Uncomfortable Truths

by mizutanitony

After weeks away on business, Yuzu returns home to find out that she and Mei have a visitor. After accidentally waking, their guest, what follows is a series of conversations that have Yuzu and Mei reliving some of their most difficult moments as a couple while keeping their new family grounded.

25. Chapter 25

Okay here we go...chapter 25...excuse me real quick...*walks over to the corner and hurls*

Sorry about that just came to the realization that this story is almost done and I kinda stressed myself out.

So let's get started with this. We got a lot to do and not much time to do it with are you all ready? No? Neither am I!

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS AND THE SPECULATION I USE BUT I THOUGHT IT'D...IT JUST..IT GOT AWAY FROM ME! I'M SO SORRY!

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Chapter 25

"I can't believe I lost track of time," sighed Mei as she exited the school and made her way toward the gate.

It was almost dark, and Mei was fishing through her purse for her phone so she could call Yuzu in hopes that the older woman would be able to pick up Hideki from the daycare they'd started sending him to now that his old babysitter had graduated high school and was moving away to go to college. Though it wasn't common, there were the occasional nights where Mei and Yuzu weren't able to pick him up early, and tonight was one of those nights.

Most of the time, the people at the program were very understanding of the situation. Many of the daycares clients were people in similar positions as Yuzu and Mei, and as such, they did help the kids with keeping up with their school lessons. So much so, that Mei and Yuzu didn't have to worry about assisting Hideki with his schoolwork, though there were nights where Mei did have to help him with a few things the employees didn't explain adequately, and while she was grateful to them and their enthusiasm and understanding, that didn't mean Mei wanted to push her luck. Too often some people took advantage of the staff's time and left their children until well after closing and Mei didn't want to risk them losing out on such a valuable resource just because she'd lost track of time while finishing up a phone call with the manager of the hotel they would be vacationing at in the coming weeks.

After double-checking her list of names, Mei had realized a crucial mistake she'd made and had to make sure an extra room was available and she'd managed to squeeze in the reservation with the others. Already the bill was much higher than she wanted, but it was only for a few nights, and she made sure that everyone would be on floors that she, Hideki, and Yuzu weren't likely to visit and she was currently in the process of contacting everyone with her plan, but the biggest problem would be Hideki. Mei knew that she'd have to tell him eventually, but he would have to wait until the last possible second thanks to his excitable nature, and as much as she wanted to say to him, Mei needed to focus on finding out what was going on with her son, even if he wasn't talking to her at the moment.

Opening her phone, Mei held down the two button and waited for it to begin dialing.

When Yuzu's name popped up, she held the phone to her ear, quietly whispering for Yuzu to pick up the phone as she rounded the corner and began marching the familiar path to her family's home, adding to the already sizeable knot that was building in her stomach. No matter how much she had told herself she was ready for this dinner, Mei had barely slept the past couple of nights and was beginning to feel the strain. Adding in the situation regarding Hideki and Mei wasn't sure how much more she'd be able to take.

She'd barely been able to focus on her meetings and work, and while at home she spent most of her time engrossed in catching up on the work she'd been unable to focus on at the school, and this caused some tension at home. While Yuzu was used to watching Mei work from home, Hideki wasn't as well adjusted. He had seen Mei and Yuzu do work at home before, and he handled that well enough as they usually were very patient with him and humored him as often as they could, but this past week had tested his patience and Mei's.

Mei and Yuzu both knew that Hideki was nervous about formally meeting his great-grandfather and for the past few days he had been bombarding them with every kind question about the man that popped into his head, and despite their best efforts, no answer they gave him was good enough. Finally, after what seemed to be his thousandth question of the day, asking something about the kind of food they'd be having, Mei finally snapped and shouted at him.

"I don't know, Hideki! I have more important things to worry about than what we'll be eating for dinner so I'd appreciate it if you'd find something else to do instead of barraging me with inane questions!"

That had been the straw that broke the camels back, and Hideki had spent the past couple of days saying very little to her, answering her in short replies and focusing more on talking to Yuzu if he needed anything. This breach of trust was the reason why Yuzu had been responsible for picking up Hideki. When Mei had asked Hideki what he wanted for his afternoon snack he turned to Yuzu and asked her what he could have and when Yuzu had scolded him for ignoring Mei his answer was silence, and he spent the remainder of the morning keeping quiet up until he saw Yui at the daycare where he immediately brightened up and left Mei without even saying goodbye.

That had been the worst part of the day, and Mei knew it was only a matter of time before he'd speak to her again, but that didn't help the pain lessen.

It was the first time in a long time where she'd felt like a failure as a mother and Mei wasn't proud of it. She'd promised herself she'd be more patient with him and would do right by him, but instead, she'd made him afraid of her and Mei was hoping that he'd recovered from it soon. The last thing Mei wanted was to cause a rift like the one that still existed between her and her father, and she knew she had to make things right with him. Not just because of the visit, but because Mei honestly felt sorry for hurting him due to her inability to answer his questions and she swore that if he was with Yuzu, the first thing she'd do was hug him and say how sorry she was.

"Hello," sang a voice on the other end. "Mei, are you there?"

"Yuzu?" Mei put the phone to her ear and stepped off to the side of the street she was on and let out a relieved breath. "Where are you? Please tell me you picked Hideki up from the daycare."

"No, I didn't." Yuzu sounded surprised by this, but she sounded a great deal calmer than Mei. "I just got off of work and am on the train heading toward your family's house."

"What do you mean you just got off of work?" Mei's heart was beginning to pound, and she was wondering if she could hail a cab and get to the daycare in time. "I thought you were picking him up tonight."

"I was," said Yuzu sounding confused at Mei's panic. "But earlier your dad asked me if he could pick up Hideki, and I sent you a message asking if that was okay and you said it was. So I stayed late to get a head start on that project with Machiko and the others."

"I said that?" Mei remembered Yuzu mentioning something about her father, but she didn't remember what it was so it was possible for to have agreed to that without knowing. "Yuzu could you give me a moment?"

"Yep," giggled Yuzu and Mei had the sneaking suspicion that her fiancee was right.

Moving to the texts Mei opened the chain she kept for her and Yuzu and groaned when she saw the following texts:

Hey, Mei?

Yes, Yuzu?

Ummm so your dad wanted to know if he could pick up Hideki from daycare and bring him to Gramp's place. I'm okay with it, but if you need me to get him, I'll do it.

That's fine. I'm a bit busy at the moment so I'll trust you to handle it.

Okay! I love you.

That was the end of the thread, and Mei felt like smacking her head against the wall, but settled pinching the bridge of her nose and groaning loudly.

"Did you find it," asked Yuzu quietly.

"Yes," said Mei relieved that Hideki was safe and sound. "I'm sorry. I got so distracted by work and what's been going on that I forgot."

"Don't worry about." There was a hint of laughter in Yuzu's voice, but Mei could tell that Yuzu wasn't trying to be rude. "He'll come around Mei, and I don't just mean Gramps either."

"I know." Mei began walking down the street again, her pace more hurried to make up the time she'd spent at the school. "It's just strange having him not talk to me for so long. I went years without talking to my father, what are we going to do if…."

"You're not going to end up like your dad," said Yuzu knowing instinctively the path Mei's mind was heading. "You were tired and upset, and he's not used to you screaming at him like that. The only person I think you've ever gotten that loud with around him is me, and I think it just freaked him out having it turned around on him."

"I don't want him to get used to it." Mei despised the thought of Hideki being familiar with the idea of her yelling at him, and she didn't know how she would handle it if their relationship went in that direction.

"He won't," said Yuzu in a comforting voice. "I think as long as we explain it to him you'll be fine. You're a good mom, Mei, if you weren't, you'd be trying to make excuses rather than acting like it was the end of the world."

"Thank you, Yuzu." Mei felt her face turn red, but she was beginning to feel more at peace with what had happened and what she needed to do. "Do you know what station you'll be arriving at? I'm not too far from the school so there are a few stops nearby where we can meet and finish walking there together."

"Sure." Yuzu sounded a great deal more at ease now that Mei had begun to calm down. "I'll get off at the first stop. You know the one next to the convenience store?"

"I'm well acquainted with it Yuzu. In fact," Mei looked up and saw the sign of the store that she and Yuzu had used as a meetup spot for the past few years when Yuzu had a chance to leave early and pick Mei up from work, "I'm almost there, and I'll be inside anticipating your arrival."

"I like the sound of that," laughed Yuzu just as the engineer came on to alert her of their next stop. "I'll be there in about ten minutes, Mei. I'll see you soon."

After saying her farewell, Mei hung up and headed into the store and began scanning the aisles for anything that she might be able to take to her grandfather's. There wasn't much, but she was able to find a packet of Hideki's favorite brand of senbei and decided to buy it as a means of apology once they had discussed why she had yelled. After determining her course of action, Mei found a couple of small cakes as well and added them to to the basket. As her hand exited the basket, the bell at the door dinged, and Mei saw the familiar pigtails and hooped earrings of her fiancee near the entrance and felt a sense of relief at the smile on the blonde's face.

"Hi," said Yuzu with a wave of her hand before wrapping her arm around Mei's and kissed her cheek catching the attention of the clerk and a few other customers.

"Good evening," replied Mei with a kiss of her own. "Did you make any progress on your project?"

"We got a start on it," sighed Yuzu as she inspected the contents of the basket and smirked when she saw the senbei. "But we need to get a solid plan down. Right now it's just been us going over what we need to keep and what we need to cut, so we've been running in circles arguing about the same stuff, but we'll figure it out."

"Some progress is better than none." Deciding that she didn't need to delay any longer Mei paid for the food and the moment they left the building, Mei placed her shaking hand in Yuzu's and gripped it tightly.

"We're gonna be fine," said Yuzu squeezing back and following Mei down the street. "It's just a dinner and if you don't like what he has to say we can leave."

"I don't want to leave," answered Mei, her words barely more than a whisper thanks to her mouth suddenly going dry. "I want to stay until I can make some progress with him."

"I know." Yuzu locked her fingers with Mei's and moved a close enough so that their shoulders were rubbing against one another. "But it's gonna take a lot more than a single dinner, Mei. You and me, you and your dad, we've been trying to figure this out for like ten years, and we still screw up."

"But we try," Mei planted a kiss on Yuzu's cheek, causing the blonde to blush. "That's what matters."

"You're right." Yuzu pulled Mei close and rested her head against her fiancee's shoulder. "Just like you buying that snack to try and get Hideki to forgive you."

"It's not a bribe." Mei felt her temperature rise and avoided looking at her Yuzu. "I figured he would like having a snack after he and I discussed why I lost my temper with him, although now that I say it out it does sound like a bribe."

"It's only a bribe if you tell him about it before you talk, not after," added Yuzu thoughtfully. "So if we don't tell him about it until after you talk to him, it's not a bribe."

"I just don't want him to be afraid of me." Mei looked down into the bag and stared at the senbei and sighed. "It's strange having him being scared of me."

"You scared me a bit too, you know." Yuzu stopped walking, and so did Mei.

"I know I did."

Mei remembered the look of shock on Yuzu's face when she heard how angry Mei had gotten with Hideki. It was one thing for Mei to be stern or slightly raise her voice with him, but to lose her cool entirely and yell at him was unheard of and Yuzu didn't know how to react afterward and spent that night walking on eggshells around Mei when all the younger woman wanted was for Yuzu to hold her.

"I'm sorry for that, Yuzu. I've made it difficult to be around me again haven't I?"

"No." Yuzu lifted the crestfallen woman's face and kissed her. "You haven't made it difficult to be around you. If you had, I'm sure Hideki would have asked if could go back to staying with Udagawa and Renam, so I don't think he's scared of you. I think he's just nervous about saying the wrong thing. Hideki knows he asks a lot of questions and we're busy, but he's a kid and he wants our attention. I'm pretty sure he just thinks he shouldn't ask questions right now because of everything that's going on and he doesn't know when and how to talk to us. Plus he's just as nervous as us about going to Gramps, so I think he thought that asking us would help us get over our...what's that look for?"

"Because you're amazing." Mei let go of Yuzu's hand and ran her hand through her fiancee's hair. "Here I am, worrying about all this nonsense and out of nowhere you break down the situation without batting an eye."

"Yeah, well I kinda had similar experiences with Mama when I was a kid." Yuzu kissed Mei's wrist before removing her hand and began leading her down the street. "Most days I was fine because I would play with Matsuri or the other kids, but there were days where I'd bug her non-stop to play with me or look at me. Heck, I remember a few times I got on her nerves so bad she'd snap like you did and then I'd clam up until she sat me down and talked to me about why she got so mad."

"I wish I'd had an experience like that." Mei's mind drifted to all the times after her father left that instead of talking to her, her grandfather would either ignore her or shout at her, criticizing everything she was doing that didn't live up to his standards or kept him from focusing on his work. "Maybe if I'd had that I wouldn't have lost my patience."

"I think you would have." Yuzu nudged Mei with her elbow and let out a dramatic grunt when Mei pushed her back.

"Do you think so?"

Moments like this were the reason Mei had come to rely so much on Yuzu. Thanks to her step-mother's love and affection, Yuzu'd always managed to help guide Mei through the more emotional aspects of raising Hideki, and she always valued Yuzu's input; even if there were times when didn't agree with her reasoning.

"I do." Yuzu wrapped her arm through Mei's, and the made the right that led toward the street the Aihara family home. "He's only five, so there's no telling what's going to happen with him. I mean we're in our twenties, and our parents are still finding things to get mad at us about, so who's to say we're not gonna find things to get mad at him about when he gets to be our age."

"You make a valid point." Mei felt her knees begin to shake when she saw how close they were getting to her childhood home, so much so that she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what she thought was a younger version of herself walking toward them with her father laughing at some joke between them until the sight of his mothers diverted Hideki's attention.

"Mama!"

Hideki let go of his grandfather's hand and ran down the sidewalk toward them, an eager smile on his face.

Yuzu waved and remained glued to the spot out of respect for Mei's current mental state while Hideki slowed to a walk when he saw his mother's face.

"Hello, Hideki." Mei raised her hand and waved cautiously, and the boy returned the gesture as he continued to walk forward.

"Hi, Mommy." Hideki chewed on his lower lip and stopped just short of Mei and Yuzu while his hands tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I wasn't mad Hideki." Mei waved him forward and nearly collapsed in relief when he accepted her invitation. "I was nervous, just like you are, and I still am. I know you were only trying to learn as much as you could about what it's like in that house and I'm sorry I yelled."

"I wasn't trying to be annoying." Hideki stared up at her and Yuzu, his face still fraught with uncertainty. "I just wanted to know more about what he was like so I could talk to him."

"I'm aware of that." Mei dropped down to her knees and set aside her bag while Yuzu remained standing, her hand on Mei's shoulder. "But the truth is I don't know much about him, Hideki. Our family, and by that I mean the Aiharas, don't talk much about the sorts of things you were asking me about, so I wasn't only frustrated with you and coming here, but at myself for not being able to answer your questions. It made me feel like a failure as your mother, and then I yelled at you, and it made me feel even worse."

"I don't think you're a failure," said Hideki quietly, his eyes darting nervously between her and his untied tennis shoes.

"I'm glad you think so." Mei reached out and lifted his eyes to hers, dismayed by the uncertainty in his eyes and knew what she had to do.

"Hideki, do you remember what I told you about the night you were born; specifically the things I said when we were alone in my room?"

"What's that word mean? Spec..sp.."

"Specifically," asked Mei feeling the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement.

"Yeah, that one?" Hideki smiled, embarrassed that he'd had to ask for the definition, but happy that his mother would be teaching him something new.

"It means that I was asking you about a certain thing," said Mei quietly, her eyes darting to her father who was keeping a respectful distance; smiling as he adjusted his tie. "For instance; I was to ask you what you had for breakfast this morning, could you tell me? Not breakfast from yesterday or the day before but the exact thing you ate this morning."

"I had bacon and eggs and," said Hideki, listing off all the things Yuzu had made for him until Mei stopped him.

"That's enough," chuckled Mei as she rubbed his arms, amused that he'd taken her so literally. "But that's what specifically means. It means something at a precise moment in time or location or an exact amount, all right?"

"Okay." Hideki still looked unsure about what Mei was trying to explain to him. "But what's that gotta do with great-grandpa? Is he gonna ask me about breakfast?"

All three adults chuckled, causing Hideki to go red in the face and furrow his brow.

"I'm sorry, Hideki." Mei brushed the hair out of his face and tapped his nose. "You just said something funny. We weren't trying to be mean, but if it makes you feel better he might ask you about that, but what that word has to do with our conversation is that I want to know if you remember what I told you about how...sometimes I've hurt people I care about on accident?"

"Kinda." Hideki looked up at Yuzu who smiled back and nodded as if to encourage him to ask another question. "Is that what happened when you yelled at me?"

"Yes." Mei leaned in and rested her forehead against his, appreciating the fact that he was still willing to accept her. "I got so frustrated and upset with everything that's been going on I lashed out at you. It's similar to when you asked me all those questions back when mama and I had that fight before she left for London and when I got frustrated the night we went out to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. I took out my anger on you, and I am very sorry about that. I failed to be patient with you and ended up hurting you; I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Hideki wrapped his arms around Mei's neck and kissed her on the nose. "I'm sorry I asked a lot of questions."

"Don't be sorry for that, Hideki." Mei kissed him back on the nose and hugged him. "Asking questions is a good thing, remember? But right now, Mama and I have a lot of work going on, and we sometimes can't answer all your questions. So, if it's okay with you, Mama and I will let you know when we can't answer your questions and during those times, if a question comes into your mind you write it down for us and if you can't spell a word do your best and we'll answer it when we can. Is that fair?"

"That's fair." Hideki nuzzled her back and smiled, sounding much more like his old self though still with an edge of uncertainty he covered up as easily as Yuzu did and asked, "Can I say 'hi' to Mama now?"

"Of course." Mei let him go and chuckled as Hideki immediately latched onto Yuzu's leg and began begging for a hug.

"All right already." Yuzu bent down and picked him up and gave him one quick spin as she hugged him before setting him down. "Do you feel better?

"A little bit." Hideki turned around and waved Sho forward before continuing. "I'm still nervous. Grandpa said his dad can be kinda scary. Is that true? Because when I met him, he didn't seem that scary, he seemed kinda nice."

"He can be," confirmed Mei as her father approached, giving her a nervous shrug. "He's very strict, and he's not very affectionate, even with those he cares about. If you feel scared or want to leave, tell us, and we'll go, no questions asked."

"Got it." Hideki looked up at Sho who was smiling down at him and smiled back, trying to look brave. "Are you scared, Grandpa?"

"Not really." Sho looked at Mei and Yuzu, chuckling at the nervous looks on their faces. "I'm used to dealing with him. I sometimes come and talk to him for a bit, but I don't stay that long because we start to rub each other the wrong way. Though in this case, I'm making a special exception."

"How come?" They'd began walking again shortly before Hideki asked his question, and Sho did his best to keep from wandering too far ahead, so he didn't have to shout back.

"Because your moms need me to be there and I made a promise to support them whenever I was able to." Sho turned around and smiled at the three of them, nearly running into a lamppost as the walked.

"Please be careful, Father," sighed Mei as Sho caught his balance just before he fell into the street. There wasn't any traffic, but the last thing any of them wanted was to make a trip to the hospital because of her father's clumsiness.

"Right, sorry." Sho laughed nervously and waited for them to catch up before taking the spot next to Mei. "But I'm not gonna lie Hideki, one of the reasons I don't stay long is because I am afraid, not because I find your great-grandfather scary, but because I'm scared of what we'll say to each other."

"Oh." Hideki hopped over a large crack, prompting Yuzu and Mei to begin swinging him, making him laugh loudly. "Is it cuz Mommy does your job?"

"Yeah." Sho let out a loud sigh and began fiddling with his tie again. "When I left the school, it wasn't on the best terms with him, so he and I don't see eye to eye all that often and we end up fighting sometimes. But I want you to know; I'm going to do my best to make sure it doesn't happen while you're there all right?"

"'kay!" Hideki looked up at Mei and Yuzu and asked, "You aren't going to get into a fight are you?"

"I don't think so." Mei let go of her son's hand and rubbed his ear carefully. "Remember what I said about if you wanted to leave if you got scared or felt uncomfortable? Well, Mama and I are going to make sure we hold ourselves to the same standards."

Hideki simply nodded at this answer, and they all fell into a tense silence as they approached the massive building that was the Aihara manor.

---

"You lived here Mommy?!" Hideki's mouth dropped at the sight of the house, staring up at his mother and grandfather in awe. "This is way bigger than our apartment."

"Yes, it is," said Mei as she stared at the front door, surprised to see the soft, warm glow of the hallway lights shining through the window.

"How come we don't live here?" Hideki walked up to the gate and placed his hands on the bars. "If we lived here I wouldn't get yelled at while playing with Yui."

"This isn't the kind of house you play in, Hideki." Mei reached up and pressed the buzzer on the speaker, her eyes shifting to her son while Yuzu and Sho approached.

"Then what kinda house is it?" Hideki rested his cheek on the bars of the gate as he spoke, his eyes as curious as his words.

"It's the kind of house where you be quiet and do what you're told," Mei snorted, frustrated that no one had answered the bell.

"How come?" Hideki leaned back, his hands gripping the gate as he swung back and forth.

"Because there was always something important going on," answered Sho as stared down at Hideki who grinned up at him nervously. "There were always business meetings or something like that going on so when your mom and I were kids we had to be quiet so as not to interrupt the conversations. Not to mention the fact that your mom and I would one day have to do business with the people who came to visit, so we had to be very careful about what we said and how we acted in front of them."

"Like the parties, Mommy takes me to?" Hideki stopped his swinging and pressed his face against the bars, squishing his face between the cold metal. "If it's like that then I don't think I'm gonna like it here."

"It wasn't all bad though," said Sho, mimicking his grandson's actions and sighed in satisfaction as the cool metal touched his warm skin. "I have some pretty good memories raising your mom in this house, but your mom's right that our family didn't make living here easy."

"Why?" Hideki looked at Mei who was in the middle of whispering something angrily to Yuzu and hit the button a third time. "Mommy and Mama get along so why didn't you guys?"

"Well, your moms put in a lot of hard work to get where they're at." Sho turned to the girls and smiled as Yuzu began to massage Mei's shoulder while they waited for the person inside to open the gate. "My dad, on the other hand, has some control issues and our family isn't great at talking about their feelings which is why your mom ends up being difficult to talk to at times."

"Was Mommy always like that?" Hideki heard the sound of a voice finally break through the tiny speaker and watched as his mother spoke to the person on the other end.

"Yes and no," sighed Sho as Mei finished speaking. "She was obedient and never spoke out of turn, but she used to be better at expressing herself. In fact, she was a lot like you at times and smiled a lot more, though she was nowhere near as messy."

"I'm not messy." Hideki stuck out his tongue at his grandfather and giggled when the man did so in kind. "How come she stopped smiling?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Sho shrugged dispiritedly and quietly said, "I left."

Hideki was about to ask what his grandfather meant, but the lock on the gate released, and Hideki happened to be at just the right spot that when the gate began to open he lost his balance and tumbled toward the ground.

"Hideki, watch out!" Sho managed to grab onto the back of Hideki's shirt to keep him from getting injured, and both of them laughed while Mei asked if Hideki was hurt.

"I'm fine, Mommy," said Hideki loudly as Sho pulled him to his feet for Mei to inspect him. "See, I'm okay."

"Good." Mei gave a relieved smile and held her hand out for Hideki. He took it and settled between his moms, his tiny hands becoming engulfed in their warmth.

"Is everything okay, Papa," Yuzu asked when she noticed the stressed look on her step-father's face.

"I'll be fine Yuzu." Sho plastered on his carefree smile and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Did the maid or whoever answered the buzzer give you a reason why we were waiting so long?"

"They were finalizing some of the meal preparations and Grandfather was apparently in the middle of an important call," explained Mei as they walked up to the door where the outline of a shadow appeared in the doorway. "But it seems they're ready to receive us."

"All right." Sho chuckled and lifted Hideki up off the ground. The boy squeaked in surprise just as the front door opened causing the old housekeeper to stare in amazement at the sight of Sho standing there with Mei and Yuzu dressed in a freshly pressed button-up dress-shirt, new slacks, and a tie carrying a laughing five-year-old while Mei and Yuzu did their best to look calm.

"Maste...Master Sho, you decided to come as well?"

"It was kind of a last minute decision," smiled the man as Hideki wrapped his arms around his grandfather's neck. "I hope it's not an inconvenience."

"Not at all," replied the woman with the faintest hint of a smile. "We just thought you were out of the country again on another trip, but it's no trouble. There's more than enough food prepared."

The older woman turned her attention to Mei and bowed.

"Miss Mei, it's so good to see you again. I hope you've been well these past few years."

"I have, though there have been a few difficulties." Mei bowed in return and allowed her father and Hideki to enter before her so Sho could help the boy remove his shoes and find a pair of slippers that fit him while Mei pulled Yuzu forward. "This is Aihara Yuzu; she is my fiancee and one of Hideki's mothers. I hope you'll treat her with the same care and courtesy you do my father and me."

"Absolutely." The woman bowed again and gave Yuzu a surprisingly genuine smile as she spoke to her. "I am Fujikura Niko. I am the head housekeeper here at the Aihara family home. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yuzu-san finally."

"Likewise," answered Yuzu with a stiff bow. "Thank you for having me this evening. Ummm this may sound weird, but the last time I was here I didn't leave much of an impression, is there any advice you could give me since you've known Gram...I mean my grandfather for so long."

"The best advice I could give you is to mind your manners and to be respectful," said Niko while she helped Mei with her bags and smiled as Hideki began walking around the entryway, mouth agape as he investigated his new surroundings. "Also be careful of what you touch and where you walk."

The warning was aimed more at Hideki who'd nearly knocked over a table that held the few family pictures that Mei could ever remember seeing in the house.

As she looked around, Mei took notice of how little the house had changed. For the most part, it was as empty as it had been for the majority of her life. Save for a few accent pieces and small tables, very little had changed outside of the pictures and while Hideki was enamored with the sheer size and scope of the place, Mei felt a powerful urge to leave with him and Yuzu, but she willed herself to stay.

"Can we get a house like this," asked Hideki while Sho did his best to keep the boy under control. "Does it have a pool? Can we..."

"Hideki," said Yuzu quietly taking him by the shoulder. "Remember what we said about questions earlier?"

"Oops." Hideki covered his mouth and looked at his mother, noticing the fear in her eyes while Fujikura spoke quietly with Sho.

"Mommy." Hideki tugged on his mother's shirt before pulling on her hand.

"Yes?" Mei stared nervously down at her son and tried to smile at him, but the muscles in her face refused to relax. "What do you need, Hideki?"

"Nothing." Hideki reached up and wrapped his hand around her fingers and smiled. "I just wanted to hold your hand."

"Thank you." Mei managed to smile and curled her fingers around his and let him lead her toward Yuzu, though she still felt the occasional wave of nausea wash over her.

"Are you feeling all right, Miss?" Fujikura broke her conversation with Sho after seeing the look on Mei's face. "Can I take you to the study? We moved your grandfather in there a few weeks ago due to his health, or would you prefer the living room? I'm sure he'd allow us to turn on something to occupy this young man and I can bring you all some refreshments while we're waiting for dinner."

"The living room will suffice." Mei nodded gratefully and took Yuzu's hand. "Along with the refreshments. Hideki, would you please tell Fujikura-san what you'd like so she can see if she has it."

"Can I help?" Hideki looked at Fujikura eagerly and began hopping up and down on the tips of his feet. "I like helping."

"I don't see why not." Fujikura gave Hideki an adoring smile and turned to Mei. "Is that all right with you? I'll understand if you say no, but it looks like the three of you could use the time to gather your thoughts and I'd be happy to answer any questions he might have about the house."

"I don't have a problem with it," answered Yuzu, patting Mei's shoulder. "Are you okay with that, Mei?"

"Yes, that's fine." Mei nodded hastily and gave Hideki a nervous look. "Hideki? Make sure you behave, and you do everything Fujikura-san says and don't get in the way of the rest of the staff, is that clear?"

"Uh-huh." Hideki ran to his mothers and gave them both a quick hug before returning to Fujikura so he could begin barraging her with questions about the house and what it was like working for his grandfather and how long she'd known his mother.

"Right," said Yuzu stepping in front of Mei and taking both her hands. "Come on, why don't you show me where the living room is so we can relax because you look like you're gonna pass out."

Mei only nodded and followed her father into the living room where Mei immediately collapsed into the large couch that occupied the center of the large room, with Yuzu joining her while Sho headed over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. He offered one to the girls and for the first time in a long while; Yuzu declined while Mei accepted.

"Are you sure?" Yuzu watched her father pour a couple of drinks into pristine looking glasses. "I mean you barely like having a glass of wine and this stuff can get pretty strong."

"I'll be fine." Mei shakily took the glass from her father and noticed that it wasn't even a third of the amount he was drinking. She stared down into the glass, watching the small ripples that spread throughout the amber liquid. Lifting the glass, she took a small sip and nearly gagged as it burned her throat. She sputtered after swallowing it, causing a small amount of spittle to dribble down her chin. She wiped it away with the back of her hand before setting the glass down on the table.

"And that's enough of that." Yuzu moved the glass away from Mei and pulled her close and chuckled as Mei's head hit her shoulder while Sho flipped through the channels on the massive television, hanging from the wall until stopping on a movie that he knew Mei would approve of.

"It's gonna be fine, Mei." Yuzu's hand wrapped around Mei's shoulder and began rubbing her hand up and down her arm. "Hideki seems fine, and I'm sure Fujikura-san will help out if things get out of hand. I mean I don't have any real reason to think she would but..."

"She would," answered Mei wishing she had some water to wash away the lingering taste of alcohol from her mouth. "Grandfather trusts her implicitly so I have no doubt she would do what you said."

"I think she would too." Sho set down his drink and turned his attention to Mei and Yuzu, trying desperately to keep a calm face. "Your grandfather isn't as strong as he used to be, so it's made him a bit more complacent and tolerable. It's one of the few reasons I've been able to tolerate visiting as often as I have been. But he still gets irritable and sometimes forgets that everyone but him has resolved certain...issues...with our family."

"He's not going to yell or anything is he?" Yuzu looked down at Mei who was still resting against her shoulder as her hands continued to shake.

"He might." Sho's eyes turned to Mei and after seeing her condition got up and joined them on the couch, his hand joining Yuzu's on his daughter's shoulder. "But if he does, I won't blame you if you want to go, Mei. You're much stronger than you were when you left this house, but I know what it's like to be afraid of facing your past. Sometimes we can only get over things by taking a leap of faith, but there's no shame in starting off with a few cautious steps."

"Thank you, Father." Mei straightened up and did her best to smile, but again her body failed her, and the most she could do was pat his hand just as a knock came from the door, followed by it creaking open.

"Pardon the intrusion," said Fujikura as she appeared with a large tray filled with a teapot, juice, and some sliced vegetables and fruit while Hideki carried in a small tray that had cheese and crackers on it. "But we've returned with the snacks, and I am happy to report that Hideki was a big help."

"He always is," said Mei as she, Yuzu, and her father watched as Hideki walked toward them in intense concentration so as not to drop the tray.

"There we go," said Hideki in satisfaction after setting the tray down on the coffee table, looking proud of himself. "I did it without dropping anything."

"Good job," chuckled Yuzu before picking up a cracker and pointing at the glasses Sho had poured earlier. "Before you drink anything to make sure you set your cup far away from those glasses. I know it looks like juice, but it's not, so make sure you don't drink from them, all right?"

"Yes, Mama." Hideki picked up a cracker and helped Fujikura with the rest of the treats before sitting down on the floor and helping himself to fruit and his juice, far from the glasses that Yuzu had told him to avoid.

"Thank you, Fujikura-san." Mei took the cup of tea the older woman had offered her and felt relieved when the slight bitterness of the tea washed away the acrid taste of the whiskey.

"Master Sho, would you like me to pour you another drink or perhaps prepare something to go with your dinner? I've recently discovered a couple of lovely cocktails that one of your father's new business associates is rather fond of."

"I'm fine with this." Sho held up his glass and nodded in appreciation. "I don't want to give him any reason to get worked up, so don't worry about it and thank you for bringing everything out. Do you know when my father will be here?"

"He's finishing up something with his assistant so he'll be here momentarily." The three adults noticed a dismayed look on the woman's face and after Yuzu asked what was wrong she sighed and said, "If I am to be completely honest with you, the master has recently received motorized wheelchair to try and make himself less dependent on our help, but he is having some difficulty in figuring out the controls. I know it's a lot to ask but if you're able to, can you help him in case he begins to have problems? If you're unable to or he does not want your assistance, I'll be more than happy to come in and help steer him."

"Absolutely." Sho gave her a soft pat on the hand and waved toward the door. "You're busy enough as it is, we can manage without you for a while so please relax for a while."

"I'm afraid I don't know how to do that," chuckled Fujikura before placing a hand on Sho's. "But I appreciate the consideration. IS there anything else you need my help with before I return to the kitchen to check on dinner?"

Yuzu and Mei shook their heads and thanked Fujikura and when she asked Hideki the same question she received silence in return.

"Hideki." Mei reached out and tugged on a small tuft of her son's hair making him jump and let out a surprised scream.

"Why'd you do that," whined Hideki after checking to make sure he didn't drop anything.

"Fujikura-san asked you a question," whispered Mei, pointing at the housekeeper. "Can you please give her an answer without the attitude?"

"Okay," snipped Hideki shifting his attention from his mother to the older woman. "I'm sorry, Fujikura-san what did you ask me?"

Fujikura smiled and waved her hand "I wanted to know if you needed me to help you anything else or can I go and check on dinner?"

"No thank you," Hideki finished the cracker he was eating and wiped his mouth. "Can I help you make dinner? I wanna learn how to make the salmon stuff we're gonna eat."

"As much as I'd like you too, I'm going to have to ask that you stay with your mothers and grandfather for the time being."

Hideki was about to protest, but stopped when he heard a loud cough from outside the door and a voice ask, "Fujikura-san, are you in there?"

All of the adults bodies immediately tensed and Fujikura wasted no time walking to the large door and opened it saying, "I'm right here, sir. Was there something you needed?"

"Not at the moment," there was a small hissing sound, followed by another cough and Hideki running to the door.

"Hideki, sto…," began Sho but the boy avoided his hand and joined Fujikura at the door and bowed.

"Hello, Great-Grandfather, I'm Hideki."

Mei felt like throwing up at her son's bluntness but steeled herself as she climbed unsteadily to her feet alongside Yuzu and nearly collapsed when she heard her grandfather chuckle.

"I know who you are young man, but I appreciate your politeness. It's nice to see you again. But if you could be so kind, would you mind stepping aside, I'm afraid my new chair doesn't allow me the same mobility I had when I was younger."

"Huh?" Hideki looked back at his mother who was too preoccupied with standing upright and deferred to Yuzu.

"He's asking you to move, Sweetie," said Yuzu motioning for him to move out of the way.

"Oh! Sorry." Hideki returned his attention to his great-grandfather and stepped aside while Fujikura opened the door enough to reveal the former head of the Aihara family.

Though his body had gotten frail over the past few years, his face was still set with its stern appearance and piercing gaze. His purple eyes, so similar to his son's and granddaughter's hardly missing anything that came into their line of sight. He'd been tall once and reasonably fit from what Yuzu remembered during the few interactions she'd had with him, but now the once imposing man seemed little more than a skeleton as he wheeled himself into the living room, dressed in a pair of pants and shirt similar to his son's though they seemed to be in much better condition. His face was much narrower, and the clothes seemed to hang off of his body, an oversized shirt hanging from a wire hanger, causing Mei and Yuzu to wonder just how much longer he had left.

Though before they could begin to worry too much, the elder Aihara made his way past Hideki, keeping his chair moving slow enough so that the boy could easily keep pace with him.

"Sorry for blocking the door," said Hideki as he walked next to the elder man, his eyes scanning the chair inquisitively.

"That's quite all right," coughed the older man as he rounded the chair his son was standing in front of, giving him a curt nod. "You were trying to be polite, and I think it's rather admirable to see such enthusiasm when it comes to greeting your elders."

He stopped to the right of the couch, placing him across from Sho and putting Mei on his left while Hideki was left free to roam around the living room since the movie had been shut off, though the adults guessed it was more from his uncertainty about what was going to happen rather than boredom.

"I see you helped yourself to the liquor," coughed the old man, his cool gaze focusing on his son and the two glasses that were on the coffee table. "If you were that desperate for a drink, you could have just refilled the glass instead of dirtying another one."

"One of those was mine," said Mei quietly after taking her seat on the couch, keeping a small distance between her and Yuzu, while placing her hand in the gap between them so they could at least hold hands throughout this whole ordeal.

"Really?" Her grandfather turned his gaze to her, his eyes boring into her.

Yuzu felt Mei's hand tighten around hers as she waited for the lecture only to have him sigh and say, "Well you're an adult, and there's nothing to keep me allowing you the pleasure of strong drink. Though I'm quite surprised you chose to drink...which bottle was it that you decided to pilfer from, Sho?"

"The Stagg," said Sho casually holding up his glass, showing it to be less than a quarter full. "Don't worry Dad; I was careful. Mei and I hardly had anything, and none of it's gone to waste."

"I see," huffed the elder Aihara as he sat back in his chair, staring at his son thoughtfully before shifting his gaze to Yuzu. "What about you….Yuzu was it?"

"Yes, sir." Yuzu's body straightened up so fast that she felt something pop deep inside her lower back and let out a small hiss of discomfort.

"Are you all right?" The elder Aihara's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched the pain spread across Yuzu's face.

"I'm fine," gasped Yuzu, rubbing the base of her spine. "I just hurt my back playing with Hideki after his friend's birthday party. It doesn't do it often, but every now it decides to act up. "

"I see," sniffed the old man, his voice nearly drowned out by the hissing of his oxygen tank. "I suppose that's to be expected when playing with children. They do have a rather excessive amount of energy."

"Do they?" Sho snorted and finished draining his glass and set it down on the table with a dull thud. "I'm surprised you'd notice that Dad, considering how little you left your office."

"If memory serves me correct you have just as much difficulty letting go of your work as I do, Sho." Mei's grandfather's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his son returned the look.

"I'd like to think I've gotten a bit better at recognizing where I should prioritize my time." Sho pointed to a still silent Mei and smiled. "That's all thanks to Mei and Yuzu."

Mei's grandfather snorted and watched as Hideki read a magazine he'd found sitting on a corner table, waiting patiently for someone to address him.

"I suppose you're right," sighed the older man in agreement. "I mean not all of us can live our lives with our bags packed and one foot out the door."

"Grandfather," interjected Mei before her father could retort, "please don't start, not with Hideki in the room."

Everyone grew quiet at the sound of Mei's voice, with Yuzu doing her best not to scream as Mei practically crushed her hand.

"If you feel he shouldn't be here for this discussion, we can have the boy leave until you decide he can come back in." Aihara sighed when he saw Hideki walking up with the magazine and looking worried.

"Did I do something wrong," he asked his mothers, the magazine shaking in his hands. "Mommy? Mama? Did I?'

"No, Hideki you didn't." Mei watched her grandfather's reaction and saw that it had remained somewhat neutral, though she could swear she saw a hint of regret or something similar in them as he watched the two of them interact. "None of what happens or is said tonight is your fault."

"Is something bad going to happen?" Hideki turned to his great-grandfather, a worried look in his eyes. "You're not going to take Mommy's job away are you?"

"Of course not," sighed his great-grandfather as he strained to reach for one of the glasses and the juice which Hideki readily got for him making him chuckle. "Thank you for your help."

He took a long sip and sighed in relief before addressing Hideki once more.

"Hideki, I have not, nor will I ever, take away your mother's job." He set the glass down and pat the boy on the arm. "Your mother worked hard for the position as the head of our family. Yes, there are times we disagree on how she handles her responsibilities, but for the most part, I trust her judgment."

"Okay." Hideki moved back toward his mothers and climbed up onto the couch and sat down between them. "How come you don't like us?"

"I….," the elder Aihara sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Hideki I don't dislike you or your mother or her...your..."

"Other Mother or as he calls her, 'Mama'," corrected Sho finishing his drink and setting the glass down. "Yuzu is as much his mother as Mei and Rena are."

"I understand that," snapped Sho's father before coughing loudly, causing Mei and Sho to try and help him but he waved for them to sit down. "Don't worry yourselves about me. These coughs are normal, and there's nothing either of you can do."

"They could."

"Hideki," whispered Yuzu and shook her head.

"But they could," argued the boy with pride in his voice. "Mommy and Grandpa are really smart, they could help."

"As much as I trust in their abilities, Hideki, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to." The man smiled at the young boy and shook his head. "I need a doctor, and unfortunately neither of them is one, so there's nothing they can do to help me, and truthfully there's not much the doctors can do as well."

"How much longer do you have," asked Mei apprehensively while her father quietly watched, his face as stern as his father's.

"I try not to think about it," sighed the older man before taking another drink. "You know as well as I do, Mei that I've exceeded everyone's expectations. I'm just trying to do as much as I can with the time I have left."

"What exactly would that entail?" Mei's hand reached around Hideki's back, and she placed it on Yuzu's. Her courage was slowly returning, but she was still fearful of asking the wrong question.

"I was hoping you'd be able to give me an answer to that very question." Her grandfather did his best to smile, but the most he manages was an appreciative nod. "You are the one who said Hideki wanted to know more about me and so here I am, willing to listen to what you have to say."

"Are you sure about that Dad?" Sho picked up the glass Mei had drunk from and emptied it, exhaling loudly. "If I remember correctly you never really gave a damn about what we had to say."

"I have my reasons, Sho." The elder Aihara sighed loudly, his voice heavy with what Mei thought was regret but she was unsure given how little she'd conversed with her grandfather in this manner.

"Right, the family name and all that." Sho exhaled, eyes locked in on his father who refused to break eye contact. "We've heard that story all our lives, Dad. Try to come up with something else to guilt us with; it's getting a little old."

"Says the man who up and abandoned his child the moment he felt dissatisfied with his life." The elder Aihara's breaths were ragged, and he was coughing profusely, but for all those present, it was is they were watching him transform back into the man he once was. "Say what you will about me Sho, but at least I stayed. I may not have made the wisest decisions..."

"Wise decisions?" Sho looked ready to barrage his father with a series of insults but the fearful look in Hideki's and Mei's eyes was enough to persuade him to stop, and he fell back into his chair. "You know what; this isn't going to get us anywhere. Besides I'm not here tonight to fight with you, I'm here to support Mei, Yuzu, and Hideki that's it."

"It seems you have gotten a bit wiser," tutted the older man before bowing his head in Mei and Yuzu's direction.

"Mei, Hideki," he paused briefly when his eyes met Yuzu's and nodded at her, "you three have my sincerest apologies for my actions, and I hope that this doesn't tarnish your image of me."

"What's that mean," Hideki asked looking at both of his mothers.

"He doesn't want you to think bad things about him," explained Yuzu with a gentle smile.

"Got it." Hideki bowed back and said, "It's okay Great-Grandpa. Everyone makes mistakes and like Mama and Mommy tell me, if you make a mistake you can try again."

"I appreciate your kindness." Aihara managed a faint grin and then turned his attention to Mei. "Mei, please tell me what it is you wish to talk to me about. The last few times we've talked you've made it very clear you don't want me anywhere near Hideki, so I'm curious why you wished to introduce us after all this time."

Mei fidgeted as her grandfather spoke, her hands rubbing together nervously as she looked at her father, then at Yuzu and Hideki. Though her father was still clearly upset, he managed to calm himself enough that he was able to smile at least attempt to comfort Mei as she tried to figure out what to say.

Taking a deep breath, Me turned her gaze to her grandfather and met his eyes and said, "I truly don't know. There are many things we need to discuss, from why you've decided to talk to him about without my consent, to why you've never approved of Yuzu despite saying that you trust my judgment? There are things that for the majority of my life I've never questioned and have blindly accepted, one of which why you felt it best to raise me to think that I would be better off with you picking a partner for me over me choosing one for myself. I mean, I do understand why you did it, but I've always wondered about whether or not you truly respected me. Because if you did, I'd like to think you'd have at least taken my feelings into account, especially when it came to what happened between myself and Udagawa."

The words spilled so quickly from her mouth that hardly anyone in the room could understand her, and it wasn't until she felt Yuzu's hand on her back that she finally managed to regain some equilibrium.

As she caught her breath, Mei felt Hideki's arm wrapped around her arm and his head rest against her elbow as he flattened himself against her.

"That is quite a lot to answer," said her grandfather with a deep sigh. "So much that I will not be able to answer it in one evening and truthfully, I think many of the answers I have will probably cause more pain than alleviate and as much as I want to answer them all, my health keeps me from staying up much later than this. So I hope what answers I manage to give you tonight will be satisfactory for the time being."

"I suppose that will suffice," said Mei as she used her free hand pat Hideki's just as a knock came from the door, interrupting their conversation.

"Come in," commanded her grandfather, causing Hideki to jump a the sudden sharpness in the old man's voice.

Fujikura appeared, her hands resting in front of her as she bowed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready. Do you require any assistance moving to the dining room?"

"We shall eat in here," answered the elder Aihara as he patted his wheelchair. "I've already settled myself in, and I'm feeling a bit lethargic at the moment, so if you could bring the food here, it would be much appreciated."

"Very well, Sir." Fujikura bowed again and began moving toward the door. "I'll be back momentarily."

"I hope you like salmon Hideki." The former head of the Aihara family smiled briefly at his great-grandson and felt a bit dejected when the boy only managed a small nod before letting the man speak to his mothers.

"In all honestly Mei, it's not that I distrust you or your decision making abilities. I wouldn't have chosen you to be my successor if I didn't trust or respect you, but you know as well as I do the fragile balancing act families like ours sit on. None of which was helped by some of your father's...rash decisions."

"I thought we were going to avoid starting fights, Dad?" Sho stood up and grabbed the juice and poured some into a glass and took a deep drink. "If you're serious about this wouldn't it be better to move onto something new instead of beating a dead horse?"

"I'm not saying this simply for Mei's sake but for their sake as well." The elder Aihara pointed at Hideki and Yuzu, both of whom had crowded around Mei's slumped form. "If they are to stay in this room while we discuss this, it's best they understand all of the facts instead of you giving them some diluted and biased explanation."

"I wouldn't…"

"I was asked to explain myself, not you," barked the elder man, causing his son to grow quiet and Mei and Hideki to flinch while Yuzu kept her arm wrapped around their backs. "So, if you'd be so kind as to stop interrupting me, perhaps I can give you my perspective rather than having you cut me off and making me lose my place."

"All right," grunted Sho after a few moments of palpable silence. "You have the floor."

"Thank you," huffed the older man before turning back to a still cringing Mei and Hideki as the servants began wheeling in their dinner and placed plates of honey glazed salmon, zucchini, and potatoes on the table along with small bowls of french onion soup.

"Is there anything else you require at the moment," asked Fujikura after ushering out the younger staff members, knowing that her employer didn't trust many of them to sit in on conversations like this.

All of the members of the Aihara family politely declined her inquiry, and when she left, there was a small clattering of cutlery, along with some low slurping from Hideki as he dug into his soup.

After a few bites of his own, the elder man sighed, set his bowl down, and rested his hands nervously in his lap as he turned his attention to Hideki and Yuzu.

"Our family is an older one, not as old as some, but old enough that we have garnered a great deal of respect in some of the more elite circles of this country. We have influence in business and thanks to my work in education we have a rather sterling reputation for instilling respect for authority and tradition in our students. Many of them are respectful members of society and for the most part, go along with what is expected of them in regards to social contracts; though there are the occasional….abnormalities."

Yuzu blushed over her bowl of soup, but whether it was out of embarrassment or shame had yet to be discerned.

Chuckling to himself at the blonde's reaction, the elder Aihara took another sip of soup before continuing.

"But such respect and admiration does not come without sacrifice, and our family has sacrificed our fair share over the years. Though your grandfather and Mother were spared much of that."

"I would say we've sacrificed quite a bit," replied Mei with an icy glare at her grandfather. "Unless you've forgotten everything I went through to take over the family."

"I have tried to apologize for my actions." Coughed her grandfather and he took another sip of his drink. "I acknowledged my failings with that teacher, and I found a much for a more….suitable life with a person who was willing to step aside and let you do what you felt was best. It is not my fault you didn't say anything sooner..."

"What was I supposed to say?!" Mei's voice rose, and Hideki moved closer to Yuzu while she and Sho set aside their salmon and looked at each other as if silently planning out a way to remove Hideki from the room. "My whole life you'd belittle me for any minor misstep and how it was an embarrassment to the school and the family. You demanded perfection and obedience from me to the point where I was afraid even to tell you what I wanted. How is that giving me an option?"

"You never gave me any reason to doubt what you wanted," grumbled her grandfather. "Your whole life you have said that you wished to inherit the family and all the responsibilities that came with it and that includes...well..."

Her grandfather motioned at Hideki who was trying to seem interested in his fish by poking at it, but it was quite evident that he was deliberately chewing slowly so he could pad out his time listening to the adults.

"Sounds a lot like what I went through," sighed Sho after setting down his now empty soup bowl and working on his entree.

"And like Mei, I didn't hear you complain in the beginning and neither did I when I married your mother, but even though our match was arranged we made it work." The elder Aihara muted a violent cough and his air tank gave out a couple of loud hisses, allowing him to catch his breath." You two act like you're the only ones who've ever had to give someone up to make sure this family was provided for."

"What are you talking about?" Sho's interest was piqued along with Mei's while Yuzu feigned interest in her zucchini as Hideki finished the last bits of fish on his plate. "Dad, what..."

"That's unimportant," growled the elder man. "Right now what's important is that, Hideki understands that I was willing to make the sacrifices necessary in order for you two to live the lives you have. All your business ventures and schools, Sho? Where do you think the money came from for you to begin funding those? That apartment Mei, Hideki, and….Yuzu, live in what do you think paid for all of that?"

"Money?" Hideki looked up from his plate, looking nervous as a half-chewed piece of eggplant dangled from the corner of his mouth.

"Precisely," said his great-grandfather as flustered as he was proud of Hideki's observation. "Money that was earned through blood, and sweat, and sacrifice and I'm not saying that to try and be superfluous."

He cast his eyes on his granddaughter and son, breathing so heavily that all the adults were wondering if they should call a doctor.

"Are you okay?" Hideki got up and handed his great-grandfather one of the linen napkins and began wiping his forehead.

"I'm fine," chuckled the man taking the napkin from Hideki. "I appreciate the effort though and Hideki I don't want you to think money and my work is all I care about. The world is complicated, and unfortunately, life isn't as simple as some of your shows and books make it out to be. This family and your father's family, and the families of several people that I know had to make hard decisions to survive, much of it we are proud of. We've built many things that have helped the citizens of this country, but there are aspects of obtaining such privilege that we aren't as proud of."

"What happened?" Hideki looked to his mothers and grandfather, seeing that Mei and Sho were both quiet while Yuzu looked just as confused as Hideki which didn't go unnoticed by the former head of the family head.

"I think a more appropriate question, Hideki is, 'What didn't happen'?" The older man patted the boy on the head and sighed heavily.

"Our family has nearly lost everything several times over the past several generations. Through wars, trade tariffs, and other things you are too young to understand."

When he stopped speaking, the tanks let out a loud hiss and his the elder man coughed again and pointed to his glass which Hideki handed to him. He drank deeply, draining it and when his throat had calmed he continued while everyone listened to him.

"But if you wish to know, Mei is it all right if I tell him a few things? Not much, I know from your father how cautious you are about revealing the wrong kind of information to him, but if you would allow me..."

Mei held up a finger and her grandfather fell silent as she turned to Yuzu with a stressed look on her face that the blonde picked up on instantly and nodded as if to say she was fine with whatever Mei had to say.

"Fine," answered Mei through gritted teeth. "but the moment I feel you are going to far I will put a stop to it, am I clear?"

"That works for me," answered her grandfather with a polite nod before turning to Hideki and after a short cough began speaking.

"Hideki, about twenty years before I was born a violent earthquake rocked this country and destroyed many buildings and killed thousands of people. My parents and our family survived but we lost some of our businesses but we continued to persevere. We realized that we had remaining could be used to help others and so we made many connections by helping those in need at our own expense."

"What's that mean," asked Hideki as he played with the padding on the arm of his great-grandfather's armrest.

"It means we used our own money and resources to help people," explained the man with a small smile. "And thanks to that generosity, we made contacts with many influential families both in and out of the government and our family prospered, that is to say, our businesses and other things we owned grew bigger and more powerful. Do you understand?"

Hideki nodded and looked at his mother's dismayed that his birth mother was looking so tense while his mama tried to comfort her but returned his focus to his great-grandfather and asked, "Kinda, but what happened after?"

"Well," grunted the man as he adjusted his position in the chari, "Shortly after I was born the government got us caught up in a very large war that influenced the whole world and needless to say damaged us almost as much as it proftited us." The man took a deep breath and massaged the bridge of his nose through his glasses.

"So it did good and bad," asked Hideki mildly confused and scared. "How's that?"

"In that war I lost friends and family." The elder stopped talking and turned to Mei and asked, "Do you mind if I continue?"

"It's fine," answered Mei with a tense nod and moving closer to Yuzu. "As long as you keep the details vague."

Her grandfather nodded and then returned to speaking to Hideki.

"People I knew, and cared about, and...and loved, were arrested or carted off into the military under the guise that it was their duty to serve the country or were arrested because someone thought they'd done something wrong."

"Did they?" Hideki's lower lip disappeared into his mouth and waited patiently for his great-grandfather to say that it wasn't true.

"I'm sure a few did," chuckled the older man dryly. "Some of them I saw afterward, but they did not, or could not, talk about what they'd been through. Others would rather forget about it, some I wasn't allowed to speak to ever again, and some I never saw again and in those instances our family...profited. Those we were close to left us what they could to help keep some part of their memory alive, and it's the foundation that I used to build our family back to what it used to be. But it hasn't been easy, Hideki."

"How come?" Hideki's attention was so focused on his great-grandfather that he couldn't see the look of discomfort and uneasy fidgeting that was going on with his mother.

"Well, the economy collapsed in the eighties, that was long before you were born and what I mean by collapse is that the country lost a lot of money," explained the older man with a small smirk at the confusion on Hidkei's face. "Your grandfather saw that happen, but we managed to make it through. Then shortly before your mother was born there was another major earthquake that didn't directly affect us but business partners I had, and we helped them and then just before your mother started high school, well...as a country we're still recovering from that disaster as well."

"I know about that one," said Hideki quietly. "I heard them talk about it on a show Mama was watching. It sounded scary."

"It was," grunted the older man while he shifted in his chair and adjusted the blanket that he used to cover his legs. "Honestly, I think that was more damaging than many of the other things we went through, but we survived, and that's part of what it means to be an Aihara. We sacrifice our happin…."

"That's enough," snapped Mei, finally finding the strength to speak. Her words echoed throughout the room, and her grandfather's eyes grew wide while Hideki's jaw clenched tightly, eyes as wide as Yuzu's and Sho's at hearing Mei speak to her grandfather in such a manner. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. It's one thing to tell him about the things our family did in the interest of self-preservation, but you will not use that as a means to coerce him into doing what you want."

"I am not..."

"Yes, you are!" Mei's voice bounced off the walls and her grandfather's mouth closed and Hideki stepped away from him looking nervous.

"Mei." Yuzu clutched Mei's hand and held her close around her fiancee's and interlocked their fingers. "Try to stay calm. You're scaring Hideki. Remember what we talked about before we came in, okay?"

Mei took a few deep breaths and nodded, allowing the brief burst of anger to burn away slowly. Once she'd regained control Mei's eyes remained focused in on her grandfather and knew what she had to do.

"Father," she said, her voice raspy thanks to her anger and clenched jaw.

"Yes, Mei?" The sound her father's voice told everyone that he knew Mei was going to ask him, but he wasn't going to interrupt her.

"Would you please take Hideki to the kitchen for me?" There was a low whine from Hideki but the moment his mother's harsh gaze locked onto him he quieted immediately and stared down at the floor.

"Yeah." Sho stood up and walked over to Hideki and took his hand. "Come on, Hideki. Let's get our dinner and finish eating in the kitchen and after I'm pretty sure I can find us some dessert. Does that sound good?"

Hideki nodded and wandered over to the table and hugged his mothers before bowing to his great-grandfather and grabbing his plate, following behind Sho and not daring to look back.

Before the door could shut, Yuzu let go of Mei's hand and began to stand up before being pulled back onto the couch.

"You're staying," said Mei firmly, telling the blonde that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Okay." Yuzu nodded and let out a loud breath, her heart racing as she waited for Mei to speak while the sound of a grandfather clock thundered in her ears.

Yuzu thought Mei would be the first to speak, given everything that had happened but was caught off guard when the man spoke first.

"He's a good boy," coughed the man after a few thoughtful bites of salmon. "You're doing a fine job with him."

"No thanks to you."

Yuzu could hear the faintest hints of the old Mei as her fiancee spoke, but she could tell that Mei was actively trying not to fall back into old habits.

"I think some of it is thanks to me," retorted her grandfather with a low sigh. "But you seem dead set on denying any part of your life..."

"If I were set on excluding you from my life I would not have contacted you." Mei's voice rose slightly, but she managed to keep it under control. "I contacted you because Hideki wishes to know you and as much as I despise being in this house I will not deny him that opportunity. But regardless of my wish to afford him the opportunity to meet you and learn from you, I will not stand for is you putting ideas into his head that he must sacrifice his happiness for the sake of the family."

"Then what would you have him do?" The old man shifted in his chair and turned his eyes on his granddaughter. "I understand that you are willing to let him live his life for a time, but at some point, he must..."

"He must what!?" Mei's voice finally broke and if it wasn't for Yuzu, she would have been on her feet and shouting down at the man. "Live his life isolated and waiting for me to dictate to him his every action while berating him in front of hundreds of people for minor mistakes and making him feel like he isn't even allowed to ask a simple question or too afraid to even speak to me out of fear that he'd be told that what he wanted didn't matter? Because if that's what you think he needs, then this will be the last time you ever see him."

The words hung between them, and Mei's hand was shaking so violently, that it was beginning to send tremors up her arm and into her shoulder.

As they waited for Mei to calm, the two women noticed the man's eyes dart back and forth between them and the table while a spindly finger carefully scratched his chin as he tried to figure out what to say.

"So what would you have me do, Mei?" Her grandfather looked up and stared at the couple and gestured toward the door. "I know that he is young, but it's plain to see that like you he has a sharp mind, and if you allow me to see him, I have no doubt he would ask me questions and while I am willing to...concede to a few conditions, I refuse to play up this facade that you seem to have..."

"There is no facade." Mei's hand shook again but to a noticeably less extent as she pointed at herself and Yuzu. "We along with Udagawa and Rena have decided to allow him to choose his path in life. Who he marries, what he does, those are his decisions to make, not ours."

"Then why do you take him to those events," asked her grandfather before pointing at Yuzu. "If you're so proud of this life you have built for him, and this plan of allowing him to be free to live his life then why do you parade him in front of the very kinds of people you say you despise? I'm certain she isn't fond of your hypocrisy."

"I'm not a fan of it," said Yuzu quietly, stunned that she was being brought in to the conversation. "But I understand it."

"Then why haven't I seen you at some of these events lately?" The man poured himself some more juice and drank deeply, and wiped at the small amount that dribbled down the side of his mouth. "I used to see you, occasionally, though it seems Mei did her damndest to make sure you didn't see me. How come you stopped coming? It's not because of that whole situation where you shouted down that pompous ass that insulted her, because I know a fair number of people that were amused at how you handled him."

"I'm not sure that's something I want to be known for." Yuzu gave Mei a nervous look and smirked when she felt how tight the younger woman was holding on to her. "But it's one of the reasons I stopped going. I got tired at being looked at like I was some kind of sideshow and having people ask me weird questions in front of Hideki or giving us strange looks. He gets that enough when Mei and I are out with him, so I figured it'd be a good idea to stop going and I do miss it a little. I mean they were pretty fun and I got to eat a lot of really food, and I liked watching how Hideki talked to people and handled himself like Mei does when I go to school events and watch her give speeches."

Yuzu chuckled and massaged Mei's hand, painfully aware of how hard the man was keeping his gaze focused on their faces and nowhere else.

"But after everything that happened with that….jerk who insulted her and all the rumors that spread about us and all the other things people say, not to mention getting told that I wasn't allowed at a lot of them. I eventually realized that maybe I wasn't really meant for those kinds of parties, so I decided to settle on work drinking parties, picnics, and family reunions?"

Yuzu heard the slightest hint of a giggle come from Mei at the high pitched squeak that Yuzu's voice had shifted to during the last two words while their grandfather kept a straight face as he digested what he'd heard.

"What do you think about, Mei's….insistence on taking Hideki to them? I mean you say that you understand it, but you don't necessarily enjoy the idea of him going to them, don't you share the same concerns she does?"

"I….won't speak for, Mei." Yuzu moved a little closer to her fiancee and gently rubbed their elbows together. "But, I get why Mei and Udagawa feel the need to take him to them and as uncomfortable as I am with him going to them, I won't stop him from going if he wants to go. I mean there have been plenty of times he hasn't gone with either of them or Rena and stays home with me, but sometimes he doesn't have a choice; mostly when we can't find a sitter, and I'm out of town or have a work event that I can't take him to."

"So, let me see if I understand this properly." The man took another drink and shook his head in confusion. "You condemn me for telling him what is expected of him, but when it's convenient for the four of you..."

"We don't do it because it's convenient," snorted Mei growing impatient with her grandfather's assumptions. "We do it because it's important for him to understand how to act in situations like that, regardless of whether or not he becomes my successor."

Mei was beginning to grow tired from the stress of having to explain herself, but this was the exact reason she was here and despite feeling the fatigue start to weigh down her eyes she persevered.

"No matter what profession he chooses, the ability for him to know how to act in regards to social situations is a necessity, not just in work but his personal life as well." Mei's elbow instinctively rubbed against Yuzu's while she locked eyes with her grandfather. "I refuse to have him become like me, unsure of how to handle himself in private moments and being able to express himself properly. I will not allow him to become like us, only speaking to one another when it's necessary or view people as being only necessary for the opportunities they can afford him."

"Is that how you think I viewed you?"

For the first time since they'd known him, Mei and Yuzu could hear real pain in his voice, causing Mei to snort in derision.

"The fact that you have to ask that says everything," sighed Mei as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "You pawned me off on Amamiya, and while I appreciate your getting upset and ending the engagement, that's all you did. You didn't bother to ask me how long he'd been doing those things to me or even why I never came to you. Once it was all said and done you sent me away to 'live my life for a time' and despite my…," Mei gulped and felt a lump of guilt build in her throat as she spoke as the memories of her denying her feelings for Yuzu surfaced, "attempts to deny it, I fell in love, and even though it was what I wanted, I ended up allowing myself to be coerced into marrying Udagawa, and despite our best efforts we ended up divorcing and all we could hear from both sides were disappointment and shame."

Mei let out a shuddering breath and squeezed Yuzu's hand in hopes that it would give her the strength to continue.

"Do you remember the night we signed the contract? Because I do?" Mei's grip loosened, but Yuzu caught her like she always did and gave her the strength to keep speaking. "I remember, right after the signing we all sat down to dinner, and no one at the table but Udagawa-san noticed how sad I looked while you and his father continued to talk, satisfied with yourselves at all the possibilities our union was supposed to have brought to both our families. I'd never seen you smile so much and that's when I realized that despite what you said to me about how you respected my father and me, if we couldn't be used for some personal or financial gain, neither of us held any value to you."

Mei sniffed and looked around the living room and sighed.

"I hate this house. It's always felt empty and cold, despite all the things we had in here. Even the staff didn't do much to make it feel like a home, but at least they tried which is more than I can say about you."

Mei turned her eyes to her grandfather and wasn't surprised to see that he was focusing on the table and not on her, but she continued to speak regardless of his discomfort.

"You like to tell everyone that while my father was gone, you stayed for my sake, but that's only partially true. We both know it was because you were disappointed that the heir you'd spent so much time and energy training and raising went and disappointed you and you raised me out of familial obligation and the need to secure the family legacy, but I do think that a portion of it was out of genuine affection and love for me."

"That….was the primary reason," sighed her grandfather and Yuzu could feel Mei's hand shake as her grandfather spoke, "and I'm sorry that I never expressed that to you."

"That's nice to know," sighed Mei as she wiped away a stray tear. "But I fear it's too little too late. Despite what you said, the fact remains that while you were physically here, you never put much of an effort getting to know me, the real me. I know part it was because you were sick and after Father left you and had to save face, and you didn't know how to handle me. But over the years and through a lot of hardships and struggle, Mei's hand loosened around Yuzu's but still held onto it firmly, "that just physically being there isn't enough."

Mei managed a smile at Yuzu who smiled back encouragingly allowing the younger woman the chance to breathe before continuing. "I am grateful for everything you've done for me, but I don't know if I can forgive you for everything that's happened between us."

"Why not," asked the man with an apprehensive look toward his granddaughter. "If you understand everything as well as you say you do, then why is it so difficult to forgive me?"

"Because understanding isn't the same as forgiveness," answered Mei with absolute conviction. "I know for certain that there are things in my past that I've done that people understand what led me to do those things, but still haven't fully forgiven me, and the same could be said of some of the problems Yuzu, and I have. While we forgive each other and reach an understanding, and will inevitably make a similar mistake down the road, but the important thing is that we try to understand, forgive, and move on. But I don't know if you and I will ever reach that point in our relationship."

"Yet you forgive your father?" Her grandfather's eyes narrowed as he stared at Mei, and they both watched as his shoulder's slumped in defeat.

"No, I don't, at least not completely." Mei let go of Yuzu's hands, though maintained their closeness while she wiped some of the sweat from her palms off on the skirt of her business suit. "While my father may have left, he never really stopped trying to get me to understand him and did his best to make an effort in trying to keep some semblance of a relationship with me, but out of anger for his abandoning me, I ignored him. But as you've seen, we eventually came to understand each other, and we're working on forgiveness. It isn't perfect and we still have our misunderstandings but we are trying, and on top of their love and affection for Hideki, both he and Yuzu's mother have been supportive of our relationship, despite their misgivings."

"I see." Mei's grandfather sighed and both women, returned to holding one another's hands as they waited for him to speak and after several tense minutes he finally shook his head and sighed.

"I...am at a loss of words," he said quietly while rubbing his eyes. "I...what...what is it you want from me?"

"I want…."

Mei gulped as her tongue stopped when she realized that for the first time in recent memory her grandfather was asking her what it was that she wanted and she was at as much of a loss of words as to what she should say. There were several things Mei wanted from him. For him to ask for her forgiveness for everything that had happened to her. To know why he was so cold and distant if he even wanted an actual relationship with her outside of the one he felt he had to have with her as both his successor and granddaughter.

But when all was said and done, there was only one reason she was there, and at the end of the day what was best for Hideki was all that mattered.

Mustering up her courage she straightened herself up, and with the added support of Yuzu's presence she asked, "I want to know if you truly wish to have a relationship with Hideki or if you are only seeking to speak with him so you can talk him into becoming my successor?"

"I do wish to know him." The man finished his second glass of juice before continuing to speak. "Regardless of succession, the boy is my family and as we all know, my time is running thin, and I want to spend the time I have left being present in your life. If you're willing to, that is."

From what she could tell, Mei could see that her grandfather was at least trying to make an effort but she was still wary and not trusting her judgment in this matter, Mei turned to Yuzu and asked, "What do you think?"

"I think it's worth a shot," said Yuzu with a slight shrug earning her a smirk from Mei.

"I had a feeling you would say that." Mei sighed and leaned back into the couch and stared up at the ceiling while Yuzu continued to massage her hand.

"I know, but after listening to everything, I realized that nothing's gonna change if we don't try." Yuzu looked at her fiancee's grandfather and gave him a sad smile. "I mean, it's pretty clear that I wasn't born an Aihara because if I was I wouldn't have the life I have now."

This earned her a small grunt of acknowledgment from the chairbound man, and Yuzu felt a bit better knowing that he wasn't accusing her of anything.

"I don't know everything that happened between you, Mei, and her dad and after hearing about everything that happened to you and your parents I can understand why you felt you were doing what was best and honestly I am kind of thankful for it because we have Hideki and he kind of makes everything worth it."

Both Mei and her grandfather managed a chuckle and Yuzu felt herself beginning to grow more relaxed as she continued her explanation.

"But if I can be honest, I think we need to stop blaming each other. None of us are innocent in this, save for Hideki. I've done things I'm not proud of, like you Mei, and her dad and like she said, understanding and forgiveness are two different things." Yuzu brushed one of her pigtails back and took a deep, shaky breath. "But I think trying to understand is a step in the right direction so, I mean I don't mind if you want to see Hideki. He seems to like you, despite knowing that you and Mei don't get along, so I think that even if you two never get over your issues, you'll at least find some common ground when it comes to him. If...that makes sense."

"It does," chuckled her grandfather briefly before allowing his smirk to fade. "Thank you for your thoughts on the matter. I'm happy to see that the...delinquent that showed up at the school all those years ago ended up turning into such a reasonable woman."

Yuzu simply nodded, unsure of whether or not what she'd just heard was a compliment, but she could tell he was trying to make an effort, and that was good enough for her.

"Thank you, Yuzu." Mei sat up and placed a soft kiss on Yuzu's cheek making both her grandfather and fiancee blush. Laughing to herself, Mei turned her attention back to her grandfather and sighed loudly.

"I will discuss the possibility of visits with Udagawa and Rena, and we should have an answer for you in the next few days."

Mei knew there was no real reason to delay answering him since she was confident that the couple would have a similar answer to Yuzu, but she couldn't help but feel some satisfaction at the thought of making her grandfather squirm.

"But before that, I want to make a few things clear should they agree to you being able to see him."'

"I'm listening." Her grandfather's eyes narrowed in concentration, but Mei thought that it was more out of annoyance than anything else.

"These will be the ground rules," said Mei sternly holding up her right forefinger. "The first is that you will not discuss succession with him, am I clear?"

"Crystal," answered her grandfather with a curt nod.

Mei nodded back and extended her middle finger, joining the first.

"The second will be that you do not discuss or attempt anything regarding an arranged marriage or anything else of the sort. As I said earlier, those decisions to make on his own, and if Hideki asks you anything in regards to the subject, you direct him to myself, Yuzu, or one of the others."

"Very well." The old man looked mildly perturbed at this stipulation, but he made no mention of his annoyance and Mei continued.

"However, knowing Hideki he will want to know about things like that, hence my third request."

"Which will be what?" Her grandfather yawned and looked at his watch before turning back to Mei.

"If you can promise not to intentionally guide him toward anything that you think will upset me, you can talk about what it was like being married to Grandmother or what it was like for you to take over the family. But for this to happen you will be watched, and if no one is nearby, you will not be allowed to see him until we can get someone to accompany you two with whatever activity you want to do with him. Is that agreeable?"

"That is…."

The man's face screwed up in a moment of extreme frustration and anger, but when he saw the determined looks Mei and Yuzu's face, he stopped his outburst and calmed down after a few struggled breaths before giving a submissive nod.

"Very well. I will...agree to your terms, no matter how biased they are."

"They are not biased," grunted Mei, growing impatient with his attitude. "You have already shown you are not above pressuring him into believing he has to succeed me so I am implementing a fail-safe to keep you from trying it again and if I see that you begin to build a genuine relationship with him, we may reconsider the supervision aspect."

"Giving me a taste of my own medicine, I see," chuckled her grandfather after a small bite of vegetable.

"If that's how you wish to view it then, I suppose that would be an adequate comparison." Mei stifled a yawn before continuing. "But if there's nothing else I feel it's best we start heading home. It's getting late, and Hideki has school tomorrow, and we have work."

"Of course."

Both women rose while Yuzu headed toward the door, Mei stayed stationary catching both hers and her grandfather's attention.

"Mei, are you okay?" Yuzu held her hand out and gave Mei a soft smile. "Come on, Hideki's waiting."

"I'll be there in a moment," answered Mei after giving Yuzu's fingers a quick squeeze. "I just need to talk to him about something in private for a moment."

"Okay," said Yuzu concernedly. "Umm, I'll just head toward the entrance since I don't wanna get lost. I'll text your dad so he and Hideki can meet us there."

Mei nodded and held the bag of snacks out for Yuzu to take and said, "He can have one if he wants."

Yuzu smiled broadly and nodded before bowing to her step-grandfather and said, "Thank you for having us this evening. I'm sorry for all the drama, but I'm glad we got to clear the air a bit and get to know each other a little better."

"It was nice to get to know you a bit better as well," replied the man with a slight bow of his head. "Hopefully I will see you soon."

Yuzu smiled and walked toward the door, and with one last cautious glance back she winked at Mei before shutting the door behind her.

When she was gone, Mei turned to her grandfather and said, "Thank you for not lamenting on the nature of our relationship. I know it's difficult to accept, but you do have my thanks in the manner as it's one of the things Yuzu gets the most anxious about."

"I'm not as conservative as many of you believe me to be," said her grandfather casually. "I may have had my expectations of you, but that is due to our status and traditions. But I'll admit that It wasn't ."

He shook his head and removed his glasses to clean them.

"I'd be a fool not to realize a relationship like yours would happen at our school or any school for that matter." He snorted at the surprised look on Mei's face and shrugged. "People are who they are, and despite what you think of me, I have always had your best interest at heart."

"I don't doubt that." Mei reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope and set it on the table in front of him. "Which is why, if you are able to, I am extending an invitation to you to join us in Okinawa in a couple of weeks. I have already reserved a room for you which will be located near Father and Mother's room if you need any help, but it is large enough if you'd feel more comfortable bringing Fujikura-san or someone else who is more familiar with your needs."

"What is this," he asked reading Mei's tidy writing.

"Consider it an olive branch," huffed Mei with a slight flush to her ears. "I'll understand if you can't bring yourself to come, but I thought you'd appreciate the invitation."

"I shall look into it." He gave the envelope a thoughtful look, though Mei didn't miss the momentary discomfort and uncertainty. "Traveling for me has become more difficult, but I will talk it over with my doctors and look into possible accommodations. I'm surprised you'd even consider such a concept after everything you said this evening."

"As I said, I'm attempting to find some common ground with you." Mei's phone dinged, and she smirked when she saw the picture of Yuzu, Hideki, and Sho posing in the entryway, with large senbei crackers dangling from their teeth and big smiles on their faces. "Although I wouldn't be offended if you were unable to attend, I know this is a lot to ask."

"I am glad you took me into consideration, Mei." He picked up the envelope and placed it carefully in his lap. "Shall I show you out?"

"No need," said Mei as she made sure she had everything she needed and gave him a polite bow. "Thank you for having us this evening. I hope that we might be able to do this again, under less strenuous circumstances of course."

"I would very much enjoy that," smiled the old man while his fingers stroked the ridge of the envelope, both of them waiting for the other to make the first move.

"I would very much enjoy that," smiled the old man while his fingers stroked the ridge of the envelope absent-mindedly.

"I'm sure Hideki will as well. Have a good evening Grandfather I will talk to you soon."

"You as well, Mei."

---

She nodded and left the room and headed toward the entrance where she saw Hideki nibbling on the last few bits of his cracker as Yuzu and her father discussed something related to Yuzu's work. When he saw her, Hideki shoved the biscuit into his mouth and chewed hastily before running over to Mei and giving her a firm hug.

"Are you feeling better Mommy?"

"I am now," smiled Mei as she stroked his hair. "I'm sorry things got a little scary in there, and that I had to send you away."

"It's okay." Hideki took her hand in his and pulled her toward the door where they set aside their slippers and began pulling on their shoes as Fujikura arrived to see them out. "I got to have some ice cream with Grandpa, and then I got senbei, and he told me that you did it cuz you were scared Great-Grandpa would say something very mean and I'd get mad at him."

"Thank you." Mei nodded at her father, and he gave her a smirk and shrugged before pulling on his shoe while Mei addressed the housekeeper. "Thank you for everything. I'm sorry if we wasted any of the food you prepared. I know you all spent a long time preparing it."

"We'll find something to do with it," said the woman before taking Mei's hand. "Just make sure you take care of Yuzu-san and yourself, and we'll consider it even."

"I will." Mei looked at Hideki and waved him forward. "Hideki come pay your respects before we leave."

"Okay." Hideki dropped his shoes and approached Fujikura and bowed. "Thank you very much for helping us today. The food was, and I hope I get to see you again."

"I hope so too." Fujikura patted Hideki on the head and smiled. "Behave for your mothers and the next time I see you I may have a treat for you. Yuzu-san? Master Sho?"

Both Yuzu and Sho stopped what they were doing and turned in the direction of the older woman and asked what she needed.

"You two watch after her," she motioned to Mei whose face turned a slight shade of pink, "and please don't hesitate to come and visit."

"I'll see what I can do about coming by a bit more, just….prepare me in case he's having a bad day."

"I will," said Fujikura with a smile. "What about you, Yuzu-san, can I count on you to come and visit on occasion with young Hideki?"

"If everything goes well with Udagawa-san and Rena, you might be seeing a bit more of me." Yuzu gave Fujikura her trademark wink, catching the older woman off guard and making her chuckle nervously before helping Hideki with his shoes.

After another short series of goodbyes, the four of them left the mansion and hailed a cab. Their plan had been to drop Sho off at the old apartment, but thanks to Hideki falling asleep during the ride, Yuzu's back acting up, and Mei being too tired to carry him, Sho decided that since Ume was out of town he was going to spend the night and carried Hideki up into the apartment for them.

After helping Hideki out of his shoes and kissing him goodnight, Mei retired to hers and Yuzu's room and shuffled toward the bed and collapsed once her knees hit the side.

The moment her body touched the mattress it seemed that all the strain and stress from the past several days hit her like a truck and it took every ounce of stamina she had to stay conscious and pull herself off the bed so she could get out of her work clothes and prepare for bed. Just as she managed to shed everything but her button up and underwear she heard the door open and felt Yuzu's hands wrap around her waist and begin kissing her neck.

"Are you okay?" Yuzu's nose rubbed the back of Mei's neck while her hands began undoing the buttons of Mei's shirt. "I know today was a lot and to be honest I'm feeling kinda wiped."

"I'll be better with a bit of rest." Mei began pulling her shirt off and dropped casually on the floor, too tired to care about the mess she was making. "How are Hideki and Father? Did you get him to bed all right? Is Father serious about staying or did he head out?"

"He's sleeping on the guest futon with Hideki at the foot of his bed," answered Yuzu while she continued kissing Mei, subconsciously guiding her toward the bed while her hands began investigating the taller woman's body, her fingers checking for the knots that she knew had been building up. "And Hideki is passed out, so you don't need to worry about making noise."

"Why would I need to worry about...ow..."

Mei' felt an incredible amount of pressure in her lower back as Yuzu's thumbs started massaging her back, causing her legs to go weak the second the reached the edge of the bed.

"There it is," giggled Yuzuas she felt Mei's body grow limp causing her to collapse once more onto the bed. Unable to resist, Yuzu followed suit but not before leaving Mei to beg her to continue massaging her.

"In a minute," whispered Yuzu huskily as she began undoing her shirt and pants. After tossing her work shirt on the floor next to Mei's, Yuzu shimmied out of her pants and pulled her socks off before straddling Mei's back and loosened her fiancee's bra so she could gain better access to the soft pale flesh that awaited her; gently kneading the tense knots that had formed, causing Mei to whimper in ecstasy.

"Better," asked Yuzu, giving Mei's right ear a soft kiss sending a shiver through the raven-haired woman's body as her fingers began working on an incredibly large knot located in the middle of her lover's back.

"Very much," moaned Mei as a pleasantly familiar warmth tingled its way down her spine. "You know I enjoy how much you I enjoy your touch."

"You bet I do." Yuzu gave Mei's ear another kiss, forcing Mei's stomach to lift off the bed slightly allowing Yuzu the opportunity to take off Mei's bra completely before she began working on the stiffness that had built up in her fiancee's shoulders. "I'm beginning to think I should do this more often."

Yuzu pressed down on a particularly hard knot, making Mei briefly gasp in pain before growing slack as the blonde's fingers worked their magic.

"Today didn't help," groaned Mei before feeling her eyes grow heavy. "Nor did my problems with Hideki."

"I know."

Yuzu was well aware of how much stress Mei was under, and she was mentally kicking herself for not being more supportive. But after everything that happened this evening, she noticed that despite her fatigue, Mei seemed to be walking a little taller, and Yuzu was proud at how well Mei had stood up for not only her but also herself and Hideki.

"I'm proud of you, Mei ." Yuzu shifted her hands from Mei's shoulders to her neck where she diligently continued her efforts to help Mei relax, knowing that by doing so she'd more than likely help Mei fall asleep, but she didn't mind. Yuzu was determined to help Mei relax, and if Mei wanted to sleep, then Yuzu was going to make damn sure that it was a peaceful one.

"I don't know why," panted Mei as she felt the pain in her neck begin to fade. "I didn't do much outside of telling him that I didn't care about what he had to say."

"You did more than that." Yuzu moved her fingers to spot behind Mei's ears, careful not to touch the sensitive lobes. "I mean yeah you did kinda tell him off and didn't let him say much. But you let him talk to Hideki, and you finally told him how you felt about us and how you didn't like living in that house, and based on how he reacted I think you made an impact."

"Do you think so?" Mei turned her head so she could bet a better look at Yuzu, though the most she was able to see was the outlines of Yuzu's hair and a faint shimmer of green.

"Yeah, I do." Yuzu gave the ridge of Mei's ear a soft kiss and smiled at a slight moan of pleasure that escaped from Mei's throat causing her stomach to lift slightly off the bed before she relaxed. When she settled, Yuzu combed her fingers the dark locks as she felt a swelling of pride as she remembered everything Mei had done that night. "I think a lot of good things are gonna come our way, now that you and Gramps are sort of on the same page."

"I hope you're right," sighed Mei as she felt Yuzu's body slide off hers. The bed squeaked, and Mei watched as Yuzu settled into the pillows at before patting the spot next to her.

Mei wasted no time crawling up the bed, planting feather-light kisses across her fiancee's warm skin; starting with her thighs, followed by her stomach, her ribs and finally her chest. After a few cautious kisses along the edge of Yuzu's breasts, Mei turned Yuzu's head and gave her a warm, loving kiss while she draped her arms the blonde's chest before turning her attention to the base of Yuzu's neck, unable to resist the urge to give it a firm bite.

"Ow," winced Yuzu when she felt the teeth begin to chew on her flesh before finally letting go.

"I'm sorry," said Mei, doing her best to sound apologetic but fooling no one.

"Sure you are," replied Yuzu with a wink, pulling Mei close as she turned the television on and set it to Mei's preferred music channel.

"Trying to get my attention?" Mei kissed the spot where she'd bit Yuzu before rubbing it with her nose, wondering just how big it would be this time.

"Only if you're willing to stay up that late." Yuzu's hand moved up Mei's shoulder and neck, stopping at her lover's ear and began rubbing younger woman's earlobe. "But if you are, I don't think either of us is going to get a lot of sleep."

As much as she was enjoying the attention Yuzu was giving her, the fatigue she'd been feeling earlier was making itself known, and even though Mei hated stopping Yuzu, she knew it was in both their interests for them to get a good night's sleep.

"You make a fair point," yawned Mei in between kissing each of Yuzu's fingers. "Perhaps you can work from home tomorrow? I was planning on contacting Watanabe-san here shortly to let him know that I would be doing telecommuting and to switch all my meetings to conference calls on the landline."

Yuzu's arm tightened around Mei, pulling the younger woman closer and allowing her to rest her head on the blonde's shoulders. She knew full well

"Gramps got to you tonight, didn't he?" Yuzu kissed the top of Mei's head and let out a loud sigh when she felt her lover nod.

"It was draining," explained Mei while she used her finger to draw small circles up and down the length of Yuzu's stomach. "So I thought I'd stay at home and relax in between calls with you if you wanted to. Is that all right?"

"Yeah." Yuzu nuzzled Mei's hair and began calculating whether or not she could risk not coming into the office. She knew it wouldn't be too much of an issue, everyone on her team knew about how stressful handling Mei's side of the family could be and knew that if she gave them enough notice they would be okay with it so long as she actively contributed and put in a full days work.

With a small chuckle, Yuzu reluctantly lets go of Mei and retrieved her phone from her pant pocket and sent out a chain of texts to everyone who needed to know about her plans. Within a couple of minutes, Machiko and the rest of her team replied in agreement, and after setting her phone down on the nightstand, Yuzu returned to the bed and kissed Mei, forcing the younger woman to fall back into the pillows, her arms wrapping around the blonde's neck.

"I'm guessing that things went well with your coworkers," Mei asked after breaking the kiss and moving to Yuzu's neck and throat.

"Yep," giggled Yuzu while the taller woman began working on her bra. "So tonight, I'm all yours."

"That sounds nice," moaned Mei.

The sensation of Yuzu's lips was causing her skin to prickle, and Mei could feel the tension in her body melt away, stopping halfway through removing Yuzu's bra.

"Do you want to stop," whispered Yuzu, finishing the job Mei had started before putting her lips to Mei's throat, making her moan so loudly that Yuzu thought she would wake up their other occupants.

"No." Mei's grip tightened while her legs anchored themselves behind Yuzu's, limiting the blonde's mobility and causing her to stop her kisses and look up, her eyes glistening in the dim lamplight, relishing the feeling of Mei's soft hands stroked her hair and neck as she moved closer to Mei's.

"Then what do you want, Mei?" Yuzu's mouth was so close to Mei's that their lips made contact with every word, sending small jolts of electricity through their mouths, each touch as intense as a kiss. "Tell me what you want, Mei and I'll..."

"I want..."

Yuzu heard a deep growl come from Mei's throat as she kissed her shoulder, feeling her lover's grip on her neck grow slack. Chuckling Yuzu continued teasing Mei by kissing her throat and massaging her sides. She felt a low rumble from deep inside Mei's throat and listened to her soft grunts while her hands slipped from her neck and fell to the bed, making Yuzu laugh as she looked at Mei's face.

"That was...oh come on."

Though she was annoyed, Yuzu couldn't help but smile at the peaceful sleeping face of her lover. Her mouth was slightly agape with a low snore slipping past her lips while her hair splayed out behind her like a thick black, silky veil.

Brushing a few strands out of her face, Yuzu gave Mei a gentle kiss on the forehead and headed over to her phone where she sent Watanabe a text, repeating what Mei had told her. It took several minutes, but finally, the man replied and after thanking Yuzu bid her goodnight. When she finished Yuzu crawled back into the bed and pulled the covers up over her and Mei, turned it to a movie and after resting Mei's head on her stomach Yuzu turned on a movie and continued to stroke the sleeping woman's head; a satisfied smile on her face as she listened to the directors quiet snores.

---

So...I am sorry for the length of this chapter. Holy crap I wasn't planning on this, but anything with Gramps tends to be long and involved.

And I wasn't TRYING to make gramps a sympathetic character, but I just felt we needed more reasons for him to be who he was than just an overbearin family head. *Shrugs*