After several minutes of silence, Yuki turned to see Shiko staring dead ahead—at nothing. "Shiko?" she asked. When she received no response, she added, "Slick?"

He blinked and looked down at her. "You've just rearranged my entire view of my family," he said woodenly.

"I warned you," she said softly, mostly to herself. Her fear of what the revelation could do to their budding relationship gnawed at her.

"That you did." He cleared his throat. "So my parents' marriage wasn't a grand love story…" His voice trailed off. "But I should have realized that from their interactions." At Yuki's inquiring glance, he added bitterly, "The stereotypical Japanese reserve was used handily as a façade that even fooled their children. There's none of the open display of affection like with Uncle Yuuki and Aunt Koto…" He trailed away again.

Yuki stood on her knees and grasped his forearms. "Remember that they are happy and crazy in love now. What was in the past is in the past. It can't harm you."

He looked at her with overly bright eyes. "But it did hurt Aunt Kotoko a lot, didn't it?" She could only nod. "And for what? The business? Was it worth it?"

"I'm not the one you should ask," she replied.

"You're right," Shiko agreed. He turned his arms around and boosted her to sit beside him on the couch before leaning forward. "I need to have a frank talk with Dad."

"Not until you've had a chance to absorb it all," she warned.

"No," he said slowly, rubbing his eyes, "I'm enough like my father to want to wait and speak rationally."

"You're not that much like him." She shoved him with her shoulder. "Granted, you called a girl 'dumb' like he did, but you had the sense to realize the error of your ways."

He grinned over at her. "I did, didn't I? But I thought you couldn't remember."

"That happened before the sugar coma," she laughed while winking at him, relieved that he did not appear to be the type to "shoot the messenger".

"So it did." He found that his eyes were focused on her lips, bare of artificial color yet still softly pink.

Yuki's breath shortened under his gaze. After only a brief hesitation, she smiled then leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his.

"Why?" he asked when they separated.

Her voice was sultry. "Weren't you curious about what kissing your 'first love' would be like?"

"Yes," he inhaled deeply, "but I think I was the 'kissee' instead of the 'kisser' there. Let's try it again."

Reclined together on the couch, Shiko stroked her hair, lifting the dyed strands and looking at the purple-tinged light through them. He sighed. "This place is nice and quiet. I'll have to remember it when the girls get too much for me."

She glanced up. "I thought you were used to them now."

"To a point," he admitted. "They're adorable...but so intense!"

"There may be only two, but the chaos is more than doubled, isn't it?" she agreed, laughing. "Well, this is a pretty good hideaway. I'll keep your secret from them."

He looked at his watch. "I should be getting back to the house. I missed another madhouse meal, and I can only imagine what rumors the girls will come up with for my late return."

Yuki straightened. "Act innocently confused with any questions, and give them extra attention for a while."

"Is that how you distract them?" he asked. "I don't know what else I can do. I mean, I've picked them up at their schools—of course, they have to go to separate ones—"

"Of course." she nodded, tongue in cheek.

"—and endured introductions to way too many females of the 'jailbait' variety." He ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe a shopping trip?"

"One each should do it," she agreed cheerfully. "Be sure to stop in at a sweets café that's crawling with more teenagers on the way home—Shiori will probably prefer one with cats—and this encounter will be a thing of the past."

"But not for you, right?" He leaned in for a quick kiss. She blinked in surprise. "No, Yuki," he added, "I want to continue seeing you."

"Sure." She patted his cheek and smiled easily.

Maybe too easily, he thought, but didn't pursue it.

Shiko took a week to think about it before he returned to the manga café and went into the rented room alone. He took out his phone and pressed a contact. After a few seconds, he said, "Dad? We need to talk."

After listening to his son's recitation of the decades-old tale, Naoki said briefly, "No words were said. No promises were broken."

He was not put off. "I don't doubt what you're saying, but words are not the only method of expressing emotion."

There was a lengthy silence. "At the time, it seemed the best possible solution. By accepting the offer, I could save your grandfather's company plus receive a loving wife."

"But did you love Mother?"

"Feelings have a way of growing and changing. Just let me say that we share a deep affection for each other."

"Since you won't answer directly, I can surmise the answer."

"Whatever our feelings for each other—or rather, my feelings for her—nothing changes the fact that we both love our children with the extent of our beings. Don't minimize that."

"I'm not." Shiko tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch. "Knowing what you do now, would you do the same today? Choose security over feelings?"

"As God is my witness, son, I don't know." His father's voice almost broke. "I don't know."

"That's not much of an answer, Dad."

"The truth is all I can give you."

"Thanks, I think," Shiko said. "I'll talk with you later."

He leaned his head against the back of the couch and sighed.

"Yuuki, are you able to take off for about a week after school lets out?" Kotoko asked her husband as she applied her morning makeup.

"I believe so," he answered, flipping the end of his tie through the loop. "Why?"

"I thought I'd follow your suggestion about a trip and open up the summer house in Izu. We can take the girls and Shiko, and when they get tired of the mountains and fresh air, we'll pack them off to the beach."

"If Shiori can find someone to take care of her menagerie." He leaned over and kissed her before the lipstick was applied. "Invite Yuki-chan as well."

"Yuki-chan?"

"He's not saying anything, but I think our nephew has been smitten a second time." He laughed as comprehension spread over her face. "Let's act in Mother's absence and try to 'help things along'."

"Well, in that case we'll make it the first week since she won't be here much longer."

"Right. I wonder if she's told him that yet."

A/N: Get your minds out of the gutter! They just kissed and cuddled. (So far.)