My Demons

Chapter 6: Invincible

Chapter 6 – Invincible

            It was hard to go back inside the apartment and face Takahiro. Both Misaki and I had forgotten about getting some alcohol, so I told Takahiro that the closest liquor store didn’t have what we wanted. That man is so dense that he’ll believe anything. He didn’t even notice the redness in our eyes from crying. I wouldn’t even know how to explain myself if he did notice.

            The night went on like nothing ever happened. I finally got to meet Manami-san and talk with her. She seemed like a nice woman, actually. And pretty. I could see why Takahiro wanted to marry her.

            Misaki also would not look me in the eyes the rest of the night. He talked only when he was spoken too, by anyone, and he kept twiddling his thumbs in his lap. His brother didn’t notice his odd behavior at all.

            When Takahiro announced he was taking Manami-san home, I volunteered to stay with Misaki until he got back. He beamed at us.

            “Thank you, Usagi! I’m so glad you two have become such good friends.”

            Suddenly I realized that Misaki hadn’t shown his brother his grades yet. “Oi, Misaki!” She didn’t look up at me. “Show Takahiro your scores.”

            He got up and handed Takahiro the sheet of paper. His face was still flushed and he purposely avoided making eye contact with me. I watched the older Takahashi’s eyes light up and his mouth open into a wide grin.

            “Wow, Misaki! This is so great!” I then turned to Misaki and watched him smile in return. His face blushed a bit more. “You’ll get into Mitsuhashi for sure! I’m so proud of you!”

            His eyes widened as tears of joy pooled in them. His mouth opened wider as he smiled even more. If I could see into his soul right now, it would be full of love for his brother. Just hearing those words from him made Misaki the happiest person in the world. It was beautiful. It made me smile as well, even though I was just crying not too long ago.

            Takahiro stepped forward and wrapped the boy up in his arms. He held him close, squeezing him tightly and ruffling his hair with his fingers. I wondered if he was happy just because he knew Misaki was happy, or if he was happy because he knew Misaki had done all of this for him.

            When they pulled away, Takahiro held out his hand to me. I shook it firmly and smiled wide. “Thank you, Usagi. This means so much to us.”

            Me too, Takahiro.

            He promised he would return soon and left to take his girlfriend home, leaving me alone with Misaki. The boy wiped his eyes and turned towards me. His eyes still did not meet mine as he stared at our feet.

            “Th-thank you, Usagi-san,” he said quietly. “Nii-chan was happy.”

            “Aren’t you happy?”

            He finally looked up a little. His hair covered the tops of his eyes. “Yes, but you got to see Nii-chan’s face when he saw how well I did.”

            I did say that I wanted to see that. However, I spent most of the time watching Misaki’s face instead. I wanted to see how happy he was when he realized that all of his hard work was paying off and that his brother was so proud of him. Takahiro was important too, but Misaki’s happiness… That’s all I care about.

            He suddenly turned around. “W-well, g-goodnight!” He started to walk towards another room. “You don’t have to stay to keep me company, Usagi-san. I’m fine all by myself.”