Beneath the Surface: Secrets of an Obsessed Heart
Chapter 36 - 35

Chapter 36: Chapter 35

Hiro frowned, not expecting Raiden’s blatant answer. "What do you mean?"

"I’m not sorry for what I said." Raiden shrugged. "But I am sorry for the manner in which I said it so I’m sorry I made you upset. Just don’t expect me to take back my words or apologise to your brother because I meant every word."

Hiro was speechless. He didn’t know how best to express his conflicting emotions. One minute Raiden was cold and then the next, he was hot. Raiden could anger him so much he’d want to cry but he could also make him feel better in a heartbeat. He wondered how Raiden could make him feel like that all at once.

"What are you thinking?" Raiden asked, breaking the silence between them.

Hiro shook his head. "Nothing. Just don’t tell my brother anything."

"Like what?" Raiden asked, a hint of mischief glinting in his smokey grey eyes. "That I plan to fuck you?"

"Raiden!" Hiro berated in a whisper.

The tall man chuckled, gently rubbing Hiro’s waist. "What? I do plan to. Over and over and over again."

Hiro’s face and ears went red. He squirmed from the subtle movements of Raiden’s fingers on his body. "You’re so shamelss. Just...don’t say that to him, okay?"

Raiden shrugged, not promising anything. "Depends on what he’ll say to me. I have no shame in telling the world that I want to fuck you, Hiro."

Hiro’s face flushed crimson. "How can you say such words? Stop being so vulgar."

Raiden chuckled and ruffled Hiro’s hair in a lighthearted manner. Still, he made no commitment to refrain from using explicit language.

Eventually, they reached the vacant balcony where Sora eagerly awaited their arrival.

The hospital balcony, bathed in moonlight, was adorned with potted plants. The cool silver railing provided security as they overlooked the city. Dim lights framed the edges, creating a serene escape from the hospital’s controlled chaos.

Sora stood by the corner, arms folded, as he eyed the arm resting on his brother’s waist.

Hiro noticed and quickly peeled Raiden’s arm away, putting a small distance between them. He then gazed at anywhere but Sora, his eyes darting from the starlit sky to the potted plants by the side then the illuminated streets below.

Tensions lingered in the air as Raiden and Sora faced each other in the quiet night.

"Are you going to explain what this is to me or are we going to stand here glaring at each other all night?" Sora asked, pointedly staring at Raiden.

Raiden smirked. His mood had already improved since Hiro chose with walk with him instead of his brother so he decided to be nice and polite for Hiro’s sake. "As I said earlier, Hiro came to me and asked me to save Saika and I did. End of story."

Sora turned to Hiro. "Is this true? Did you go to him?"

"Yes." Hiro admitted, stroking the railing for he felt uncomfortable. His head was lowered, not wanting to see how mad Sora was. He could already hear it in his voice.

"How did you even find him?" Sora asked, exasperated. "Have you forgotten who he is and what he did to you? This is Yamato Raiden!"

"I-I know." Hiro stammered, flinching a bit for he didn’t like it when his brother raised his voice.

"Then why did you go to him?! Couldn’t you have found anyone else?!"

"B-But there was no one else," Hiro stuttered, taking a few steps back. "I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. You know that."

"Then you should have just fucking waited for me to get back!" Sora shouted. "I told you to wait, didn’t I? Why did you have to go to this fucking freak!"

Why? Was his brother really asking him why?

"You are completely aware of the kind of person he is, Hiro." Sora raged on. "You know the things he did! You know how sick he is in the head so why would you go to him? He’s supposed to be the last fuckkng person I would expect to see with you! Why did you stoop so low? Why, Hiro?!"

Anger slowly slithered into Hiro’s heart. He balled his fists as he felt it grow, consuming him. The more Sora shouted and spoke ill about Raiden, the angrier he felt. His brother had no right to insult Raiden.

Even after everything, His brother couldn’t get the funds for their sister’s surgery. He even had to sign a pornography contract and he was still asking him why he went to Raiden?

Raiden stood perfectly still, noticing the changes in Hiro. He smirked. His little kitten was about to erupt.

"I’m asking you a fucking question Hiro so answer me!" Sora demanded. "Why him?!"

"Because of you!" Hiro finally shouted, frustrated. "It was you okay! I did it for you!"

Taken aback, Sora went quiet, staring at Hiro.

"It was all because of you." Hiro repeated. Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at his big brother. "You said you were going to handle everything. You said you would find money but you didn’t. The money you found was taken away and you went ahead and signed a contract to sell yourself. What did you expect me to do?"

Sora went pale, realising that Hiro knew about the contract. "H-How? You don’t even have a phone."

"But Michi does." Hiro sniffled, wiping his face with the back of his hand but more tears just kept spilling. It hurt. It really hurt. He felt like his heart was being stabbed repeatedly. "He showed me. I saw everything. The money that was taken yesterday was the contract money you got from Big Tony, wasn’t it?"

Sora didn’t answer but his silence said it all.

"You said I didn’t have to worry. You said you’re my big brother and you’d take care of everything but you did nothing." Hiro sobbed. "I’m sure you couldn’t even get the money and today is the deadline. If I hadn’t gone to Raiden, if he hadn’t helped, what would we have done? How would we face our sister? What would we tell her after assuring her countless times that we’ll pay the money? That we’re sorry and she can’t live? Did you expect me to look her in the eyes and say that to her?" He shook his head. "It would have killed me, Brother. It would have killed me."

This time, it was Sora who lowered his head in shame. He had failed. He knew it. He didn’t have the right to complain or yell at Hiro anymore. Hiro just did what he thought was right. He had no right to question his choices.