HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

Two Months Later:

The entire manor was in disarray as the servants and maids went about preparing everything for the wedding, Hiromi's parents had just arrived two days before while the final preparations were being taken care of. Natasha had never been so close to the end of her rope as most of Hiromi's maids didn't understand anything she ever told them, having to go after each of them and fixing whatever it was they did wrong on her own. If Ursula could have, she would have screamed at the top of her lungs at all of them, even if they couldn't understand her, it would have at least made her feel a bit better for how incompetent they were compared to her and the others of her house.

The wedding was to take place at the church while the reception was to take place back at the manor, and then everyone was to see the newlyweds off as they were to leave for Paris just before midnight.

Between all the hustle and bustle of what was going on, she also had other matters on her hands. She had no idea where Rei was, and she desperately needed his help.

Rei had never been in a church before, he had read the Bible along with Kai when they were kids during his tutoring lessons, but he had never once set foot in a church. He had been a little awestruck at it at first, a bit intimidated to even step foot inside because of what he had done with Kai in the past, who he was, and had half expected himself to burst into flames the second his feet had crossed the threshold. To his relief his body didn't self-combust and he breathed a little bit easier as he stepped inside and looked around.

He was amazed at the stone walls that looked freshly polished, and no doubt they had been all for this special occasion. The wooden pews were lined with white silk down the aisle, while a white runner led to the altar where a plethora of white flowers had been placed accordingly to Hiromi's wishes around it. He had never seen so much white in one place, and it was starting to make him feel sick to his stomach as he was now surrounded by it.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting to see in all honesty, he had never been to a wedding before, but if they were all like this than he was happy to have ever been to this one, even though it meant that he was watching Kai be the one to get married.

Over the months he had avoided him to no end, and it wasn't like Kai was seeking him out anymore anyways. Rei had told himself that he had made peace with it, they weren't meant to last, they shouldn't have even started doing what they had been in the first place; but that knowledge still didn't stop the ache.

He had done his best, but he cried in his sleep at nights alone in his corner of the servants quarters, when he could fight off someone for his bed, other nights he stayed awake until morning in the library reading over the books he had enjoyed in his youth.

On top of avoiding Kai the past two months, he had also been avoiding Hiromi. He didn't want to ever be in her way, let alone be in a room with her. The times he happened to past by an open door or through the parlor he would see Kai and her, and his heart clenched every time when they were in a conversation and she was making him laugh, or the times they were discussing the wedding; her Russian was still a bit rusty, but she was quickly learning it faster than Rei had imagined her too.

Luckily for him she wasn't around, she had been left back at the manor in order to get ready for the ceremony in two hours. Rei had been asked, ordered, to come with Kai to the church to get ready and wait and greet everyone who showed up at the doors. He had been given an expensive black suit with a white undershirt and bow-tie, which he was thankful for as it hid the scar around his neck and he had tied his hair back in a loose ponytail.

Micah and Greg were there with them, along with Voltaire who the moment had stepped out of the carriage went straight to the minister and had been in a conversation since they had arrived. He wasn't sure where Greg had gone off to, nor did he really care, while Micah was busy going over the last bit of the smaller details Hiromi had laid out. That in turn left Rei with Kai, alone, in a small room off to the side of the church helping him dress.

"I don't know how to ties these… Natasha did mine." Rei frowned as his fingers fumbled with Kai's bow-tie around his neck, becoming frustrated at the fabric that kept slipping through his fingers and having to be so close to Kai like this again.

"Just leave it then." Kai practically growled as he pulled away from him, going to sit down on the wooden bench behind him, of all days for his leg to act up it was today, and it didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon.

Rei put his hands on his hips as he rolled his eyes at him, of course even on his wedding day Kai was going to be in a mood. Though Rei couldn't really blame him, it wasn't like he had exactly wanted to get married to begin with.

"Fine, whatever. Do you need me to get you anything else?" Rei asked in a cocky tone, and Kai had to stop himself from yelling at him.

"No, you can go." Kai huffed and winced as a pain shot up through his leg.

Rei's face softened as he saw Kai's face scrunch up in pain, and for a moment he felt bad for having been snippy with him. "You alright?" He asked timidly.

"Yeah… Just a fucking perfect day for it to start acting up." Kai said through grit teeth as he tried to rub at his knee, though it only caused the pain to flare up even more.

"Do you want me to get Micah or Voltaire?" Rei asked, watching Kai with sympathy.

"Don't worry about it, it'll go away on it's own." Kai said through a shaky breath as he leaned back onto the bench, resting his head against the stone wall behind him. "Fucking perfect…"

Rei didn't know what else to say or do for him so he left him in the room, closing the door behind him quietly as he stepped out. The main chapel was still empty, aside from the minister, Voltaire and Micah, Greg was still yet to be seen but Rei still didn't care where he was.

Going against his better judgement he started towards where the other men were standing by the altar, Voltaire giving him a hardened stare as he approached them and he swallowed the bile that found its way to his throat. He bowed deeply to his master and the minister, he may have been dressed up for the occasion but he was still nothing but a servant.

"What is it?" Voltaire asked almost impatiently.

"Kai's knee is acting up on him, he currently can't stand Lord Voltaire." Rei answered quickly and the old man's face softened slightly before he let out a long sigh.

"Of all the days." He mumbled before he took his leave to the room Rei had just come from.

Rei had watched him go, not sure if what he had done was the best option, but maybe Voltaire could somehow help Kai. If it didn't work out, he'd take his punishment without a fuss.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before." The minister said, and Rei nearly jumped out of his skin. The elderly man's voice was nothing like Voltaire's, it was sweet and caring even if it was deep.

Rei bowed to the man deeply, "I'm just a servant sir."

"Ah, but all of God's children are welcomed here my son." The minister said brightly, holding his arms out as if he was showing off the church. When their eyes met the man let out a small gasp. "Are you sure we've never met before?" He asked as he seemed to be eyeing Rei harder than before.

"I'm sure." Rei said, feeling smaller than he actually was with the way the man was inspecting him.

"Your eyes… I've only seen that color on a Chinaman once before…" The minister mused. "He's a very renowned Chinaman himself, broke free from slavery and built himself an empire from the ground up. He doesn't come here very often as he lives in another city… He may actually be here today though if memory serves me right he's a good friend of Voltaire's." The minister continued to ramble, mainly to himself as Rei just found it odd that he would start rambling off about this other Chinese man to him.

"What's your last name?" The question caught Rei off guard as he had stopped listening.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your last name my boy, what is it?" The minister asked once more with a slight chuckle.

"Kon, sir." Rei answered.

"Hm… No, this mans last name is Zhu… Zhu Wang if memory serves me right… None the less, you should meet him today." The minister said as he smiled to Rei.

"It… It would be an honor." Rei didn't know what else to say to him, but what he had said felt right. "If you'll excuse me now." He bowed to him and turned around, rolling his eyes once the minister couldn't see his face as he walked down the aisle where he could see Micah standing at the open doors of the church.

"Need any help?" He asked as he approached him.

"Kai get on your nerves already?" Micah laughed at him.

"Hardly, his leg was acting up so I got Lord Voltaire to help him. Not to mention I'm no good at tying these things." He said as he tugged at his own bow-tie.

Micah laughed again and shook his head. "Me either, Natasha did mine." Rei couldn't help but laugh at the news with him as he leaned up against the door frame to Micah's left.

"Can I ask you something?" Rei asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sure."

"How… How did you and the others become servants for Voltaire? You guys are Russian." Rei asked as he stared at his feet, not sure why he had asked but it had always been at the back of his mind.

"Well… For Greg and me, we were actually saved by Lord Voltaire." At the news Rei's head snapped up and he gave Micah a questioning look that caused the older male to chuckle at him.

"We were on the streets, orphans who had finally outgrown the orphanage. We would rob and steal from the rich just to feed ourselves, until we pick pocketed the wrong man. Lord Voltaire happened to be traveling by with his wife, Lady Asami, and stopped the man from having us killed right there on the streets. He paid the man off and then took us in, and the rest is history. Greg and I were barely sixteen at the time it happened." Micah told him and Rei listened to every word.

"As for Natasha, she was already there before we were." Micah continued as he mimicked Rei's stance across from him on the other side of the doorway. "She had run away from her husband and was living on the streets and in hiding when her and Lord Voltaire had crossed paths, Lord Voltaire bought her from her husband and took her to the manor, which was a lot smaller than what it is today.

"I brought in Ursula, having seen her being tormented on the streets by others because she couldn't fight back… When I brought her home with me Voltaire didn't even put up a fight about it, he just welcomed her in like the rest of us. Ana… She was a bit different… Her father was a well renown business man, he had money that rivaled Lord Voltaire's own wealth until his wife died and he became a drunk and started to gamble his money away. They had to live on the streets after he went into debt… He ended up selling Ana to Lord Voltaire to try and pay off his debts, only to have spent it all in a week and die on the streets from the cold." Micah said in a more solemn tone and Rei felt his heart ache.

"As for you." Micah began and Rei's breath hitched in his throat. "Your mother was a prostitute who had tried to swindle Lord Voltaire out of millions years before you were probably even born. She had been trying to repay what she had stolen from him, only it wasn't enough. When Lord Voltaire had found out that she had you, he told her that he would take you as payment and she agreed to sell you… If she hadn't we had been told to kill you both." When Micah had finished his explanation Rei had finally released the breath he had been holding in.

He had never known the full truth to why his Momma Mary had sold him, he always thought it was because of something he had done, and now that burden was lifted off his shoulders knowing it was her own stupidity that caused him to end up where he was.

"She wasn't your real mother though… How you ended up with her to begin with, I don't know that story." Micah said.

Rei shrugged his shoulders at him, "I don't know, I lived her until you and Greg came and got me… I knew she wasn't my real mother… But she was all I had…" Rei said as he bit back hot tears and cursed himself for crying over someone who he had almost long forgotten, as she surely had forgotten about him.

"Why did you ask?" Micah asked as he cocked his head to the side.

"No real reason… Was just curious." Rei said as he shrugged his shoulders, his ears perking as he heard the first arrival of guests pull up in their carriages at the front of the church. "Least we killed some time."

"That time already?" Micah sighed as he peeled himself away from the door frame. "Might want to fetch Kai."

Rei nodded as he turned and quickly made his way to the small room where he had left him, knocking on the door before he entered to find Kai standing in front of Voltaire with his bow tie finally done around his neck properly.

"The guests are arriving." Rei said as he bowed to the two of them.

"Very well." Voltaire said over his shoulder and turned back to Kai, "Let's not keep them waiting." He said to his grandson before turning and walking past Rei who held the door open for him, looking back to Kai as he hadn't moved yet.

"You getting cold feet now?" Rei joked with him.

"No." Kai bit back.

Rei chuckled at him as he shook his head and smiled at him. "Do you want me to look for an escape route for you?"

"Knock it off will you? You're not helping." Kai said as he frowned at him.

Rei shrugged his shoulders, "Was worth a try… Come on sour-puss, lets go great these esteemed guests of yours." He said with sarcasm as he held his arm out for Kai to leave the room.

Kai huffed at him, not caring for the way Rei was joking around and started out of the room, only for his leg to almost give out on him. If it wasn't for his cane, or Rei standing where he had been, he would have fallen to the ground, luckily Rei had been there and quickly caught him under the arm and placed him back upright on his feet.

The contact, even though brief, had sent a shockwave through their bodies and they had to hide it from the other. Once Kai had a better grip on his cane he rolled his shoulders, acting as though he hadn't almost face planted right then and there.

"Thanks…"

"Of course…" Rei said, fighting with himself to not turn all kinds of shades of red.

Kai finally made it out of the doorway, Rei following right after him till they came to stand just outside the doors of the church on the top stairs. The guests that had arrived in the first carriage just now getting out, and Rei recognized the man and woman from the many parties Voltaire had thrown while he had been living there.

Making their way up the stairs they greeted Voltaire first and then Micah before reaching Kai and Rei, who both greeted them warmly and shook their hands while Rei bowed to them and showed them their seats.

It went on like that as more and more guests arrived at the church, it becoming routine and duller than the last time they had to do it. It was the same man and woman they had always seen, none of them any real friends of Kai's, but soon enough they would be his business associates when Voltaire handed Kai the company.

Rei's body tensed up as he recognized the next carriage that pulled up in front of the church, and he fought himself from running off and hiding forever when Hitoshi stepped out of the carriage. Voltaire greeted him like a long lost son, wrapping his arms around the Japanese man in a tight embrace before letting him go so he could ascend the stairs. Rei could feel Kai's body tense beside his own when Hitoshi reached them, though Kai didn't say a word aside from the cordial 'thank you for coming' that he had been saying to the other guests that had arrived before him.

Kai hadn't missed the scar on Hitoshi's cheek, not having seen him for almost a year he wondered where it had come from, though couldn't ask about it as Hitoshi moved onto Rei.

Rei bowed to Hitoshi when it was his turn, looking everywhere but at him as he held an arm out for Hitoshi to follow him to his designated seat. When they arrived at the already filled pew he bowed to him again, like he had been doing for the others and a shiver ran through his body when Hitoshi placed a hand upon his back. Rei straightened himself up and glared hard at the man, only to get a chuckle from him that sent a cold chill to run down Rei's spine.

"Thank you… My little china doll." His words slithered from his mouth and Rei cringed, though he couldn't say anything back to him. "Glad to see they gave you something to cover that scar of yours." He said with a vicious smirk, and Rei's hands balled into fists, having to stop himself from punching Hitoshi in the face, he bowed and stormed back to the front of the church.

When Rei arrived back beside Kai the older boy looked at him and noticed how stiff he had become, and worry settled into his stomach as he knew what kind of problems Hitoshi had caused Rei in the past.

"What's wrong?" He feigned ignorance, hoping that Rei would tell him what had been said.

"Nothing." Rei bit back, Kai rolled his eyes and shook his head, at least he had tried.

It was a while before the next carriage pulled up, this one looking different than the others. It was a bright red with intricate golden designs all over it, the wheels were pure gold and the man that was driving the carriage was dressed in a traditional Chinese suit, even though he himself wasn't Chinese; his dark-red hair and bright blue eyes giving it away.

When the man in the carriage finally emerged and greeted Voltaire, it was like they were brothers the way they hugged one another in a joyous laugh. The man, who was Chinese, made his way up the stairs and when he stepped in front of Rei his breath hitched in his throat. It was like he was looking into a mirror, the man he had never met before looked exactly like him down to the same golden colored eyes; even Kai saw the resemblance between the two.

["I didn't realize Voltaire had one of mine in his house."]

Rei just blinked at him, not understanding a word the man before him had said.

"I… I don't speak Chinese sir."

"Ah, not a problem. I can speak Russian quite well myself." He laughed, looking to the others around them, Voltaire laughing with him. Rei was a little confused on why they were laughing and gave a nervous smile to the other Chinese man and then remembered he had a job to do and bowed.

"This way sir."

"Call me Wang." He said and smiled at Rei.

"Um… This way Wang." He said in his nervousness and led him to where he was supposed to sit, thankful that the seat was behind Hitoshi so he didn't have to look at him again until after the ceremony.

"That was weird…" He said when he came back beside Kai.

"Now we know what you'll look like in twenty years." Kai said as he pretended to shudder.

"Har har, like you got any better chances than I do." He said quietly as he motioned to Voltaire.

"Pfft, as you can tell I take after my mother." Kai said in a joking tone, Rei had missed the way his voice sounded like that and he smiled at him.

"I think your hands are a bit bigger than Misaki's were."

Kai pretended to examine his hands and shrugged, "Maybe not everything."

Rei hid behind his hand as he suppressed the laugh that wanted to come, liking that they seemed to be getting along better now. Though the feeling didn't last long as the last of the guests arrived, including Natasha and Hiromi's mother, and they shut the doors and Kai took his place at the front of the altar, Rei staying at the back with Micah to open the doors for when Hiromi arrived.

It didn't take long before they had to reopen the doors for her, and she came in with her arm draped over her fathers as he led her down the aisle, two of her favorite maids following behind her carrying the veil. She had dressed in a mix of Japanese and western, where she wore a traditional Japanese kimono that was white with pink accents and flowers embroidered all over it, even down to the sleeves. The veil and her jewelry were more westernized, as the veil trailed behind her like a long tail. Her hair was pinned up where she had placed golden hair sticks in the back of the bun, the same kind of flower designs on the ends of them.

The guests had all risen the moment before she stepped through the doors, all eyes on her as her father led her to the front of the altar where he handed her over to Kai who took her hand in his. The minister motioned for the guests to sit, and Rei and Micah took their seats in the very last pews.

As the minister began to speak Rei tuned him out, his heart clenching as he watched his best friend, his lover, say his vows when it was his turn and then when Hiromi said hers. There were a lot of tears in the crowd, but they were tears of happiness and joy for the young couple, while Rei's were nothing but filled with pain and hurt. He was glad Micah hadn't been paying attention to him, and he quickly wiped his tears away and stood with the others and clapped with them once the ceremony was over, taking his place back at the doors and held them open so everyone could leave.

Kai and Hiromi were the first to walk back down the aisle, hand in hand, and as they passed by him he bowed to them, thankful that he had to do so because he didn't think he could face Kai again.

Eventually everyone had left the inside of the church, all climbing back into the carriages they had arrived in so they could go to the manor for the reception. Just as Rei felt less tense a hand came down on his shoulder and his body immediately seized up again as the hand on his back began to rub on him.

"It's best to put those thoughts to bed, he's a married man now and out of your reach." Hitoshi said with all the fake sympathy he could muster.

Rei pulled himself out from under Hitoshi's touch and glared hard at him, only for the man to smile at him.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm just trying to help."

"Fuck you." Rei seethed.

Hitoshi put a hand to his heart, "Language, we are in a church after all. Why don't you ride back with me?"

"I'd rather drop dead."

Hitoshi's smile grew and he leaned towards Rei's face, mere inches away from him. "I love it when you're feisty like this."

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear before, or do I need to give you another reminder that I am not yours?" Rei asked in a low growl as he eyed the scar on Hitoshi's cheek.

"All in due time." Hitoshi said with the same smirk on his face as he backed away from Rei's face, taking his leave towards his carriage that pulled up the stairwell. "I'll see you at the manor." He waved over his shoulder before he climbed inside, the carriage rolling away from the church.

"Are you alright my son?" The minister asked as he cautiously approached Rei.

Rei jumped and turned to the man, bowing to him quickly. "Yes sir."

"I don't quite like that man…" The minister said to no one in particular, and Rei silently agreed with him. "Shouldn't you be off now?" He asked, giving Rei a questioning look.

"Oh… Right… It was a pleasure meeting you sir." Rei said and bowed once more.

"It was a pleasure meeting with you Rei Kon." The minister bowed back to him with a serene smile upon his lips.

Rei left him on the stairs, going towards the carriage he and the other servants were to ride back in, with Micah as the driver. The moment he stepped foot into the carriage Natasha was already going a mile a minute about what needed to be done back at the manor and was listing off orders to everyone. Rei was listening as he rested his elbow on the window, watching the outside world as they drove along the roads through the small city.

The manor had never felt so cramped before till today, there was hardly any room for anyone to walk or sit down, the parlor was filled to the brim with guests and the second floor ballroom was no better, there were even guests outside on the front and back porch and it still felt suffocating.

Just as Natasha had commanded on the ride home, the servants and Hiromi's maids were going about doing what they needed to make sure the guests were all happy and content with their drinks and finger foods that they carried around on silver platters for them to just grab at as they squeezed through the crowd.

As Rei carried his empty tray back to the kitchen Natasha stopped him in the hall, "Have you seen Kai?"

Rei frowned, he could hardly see his own two feet right now due to the crowd all over the place. "No, I haven't… Did you check the garden?"

"Yes, I even looked in Misaki's-I mean Hiromi's room… I can't find him anywhere." Natasha huffed as she looked like she was about to collapse. "Lord Voltaire wants to make a speech but I can't find him."

"I'll see if I can track him down." Rei said as he handed her his empty tray, going back through the hall to the stairs to the second floor.

It had been so long since he had come to the hidden door, and now it looked so much smaller than what he remembered it to be, but then again he was just a mere child the last time he had really been in there, the last time a bad memory for him when he watched Susumu take his own life.

Taking in a breath he pushed the door open and crawled inside on his hands and knees, hitting his head on the ceiling as he stood up and crouched back down.

"I did the same thing when I came in here." Kai said from the corner of the room, leaning against the wall where what used to be pillows sat around him.

"Wasn't this place bigger the last time we were in here?" Rei joked as he moved to the other side and sat opposite of Kai.

"We were a bit smaller last time we were here."

"Natasha's looking for you, Voltaire wants to make a speech." Rei said, deciding to cut to the chase.

"Of course he does, wants to show us off and parade us around like the great golden couple that we are." Kai said in a sarcastic tone while rolling his eyes.

"I can go back and tell her I can't find you." Rei said with a frown.

Kai shook his head at him, "I'll go… Eventually…" He said in a sigh.

"How's your leg?" Rei asked, deciding to change the subject.

"It's fine… What about you?" Kai asked as he met Rei's eyes with his own.

"Me?" Rei asked dumbfounded.

"Yes you… I mean… With all of this… With what's happened between us." Kai said, trying his best to hide his nervousness.

Rei shrugged his shoulders, his heart racing in his chest. "It's not like I didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, I knew it wouldn't last and I was stupid to think that it would ever work out."

"Do you regret it?"

"Do you?" Rei asked as he looked hard into Kai's eyes.

"No." Kai answered plainly.

"Then of course I don't regret it." Rei said as he shook his head at him, his heart beating faster within his chest. "I love you." He met his eyes again as he told him, though he knew Kai wouldn't respond to him the way he wanted to, he couldn't even if he wanted to now.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them as they just stared at each other, the longer they did the more their bodies ached to reach out and touch the other one; it was just a matter of who would make the first move. Kai knew he couldn't keep himself away from Rei for so long, and even though he hated himself even more now, he moved first and gently guided Rei closer to him where he placed his lips on Rei's in a tender touch.

Immediately Rei's body melted into it, his hands snaking their way around Kai's neck as he moved to sit on Kai's lap while Kai's own arms came around Rei's waist. The kiss deepened and Rei parted his lips, Kai's tongue taking the opportunity to slip inside where it met with Rei's. The two shuddered and moaned softly at the contact, Rei's arms tightening their hold around Kai's neck as he pressed closer into his chest.

Rei couldn't even remember the last time Kai had touched his body so tenderly and gentle, the way his lips seemed to flutter across his skin while all he could do was lay back and moan in the pure bliss of it all. His suit jacket and white shirt laid out open, his chest bare for Kai to kiss and touch where he wanted, leaving Rei panting on the cold stone of the hidden room while his fingers tangled within Kai's two-toned hair.

After Rei had enough of the touching and kissing he pushed on Kai gently, who sat up and gave a questioning look to the younger male, a smirk crossing his lips as Rei shifted up and put Kai on his back, undoing his suit jacket and white undershirt, leaving him just as exposed as Rei was; their damn bow ties left discarded somewhere in the corner.

Kai moaned out as Rei's lips and tongue licked and kissed at his chest and stomach, writing under the touch and his hips jerked up where he could feel Rei's fingers teasing the top of his pants where his erection was pushing against the fabric.

Carefully, and slowly, Rei undid Kai's pants just enough to get his member free. Without warning he took Kai in his mouth, the older male throwing his head back as his body shuddered. His thigh muscles tensed and his fingers dug into Rei's soft black hair, messing it up from the ponytail it had been in before.

Rei worked him slow, almost too slow, but every bit of it sent shocks of pleasure throughout his body that left him panting and gasping for air. It felt like it had gone on forever but not nearly long enough before Kai's orgasm hit him, his entire body spasming as he let out a long drawn out moan.

Rei wiped his chin before he redid Kai's pants, laying over the still panting male as he kissed him on the forehead. Kai smiled at him, kissing him on the lips as he wrapped his arms around Rei's back and held him close and his eyes caught sight of the scar on his neck and he touched it gently.

"Are you going to tell me what this is from now?" He asked once he regained his breath.

Rei frowned, not having wanted to spoil the mood but felt it best to give into Kai's question. He rolled off of him, doing the buttons on his shirt as Kai sat up and watched him quietly. Once his shirt was put back together Rei ran a hand through his bangs with a sigh, sitting back up against the wall.

"The third month you were gone, in Japan, Hitoshi came over to meet with Voltaire… He corned me in the kitchen… When I tried to get away the knife he was holding cut me…" He said as he rolled his right sleeve up, showing another similar scar on his arm along with a large round burn mark beside it.

"When I fought back he took the kettle and burned my arm, the knife had slipped from his hand and cut me here… That was when I took it and cut him back…" He said as he tapped his cheek, to indicate the scar on Hitoshi's own cheek before he rolled his sleeve back down to cover his arm.

All of Kai's rage and anger had boiled within him upon listening to what Rei had said, though he had to hold it all in before he exploded out.

"Why didn't anyone help you?" He managed to ask through grit teeth.

Rei looked away from him before he spoke, his voice quivering. "Greg helped him plenty…" He said as he ground his teeth together, holding his right arm with his left as if trying to hide himself.

Kai's mouth went dry, his heart sinking into his stomach as he realized the weight of Rei's words. Every ounce of him was burning with anger, his eyes blazing like they never had before. Carefully, gently, he took Rei's hand up in his and held it, causing Rei to look back at him.

"I'm so sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault." Rei breathed out painfully, gripping at Kai's hand in his.

"I wasn't here."

"You can't protect me all the time Kai. It's alright… I'll be alright." Rei said as he brought Kai's hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it. "You're home now, that's all that matters."

"I swear to you, they will pay for what they did." Kai said as he reached out and brought Rei into a tight hug, "I won't ever leave you again, I promise."

To say that Voltaire was displeased that his grandson showed up two hours later from hiding would have been an understatement, but for his guests he hid his displeasure and made his speech to the crowd below him as he stood on the balcony of the second floor as everyone crammed in the foyer and in the parlor. Kai and Hiromi standing beside him, hands entwined as they smiled at everyone around them, though Kai's smile could have never been more fake.

That night Kai called off the honeymoon, saying that his leg had been hurting him from standing all day and he retired to his bed, but not before he let Rei know that he wanted him to join him later. Hiromi was sent off to her own room, while her parents took the spare room across the hall from hers. Rei and the other servants and maids were left with cleaning the manor up from their guests, and it wasn't until one in the morning did Rei finally retire to bed, making sure that everyone else had gone to bed before he made his way up to the second floor to Kai's new room.

He had only been in there once before, when Kai had returned from Japan, as it had previously belonged to Voltaire and Natasha had always served that room. It was a huge room, with it's own small foyer before two doors led into the room itself. It felt like a mile long walk from the doors to the bed that sat across the room, the fire place on the right wall where in front of it sat a desk and chair, an oil lamp sitting on the top of it. In the small opening where the door sat were two identical red velvet chairs, much like the ones in the parlor, that faced each other on both walls. To the left of the bed was another wooden door that led to the balcony, another set of red velvet chairs facing each other on opposite walls. Two wooden tables sat beside the bed, the closet on the left and the bathroom on the right.

Kai was awake, as if he had been waiting for him all along, propped up against the headboard of the large king sized bed. A smile crossed his lips as he saw Rei come into the room and locked the door behind him before he stepped further into the room and stood at the end of the bed.

"Only if you're sure." Kai said, something Rei had said to him when this had all begun.

"I am."