In the short time that they had been together before everything crashed and burned, he had told Yuuki he loved her several times. She would always grin happily and kiss him or send text messages full of emojis in response. But she had never said it back.
It didn't bother him at the time since he knew she loved him even without saying it. Her actions spoke louder than she could have screamed anyway. That was, of course, until the incident at the hotel; which is why it crushed him so much and so hard.
He didn't realize then how much he needed to hear her say those words to him. He knew it, but hearing it directly from her mouth made such a big difference.
"You know I love you too, right Kaname?"
His entire body froze and went on high alert. He was scared to move, afraid that the celestial image of her would ripple away and disappear forever if he startled her. If he was dreaming, he didn't want to wake up. Her words made his heart bloom with love and pumped adrenaline through his veins. His mouth went dry and he refused to blink, feeling the dry and burning sensation in his eyes as he stared at her like he was a statue.
"Kaname?" She waved a hand in front of his face. When he still refused to move, too shocked to actually do anything, she poked his cheek and snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Someone's clocked out for the night." She stood and started to leave, which was the only thing that triggered him to respond.
"Wait!" he pleaded, standing and grabbing her hand. He turned her to him and saw her smiling.
"I wasn't really going to leave, but it worked."
She sat back down and watched his every move. He felt like he was being scrutinized, and with being unsure of what to do with himself, he returned to his seat in front of her and placed his hands on his knees. He held his back straight as if he was getting ready to be questioned by court officials.
"I'm ready," he said with a quick nod.
Yuuki started to laugh.
"What are you doing? Relax."
"I can't relax," he admitted. "I'm excited and nervous and scared and hopeful and anxious all at the same time. So, let's go ahead and talk."
She placed a hand over his and he looked down at it. Her hand was so small in comparison, and he was a bit paler than she was. The softness and tenderness of her touch melted away some of the nerves that ran up and down his spine.
"This is probably well overdue," she started. "I've... always loved you, Kaname. I never said it before because I didn't think the word was adequate enough, but maybe if I did the outcome of things would have been different..."
He shook his head. "Don't blame yourself or regret things. Nothing turned out like we wanted or expected it to, true, but we're here now anyway. Nothing else matters."
She searched his eyes and nodded, pulling her hand from his. He felt her departure like someone just stole his kidney, but she simply brushed away some hair from her face and rested her hand on the dresser, tapping as she thought silently.
"The past year we were apart... it was pretty hard, I'll admit. I was scared to death, always looking over my shoulder even when with bodyguards, and hating what happened to me. After finding out you were a Kuran, it seemed like your name was plastered everywhere. Everywhere I turned, there was something about Harukan or you or your parents posted somewhere or in something. There was no escaping it. I'd see pictures of your mother all dolled up in her expensive clothes with a smile on her face, and it was a constant reminder of the evil that's inside of her; of what she did to me.
"And while she was plastered in magazines and business articles, putting on a charade of how supportive she is of you and your father, and how happy she is and everything she has in life, it just made me angry and bitter. Why did it have to end up the way it did? How come she ruined my life and got away with it and she's able to sit there having an interview like it was nothing? It wasn't fair."
She looked up to him with pleading eyes, trying to ensure that he understood. He reached out to her, giving her knee a comforting squeeze.
"I understand. It couldn't have been easy for you and I wish I was there."
"I've never blamed you for what happened, you know," she said quietly. "It wasn't your fault, if that's what you think."
He retracted his hand from her and looked away. She may have said that, but he couldn't help but blame himself anyway. Shouldn't he have known? And if not, how could she stand to face him if he resembled his parents so much?
"It is what I think," he admitted.
"It's not, Kaname, please understand that." She cupped his cheeks and forced him to look at her. Her delicacy made tears spring to his eyes.
"How can you even stand to look at me when all you see is them?" he whispered, trying to fight back his tears. It broke his heart to think that he'd always be like a walking billboard of her pain. To think that no matter how much he did to prove himself, he'd only always amount to Juri in the eyes of the woman he loved.
"I shouldn't have said that, Kaname. I was a little sensitive at the time." She shook her head. "I don't see your mother when I look at you. You two are so completely different."
Her expression begged him to realize that she spoke the truth. It made him feel slightly better.
"She's not my mother anymore," he corrected.
She pursed her lips and examined his face. "Alright, Juri it is then. You can't be held responsible for your pare—for Haruka's and Juri's actions."
Her words were comforting, but he still didn't know if he should be relieved or not. She may not have seen him at fault for what Juri did to her, but that didn't mean she wanted to restart their relationship, even if they did obviously still have feelings for each other.
"Where does that leave us?" he finally asked, worried she'd say 'nowhere'.
"I'm glad you sought me out, to be honest. I know I said some harsh things at the time, but there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought of you or thought of what the future would be like without you. I'd picture Ai older and wonder how I would explain to her why you weren't around. I'd picture her friends at school talking about Father's Day and what they'd get their dads, then I'd picture her coming home sad and confused as to why she didn't have one to get a gift for."
Tears ran down her cheeks as she failed to fight back her silent cry. Kaname reached forward and wiped them away, pulling her into a hug. He was happy that she accepted his embrace and melted into him. It felt so right, like that's where they belonged. He wouldn't let her go through life alone. He would be the anchor she needed.
If she hated Tokyo and was scared to stay there, he would take her and Ai anywhere they wanted to be. They could start a new life somewhere else, far away from Haruka's and Juri's reach and influence. All she had to do was give him the okay.
"I'm sorry, Yuuki."
"I know. It's okay," she said against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. She sighed contently against him, basking in the warmth and security he provided her. For the first time in a long time, she finally felt safe and at ease.
"I'll make it up to you, Yuuki. I promise. I may not be able to fix your throat so you can sing again, but I won't make you regret life and be unhappy. So, please? Give me another chance?" he begged, rubbing her back and enjoying the feel of her against him.
She let out a shaky breath and tightened her grip around him, nodding her head with approval.
"Okay," she mumbled.
He felt alleviated, exhaling all the worry and anxiety that had been growing inside of him. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and kissed her softly, giving her a bear hug and laughing in relief.
"We'll take things slow, if you'd like," he offered.
"That'd be nice."
"And I'll try to behave and refrain from kissing you. I-I kinda lost control earlier."
She pulled away, her hands loosely holding his sides, and raised a brow at him.
"I rather you didn't."
His mind temporarily went blank before he felt the heat of a blush creep up his neck. What does she mean by that? His eyes glanced at her bed, but his naughty thoughts were interrupted by her laugh.
"Okay, take a step back. Maybe not straight to that, but uh..." She looked away, her own blush tinting her cheeks. It mesmerized him. "I love it when I can make you lose control, s-so kissing is..." She mumbled the rest of her words, keeping her head down.
Kaname gasped and placed a hand over his heart. "Be still, my beating heart. Is Yuuki Cross actually being shy right now?!"
She scowled and pinched his arm, making him yelp in pain.
"Shut it! I can be shy sometimes!"
"I'm just not used to it, that's all. It's cute. You're adorable." He caressed her cheek. "But back to what you said, I don't think it's a good idea."
"Why?"
"You say you like me losing control, but realize I may not stop at just kissing you." His thumb traced her lips. "What if I swept you away and we ended up having sex? Are you okay with that? I think we both need some time first."
Even though we've had a year! the devil on his shoulder shouted into his ear.
But it's different now! the angel retorted. And you've only seen her for two months now. And only had the go-ahead to date her again for like five minutes.
Who cares about time when what you feel is what's important?! You both love each other, so just bang already!
No, that's not how it wo—actually, he's got a point, the angel sighed.
My man!
Kaname shook his head to clear his thoughts. He really needed to keep a leash on his libido. But it was a difficult thing to do when Yuuki's body was against his and when she tempted him by telling him how much she loved his lack of composure. Was she trying to make him lose control? Because the loose shirt she had on with her hair up in a messy bun, it very much accented the curve of a very bare shoulder and her neck.
He wanted to run his tongue all along it, sucking and nibbling on her as he felt her wrapped around him. He licked his lips as he stared at her exposed skin.
"Kaname?"
Her call out distracted him and made him snap out of his lustful thoughts. He cleared his throat and raised his glance to meet her questioning eyes. Was she expecting an answer or something? What'd I miss?
"Huh?"
She started laughing at him.
"Oh my gosh. I asked you a question."
"Y-You did? Oh, right. Of course, sure," he answered, not knowing what he was agreeing to.
Her eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure you're okay with it?"
"Suu~ure!" he agreed.
Shit, what the fuck did I get myself into?
She stood and held his hand, prompting him to stand as well. She took the few steps required to be next to her bed and then turned to look up at him. First one leg, then the other; she knelt onto the mattress, crawling toward the middle and pulling him onto the bed with her.
His mind started racing as his eyes widened. He really wished he was paying attention when she asked her question, because what he was thinking was probably not what she asked for. But... but he couldn't help himself!
He licked his lips, staring at the shadows cast upon her face by the soft glow of a small desk lamp. She was so beautiful, so alluring, so irresistible. He stood on his knees in front of her, trying to keep his hands to himself so he could behave himself until she gave him some direction. What he really wanted to do was reach out and touch her face, let her hair loose so he could run his fingers through it, kiss and taste every part of her body, and feel himself buried inside of her.
This was it. This was him starting to lose control again, the urge to taste her lips and act out on his carnal desires overwhelming him. He was about to lean in and kiss her when she turned from him and laid down, snuggling under the blanket.
"Uh..."
She turned her head to look at him. "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing..."
"Are you not tired? We can stay up a bit more if you'd like."
Tired? No, no, my dear. More like horny. And excited. And actually really confused.
"Yee~s?" he questioned, elongating his word as he squinted, trying to cover his bases.
"Is that a yes to you're tired or yes to staying up longer?"
She looked a little tired, so a part of him wanted to say he was tired as well so he could let her sleep, but he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity of staying up late with her and talking. They had so much to catch up on.
"How 'bout we stay up for another hour?" he asked, trying to compromise with himself.
"Okay, that's fine. You can get comfortable."
She opened up the blanket to let him in. He wasn't going to deny her such a simple request, so he moved aside and went under the covers as well. But, the problem was that he didn't know what to do with himself. He got on his back and put his arms to his sides, laying down like a straight board. If he moved, or if she moved, then he'd be tempted to do something.
Afterall, they were in bed together!
"If you don't want to, you can just say so," she said.
"What? Want to what?"
"Are you okay? I asked if you wanted to stay over tonight and snuggle. I know it's sudden and it's been a while, but... I really missed you while we were apart and it just feels right. But if it's too fast for you, that's okay."
She was asking if snuggling was too fast for him when he was already thinking of all the different ways he wanted to take her?
He let out a snort, feeling somewhat relieved that he finally knew what she had asked in the first place. Now he knew how to act. He turned to his side, facing her, and reached for her hand underneath the blanket. Holding it gently to his chest, he stared into her eyes and absorbed the feeling of finally being with her.
His thumb brushed against her knuckles repeatedly as they stared at each other silently. Talking wasn't necessary as they spent their time conveying their thoughts and emotions through their gaze. He still wanted to at least kiss her, but he refrained.
Her lids started to become heavy, slowly fluttering closed and snapping back open as she fought back sleep. Eventually, she succumbed, her eyes finally resting and her breathing slowing. He felt her entire body relax next to him and it made a sense of joy and relief wash over him to know that she was comfortable.
With her asleep, it gave him time to admire everything he could see of her. Stupid blanket, he mused to himself, but continued to trace his eyes over her face, hair and neck. He pulled her hand up to kiss it, then leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead and cheek.
"Mmm," she quietly grunted with approval. He smiled at her, basking in her warmth.
What he thought would end up being a long and hard night—suffering from blue balls from being next to her but not touching her intimately—ended up disappearing in a blink of an eye. Before he knew it, he was waking up to the sun's rays shining in his eyes. He squinted as he covered his face with the blanket.
He smiled as he felt the warm body next to his. At some point, he had rolled over to his side, putting his back to Yuuki. Too quickly, though, his happy dream shattered as he realized the body spooned up behind him was not Yuuki's.
His eyes snapped open as he threw the covers off of him and looked down, seeing a man's forearm draped over his hip. He followed it up to see the owner's face, but could only lean back enough to see strands of blonde hair.
"Damn it, Aidou!" he shouted, jumping out of bed and falling to the ground with the blanket.
He checked himself to make sure he was still dressed, relieved to see he still had on all his articles of clothing; the buttons on his shirt in place and the zipper on his pants still securely pulled up. He sighed in relief and scowled at Hanabusa, who at this point was awake and watching him with a twinkle in his eyes. He was lying on his side with his head propped up on his palm, elbow lifting him up off the bed. His other arm lay lazily over his thigh, wrist hanging loose.
"Why are you damning me so early in the morning?"
"Why are you here in Yuuki's bed?"
"Oh honey, that's easy. Because you're here in Yuuki's bed."
He sighed, giving up on trying to have a normal conversation with him. "Where is Yuuki?"
"I mean if that's what it takes to let me sleep with you, I'm alright with that. I can call her to join us, but that's aa~all you."
He sputtered over his words as his brows shot up, clutching the blanket to his chest. "W-What?! Where... how did you even get to that conclusion from my question?!" He made an exasperated sound as he stood up from the ground. "Don't even joke about sleeping with Yuuki. I don't care that you're gay. I don't like it."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Hanabusa dismissed with a wave of his hand. He rolled over to his back, put his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles as he watched Kaname walk around the bed and out of the room, keeping the blanket securely wrapped around himself.
He looked for Yuuki, trying to listen for chatter. His feet shuffled as he took small steps, the covers preventing him from moving freely. Yet he refused to step out of his little cocoon in case Hanabusa popped out of somewhere and pounced on him.
In the kitchen, the sounds of movement and objects clattering around could be heard. He made his way toward it and saw Yuuki swiftly moving around, grabbing bottles and formula and packing it into a diaper bag that was resting on the island.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm leaving now." She closed the flap on the bag. "Okay, okay, I got it. Yes. Yee~s, I heard you. I'll be careful."
She hung up on whoever she was speaking with and shoved the phone into her pocket. With an exhaled breath, she threw the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder and walked around the island. At some point she had changed into a flowy skirt and button up blouse. Her hair was scooped over to one side, flowing over her shoulder.
When she saw him, she stopped short and raised a brow as she looked him up and down.
"Uh... I didn't realize you liked my blanket that much."
He quickly kicked away and freed himself, emerging from his safety cocoon like a butterfly. He cleared his throat and bundled the blanket into a wad as he threw it onto the couch in the living room.
"Where are you heading?" he asked.
"To my dad's to pick up Ai. She's not feeling well and is being fussy, so he wants me to get her. One of the privileges of being a grandparent, you can pawn them off back to their parents whenever."
He jumped on the opportunity. "Let me go with you."
"Are you sure? You just woke up, you're wearing the same clothes, and it's no big deal. Do you really want to see my dad again?"
"I don't care about any of that. I care about Ai. If she's not feeling well then I want to take care of her. I can handle your father."
"Well... alright, then."
"Just give me five minutes to freshen up." He turned to head to the bathroom. "Oh, and I'm going to kill Aidou for sneaking into bed with me, so say your goodbyes to him."
She covered her mouth as she fought back her laughter. Kaname smiled at her, walking backwards for a few steps to watch her before turning and leaving. He used the restroom, splashed water over his face, and was lucky enough to find mouthwash. When he was done, he met Yuuki at the entrance of the house.
"My bodyguard is waiting outside with the car," she said, handing him the diaper bag when he reached for the strap.
"Alright, let's go."
They sat in the backseat as the guard drove them. Kaname felt weird being chauffeured around by a trained guard, but he didn't mention it. He understood the need for one in Yuuki's situation and he was honestly glad that she had it. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it for much longer.
The drive to her father's house went by quickly and quietly. They sat next to each other, hand in hand. Kaname enjoyed the feeling of being with her, their fingers entwined together and their legs gracing each other. When he glanced over at her, he could see some cleavage peeking through the top of her blouse and it made him blush. He wanted to bury his face in it and gobble her up. He wanted to unbutton her shirt and expose her perky mounds so he could administer his full attention to them.
He cleared his throat as he readjusted himself in his seat, looking away and out the window. She squeezed his hand and went back to staring out her side of the window. He tried to cover his lap the best he could with his free hand and a part of him wondered if she knew he was uncomfortable. The tension between them was palpable, to the point where even the driver grunted and looked at them through the rearview mirror, shaking his head at them.
It didn't surprise him at all how easily and quickly they fell back into step with each other, even with their separation. They just fit, like puzzle pieces made for each other. It was almost like they had been together the entire time, just temporarily apart. Like he had been drafted for military service and recently returned; or like she had just come back from studying abroad for a year.
His musings were interrupted when they made it to Kaien's house. They entered the house and he could already hear Ai's uncomfortable cries. His sexual desire for Yuuki was immediately replaced by his desire to nurture Ai and make her feel better.
Dad mode activated, he thought to himself.
Kaname walked in before Yuuki and looked toward the living room where Ai's irritated wails came from.
"Uarugh!" he shouted as he fell backward, his face stinging.
"Daddy!" Yuuki shouted angrily.
"You see that, baby Ai?! You see that?! Grandpa got the bug!" Kaien shouted. Ai's cries temporarily stilled as she let out a small giggle at seeing her father on the ground.
"Don't teach her that!" Yuuki reprimanded him.
Kaname blinked a few times as he stared up at the ceiling. He sat up and and tried to rub the sting out of his nose. As he looked around him, he saw one of Kaien's slippers nearby. He picked it up and then narrowed his eyes at Kaien.
"Did you throw this at me?!"
"Bulls-eye! Pow pow!" He made a gun with his fingers and shot at Kaname.
Kaname sighed and got up, flinging the slipper onto the ground near the crazy man. He placed the bag on the couch and leaned over to look at Ai in her seat. Her face was flushed and wet, but she looked happy when she saw him.
"Hi sweetie," he greeted her, holding her hand. Ai cooed at him. "Not feeling well, huh?" As if she understood him and received her cue, she started crying again. "Aaww, it's okay, baby, it's okay. Daddy's here now."
He picked her up and hugged her, rocking back and forth and patting her back. "It's okay. There, there."
Her cries faded and she settled into his embrace. He kept rubbing her back as he turned to see Yuuki and Kaien watching him.
"You don't happen to have an orphanage full of kids or something, do you? You're awfully good with her." Kaien adjusted his glasses on his nose, giving him a speculative glance.
"Ai is my one and only, thank you very much," he quipped, keeping his happiness from the compliment to himself. "So, what's wrong with her?"
"Huh? Nothing."
"I thought you said she wasn't feeling well."
"Oh, nah. I was just kidding. She's not sick, just fussy today. I wanted Yuuki to come over, but I didn't know you would be with her."
"Daddy..." Yuuki growled. She turned to face him, placing her hands on her hips. Kaien took a step back.
"W-What?!"
"Don't you ever joke about Ai being sick just to get me to come over! You know I would have been over later to pick her up anyway! Gosh!"
"But I wanted to have breakfast with you," he pouted.
"You could have just asked like a normal person!"
"But then you would have said no."
"Guys," Kaname interrupted them, amused by their bickering. That kind of conversation would never have happened with his parents. "It's done, so let's forget about it and have breakfast. Well, that's if I'm invited."
"Hmm... I guess I'll allow you to eat. Come along then, Just Kaname!"
Kaname rolled his eyes as he followed him and Yuuki into the kitchen, trying to ignore the fact that Ai was clever enough to seem to know when and how to manipulate him. If she wasn't sick and just wanted to be picked up, then she had a crafty way of doing it.
"Crying to get your way, huh?" he told her, looking at her and noticing that she was watching him. She smiled and jerked her hands around, then grabbed his shirt. "Sneaky little thing. We'll have to snip that in the butt," he told her, kissing her cheek.
While he wanted to spend the entire day with Yuuki and Ai, duty called and pulled him away from his family. He was thankful to have had most of the morning with them, hanging out at Kaien's. While Yuuki and Kaien talked about family matters and joked around, he listened on while he laid on the ground and played with Ai.
He had Takuma pick him up with fresh clothes from his apartment and had him drive him back to Yuuki's house to get his car. Then, the two of them met with Isaya at a small construction site owned by an older gentleman.
"Mr. Kuran," Yasuhiro Shoten greeted. "Thank you for meeting me here."
The three men bowed their greeting as well. They stood in the small and cramped trailer that had been turned into an onsite office. Machinery and beeps went off outside around them as workers continued with their project. The muted sounds of hammers pounding away and the echo of jackhammers filtered through the closed windows. Blueprints and plans were sprawled out on the single desk.
"I can offer you some water, if you'd like. In paper cups..." he trailed off. He seemed nervous, mostly because he had never dealt with Kaname or someone of his position. The contract that he had with Harukan was done with lower level employees.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Shoten," Kaname advised. Yasuhiro tried organizing papers in an attempt to clean up the desk. "Please, don't worry about all that." Kaname leaned over and grabbed the man's arms to still him. "It's alright. We're not here to inspect you or threaten you."
Yasuhiro looked between the three tall, handsome men in clean business suits and then looked at himself, noticing how dusty and dirty his clothes were from the construction outside. He took his hard hat off and tried to comb his hair to the side with his fingers.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"We're here about the contract you have with Harukan."
"W-What's wrong with it?" he asked, fidgeting with his hard hat.
"The contingencies within it are not suitable or advantageous for—"
Yasuhiro cut him off. "Now hold on just a minute!" he shouted, frustration chasing away his nerves. "How much more can you possibly want from me? I'm already struggling enough as it is to meet your demands and fulfill my obligations to my employees! I can't even afford to break the contract due to the outrageous fee!"
Kaname stood silently as the man went off on a rant, listening to everything he said and making mental notes of it all. When Yasuhiro finally took a breath, Kaname held his hand up.
"You."
Yasuhiro frowned. "'You' what?"
"That's the end of my sentence," Kaname supplied. The contractor scratched at his temple, wondering what he meant. "I mean this contract," Kaname threw a folder stuffed with papers onto the desk, "is bullshit. Only Harukan is making out by the agreements within it, and that's not how a good deal works. Both parties should come out ahead, not just one. I don't even know why you agreed to the terms and signed it."
"I-I..."
"I'm sure you were probably bullied into it, or perhaps you were hard on cash and just needed something to get you going. I don't see the contents as favorable, so I'm here to let you have an out and offer you something better."
Yasuhiro looked at Takuma and Isaya who stood by quietly, then returned his full attention back to Kaname. "What do you mean? How can you do that? It says in the contract that I—"
"Allow me to interject," Isaya finally spoke. "There is a clause in article seven of your contract that states Harukan can terminate your contract without negotiations should the company see fit for any reason, including but not limited to your performance, profit or lack thereof, and needs. We can cancel your contract at any time with no way for you to retaliate or seek compensation."
"B-But... I need the contract for work. I can't do it on my own."
"Don't worry," Takuma smiled, handing him another folder. "We have another contract already set. All you have to do is read it over and sign it if you like what you see. We're thinking you're going to like it though."
Kaname added, "I've carefully drafted the contract, with my legal aid of course, to get you the best deal while also being beneficial for the company. There's no reason for these deals to be a win-lose situation when it can be a win-win for both parties involved."
When Yasuhiro opened the folder and skimmed the header of the first page, his eyes widened. "M-Mr. Kuran, this is a contract with Kurosu Industries..."
"I know," Kaname answered.
"But..."
"Like I said, it's a win-win situation for everyone involved, including me."
"But, why? Why would you help me? I'm so low on your radar, on the totem pole, I don't know what to say. Why waste your time to help me when your company has been making out on the current contract?"
"Because," Kaname said, keeping his gaze locked onto Yasuhiro's, "it's the right thing to do."
Two weeks later, Kaname, Takuma, and Isaya had met with dozens of individuals to negate their contracts with Harukan. Their days were long and stressful, meeting with managers and owners constantly while trying to keep under the radar. Haruka hadn't showed up to Kaname's office or called him since their last interaction, and Kaname didn't mind at all. Though he did wonder what the man was thinking.
He didn't get to spend a lot of time with Yuuki and Ai. His work had been keeping him extremely busy, but he did manage to spend a few hours a week at their house. He'd play with Ai or hold her, change her diaper, bathe her, or feed her. He did everything he wanted to, including taking hundreds of pictures of her every time he thought she was doing something cute. Which to him was all the time.
When Ai took her naps, he'd spend his time with Yuuki, holding her from behind as they lied on the couch and talked or watching something together. They often teased each other when one fell victim to Ai's excretions—if Yuuki laughed at Kaname when Ai peed on him, he'd have his revenge and laugh at her when one of Ai's burps turned into throwing up on her. It was a viciously hilarious cycle between the two.
He got along well with Hanabusa and Zero as well, the two men not giving him a hard time for the things that were done in the past. Just like with Yuuki, they fell back into their friendly banter and nudges. That was, of course, in between fighting off Hanabusa's flirtatious advances. Though if he had to admit it, Hanabusa had calmed down a little.
The two also had been filled in on his plans and desire to destroy Harukan. They both supported him with encouraging words and warnings, as well as offered their assistance with anything they could help with. Hanabusa offered to draw Haruka and Juri in scandalous ways and leak them online, but Kaname politely declined. Zero offered to call them from a burner phone in various voices and harass them at all hours of the night, but that too was declined.
When Kaname and Yuuki had time alone with each other, they spent it by testing the waters of how far they could go without crossing the invisible line they created. They would kiss freely, though both could feel the other fighting back and restraining themselves. He wasn't sure why or how they came to that point, but he wanted to wait for her to give him the go ahead to do more, while she waited for him to give her the okay. They ended up coming to a standstill.
When Yuuki sat behind him and massaged the stress from his shoulders, her hands would sometimes start to wander over to his chest, gently stroking him and leaning into his back. Her breasts would press up against him as she slowly kissed his nape and neck, gently nibbling on his earlobe. Her breath against the small strands of hair would tickle the back of his neck.
If she laid down and propped her feet on his lap, he'd start rubbing them for her. But it would go from trying to loosen up the muscles to slowly moving upward as he squeezed her ankles, to her calves, up to her knees, and stilling on her thighs. He'd lean in and kiss her, feeling her body underneath his and fighting the urge to spread her legs and nestle himself in between them. He'd eventually pull back and go back to rubbing her feet, thinking about grass to distract himself and calm his desires.
On one particular day, he was in his office when his phone vibrated. He had just finished transferring over a contract from Harukan to Kuruso Industries. He grabbed the small device off his desk and checked the caller, seeing it was Takuma.
He answered. "What's up?"
"It's starting to work," Takuma replied. "Have you seen the news about the market? Or read the market prices online or in the papers?"
"No, not yet. Why?"
"Kaname, bro, it's all over the place. The business world is buzzing and going crazy over Harukan's stock prices."
Kaname grabbed his mouse and launched his web browser on his computer, going to the stock market site and skimming over the numbers. Harukan's numbers were in the red, showing a loss in value and price. A first for the company that was established fifty years ago. He allowed himself a small smile.
"I see it now."
"The plan is working, though it still makes me nervous as Hell. I can't wait until this is over with. I wake from nightmares, Kaname. Nightmares where your father is chasing me with a knife, cackling and acting crazy and shouting all sorts of things about getting his own revenge on me. And your mother... oh God, I'm getting shivers just thinking about it."
"It's getting there. Just give it some more time. Hang in there."
"Hope you'll need a personal assistant with your next job, whatever that is. Because I'll need a job!" he started to fake cry.
"Yeah, yeah. I've got you covered, don't worry."
"What are you planning on doing, anyway?"
"I've made sure my assets and finances are separated from Harukan, though I'll still personally take a hit with all this. There wasn't much Mr. Shoto could do about that, but I knew it going in. I'll still have money though, so it won't be a big deal, but let's go out for drinks. I"ll go over my idea with you in person."
"Alright, but you better not get drunk and get into a brawl with other people again."
"Yeah, yeah, those days are over."
The next morning, Kaname woke up in bed at his apartment. He technically had the day off, so he allowed himself to wake up whenever his body decided to rather than setting his alarm. He was still going to work, just not the type of work a normal CEO would do for their company. Which was, you know, destroying it.
Sunlight filtered in through his tinted windows, shining into his face. He frowned as he pulled the pillow from under his head and covered his eyes with it. He could have sworn that he had closed the drapes the night before, but maybe he forgot.
As he stretched, he started to feel like eyes were on him. A prickling sensation ran up his spine as he opened both his eyes, holding his breath as he tried to listen for any sounds. He heard nothing, but couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was there.
Finally, he pulled the pillow off his face and did a sit-up, the blanket pooling around his waist and exposing his bare chest. Juri sat at the edge of the bed, staring at him. Adrenaline and fear spiked through him, making his mind race.
How did she get in here? I changed the code on my keypad.
What is she doing here? What does she want?
How long has she been there, watching me?
Do I have anything of Ai's here? Or Yuuki's? He quickly did a mental scan of his apartment. No, no, nothing's here.
He glanced at his phone, noticing it was still in the same spot he put it, so he didn't think she had grabbed it and gone through it. Although he had it locked with a PIN, he wasn't sure that Juri didn't know some sort of sorcery or witchcraft to unlock phones. The last thing he wanted was for her to see all the pictures he had of Ai and Yuuki.
"Hello, Kaname," her cool and calm voice spoke quietly.
She sat with her arms over her lap, one hand hidden from view. Her hair was in another fancy updo. Her elegant short trench coat revealed a large statement necklace around her neck and a cream dress underneath. Her nails were painted to match her dress with patterns and rhinestones on some of them.
"What are you doing here?"
"Do I need a reason to see my son?"
He pursed his lips, biting his tongue so he wouldn't shout at her that he was no son of hers. Not until everything with Harukan was done.
"You should have called before. I would have made sure to be awake before you got here so I could be a proper host," he lied. More like so I could have booby-trapped my apartment to explode when you opened the door.
Juri gave him a sly smile that made him wonder if she could read minds.
"I'm sure that's exactly what you were thinking. Kaname," she started, then looked at her nails on one hand, examining them carefully before turning her gaze back to him. Though her face wasn't contorted in anger like Haruka's would get, he could still feel the hatred and vileness pulsing off of her. It honestly scared him how she was able to be so cold. He had never seen this side of her before. She lowered her voice further, creating an intimate threat between the two. "Whatever it is you're planning and doing, stop it now."
He licked his lips, slightly nervous that she knew of his plan.
"What are you talking about?"
She smiled again and it gave him the creeps. He fought back a shudder so she wouldn't see how uncomfortable she made him.
"Harukan has lost millions of dollars in the past month."
"Markets fluctuate all the time," he tried to reason. "It's probably nothing."
"That doesn't happen, Kaname. Not to Harukan. Not without someone influencing it from the outside. You're that outside."
"Why would I do that? I'm the CEO of Harukan."
"I wonder..." Juri pondered, turning her gaze from him and cocking her head to the side.
She pulled her hidden hand out, revealing a child's rattler. She shook the toy to make it jangle around, then looked it up and down. Kaname's heart jumped into his throat as he recognized it, his hands grabbing fistfuls of his blanket to prevent himself from bolting out of bed and slamming her head into the floor.
She smiled at the toy and turned back to Kaname. "... if it has anything to do with Ai and that whore that spawned her."
A/N: Any criticism, positive or negative, is welcome.
Thank you for reading.
