Grasp

The final class bell rang to sound the march of the students leaving school with their blood pumping. Ryo searched the school's floors for Sez, but he could not find him. He was worried whether or not their friendship was temporary.

Ryo's avaricious thirst for attention was pulsating in his heart. He was displeased with the fact that his family had hidden their hatred for the alien race for so long. The begging mentality he obtained from Sez was enough to harden his skin, hoping to get revenge on the aliens soon enough.

Ryo imitated Sez's slouching walk, extending both of his hands into his khaki pockets while maintaining a thin complexion for his eyes. He wanted to be like Sez because his actions mass-attracted the school to him. While the students inside his classroom already knew what a pretentious and arrogant jerk he was, students from different classrooms sensed his hostile presence based on his ill-tempered facial expression.

He dragged himself outside to the courtyard where students gathered around waiting for their rides home. He stepped out near the bronze fish-themed courtyard fountain, gazing at the lilies and daisies sprouting underneath its crevices. Parents from different backgrounds drove sedans and minivans, parking in an oval-shaped curbside to pick up their children. His eyes swept the parking lot for his family. His eyebrows slanted downwards. Just as he expected, they were exceptionally late.

"Yo," Sez's familiar voice called from behind Ryo. With the same cocky and snarky attitude and demeanor from the classroom, Sez performed the groovy hair flip that Ryo admired so much. "Thought you were leaving without me? Cmon, let's take a walk. I've got something I want to tell you."

"Sounds good," Ryo agreed, following him towards the side of the grassy and weed-filled courtyard. "What's up?"

Sez chuckled, keeping his hands in his pockets. His eyes slanted upwards. "Man, this is a first. I feel like you have some potential in you. The other kids don't see what I see in you. You try, and you try, but you just don't win. But that doesn't stop you from giving up now, does it? We've got a common goal, don't we?"

"Guess so." Ryo shrugged off. He was still irritated that his purposeful actions did not affect Ash.

Sez slicked up his hair with his right palm, clenching his eye tightly as he turned his back on Ryo. "You know... they say the proper age to join the Yakuza in Japan is in their twenties, but what do I care? I say we give it a shot anyway."

"Yakuza? What's that?" Ryo asked.

"You don't know what a Yakuza is?" Sez shook his head, lowering his hands to his pockets. "Man, you haven't been out for long, have you? They say that fear derives from the Yakuza," He inched closer to Ryo hauntingly as if he was telling a horror tale. "The blood spilled from the people are sacrifices for the world. The family bond they have... is something I've never had before."

"Family... bond?" Ryo said.

"Cmon, don't tell me you've never had a family bond before," Sez smacked his hand on Ryo's shoulder. "Don't you have any siblings or parents? Don't they make you feel a certain way that no one else can?"

"I guess..." Ryo nervously imagined. The only crystal clear memory of his family was how they scolded him for watching violent cartoons. None of their other memories stuck to his mind. He had no siblings, no best friends, and no relatives that truly cared about his well-being. Little did he know that he was only suppressing the best thoughts and replacing them for his attention-seeking goals.

"I hear the Yakuza can make you feel that way," Sez indicated. "Not only that but now that aliens are showing up in Asahikawa, they're kicking their asses by the second. The bonds you make in the Yakuza last a lifetime, I hear. Not only can you find family and peace, but you gain the opportunity to step on the people that you hate," Sez edged his face close to Ryo. Ryo sensed his breath reflecting off of his cheek, blanketing him a terrorizing and fearful aura. "Sound familiar?"

"Aliens..." Ryo whispered, shivering slightly.

Sez backed off. "When my family lost their jobs, I lost hope. I thought, what possible way would there be to recover from this. But here's the thing… most of the time, it's not possible. Miracles don't always happen, Ryo. To take back what you've lost… you always have to do it by force. Because you and this damn world won't give it to you for free," He flung his hand away and gazed into Ryo's eyes with confidence. "Those damn aliens. If you expect me to forgive them for doing that to my family, I never will. I think the only way to show those aliens the way it's done is to control them."

"Controlling your fate..." Ryo had a grasp of independence for once. "That sounds nice."

With a slight chuckle, Sez stepped in front of Ryo and shoved his face against him again without direct contact. His slender eyes were filled with anger and determination to recuperate his losses. "Do you have that fire in you, Ryo? Do you have what it takes to fight back on the ones who took our freedom away? How about our family's freedom? How about, our WORLD'S freedom? Or are you just going to stand idly and watch as they burn our city to the ground?" He circumvented.

Ryo's eyes lit up in confidence. His determination resonated with confidence, aligning with Sez's motivational speech about acquiring strength and power. For once in his dependent life, Ryo acquired the strength to fight back against his family's primary enemy. "No, I'm not. I feel that fire! I feel it!"

"There we fucking go. That's more like it. Now then... look into the sky, Ryo," Sez pointed into the air, referencing the distant floating continent of Aries. The technological metropolis shown upon sight with skyscrapers and cityscapes in the distance rattled Ryo's brain with curiosity. "Once we control Asahikawa, we'll control that. Aries. That's the cornerstone for both humans and aliens soliciting in peace. If we're going to send a message, we're gonna grow in the Yakuza and take back what was ours."

"Does that mean..." Ryo guessed.

"That's right. You and I are joining the Yakuza, hands down. We both have the same goals, don't we? Trust me. We're doing this for the world. Our family will be proud of us that we're finally taking control of our lives!" Sez overly exaggerated with his fists escalating into the air. He then lowered his fists and eyes down, putting his concentration on Ryo's inspired expression. "Well then, brother. See you later." He stated his goodbyes before strolling off into the oval parking lot.

"Brother… huh," Ryo whispered to himself, taking a seat by the courtyard fountain. "I've always wanted a brother. A strong independent and dedicated brother who has a future ahead of him..." Tiny individual goosebumps arose from his arms and legs, tingling his jubilant manner. Sez's manners and speech created an invisible tension between Ryo and his family's relationship. According to Ryo, his family was dishonest and deviating from the path of being a proper role model. This was a spurious relationship that Ryo wanted no part of anymore. If he was going to attribute himself to the Yakuza for the future, he would have to take the rough path and demonstrate what true honesty was for his family. No more secrets or lies.

While Ryo was trapped in his conflict, a huddled group of girls whispered into each other's ears. Among the few was Sophie Hiragi, the young crimson-haired girl that protected Ash Meguro's integrity. The other girls patted her shoulders, clenched tightly in their group away from Ryo's presence. Sophie's shoulders stoutly lifted themselves, gaining the confidence to approach the tormentor that was Ryo.

"The hell do you want?" Ryo intimidatingly asked, leaning back against the fountain. The fountain's water splashed against the back of his school uniform, which Sophie noticed. She was about to inform him of the water staining his uniform, but she decided to ignore it to inadvertently retaliate against his tyranny.

"Please listen to me. I don't know anything about you… but please don't get involved with Fuma-kun. Stay away from him at all costs. Stay away from me, and stay away from Meguro-san." Sophie's powerful voice didn't falter as her heart pounded with pressure. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at Ryo with dark, puffy red circles underneath her eyes.

"You mean Sez?" Ryo stood up and shoved his face against Sophie's in an attempt to strike fear into her. "And what the hell makes you think I'll listen to what you have to say? Sez's has a future, unlike you. We've got a goal of taking down all the aliens so our families won't have to deal with them anymore. You tryna stop us, or are you just scared?"

Sophie's eyes lowered as she struck her palm on her forehead in utter disgust. "Are you even listening to yourself?" She asked. "You sound like Sez is some kind of God when in reality, he's just using you like a toy. Get real already."

Ryo flipped his hair. "He is not using me, and it's none of your damn business."

Sophie scoffed. "Fine then. If you're gonna be like that, then whatever. Just know that if I ever see you near Meguro-san, I'll be there to stop you from doing whatever you want to her. She's such a sweet girl that an idiot like you wouldn't even notice it."

"SHE'S NOT A GIRL!" Ryo rampaged forward, snatching Sophie's uniform collar. Veins popped up on his temples and neck. The girls from her group huddled behind Sophie with ugly expressions from detesting Ryo's hostile behavior. "She's an alien! She's just trying to look like a girl cause she wants to fit in! All those aliens do is hurt! Why would you defend a piece of shit like her?!"

"Piece of shit? Open your EYES!" Sophie slapped the back of Ryo's hand away, startling Ryo to back off. Her group stood by her side, defending her rejection. Her face puffed up with the madness seeping into her voice. "We are just KIDS! Ash is just a little girl! All of the aliens you're talking about have NOTHING to do with this school!"

Ryo flipped his hair back, mimicking Sez once again. "Whatever." He coldly pushed aside.

"Sophie... let's go..." One of her girlfriends covered their mouth with their quivering hands.

"Fine." Sophie's eyes drooped down as tears began to leak underneath her eyelids. Sophie left without a word, stomping away ferociously. Sez's motivational speech impacted Ryo's heart too harshly as he struggled to understand why Sophie, a human, would defend an alien. Regardless of where they originated, Ryo's mentality was to treat them like the scum of the Earth. He wasn't sure what Sophie's motive was, but he had guessed that it was to appear popular and stand out next to Ash to preserve her reputation. Ryo grumpily stamped his feet on the grass as a painful headache arose from his conflicting thoughts.

***

The steaming starchiness of freshly cooked rice fogged up the compact spice-scented dining room. Ryo's mother yawned while setting their wooden utensils on the dining table. Ryo's father finished smoking his cigarette, shoving the end into a used ashtray in the center of the table. The combination of soy sauce and wasabi tingled Ryo's nose as he lazily chomped on a delicate piece of fish roe rice balls. Yet the overbearing rancid scent of his father's cigarette smoke made Ryo want to regurgitate his food. Yet he kept quiet.

Sez's words still struck Ryo's heart like a truck. He wanted to hide from exposing the truth of his family's thoughts against the aliens, but at the same time, he wanted to make them proud. His conflicting thoughts of respect were agitating his emotions. There was the respect that his family demonstrated to him by taking Ryo to popular restaurants, watching Bob and Marie with him, and frolicking in the playground. As a result of Sez's speech, Ryo believed this was all a travesty of respect. The utmost vehement respect was from Sez, the only man who respected the future.

Nothing his family did was for the future of Ryo.

"So, how was the first day of school?" Ryo's father cleared his throat from the cigarette's toxic chemicals, asking him as he used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of raw salmon. His eyes never met with Ryo's, and Ryo took precise notice of it. "Meet any new friends? Any hard classes?"

"I have, actually. He's super cool and totally knows what to do in life," Ryo referenced to Sez after swallowing his roe ball. "He says that when he grows up, he's going to take back his future from the aliens."

"Ryo, what did we discuss as a family about aliens?" Ryo's mother interrupted, sitting down with her family. Her makeup was still on. To Ryo, makeup was nothing but a masquerade to appease their bosses at work for a better chance at staying in their job. Aliens were perfect in beauty. Humans were not.

"I know what you said," Ryo retorted. "But he says he's going to help our families get better in the future. He said he wants to help me have a better relationship with you guys."

"What does that even mean? You just met him today, didn't you?" Ryo's father asked.

"Yeah, we did. But that doesn't matter. He's still has a plan."

"Ooh, that's nice," Ryo's mother happily cheered for her son, sarcastically. She then turned to her husband and spoke about what had happened at her work. Her sudden change of subject aggravated Ryo's heart, sensing that they pretended to not listen to him. The taste of bitter disrespect clouded Ryo's vision, forcing him to clench his chopsticks firmly to the point of it snapping like plastic.

"Computer tech sometimes is too annoying, Ichijo," Ryo's mother detailed. "My boss was on my ass all day today after that new alien hire came inside. He's so skilled and fast. Coding one line of code took a while, but that new hire came in and did it instantly. I was really impressed still, but-"

Ryo exploded after hearing enough of the meaningless small talk. His heart ignited the fire that Sez implanted within his soul. "My friend and I have a plan to destroy all of those aliens. He says we're going to join the Yakuza and take back our homes and jobs!"

Ichijo, Ryo's father, nearly choked on his piece of salmon. Ryo's mother's eyes popped open, staring into her husband's eyes. "Y-Yakuza?" He spat out his salmon and slammed his chopsticks on the dining table. "Where the hell did you learn about that? We never showed you anything of the sort," He glanced at his wife Hina's face, which was puzzled as he was. "Did we? Did you show him anything like that?"

"N-no…" Hina stuttered nervously, focusing on Ryo's sudden change in emotion. Ryo was still, as the delinquent and menacing aura arose at last in the family for the first time. "Ryo, where did you learn that?" She asked.

Ryo's nose twitched in response to their cluelessness. "It doesn't matter where I learned it! I thought families were never supposed to keep secrets? I know you two are suffering at work because of those stupid aliens! How could you lie to me about your jobs?"

"Excuse me? How can you even say such things in this household, Ryo?" Ichijo ejected from his seat. His height difference towered down on Ryo's puny body, asserting his every word as the man of the household. "We have not lied to you once, Ryo! Your mother and I are proud to still have our jobs. We take no pride in ridiculing others who aren't like us, so why do you have to? Who gave you the right? Huh?"

"I'm doing this for you all!" Ryo ejected from his seat and hurled his chopsticks into the kitchen. His face bloomed in a crimson red and blue hue, choking on his rage-filled saliva. "There was an alien student today and I showed her what it meant to live in Japan! She had a fake Japanese last name!"

"What do you mean, you showed her what it meant to live here?" Ryo's mother intervened. "Are you trying to say you bullied her?"

"That's right," Ryo said.

"And you're proud of that, son?" Ichijo was furious about how Ryo exalted bullying. He coughed to clear his throat of the tobacco within, nearly choking once again. Ryo's general stance was opaque to him. "First of all, what makes you think you have the right to raise your voice in this family? And what gives you the right to even place your hands on someone? A woman of all people? How dare you?!"

Ryo was growing weary of how his peers referenced Ash as a woman. He was petulant and finished with whoever treated the villain like an equal. "She's not a girl, she's an alien-"

"ENOUGH WITH THE ALIENS!" Ichijo took a single speedy stride forward and struck Ryo on the cheek with his palm. Veins surged down Ichijo's wrinkly forehead and neck, bulging out without holding back. White liquid saliva spat and settled on the ground amid his anger. Ryo's lips trembled and jolted in shock while Ichijo's swift strike left a red imprint on Ryo's cheek. Rapid wheezy breaths quivered Ichijo's lungs after his blood pressure rose to insane levels.

After Ichijo had realized what he had done to Ryo, his head twisted itself like a wind-up doll's shaky movements to face Hina. Hina covered her mouth with both of her delicate hands in utter distress. His breathing rate decreased, and he creaked his head to face Ryo. It was the very first time the man of the household had struck someone, and it was done so without hesitation. Ichijo suddenly placed both of his fingertips on his bulging temples, leaning next to his wife as tears sprawled from his eyes. "I..." Ichijo's voice cut off as Ryo's puffy eyes and shuddering mouth shook uncontrollably. "I hit our son. I'm... I'm sorry, Ryo... I..."

Without a single word left to speak, Ryo stormed off into his room and slammed his door shut. He shoved his gigantic Bob the Cat plushie down, blaming it for his violent deeds. Endless tears streamed down his swollen eyelids and his cheek pulsated in response to the immense force of his father's blow. He crumbled to the messy wooden floor where his jumbled clothes stacked upon each other, leaning his head against the rim of his bed. His knees were so numb that a single touch echoed a vibration across his entire body. Ryo glanced at his knuckles and hammered his skull rapidly to relieve his inner stress. But all that did was make his pain more volatile.

Ryo was clueless why he was so adamant about his ideals on the aliens. The chance at freedom, the path to independence, and the confidence all arose from Sez's speech. He connected with him like no other person ever did. Yet a mental crisis struck his mind like a nail being hammered. The conflicting abstruse mentality about equality was tearing him apart from the inside. He desired attention, but he ostentatiously acquired pain. He wished for respect, but he was struck without notice.

The endearing and dazzling promise to take back his future wasn't so bright anymore. All that he knew was wrong from the beginning, and now, Ryo couldn't trust a single person in the universe to grant him happiness. He was set on being indifferent. His chance to prove himself failed.

A gentle knock at his door forced Ryo to sulk. He leaped on his bed and covered his shivering head with his blue striped blanket. Ryo's mother entered the room, shutting the door behind. Her hands quivered and clasped themselves in uncertainty.

"Ryo… I know you care about us. I know you love us. But you need to understand this; all we want you to do is be a good student and grow up to be a good man. You must treat everyone fairly and equally because everyone wants to do the same thing as you do. They wish to grow as well and experience life on their own." Hina's voice was tender and soft like an angel's whisper.

Ryo was silent, tuning out his mother's words with an ignoble heart.

"You must respect yourself and others first. You can't have others dictate what you have to do, and neither can you do the same for them. You have to promise me to apologize to that young girl you attacked today, okay?" Hina leaned forward and gently kissed Ryo on his injured pink-embedded cheek while patting his shoulder affectionately. "I wanna hear it, Ryo."

"I… promise…" Ryo mumbled without expounding her words carefully. It wasn't that he took their acts of love and kindness for granted, but he never understood what true love was. He didn't know the feeling of freedom or power to solidify a future. Even though their experiences together never really stuck to Ryo as a form of love, he pieced together common knowledge about families and deduced that it was at least a form of respect. Without turning around to acknowledge his mother's presence and words, Hina approached his room's door, propped up his Bob the Cat plushie, and smiled at Ryo from a distance.

"We love you, Ryo. Remember that." His mother whispered before closing the door softly.

Love. Respect. Honesty. This trinity of implausible emotions was much too complicated to grasp for Ryo's heart. An ongoing crisis was occurring throughout the world. Ryo knew he was performing the right action by taking back his future as a rebel of the world. "No... That can't be it..." Ryo mumbled, tasting the saltiness of his tears. He sucked in the mucus in his nostrils and wiped his tears off ferociously, grazing his eyes with red marks. The rebellious soul within him only made his family even more distant.

No family would strike a boy. No family would stay passive against the evil of the world. And those were the aliens.

Ryo kicked himself up, glaring at the moonlight with a solemn and apocryphal gaze. His mindset was immutable. His spirit was unbreakable. "If Sez was here... I know what he'd do. He'd tell them to fuck off. He'd tell them that their futures are meaningless with the aliens around. Only I can solve this. Only I can free my family from this filthy world!"

"And I will stick to that code if it's the last thing I do."