Familial Impact
By Lara Bartram
lara@emunix.emich.edu


[1997]

	"Meiko, I'd like you to meet my younger brother, Gendo 
Rokobungi."
	Meiko smiled and bowed to Gendo.  "Pleased to meet you."
	Gendo smiled crookedly, wondering how his brother managed 
to bag such a cute girl.  As far as he was concerned, his older 
brother was a complete geek, going into teaching and all that.
	"I don't know why you'd want to stay here, Little Brother.  
Won't this cramp your style with the women?" Shinichi joked.
	Still grinning, Gendo shook his head, his glasses sliding 
down his nose a little.  He pushed them up with one finger 
before speaking.  "I'm not really worried about it.  Things will 
happen in their own time.  No need to force them."
	"When did you get so sensible?  You disappoint me."  
Shinichi slapped Gendo on the back.  "Come on.  I'll show you 
the guest room."
	The two receded down the hall, while Meiko went to 
continue with the dishes.  She would have to ask Shinichi later 
why he and his brother had different family names.

	Gendo tossed his stuff on the floor next to the desk.  
"You've got a nice place.  Must be cozy living here with..."
	"Meiko."
	"Yeah.  She seems like a nice little wife."
	Shinichi nodded.  "She is.  How long do you plan on 
staying here?"
	Gendo frowned.  "Until I get a job and I'm deemed 
"responsible".  What a bunch of crap."
	"Things were that bad?" Shinichi asked, opening the closet 
to reveal the bedding.
	He shrugged.  "I never thought so, but the court said it 
was being lenient by letting me come here.  It was just a bar 
fight..."
	"Another one?  What's with you, Gendo?  Why don't you 
settle down?"
	"I've got nothing to settle down to.  Kyoto seems like a 
waste of time if they're going to be all over my case for being 
a regular college student.  What's the point?"
	Looking critically at his brother, Shinichi nodded.  "I 
think being here's going to help.  I bet I can get you back to 
Kyoto in no time."
	"No way.  You're not getting me to go back.  Bunch of 
hypocrites is what they are," Gendo snorted.
	Smiling, Shinichi patted Gendo on the shoulder.  "Just you 
wait, Little Brother."
	Sighing Gendo shook his head.  "So what's with the name 
change?" he asked suddenly.
	"I was wondering when you'd get to that.  I was actually 
rather surprised when I got the call."
	"Resentful?"
	Chuckling, Shinichi shook his head.  "Not yet.  When 
you're in rough times, you can count on me.  I just changed my 
name because...  Well, it's kind of hard to explain."  He 
shifted uncomfortably.  "Why don't you settle in, and I'll tell 
you the whole story some other time.  Meiko'll have dinner 
started soon."
	"Great.  I'm starved."
	"And the bath's free."  The older brother grinned.  "I 
think you need it after your time in custody."

***

	"Shini..."  Gendo paused in front of his brother's door.  
The noises coming from behind it were... intriguing.  He put his 
ear lightly to the surface of the door and listened with 
interest.

***

	"Hey, Little Brother.  What are you up to?"
	Gendo looked to his brother leaning in the doorway, and 
removed his headphones.  "Nothing much.  Something wrong?"
	"On the contrary.  You interested in knowing why I changed 
my name?"  There was an odd look on his face, partially 
secretive, sort of playful, a trace of seriousness, and his eyes 
were dangerous.  Though they were hidden behind his glasses as 
the sunlight reflected off them.
	"Sure.  What is..."
	"Come on."  Shinichi moved from the doorway and down the 
hall.
	Gendo followed quickly, not sure at all about his 
brother's strange behavior.  "Shinichi, I don't get what you're 
being so secretive about," he said as his brother disappeared 
into his own room.
	Gendo's breath caught in his throat as he stopped in the 
doorway.  "Shinichi..."
	"I did it for the family, Gendo.  Just in case...  To 
protect the family honor."
	Meiko made muffled noises, the ball gag in her mouth 
preventing her from speaking.
	"No one will know.  Meiko and I, we're already outcasts, 
but could you imagine if this ever got out?"
	Gendo could only imagine one thing and continued to stare 
at his brother's wife, hung from the ceiling in an elaborate 
leather harness.  His eyes met hers, but instead of the fear he 
expected to find, there was a dark, manic glee in them.
	"No one gets hurt this way, Gendo.  No one knows.  Except 
you."
	While Gendo was staring, Shinichi took off the loose shirt 
and sweatpants he had been wearing to reveal a 
leather/rubber/vinyl ensemble underneath.
	"We're different, Gendo, but we're happy.  You could be 
happy too.  You don't need to get into bar fights, or even go 
out drinking.  You just need to find a different channel for 
your feelings."
	One part of Gendo wanted to flee in terror at his 
brother's perversion, but another wanted to dive in whole-
heartedly.  The internal struggle raged for a moment before 
Gendo slowly shook his head.  "I... can't.  It's..."  He shook 
his head.  "I can't."
	Nodding, Shinichi nodded knowingly.  "It's okay, Gendo.  
Just as long as you don't tell anyone, it won't be an issue 
here.  You're still my brother, and that's not going to change 
because of what I've told you."
	Gendo nodded absently, still staring at the nude and bound 
Meiko.
	"You could... watch, if you wanted."
	As if on cue, Meiko began to struggle against her bonds.
	"Just a moment, Love.  Let him make up his mind," Shinichi 
said, running one gloved hand up her naked thigh.
	Now trembling, Gendo turned and fled the room.

***

	Gendo emerged from his room slowly.  Breakfast was 
cooking, and the smell was irresistible.
	"Sleep well?" Shinichi asked as he walked by, surprising 
Gendo and making his jump.
	"Um, sure."
	"Great.  Meiko says breakfast in fifteen minutes.  You 
don't want to miss out."
	Gendo nodded then retreated back into his room.  So it 
seemed his brother was bothered at all by his refusal.  It was 
just so strange because his older brother had always been so... 
perfect.  To discover he was some freaky child...
	But what difference did it make?  Meiko was obviously 
going along with it.  That look in her eye...  Gendo wouldn't 
have been surprised to discover she had initiated it.
	He dressed slowly, not sure just how he should act.  It 
would have been easiest to just be like the others and pretend 
nothing had happened.  It was hard to act like he hadn't seen 
Meiko, two years younger than he, hanging there at his brother's 
mercy.
	Shuddering, he waited for a bit after he was dressed to 
try and clear the images from his mind.

	"Good morning.  I hope you slept well."  Meiko smiled 
brightly at him and set a bowl of rice down.
	"Yeah, just fine.  I hope you..."  He realized the 
absurdity of saying the same thing back considering...
	"Just fine.  So Ken tells me you went to Kyoto.  What did 
you study?" she asked pleasantly, not missing a beat.
	"Oh, well I was in engineering, but..."  He shrugged, 
embarrassed by his forced withdrawal from the semester.
	"Don't worry about it.  Everyone makes mistakes in life; 
it's what you do after that that's really important."  She 
smiled again, and Gendo smiled back.
	"Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you," Kenichi said, 
sitting down at the table.  "She could have gone into any 
program she wanted at the university."  He winked at Meiko, who 
giggled in return.
	Gendo nodded, the smile on his face thoughtful, then began 
to eat with gusto.

***

	It was late, later than he should have been up.  Yet, 
Gendo had remained wide awake ever since he had retired to his 
room for the night.  He just couldn't get to sleep.  His older 
brother's happiness gnawed at him, held up to his own guilt for 
comparison...
	He wasn't ashamed of getting in the fight; he was far more 
ashamed of getting caught, along with the public humiliation.  
But his brother was happy.
	His brother wasn't a struggling college student though.  
His brother had a cozy life, with his nice wife, and his easy 
job.
	He had none of that.
	He wanted to be happy.
	Getting out of bed, dressed in his pajamas, he left his 
room.  He stood in front of his brother's door, the sounds 
coming from behind it again, and lifted his hand to it.
	"I'm not running away from this," he said aloud.  "I want 
to be happy too."
	He knocked lightly, then opened the door and entered.

...