Mom

The Dinner

When he was eleven and Karma made his choice, he felt so angry he wanted to explode.

Gakushuu slammed the door shut when they were alone in their room and their parents were fighting downstairs. "Why would you do that?"

Karma backed away, eyes wide. "Shuu—"

"We said we'd stick together." Gakushuu snapped, taking advantage of the two inches of extra height he had on his brother and towering over him. "And now suddenly you want mom to split us up?!"

His brother grew tense like a cornered animal while they could hear their parents arguing getting louder from downstairs.

"No!" Karma shoved him away. "I just don't want to live with dad anymore!" He shouted. "I don't want to do any more stupid competitions! I just want a break!"

"And you think being with mom will solve all that?" Gakushuu wanted to shake him. "She doesn't care and as soon as you start living with her, she'll drop the act and forget all about you."

"Shut up!" Karma looked like he'd cry, shaking his head. "You're the idiot wanting to stay with dad." He glared at him. "At least mom isn't crazy! All dad cares about is us winning!"

"Because he's teaching us to be strong." Gakushuu snapped. "Because he's actually raising us to accomplish something!" He grew angrier. "He wants us to have a future, meanwhile mom couldn't care less if we even have breakfast."

Karma grimaced. "That's not true—"

"Oh, really?" Gakushuu tone grew mocking. "So who's the one who buys our clothes and makes sure we have food for school?"

His little brother's grimace grew. "...Dad."

"And the one who checks our homework and comes to our competitions?"

"Dad," Karma muttered grimly. "But mom used to—"

"And, the person who actually turns up to parent-teacher night at school?"

His brother sighed. "Dad..."

Exactly. He knew dad's methods could be... hard and also scary, but his brother had to learn that was how the world was and their dad was just preparing them for that because unlike their mom he actually cared. At least he wouldn't abandon them like their mom was trying to do.

His brother's shoulders hunched. "But even if dad does all that stuff, he... I told a kid at school how he punishes us and she said it was wrong—"

"Stop making excuses," Gakushuu lost his patience. "Yeah, dad's a jerk, and the punishments suck, but you'll never be strong if you just run away because you can't handle it," he reprimanded harshly. "It'll just mean he'll think you're weak."

His little brother flinched. "I'm not weak!"

Gakushuu's gaze turned cold. "You are if you're leaving just because you can't handle a few competitions and studying." He crossed his arms. "You can barely keep up with me, so how are you ever going prove to dad your strong if you go running to mom like a baby?" He scowled when he saw more tears gather in Karma's eyes. "You already look like you'll cry like one."

"Shut up!" Karma lunged at him like some rabid dog, hitting him wherever he could as they tussled on the floor. "Just shut up!"

Gakushuu winced when his little brother's punch landed on his ribs. "It's true!" He wrestled him into the headlock, only for the red-head to bite him. "Ow!"

"I'm not stupid!" Karma screamed at him as he tried to wrestle free. "I hate you!" He shouted and then ran out of the room.

"Go ahead and keep running away!" Gakushuu shouted after him, feeling a hole open up in his chest when his eyes started to sting.