Making it My Business

Another call made - another call ignored. 

Riku sighed and sat back in his seat. Still no word from Sota - just another typical day of class. He had been poking and prodding some, but it hadn't yielded any results. 

Not a big deal. It should work itself out.

At this point, his stomach grumbled a bit. He typically didn't eat before class, but today seemed to be unique. Fortunately, he was right near a gas station on the route to the dojo. He took the small detour over, parked the car, and went inside. 

The convenience store was quiet this time of day, so Riku didn't get distracted. He found a small snack, found something to drink, and quickly ran out of things to look at. He mindlessly made his way up to the counter, placing everything down and reaching for his wallet.

"Riku, right?"

Riku came back online and turned his attention to the cashier. The person there did not look familiar, but it wasn't the first time he'd been recognized by a stranger.

"Yes..." he politely acknowledged. "Who are you?"

"Hah, thought so!" the guy bellowed, his voice deep for his stature. "Long time no see..."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I was part of the group that gave you a hard time when you first went public about your...interests. Though that pal of yours really didn't make it a fun joke."

With his words, Riku's mind transported back to a time several years ago. To a far-back memory he had long tucked away.

***

His first year of high school, when he had decided to make it publicly known that he was interested in men instead of women.

He recalled a moment in the cafeteria hallway. His back pressed against a wall, with Sota standing a few feet in front of him. Beyond Sota was a half-dozen other classmates, all groaning and unconscious on the ground.

"To the office, now!" a teacher's voice screamed from a distance. "Assaulting other classmates like that could land you in jail."

"Yes, ma'am," a young Sota acknowledged calmly before heading towards the door.

He had only made it a few steps before Riku had grabbed his arm.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" he noted. "I could've handled it..."

"Yeah, yeah," Sota brushed him off. "I know you have a thing for people minding their own business."

"Then why?"

"I saw someone in need of help because a bunch of goons were swarming them, and I decided I wanted to get involved. That's my business, not yours."

With that, he walked off towards the office and left Riku at a loss for words.

***

"Sorry about all that, by the way," the cashier snapped Riku back to it. "It seemed funny at the time, but I can see how that would've sucked for you."

"Don't mention it," Riku assured him, smiling. "We all do things we regret when we're younger."

Riku didn't linger too long. He said his goodbyes, grabbed his things, and headed for his car. There, he sat momentarily as the memory played in his mind. An ironic memory to revisit, given Sota's absence.  It had been a couple of weeks now since Sensei suggested he take a more active role if his concern was so high. He understood the logic behind the idea, but that's as far as it had gone. 

"It's not my place," he reminded himself. "Sota will figure it out."

Still, as he left the station and made his way to the dojo, doubt lingered in his mind. It had been complete radio silence - not even a sarcastic quip. It wasn't typical - something in Sota's brain had escalated. 

Riku got out of the car, grabbed his gym bag, and pushed the thoughts from his mind. 

Class ran as it typically did. By the time he was inside, he began talking with others and laughing away in class. This was the distraction he needed right now. By the end of class, Riku felt much less stressed about the whole thing. He went over to his bag, feeling accomplished and well-worked. 

"Riku..."

He turned his attention up towards the voice. Standing there beside him was the unmistakable red hair belonging to Ren.

"Oh. Hey, girl!" Riku greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Got a question on a drill or move?"

"Where's Senpai Sota?"

She spoke it quietly as to not draw attention, but the question pierced through the background noise. Riku's mind began to spin a bit, but he quickly recovered. 

"Aww, missing our dear Senpai!" Riku laughed. "He's just busy, I'm sure. At some point, he'll be back at it and..."

"WHERE is Senpai Sota?"

Riku took an instinctive step back as Ren stepped closer. Her voice was affirmative and her gaze locked to his. 

"This is unusually confrontational of you..." Riku chuckled, trying to relieve some of the tension. "There a reason you're so intense?"

"A couple of weeks ago, I overheard you and Sensei talking," she declared, her calmness making it even more intimidating. "I know that something's wrong, and I know that I have something to do with it."

"That's..."

At this point, the progress Riku had made to distract himself had been undone. Thoughts of Sota had come back to the forefront of his mind. 

"I don't know what to tell you," he admitted soberly. "I'm not entirely sure how he's doing..."

"Then who does?" Ren questioned without backing down. "His family? Someone close to him? Who's been keeping tabs to make sure he's okay?"

"Now, hold on," Riku dug in, trying to find some ground to stand on. "You can't just be saying stuff without context! I've known Sota for a long time, and it's not that simple..."

"What's not simple? Does he have someone helping him or not?"

"That's naive thinking, Ren. You can't control what someone else does."

"Is that how you're going to try and convince yourself to feel better if it becomes a catastrophe?"

It was a simple question, and it was a teenager-like train of thought. Still, the question was enough to break Riku's emotional footing. For the first time in the conversation, he broke eye contact to avoid her gaze. 

There was a brief silence after that. Riku didn't say anything. He was trying to put together an argument, but he had no room to debate after what she had just said. 

"I guess I'll go ask Sensei next," Ren declared, turning away. "I didn't ask anyone to save Senpai. No one can do that, but I want to selfishly try as someone who cares about his well-being. Despite that, there's not a single thing I can do - and it makes me furious..."

With that, she promptly left Riku to his own devices while she went to confront her next target.

***

Riku sat in the car for what felt like an eternity. He had started it and warmed up, but he hadn't left the dojo. Ren's words echoed in his mind - as did the memory from earlier. Coincidences did happen, but todays were stacked up in just the right way to push through Riku's normal defensive thinking...

Sota's words that day about making it his business...

Ren's words today about being selfishly caring...

"I see," Riku said aloud to himself as he tightly gripped the car wheel. 

As his brain processed, a smug smile crept over his face. Sota had been absent for awhile, hadn't he? And it had been bugging Riku the entire time he'd been gone. 

"I guess that does make it my business, then..."

Riku left it at that, turning on the radio while his mind drifted. He pulled out of the dojo parking lot and began driving in the opposite direction he would normally go. 

As soon as he was back on the highway, he sped off towards Sota's home.