and are hitting him where it hurts. Before long, he is also flat on the ground under the stampede.
Turning his head slightly and grimacing at the pain, Goro peeled open his eyes and caught sight of his brother being attacked viciously. The desire to help made him sit up after a painful struggle. He struggles further to get on his feet. Hesitating for a moment, he wonders how he could win this fight when he saw a tree branch lying under a tree next to the concrete pavement. Staggering, he went near the tree and grabbed the stick. Holding it up like a samurai sword, he drew a long breath and start charging at the group yelling at the top of his voice. The 3 men stopped attacking Nakai and parted in surprise as Goro neared them and start swinging the stick at wide angles. He knew he would not be able to do much damage so he resorted to the bear-scaring tactic. True enough the 3 assailants had to jump out of the way of the swishing stick. Finally they decide to give up upon seeing Goro wedging the stick and swinging like a madman.
" Enough! They are gone!" Nakai shouted after regaining his breath. Goro is still swinging the stick with his eyelids tightly pinched together till he hears his brother's voice and awakened. He dropped the stick and fell onto the ground with a dull thud. With a loud groan, he join Nakai on the ground and both brothers lay there groaning.
" Are you ok?" Nakai asks breathlessly. Goro grunts in reply. "I am not! I think I broke a rib!" Nakai wailed.
Gritting his teeth, Goro forced himself back into the sitting position. " Can you get up? Let's go to the hospital!"
" I can't move!" Nakai snaps back. " I hope you are happy now!" He screamed angrily.
Ignoring his unreasonable outbursts, Goro dragged him up into a sitting position against his will. Both of them groaned aloud in pain at the sudden movements. " Come on, I'll get you to a hospital!" Goro said through clenched teeth.
