Rena nibbled on her egg sandwich as she waited for her sister to finally wake up. She regretted putting Maki in her bed, but she had looked awful when Guy accidentally disturbed her. He must have forgotten their guest lay fast asleep on the sofa bed as he jumped on it. He was being punished for that intrusion with the duty of cleaning out the kitchen cupboards at last.
Rena could never understand why Guy and Maki disliked one another so vehemently. They were both practicing martial artists who clearly enjoyed training together, but at every opportunity, she would catch the two arguing. What about? Rena wondered. She couldn’t care less, but their bickering had to end, even if it meant locking them up in a room together to make them resolve their issues.
As she recalled last night’s activity, Rena shivered. A rush of excitement tingled through her. She was sure Guy was no longer upset with her after his performance. It pleased her incredibly that he was running around the house looking for her this morning. He must have missed her, Rena thought lovingly, or else he would have stayed in bed just to avoid Maki.
She picked the white bread crumbs from the small dish and threw them onto a newspaper. Her hands fumbled over the wooden surface of the table until she couldn’t feel any more scraps.
“It looks much better in here now,” Guy’s voice echoed, his head stuck inside the cupboard. He was on his hands and knees scrubbing the ceiling of the cupboard with a disinfectant that perfumed the small peach-colored kitchen.
“Once I’m done,” Guy declared, pulling his head out into the open air, “you’ll never have to scrub this kitchen again.”
Rena hummed in response, placing a hand under her chin before taking another small bite. Now she wondered whether she had been too loud while Maki slept downstairs.
“I hope you’re not saying that just so you can leave early,” she answered, failing to sound the least bit authoritative.
“Hey, when I said I’ll get it done, I meant it, okay?” he shot back, trying hard not to sound angry. He hated acting so fake with her. “Anyway, this is my house.”
“No, it’s our house now.” Rena smiled, dusting more crumbs off her hands. She leaned over Guy and peered into the cupboard with a frown. “And you missed a bit,” she said, pointing at a tiny scuff mark near the hinge of the door.
“What? That little thing? You can barely see it,” Guy moaned.
“Well, I can,” Rena muttered, tugging the blue cloth from Guy’s hand.
“I said I’ll do it, didn’t I?” he groaned bitterly.
“I know, I know,” she said distractedly, rubbing quickly over the mark. “There. All gone,” she finished with a smile, and resumed her seat at the round wooden table.
Guy leaned against the cupboard, bored, and wishing he were upstairs. He couldn’t help but think of the other sister sleeping in his bed. If he hadn’t been forced to clean his own damned kitchen, he would have gone mad thinking about Maki in her sports underwear.
“You going to make me any coffee at all?” he said, turning back to catch a sight of the ugly floral tablecloth Rena had recently bought. He was even more appalled to see the fake flowers beside his chrome toaster and kettle. Worst of all was the hideous framed picture of playful cats and dogs that hung beside his beautifully painted martial arts canvas. He felt so alienated from his own home. He had to encourage Rena to leave.
For good.
“I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?” he grunted, hoping that Rena would notice the sarcasm in his voice, but she didn’t. Even after living in America for years, Rena barely understood English.
He watched her as he waited for the water to boil. As she sat looking through the pictures in the paper, he found her so unattractive, so plain. Her beige dress was the same color as her make-up free face. The only color on her was the floral printed scarf around her neck, and he hated it. He hated anything flowery and distinctly feminine.
Unaware that he had been coldly staring, Rena flashed him a quick smile. It roused Guy back to reality. He felt sick to his stomach to have made ravenous love to her. Being forced to keep away from the woman he really wanted had made the tension in the room last night almost too much to bear. Guy was appalled by his actions, and was anxious to check whether Maki was truly okay.
“I’m gonna ask your little sister if she wants something to drink,” he slurred.
Rena nodded, catching only the words “little sister” in English.
Guy desperately ran up the spiral staircase, hearing Rena say, “If she’s awake, tell her to get dressed quickly, so we can go shopping.”
Guy peered over the bedroom doorway, and his heart juddered loudly as he discovered Maki still asleep. He felt guilty to be waking her, but frustration overcame his patience. He leaned toward her warm face and nestled a gentle kiss on her cheek. She let out a soft murmur, inviting Guy to plant another kiss on the same spot. She opened her eyes lazily smiling, but then her expression changed.
“Get off me, you jerk,” she recoiled, pushing him hard on the chest.
Guy’s smile dropped. Her hostility hurt him. Maki looked angry. Her palm was out to keep him away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely concerned, wondering where to place his hands.
“Ooooh Guuuy, ahhh, ahhh,” Maki imitated her sister, pulling exaggerated sex faces. “You gave her like three orgasms last night, you asshole.”
“Maki, I--”
“Get your stinking hands off me,” she yelled.
“Shh, she’s downstairs,” he whispered with strain.
“You didn’t seem too bothered with me being downstairs last night. I heard you go at it like rabbits. Damn, Guy, you’re such a dick,” she snapped, pulling the cover over her face and turning her back to him.
Guy felt stabbed in the heart. He suddenly heard Rena call his name, but ignored her.
“And don’t you dare blame the alcohol for your disgusting behavior,” she snapped, keeping hidden behind the pillow. “That’s a cheap way out.”
He smoothed a place on the bed. “I wouldn’t be lying if I said that I thought of you the entire time.”
Feeling brave, Guy tugged at the duvet. Maki’s blonde fringe flopped carelessly over her face.
“Do you have any idea how sorry I am?” he said, his whole body yearning forward. “I had my eyes closed thinking of you.”
“Oh, the sweet loving sentiment, it melts my heart,” Maki jeered.
He was at least glad she knew how to use sarcasm.
“You make me sick,” she growled, her voice muffled, as they argued over the duvet.
“Your smell,” Guy whispered in his best seductive voice as he pulled Maki with the duvet. She continued to growl but he couldn’t let go. “Hhmm, your skin,” he sniffed, nuzzling his face behind her ear.
Maki couldn’t help but moan as she felt her nape massaged with his soft kisses. Then she slapped him on the face. As if she was that pathetic to succumb to his cheating touches!
“You disgust me,” Maki spat with pure hatred.
“I love it when you call my name,” he whispered again, almost crawling on top of her. “...when you pull me closer to you.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she yelled, pushing him off with a hard shove. Her breath deepened as the rage surged within her. “You come near me again and I swear to God, I’ll scream.”
Guy parted his lips, ready to grab Maki into a passionate kiss, but the call of his name distracted him.
“Guy, Guuuuuuy,” Rena called from the bottom of the staircase in a singsong voice.
“WHAT?” he yelled, with desperate anger.
He rolled his eyes at Maki, then moved off the bed to peer out of the room. He caught a glimpse of Rena’s smiling face and watched her gesture with her hands to come down, before she disappeared back into the kitchen.
“Hurry up and get dressed, okay!” he ordered Maki, who refused to turn around. “You not being downstairs is killing me.”
Maki lay silen
tly in bed, holding herself rigidly still. Guy nodded, not knowing what else to say, but his heart thumped uncomfortably, and he forced himself to walk out.
“Hey, Guy,” Maki said suddenly, her voice alive with the love and emotion he craved. He turned around, his eyes soft and expectant, but then his jaw swung open.
“Yeah, dirt bag, this is for you,” Maki yelled with her middle finger up in the air. She was topless and he didn’t know which to focus on before she jumped under the duvet.
Back in the kitchen, he found Rena in the same position as he had left her. He wondered why she wanted him so urgently. He nonchalantly walked over to her, placing a hand on her thin shoulder. The aching disappointment over Maki continued to pang in his chest.
“Yes?” he snapped with a hint of bitterness.
“Guy, take a look at this,” Rena said, passing the newspaper to him.
“What about it?” he said with no feeling.
“Just read. I saw something in there that might interest you.”
And to Guy’s astonishment, it did. He took a seat opposite her, and one fleeting glance at the article raised his eyebrows.
“Whoa, Ryu? Damn, never thought I’d see him in the papers,” he said in astonishment. “This sure brings back memories.”
He thought of a time when he tried to teach Ryu a special kicking technique that he had learned from Genryusai. At the time, Ryu had been too stubborn to listen to any of Guy’s suggestions, and deemed his master Gouken’s fighting techniques more superior.
Guy remembered Ryu to be a proud warrior, but this was before either of them had formally entered tournaments.
Guy gasped, suddenly feeling desperate to meet with him again. Surely, a man dedicated to the arts would be able to tell him how someone is able to destroy by using his own powers. The devastation the stranger had caused to his old home, Guy simply couldn’t forget that. Ryu reminded him that he still needed to catch the perpetrator, even from America.
“You were friends with him, right?” Rena confirmed, watching Guy tense up. “You met him when we first started to date, I think.” She giggled like a school girl. “You thought he had a thing for me ‘cause he would blush and avert his eyes from me...”
Guy nodded his head quickly, not listening to a word Rena was saying. He gripped the paper tighter, scrutinizing each word carefully. Why the hell was Ryu involved in a strange scandal with a movie star? As far as Guy could recall, Ryu hated attention, and he always kept to himself. Until now, Guy had almost forgotten a friendship existed between them. He wasn’t exactly the greatest communicator of all time, but Guy sympathized with his friend for having his name splashed in some black and white.
“If Ryu’s in the LA Express,” Guy chimed in, cutting Rena off, “it means he must be in the area.” He needed to find Ryu, quick, in order to help him understand the unusual techniques shown by the perpetrator.
“Gee, sis,” Rena groaned childishly. “I thought you’d never wake up.” She passed a hot cup of coffee to Maki, who had crept into the kitchen.
Guy tilted his head to catch a sight of their visitor standing against the kitchen wall. He was lucky that Rena took no notice of him with his mouth hanging half-open, and his gaze probing the navy tank top and shorts that revealed Maki’s succulent flesh. He felt himself go weak in the knees, accidentally letting the newspaper slip through his fingers.
“Morning, brother-in-law,” Maki said bitterly, glowering at Guy as she sipped on her morning beverage.
*****
Chapter 14:
VACATION