I don't own these characters. I also don't own the Godfather.

A/N: this is an AU ShizNat story based on a manga called Pieta. I recommend it to anyone who likes manga.

11: Legalese

Getting Natsuki out of the hospital proved to be quite simple for the two of them, even though her doctor wanted to keep her a little longer for observation. The two teens were insistent, though, and the doctor relented after giving them a laundry list of things to watch out for with Natsuki. Shizuru drove them to her aunts' house where Natsuki discovered her belongs were being kept. Most of her belongings were out in Shizuru's room, as if waiting to be placed around the area. She smiled at Shizuru.

"Thanks for taking care of this," Natsuki said, pointing to her things that were sitting on Shizuru's shelves.

Shizuru smiled and wrapped her arm around Natsuki's waist. "I did what I could. It was difficult concentrating on getting everything I knew you wanted. Your stepmother likes to talk and I disliked what she had to say."

Natsuki nodded and put her arms around the tawny-haired female. "Makes two of us. But, she's not my stepmom. I can't even call her my father's wife since I'm not sure he's my dad, anymore."

Deep red eyes regarded Natsuki with so much emotion that the biker was not sure what to make of it. "Is that such a big loss?" the older teen inquired softly.

Natsuki shook her head. "None at all. I have you. I have Alyssa. All of the other stuff, I can start over."

Shizuru smiled more and leaned over to kiss Natsuki's cheek. "I'm glad you still think of Alyssa, even though you might not be related to her by blood."

Natsuki scratched the top of her head. "You know, I don't think I ever considered Alyssa a blood-relative. Whenever I think of her, I don't think of her in terms of 'my sister.' I think of her in terms of just Alyssa. I don't know, but her in my head is way more elaborate than her being just my sister. I always connected to her and she connected to me. I don't know if it was because of blood or not, but I don't think anything will break the connection. Alyssa's special to me and I think she always will be. I hope so, anyway. I want to be there for her and I want to be with her."

The tawny-haired girl nodded. "That's good. Now, Aunt Laula and Aunt Anh want to talk to you. After that, I'd like for you to get in bed and rest. Let me forewarn you that no amount of arguing or whining will make a difference."

"Aw, but I had a lot of whining left me," the biker joked with a pathetic pout. It did earn her another kiss, which was good enough for her.

Natsuki allowed herself to be led away by Shizuru. They went by the living room, deeper into the house. Natsuki quickly learned that there was an office space beyond the living room. Laula and Anh were both in the office, both on the phone.

"Oh, Natsuki-chan! It's great that you're here!" Anh grinned. "You look so much better today, too!"

"Uh … okay," Natsuki said for lack of a better reply. She had to assume that she looked much better now than she did in the hospital after her very stupid incident.

"We're pleased that you're safe and sound and going to stay with us," Anh said and she even clapped a little.

"You want me to stay here?" Natsuki pointed to herself as she stood there with a slack jaw because she could not believe it. Even if they did not know about her darkest moment where she actually considered taking Shizuru from them, they had to know that she had been crazy enough to try to kill herself. Why the hell would they want me around if they know how crazy I am?

"Of course. We've already spoken to our lawyers to get you control of your trust fund and get you emancipated from your father, even though you'll be eighteen soon. Still, it's best not to wait," Anh explained.

Natsuki blinked. "Huh?" She was still impersonating a gapping fish.

"Natsuki, Laula heard your father while he was speaking with Doctor Graceburt and she did not like anything that he had to say, especially the part about locking you away in an institution. Shizuru told us that a hospital would most likely destroy you. We've also heard that he wouldn't be seeking to put you in a facility to help anyway, just some place to get you out of the way. No father should do that to a child, so we're going to do our best to make sure that doesn't happen. Is that all right with you?" Anh asked and the seriousness of her face let the teen know that she truly wanted permission to help.

"Uh … yeah, I guess. I mean, it's no trouble or anything, right?" Natsuki asked, scratching the top of her head.

Anh smiled and placed a hand on Natsuki's shoulder. The biker was surprised that the urge to pull away did not tear through her. She allowed Anh to touch her, not because Anh was Shizuru's aunt and she did not want to disrespect Shizuru's aunt, but because the touch did not feel poisonous. She had grown so used to every touch feeling like it was pouring venom into her system, but none of that came from Anh. Natsuki wondered if Shizuru had helped her grow accustomed to being touched or if Shizuru had just helped her learn to trust enough to be touched. Either way, she was pleased with herself for making such obvious progress.

"Natsuki, you are now a member of our family. We're going to take care of you as long as you let us. Now, why don't you and Shizuru go have some lunch while we finish up here? We'll brief you about what's going on as soon as we're finished." Anh gently patted her on the shoulder.

Natsuki could only nod. She was beyond unaccustomed to having someone help her in a difficult situation. She actually did not know what to do and was glad that Anh had given her instructions, even though she barely knew what to make of those either. She did not get a chance to dwell on it as Shizuru pulled her away for lunch.

"Natsuki, are you truly all right with the arrangements my aunts are making? I can get them to stop if you like," Shizuru said as they sat down next to each other at the table. Lunch was set out for them already, which they both knew was thanks to Anh.

"No, it's fine. I was actually going to ask Laula-san if she could give me any sort of advise on getting my trust fund, anyway. I was also going to ask Graceburt-sensei to help with that and help me with getting away from my father. So, really, they jumped on something I was going to ask about, anyway. I know if I really ever want to be better and good, I have to get away from him and his wife. Before, it didn't matter. I didn't have much to lose, but now, I have everything to lose," Natsuki said, taking Shizuru's hand in hers. She leaned down and placed a tender kiss to Shizuru's knuckles.

Shizuru smiled softly. "I'm glad you understand that now."

"I'll do my damnedest to never forget it. Besides, we still have to go to Hokkaido," Natsuki remarked with a smile.

Shizuru laughed. "I'm still looking forward to it."

The ebony-haired girl nodded in agreement. She then sighed, an oddly sorrowful sound. "I can't believe I almost missed out on that. I'm so sorry, Shizuru. It was just … she made me think I was responsible …"

The older girl leaned over and gently stroked Natsuki's thigh. "Natsuki, it's fine. You know you weren't responsible for what happened to your mother. Since you know that, I expect you to live a long, happy, and productive life with me."

Natsuki nodded; that was the plan. By the time she and Shizuru were done with lunch, Laula and Anh joined them. They all went to the living room to discuss the issues of the day. The older couple took the sofa while Shizuru and Natsuki settled on the love seat. Without thinking, Natsuki pulled Shizuru's legs over her lap; the contact helped keep her settled and calm.

"So, the lawyers feel like this should go rather quickly," Laula reported with a pleased smile, like a lion with a lamb chop.

Natsuki's forehead furrowed. "Why do you think that? I'm pretty sure my dad is going to put up one hell of a fight over this, especially if he's taking money out of the trust fund, which I'm pretty sure he is. He's not just going to let all that money go. Hell, he used it to help buy a house and who knows what else," she replied.

"He didn't do it legally," Anh pointed out.

"There are a couple of factors that will prevent your father from doing a damn thing, except for agreeing to what we want. Now, we're aware your father will try to argue that you're not of sound mind and therefore can't manage your own money or live on your own. It will look bad that you have been institutionalized, but I'm sure Graceburt-sensei will be able to explain and dispute all of that. She's already collected evidence about the institution you were placed in to show that your father is not looking out for your best interests. She's willing to help," Laula stated.

"Of course she is," Natsuki said, rolling her eyes a little. "I guess she just wants my okay on this?"

"That is all she requires. And, if you are as well as she and Shizuru have assured us, you'll have no problem handling any sort of doctor your father wants to throw your way. Even if he wants to argue about you needing a guardian and a judge agrees, there are much better candidates now than there were ten years ago," Laula said with her own approving nod.

Natsuki scratched her head again. "Well, that's true, but I don't see how that's going to help things go easily."

"Making things even better, it has been brought to our attention that your father works for the marketing division of Kiyohime Gems," Anh said with a smile that bordered on devilish.

A pale forehead wrinkled again. "Why is that better? I mean, yeah, it's a popular jewelry company and everything, but he's just so middle level management guy," the ebony-haired teen pointed out.

Laula and Anh both blinked and turned to Shizuru. "She really doesn't know?" Laula asked her niece.

Shizuru shrugged. "It wasn't something that came up in a conversation, so I never had a chance to explain it to her. I did not know that her father worked for the company."

"What?" Natsuki inquired, looking back and forth between the relatives.

Shizuru took one of Natsuki's hands and ran her index finger inside the palm. "Natsuki, my family owns Kiyohime Gems. Your father works for my family," she informed the younger teen.

"No way!" Natsuki's pallor was now beyond chalk white. Wide emerald eyes focused on Shizuru like she was an alien life. "You mean … you're … rich?"

"This is not a problem, is it?" Shizuru asked in a low, trembling voice.

"Problem? Of course not! Just a shock … a huge shock! But, it doesn't change anything," Natsuki proclaimed, wrapping her arms around the older girl and holding her close. Shizuru sighed as she cuddled into Natsuki's body, not caring that her aunts were sitting right across from them.

"I am glad that it's not a problem," Shizuru muttered.

"I can never have a problem with you," Natsuki whispered. Anh looked like she was about to burst from the high levels of sheer adorableness.

"Good. So, like I was saying, he happens to work for us," Anh said. "And we can be very persuasive." She folded her hands in her lap, as if trying to appear angelic, but she looked so delightfully evil.

"How so?" Natsuki asked.

"We'll—" Laula started, but Shizuru of all people cut her off.

"Make him an offer he can't refuse," Shizuru remarked, smirking at her aunt.

"I wanted to say that!" Laula huffed and hit Shizuru with a throw pillow. "Since when do you know Godfather references anyway?"

"Natsuki loves gangster movies," Shizuru replied with an impish smile and a shrug. The biker gave her little hug as if encouraging her.

-8-8-8-8-

"What the hell is this about? Natsuki had the nerve to have me served?" her father shouted, staring down at the paper in disbelief. He had just opened the mail to receive the nasty little surprise from his so-called daughter.

"How could she have you served? She doesn't have a lawyer," Una pointed out from her space on their beat up old sofa. They would both be happy when they bought a new one after they moved into their new home; they planned on moving in over the next few days. "And try to keep it down. We don't want the neighbors to hear and you don't want to wake the baby."

He glanced up at his wife, somewhat dismissing her with his eyes, and then back down at the paper. "Apparently, she has someone working for her that served me. I can meet with them tomorrow or see them in court."

"It's probably just a bluff to try to buy sometime. You know she'll do anything to avoid going to another institution, even though that's where she needs to be. You can't have her out there embarrassing us or plotting to hurt someone in our family. And we certainly can't afford her living on her own. She doesn't deserve that money and you do. We can live the way we always dreamed of, in a big house with a yard for our kids. Long family vacations, wonderful nights out, and we can buy a Miyu a car in a few years."

"Right. I'll take care of this tomorrow," he decided.

"I can come. The baby can stay with my mother. The girls have school."

"I'll think about it. I can handle Natsuki on my own, though."

Una nodded. "I know you can. I think if she sees both of us, though, she'll know that this is pointless and it's not some crazy game that she can play. She'll give in if we're both there. She knows she can't be trusted on her own and she knows she can't do anything about both of us."

He agreed with that and he eventually agreed to allow Una to come with him. They were surprised when they pulled up to the address for the meeting place. They had not expected such an obviously expensive, fancy law firm. For a moment, they both had to gather themselves through deep breaths and then they entered. A receptionist pointed them to the conference room where "everyone" was waiting for them.

"Everyone?" Una echoed with an arched eyebrow and her husband shrugged.

They entered the conference room to find it practically full. There were ten people, including Natsuki sitting at the table. He recognized Doctor Graceburt and he suspected the tawny-haired girl next to Natsuki was a friend of hers. There were four adults flanking the teens; a pair of which he recognized. Two men and one woman in suits were probably the lawyers.

"Natsuki, you certainly have gone all out for this rouse," her father remarked with a nervous chuckle as he and Una sat down across from the group. He glared at the biker with obvious hatred and disgust; Una's gaze held just as much vitriol and disdain.

Natsuki did not bother to acknowledge her father or his resentment. Nothing he says or does will bother me. Not now, not ever again, she had promised herself that. She would show him and his wife just how strong she was now thanks to Shizuru and the love and the support from people who actually cared about her wellbeing. She would show the Fujino family that she appreciated their effort by being the adult while in the same room as her father and his damned, contemptuous spouse.

"No lawyer, Kuga-san? Perhaps we should get you one before we proceed," Taro suggested and then turned to look at the trio of lawyers behind him. "Jiro-san, perhaps you could go get a colleague to help the Kugas. Your brother often beats you in court, right? Go fetch him." He laughed at his own remark.

"Wait, what's going on?" Natsuki's father inquired, holding his hand a little.

"This is why you should have a lawyer, so you can understand exactly what is going on," Anh replied.

Laula chimed in, too. "Jiro-san, do go. Get this guy a lawyer, but get him a really bad one. Is Hideo still around or did we finally talk him into retiring?"

"I think you drove him into hiding, Laula-chan," Taro teased, wiggling his pinkie in her direction.

"Grow up before I tell you what I do to your sister at night," Laula retorted and that shut her brother-in-law up. It always worked wonders.

"Might we get down to business sometime this century? The girls have missed enough days of school as it is," Ayumi commented in a stern tone. "I intend to see them both graduate with the proper marks and this time off has to be marring their grades."

"Killjoy," Taro muttered out of the side of his mouth.

"Again, what is this about?" Una now demanded.

"Several things," the female attorney spoke up. "Now, before I proceed, are you sure you do not want a lawyer present?"

"We want to know what this is all about," Natsuki's father growled.

"Very well." The female lawyer placed a folder onto the table and slid it toward the Kugas. "I'm Oni Miyuki. The first item on the list is Kuga Natsuki's trust fund. After looking deeply into the records and seeing how neglectful you were at issuing her the money that she required for living on her own, I drew up the paperwork to have you pulled from the account. As of today, Natsuki is in charge of her own finances. We are also looking into any misappropriation to her funds and if …" She paused and chuckled. "Excuse me, when we find any anomalies, you will be required to pay her back. With interest more than likely considering we've seen several little problems already. I am now also going to be seeking compensation for Natsuki's general wellbeing after seeing the amount you gave her to live off of, so just be prepared to pay."

"You can't do that!" Natsuki's father exploded, slamming his hands on the table. "You think you could trust this little monkey to take care of herself! She can't be trusted with her own life!" He pointed a malicious finger toward Natsuki while he refused to look at her.

"Oh, thank you for bringing us to our next point!" the lawyer, Jiro, grinned as he stepped up. He gleefully put his folder down and pushed them toward the Kugas. "I'm Watanaka Jiro. I'll be handling Natsuki's emancipation case because you're the ones that can't be trusted with Natsuki's life. Simple enough, Natsuki isn't going to be your problem anymore."

"You can't do that! She's crazy!" Kuga-san roared. "She is completely and totally insane!"

Maria stood up sharply. "That is horribly untrue! You and your wife have been messing with this poor child's mind since she came into your possession! She needed love, attention, affection, and to be cared for to let her know that her mother's death was a tragic accident. Instead, she got isolation, accusations, and the worst of all – being told that she was the cause of her mother's death. And for what? Because you didn't want her, but you wanted her money? You're the crazy one," she spat. "I don't know what new rat-hole institution you thought you were going to throw Natsuki in, but I assure you, it won't happen."

It seemed Maria's words galvanized Natsuki's father, who climbed to his feet. "You think you know her so well? Natsuki has been nothing more than a blight to me since she was born and she's going to hurt someone, just like she tried to hurt Alyssa. She was a terror then and tried to kill a baby! Do you want that on your conscious?" he demanded.

"I didn't!" Natsuki objected, wanting it to be known that she would never try to harm anyone, especially Alyssa. Shizuru's hand quickly went to her thigh and calmed her down.

"You did! You know you did, you horrible little bastard!" her father hollered.

"We know you didn't," Shizuru whispered to Natsuki and rubbed her leg to keep her from being baited by her father.

"I would never …" Natsuki swallowed hard.

"I know, Natsuki. I know," Shizuru said.

Laula growled as she noticed the sorrow in Natsuki's eyes. "Kuga-san, sit down," she commanded in a calm, but powerful tone. He glared at her, but she did not flinch. Slowly, he found himself back in his seat. "You will not malign Natsuki's character any further with unproven lies and vicious slander or you will be sued for damages," she promised him.

"You all think you know it all?" Mister Kuga spat venomously.

"We know that Natsuki's trust fund looks rather impressive, which says a lot considering the money we throw around," Taro remarked. "No, it's not enough to say she doesn't have to work for the rest of her life, but it is more than enough to keep her comfortable and happy. It is more than enough to make sure that she's well taken care of for the rest of her life, which we are sure is what her mother wanted. We know it would go a long way with your family, the one that Natsuki doesn't seem to be a part of."

"Who would want her in a family? She tried to kill my daughter!" Una declared. No one looked very impress or convinced by the proclamation. "No one in their right minds would want this beast girl living with them or in their family!"

"And, I suppose that would be my introduction," the last of the lawyers said in a dull tone. "I'm Fuijino Masato. Basically, I represent the Fujino family. We'll be adopting Natsuki," he stated bluntly.

"The Fujino family?" Natsuki's father seemed like he was about to choke on his tongue. All of the color drained from his face.

"Yeah, my little sister and my aunts have really taken to Natsuki … for whatever reason," Masato remarked, rolling his eyes while shooting Shizuru a small, amused smile. Shizuru felt confident enough to smile back at him, which made him beam with happiness.

"Wait, what?" both Kugas looked utterly baffled.

"Really, this whole display is just the fun-filled way for the Fujino family to get together and let you know that you lost out on someone really fantastic. We do it at business conferences, too. God, people hate us," Masato remarked, laughing a little. Taro and Anh chuckled, too.

"No one likes clownish rich people," Laula commented.

"I don't know. We're pretty popular at parties, auntie," Masato quipped with a smile. He then turned his attention back to the Kugas. "This is actually our way of being pleasant. We're informing you of what's going on instead of just doing what we do. You certainly don't deserve the courtesy. You come in here and speak about your daughter in ways that my friends won't even discuss their dogs. Hell, ways they wouldn't discuss their enemies. You're willing to take her money, but not her. Not only that, you're willing to push her to the point of killing herself, willing to make her believe she's capable of horrors that haunt her nightmares as I understand it. I'm beyond disgusted." He curled his upper lip as he regarded the Kuga couple.

"Is this a joke? Do you really expect us to believe you're the Fujino family and you want Natsuki of all people?" Una snorted. "We're not so easily fooled."

"Well, if you want to drag this out …" Shizuru said and then she shrugged. Turning to Natsuki, she smiled. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah. I don't see why I needed to be here, anyway. I already signed everything," Natsuki pointed out and she rose from her seat. She then helped Shizuru up. Emerald eyes focused on the people helping her. "Thank you, everyone. I truly appreciate this, but we do need to get ready for school tomorrow."

"We know," Laula said and she handed Natsuki a car key. "Drive carefully."

"I will," Natsuki replied. She and Shizuru left.

"That is one adorable couple," Taro remarked with a smile before turning his attention back to the Kugas. A feral smile spread across his face. "Well, with the young people gone, this can get serious."

-8-8-8-8-

"You know the whole point of being in Hokkaido is to play in the snow," Natsuki pointed out, speaking to Shizuru. They were in a small, well-furnished cabin. Natsuki was bundled up in complete winter gear with a snowboard in her hand. Shizuru sat down in front of a fire with a cup of tea in her hand. She was still dressed in her pajamas, which consisted of a lilac yukata.

"You enjoy it your way. I'll enjoy it mine," Shizuru remarked with a coy smile as she reached for the book that she was reading.

Natsuki pouted. "You could've done this at home. I thought you said you ski?"

"I do."

"Then come on!" Natsuki begged, motioning to the door with one hand.

"I do not wish to ski right now."

Natsuki's face fell into another, deeper pout. Unfortunately, Shizuru's back was to her, so she could not see the expression, thus she would not cave into Natsuki's demands. The biker was not put off. Easing her board to the floor, Natsuki crawled up behind Shizuru and rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder. Shizuru laughed as Natsuki whimpered and nuzzled her neck.

"I wanna spend time with you," Natsuki muttered, rubbing her nose in Shizuru's neck.

"My sweet Natsuki, you always spend time with me," Shizuru replied. She put her tea down and caressed the biker's head.

"I wanna spend time with you in the snow. I don't always do that." She placed several light kisses to Shizuru's warm neck.

"There are plenty of things that you don't always do with me that you could do at the moment."

Natsuki's brow furrowed. "Why do you always have to turn all 'Fujino-cryptic' on me?" she asked before kissing Shizuru's neck again.

Shizuru laughed. "Because I love listening to the wheels in Natsuki's head churn as you try to figure out what I mean. How is it that you are going to be some fancy scientist or equally fancy engineer, yet you don't pick up subtle hints?"

"Because all of your hints are audio. I'm all about the visual. Put the formula down on paper for me," Natsuki remarked.

"Yes, take all of the romance out of my life."

"That is what I'm here for, isn't it?" Natsuki joked.

The older woman chuckled in spite of herself. "You're horrible."

"How about I make you a deal?"

Shizuru arched an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"You come outside with me and play in the snow and then when we come in, I'll do whatever you want without complaining," the pale girl proposed.

"Without complaining?" Shizuru's tone probably could not have gotten more incredulous.

Natsuki could only laugh; yeah, she knew it was probably impossible. And, yet, Shizuru agreed. She dressed, grabbed her skis, and they were off. They came back in a few hours later and needed to get ready to go to dinner. Natsuki dropped all of her gear and made a beeline for their closet.

"No, Natsuki. Shower first," Shizuru ordered. "And put these things away neatly." She pointed to the snow gear.

"Eep!" the biker yelped as she bristled. A hot blush rose to her cheeks, like an admonished child, which caused Shizuru to smile. Natsuki often reacted that way when scolded. The ebony-haired girl did exactly as commanded as quickly as she could. Shizuru smiled again and then moved herself to get ready for dinner.

"And to get ready for tomorrow," Shizuru remarked aloud with unmistakable joy in her voice. "Tomorrow with my dear Natsuki." Her smile could not have been brighter.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a short epilogue that used to be a part of this chapter, but I moved it to its own place because it didn't seem to fit here.