Hey-hey you guys and this is chapter 11.

I hope you've been enjoying the story so far because from what it looks like, it's going beyond 15 chapters and there's still so much to happen! But I can't give away any secrets though so let's get reading chapter 11. But first…

Warnings: A bit of blood and some cussing

So in this chapter, we get to catch up with Ryu and how he's doing and then Kaida's surprise guest visits someone else tonight. Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 11

Don't Give Up

Ryu settled in one of his chairs, resting his glass of water on the table next to him. He let down his brown hair, running a hand through his locks to untangle them. He was exhausted from his day at work and now he was finally able to talk to his kids he missed so much. The trip was okay and the vacation was wonderful, but nothing made him feel better than to talk to his kids. He was glad to hear they were alright, but his feelings changed when he listened to his daughter's nightmares.

"Fine. The kids are doing well. Asuka comes around every so often. Things aren't any different from when you left. How are you doing?"

There was a sudden pause…

He didn't want to deal with this now. A lot already happened today and the last thing he needed was an emotional conversation that he knew would go wrong. He wasn't ignoring the topic, just didn't want to deal with it at this time. Plus, his daughter was a bit more important at the moment.

"I'm fine Kasumi. We can talk about this later. Did you know about Kaida's nightmares?" he asked, loosing his tie and resting his head back.

"No, this was the first I heard about it. She has been having trouble sleeping lately but she said it was nothing serious. What did she say to you?"

"Nothing much, just about a scary looking man. Did she watch a scary movie or something?" he questioned.

"That's not the case. You know she laughs at those things."

Of course she did, but what eight year old wasn't scared of a horror film? He knew how tough his daughter really was and if she wasn't in his lap, hiding her face she was probably behind one of the couches. He smiled to the idea, "Hm…you need to talk to her Kasumi."

She held back for a moment, "I will. Is there everything okay with you? Do you need anything?"

He looked around his room tired from his long day of work and having to sort out all the complications. They weren't major complications just stuff the trip, work, and whatever feelings he had to deal with. Sooner or later he was going to have to confront his feelings and he nagged himself constantly for not doing so. A point of a trip was to relax, not dwell over stuff…right?

"Nah, I'll be fine. Today was pretty busy; I think I'll just head to bed," he replied, beginning to unbutton his while shirt.

"Okay. Just…call me if you need anything."

The thought of saying I love you crossed his mind, but he wasn't sure if he truly felt that way anymore, "I will. Goodnight Kasumi."

He knew she wanted to say something else, but she hung up the phone, probably with a heavy heart. He had the same feeling, but it wasn't guilt he was feeling. He was upset. Okay, so he lied, but he wasn't sure how to deal with the situation at the time. Hearing your wife cheated on you with your best friend, how was anybody supposed to deal with that?

He didn't want to yell at her, but he didn't want to forgive her either. It hurt, it hurt a lot to hear she was going behind his back and it definitely hurt to hear that Kaida wasn't his child. Sure she had a different hair color and eye color from him and maybe she acted a bit more like Jin, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wasn't his kid. She still had some of his traits after all.

Ryu exhaled and moved from his chair, grabbing his cup to fetch some more water.

He wanted to try and solve the issue, but he didn't know where to start. There was his feelings and her feelings, not to mention Kaida's feelings, which he probably should have checked on.

He just wasn't sure if forgiving her would really make him feel better. They've had a wonderful marriage, wonderful kids, and a wonderful love for each other. Was he really going to throw that all away? His heart felt shattered, a million pieces lying on the ground.

He finished his glass of water and stared at the cup, twirling it around slowly. Maybe divorce was the best option…

At that moment a knock was at his door. He looked towards it wondering who it could be and groaned at the thought of it being someone from work. He pushed his hip from the counter and walked towards it, really surprised to see who it was.

"Hey brother in law," she said with her arms crossed.

It was Ayane, standing it nothing but a purple nightgown and a smile on her pretty little face.

Oh great, his sister in law, even better.

He leaned his head on the door, "What are you doing here?"

She walked past him and into his room, settling down on one of his chairs, "Business. Our new line of clothing has a "vacation" type kind of theme that calls for sandy beaches and a bright sun!"

Ryu shook his head with a roll of his eyes, shutting the door and joining her at the couches. The minute he sat down in his chair, he put his ankle on his knee and rubbed his eyes. He already had to deal with work, worry about his child and his marriage; he didn't need his sister in law irritating him too, "Ayane, what are you doing here?"

"I just told you," she replied, closing her robe from the chilly breeze coming from his open window.

He tilted his face to her with a wry smile, "In my room?"

"Oh," she answered, getting comfortable in his seat, "Well I saw you earlier and I thought I'd come by to say hi."

"And?" he questioned, knowing well that wasn't her only reason. She looked back into his green eyes, but knew she couldn't hide her true intentions; she was a straightforward person anyway, "And to talk about Kasumi."

"I knew it," he said with a sigh and moving from his seat again back to get some water. "Ah, no, no, no," Ayane said looking back at him, "where do you think we're going?" The male leaned back against the counter, holding the cup in his hand, "Can we talk about this later?"

"Which in my language means we won't talk about this ever again," Ayane countered and waved her hand, "Come on, come sit down." Ryu knew she wasn't going to leave until she got what she wanted; either that or he could be a complete jackass and shove her out the door. That option sounded better, but with a shake of his head he returned to his seat, "I'm serious Ayane and this really isn't any of your business."

Ayane chuckled with a shake of her own head as well, "Okay 1. I'm serious too and it is it's been my business for more than eight years now. Right, that's how old Kaida is isn't she?"

Ryu looked at her, "So you knew? This whole time you knew about Kasumi cheating on me?"

She shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip, "Actually we all knew." Ryu rolled his eyes with another frustrated sigh, ready to pace around the room, but Ayane stopped him, "Ryu compose yourself for a minute, okay yes we should have told you, but Kasumi should have been the one to do it, she even asked us to keep quiet."

"Even Hayate?" he asked, knowing his best friend wouldn't have kept a secret like that from him. "Yes, even Hayate," she answered, "believe me, he was furious the most, but he let Kasumi handle it on her own."

Ryu released another heavy lament and rested his arms on the chair, letting his head fall back and his eyes close. Not even taking slow breaths helped him calm down. How could everybody kept a secret from him like that? And for eight years? Eight long years of Kasumi sneaking behind his back just to go see Jin. "You know I'm not feeling any better."

The purple haired girl smiled, "And that's where I come in." She tucked her legs under and rested elbow on the arm so her cheek could rest on her hand, "So, tell me everything."

Ryu raised an eyebrow at her, "Why would I do that?"

"Because," she said, "Kasumi told me what happened and apparently you aren't talking about. So who better than ask and hear about your problems?" Ryu shook his head after that, "No, I don't think so."

She scoffed, "Why not? I doubt you're going to talk to Kasumi about this." He was ready to say something, but shut his mouth to prove her point. Actually that was his plan. He wasn't going to say anything about it all, just keep telling her that he was fine, but secretly really wasn't. He knew he had to talk to somebody about it, but his sister in law was not the top choice on his list.

Ayane scanned over his face with her pretty pink eyes, seeing clearly how upset he was about it, "Look, I know I'm not the nicest person in the world, but I do care about you, Ryu. I want to help whatever is going on between you and my sister. Whatever choice you make I can respect, but I just want to know how you feel. Bottling things up inside isn't going to solve anything."

He looked back into her eyes and could see the deep concern she had for him. He really did want to solve the damage done to his relationship. Maybe she was the best shoulder to cry on.

She saw him nod and smiled, "So we can do it the therapist way where you lay on the couch and I write down everything or I can be the understanding person and pat you on the back and show sympathy."

He chuckled with a roll of his green eyes, "Sarcasm?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but I was being serious about the first part, I really do care about you."

"Sure," he replied. "Now come on," she said grabbing his arm and leading him towards the couch, "I'm going to do this the right way and I know how tired you are because believe me I'm cutting hours of my beauty sleep for this, so lay down and I'll get the water."

He really thought she lost her mind at the point, but did as told and laid down the couch, already feeling relaxed from the cushions. Ayane set the glass pitcher of water on the table and moved her seat closer, sitting crisscross in the white chair, "Okay, so where should we start?"

"You're the therapist," he answered with closed

"No one said I was certified," she replied, running a hand through her purple hair, "Okay Kasumi said you weren't talking about it, so why aren't you talking about it?"

"Because I'm fine," he answered simply.

She looked at him, "Which you and I both know is bullshit. You are not fine. You are hurt and upset. So tell me why you are hurt and upset?"

"Why do you think I'm upset?" he replied, "she lied to me, Ayane. About Kaida, about Jin, about loving me…"

"Hold on, I'm going to stop you right there," Ayane said, holding up a finger, "Kasumi loved you then, she loves you now, and she will always love."

He titled his head back for a moment, "How do you know?" She scoffed again, "She's had a crush on you practically her whole entire life. You weren't just her brother's best friend, you were also her friend, her secret love, the guy she wished to with, the guy of her dreams. Don't say she never loved you because I'm pretty sure if she had to pick between you and Jin, it would be you; every single time."

What she said really touched his heart and he knew it was true. Even as kids the only person she really cared about was him. She was always shy around him, looking out for him, and pretending she never liked him, which he easily saw through.

Now that he thought about it he was her first everything: her first date, her first kiss, her first time (but of course that didn't come to later. He didn't need Hayate trying to kill him.) And it was the same for him. He really didn't pay much attention to dating, since he had his own responsibilities but Kasumi changed that. Her sweet and caring personality drew him in and despite being his best friend's sister; he needed to see for himself where things would go. And as he pictured they were just perfect.

He meant it when he said he loved her then, he loved her now and he would always love her; that would never change. And he was glad she felt the same way about him and he knew that would never change either.

"Then what about Jin?" he shot back, "how do you explain that?"

Ayane gave her honest answer, "Actually I really can't. Kasumi said she loved him too and things got outta of hand one time."

"Which shouldn't have happened," he countered. The thought of even picturing her that way with him was enough to churn his stomach. The thought of him kissing her, his hands on her, her moaning his name…okay yeah, that drew the line, "And then came Kaida…"

"What about Kaida?," Ayane said a bit upset, "Don't blame any of this on that little girl."

"She had me raise another man's child, Ayane," Ryu said back with wrath, sitting up and looking at her dead in the eyes, "All along she had me think that was my child, but it wasn't."

Ayane crossed her arms and scoffed at him again, "And what the hell does that matter? Does that change anything? Now that you know Kaida isn't yours are you going to abandon her?"

"Of course not!" he said back, appalled she'd even say such a thing, "but…"

"But nothing," Ayane answered cutting him off, "You raised that little girl since birth. You are her father, it doesn't matter if it's not biological, and you've been there since day one Ryu. You're the one she calls father. How do you think she'll feel if you left because she was the reason? That little girl loves you just as much as you do her. And think about Keisuke and Sakura, how would they feel?"

Ryu sat there, rubbing his hands down his face with a sigh. Now that he heard it that was really the major reason why he was upset: Kaida wasn't his child and Kasumi pretended like it was, but Ayane was right, did it really matter? The minute he laid his eyes on her she was his daughter, his little ball of sunshine that he promised to love and protect for eternity.

She was his child and that would never change.

Ayane scanned over his face, wondering what he was thinking, "Have you considered divorce?"

He nodded honestly, "Yeah, yeah I have. I just…the thought of sharing Kasumi…or her loving somebody else…was just hard. That she even let something like that happen…"

The purple haired girl moved closer to him, glad he was finally opening up, and gently rubbing his upper back, "I know Ryu, but Kasumi wasn't cheating on you when you guys were married."

He looked up from his hands, "What?"

Ayane nodded back, "Uh-huh. Remember the day you asked her to marry you? Well that was also the day Jin broke up with her. He really didn't tell her why though. He just ended it."

Ryu felt more relief wash over him, thinking why Jin might have done it. It's was probably his devil, which he would be glad if that was reason; at least he was looking out for her.

"I know what Kasumi did was wrong and everybody told her she should tell you the truth," Ayane continued, "But think about now; eight wonderful years of marriage with three beautiful kids. Are you really going to throw it all away from a mistake in the past? A love like yours only comes once in a lifetime. Whatever you decide we can respect, but just think about it."

That's all he was doing since she told him the truth, but now he had even more things to think about, but there was one thing that still bothered him. "Does she still have feelings for him?" he asked, looking back at her.

Ayane shifted her purple eyes for a minute, "I honestly can't say. But my guess? Probably, I mean they have a kid together after all…" He gave her a look and she shrugged her shoulders, "What? I told you I'm not going to sit here and rub your back, you want the truth and I gave you what I could. Take it or leave it."

Ryu shook his head with a small chuckle, "Good old sister in law."

"Hey I try," she said with a pretty smile, "but seriously, you will think about it?"

He nodded, "Yes Ayane, I will."

"Great," she said with a pat of his back and standing up, "Now, if you don't mind I'd like to get some sleep. That was a good whole hour of my beauty rest." He followed her to the door, hands in his pockets, "Although you were the one to come to my room."

"I know," Ayane replied, "The things I do for people." Before she left the room, she turned back around, offering to give him a hug, "I normally don't do this, but…oh come here." Ryu couldn't refuse such an offer, especially since it was once in a life time, and hugged her back, "Thanks Ayane."

"No problem," she answered, pulling away, "I just really hope it works out. Night."

"Goodnight," he replied, shutting the door and leaning against it. He had to admit that was exactly what he needed. He knew talking about it would clear his head even more and he felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Was it really a good idea to divorce Kasumi or accept what happened and move? To be honest, he really didn't know yet. He was still hurt, but they built a wonderful life together, something he always dreamed about. Was a love for another man going to ruin that? Now that he thought about it, what was going to happen to him and Jin? Was their relationship still intact?

With a heavy exhale, Ryu moved from the door to his bed, figuring sleep would be nice right about now. He had at least two more weeks till his business trip was over, that should give him plenty of time to sort out his feelings and thoughts or so he yearned.

"You alright there, sweetie?" Kasumi asked, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Kaida shook her head and held them close, feeling much safer in her parent's bed. Sakura and Keisuke were next to her, since she felt having the whole family would make her feel better.

Kasumi moved around the bed to make sure her other two kids were covered, liking the idea of having them in her bed. The house was locked and secured and she left the bathroom light on to help. She really hoped Kaida would be able to sleep well tonight.

Kasumi crawled into her sheets, resting up on an elbow before letting sleep claim her. She brushed Kaida's hair from her face, placing a kiss on her forehead, "Think you'll be okay tonight?" The girl nodded back, "Thanks Mom."

"I'm going to turn the light out now, okay?" Kasumi asked watching her snuggling into the sheets more and close her eyes. She turned off the lamp on her stand and settled in as well, wishing her daughter a good night before closing her eyes as well.

*Dream Start*

Kasumi found herself by the pool, resting back on a beach chair and soaking up the sun. The day was picture-perfect, the sun was nice and warm and the water was so blue and cool; this felt like the perfect vacation.

In seconds a dark figure hovered over her and she opened her eyes, smiling to see his soft green eyes and handsome features.

"Someone seems to be enjoying themselves," he said softly handing her a drink. She sat up and accepted it, smiling back at him, "Who wouldn't? And I'm here with you." Ryu showed a sweet smirk, sitting down next to her, "Well I'm glad to hear that." He gently cupped her face, pulling her into a kiss that made her nerves jump, her stomach filled with butterflies.

She showed him another smile before lacing their fingers together and resting back, "I think this is exactly what we needed, don't you?"

Surprisingly she didn't get a response and called his name, thinking he didn't hear her. She waited for his response but heard nothing and looked over at him, shocked to see he was gone. But it wasn't just him, everything was gone, the pool, the chairs, everything.

She sat up, resting her feet on the new red surface, looking around. She had no idea where she was, it was just an open area with a rough, jagged surface and rocks. She thought she even saw a volcano in the distant, but dark clouds were floating around.

A chill ran down her spine the minute she stood up, thinking she was being watched. She looked behind her, scanning carefully, but seeing nothing except open space. She took a couple steps forward, ready to call out, but terrified to get a response.

"Well hello there," came a voice.

Kasumi looked around, wondering where it came from. When she realized nobody was there, she looked up one of the piles of rocks and to her astonishment; a figure was sitting up there with piercing eyes, staring right back at her.

She stood in horror, not moving a muscle when it came down landing a couple steps infront of her. She noticed his features and was scared to realize something…it had wings, gigantic black wings. The closer it came the more she could make out: its clawed fingers, the black markings on its body and the horns sitting on top its raven black hair.

But what scared her the most was the scary resemblance to someone she knew…Jin.

The Devil stopped infront of her, glad he took her breath away, and saying in a taunting voice, "Long time no see. Don't you recognize me?"

It took Kasumi a minute to find her own voice, still paralyzed with fear to the scary resemblance it had to the raven haired man, "You're…the man…in…Kaida's dreams…"

"Kaida?" he said with a casual shrug of his shoulders, "Oh yeah, that girl, she's practically a spitting image of me…or him, well it doesn't really matter, but you…" He trailed, outlining her with his eyes. And wearing that bathing suit from her pervious dream, which he loved to destroy, only made his hunger for her deeper.

He walked around her, spreading a clawed hand on her flat stomach, "You're just like I remember. Soft…slender…" He came up behind her, pressing his front to her back and emphasizing his point by saying it in her ear, "sexy."

Kasumi shuddered from the sudden feeling, wondering what the best idea would be. This was nothing more than a dream, but she wanted to get away from him. He wore evil like a second-skin and it was obvious he was the least bit gentle.

"I wonder if you taste the same too," he whispered about to run his tongue over her neck until she flung her hand back. Instantly he caught it, holding it in his clawed hand, "I wouldn't mind if you fought back. Infact…I'd like it. But I'm not here to play."

He moved away from her, back to his original spot, "Just to introduce myself."

Kasumi looked at him again, trying to figure out what kind of sick and twisted dream this was to present Jin in such a way, like he was some kind of monster. She could see why Kaida was afraid and never wanted to sleep; she wouldn't look forward to something like this either.

Kasumi found some courage and asked, "What do you want?"

The Devil looked at her, a smirk plastered on his face, "Hm?"

"What do you want?" she repeated herself, "Kaida's dreams and now me? Why are messing with my family."

He smiled at her with such a dark expression, Kasumi really had no idea what fear until now, "I've been around longer then you think, but since you asked…" He walked forward a little bit, placing a clawed finger on her chest and lightly tracing the skin, "What I want is only something you can give me."

She was about to ask what it was but winced in pain when his claw cut her skin, drawing diagonal line down her right breast. He came closer then, grabbing her chin and forcing it to look up at him. She was imitated just by his stare, "Why me?"

The Devil titled his head to the side, "He can answer that."

Before she could say another word, he moved his lips over hers, a slow and teasing kiss. Kasumi wanted nothing to pull away, but his grip was too stronger, forcing her mouth to submit to his easily. He bit her bottom lip before pulling away, "We will meet again Kasumi, I can promise you that."

*Dream End*

Kasumi awoke with fright late in the night, sitting up straight in her bed, gasping for air. She looked around her to make sure she was in her room, then at her kids to see if they were safe and found them still in their slumber.

She closed her eyes for a minute, slowing down her heartbeat and rubbing her eyes, grateful it was a dream. She put a hand to her chest, calming herself down and taking slow deep breaths. When she pulled it away, she covered her mouth to hide her scream, blood staining her hand. She looked down to see the cut he made, just like in her dream.

Now Kasumi realized what Kaida meant when she said it felt all too real.

She couldn't believe it happened, it was just a silly little nightmare, probably from missing Ryu so much, but the evidence was right there! It's not like anything else could have done it.

Kasumi did her best to pull herself back in reality; at least she knew now what was haunting Kaida's dreams and why it scared her so much. She was grateful it didn't hurt Kaida in anyway, but now it had a new objective in mind and whatever it wanted, it was going to get, no matter what it took to get it.

To be continued…

Wow, that chapter was pretty long. The outline only showed two events, but I really wanted to describe Ryu's feelings and what was going on in his head about this whole Kaida thing. Yep and that was just the first seven pages. And adding Ayane in there was fun, after all whom better than to help with someone's problem. Ayane is such a little sweetheart.

So does anybody believe Ryu is going to follow through with the divorce? I can't tell you the answer, but what I can tell you is that's not the last of the devil we will be seeing, oh no, he's got a bigger role now since things are moving forward!

So join me in the next chapter, folks! See you till then.