The One Where Minori Knows


Timeline: Starts in mid June, a few days after Akito meets Tedachi's family

"Hmm…" Minori mused as she flipped through personal notes and the household sign-in book, diligently typing the times into a computer document. 'This will be Mito's second strike…Akito is not going to like that. And then there's Ayu…She has yet to give us that doctor's note she promised from last week And…Wait, what's this?' She asked herself, carefully picking up Tedachi's sign-in page with a frown. After a few clicks on the computer, she brought up his schedule and compared it to the sheet.

'One…Two…Three…' She mentally counted and quickly made a few notes before printing the schedule and stapling it to the page, easily setting it with three others that she took with her when she sought out Akito after finished her task, finding the other woman diligently attending to the flowers in her butterfly garden.

"Yes, I know. Three o'clock," Akito was saying, her mobile balanced between her shoulder and ear as she reached for her watering can. "Text me the address. I'm sure I can figure it out," She continued, glancing up when Minori's shadow fell over her and sighing. "I have to go. House matters." She said suddenly, quickly hanging up and setting the phone down.

"Can I sit?" Minori asked carefully.

"I guess," Akito shrugged and turned back to the garden, moving to pull at a few weeds and frowning at a particularly stubborn one.

"I went through the attendance records for last week and found some inconsistencies. Mito had another no-show day on Tuesday."

"That's her second one, right?"

"Yes."

"Is she here today?"

"Yes. She's over at Mia and Kaito's today."

"Call over there and tell her to be here right after lunch."

"And Ayu still hasn't given us that doctor's note she promised last week."

"Tell her she has until Thursday. Tomorrow is her day off, she has plenty of time to get it. If she doesn't, tell me and I'll take care of it."

"Kaoru was late twice this week."

"That's not normal for her," Akito mused. "Give her a light warning, but keep an eye on her. If she starts a pattern, I'll sit down with her."

Minori nodded, placed the file behind the others. "One more," She said. "Tedachi's been late four times in the past two weeks. And last month he was late three separate times."

"Oh, don't worry about him," Akito said with a dismissive wave.

"But…"

"He's off today anyway. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Um…Alright?" Minori said with a raised eyebrow, lingering for a few minutes and watching as the smaller woman reached over for her basket, looking up when she realised Minori was still sitting next to her.

"Did you need something?" She asked.

"Hmm? Oh, no. Sorry," Minori apologised as she stood, unaware of the way Akito watched her walk away and how she pulled her phone back out the moment she was out of sight. 'That was….weird. Why be concerned with the girls, but not Tedachi? He's making a bad habit out of this and…she doesn't seem to care at all! I know they're friendly with each other…But this just doesn't seem right…' She mused with a frown, easily setting down her paperwork when she returned to the small office adjacent to the staff room and briefly dropping the thought when she picked up the phone to call out to a house on the other end of the state and inform Mito of her impending meeting with Akito, sighing at the girl's attitude when she hung up.

'Why is she mad at me? I was only doing my job. She's the one who's late all the damn time,' Minori thought, running a hand through her shoulder-length hair before heading off to finish her in-house chores, her goal being to get most of them done by lunch so she didn't have to rush around after her shopping trip, which she ended up completing shortly after three.

"I think that's everything…" She muttered to herself, looking over the bags in her hands and mentally comparing the items to those on her list whilst loading them into the borrowed car, soon smiling when a quick glance at her watch told her she was running early.

'I still have some time. Which means…I can check out that cute sweet shop!' Her smile widened at the thought as she finished and quickly headed up the street, pausing a few blocks from the shop and backing up when she caught a familiar face through the window of a local book café, head tilting in curiosity as she thought, 'Akito? What is she…? Wait…It's three fifteen. She was talking to someone about meeting somewhere at three. But…she's all alone!'

A small frown tugged at her lips as she watched Akito flip a page in her book. She didn't look particularly frustrated or unhappy; in fact, she was fully invested in the story, only being drawn from it when a mug settled down next to her.

"Thanks," Akito said, unaware of Minori's presence and the gasp she gave when she smiled up at Tedachi.

"They were out of the green tea you like, so I went with the…"

"Oolongcha," Akito offered after catching the scent of it.

"You and your tea," He said with a light laughed as he glanced around, made sure no one was paying attention before he leaned in and gave her a light peck on the cheek that she smiled at.

'And just what was that?!' Minori thought, her frown deepening. 'Is this why she's going easy on him with the attendance records? Because they're…Wait…What are they?! I guess they're dating…But that doesn't prove much. In fact…It proves nothing. Except that they're a little friendlier than I thought…But how friendly? Hmm…'

At that, she headed back towards the sweet shop, running over several ideas in her head as, in the café, Akito turned back to her book.

"Good book?" Tedachi asked and she nodded.

"I've been waiting for this one. It's the third in the Twisting Loyalties series."

"How many books are there in that one, anyway?"

"The author said he plans for there to be five, one for each of the families in the series. And that there would maybe be a sixth one that serves as an epilogue. But, he hasn't decided yet. It was in an interview I read last month."

Tedachi nodded, took a sip of his tea.

"He also said he's going on a signing tour. He's going to be at this café next week to promote this book," She said, looking up at him with expectant eyes.

He raised an eyebrow at her, his expression easily changing from curious to teasing. "You want to go, don't you?"

"Of course I want to go! He's my favourite writer and the series is so well-researched, I…"

"You're a fangirl," Tedachi teased with a laugh.

"I am NOT!" Akito snapped, unaware of the light blush slowly creeping up on her face.

"Yes you are. You read the author's interviews, preorder the books and now, you, the heavily anti-social Akito Sohma wants to attend a book signing that will be filled with other fans. Some of them teenagers."

"I'm not that anti-social…" She muttered.

"You can be," Tedachi shrugged. "You have your friends and business partners, but that's it, really. You keep to yourself for the most part…Which isn't a bad thing. I'm just worried something like this will make you uncomfortable."

"It probably will…But…I really want to meet him. Even if it's just to say I appreciate his writing and research."

Tedachi shook his head. "You are too cute," He sighed, smiling at her expression as he continued. "Alright. I'll go with you. When is it?"

"Next Thursday at four."

"I'm off that day, right?"

Akito nodded. "And I'll need you to be at the house at three."

"It only takes a half hour to get here from the main estate."

"I know, but I don't want to be late. And I sure as hell don't want to be stuck waiting in a long queue, so we need to be early."

"Alright. Can I borrow one of those books?"

"Why?"

"Because I might as well figure out why you like them so much before we go to this thing."

"You're on late shift tomorrow, right?"

"I…think so?"

"Come see me during your dinner hour and I'll give you the first one."

"Can't you just leave it in the staff room?"

"Oh, come on. What fun is that?" She teased, reached over to cover his hand with hers as she looked up at him through her long lashes.

"You keep looking at me like that and I'm not going to be able to stop myself from kissing you in front of everyone," He teased back after catching the slightly seductive glint in her eyes.

"Who said I wanted to stop you?"

"Don't tempt me," Tedachi warned as he stood. "I'm going to get some more tea and a snack. You want anything?"

"No thank you. I'm waiting for dinner, remember? You wanted to take me to that popular ramen shop by your place?"

"Right…But, that won't be for a little bit. I'll just get you something small."

"You don't…Have…To…" She said, trailing off and sighing when he turned away, clearly not interested in her protests. 'He worries too much sometimes…' She decided, flipped a page in her book. 'I guess it's nice that he fusses over me a bit…But he's my boyfriend. Not my babysitter. I know how to take care of myself.'

"Here you are," Tedachi said when he returned, setting a small plate in front of her, observing as she shot a fleeting glance towards the manju bun before returning to her book, ignoring the sigh he gave as he opened up his own book.

"Is that the one I gave you?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I haven't touched that one yet. I wanted to finish – Hey."

"This is a manga book," Akito observed as she snatched it up.

"My sister recommended it to me. It's actually really good for a shojo."

Akito scoffed, handed the book back. "You are such a dork."

"Hey. Don't give me that. You read smutty romance novels," He retorted.

"Guilty pleasure," She explained, picked up her snack and finally started to eat, unaware of the small smile he gave then and a few hours later when they were sitting in his flat. Him on the sofa fully concentrated on a video game, while she sat on the floor and caught up on some work, pausing to give a soft yawn and delicately rub her eyes before turning back to her laptop screen and absentmindedly flipping a page in one of her document binders.

"Tired?" He asked as he set aside his video game controller.

"No. Not really," She lied, flipped another page. "Besides, I really need to finish this."

"I'm sure it can wait a day or two. You said you didn't have any meetings until Friday."

"But it's better for me to get this done now," She argued, ignoring his sigh as he stood from his spot on the sofa and then looking up when a hand came down on her shoulder.

"You're tired," He retorted. "And you have an early appointment with Hatori tomorrow. Let's get you to bed."

Though she scowled at him, she knew he was right and moved to save her document and shut the computer off, easily taking the hand he offered once she set the laptop aside.

Once in the bedroom, Akito quickly dug through her bag and headed off into the bathroom to change and go through her nighttime routines while Tedachi turned down the bed and grabbed her blanket, which lay next to the duffle bag.

Akito said nothing when she returned, ignoring Tedachi's comment about her cute purple nightshirt as she crossed the room and settled into bed, giving a small, unnoticed smile when he draped her butterfly blanket over her.
"Here's your blanket," He said. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Wait…" Akito murmured, turning to look at him.

"Hm?"

"Kiss?"

He smiled, leaned down and met her lips in a light, chaste kiss before she settled back down with a content sigh. "Good night," He whispered, adjusted the blanket and headed out, returning once he accomplished what he wanted to in his game and shaking his head at the sight of his girlfriend lying in the middle of his bed and then holding in a laugh when she gave a discontented groan after he tried to move her over.

"Akito, you need to scoot over," He whispered, giving her another gentle push that resulted in her waking up just long enough to glare at him. "Come on," He urged, earning another groan as she finally moved over and allowed him the space to slide into bed, eagerly snuggling up to him once he was settled.


"Where were you last night?" Minori asked as soon as Akito came through the door.

"I stayed over with Shima," Akito lied expertly, shifting the bag hanging over her shoulder as she spoke and raising an eyebrow at the way Minori looked her over.

'No hickeys…She's not in a ridiculously happy mood…Maybe she did spend the night with Shima?' Minori mused.

"Yes?" Akito asked.

"Oh! Nothing."

"Alright…I'm going to take care of this and send the laundry down for you to handle. I want a snack tray sent up in about an hour. I'll be in my room working."

"Yes Miss," Minori gave a proper bow as Akito headed off, deciding to drop her questions for the time being and go on her way until Tedachi arrived for work that afternoon.

After contemplating a few options, she settled for hovering around a bit, going unnoticed for most of the day until she dared to approach him in the garden, carefully looking over his shoulder while he pulled at weeds.

'Hmm…No hickeys on his neck either. I guess Akito was telling the truth….Though, it still doesn't explain the café date…' She thought.

"Can I help you with something?" Tedachi sighed, having become rather annoyed with her hovering.

"Hm? Oh! No! I'm just observing," She lied with a nervous smile.

"If you're going to do that, you can help me," He decided.

"Um…Alright," Minori decided, figuring that helping and spending time with him would allow them to talk a bit. "So…" She mused carefully. "You and Akito seem to get along well."

"We're friends," Tedachi shrugged. "At least…I think we are. We read and discuss books together and sometimes eat lunch when I work the morning shift."

"And go out sometimes?"

"Huh?"

"When I was out shopping yesterday, I saw you two in that book café downtown."

At that, he paused, resisting the urge to stare at her as he thought, 'We picked that place because we were sure it was so out of the way no one would find us! Especially in the middle of the day! And now…Shit. I hope she didn't see anything!'

"Is something wrong?" Minori asked carefully, using all of her willpower to hold back the smirk teasing her features after catching the nervous glint in his eye.

"No, of course not. I was just thinking about my tasks for later," Tedachi lied, hoping he didn't sound too awkward. "And as for yesterday, Akito went to pick up her preorder and asked me if I'd like to come so we could discuss the book we just finished."

"Oh," She frowned, looking up when he stood.

"I'll be back. I have to fill the watering can," He said, easily grabbing it while she leaned over to pull at some more weeds, easily ignoring the dirt starting to accumulate on her kimono sleeves. Unlike many of the other girls, she wasn't afraid to get the garment dirty. It was for working in, after all.

'That watering can isn't even close to empty!' She thought, having glanced at it briefly when she had come over.

'I hope that all sounded convincing…' Tedachi thought as he leaned against the wall by the hose, having actually gotten away to collect his thoughts. The last thing he wanted or needed was her finding out about the relationship and spreading it around. 'Are we going to have to be even more careful? I'll have to bring it up later when I see her at dinner.' He resolved, taking in a breath before grabbing the watering can again and returning to the task at hand, being careful not to drop any hints of information and to watch his back a little more throughout the day, especially when he made his way up to Akito's room shortly after his slotted dinner hour started.

"There you are," She teased when he slid open the door, easily turning away from her computer.

"Where's the book?" He asked.

Akito scoffed, stood up and took the few steps over to him. "We'll get to that later. Right now I need you to sit down. On the bed."

"But, Akito, we need to –" He trailed off when she leaned up to whisper,

"It wasn't a question." She took his hand, pulled him further into the room and urged him toward the bed, muttering something about sitting in the middle, which he obeyed.

He had been settled less than a moment when she crawled up to join him and carefully, eagerly straddling his lap, throwing him a satisfied smirk when he looked up at her.

"Akito, I need to talk –" His words were cut off by her kissing him firmly, hands immediately finding and threading through his hair.

It took him a few moments to react, his mind still focused on the fact that they needed to talk. He reached up, intending to set his hands on her shoulders and push her back, but easily dropped the thought when he felt her teeth sink into his bottom lip.

She bit and tugged gently, pausing to look at him through her lashes and then smiling at the look of adoration he gave her before leaning in for another eager kiss, giggling against his lips when he pulled her in close after settling his hands on the small of her back.

He responded to the light laugh with a smile against her skin and another, firm kiss, gently nipping at her lip when she resisted his attempts to deepen the kiss and frowning when she only laughed at his frustration, however, the expression easily melted away when she grabbed his shirt and pulled him back for a hot, rough kiss where she practically assaulted his lips with hers and forced her way into his mouth, swallowing the groan he gave when her tongue curled around his.

He returned the kiss with one of equal vigor, his hands sliding up her body almost of their own violation while hers came up, snaked around his neck.

"T—Tedachi!" She gasped when his lips made their way down to her neck, closed her eyes and let out a faint moan when he nipped. For once, she hadn't intended it to go this far, having only wanted to tease him with a few kisses and use the make-out session as a way to de-stress after struggling with some of the account books.

"Akito," He groaned as she pressed herself against him, the movement mostly unconscious on her part.

When their lips met again, Akito forced herself to hold back a moan as she fisted her hands into navy fabric, her mind suddenly deciding that it was in the way and that she needed to see and touch his overheated flesh. She wanted to run her fingers over every small crevice and curve. Just the thought made her shudder as she moved her hands downward to toy with the hem of the shirt.

A slight smirk played at his lips when her fingers grazed his waistline just above his jeans as she pulled his shirt up, a slight frown forming on her face when it wouldn't budge. He held back a laugh as he captured her lips again, this time in a soft, chaste kiss, before pulling back to yank his shirt over his head.

As soon as the garment hit the floor, his hands settled on her arms, squeezed and roughly pulled her back to him.

Akito easily surrendered to his rough kiss, moaning against his mouth as his grip loosened and his hands made their way into her hair while hers ran over his chest, nails tracing gently over every curve she could reach, the motions earning her a soft groan that turned into a surprised gasp when her thumbs ran over his nipples the same moment her lips hit his neck. She paused, sucked at his pulse point before moving back up, kissing a trail back up to his lips and raising an eyebrow when she felt a tug at the buttons on her dress.

"What are you doing?" She giggled.

"You took my shirt off first," He teased, popping another button as he spoke and then quickly returning to her neck.

"Fair enough," She teased back a few minutes later, pausing between kisses to slip her arms from the sleeves, letting the rest of the fabric settle around her waist and giving a soft giggle as his fingers gently ran over light-blue lace and rhinestones while his lips moved downward, a low, soft moan escaping her mouth when his teeth met with the tops of her breasts.

He gently nipped at the sensitive skin, earning a soft gasp as her grip around his shoulders tightened, the gasp soon turning into a low groan when he started to kiss his way back up to her lips, easily drawing her into a slow, sensuous kiss, hands moving almost of their own volition, trailing up and down her sides before coming around to her back, fingers barely brushing the catch on her bra before a loud knock came at the door.

"Akito?" Minori asked as she tapped the door again, shifting the laundry basket she was holding.

"Shit," Akito muttered as she quickly pulled away from her boyfriend, her mind reeling as she looked around and searched for a solution.

"Aki –"

"Hide in the bathroom!" She finally said as she scrambled out of his lap, ignoring her dress as it hit the ground.

"What?" He asked and she didn't reply, only grabbed his hand and forced him up, quickly shoving him towards the bathroom door when he stood and rushing to close it, only to have him grab her wrist and pull her in with him before shutting and locking the door.

"What are you –" She tried to snap, only to be shushed right before they heard the door slide open as he turned on the shower to create the illusion that she had been preparing for it the whole time. She ignored him and leaned up against the door to listen, taking in a breath when she felt his heat against her as he joined her in doing the same, both intensely quiet, save for their soft breathing.

"Akito?" Minori asked again when she entered, shrugging when she found the room empty, but raising an eyebrow at the two garments thrown haphazardly on the floor, and then moving to grab Tedachi's shirt after setting the laundry basket down.

'Okay, so…This definitely is NOT hers. Wait…wasn't Tedachi wearing this earlier? Hmm…Curiouser and curiouser…' She thought, easily dropping the shirt again before heading out the door, unaware of the relieved sighs that came from the couple in the bathroom when they heard the door close, a long pause stretching between them before Tedachi spoke.
"Well…" He said, hands trailing up her back. "Since the shower's already on…"

She said nothing, only gasped when, at the last word, he suddenly flicked the catch on her bra. She thought to glare at him, but was quickly overtaken by the idea of being with him in the shower, where they would be alone and in private with no chance of getting caught as, the maids never bothered her when she was showering. A smirk crossed her features as she processed the thought, easily slipped the garment off and threw it aside before approaching him, taking the hot, invasive kiss he offered and then holding in a soft laugh at the feeling of his hands ghosting down her sides.

"Get in," Tedachi ordered after hooking his thumbs into the waistline of her pants and gently easing them down, eyes darkening with an almost feral lust as he watched her slip them the rest of the way off and carefully toss them aside too, throwing him a knowing look as she stepped into the shower.


'So…First there was the way she dismissed his attendance problems…Followed by the date at the café…And then I find Tedachi's shirt on her bedroom floor. Hmm…' Minori mused two days later as she prepared a tea tray. 'Yet…I didn't see him go up there…Unless…Was he in the shower with her?' She paused, set the stirrer aside. 'Duh! Of course he was! When I passed him on the way out he looked freshly showered… And, come to think of it…He did smell like pomegranate. So…That leaves the question…Are they together or is this just a hookup thing? Or am I completely off?' She raised an eyebrow at her own thought and arranged the teapot and cups in their proper positions, carefully double-checking them before heading off to the sitting room, where, Akito sat out on the deck carefully looking over the notes from her meeting that morning and making necessary adjustments whilst comparing suggested numbers with those in her already carefully-calculated budget.

'I don't care what he wants…We DO NOT need to spend any more money here! There are plenty of ways to utilise the people and resources we already have,' She thought with a scowl, making a huge, red mark across the paragraph, and then looking towards her mobile when it rang.

"Hello?" She asked when she answered it.

"Akito, hi! I'm glad I finally got a hold of you. I left a message the other day, but…"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Fujiwara" Akito interrupted. "I did listen to it and I meant to call you back, but I had this meeting and some account books to look over…It's been kind of a mess these past few days."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You're dealing with it though, right?" Dr. Fujiwara asked carefully as she made a note in Akito's patient file.

"For the most part. I got so aggravated with my notes the other night I cried."

"But, you're not lashing out?"

"No. Not physically."

"That's good. Anything new going on, or is it just the usual?"

"Everything is pretty much the same. I'm working on planning a wedding for some family members and…" Akito paused, glanced back into the room and slowly slid the door closed, taking in a breath before eagerly stating, "I have a boyfriend now!"

The doctor raised an eyebrow, "It's not one of those men you told me about is it? The ones you were with before?"

"No. God, no. I actually haven't talked to Kureno in a long time, and Shigure and I get along, but we are nowhere near getting back together. This is a new guy. He works for me actually."

"Really?"

Akito nodded, though, she knew the therapist couldn't see it. "And he's a wonderful boyfriend…"

'Boyfriend?! So…They are together?!' Minori thought, having waked in just as Akito finished her sentence. She stood just outside of the door to the deck, and carefully, quietly, stepped up to listen, giving a small smile when she heard Akito laugh.

"I'm so stupid in love with him! I don't even really know what happened…We started out as friends and over time I started noticing more and more things about him I liked…And then I just…I don't know!"

"You usually don't," Dr. Fujiwara laughed. "Hell, I still can't pinpoint exactly when I started to fall for my husband, yet…here we are. Going on ten years with two kids. You said he was good to you, right?"

"Of course. He's patient and puts up with me when I'm temperamental. And he doesn't make a fuss about it having to be a secret –"

"Secret?"

Akito nodded and proceeded to explain while Minori quietly padded out of the room, deciding to return with the tea in a few minutes.

'So…She has a boyfriend and it's a secret…Combine that with the fact that I keep seeing her and Tedachi together and found his clothes in her room and…I think we have a match! But…How to bring it up? Or should I even bother? What if it turns out not to be true?' She paused, laughed silently at her own thought. 'Who am I kidding…? Of course it's true! The silent whispers…The obvious shared shower the other day…They're definitely together. Now…how to approach it…?' She smiled at the idea when she returned with the tray a few minutes later to find the door open again and Akito casually scanning documents.

"You asked for tea?" Minori said carefully.

"Yes. A half hour ago! It doesn't take that long to make tea!"

"I'm sorry. Some other chores got in the way."

Akito gave an annoyed huff in response, poured her tea and then glanced towards her lingering maid. "Yes? Did you need something?"

"Huh? Oh! Me? No. I'm fine."

"Then why are you still here?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was just...thinking," Minori said with a nervous smile, giving a proper bow before making herself scarce, unaware of the raised eyebrow Akito gave when she left.

'She's weird,' Akito thought, rolling her eyes before turning back to the rain that had been falling and eventually looking up when a shadow fell over her.

"Michiko said you wanted to see me?" Tedachi asked, sliding the door closed as he spoke.

"Yes. We need to talk about your attendance record. Sit."

Tedachi raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told and sat, accepting the cup she offered with a polite nod.

"You were recorded as being late four times in two weeks."

"I believe all of those were your fault," He pointed out, set his cup down. "'One more time, Tedachi. I don't care if you're late.' 'Take a shower with me, it won't take that long.' 'Get inside me, now.' Remember all that?"

Akito couldn't respond. She only looked away from him in a poor attempt to hide the heavy blush covering her cheeks. "That…Doesn't…"

He smirked, took a long sip of his tea. "And what about the way you begged me to take you a few days ago on that rainy morning? You were practically screaming for it."

"Tedachi! Shush!" She ordered, throwing him a look. "What if someone hears you? Never mind, don't answer that. Just, be more careful, will you? I think some of the girls are starting to get suspicious."

"Don't you pin this all on me. You need to stop being so tempting so early in the morning. How do you do that anyway?"

"Let me show you," She insisted with a smirk, moving so that her face was directly in front of his. She brought a hand up, cupped his cheek. "Tedachi?" She purred, looking at him through her long lashes as she spoke.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

At that, she leaned in and captured his lips with her own, holding back a smile when he moaned against her lips as she curled her tongue around his, pressing harder, deeper, claiming him as hers.

A small smirk played at her lips as she slowly pulled back and caught the adoration and lust in his gaze. "No," She ordered, putting a finger to his lips when he leaned in again. "No more until tomorrow. We have a long night planned, remember? So, I hope you'll be using your day off to rest."

He gave a knowing look in response as he stood. "If that's all, I need to get back to work. And I promise I'll try and be more careful about my attendance."

"Good." She gave a curt, professional nod and took another sip of her tea as he headed off, a small smile playing at her lips as she thought about her plans for the following night then and the next morning as she eagerly texted Tedachi during breakfast, frowning and giving an aggravated sigh when Kaoru came to drag her off into the bath, muttering something about her having to hurry up due to a meeting.

"I know, I know," Akito snapped, scowling at Minori when they passed her and the younger girl laughed.

'Sorry, Akito…But you're just…You're something else,' Minori thought with a small shake of her head as she made her way down the hallway, stopping in the dining room to collect the abandoned breakfast dishes. Normally, Akito would bring them to the kitchen herself, but after being dragged off due to losing track of time, they ended up being left on the table.

'Well, at least she ate it all today. The cook said she left half of it on the plate yesterday. But, in her defense, he did give her a lot of food. She probably couldn't stomach it all…' She mused as she picked up the final dish, pausing when Akito's mobile went off.

'Hmm…I wonder who…' She went to reach for it and then quickly stopped herself. 'No. I can't. I shouldn't. That's hers. And…Oooh, Tedachi.' She thought as she read the screen, then, after a quick glance around, against her better judgment, she picked up the purple device and flipped it open.

"But we'll still have to set an alarm so I can be up early…" She read aloud to herself, raised an eyebrow and began to flip through the message queue. "'Can't wait for tonight…We're not going to sleep. At all.' 'You should wear that lacy slip of yours…You know, the one with the slit?' 'Hehe. Maybe I will.' 'I can already see myself sliding my hands under black satin, parting those hot, sleek thighs and…'" At that, she quickly flipped it closed, deciding that she had read more than enough.

'That's it. They are a thing and this proves it! And now I know EXACTLY how to go about this!'


'God, I hate mornings…Why did I decide this was a good idea again? It's still dark,' Minori asked herself as she quietly slipped her key into the main door with a long yawn the same moment that Tedachi's mobile alarm went off upstairs.

'Ugh. Shut up!' Akito thought with a groan, glancing up at it briefly.

"I've got it," Tedachi assured, holding in a small laugh at her expression as he reached over and shut it off, smiling towards Akito when she settled back against him following the quiet, gently moving a piece of hair out of her face before he forcing himself up.

When he returned from the bathroom, he found her in the same spot, hand resting up by her face. He smiled at the way her fingers reflexively curled to catch his when he teased her palm.

"Akito?" He whispered, moving to gently shaking her.

"No," She muttered, snuggling further into her blanket.

'Oh…Why do you have to look so vulnerable when you sleep?' He thought, biting his lip as images of the previous night flooded his mind. Sure, she looked vulnerable now, but last night she had been very much the opposite. She played the dominating seductress well. After they'd finished off the takeout he'd brought over, she snuck off to set up the room and when she called him up, he was greeted by candlelight and the sight of his girlfriend in the black satin and lace slip he'd suggested she wear. From there, she'd taken complete control, ordering him into stripping off his own clothes and then teasing and sensually torturing him, making sure he was fully frustrated before making him to the same to her, taking pleasure in the feral lust in his eyes that melted into pure helplessness once she pushed him onto his back and eagerly, forcefully took him. That time, he had been the vulnerable one, unable to do anything but submit to her. Their second time had been slower, more intimate with both parties putting in equal effort, but without one taking full control, as, they were both too sated and tired to do so. He vaguely remembered them trying to go for a third round, but also knew it probably didn't go past the initial kissing stage, because he also had a blurry memory of pulling Akito's blanket up while she settled next to him.

'I guess the roles are reversed now…' He thought, his lips slowly turning up into a smirk as he ran a hand over her shoulder, smiled at the small noise she made, and then carefully, gently, urged her over onto her back, the smirk returning when she didn't wake. Once he was sure she was settled, he pulled the blanket and sheets off of her and carelessly threw them aside as he climbed on top of her.

"Akito…" He whispered hotly, leaning in to place a kiss on her neck as his hands wandered downwards, cupped her breasts.

Akito gave a sleepy gasp in response to his ministrations, a soft moan soon escaping her lips when he ran his thumbs over her nipples.

He groaned against her skin at the reaction, pausing to suck at her pulse point while his hands moved farther downwards, fingers drawing light, nonsensical patterns on her skin as he whispered her name again, leaving one last, light kiss on her collar before descending upon her breasts.

"Oh…Tedachi," She groaned as his tongue met with her nipple, her mind caught completely in a fantasy. Though she was more than used to having sex dreams about him at this point, this one felt…different. And it came on rather suddenly. Usually there was some build up to her fantasies, some establishment of setting before things got heated, but this one had come on so fast. She moaned again when one of his hands came back up to tease her untouched breast.

'Hmm…I don't remember you being such a heavy sleeper…Unless…Maybe you just don't want to wake up?' He thought, biting back a laugh at his thought process and gently nipping at the underside of her breast, drawing a rather loud moan out of her that he took as an invitation to continue, fingers moving downward to stoke the insides of her slightly spread thighs as his lips brushed over her stomach and then slowly trailed downwards, each light peck earning him a soft gasp.

Akito's hand twisted into her blanket when his lips brushed over her navel, her mind fighting with itself. While part of her wanted to stay in her dreams, in this erotic fantasy, the other part was urging her to wake up, but it wasn't until she felt his hot breath hovering over her wet heat that she finally started to give in and carefully, slowly, blinked her eyes open, only to widen them immediately and give a soft squeal when he nipped at her inner thigh, the sensation telling her that she was both awake and that her dream…Hadn't been a dream at all.

"Tedachi?" She asked, quickly propping herself up on her elbows to see her boyfriend's head between her legs. She then watched as he paused upon realising she was awake and looked up at her.

"Well, good morning, Gorgeous," He teased, dropped her leg and quickly came back up.

"What are you—" Her question was cut off by his hot, invasive kiss. He didn't bother with teasing her this time, simply forced his way into her mouth, not giving her any chance to fight back as he curled his tongue around hers, swallowing the moan she gave just before he pulled back and put a finger to her lips.

Surprisingly, she obeyed his silent command and said nothing more as he descended once again, not wasting any time in returning to his previous position, hands gripping her now quivering thighs as he held them apart, leaving one, last mark on the left one before turning his attention to her pulsing heat.

There was no preamble as he leaned in and ran his tongue along the length of her, the action drawing a long, hard moan from her mouth that only got louder when he found her clit, flicked his tongue against it.

"Tedachi…" She said with a hard gasp when he repeated the motion, bringing her hand down to run over and then tangle in his hair when he gave a moan of his own against her hot, hidden flesh, the vibration sending a pleasant shiver up her spine that soon melted into pure heat as he picked up the pace, licking almost relentlessly, and relishing in the hard, sensual gasps and moans he got in response, giving a few of his own when her grip on his hair tightened and she practically screamed out his name.

At that, he pulled back slightly, earning an aggravated groan that he ignored as he slipped a hand under her thigh and shifted one of her legs up onto his shoulder, briefly locking eyes with her and barely biting back his moan when he caught the pure, unbridled desire in those dark irises just before licking a hot line along her inner thigh, the action making her shudder against him with a light gasp that turned into a long, soft moan when he pressed his tongue against her. This time, he worked her slowly, using the flat of his tongue to carefully trace the characters of her name as a distraction.

Akito let out a frustrated moan, taking her free hand to her breast and gently teasing it as she instinctively arched against him, silently commanding him and then scowling when he didn't take the hint, only continued with his tortuously slow, sensual licks, his hand slowly trailing up and down her leg as he did so, the light brushing of his fingers making her shiver.

"Tedachi…Please," She gasped, tightened her grip on his hair.

"Please, what?" Tedachi teased, slowly pulling away from her and giving a light laugh at the scowl he got in response. "Well, that's not very sexy," He laughed, leaning in to capture her lips with his before she could respond, his tongue sliding into her mouth as his fingers slid downwards and into her without warning, earning both a startled gasp and a long, keening moan in response as her hips surged upwards, taking him deeper into her.

"Akito," He groaned, his voice right next to her ear as his fingers curled inside her, making her moan louder. "You're so…wet and…" He trailed off, let out another groan at the thought of what it would feel like when he was moving inside of her, her body slick with passion and eagerly throbbing all around him. Just the passing thought was enough to make him consider stopping and simply ramming himself into her. However, he quickly shook it off. He refused to give in until he had her thoroughly frustrated and begging, screaming for him to take her. He didn't care which form, I want you. I need you. Take me. Fuck me. As long as she said it.

She gave another loud moan when he curled his fingers again, and then let out a soft gasp as he slowly, tortuously, started to pull them out, only to plunge them back in, harsher this time, her hips once again rising with the motion, her moan cut off by his lips as he kissed her ardently, easily coaxing her into a long, searing kiss, holding in a low groan when her arms came up, wrapped around his neck as her whole body arched against him and she moaned his name again.

"Tedachi…I…Ah!" She gasped, dug her nails into his shoulders when she felt both his thumb brushing over her nipple and his fingers slowly pulling out of her once again.

"Tedachi…What?" He breathed, leaving a light kiss on her neck before taking his lips to her breasts, carefully tracing the pebbled texture of her areolas, smiling against her skin at the way her back arched and pushed her breasts upwards just as his fingers easily slithered back inside her increasingly tight heat.

"You…I need you to…" Akito gasped, struggling to speak through the increasingly rapid tempo of her breaths.

"Yes?" He replied, gently nipped at the underside of her breast, curled his fingers inside of her once again and then relished in a girlish cry of pleasure he received in response.

"Oh, God. Tedachi, inside me! Now!" She commanded and he smirked as he shifted into a kneeling position, eyes locked with hers as he brought his fingers to his lips and licked each one clean, the sight drawing a faint moan from her before he moved to hover over her, his eyes still on hers as he slowly slipped into her with a long, hard moan, her body offering no resistance, greedily welcoming him with its passion-sodden embrace. By that point, all of her nerves were on fire, her loins so alive with heat and sensation all she could do was cry out pitifully and cling to him, her painted nails digging into his shoulders as he started the moving at a rather slow pace, using every ounce of his willpower to keep from simply slamming into her.

He groaned at the feeling of her nails raking over his shoulders, the low noise turning into a full-throated moan when she leaned up to kiss and then worry a spot on his neck, soon kissing her way up and gently nipping on his earlobe as he increased the pace slightly.

"Ah! Oh, Tedachi. Faster. Deeper," She breathed, her sultry tone and hot breath on his ear making him shudder against her as he obeyed, easily quickening the pace and giving a moan of his own when he felt her thighs lock around his waist and her hips rising to meet his.

"Akito…" He moaned, shifted slightly and relished in the cry of pleasure she gave when he brushed against the top of her entrance, her nails digging even further into his skin before her hands moved to his neck and pulled him in for a long, searing kiss that he let her have control in, figuring that he owed her at least a small semblance of power after incessantly teasing her, his eyes soon widening slightly when she spoke again.

"You're…So big," She gasped. "And…Thick…I…" She trailed off, her words melting into a series of hot gasps and moans as she lost herself completely in the ecstasy of his body.

He thought to say something, anything in response, but found words completely lost on him as his own pleasure boiled over and he finally gave in to his release, his hips jerking forward almost violently, plunging deeply into her, the short, rapid thrusts of his body soon sending her over the edge as well, his name tearing free of her lips in the form of a loud, high-pitched scream.

'Ha! I knew it!' Minori thought, her head shooting up from the attendance documents she was looking at in a sitting room downstairs, a smirk gracing her features as she delicately picked up her coffee cup.

"I love you," Akito breathed, gave him a light kiss as things began to cool slightly.

"God, you are so sexy," Was his response when they broke apart. "I love it when you talk dirty," He said, gently trailing a finger down in-between her breasts as he spoke and holding in a light laugh at the way her skin turned a deeper red as a heavy blush graced her cheeks.

"No, stay," She commanded when he started to pull away, tightening her thighs around his hips.

"I can't," He sighed in response, leaned down for another kiss. "I have to get up. We have to make it look like I just happened to be the first one here, remember?"

Akito groaned, knowing he was right and reluctantly untangled herself from him, waiting and watching as he got up.

"I'm going to take a shower. You should join me," He declared, holding his hand out to her and giving her a knowing smile when she took it and eagerly followed him.


Tedachi let out a small sigh when he slid Akito's door shut awhile later, grateful that she had willingly gone back to sleep and that they had managed to get out of the shower in a decent amount of time.

"Ten minutes to spare…" He murmured to himself as he looked at his watch. "Enough time to make some coffee and get something to eat." He smiled at the thought and turned down the stairs, abruptly stopping once he looked up and found Minori waiting for him at the bottom, a brief, awkward silence hanging before he blurted out,

"You're here early."

"So are you," She replied smugly, watching and waiting as he came down.

"Well, I…" He started, quickly racking his brain for an excuse and finding himself unable to come up with one, his mind focused on the images of Akito from the previous night up to minutes ago, just before he put her back to bed.

Minori smirked, stepped up into his personal space. "You've got the hots this morning!" She declared.

"I…What?"

"You've got the hots for Akito," She said.

"What does that even mean?" Tedachi asked with a raised eyebrow.

Minori scoffed. "And you call yourself an adult. Anyway, I'm off to start on the cleaning."

At that, she sauntered off, leaving a dumbfounded Tedachi at the bottom of the stairs.

'What is she trying to pull?' He mused as he headed down the hall to the kitchen. 'And what did she mean by all of that?' He frowned, slid open the kitchen door and made his way to the counter, raising an eyebrow at the fresh coffee already in the pot. 'I guess Minori made this,' He shrugged, and reached for a mug, soon dropping it once he caught site of another mug sitting in the sink. 'Wait! If she had time to make this and drink it, then…How long has she been here?! Does she…? Could she…? Fuck!' He groaned, put a hand to his head as he ran over her words again. 'She knows…' He quickly thought to seek her out, but ended up stopping in the doorway when he realised that he probably shouldn't be so forward about it. Confronting her right away would definitely make it seem like he had something to hide. Granted, he did. But, he also thought it was better to keep it hidden, at least until he was sure that she really did know about him and Akito and wasn't just trying to psyche him out. Unfortunately, trying to get a hold of, or keep an eye on her that day proved rather difficult, as, most of her chores were errands that required her to be out of the house until lunchtime, which she intended to join in on until she found a note in her drawer in the staff room that led her to the back deck outside of Akito's sitting rooms.

"Tedachi?" She asked when she found him there, looking out at the garden.

"How did you find out?" He asked, not bothering with any sort of greeting or acknowledgment.

"How did I find out…what?" She replied.

"You know what."

Minori sighed, shut the door behind her before moving to sit next to him, a long pause settling between them before she took in a breath and admitted. "I heard you this morning…Okay, actually, I heard her. And from what I gather, you must be pretty good, us women do not scream like that for no reason."

Tedachi turned away in a poor attempt to hide the slight blush on his face.

"You're blushing."

"Never mind that. What do you want?"

"What do you mean, what do I want?"

"You made it a point to tell me you knew about me and Akito, you must want something."

"Well, I'd like to know if you two are really together or if it's just a hook up."

"We're in a relationship."

"Since when?"

"Since May when we confessed to each other. We were both harbouring pretty decent crushes on each other for awhile."

"I figured something was up before today, you know. She dismissed your attendance problems…And then I saw you two together in that book shop the same day. Then you started acting weird and there was this phone conversation I overheard where she talked about having a boyfriend, and I just started putting things together. Then I…Well….Akito left her mobile on the table one morning and…"

"You went through her phone?!" He asked, mouth hanging slightly agape.

"Only because your name flashed up on the screen," Minori shrugged. "Anyway, I looked through some of your texts and found out you were staying over, so I…"

"Decided to show up early to see if you could get your questions answered?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I guess you got your answer."

"Is she always that loud in bed?"

Tedachi nodded. "If she has to be quiet, she is. But, if not, she's really vocal. I don't mind though." He paused, thought for a moment before he said, "So…Are you going to tell everyone, now?"

"What? No! I can keep a secret. But…You understand what this means, right?"

Tedachi groaned, "You're not going to blackmail us, are you?"

"No…Well, not how you would think."

"Then what –" He was cut off when she leaned over, put her face directly in front of his.

"You know…I really hate washing the dinner dishes. But I don't mind sweeping the walkways outside."

"So, you want me to…switch chores with you?"

"Yes. Now and occasionally at other times. And maybe shifts too…And some lunch would be nice too every once in awhile. I've heard you cook really well."

"Fine," Tedachi huffed, gently putting a hand to her shoulder and shoving her away. "I'll do it. All of it. As long as you keep your mouth shut and the demands stay reasonable. And I will have to tell Akito."

"Fair enough," Minori shrugged and stood. "Don't forget about those dishes."

"I won't," Tedachi promised, giving a nod in acknowledgement that she returned before leaving, closing the door behind her just as he sighed and contemplated his choices, sitting for some time before he garnered up the courage to stand and seek out his girlfriend, who he found reading underneath the tree in their hidden garden clearing.

"There you are," He sighed.

She didn't respond, only looked up at him.

"Can we talk?"

"I…Guess?" Akito said. His serious tone frightened her, and she found herself wondering if she had done something wrong as she marked her page and set the book down as he sat next to her.

"Minori knows," He stated, having decided it was best to just be honest.

"What?"

"Minori knows…About us."

"HOW?"

"Shush," Tedachi ordered, putting a finger to his lips and pulling back when she smacked his hand.

"Don't you 'shush' me! Explain."

"She said she just put the pieces together…" He said, took in a breath and proceeded to explain the story the way Minori had, starting with the bookstore and going up to that morning.

"Great," Akito groaned when he finished.

"But…She said she'd keep it a secret," Tedachi offered.

"But at what price? People don't not use things like that for their own gain."

"She told me she just wants to trade chores every now and again and wants me to cook her lunch sometimes. Other than that…I think we will be fine. I don't think Minori is the type of person who would use something like this for shady purposes."

"You know…" Akito mused. "We could use this to our advantage too."

Tedachi glanced at her.

"I could start scheduling her to be the first one to come in. Then we could have more time to ourselves in the morning and not have to get up too early or rush to get you out. And she could cover for both of us when we go on dates. Plus, we don't have to lie to her anymore. And she might overlook your occasional late arrivals. So…In a way…This is actually a good thing…Having someone close to the girls who can help us keep the secret."

'If she'll be okay with the whole thing…' Tedachi thought, soon finding that Minori was more than okay with it, and even made an effort to try and be his friend, saying that she had wanted to for awhile…But wasn't sure if he'd be okay with it, since he kept to himself so much. Having a shared secret gave her some sort of leverage in her mind, and a reason to make him hang around with and get to know her, since there was little he could do to object. However, he also found it to be a decent change of pace, and enjoyed having someone else who could help him coax Akito out when need be, such as on the day of the book signing, when, due to Minori wanting to join and running late, they ended up arriving at the café later than Akito wanted to.

"I changed my mind," Akito decided, clutching her book to her chest when she caught sight of the queue, a good handful of which was made up of schoolgirls.

"Oh, no," Minori declared. "YOU are the one who wanted to come to this!"

"She's right," Tedachi said, nodding to his new friend as they both shoved her forward.

"NO! Take me home!" Akito practically whined.

"Uh-uh," Minori shook her head.

"If you don't start moving, I'm going to pick you up and carry you," Tedachi threatened.

"Not in front of all these people!"

"Then get moving," Minori ordered, earning a glare in response before Akito obeyed and walked up to the queue.

"Oh my God! You have the special edition hard cover!" One of the girls said upon noticing Akito's book. "Where did you get that?! I've been looking forever, but I can only find them online for three times the price and…"

"I preordered it," Akito snapped. "These kind only come in preorder form. If you were any sort of fan, you would know that."

"Sorry…" The girl muttered before turning back to her friend while Akito scowled up at Tedachi, who only set a hand on her shoulder.

"Be nice," He warned.

"Isn't Tsugumi-Kun so hot?!" One of the others said behind them.

"I know! And the way his father treats him is just awful…All he want to do is be with his love!"

'No it's not! It's the way the business world works! If he really wanted to he could speak up and stop whining like a little brat!' Akito thought.

"And that Zakuro? She's such a bitch…She has everything she wants! She could…"

"Maybe she wants to do more than be a useless heiress and housewife!" Akito snapped. "Not all of us rich girls want to sit back and go shopping and spend unnecessary money! Some of us actually like working and handling business matters and don't think it's fair that other families give everything to their sons! You don't really know anything about these characters or how their world works, do you?!"

"And you do?!" One of the girls snapped defensively.

"Yes, I do. Why else would I be invested in a series like this?!"

"Akito, stop," Minori interjected. "I'm sorry about her. Crowds make her a little more high-strung than usual."

"Minori…" Akito snapped through gritted teeth, looking up with she felt Tedachi's hand settle on her back.

"I told you to be nice," He teased, gently running his hand up and down her back.

"But…"

"No."

She pouted, but stayed still and quiet throughout most of the wait, though both Tedachi and Minori could tell that she was getting increasingly agitated with the crowd and looked like she wanted to claw some of the schoolgirls' eyes out when they started talking about how attractive the male characters were or spouted incorrect information.

"It's almost your turn. Are you ready?" Minori chirped when they got closer to the front, raising a curious eyebrow when Akito didn't respond, only clutched the book harder and took in a breath.

'She's nervous,' Tedachi observed with a smile, secretly finding it adorable. "Go on," He encouraged, giving her a gentle push when it was her turn.

"Well, hello there," The writer teased when she stepped up. "And who do we have here?"

"A –Akito," She spat out.

"Akito? Hmm…That's an interesting name for a girl. I see you have the special edition," He commented.

"Um…Yes," Akito said, carefully setting it on the table. "I was really excited when I heard they were putting one out. It must be nice…To see your work get so much recognition. You really deserve it. The series is so well researched and matches up with my own experiences."

"Thank you. Sometimes my editor scolds me for researching instead of writing…" The writer admitted moving to grab her book.

"Wait! Before you start…My name…It's written in Kanji," She said, quickly digging through her handbag and producing a business card.

The man raised an eyebrow at it, looked up at her and then turned back to the book and carefully began to write.

"And…Don't…Let your editor tell you how to write. I really, really appreciate all the research you've done. I like that…You don't just make things up and that you take time with your characters and settings. It…Makes the story better, I think. And I don't mind waiting for the books. Because I know they're quality. And I…Well…I hope you'll actually write that epilogue at the end. It would be nice…To see how things change with the kids being in charge."

"Thank you, I'll definitely consider it. It's nice to see the fans take such interest in the series…Though I do believe you're the first one today who's mentioned my research."

"I…Well…I'm pretty high up in the business world. So…"

"I see…In that case, maybe I'll give you a call sometime," He said, carefully sliding her card across the table and pocketing it. "I could always use more help with that part of the book."

'As long as you keep your hands off of her,' Tedachi thought, a little more than displeased at man's comment and the subtle way he looked his girlfriend over as they chatted a little more, and the other man handed back her book after slipping a card inside.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Minori commented when Akito returned to them.

"I guess not," Akito shrugged.

"Hey! Since we're all out, let's get something to eat! I saw a nice café on the way here."

"Actually…Tedachi and I were going to go back to his place. He said he wanted to make me lunch."

"Oh…Alright then. I've been curious about what his flat looks like."

"Um…Minori? You weren't included in this plan. Akito and I wanted to spend some time alone. We don't get a lot of it at the main house, so…" Tedachi interjected.

"I beg to differ," Minori interrupted. "You just had a date the other night."

"And now we're having another one," Akito informed her.

"I promise I'll invite you over another time. But, for now, I really just want to be with my girlfriend."

"Fine. But I'm holding you to that promise," Minori stated with a wide smile before sauntering off in another direction just as Tedachi took Akito's hand and led her back up the street.