AN: Hello my lovelies! This is a new story I had been thinking of for a while and wanted to give it a try. It is an AU where Aki and Asami don't know each other yet and it's not just focused mainly on the underworld and stuff like that. In this story, Aki's paternal grandmother (his dad's mom) is very racist and very vocal about stereotypes about Asians. Her thoughts and words are in no way, shape, or form my own opinion but solely the character's opinion. She is one of those people that think white Europeans are far superior to other races so I'm warning you of her before you get into the story to avoid conflict by offending anyone's sensibilities. This story will be fast paced and relatively short (5 or 6 chapters long) so there will be time skips and all that fun stuff.

This chapter was betaed by aoi. .forward and revised by fifteenfeb.

If you have time, check out my original work. It is posted on AO3 as well as FictionPress where I use the same handle name as on and AO3. Hit me on tumblr too if you would like the handle name there is lovelysacrificeme or message me through LJ where I also use Setsuna24 as handle name I don't update as much there cause frankly that's stuff is complicated as heck but I do reply to emails promptly.

*********VF*********

Hybrid

He could not marry the woman he loved because he was promised to another. The woman he was engaged to was a greedy hateful bitch he wanted nothing to do with, but his mother had forced the arrangement on him in order to produce a suitable heir to her father's company. He had kept his relationship with Kaname a secret and had all but sneaked her into his country so they could remain together. Hoping that after his son was born and he presented the little bundle of joy to his mother, she would finally understand his relentlessness to arrange for the celebration of his wedding. But things do not always go as one hope. As soon as his mother saw him come into the large dining room in the large mansion with Kaname at his side looking worse for wear still from having given birth not two days ago and his small son in his arms, as soon as she understood what was in front of her she looked at the small child like it was the culmination of everything wrong with this world and the cause of all the anguish that had ever come upon her life. In wrath, she pointed and screamed at the unaware child. The innocent boy screamed in fear at the aggression directed at him and had no idea what to do, but be on the receiving end of all that hatred.

"You filthy half-breed! You have no place in this home, you are just a mistake from a boy who was stupid enough not to control his urges or at least be careful when indulging in them. I hate you. You should have died and taken that whore of a mother with you. Tainting my family line with your lower class foreign blood!"

"Mother! I am not a boy and I assure you I knew very well what I was doing when I began my relationship with Kaname. She has done nothing but love me while you have only used me as a chess piece for your own good, forcing a woman I hate upon me. Do not talk to my son or his mother in such a way. Regardless of how you feel about it, I love them and will not have my family leave my side."

"LOVE! Don't be ridiculous. You can't love these inferior beings, they are barely human and those heathen Asians should not mix their blood with ours!"

"That's it! I have put up with you my whole life mother, but I can't take it anymore. I won't put up with your petulance, racist remarks, and your threats to disown me if I disobey you. Well, guess what? I disown myself; I want nothing to do with this so called family or the life you have planned out for me. I'm leaving and you will never again see me or my family!"

"You can't leave! You have nothing without me, you can't live the life of a commoner and mark my words, it will send you crawling to me and begging for forgiveness."

"We will see about that."

He turned around leaving his flabbergasted mother standing there with her mouth hanging open in shock that he did not back off. Circling one arm around Kaname's slim waist and his other still supporting his newborn son, he led them all out of the large mansion and out of his mother's life. He had kept Kaname a secret from anyone who might tell his mother, she did notknow the woman's last name or where they had met or where she came from, all she knew was that Kaname was some kind of Asian because of her looks. But there was millions of Asians in the world and to her they all looked alike. There was no way for his mother to find him other than tracking his last name but he had a solution for that, he married Kaname in secret and changed his name, he also changed his last name to hers and just as secretly, they left his life in France for a life filled with love in Kanagawa, Japan.

His mother never saw any of them again though she did look for him out of a need to know he was not happy in is commoner's life but was unable to find him for over twenty years. When she finally found out where to find him, it was because Kaname, herself had sent her a letter. But by then it was already too late. Her son had died in a car accident when he was coming back from one of his nature photography assignments and his funeral would be in two days, it was the only reason that woman contacted her, so she could at least be present for her son's funeral since she was not present in his life because of her own stubbornness and ways. She would never see her son again and her tired body deflated in lost hopes and anguish at losing her only son forever. She had always held hopes that when things got difficult for him, he would come crawling back to her and beg for forgiveness.

Now she had no one to pass her father's legacy to, all she had worked so hard to build up would be lost once she died and her line would die out. But then, she remembered the boy. If she could somehow convince him to come with her and reprogram him into a something worthwhile, groom him for success, she could still salvage things. She would go to her son's funeral, she would meet the boy and measure him to see if his mixed blood was worth her effort and then she would take him away and make him into what she needed, a perfect heir for her legacy.

The French woman ordered her assistant to have the servants pack her bags and have her private plane ready for departure in less than two hours. She was going to Japan to claim what was hers from the woman who had stolen it all from her hands, her son's ashes as well as that boy of his, she would no longer be denied. That woman, Takaba Kaname, would know what it feels to have her son taken away and never seeing him again.

***VF***

Akihito was crossing the street the day it happened. His phone had gone off and he hurried to the other side before he answered the call. As soon as his feet reached the sidewalk, he took the phone out.

"Hello?"

"A-Akihito, you have to come home." The woman was sobbing at the other end of the line.

"Mom, is everything okay?"

"It's your father…" She could not bring herself to say the words to her son, it would make it too real, but she had to."He's gone."

"Did he disappear into some jungle again? He'll be fine mom, you know he always is and he always comes back."

"He's dead." She said, the finality of that word rang through her voice, still he did not want to believe it. He wanted it to be a joke.

"Mom, I know you have a strange sense of humor but this is not funny."

She didn't reply and the sounds of her brokenhearted sobs reached his ear. He stood there in shock as a heavy weight suddenly sat on his stomach.

"W-when is the…" He began.

"In two days, can you come home today? I don't want to be alone."

His mother sounded miserable, as miserable as he felt.

"Yes, I'll take the next train out."

"Thank you."

After that she hung up and he rushed home to pack.

His single-minded brain was focused on being there for his poor mother, on getting to his hometown as soon as possible, so much so that he was barely paying attention to what he was throwing in this backpack. His head wasin a jumble of thoughts about what could have possibly happened and how it was likely some kind of mistake and his father was probably in some jungle somewhere photographing birds. Of all the things that crossed his mind during his tripback to his hometown, informing his friends was not one, thankfully they had already found out and had texted their support informing him they will make the trip home in the morning.

When he arrived late in the night, his mother had already cried herself to sleep on the couch where he found her still sitting with a photo album on her lap. He took her small frame into his hands and carried her to her bed. She looked even smaller and more fragile than he had ever seen her and his eyes watered in sadness; it was like something had consumed her from the inside and left her a hollow carcass in its wake. This was a woman who had spent over twenty years of her life with the same man and now she felt all alone.

He thought about what it would be like to spend so many years with the same person and then having them ripped out of your life so suddenly, how could anyone go on with such pain? As soon as that thought reached him, he realized he had not been there for his family since he had moved to Tokyo chasing dreams of being a great photographer.His father had taken care of her and been her constant companion, rarely going on assignments out of the country while he had all but let them drop from his he was the only thing she had left of her beloved husband and it would be hard for her to let him go, he would have to put his life on hold until he was sure she was more emotionally stable.

Akihito was a good son, for the most part, or at least he thought he was. But if he admitted it to himself, since he left his home three years ago, he had barely been home or spent quality time with her other than the occasional weekend every four or five months. He had let his life be all about him and had all but pushed aside the people who mattered the most. Akihito did not want to keep living like that because now he realized those people could be taken from you at any moment and then all you had left was regret all those days you did not spend together. The son left his mother in the large bed and rushed to the living room to look for his phone in the backpack only to realize that in his rush he had left it by the bed at his apartment after answering Kou's and Takato's texts.

There was still people that needed to be informed and arrangements to be finalized as well as legal matters tobe taken care of. His mother was in no condition to deal with any of it.Thankfully, Kou and Takato were getting there early the next morningas he did not know if he could deal with it all on his own. It was too late in the night to be calling people anyways and he could always use the landline at a more appropriate time tomorrow.

Kou and Takato had offered to help, their mothers being the neighbors had contacted them so they could come support the Takabas in their time of need and Akihito was immensely grateful for it. They were good friends, Akihito was glad they too had moved to Tokyo around the same time he did, it helped them keep their friendship alive and the three were now even closer than they had been as kids. The photographer sighed, his twenty-three year old mind was already weary of all the things that had to be done and his mother's emotional wellbeing was something he would have to take care of too. At least his grandparents would be coming over tomorrow morning as well, that way Takaba-obasan could help his mother in the way only women seem able to help each other.

***VF***

The funeral was a quiet and grim affair. Many people showed up to say their last goodbyes to Takaba Rokujou, he was a man loved by all who he came across because of his good heart and kind spirit. Akihito looked at his mother sitting next to him and his heart broke in sadness, all day she had been quiet and when she moved about she seemed like a zombie without life behind her eyes.

His grandmother sat at the other side of his mother, holding her hand and patting it gently as friends and coworkers delivered words of farewell. Akihito and his grandparents had already spoken before the gathered crowd, his mother just sat there frozen in her sadness. Her eyes open but not seeing and her ears not hearing the words spoken about her departed beloved.

At the back of the room, a foreign woman had stood dressed in mourning black and with a veil covering her face. Another life his father had touched, Akihito had thought when he had seen her as he spoke from the front of the room, his mind immediately writing her off and forgetting her as soon as he had been done. She had left shortly after he had sat down next to his mother and on her way to her hotel made calls from her limo to procure the dead man's ashes for herself.

*******VF*******

So, what do you think? Is this something you would like to see more of? Let me know your opinion.

Here is what I'm working on right now:

*On The Prowl: I'm still not done with this oneshot (possible twoshot) but hope to be done soon.

*Hey Mom: This is oneshot I just stated related to Unworthy

*Let's Talk Baby: This one I have the concept and outline done but have not begun to type yet, it will be a twoshot.

I am also working on my original stuff. I just Updated Red Strings and will be working on From Above next then I will move on to You Die Because You've Lived and then I will begin my regular update cycle again for my ongoing fics. For now they ongoing fics will take a short backburner to oneshots/twoshots and original work because I don't want to neglect those either.

When I get to the update cycle of ongoing works this will be the order they will be worked on:

-Videocalls

-Unexpected

-Wild

-Ride

-Secret

-Host

-WAR!

-Loyal

-Dragon

-Hybrid

*Chapter 2 of Prowl and Let's Talk Baby will be after the update cycle or may be in between one fic update and the other depending if I get inspired randomly.

Thanks for all the support and sorry about the long notes.

Setsuna