Love Between Old Friends

Chapter 4

xXOC POVXx
As I entered Kazuma's room, I set my backpack down with a loud thump and proceed to unpack some things; first off was my PJ's, next was my 3DS, I have a few games on it but I usually use it for the battle arena in OZ, my neko eared headphones where pulled out from my backpack gently, my sister bought them for me on my birthday, and then finally a small puffy bag, I set that thing beside my backpack and put my headphones around my neck.

I turned to Kazuma who was leaning against the wall near me. "Hey um...Riku..?" He said softly. "I just wanna get this off my chest...I-I'm sorry for those...things I said."

I let out a light huff and pulled out my phone from my jeans pocket and started fiddling with it. "Water under the bridge Kaze, besides it was stupid of me to admit my affection for you..."

"How was it stupid?" Kazuma muttered, turning his hand into a fist.

"Honestly...if I never said anything you wouldn't have gotten so badly bullied that you wouldn't have said those things to me and maybe I wouldn't needed to disappear for ten years." I sighed, I remembered when I admitted my feelings to Kazuma, we were at the city park in Ueda, he was quiet shocked and speechless about my confession and I too was worried, I didn't know how he felt of me and he was going to say something to me, until they showed up...

They, were a group of ruffians who were older than us, they picked on Kazuma and me because of my queer affection for him, one thing led to another and a fight started we were out numbered by 2 against 5 or so people. They battered the living shit out of me, giving me a black eye a swollen cheek a few cracked ribs and so on, while Kazuma had a few bruises and a bloody nose. We kicked their asses back to their mothers, however that when that thing happened...

I was patching myself up and cleaning up Kazuma's bloody nose, I kept repeating the words 'I'm Sorry' over and over again, but then out from nowhere he punched me right in the jaw, I was disoriented and confused on why he did it, but I didn't need to ask...he told me. He swore at me, insulted me...said some horrible things that made me cry and I still remember the last thing he said to me before I ran crying back to my sister... it was-

"Boys lunch is ready, get your butts in here and eat with the family!" A voice bellowed out from across the hall, it was Kazuma's mother, I blinked and that brought me back to the real world.

"Come on Riku...lets eat..." Kazuma said, giving me a hand in pulling my self up from the floor.

"Time to eat I guess, hehe..." I weakly chuckled as this shallow pain emanated from my chest. I took a deep breath and walked down the walkway with Kazuma.

xXKazuma POVXx
"Thank you for the food!" the family shouted and began feasting on the delicious foods. Chatter filled the room, it was minor conversations, what did we do, how was work, etc..

Riku sat next to me awkwardly, there was silence between us but he replied to any question the family asked. "So Riku, where have you been for the past 10 years?" Mansaku asked.

"Well I've been just unwell, you know I'm some what a sickly child." Riku replied with a few pauses in between eating.

I turned to him and broke the ice. "By the way you're eating I highly doubt that you're that sickly."

Riku chuckled lightly and smiled, it's...been a long while since I last saw him smile like that, a lot of bad things have happened to him in his past but it seems he's alright... atleast... I think. My chest felt light...the guilt I have felt almost all day seems to have passed...that good...

I pulled out my laptop from under the dinner table, I brought it with me because...He was still on my mind... I pushed the clutter of food that was surrounding me and placed it there, my mom wasn't too thrilled about what I was doing but it was for a good reason. I booted up OZ and searched up 'Soul Ripper Jack' some of the family came over to see what I was looking at, Riku was slightly intrigued, he eyed my laptop now and then while nibbling on a piece of tempura shrimp. A few moments later the avatar appeared in a second window.

The users avatar is human; its hight is 5 foot 11 inches with lightly tanned skin, his outfit consisted of a semi-modern attire, a blood red waist coat with a black long sleeve shirt underneath it and black trousers to fit the attire and also wearing a pair of black leather shoes to fit his colour scheme. His hair silver white while his eyes... his eyes were covered by a visor, made from what look like a steel alloy.

"Who is that guy?" said one of the family members

"That guy...bested me in the arena, I couldn't even land a punch on him." I gritted my teeth at my considered defeat...even though he forfeited its a defeat for me... I turned to Riku who was enjoying the food, he kept on absorbing more and more like he was starved for months and this is his paradise. However that changed.

"Hey Riku, where's your sister?" Natsuki questioned him. Riku paused and lowered down a piece of meat he was about to eat and laid silent.

His eyes stared down to the bowl of food he held in his hands, everyone in the room also fell silent waiting for his answer, while others just realised that Riku's sister wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Riku mumbled. "She's been a bit busy so she wasn't able to come..." I knew something was wrong with Riku because I know when he tells the truth and when he lies and this... is one of those times I could tell... he was lying.

"Oh... well its because I haven't heard from her in years, I mean we used to talk but she just disappeared from the face of the earth"

Something was really wrong about Riku, I could tell very easily...not to mention he was trying to hide his face. I peered over to look at his eyes to see that there were tears forming in his eyes...

Suddenly he sprung up from area he sat in and bowed his head to excuse himself from the table and just left,...he was crying...