Thank you, to everyone who has stopped by and read and left reviews for this story. As an early Christmas present, from me to you, I'm uploading the next chapter for you all.

All morning Natasha had fussed with Kai's hair and his suit, trying to make sure her young master was properly dressed and ready to meet with his bride-to-be. Rei had to control himself from laughing at the displeased faces Kai kept making, when all he wanted to do was get away from her. Rei also felt his stomach doing back flips, the month had gone by so fast that he hadn't time to blink and now he felt like his entire world was crashing down on him. He knew it wasn't something they could have avoided, but he hadn't expected this to happen so soon.

"Are we done? God woman, you're like my mother." Kai huffed angrily as he swatted Natasha's hands away from his hair, pushing past her to his door.

That was another thing Rei had come to dread, Kai's mood swings, as they had become more frequent and he was prone to exploding more often as the days counted down. Even the sex had become different between the two, Kai was rougher and hurt Rei more times than he had cared to admit; letting him take his frustrations out on him in a way until it just stopped suddenly and Kai hadn't called Rei to his bed for the remainder of the month. Rei knew he wasn't happy about having to meet his betrothed, neither was he, but at least he could still act civil around everyone else.

Natasha placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him, "I'll take that as a compliment, thank you." She mocked his words, which caused him to pause in the doorway of his room.

"Whatever." He huffed and continued on his way towards the stairs, Rei following behind him as he gave a look of sympathy to the aging woman who brushed it off.

"Ignore him, he's just being a big baby." She joked and Rei had to bite his tongue before he laughed.

"Do you need help?" Rei called out after he recomposed himself, running after Kai who paused at the top of the stairs.

He looked frozen where he had stopped, just staring down them until Rei snapped him out of it by a simple touch on the shoulder.

Kai jerked his shoulder out from under Rei's hand and glared at him, "Will everyone just leave me be?!"

"Would you like it better if I just pushed you down?" Rei bit back, not in the mood to deal with Kai's sour attitude any longer.

"It would be quicker." Natasha added, a smile on her face as her icy blue eyes brightened in her humor.

"You first." Kai said dryly as he rolled his eyes, taking the initiative and stepping down first.

"Oh, your humor slays me young master." Natasha laughed as she held her stomach and fake laughed at him, watching his back tense as he continued down the stairs.

Rei couldn't stop the chuckle that passed his lips, quickly covering his mouth as he started after Kai down the stairs.

Kai reeled on them, his eyes burning. "If you two don't knock it off, I swear to God!" He shouted, his face just as red and burning as his eyes were.

"I'm so scared." Natasha taunted back to him, "You'd have to catch us first you know?"

Kai had to bite the inside of his cheek before he said something he'd regret, deciding that he wasn't going to let them get under his skin anymore, he turned his back on them harshly and continued down the stairs, the butt of his cane hitting the wood with loud clacks as he went. Rei felt a little guilty for the last comment Natasha had made, he didn't think it was right to have made fun of Kai's disability like that, not when he was the reason Kai had the problem to begin with.

Finally the three descended the stairs in silence, though the two servants could tell Kai was still as stiff as a board as his back was rigid and the grip on his cane was tight enough his knuckles were white. To Rei it felt like it had taken forever to get down to the parlor, where as for Kai it felt like it happened in the blink of an eye, and now they were there and there was no turning back.

In the middle of the parlor stood Voltaire, his own and brand new cane clutched in his right hand, standing tall and proud as he talked to their guests. The girls father was shorter than Voltaire with jet-black hair and light-brown eyes, dressed just as well as Voltaire himself in a western looking suit. The girl was shorter than her father, the top of her head reaching his shoulders, with light-brown hair and almost the same light-brown eyes as her father. She too had been dressed in a wealthy looking dress that was more western than eastern, with frills and ruffles around the collar and the hems of her sleeves.

Kai and his entourage had stopped just inside the opening of the parlor and foyer, and his and her eyes met and held for a second before she frowned and turned to her father.

["He's broken."] She said in a displeased tone as she spoke Japanese to her father, and Kai could feel his skin prick and the hair on the back of his neck raise as he had to fight back every insult he could think of.

["A riding accident."] Voltaire quickly piped up, side-eyeing his grandson harshly before he motioned for him to come further into the room, "Come now, don't just stand there."

Kai silently obeyed as he limped his way over, the trek down the stairs had caused his knee to flare up and all he wanted to do was sit down to relieve the pain now. Instead he had to stand before his grandfather and the girl and her father, his stomach clenching as he had to hold back his anger.

["I'd like to introduce you to my grandson, and my heir, Kai Hiwatari."] Voltaire said as he motioned to Kai who bowed to who was to be his father-in-law.

["It's a pleasure to meet you sir."] Kai said, and Rei's head would have spun off if it could have, he had no idea Kai could understand Japanese, let alone speak it so fluently. ["I am Hiwatari Kai, but you may just call me Kai, sir."] He said as he was still bowed to the man to his left before he stood back up, fighting down the pain in his leg.

["I am Tachibana Sato, it's a pleasure to meet you young Kai."] The man bowed back, and then put a gentle hand on his daughters back. ["This is Tachibana Hiromi."] He introduced.

["You can just call me Hiromi."] She said and bowed to Kai.

Rei stayed in the archway of the parlor and foyer, Natasha standing beside him as they both watched the formalities taking place.

He leaned towards her, "Do you know what they're saying?" He asked in a whisper.

"Their name is Tachibana; the father is Sato and his precious flower is Hiromi." Natasha answered in a sarcastic tone, obviously displeased with how the girl had greeted Kai from the start, and she was thankful Rei didn't understand what she had said.

Voltaire motioned for everyone to sit, and Kai breathed a sigh of relief as he could no longer hardly hold himself up. As everyone sat down Voltaire motioned for Natasha to come forward and she obeyed quickly, coming to stand to his side.

"Tea." Was all he said and Natasha bowed to him before she spun and headed to the kitchen, Rei quickly following behind her as he didn't want to be left there by himself just spectating.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked as he shut the kitchen door behind him, not having missed the death glare Natasha had been giving Hiromi.

"Nothing." Natasha snapped as she placed the kettle on the stove top, lighting it and watching as the flame licked up the sides of the kettle.

"Uh hu…" Rei said as he crossed his arms and leaned against a counter. "Doesn't seem like nothing."

"Just drop it." Natasha snapped again and glared at him, though it softened quickly and she hung her head. "I'm sorry… I didn't realize I was starting to act like Kai…"

"Trust me, I'm used to it by now." Rei waved off her apology. "If I remember right you were actually worse than he's ever been towards me." Rei mused with a slight hint of humor in his voice.

"I believe it was right there you had dumped a dirty bucket of water on my head, and I was only five." He pointed out the spot where it had happened.

"I had to toughen you up, or you would have been eaten alive here." She sighed, avoiding just downright apologizing to him, though Rei already knew she wasn't going to.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have survived at all… So thank you." Rei said as he stepped up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, never realizing how much taller he had gotten compare to her. Before he had always been looking up to her, and now she was looking up at him.

"Don't think I did it just for you." She smirked and shook her head. "I need someone to take my place after all."

Rei's hand fell from her shoulder back to his side in his stupor, his mouth slightly open as he stared at her speechless and dumbfounded. Natasha's smirk grew as she watched his reaction, before it turned into a genuine smile.

"Don't look at me like that, what other reason did I have for being so hard-pressed on you? To make sure that you were well read and literate?"

"D… Does Lord Voltaire know that you wish to make me the head servant?" Rei finally found his voice and she nodded.

"He does, and he approves."

"What… What about Kai?" Rei asked, swallowing hard.

Natasha looked to be in thought for a moment. "I don't believe he knows, not yet at least. Lets not spoil his day though with the news, he'll know when the time is right." She said with a smile, turning to the kettle as it began to scream out that it was done as the steam shot out through the spout.

The two finished preparing the tea together in a quiet solace, Rei letting Natasha take it out to the parlor as he didn't think he could stomach seeing Kai with Hiromi again. Instead he went out back to tend to the garden, to keep his mind away from what might have been discussed between the two business men and their heirs.

Though the longer he stayed out there, pulling weeds and trimming the overgrown parts of the rose bushes, the longer his mind actually dwelled on everything that might have been said. Already he knew Kai was to marry Hiromi in a year, aside from that his mind wandered to when they were wanting them to breed to produce the next heir. How soon would she be moving in? Would she live here for a while before they were to be married? Rei shuddered at the thought of having to deal with her for an entire year too early, she seemed like a nice girl, but then again he wasn't so sure since he couldn't understand a word she said. He wouldn't deny that she was beautiful, and no doubt well read just as Kai was, but he knew, no matter how hard he tried, he was never going to like her.

Before he knew it the sun was starting to set, he had been out there all day tending to the garden. He was soaked in sweat, his shirt and bangs stuck to his skin and he had dirt caked under his nails. His pants were stained from the grass and soil, and his back hurt from having been bent over for so long. He hadn't realized that they had let the garden get so out of hand the past few weeks, from keeping the manor clean for the arrival of Hiromi to Kai's normal study schedule and his own chores, while also trying to find time to be together.

Rei felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes as he sat back on his knees, the sudden weight of what was about to come crashing down on him in full force. Surely now that she was here, whether she were to stay now or not, it didn't matter. Kai was going to marry her and their time together was coming to an end. He wiped away the few stray tears that managed to escape and roll down his face, smearing the dirt across his cheeks.

"I thought you promised you wouldn't cry anymore." Kai's dull and dry voice caught him off guard and he jumped, quickly ridding of the rest of his tears before he turned around to face him.

"I'm sorry… I just…" He choked out, standing before Kai.

"So this is where you decided to hide all day." Kai smiled at him, to let him know that he had only been playing with him. "Could have at least tried to come and save me."

Rei laughed, though it wasn't a real one, it was full of pain and sorrow. "Sorry about that… I figured it best to just let you have your time."

Kai shrugged as he pocketed his right hand, keeping his left on his cane as he shifted his weight. "Not like you could have saved me anyways… Missed you at dinner though… I think Natasha put some away for you…"

"I'll remember to thank her later…" Rei said as he wiped at his face again with the back of his arm, feeling the tension in the air settle around them. "How… How did it go?"

"I'm leaving." Kai answered as he looked away from him to the brick wall that surrounded the manor's grounds.

Rei felt as though he had been stabbed in the chest, and it took him a moment to remember to breathe. "What do you mean?"

"In a week I'll be going to Japan to meet the rest of her family, her father wants to show me his work since it will potentially become mine… I… I don't know how long I'll be gone." Kai said as he continued to avoid looking Rei in the face.

"I see…" Rei breathed out heavily, new tears fighting their way to his eyes.

A silence formed over them, neither sure what to do or say now as the world seemed to crash down upon them. Minutes had ticked by before Kai finally cleared his throat and turned to walk away, with his back turned to Rei he breathed out a sigh.

"I'm sorry." His words were carried away by the wind as he started for the back of the manor, leaving Rei out there in the coming darkness of the world as the sun continued to set beyond the front of the manor.

Rei couldn't stand any longer the moment Kai was out of sight and he fell to the ground on his knees, his tears freely rolling down his cheeks as he buried his face in his hands. He stayed out there as the night settled in around him, the night air chilling him and for a moment he didn't care if he died from the cold. Eventually he cried all he could and stood himself up and went back in, though instead of going to his and Kai's room he took the back stairs to the servants quarters.

Everyone was fast asleep, Micah was in his own bed and so Rei took himself to Natasha's room where he gently tapped on the door twice. It didn't take long before a groggy voice told him to come in and he silently stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Natasha had already lit her oil lantern beside her bed, the small little flame casting a bright enough and warm glow in the corner of the room. She was sat up in the bed, blinking sleep from her eyes and gave him a sympathetic look as she already knew why he was there. No words had been spoken between them, as she let him crawl into her bed where she covered him with her blankets and sat up all night running her fingers through his hair as he cried himself to sleep.

Like the month and weeks before, time seemed to pass them by without a second thought and Kai was packed and ready to go off to Japan. The entire time it had been like a dark cloud had hung over the manor, a much darker cloud than ever before, and even Voltaire seemed to have been effected by it.

Rei had kept himself busy, to try and keep his mind from wandering he took on more and more chores. Whenever he and Kai would cross paths he would promptly avoid him, not having gone back to sleeping in his room. Kai could only abide by Rei's silent wishes, even though all he wanted was to find some type of comfort in him.

All week long everyone had been prepared to say goodbye, though when the time finally had come and the carriage had been packed to the brim with just about everything, nobody could form words or even move. All, but Hiromi, who was already in the carriage waiting impatiently for the men to join her.

Voltaire finally made a move and shook Sato's hand, who smiled to him back before he bowed and went to the carriage with his daughter. Next was Kai, whom he placed a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Don't disappoint me." He said in a threatening tone, to which Kai only nodded to. "Now say your goodbyes and be gone." He released Kai's shoulder and went inside, looking as though he might not be able to stomach actually seeing his grandson off like this.

Kai turned to the line of servants, stepping up to Natasha first and was swept up in a tight embrace. "I will miss you." She whispered in his ear, and he felt himself hugging her back just as tenderly.

"I'll miss you too." They broke apart and he stepped up to Micah next who threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Safe travels Master Kai."

"Hn, and you keep yourself out of trouble." Kai said as he looked to Natasha, and Micah let out a hearty laugh.

"I'll do my best."

Next was Ursula, who pulled him up tightly with her face mashed into his chest and he reciprocated just as fondly. "I won't be gone long, I promise." She nodded as she released her hold on him and dabbed at her wet cheeks with a handkerchief.

He stood before Greg, who bowed to him respectfully, getting a curt nod in return before he passed him onto Rei. Their eyes locked and their hearts seemed to shatter, and it took all of their strength not to break down before the other and in front of everyone else.

"I…" Kai began but his words got stuck in his throat.

"Just go." Rei said in a breath, a painful smile on his lips. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Kai nodded and reached for him, though pulled his hand back. Rei's smile never faltered as he bowed to him, no tears in his eyes as he stood back up.

"I'll see you soon." Rei said, and all Kai could do was nod once again before he turned away from them and went to the carriage, closing the door behind him once he settled in across from Hiromi and Sato, his eyes not once having left Rei's, even as it pulled away from the drive and out of the gates.

The other servants, all but Natasha and Rei stayed outside and watched the carriage roll away down the road until they could no longer see it. Natasha had put her arm around Rei's shoulders as she held him close, as he breathed in heavily to keep himself from breaking down again. Silently he made a vow to himself, that he would be fine, for Kai's sake, that he would be strong and wait no matter how long it took for him to return.

A month had gone by when Kai had said goodbye to everyone, a full month of absolutely nothing. Even though he had left Russia under the pretense of meeting the rest of Hiromi's family and learning about Sato's empire, it seemed all he was there for was to keep Hiromi company. All day, every day, they would tour the streets and shop while he dully followed along and listened.

To his surprise Hiromi was actually a very smart girl, who knew a lot about her culture and heritage, while also having a liking for other cultures and history. By the end of the first month they had been able to talk for hours upon hours of the history of Japan and Russia in whole. Slowly, even though deep down he was constantly fighting it, he felt himself becoming attached to her in a way he never though possible.

She was smart, fun, and easy to talk to. Of course she had her downsides as well, just like he did. She was stubborn and rude, she was a brat bred into high society and she didn't care who she stuck her nose up to, including him at times. He wouldn't have called it love, not by a long shot, but he knew he felt something for her and eventually he learned to accept it.

By the end of his six month stay, he finally packed his bags to go home. Hiromi and her seven maids were coming along with him this time and in two months her parents would arrive for the wedding.

It was like stepping onto foreign soil when he stepped out of the carriage at the front steps of his grandfathers manor, the smell and even the look of the place was different. He felt as though he was a stranger in his own home, and he had expected Hiromi to feel the same, though when she entered she sat right down and made herself at home.

It had been a hectic morning as her maids and Micah and Greg unloaded the coaches, the journey alone had tired him out and so he went to retreat to his own room for a little rest. On his way, he ran into Rei in the hall on the third floor.

Rei's hands slipped and he dropped the sheets he had been carrying, their eyes met and Rei felt a surge of emotions pouring through him, while Kai could only stare back.

"You're home…" Rei smiled at him.

It hadn't felt like they had been apart so long, but half a year really did change them both. Rei's hair was now down his back, held in a loose ponytail, his shoulders were broader than Kai remembered them to be the last time he saw him. He was almost eye-level with Kai now, as they both had shot up once again in a sudden growth spurt; Kai harboring on 5,9 while Rei was 5,7. He looked almost the same, aside from the scar that was on his neck.

"What happened?" Kai asked as he eyed it, and Rei quickly put his hands over his neck to cover it.

"It's a long story… Don't worry about it, okay?" Rei asked as his eyes pleaded with him. "Not when you just got home."

Kai nodded, it wasn't like he could do anything about it now anyways, so he decided to drop the subject.

"How have you been?" Rei asked, letting his hand fall back to his side.

"Tired." Kai answered almost annoyed.

"Of course… Um… We moved your room though." Rei said a bit sheepishly. "Lord Voltaire has moved to his study, you're now in the master room."

"Oh…"

"I was actually going there now to change the sheets… We didn't know when you would be home." Rei said, remembering the sheets on the floor and picking them up and piling them back into his arms.

"Thanks…" Kai said, not sure where the tension within him was coming from, but he knew the longer he stood there with him the longer it would draw out like this. "Rei." He started, only to get cut off.

"I missed you." Rei said as he smiled brightly to him, his golden eyes beaming. "I… I should probably get this on the bed for you…" Rei said quickly, rushing past him to the large room down the hall from where they had been standing.

His heart was racing in his chest as he closed the door behind him, dropping the sheets on the floor in a heap at his feet. He knew, all along he knew that it wouldn't have lasted, and now he could see it. In the way Kai looked at him, the way he spoke to him, and in his eyes. He had prepared himself for it, though he just didn't want to have to deal with it, hear it, right now. He didn't know if he could have handled it right then, not after holding onto the little bit of hope he had.

Quietly he went to work on making the bed, all the while preparing himself for what was to come next; their official goodbye.