I probably should have taken the time to go over this before posting, but really I've been working on this all day and I'm just done with it at the moment. So please, forgive the mistakes you may come across.
Once more this is more of a 'filler' chapter, nothing too exciting happens in it but it still helps propel the story in the direction I need it to go.
Patiently, in a dead silence, with two other sets of eyes set hard on his person, Rei stood to the left of Kai in the office. It was Saturday, the day Kai had a meeting of some sorts, the same one that Rei had slaved away the past two days preparing for by cleaning the office from top to bottom. Where his knuckles bled, his knees were bruised, and he had all but thrown out his back for trying to make sure the place was spotless. Not that he had been asked to do such a thing, work that hard, but he had wanted to make a good impression on these partners of Kai's.
Those same two men, whose names Rei didn't even know, had been staring at him for the past two hours since they had arrived, and Kai told him to stay by his side. Or maybe it wasn't Kai that had told him to stay, as it was getting harder by the day to distinguish between the two of them now, one second he thought he knew who he was talking to and the next he wasn't entirely sure.
Once more, he was being kept on his toes but this time, he didn't fear it. He wasn't scared, at least for himself, because although he still didn't hold any real power it felt as though he did. It didn't matter if they couldn't be open about their relationship outside the walls of the manor, everyone in the house knew now and he was untouchable.
Although he understood every word that had been spoken between the three men, Rei hadn't been paying attention to anything that had been said. The subject seemed to be boring, nothing that he would understand all that well to start with and had been off in his own head for the longest time; yet still very aware of how the other two men kept staring at him and Kai either wholly oblivious, or not caring that they were looking.
Golden eyes, that had been trained on the wall across the room, shifted when something that had been said from Kai's mouth caught his attention. Rei's head snapping around, only to look at the side of Kai's head as he continued to speak to the other two men sat across from his desk.
"I won't take no less than two million, per head, for the men and no less than three for the women."
Rei's blood froze as Kai's words caught up to him and what it was they had been talking about, that he had been blocking out, the past two hours. His head snapped back to the two men, sitting on the leather chairs across from him and Kai, and watching their lips upturn for the first time since they had arrived.
"Once the shipment arrives; take them in and bathe them, feed them. Those who are scarred or not presentable do to injuries I want them at a different auction at a later date, let their bodies heal."
Rei swallowed the bile rising in his throat as his mouth had dried, finally realizing what had been the topic of conversation the past two hours; human trade. Kai had delved into it, apparently, and all he could do was stare at the side of his head. All words lost on him, wondering why Kai would even do such a terrible thing.
"You two may go now." Kai finished, what ever else had been said in those few minutes was lost on Rei again as all he could hear was his own blood rushing in his ears.
The two men nodded, once more their eyes shifting towards Rei as if they were waiting for him to do something else aside from standing there. It was as if Kai had just noticed their wandering eyes, his lips upturning into a smirk that would have sent shivers through the other two if they had been looking at him.
Rei's body seized up when a hand came around his lower back, his feet moving on their own as he was dragged closer to Kai's side and flinching at the hard grip on his hip from where Kai was holding him.
"Sorry gentlemen, he's not for sale."
Rei's heart slammed against his chest, that was why they had been staring at him it seemed. Just another piece of human flesh for them to look at like he was prize, a prize that they had seemed to want.
"I'm sure you can find one for yourselves, this one is mine." Kai, or the Other One, said and Rei still wasn't sure as their tones seemed to be mixing again. With the way his ears filled with the sounds of his blood and heart ringing in his ears, it was hard to even hear the voice right beside him at all.
The two men nodded all the same again, had they even really said a word since they had arrived? Rei had no clue, but he was happy all the same to see them get up from their chairs and leave the office without a word or look back at him.
The moment the door had closed he found his strength, forcing himself out of Kai's strong hold on his hip and put up a slight distance between them.
"What's this look for now?" He asked, swiveling in his chair to face Rei with an amused look upon his face.
"You're selling people now?" Rei asked, having hoped his voice would be strong enough to show his displeasure with the whole thing but it had wavered on him.
"Yes."
"Why?! Why would you go and be a part of that?!" Rei spat out, his hands clenching at his sides.
Kai's smirk widened, using his right arm to prop the side of his head up as he placed his elbow on the top of his desk. Keeping his focus on Rei standing across from him now, crossing his left leg over his right. In his eyes there was something in them, what Rei wasn't sure but he hated seeing it.
"Because the money is good." Was the simple reply, regardless of how simple and how carefree it sounded it only ignited Rei's anger.
"And that's all it's about?! The fucking money?!" Rei yelled back, "They're human beings Kai, you have no right to just go and sell them to the highest bidder!"
"I believe I do since I own them." He replied coolly, "If you haven't noticed, money is what keeps this roof over your heads, keeps you fed and clothed."
"You had money before this, why would you put your hand in this kind of business?!" Rei argued.
Kai's shoulders went up and fell back in a solid, fluid, motion. "Why not?"
Rei could only stare at him, hardly believing what he was hearing and even if it was the Other One speaking now, he still didn't care for the attitude about the entire thing.
"I'm not talking to you." He huffed and pivoted on his feet, intent on leaving the office and the Other One in there.
He let Rei get across the room, just before Rei reached the doors, before he called out to him again. "It disgusts you this much?"
Rei stayed facing the door, his back to him as if he couldn't look at him at the moment. "Of course it does… You're playing with peoples lives like they're just toys, items that you can do what you want with…"
The office fell silent, Kai's eyes on the back of Rei's head as he hadn't moved anymore in front of the door. Slowly, since Rei seemed frozen to the spot, Kai pushed himself away from his chair and stalked over towards him. Keeping a small distance between them, but enough that if he wanted to reach out and touch him he could.
"We can pull out of it." His voice came out low, almost softly.
Rei finally graced him with a look over his shoulder, his brow arched as he could only just stare at him.
"After this shipment though."
Rei frowned in response, "Then what would be the point? So what, you save the next set of lives while damning these ones. That doesn't fix the problem, doesn't make you a better person just because you're willing to show mercy to a slight few."
"There's nothing I can do about this shipment because they will be here tomorrow." Kai said in that same soft tone.
Rei's stare hardened, his eyes narrowing at him before he let out a defeated sigh. "Whatever." He shook his head some, grabbing the door handle but was stopped with Kai's hand coming down on his shoulder and his body tensed up at the touch, because he still wasn't sure who he was talking to.
"We'll go tomorrow, I can send them back but just know that I could still be sending them back to a worse fate."
Rei jerked his shoulder out from his hand, twisting the handle of the door. "Nothing is worse than being someone else's property, take it from someone who knows." He spat out without looking at him again, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.
Kai continued to stand there, now face to face with his closed office doors for a moment longer before he went back to his desk, his cane at his side, until he settled back down onto his chair. There were papers on the top of his desk, ones he knew he needed to go over and busied himself with them for the time being.
Rei sought out Natasha, finding her in the library after searching the outside of the manor first. Mao was in there with her, Rin on her lap and Gou on the floor with Natasha on the chair that Misaki used to sit in when she would read to him and Kai when they were just children.
"Can I talk to you?" He directed at Natasha, not even bothering to step into the room with them all as he just stayed in the open doorway.
Natasha closed the book she had been reading and stood, leaving it on the small round table by the chair. Mao watched her every move, glancing at Rei subtly while keeping Rin on her lap where she sat on the cushion to the bay window to the left of the door.
"What is it?" Natasha asked as she had stepped into the hall with him, having closed the door behind her.
"How long as he been selling people?" Rei asked, holding his breath for Natasha's answer.
"It was a small side business venture Voltaire did, Kai had never wanted to be part of that for the longest of time until that other man came around. I'd say, since two or three months after you had left did he get into it, but it wasn't often. Just when he knew he could make a profit off of it, then when Hiromi passed it was something he did a lot more of." Natasha explained in a quiet voice.
Rei nodded slowly, even if he didn't know why he was nodding at all. "So it's not really Kai, who is doing this?"
"I don't believe so, no." Natasha answered and watched as Rei exhaled heavily, "It really doesn't matter who it is though, it's the fact that it's happening at all and that the Hiwatari name is now associated with this type of trade."
"I'll see what I can do." Rei huffed almost tiredly, running a hand down his face.
"Just watch your back, you don't know what that man is really capable of."
Rei gave her a soft look, not missing the concern in her eyes for him. "He already said he's not allowed to touch me, not after this." He lifted his shirt sleeve, showing off the ever darkening bruise that had only just started to fade.
"Be glad you still have your arm at all." Natasha said as she stared at the bruise on Rei's arm.
Rei let his sleeve fall back down, covering the mark, "Greg?" He asked, though hadn't really wanted to think about it but it had been on his mind since he returned.
Natasha only nodded slowly, that night still haunted her dreams. "That's when he changed the most." She spoke in a quieter, saddened, voice.
"And there's nothing we can do, is there?" Rei asked.
"I'm afraid not." Natasha sighed as she shook her head, "Just be careful around him, you never know what might set it off."
"I'll keep that in mind." Rei said and then gave her a small nod of the head, taking himself towards the kitchen to prepare dinner. She needed the rest, as did Mao, and the job had never been given to the others before so it was left to him to do.
When he stepped into the kitchen he was taken back, Suzette was already standing there in front of the stove with water boiling in a pot as she was peeling potatoes slowly. A lot of times Rei forgot that she was there, they rarely saw each other and the last time they had even really spoke with one another was when she had informed him of who his father was.
"Need any help?" Rei asked as he stepped up beside her and then noticed the tears running down her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked in a soft voice, touching her trembling shoulder.
"I haven't heard from Mary; she always writes to me… I haven't heard from her the past three days." Suzette hiccuped.
Rei frowned, more to himself than at the news, and let his hand fall back to his side from her shoulder. "Could be that she is busy."
"I had sent her a letter, telling her of you being here. I'm afraid she doesn't want to speak to me now because she lied, but I don't hate her for it."
Rei went quiet, he really didn't know what to say to her about any of this. Maybe a long time ago, he would have cared to see Mary again but now he didn't feel anything for the woman. She had sold him, toyed with his life and had started everything that he had ever gone through. The only good thing that he could thank her for, was the chance of him meeting Kai.
"Do you want to go out, to where she lives, to check on her?" Rei asked, not knowing what else to say to her.
Suzette turned her tear filled eyes to him, "Would you let me?" She asked in a hopeful sob, "I'm so worried about her."
"I'll have to make sure it's alright with Kai, but she is still your sister and you can't focus on your work if she's on your mind like this." Rei answered nonchalantly, with no hint of actually caring one way or another.
"Would you please? Please, I just need to make sure she's alright."
"I'll see what I can do." Rei reassured quietly, taking up a potato from the pile on the counter and began to peel beside her in silence.
In an hour they had dinner prepared, the silence that had come over the two still there as he had nothing to really say to her and she nothing to him and her tears had dried on her face. What had been something he was used to doing, living with Hitoshi, was now being done in the Hiwatari Manor where he and the others were allowed to dine with Kai in the dinning room. Whether it was just because of all that had happened, or that he didn't want to be alone, nobody knew and nobody asked.
With Suzette and Rei's conversation prior in the kitchen, and the excitement she felt at the prospect of seeing her sister, her eyes kept dancing between Kai at the head of the table and Rei at his side though bit her tongue. Afraid that if she spoke up about it now Kai would deny her, so she sat there with the others near the other end quietly. Surely she could trust Rei to do what he had said, and she crossed her fingers in hope.
Through the new accompanying silence that always settled over the dinning room during dinner, Kai lifted his head from his bowl of food and clocked Natasha on the other side of him where she sat across from Rei at the table.
"I'll be going out tomorrow."
Natasha paused in spooning more food into her mouth, glancing up and meeting his eyes. "What time?"
"Shortly before noon, though I'm unsure how soon I'll be back." Kai answered, fully aware of Rei quietly watching the exchange between them now.
"And will you be going alone?" Natasha asked next.
"No." Was all Kai said before he pushed himself away from the table, leaving his half empty bowl behind as he took himself out of the dinning room.
Natasha quietly rolled her eyes at his departure, Rei holding his breath though wasn't even sure as to why he was until he could no longer hear the tap of Kai's cane on the floor or stairs.
"Are you going with him?" Mao asked quietly as she leaned into Rei's side some, being on his right side.
"If I am, he hasn't said." Rei answered back, "I'll come see you and Rin before I have to go though."
Mao smiled a little at the effort, even if it pained her in a way she never thought possible. Rei might not love her like she had wanted, but he loved their daughter and she could see that clearly and after everything that's all she wanted now.
The table fell quiet again, the rest of them finishing their dinner and leaving the bowls on the table for Suzette to clean up. Rei stayed back, once everyone else had retired to bed, while she went around picking up everyone's bowls.
"I'll see if I can talk to him tonight, but with him leaving tomorrow I don't know what kind of answer he'll give me."
"I still appreciate it." Suzette said with a small smile, "So thank you."
Rei gave her a small smile back, "Try not to stay up to late, you have laundry in the morning." Rei reminded as he stepped out of the dinning room, taking over his role as Head Servant now that Natasha had been left to caring for Gou full time now.
At Mao's door he knocked on the door gently and quietly, just in case Rin was asleep and didn't want to wake her. Mao's voice came through from the other side, granting him permission to enter where she was sat up on the bed with Rin on her lap and feeding one last time before bed.
"I know we haven't been able to talk much, since the other night, but I wanted to tell you something important." Rei didn't even give her time to open her mouth again as he sat down on the end of the bed, his feet touching the floor but kept his attention on her.
"Kai is working it out where you and I can be married, where we can legitimize Rin and also he is working on giving you all your freedom."
Mao's mouth dropped; her eyes wide as all she could do was just stare back at him. "Are… Are you serious?" She whispered out.
Rei nodded, "He showed me the papers the other night, when I left your bed, I don't know how long it will take but you all are being given the option on where you want to go. Though, as you know, I'll be staying here."
Mao's mouth closed into a thin line, her eyes becoming more narrowed. "So you wish for us to stay here with you?" She asked in a knowing tone, gesturing down at their daughter with her head.
"I think it would be best." Rei answered, not missing the slight disapproving look Mao was now giving him. "I don't have the money, to support either of you. Nor would you have the money to support yourself and Rin. Staying here would be beneficial to you both."
"And are you really doing this for us?" Mao asked almost angrily.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Rei asked back, "She is my daughter, you'll be my wife. Why wouldn't I make sure you two are with me, where you two will be safe?"
Mao let out a deep sigh, shifting against the headboard of her bed as she held Rin closer to her breast. "I don't want it…" She said in a small voice, to the point Rei almost hadn't heard her at all.
"Don't want what exactly?" He asked with a questioning look on his face, his brows knitted together.
"I don't want to be your wife, and its not because that I don't love you but because you don't love me. I don't hate you for it, nor wish it was different because you were already in love with someone else before we even met but it would be unfair. Not only to me, but to yourself."
Rei sat there quietly; he hadn't expected this from her even if in a way he understood. "Then what is it you want?"
"I'm not sure yet…" Mao breathed out heavily, "Everything is happening too fast and too soon, just… Just give me some time to think this over."
"I didn't mean to upset you; I was just trying to make sure you and Rin were taken care of." Rei spoke just as softly as she had.
Mao nodded back to him, gently pulling Rin off her breast and quickly covered herself before wiping the little bit off the corner of her daughters mouth.
"You have too big of a heart, Rei." She said more fondly, though didn't look back up at him.
Rei smiled faintly at her before he got up, going around the side of the bed and holding his arms out for their daughter where Mao passed her over to him. Quickly he placed his child against his chest, over his shoulder, and rubbed her small back gently while rocking from side to side to get her to sleep.
"Will you be going with him tomorrow?" Mao asked as she watched Rei.
"I'm not sure, he hasn't said."
"Just be careful."
Rei nodded back to her, placing Rin in her crib beside the bed and went back to face Mao. Gently taking up her face in his hands and placing a kiss on her forehead.
"You too, if I am to be gone tomorrow do me a favor." He spoke against her soft skin, not letting her go at the moment as he kept his gentle hold on her face.
"Don't go near Greg, stay away from him."
Mao didn't know why he would ask that of her, she hadn't had an issue with the man yet but that had been because Rei was there in the manor. Despite herself she nodded slowly and at that Rei let her face go, leaving one last kiss on her forehead before he pulled away completely and stepped back from the side of the bed.
"Sleep well, Mao."
"You too." She said as she watched him leave her room, the door closing quietly behind him.
Once in Kai's room, down the hall, Rei made his way over to the bed while undressing from his clothes and leaving them on the floor behind him for the time being. Kai wasn't in the room, leaving Rei to assume he was in the bathroom off to the side for the time being and made himself comfortable on the mattress to wait for him.
It didn't take long before Kai did step out from the bathroom, a small smile creeping up Kai's lips when he saw Rei sitting there on their bed and made his way over to it to join him.
"Where are you going tomorrow?" Rei asked once Kai had slipped under the covers with him, though they didn't move closer to one another or touch.
"I told you we'd be going to the auction tomorrow, to turn those people around and send them back." Kai answered.
Rei arched a brow as he sat there, staring at the door across the room. "I thought…" He stopped himself before he finished his sentence.
"That you were talking to the Other One?" Kai finished for him, turning to look at him.
Rei nodded slowly, "Was that you then, the whole time?" He questioned in a breath; he didn't even think Kai knew about the Other One that lived in his head.
"Yes." Kai answered just as quietly as Rei had been talking, not liking the look he was now getting. "He's not always in control of the things I do."
"So it wasn't him that started this, was it?" Rei bit out at him, finding a sudden urge to get out of the bed he was sitting on.
"No." Kai answered, "You can hate me if you wish."
"I honestly don't even know what to say to you." Rei said as he pulled his arms around himself, jerking his head away from looking at the man beside him and back to the door across the room.
"I'm going to fix it."
Rei scoffed, "It's a bit late for that, don't you think?!"
"Then hate me for it, since it's too late to really fix this." Kai said in a neutral tone, "But I will pull out of this, after tomorrow I'll pull out of it for good."
Rei pulled his arms around himself tighter, despite the anger and hurt he felt he knew he could trust Kai's word that this would be the last time. That at least he was willing to stop being in this type of trade, and it was only because he had an issue with it that Kai was even going to stop.
"You need to stop being like your grandfather."
Kai's body tensed and he pressed his lips together firmly, though didn't lash out like Rei had expected. Giving him the time to continue speaking, without being interrupted.
"You're better than him, always have been, but doing this will only continue to stain the Hiwatari name. You've always had the chance, the opportunity, to make this how you wanted it. Don't make the same mistakes he made."
Kai slowly nodded, his body relaxing again now that Rei had finished talking. "I can't make promises I can't keep, but I will try."
"That's all I want." Rei spoke softly again, turning back to look at him but refused to uncross his arms from over his chest and touch him. "Maybe it's not too late, to pick up the pieces and make things right. Not just for yourself, but for your son as well."
Kai let out a deep breath, what Rei was saying was right but still there was the other voice in his head telling him that things were fine the way they were. That nothing had to change for anyone because he was the one in charge now, that it was his empire to run how he wanted to run it. Though, through that sadistic voice in his head, there was also Rei's soothing and calming one trying to fight and push back against it.
For the first time, since that voice had sprung up in his head and Rei had been back in his life, he wasn't sure which voice was going to win this time.