Ignominy
Chapter Two
-Excitement-
A dark haired girl with stormy grey eyes ran down the sidewalk towards a brick building. She was around ten years old, her bright expression turning to joy as she burst through the doors of the orphanage. "Kurogané!" she called, pushing through the other kids who were giving her odd and annoyed looks.
She finally reached the backyard and tossed the door open to see her brother playing basketball with his friends. He looked almost exactly like her, though his short spiky hair was a bit wild. There was a white streak down the left side of his hair, mirroring the one she had on her right side. "Kurogané!" She yelled from the steps. "I saw her!"
"Saw who?" he asked, giving her an annoyed glance as he ran around one of the other boys and took a shot, making it.
Her smile grew. "I saw Mom. I saw her! She's here in the city!"
The young boy sighed, turning and walking off the court since his friends were going to set up for the next game. When he was before his sister he grabbed her hand and dragged her off to the side. "Izumi, you gotta stop looking for her. She doesn't care about us anymore. I'm sure you just saw some lady that looked kinda like her." he reasoned.
"It washer! She's the most beautiful mom ever! She had black hair and gorgeous green eyes! Exactly like yours! And I remember her voice." Izumi was bouncing up and down. "It was her. She's here! And she's better than I ever imagined."
He glared, though it wasn't really at his twin. "If she's so great then why didn't she recognize you, huh?" he asked. "Quit thinking you've found her, okay. She's never coming back. All we have is each other, and you're just going to have to get used to it."
"She was arguing with someone! He was following her and trying to be all creepy! And how would she just recognize me?" she tried to explain. "She's young still, which means she was little when she had us! Maybe she had no choice?"
Kurogané sighed. "Whatever. If she really wanted us she would have kept us. Or gotten us that time she came by the old orphanage. Just stop wasting your time looking for her Zuzu, I don't want to see you get upset again when she's the wrong one."
Izumi groaned out, pulling on her long dark hair. "You're not listening to me Kuro! It's her. I've never been so sure in my life! I recognized her voice! I've never recognized the voice before, and I know where she goes during the day!"
He shook his head. "You're just letting your imagination get away with you." he said. "Now why don't we go get some play dough and play ice cream shop, huh?" he asked, taking her hand and leading her back towards the patio door. "Just don't lick it this time, cause' that's gross."
The dark haired girl frowned, but allowed her brother to pull her off. "So you won't help me find her brother?" she asked softly, trying not to cry.
"Why should I when you already did?" he said, not catching her sadness. He looked back at her as they entered the house and sighed. "Zuzu, please don't cry, I'm sorry for being a butthead." He apologized, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "I just don't think she wants us."
"How do you know!" she yelled, pulling away from him. "You've slowly been getting colder about it!" Izumi couldn't stop the tears now. "You hate her because she made a mistake!"
"Don't you ever say I hate her!" he shouted back. "I'm just not going to cling to the belief that she'll ever come back! If I don't believe it, then I don't have to feel the disappointment you always do when it's not her." he took a deep breath then, his eyes watering slightly from everything he was feeling.
Her expression sobered and she reached forward, wrapping her arms around her brother. "But if I give up, then we really will never see her again, and you're all I have to rely on right now…"
Kurogané hugged her back, laying his head on top of hers. "I know Zuzu. And I promise I will always be here for you to rely on. No matter what."
Izumi nodded and relaxed against him, smiling. She knew he would always be there, but she sure as heck wasn't going to stop. Because she knew it was her this time. There wasn't a doubt in her mind.
"So, you'll never guess who I saw yesterday." Izayoi sighed as she sat at the patio table with her parents for brunch.
A pink haired woman dressed in a showy sundress sat reading a magazine with her oversized sunglasses on her head. "Who dear?" she asked, almost sounding bored.
Izayoi took a bite of her sandwich. "Kai."
Natsumi put down her magazine, suddenly interested, though a frown was now in place. "Really? Where?"
"He's the opposing attorney in my case."
"Well that must be nice for you." an ebony haired man with deep green eyes said, eating some of his own sandwich. At the looks he was receiving from the two women, he blinked. "What?" Akito asked through a mouthful of food, swallowing it really quickly. "Didn't you have some huge crush on him in high school? I know that he was really fond of you."
Izayoi scoffed. "That was before he was a mega douche bag, dad."
"Please try to keep up sweetheart. Just because you're a grandpapa now doesn't mean you have to be senile." Natsumi shook her head, going back to her magazine. "Seems like we're going to have to get rough tonight in bed so I can remind you you're still a young beast in the sack." She smirked.
The dark haired woman made a face of disgust. "Gross." She shivered.
Akito rolled his eyes. "I can't keep up with all of their love interests honey, and Kai is the last guy Iza's ever been interested in that I know of. I know I'm still an animal in bed."
"Because men suck." She huffed. "I'm never risking that again."
"Oh Iza, not all men are bad." Natsumi waved her off. "Your daddy's a bad, bad boy." she purred, giving her lover a devious, yet provocative look. "But he rocks my world so hard sometimes I can't see straight."
Izayoi hit her palm to her forehead. "I want to eat without throwing up thank you."
"Well you knew the risks when you agreed to eat with us angel." The ebony haired man said, taking a drink. "But I promise we'll try to behave."
She simply rolled her eyes at her parents, sipping at her juice. "Freaks…" she mumbled.
"So you're up against my sister?" a dark haired man with spiky hair and light jade eyes snickered, unlocking his home to allow him and Kai in. There was a small patter of feet and suddenly there was a dark haired boy in front of them, latching onto Noriaki's legs.
"Daddy! You're home!" he cried out.
Noriaki smiled down at the boy before picking him up. "Hey punk, where's your sexy fine mama?" he asked, walking into the living room with Kai behind him. "Babe! Kai's here!"
The little boy smiled brightly at his father before looking over his shoulder and waving at Kai. "Hi Kai! Want to play Legos with me?"
"I'd love to play Legos with you little man. Just let me finish talking to your parents first, okay?" Kai asked, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Are you…hair…issing Aunt Iza again?" he giggled.
Noriaki blinked, looking to his son. "Where did you hear that Sakimori?"
"Grandmama told me Uncle Kai is a…im…bickle and a stalker." He explained.
Kai sighed. That pink haired harpy would say that. That's where Izayoi got it from, he just knew it. "No, I'm not harassing her. We're working together." He said, looking over as his cousin entered the room.
"Kai!" Hikari smiled. She was a beautiful woman, with white hair and bright purple eyes, curves in the all the right places despite having had two children, the second one being on her hip. She was a little girl with short wispy black hair and the same eyes as her mother, a smile on her face. She walked over to him and gave him a half hug, kissing his cheek as he did hers. "So nice to see you."
"Good to see you two Kari." Kai smiled over at whom he considered his niece, holding his arms out to her. "Can I hold you little princess?"
She ignored him, instead reaching over towards Noriaki and squealing excitedly. "Dada!" she smiled, so happy to see the elder man.
Noriaki set Sakimori down and took Kairi from Hikari. He smiled at her, so much love on his face it as hard to believe he was the same man they had all known in high school. "Hello my precious little flower. My sweet little princess." He hugged her to him and she hugged his face.
"Dada!" she squealed again.
"Oh Kairi, you're so cute!" he nuzzled her affectionately. "You're never ever going to have sex…ever." He chuckled. "I'll kill anyone who ever comes near you, those rat little bastards." Noriaki kissed her cheek, which only made her giggle uncontrollably.
Hikari shook her head. "Baby, you know that's not fair." She smiled, wrapping her arm around her husband's waist and kissing his cheek.
"No, it is." Kai said. "If I had a daughter I'd keep her under lock and key to make sure she was never, ever, deflowered."
Noriaki nodded and headed into the kitchen, setting his little girl in her high chair. "So what happened Kai?" he asked, rummaging through the fridge to find some baby food. "Hey babe can you whip up some lunch? I'm starving and I'd love to fuck you before you head off to check out that beginner prep school for Sakimori."
Hikari smacked him on the rear. "Watch your language." She reprimanded with a smirk, going over to the pantry to get out some ingredients for lunch. "You know they soak up everything you say."
"Sakimori already knows to never repeat anything I say." He smirked, looking down at his son. "Right biddy?"
"Of course daddy! Because daddy says foul things that good boys should never utter!" he recited proudly.
Noriaki smiled and picked him up, placing him at the table. "You're such a good boy."
She shook her head, beginning to make some chicken quesadillas and homemade queso. Kai sighed, going over and playing with Kairi. "Izayoi still hates me." he said sadly.
"Are you really surprised?" Noriaki arched a curious brow as he sat down, finally relaxing. "She knows how to hold a grudge."
"I don't even know what I did." He said, lightly pinching the little girl's cheeks, making her giggle. He smiled at her. "All she'll tell me is that it happened the night of your pre-prom party. But I was too drunk to remember anything that night, which only makes matters worse."
"You were pretty wasted." Hikari said, slicing the cheese and chicken as the stove heated up. She smiled over at her husband. "That was the night I first gave you head, remember? Since I said you couldn't have my virginity until prom night."
Noriaki waved her off. "Please baby, I was just humoring you by not fully seducing you. It was better to let you think you were in control." He smirked, blowing her a kiss. Then he turned his gaze back to Kai. "All I remember is that you kept telling me 'this was the night' and talking about how you were finally going to tell Iza you were in love with her and you wanted to marry her. Then you disappeared for hours."
"She did say I went into her room." Kai shrugged, going and taking a seat at the table. "She just won't tell me what. She even made me believe I had raped her for a second there, until she started cracking up because the look on my face was so funny."
Hikari laughed, putting the first quesadilla on the stove. "That is kinda funny. I bet you started to freak out."
"You should have caught on idiot, like you would ever rape anyone. Drunk or not, especially the one person you've loved since elementary school." Noriaki rolled his eyes, taking some fruit and cutting it up so he could feed Sakimori. "I remember when you gave her some cookies from your lunch in kindergarten and I pushed you over on the playground because I was being a big brother." He snickered, which in turn made Sakimori want to snicker, though his was too adorable to be evil.
"Yeah, but I got you back when I put that caterpillar down your shirt." Kai smirked. Then he sighed once more. "I dunno, maybe working this case with her will be a good thing. Maybe this is my chance to figure it out and make things right."
Noriaki shrugged. "I dunno, after she came back from Europe she was never the same."
Kai nodded in agreement, looking up at his cousin when she sat a cooked and cut quesadilla in front of him, along with a side of hot sauce. "Thanks Hikari." He said.
"No problem." Hikari smiled, reaching over and setting one in front of her husband. "You guys want anything to drink?"
"Some water." The dark haired man said, giving her a charming smile. "Thanks babe." He took Sakimori from his chair and sat him on his lap, offering him one of the quesadillas. Sakimori took it eagerly, biting down on tasty treat.
"Yum!"
"I'll take some water too please." Kai said.
Hikari got them some water, setting it in front of them. "Here's your waters." She said, before setting a smaller, plastic cup in front of her son. "And some apple juice for my growing boy." She ruffled his hair, leaning down and blowing a raspberry on his cheek, making him laugh.
"Thanks Kari." Kai took a drink before eating some of his lunch.
A few minutes later she sat down with them, next to her daughter so that she could feed her. They ate lunch together then, catching up about everything going on in their lives. And the entire time Kai couldn't help but think of Izayoi, and how he was going to see her again on Monday.
