{These characters are not property of me, except for that of Ryuuji. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}
by Lara Bartram
Ryuuji awakened slowly. He didn't feel tired as he normally did; he felt refreshed. He smiled a little and opened his eyes. The candle was still flickering at his bedside. The storm had passed in the early morning, giving way to bright sunshine. Birds could be heard singing outside.
There was a woman in his arms. She was naked, it was his mother and he was very hard. His eyes snapped open wide and he let out a strangled cry. Her head rested on his chest with both her arms under his and holding his shoulders.
She stirred slightly when he cried out and nuzzled his sternum. He pulled his hands off her back and laid very still. He didn't want to wake her but he didn't want to stay there either. His mind hadn't turned to what had happened during the storm; it probably would have sent him screaming from the house.
Gently, he tried to pull his body away from hers without disturbing her. The grip she had on his shoulders was considerable though, and he just couldn't squirm away. He grabbed the edge of his futon and tried to pull himself over, then maybe he could get out from underneath her.
He was concentrating on moving himself when she spoke. "Good morning."
He looked down at her, afraid of what he would see. If he was lucky, it would be someone else there; it wouldn't be his mother. He wasn't so lucky. He couldn't manage to make any words come from his mouth; he could only look at her in horror. He worked his mouth, trying to get something, anything out.
She smiled at him gently. "Don't say anything. You won't be able to change what happened." She unhooked one of her arms and ran her hand over his chest, watching its progress. "So how was your first real time?"
Ryuuji thought he would die. Just what had he done? How had he started it? His mind raced in a circle of why? and how? building panic in his heart. He searched for some words that would convey how he felt, but there weren't any that would surface.
His mother was getting impatient. "Answer me. Did you like it?" She was looking directly in his eyes. He wouldn't be able to lie.
He nodded slightly. He was utterly ashamed that such an awful act could bring him so much pleasure but if she caught him in a lie... Especially to a direct question... Either way he was most likely doomed to repeat the experience. If he lied, he'd be punished, and be made to do chores during the day and at night... And if he told the truth, he'd get it without the housework.
Her smile broadened, looking like a shark on a blood trail. "I'm glad. You were so good, it was just what I needed." She leaned up and kissed the underside of his chin. "I bet with a little help, you'd be able to please me without even taking your clothes off." Ryuuji felt all the blood drain from his face. "Your father always could."
In his mind, Ryuuji cried. His stomach did a slow roll, but if it was out of fear or anticipation, he wasn't sure anymore. He exerted some control then and started to remove himself from the futon, breaking his mothers grip. He felt a desperate need to wash himself.
"It is getting a bit late." His mother pulled away from him and got out of the bed herself. She had left the blanket thrown back, exposing Ryuuji. He recovered himself and tried not to watch his mother move around his room.
She moved with fluid grace that he had always known she had, but never recognized. She blew out each candle and picked her short, blue cotton robe off the back of a chair in the corner. She slipped it on then started to leave the room. "I'll go make some breakfast while you get ready." She gave him a reassuring smile that he didn't much care for. She spotted something and walked back to the futon. "I'll just keep these safe for later." She picked up the unused condoms then left his room, humming.
Only after she was gone did Ryuuji find his voice. "No. Not later. Why are you doing this to me? This isn't right," he said to the empty doorway. His hormones were doing their best to tell him the opposite though...
***
Two days later, Ryuuji returned to school. His mother had gotten him the night after their 'first time' and had done things to him he could never imagine his mother doing. The night after that she had left him alone. She considered school an important part of his life and had let him get his sleep.
It didn't help a whole lot. Even if he wasn't tired, he still had to carry the knowledge that he was his mother's... slave. He didn't trudge through the day like he had been, he walked on rice paper. The most innocent of questions set him on edge, wondering if people could see what he had done, as if it was written on his face.
He was no longer the 'boy whose father died' and nobody went easy on him. His friends weren't just giving him room anymore, they avoided him. His teachers weren't soft on him, they were downright hostile. He sat alone at lunch, none of his classmates caring about his feelings. He could easily identify his friends: he had none.
He pushed his lunch aside. He just didn't feel like eating that day and he couldn't even force himself to eat it. He sighed heavily, the self-pity threatening to consume him.
"Hi. Can I eat lunch with you?"
Ryuuji looked up at the voice. It was a girl and she was smiling at him. He remembered the last girl that smiled at him and how much trouble he had gotten into. He immediately distrusted her. "If you want."
She sat across from him, her lunch still unopened. "I'm glad. No one else will let me. You know there aren't a whole lot of friendly students here."
Ryuuji studied her. She was a bit taller than his mother (why did everything go back to her?) with hair to the middle of her shoulder blades. She was smiling, it never faltered, and it was never a smile of anything but friendliness. She was cute.
She had opened her lunch and started eating. Ryuuji continued to stare at her, wondering if he should trust her. She seemed friendly enough, but a lot of people were good at acting friendly before they screwed you over.
She looked at him then, happily chewing away. She smirked and blushed at his gaze. She looked back at her food, her blush deepening. He was pretty good looking and he had talked to her. Better than the other guys and girls. She blushed even harder, attacking her food.
"You're a pretty hefty eater."
His words stunned her. She knew it was true, but most people were polite enough to simply ignore it or rude enough to leave. She swallowed and looked back at him. "Um, yeah." Her smile had fallen a bit. "I've always been a 'healthy eater'. That's what my mom called it. And no matter how much I eat, I never really gain weight."
He put on something that looked like a cross between a smirk and a sneer. It was how he smiled anymore. "I wish I had that problem."
She brightened at his comment. "It's nice, but hard to make friends when they're all jealous."
He nodded absently. "Hard to keep friends..."
She nodded. "Well I guess I'm being rude. My name is Katsura." She gave him a miniature bow.
"Oh, I'm Ryuuji." He returned her bow. He hadn't made any new friends in longer than he could think.
"You're the first person that's told me their name. Glad to finally meet someone."
"So you're new here?" He glossed over the fact that Furinkan was about the worst place for anyone to make friends; especially new students.
"Yeah. We moved here from Fukuoka. It's not too bad here."
"Why did you come here?"
"My mom's business moved her here, so of course everyone had to pack up and go along. We were only in Fukuoka for a year before anyway. I should be used to it, but I really liked it there."
Pity she has to be here then. Ryuuji nodded solemnly. He would like to be moved away from Furinkan, away from Nerima, away from Tokyo. "Too bad."
Katsura nodded and turned back to her lunch.
***
The next day he was outside for lunch again. He hadn't seen Katsura for the rest of the day the day before that and was hoping she would find him. He hand't even opened his lunch and was trying not to look like he was looking for someone.
"Hi. I thought I might find you here again." Katsura had come up behind him and surprised him out of his socks.
He turned around quickly, responding to her voice. "Oh, hi." He attempted to sound nonchalant. "Yeah, I was just about to start my lunch."
"You don't mind, do you?" She was gesturing with her eyes to the ground in front of him.
"No, go ahead." He watched her walk around and sit in front of him. His earlier estimation had been wrong. She wasn't cute, she was beautiful. He didn't know a whole lot about her, almost nothing, but there was something about her that he was drawn to.
He tore his eyes away from her and looked at his lunch. He hadn't mentioned to his mother that he had met someone at school, let alone that it was a girl. His mother would probably go mad from jealousy then double her efforts on him. She shuddered slightly and opened his lunch.
They spent the entire lunch period getting to know each other better. Conversation that had been hesitant at first, was flowing like they were old friends. Ryuuji found he could talk to her with complete ease and never felt like she was scrutinizing him.
She was smart and funny and had a cheerful personality. No wonder she hadn't fit in. She had made him laugh with her first impressions of her teachers and classmates. She did a real good impression of Akimitsu, the most annoying student in school, and chittered just like Fumiko when she was playing airhead.
"So, what about your parents?" she asked suddenly.
Ryuuji stopped. Why did she want to know about them? It wasn't her concern... He had to slow himself down and build his composure. "My dad's... dead." She gasped. "A few months ago." She put her hand on his arm. "So I... live... with my mom. We... get along... fine."
She was looking at him with total sympathy. "I'm so sorry."
He shrugged, looking at his feet. "It happens." Of course, death was a natural part of life. But the rest of it... All wrong! And he'd never be able to admit it to her. She'd probably run away screaming, her hand over her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. Or she'd go and tell everyone, then they would never stop laughing at him.
Ryuuji felt sick to his stomach. He would never be able to have her as a close friend. Close friends were supposed to be able to tell each other everything, but he would never be able to tell anyone about his home life. Just how do you go about explaining that every weekend, instead of being with her husband, your mother sleeps with you? And you let her.
"Um, I'm not feeling too well. I think I need to go to the infirmary." He stood quickly, just needing to get away from everyone, from himself.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Katsura stood up beside him, her hand on his shoulder.
"No. Just finish lunch, I don't want to make you late or anything." He stumbled off, pulling away from her hand.
She watched him go then started to sit again. "Hey! What about your... lunch." He had already disappeared inside.
***
Katsura found that she could talk easily with Ryuuji. He was attentive when she was speaking, not loud and boisterous like most boys. He had the most soulful eyes, so dark and expressive. She could see a lot of pain in them, pain that he always tried to hide. But not with just her. Sometimes she would see him after school, staying away from the other students with that hurt in his eyes.
And she couldn't help but notice how good looking he was when he smiled, which was not often enough. So she took every opportunity to make him do it, doing all the bad impressions and telling all the jokes she knew, no matter how stupid.
She couldn't make him tell her why he was in so much pain. He wouldn't even admit that there was anything wrong. It frustated her endlessly that she wanted to know more about him but he refused to open up. She attributed it to his loss of his father, but knew there was something else too.
She only saw him at lunch, he never arrived at school early and he always left late. She tried to wait for him one day, but after an hour, she decided to head home herself. She wanted to get to know him, but if he wouldn't help her, there was nothing she could do.
***
"So what's your mom like?" She couldn't help but ask. He never mentioned anything about his family except that first time.
"She's... she's my mom." He shrugged. This was not something he wanted to be talking about. He knew he would slip and say something and Katsura would know everything. And then he would lose his only friend. He didn't want to lose his friend.
She was looking at him carefully. He wouldn't be able to hide for too much longer, she was too smart. She looked at him too closely. "Oh. Well, I just couldn't imagine losing either one of my parents. I was just wondering, you know, how you two get along," Katsura tried to play down her question.
"We get along fine. I mean, she's my mom. How should we get along?" Definitely not like they did last weekend... Ryuuji shivered slightly.
Katsura saw the shiver but decided not to make a point of it. His mother appeared to be what he was so upset about even though he was protecting her. Katsura decided to let the questions go and just be his friend. Friends seemed like a hard thing to come by at Furinkan anyway.
***
Instead of leaving or waiting outside, Katsura actively sought Ryuuji after school. She looked through the entire school, avoiding a group of rough looking students getting... shaved? by the principal. She found him in an empty classroom. "Can I come in?"
"Sure. I was just looking outside. Mr. Fujiyama lets me use the room until he leaves." Ryuuji sat silently on a desk, his gaze directed through the window at some treetops.
"Oh." Katsura walked over and sat on an adjacent desk. "Do you know how weird the principal is here? I mean, I saw him shaving some kids in the hall..."
Ryuuji chuckled. "Yeah. I'm surprised no one warned you about that. Just don't break any rules and you'll be fine."
"Can I ask you something?" She knew being so forward was usually frowned on, but damn it! Just waiting for life to happen to her was wrong.
"Sure." He was still staring out the window, his full attention not on her.
"Do you like me?"
"What?" He turned to her, surprise on his face. "Of course I like you. You're my only friend."
"No. I mean do you really like me?"
Ryuuji felt the life drain from his face. Like her? What was she trying to ask? "Uh..."
"Because I really like you. You're my only friend and you were nice to me when no one else would be. I like you a lot and can't stand to see you so upset all the time."
"I'm not upset all the time!" Desperation denial. She couldn't know!
"You don't have to hide it. You can tell me what's wrong. It won't change how much I like you because I like you for your personality. You're kind and sweet and smart and caring..."
"No! You don't know what you're saying! I'm not any of that! You'd be better just to leave me alone and forget I ever said anything to you." That would save both of them the humiliation and pain.
"I'll do no such thing. I just want you to be happy. And I want to know how you feel about me." She sat on the desk he was, still looking in his eyes.
He leaned back a bit. She was so close, her leg touching his. He couldn't let her get poisoned like he was; he had to protect her. "I... I like you a lot. But I just couldn't..."
"That's all I wanted to know. As long as you feel the same way about me that I feel about you..." She leaned forward and kissed him. It was her first kiss; moving around so much never gave her a chance to get to know any guys well enough to kiss them, or even like them enough to do it.
She didn't really notice when Ryuuji stopped moving completely. She had her eyes closed and didn't see his eyes bug out of his head. He was in real trouble now. She would know for sure that he had been doing bad things, she'd be able to tell by the kiss.
He broke from his paralysis and slid off the desk. "I'm sorry, Katsura. I just can't..." She looked surprised, but nothing more. "I just can't do it. I'm not good enough for you. I'm not good enough for anyone." He was wringing his hands, trying to prevent himself from confessing everything.
"I don't know what's wrong and you won't tell me, but I don't care. And if you're not comfortable enough to kiss me, that's OK. I understand." She smiled at him, hiding the disappointment that she felt. She didn't say anything else.
"You don't... care?" How could she not care? He was sick and perverted. He was dirty and could only infect others with it.
She shook her head. "No. I just want to be there for you. And maybe, some time you'll be able to kiss me." She blushed lightly at her admission.
Ryuuji stared. He rushed forward and took Katsura in his arms. She was still his friend, she didn't care how awful he was. After a moment, Katsura returned his hug, not seeing the tears in his eyes.
***
"Mom?"
"Yes, Ryu-chan? What is it?"
"Um, this weekend... I was wondering if I could..."
"What is it, Ryu-chan? Just spit it out."
"I was wondering if it would be OK for me to go to the movies?"
"Sure. Just don't get home too late."
"I won't, Mom." He let out the breath he had been holding. One tiny step towards freedom, very tiny. But he had to start somewhere. The fact that she even let him go was enough to make Ryuuji want to shout for joy.
He settled for going outside and running around the block as fast as he could.
***
"That was a good movie. That one part scared me." Well, not really scared, but surprised enough that when she had grabbed his arm, it had seemed like it was innocent.
"Yeah. I didn't think it would end like that, with everyone dying." They walked down the street, back towards Katsuras house. Ryuuji hated to leave so early, but if he didn't get home on time then, he would never get to leave the house again.
"Yep." Smalltalk exhausted, they walked in silence. Katsura swung her arms lightly, occasionally brushing Ryuuji's. She slowed down the swing and worked her hand into his. When she felt him grip it tightly, she smiled and at looked at him.
He was very nervous. He was holding her hand. Hers was warm and soft, while his was cold and clammy, but it felt nice. He was amazed that something so simple could make him feel so nice inside. He looked over at her, a bit surprised. She was still smiling at him; she felt the same way about it.
Ryuuji stopped walking and faced Katsura. "Katsura, I..." He just couldn't make himself finish the sentence.
"What is it, Ryuuji?" What was it he was trying to tell her?
"I... I..." What was he trying to say? He couldn't confess, not there in the middle of the sidewalk. "I think I'm in love with you, Katsura."
Katsura's mouth dropped open. "You're.. you.. You mean it?" It was the most coherent thing she could muster.
Ryuuji nodded. He only hoped she would understand how he felt and that he just couldn't tell her everything. Yet.
A small tear appeared in the corner of one her eyes. "I feel the same way!" She hugged him, putting her face into his shoulder, trying to hide her tears of happiness. It had all been so sudden, her feelings so strong. She had never felt like she did about Ryuuji.
She swallowed hard, trying to stop the tears when he didn't just hug her, but surrounded her with his arms. She felt on the verge of breaking into full-fledged crying, breathing heavily through her nose, trying to control her emotions, the tears coming a little more swiftly.
She released her hold and looked at Ryuuji's face. He didn't look all that happy, there was still so much pain, but the sincerity in his voice was all Katsura needed to hear.
"What's wrong?" Ryuuji asked, alarmed at her tears.
"Nothing, I'm just happy." She smiled and wiped her eyes on her arm, sniffling slightly.
"Oh." He sounded confused. Crying because she's happy? He only ever cried because he was miserable and wished he was dead. He cried over his father... And his mother. And now Katsura was crying because of him. "Please don't cry. It makes me feel bad."
She laughed and wiped her eyes again. "I can't help it. I feel like a fool, crying in the street like this, but you just made me really happy."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry! You shouldn't be sorry for making me happy."
"OK, but I'm still sorry for making you cry."
Katsura couldn't help but laugh again. Ryuuji was so innocent, like a little kid.
"Um, Katsura?" He was looking at her very intently.
"Yes, Ryu-chan?"
He flinched at the name. "Please don't call me that. That's what my mom calls me."
"Sorry. Yes, Ryu?"
He visibly relaxed. "I was wondering if we... could... you know... Try again?"
Katsura was a bit confused. "Try what? Oh! If you want to." She didn't want to sound too passive but she didn't want to scare him off either. A reassuring smile appeared on her face.
{Lara's note: sorry for all the mush.. too much Marmalade Boy soundtrack. =) Now back to the perversion...}
Ryuuji gulped and leaned his head down, trying to block out all thoughts of his mother. Katsura tilted her head up and met his lips.
At first, Ryuuji just couldn't get his mother out of his head. He wanted to pull away from the kiss and wipe his mouth off. He just couldn't stop thinking that he was kissing his mother in public. But for Katsura's sake, he tried his best.
He knew this wasn't his mother, but it was so hard to just forget the past month. He didn't put a lot of feeling into the kiss, but it seemed Katsura wasn't too experienced and was just keeping it to a gentle suction of the lips. For that, Ryuuji was grateful. If she had tried to use her tongue, he couldn't predict what he might have done.
Katsura pulled back, her eyes still closed. She felt him holding back, but appreciated his effort. As first kisses go, it wasn't too bad. She opened her eyes slowly and saw him looking at her worriedly. Instead of saying anything, she embraced him. Even if he didn't understand, he was well worth the effort to try and make him.
***
"Did you have a good time at the movie?"
"Yes, Mom."
"That's good." She watched him remove his shoes and jacket. "I want you to come upstairs when you're done." She disappeared upstairs.
Ryuuji sighed. He had known this would happen, but was hoping that just this one night... He started to remove his pants and shirt. When he was wearing only the dark purple boxer shorts his mother had bought him, he put his clothes in on the washing machine and headed upstairs.
TWO HOURS LATER...
Ryuuji returned to his room, holding the boxers in one hand, steadying himself on the door with the other. He wasn't so shell-shocked anymore and didn't fall sleep afterwards like he had before. Of course, then he couldn't just try and think of it as a bad dream either.
Sometimes, when his mother would come to his room, she would stay the entire night. But he was allowed to return to his own room when it happened in her room, he had to be thankful for small favors. He could still hear her compliments. 'You've gotten so good, Ryu-chan' He shut the door and tossed the boxers on the floor. 'Even better than your father, Ryu-chan' He got under the blanket and curled up. 'You make me feel so good, Ryu-chan' He thought of Katsura and how understanding she had been. 'I know you liked it, Ryu-chan' No, he'd never be good enough for someone like Katsura. 'I love you, Ryu-chan'
***
"I'm going out to lunch. Meet some friends downtown."
"OK, don't be late."
"I won't." Ryuuji stepped outside. His mother had accepted his renewed interest in going out more. She had asked him who he was going to meet and he had replied simply 'friends from school'. It seemed to placate her. Of course, that night she had been a bit rough with him, and left him with bruises in a few choice places.
He put that memory and the memory of the previous night away. It would only ruin his mood and make Katsura worry about him. The day shared his current mood, it was sunny and warm and all together pleasant. But the day always ended and night would come...
***
"That one." Katsura pointed at a guy with green hair walking past the window.
"Yeah right. My Mom would kill me. Why don't you do it?"
"What? That's just not proper. I couldn't go around with green hair."
"But it's OK for me to?"
"Sure. People expect guys to look freaky. That's just how it is."
"Sounds pretty sexist to me."
"Same thing women have been saying for a looong time."
"Touche."
***
He walked in the house with only minutes to spare. He had stayed out longer than he anticipated but as long as he was back by curfew, he was fine. He took off his shoes and headed to the downstairs bathroom.
He didn't notice until he came out that the house was abnormally quiet. All the lights were out, which was fairly unusual for being so early on a Saturday. Maybe his mother was out.
Ryuuji headed upstairs to wait for his mother. If he went to sleep before 11 and she had to wake him up, it made her angry. So he usually waited in his room, listening to CDs, until 11, when he would try to sleep. The hall was dark, which wasn't strange, until Ryuuji noticed the light in his mothers room was off.
He looked at her closed door for a moment, wondering if he should knock. He dismissed that idea and went to his room. He opened his door and stopped when he saw his mother waiting for him on his bed.
Not like she normally did though. All the lights were off, except for his reading light, lighting her from behind. She was fully dressed with none of the extras she normally brought. But the worst thing was the look on her face. He had seen all her moods, angry, happy, sad, everything. She looked was looking at him with distaste at the moment. It was what she saved for work, when dealing with someone that owed money.
It had never been directed at him until that point. Ryuuji almost collapsed to his knees; there was something terribly wrong that he had done. He shook his head a little, trying to deny whatever she would accuse him of.
"I saw you today, Ryuuji." His full name, BIG trouble. "I saw you with someone." Oh no, she must have been in town when they were at lunch. Katsura! "I saw you with a girl."
"I'm sorry, Mom! She just sat down with me! I didn't know her! I didn't!" He had given up trying to run a long time ago. "Please believe me, Mom!"
"I don't believe you, Ryuuji. Is this who you've been going out with every weekend? Is it that little slut?"
"She's not a slut, Mom! She's just a friend. She's my only friend!" She was going to make his friend go away.
"She must be a slut to sit so close to you. Nice girls don't do that."
"She's not a slut! Don't talk about her that way!"
"Don't talk back to me. You will stop consorting with her starting this very instant. I will not tolerate any trash like that near you."
"Katsura's not trash! Don't talk about her that way! Just leave her alone!"
"Oh, so Katsura is her name? I didn't think sluts and prostitutes used their real names. How could you want to be near a girl that uses aliases so no one finds out how many guys she's fucked?"
"I love her! Stop talking about her that way! I won't let you say things like that!" He wanted to jump at his mother and choke her, but found his feet rooted to the floor.
"You love her? I don't think so. You've just been fooled by another cheap thrill." His mother stood and walked towards him. "Don't you see, no one is capable of loving you because you belong to me. Only me. That will never change." She walked past him and out into the hall. Ryuuji heard her door open then slam shut.
Finally, he dropped to the floor, all his anger transformed in an instant into sorrow. He cried then, the entire night he laid on the floor sobbing with self-hatred and shame. His mother was right. No one would ever love him.
***
"Ryu, I have to leave."
"What? Leave? Where, when, for how long?"
"Very soon. We're moving back to Kyoto to live with my grandparents. My mom lost her job and we can't afford to stay here anymore." Katsura's eyes were moist, but she wasn't crying, even though she had lost the closest thing to love she had ever found.
"No! You can't leave me!" Ryuuji sprung to his feet and put his arms around Katsura. "You can't leave me like this!"
"I don't have a choice. My mom doesn't have a job and my dad doesn't have one around here yet. We're forced to move out in two days."
Ryuuji was shaking his head. "No, you can't. I won't let you. I need you here with me."
"I'm sorry, I want to stay but there's nothing I can do..." She tried not to cry then changed her mind and let the tears flow. "I love you," she whispered to him.
***
Ryuuji walked in the house. Katsura had gone home, needing to pack her things. She had immediatelly withdrawn from school, she would be far too busy with her family to worry about something so mundane. He ripped off his shoes and threw them to the floor.
He started to drop his bag then hurled it into the next room. he ran up the stairs, his feet thumping heavily. He ran into his room and fell on his futon. He wanted to cry, he really did, but he couldn't squeeze any out.
"Ryu-chan, what's wrong?"
Ryuuji looked back at his mother. "Katsura has to leave."
"Oh, that's too bad."
Ryuuji's eyes narrowed at her reply. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just that it's too bad."
"You..." He sat up and glared at his mother. "You had something to do with it, didn't you?"
"Why, Ryu-chan, I have no idea what you're talking about." She sounded innocent enough, but Ryuuji knew better.
"It was you. Why are you ruining my life? Why can't you leave me alone?" He knew her answer before she said it, knew it was fruitless to argue.
"First of all, I didn't do anything. Second of all, I do my best to protect you. You don't know anything about the real world. You think it's all romance and movies on the weekends. Well I've got some news for you, life really sucks. You should just be thankful I love you enough to take care of you like I do. Lots of parents don't take that much interest in the well-being of their children."
Ryuuji shrank back at her outburst. Though with her, it wasn't so much an outburst as a carefully calculated maneuver to make him break down. And it worked.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Mom." He looked at the floor. That one tiny step he had taken towards freedom... he had just taken a mile hike back.
"I'm glad you understand. A lot of teenagers just don't realize how tough the world is until it's too late. So don't think I'm mad at you; I just want what's best."
"I understand, Mom." Apparently, he was what was best.
"Excellent. Now after all that, I'm feeling a bit stressed out."
Ryuuji began to remove his shirt...