Thanks to Ammadeau, Donny Cheng, Alan Harnum, Richard Lawson,
and the C*B*L for pre-reading duties.
Characters belong to Gainax, and they need the money more than I
do probably - unless they get audited for fun.
P A G E S
by Lara Bartram
---------------
Page 40
He would make her understand. It was that simple. He
couldn't wait for her to do it by herself; it might be too late
then. And maybe she thought he wasn't serious, but he hadn't
been more so in his entire life when he had said he couldn't
live without her.
Gendo quashed any doubts in his mind as he rode the train.
She wouldn't refuse. To think otherwise was... It weakened his
resolve, and that would not do. This was not something he could
be weak or wishy-washy for.
He had to be confident in his decision, his words forceful
and direct so she would know he was serious. If he had doubts,
Yui wouldn't have confidence in him. There could be no doubts,
no going back. This was the right decision.
Yui would accept. She would understand.
"Yui."
She turned at the sound of his voice. There was something
different about it. It was... deeper, more commanding. "Is
there something wrong?" That was the only reason she could
imagine he'd speak to her with that tone.
"No problem. I just need to tell you something." He
stood there, sunlight reflecting off his glasses and hiding his
eyes.
His eyes. That had always been one way she could read his
mood without fail. "What is it?"
"Not here." Gendo beckoned her into the living room.
She followed him, very confused about what he wanted. He
had never acted so... weird. "What is it?" she repeated.
When she was standing where he wanted her, back to the
window, early afternoon sun shining behind her, Gendo struck.
It was easier since he couldn't see her face that well.
Reaching into his pocket, he removed the box and held it
out to Yui. "Yui," he began.
Her hand flew up to her mouth, and she stared at what he
was holding. Eyes widened with surprise, they were locked on
the box.
"Would you..." Gendo started to say.
Tentatively, Yui reached out and touched the box as if
confirming its reality. It was certainly real, and this was all
definitely happening.
Gendo's hand went over hers, brushing it delicately as he
opened the box for her to see the contents.
It was small, but Yui wouldn't have expected much more
really. She didn't need more. In fact, she didn't need a ring
at all, but... "It's... it's..."
"An engagement ring. Will you marry me?"
Yui just stood there, her entire body frozen, unable to
make a sound.
After a few moments of silence, Gendo spoke. "If you're
not sure, you can..."
"Yes!" Suddenly her arms were around him and she was
hugging him fiercely. "I will," she said, her face pressed into
his shoulder.
With an inaudible sigh of relief, Gendo returned her hug,
kissing her temple. "I bought this so you have to wear it
though," he whispered, holding the box tightly.
"Of course," she answered hurriedly, releasing his neck.
Yui wiped her eyes on her arm before looking back at the open
box. She held out her hand, embarrassed at how badly it was
shaking.
Gendo removed the ring and tossed the box to the side.
Taking her hand to steady it, he slipped the ring on her finger.
He smiled a little, liking the way the sun made it sparkle.
Yui turned and held her hand up, allowing the ring to
catch direct sunlight. "It's... perfect."
---
Page 41
He gazed impassively at the ring and wondered where
Rokubungi had gotten the money to pay for it, wondered what Yui
saw in that man.
Enough, apparently, to agree to marry him. Such a shame,
such a waste. Not only did she deserve more, the two of them
could have done so much more on the project together... He
couldn't even manage to fool himself on that point.
Of course the potential had been there, but she just
wasn't interested. And all that time, he'd been hoping they'd
progress beyond the limited teacher/student relationship.
Not fast enough. But Rokubungi... had moved quickly. A
little too quickly to believe actually. There was no doubt some
underlying reason for it all, maybe money or... It was possible
that if Yui had talked just a little too much about the
project...
No, she wouldn't do that though; she was as serious about
it as he, and doing anything, _anything_, to jeopardize it would
be tantamount to treason. As serious as he... If anything, she
was more, driven almost, and now...
"Congratulations," he said, trying to mask the
disappointment in his voice. Trying to crush the jealousy. If
it had been possible, he would have tossed it all away; it just
wouldn't work, no matter how beautiful and intelligent she was.
"We haven't set a date or anything yet."
She was so happy, excited. She didn't see how wrong it
all was. "I'm sure..." The words were so hard to force out,
and certainly not with any genuine feeling. "You'll be very
happy."
"Thank you, Professor."
She hugged him, and Kozo Fuyutsuki knew he was in hell.
"Yui?"
"Hm?" All she wanted was to relax and go to sleep. The
slightly grave tone he was using told her she wouldn't get that
chance.
"Where's your ring?"
Feeling her hand and realizing it was naked, Yui reached
into her pocket. "I forgot to put it on after I finished up
today." She pulled it out and slipped it on her finger.
Gendo nodded and looked at her hand. Everything was as it
should be once again. He stood, holding on to Yui's hand. "You
look exhausted. I'd like to know what you're doing that does
this to you every day."
"Just hard work. I'm not the only one that looks like
this at the end of the day."
"A small comfort. You're lucky I'm here or who would look
after you? Each night, you're too tired to even cook for
yourself."
Yui stood at the gentle insistence of Gendo's pulling. "I
can take care of myself just fine," she insisted. "I can eat
well enough without your help."
"Maybe, but that's a non-issue now. As long as you insist
on working yourself to exhaustion, I'm going to take care of
you." He led her to the bedroom. "And then, after it's
official, we can move into a decent place with a big kitchen,
and then you're going to eat right."
"Mm hm." She shrugged out of her clothes with Gendo's
assistance. Before laying down, she put on a nightshirt and
sighed.
"What is it?" Gendo asked as he covered her.
"I'll be glad when this is all over." Smiling tiredly,
she reached up and stroked his cheek. "You need to shave."
When it was all over? What did she mean? Surely not the
two of them. "If you insist, I will." He leaned down and
kissed her forehead.
"Don't stay up so late tonight."
"I'll be in in a little bit. You just get some sleep."
He frowned imperceptibly, watching her settle into bed. "I love
you."
"Good night," Yui mumbled. "I love you too."
---
Page 42
"No, I don't think I'll wait around. Even though you know
how I like to keep up with the latest gossip."
"I didn't think you would, but I can never be sure with
you. You go on; I doubt we'll be much later than ten." Yui
thumped Gendo on the back as she steered him toward the door.
"You're anxious to get rid of me. Embarrassed to show me
off to your friends?"
"You know it's not that."
"So did you get a stripper or something then? I wouldn't
mind."
"No!" Yui opened the door and shoved Gendo out. "You
said you didn't want to be here, so go!"
"I'm leaving. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"I don't know. That really limits my choices," she said
sarcastically, then waved at him. As Yui watched him walk away,
she could predict exactly where he was heading. She didn't
really approve, but he needed his personal time too.
And the bar hadn't really been an issue since the night
she had gotten drunk. Still, Yui knew he didn't have a good
history there and didn't want him to get in anymore trouble.
She was very aware of his temper and what could happen,
especially if those four creeps happened to show up. Next time,
it might be worse than a black eye, bloody nose and cut lip.
Next time, they might take it outside and not be satisfied with
rendering him unconscious.
Taking a deep breath and willing herself to relax, Yui
shut the door.
"What's he like?"
Yui blinked at the question.
"What's he _really_ like?" asked a different friend. "You
said yes, right? So what is it about him?"
Blushing a little, knowing some of the things they wanted
to hear, Yui shook her head. "He's kind of quiet, but funny.
And very sweet."
"You'd never know by the way he acts. He's creepy, always
standing around like he's going to rob someone. That look on
his face..."
Yui shrugged, not taking the comments of her friend badly.
"He doesn't have a lot of friends, mostly because he's so smart,
I think. And he doesn't like crowds, like parties."
The others nodded.
"So he doesn't like to go out like that. Usually it's
just dinner or a movie or a walk."
"That sounds romantic. You know 'Hiko's idea of romance
is not stinking like beer before he comes to bed," Yui's closest
friend of the bunch said. "He's not romantic very often."
The others laughed good-naturedly at the comment. Their
own experiences weren't all that different with college "men".
"But... it's not exactly the same," another said. "He's
not exactly your typical college guy." She stopped, wanting the
others to get her meaning and not make her say it. They just
looked at her blankly though. "I mean, he's... old."
The look on Yui's face immediately turned sour. "He's not
old. Only thirty one. And I know you all would rather have
someone who is more responsible, knows how to treat you right
than someone who throws up on himself because he's too drunk to
move." She would just not mention that unfortunate incident
with Gendo just after they had moved in together.
"Well, yeah," said the one who had made the offending
statement. "But..."
"He's not bad looking," offered another.
"All that really matters is that we love each other.
That's the most important thing. Ten years difference isn't so
much when you're both adults," Yui said, getting the final say.
"He could be thirty years older and it'd be fine if he
took me out to eat at someplace fancier than the bar," another
said, and started the others giggling.
---
Page 43
Gendo took a small drink of his beer and set it back down on the
bar. He wasn't really looking forward to sitting there until Yui's
friends left, but he had nothing else to do. No friends to visit, no
place to go and relax.
He took another drink of beer and frowned. It was more bitter
than he remembered, and he knew he was in for a long evening.
Back to real life, Gendo hunched over his beer and stayed that
way. It was probably as good a time as any to start... planning. Even
though it was almost frightening, it needed to be done. They wouldn't
just go to some office and put their stamps on a piece of paper; there
would be a proper ceremony.
Yui wouldn't do without one, no matter how he felt about it. Or
how his bank account felt, which was what he was most worried about.
And that meant... a job. Something better than the table scraps he was
making at his current job.
There was always... Just as Yui had suggested. Yet, there were
complications in that too. Or possibly just one. There wasn't quite
the same animosity toward Fuyutsuki in him that there had been, but
there was definite dislike.
It was probably worse for the professor too. There was no doubt
in Gendo's mind that the older man had some sort of feelings for Yui,
and to watch her...
There was no point in thinking about it. Yui was going to be his
wife, and that was that. But that wouldn't make whatever this
mysterious job Yui was offering him any easier. God, what melancholy
thoughts for a time that was supposed to be of celebration.
But celebrating now wouldn't help at all for the things that
needed to be planned for in the future. And money was still his top
concern. Yui supporting them... The thought was disgusting if only
because it meant he was failing. Failing on all fronts. Failing right
in front of Yui.
And the curiosity ate at him. There was some secret, something
people weren't meant to find out about, something that Yui thought was
_that_ important. So what could it be?
"You again. I thought you were gone. Or wasn't it enough the
first time we broke your face?"
Gendo turned on the stool and faced the person speaking to him.
Same guy, same three friends, and it looked like a few new ones. There
was probably going to be another fight, but this time, he would actually
make it a fight. "Fuck off."
"Look, Dad, I don't know why you're here," the guy said and put
his hand on Gendo's shoulder, "but I'm going stomp your ass into the
ground, and my friends are going to help."
The only thing Gendo could really think of was how upset Yui would
be when he got home with his face looking like a train wreck. He
wouldn't be the only one though. His hand clenched into a fist as he
slid forward and sat on the edge of the stool. The look on his face
never wavered from bored indifference.
The bartender, watching the scene unfold, waved the bouncers over
to put a quick stop to things. They really didn't need another fight.
"Gentlemen, we don't want to see any trouble here," the bouncer
said calmly and was completely ignored.
Gendo saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and slid out
of the way, allowing the bottle to smash against the bar, hitting two
other patrons with glass. He moved his head just enough so that the
incoming fist glanced off the top of his head before punching back. His
fist impacted with something firm, but which gave way with a gush of
warm fluid.
With flying glass, tumbling bodies, and the sheer number of
participants, the fight was soon a full-fledged brawl.
---
Page 44
Yui looked at the darkness outside the window and frowned. Her
friends were long gone, but there was no sign of Gendo, not even a phone
call. Beyond going to the bar and seeing if he was still there, she had
no idea what to do.
Everything inside her was yelling that there was something wrong,
that he wasn't just late, but... She could just call the bar and see if
he was there. It was simple, and when he got on the phone and spoke to
her in that certain tone of voice, she could laugh it all off.
That was it. She's just call and find out how silly she was
being.
They had done just enough so that he didn't bleed all over.
Though he hadn't expected much more from the police either. This
detention center thing though... Gendo needed to get the hell out.
None of it was his fault, but they didn't seem to care.
Gendo paced the holding cell, waiting for... something. They had
just tossed him and a few others in there and left them. Not even a
phone call. He needed to call Yui... he needed some ice. And on second
thought, he didn't want to call her because she'd have an attack.
There wasn't any need to worry her; after he was out, he'd explain
the entire thing to her calmly. But first, he had to get out of this
damned cage. No way he'd bang on the bars and demand to see a lawyer or
get his one phone call though. He could wait them out.
Wait them out. Easy, no problem. Gendo leaned against the wall
and felt his eyes close. Helpless to stop them, the fatigue consuming
him, he started to half-dream about things he couldn't remember.
"Rokubungi!"
Immediately, his eyes snapped open at the voice shouting out his
name. There was an officer standing at the door, looking at him with
contempt, and behind him...
"Professor. Surprising seeing you here." An almost malicious
grin made its way to Gendo's lips.
"I don't even know why I bothered really. You disgust me,
Rokubungi." Fuyutsuki's eyes narrowed. "And why did you use me as a
contact?"
"Who else would I use? It's not like I have a lot of university
contacts." Gendo stood on just on the other side of the bars now,
looking intently at Fuyutsuki.
"I'll release him into your custody if you'll just..." the guard
began.
"No. I guess I just came down here to see this for myself,"
Fuyutsuki answered with disdain and turned to leave.
"Surely," Gendo added nonchalantly, "I couldn't have put down Yui,
could I? She would be so upset. And I suspect when she hears what's
happened she'll be even more upset, but it won't be at me. Right,
Professor?"
Kozo stopped, in complete disbelief that Rokubungi was actually...
"Let him out."
One corner of Gendo's mouth twitched into a smile.
"Rokubungi, you are a bastard."
"I do what's necessary, Professor."
"And Yui? What's necessary that you need to use her?"
It took Gendo a moment to answer. "Nothing. I love her, and she
loves me."
"You've fooled her very well. But I'm watching, and I won't let
you hurt her. Remember that, and remember what I'm doing for you now."
Fuyutsuki filled out the appropriate papers, wanting to leave Rokubungi
to rot, but knowing Yui would never forgive him if he did.
"Don't worry. I'll keep it in mind." Gendo watched Fuyutsuki as
he was freed from the cell. "I'll be sure to tell Yui what a favor
you've done for me."
"Don't push your luck. This is for her, not you," Kozo said icily
as the two left the building, walking side by side like they were the
closest of friends.
"For yourself. I'm not stupid. Yui will be grateful, but she
won't be that grateful. You'll never get the better of me."
On that last note, the two parted ways in the night.
---
lara@emunix.emich.edu
http://www.thekeep.org/~lara/index.html