Notes: Um, hi. So, yeah, it's been awhile. I know I told at least one person that this would be up waaaaaaaaay earlier, and for that I apologize.
Basically, the problem has been two things. One is that I lost some of the physical bits I wrote on paper, and rewriting them and remembering them has been a pain.
The other is a bit more complex. Basically, when I start slipping into any sort of depression lately, one of the first things I do is guilt trip myself over things I like that are problematic. I know fiction and reality are very much too different things, and it's okay for me to like things/tropes in a fictional context only, but sometimes I still get some cognitive dissonance over it. (Or more simply: my brain goes, "oh noes! I like reading about fictional relationships that would be dangerous in real life, and with consent issues! Bad Scriverane, bad!" and then I mope about it and have to remind myself that I like reading about some problematic tropes for a variety of reasons, and that fiction =/= reality). So, yeah. (Uh, and we do all know that in real life, consent is not just the absence of a 'no', but the presence of a yes and/or enthusiastic participation, yes? And that consent to sex one time with somebody does not mean any other sex is automatically consented to, even in a mutual relationship. And... okay, I'll stop here before I get really annoying and patronizing).
Okay, now on to things actually relevant to the chapter: first up is Mistake, then Romantica, then Terrorist, then Egoist. I labeled their sections. In this half, we have Mistake and Romantica, then next half is the Terrorist and Egoist stuff. Mistake part is three scenes long; the rest are one scene.
The chapter title is from a pretty well-known New Year's Eve song. I think that's it? Oh, uh, review responses: I'll try to get to them in the next couple of days, but I've been a bit out of it lately, so... we'll see. Oh, and I was thinking of labeling the fic with the character labels. Since there's four available per fic now, it would be the two couples with the most written about them, probably. But I feel bad about excluding the other one, so we'll see.
Anyway, if you're still reading this fic despite my inconsistency in updates, you are awesome and deserve a hug and cookies and other good things.
The next chapter will be Romantica, then Terrorist. I'd put Terrorist first, but I have the Romantica chapter completely written out (on paper) though it's a bit of a mess and I have to edit it. Terrorist chapter is part way done. So there's that.
Chapter 20: And Auld Lange Syne
Mistake
It was approaching midnight on New Year's Eve. Normally Kaoru would be at a typical Isaka family New Year's Eve party, keeping an eye on Ryuuichirou to make sure he wasn't getting so drunk he'd end up passing out during hime kajime – an occurrence that had happened once, and he planned to make sure never happened again. However, this year there was no Isaka family New Year's Eve party, only a hospital bed where a very whiny Ryuuichirou lay.
"I'm hungry. Why haven't I been given any food yet?" Ryuuichirou said with a pout. Pouting was one of the few things that both Kaoru and Ryuuichirou's father had a weakness to.
Still, the elder Isaka wasn't having any of it. "Because you just had surgery, son," he said. While the Isaka patriarch looked more amused than anything else at his son's antics, the matriarch of the family would've rolled her eyes and sighed. However, she wasn't with them at the hospital. Which, to be honest, was a good thing, as Kaoru didn't think she'd cope well with the fact that her son was in a hospital bed due to a pregnancy in his own body. "Stop whining. The doctor said you can't eat, and the nurse won't be back for a few hours at least."
Ryuuichirou looked hopeful. "Is she pretty?"
Kaoru sucked in a breath. Ryuuichirou had undergone surgery to remove his appendix a few years ago, and he'd spent much of his recovery flirting with every nurse on the floor. Kaoru was aware this was Ryuuichirou's way of manipulating people to get whatever he wanted, and most of the nurses had seen through his superficial charms, but Kaoru had still spent the entire stay in a foul mood. He'd refused Ryuuichirou sex for a week after he'd recovered.
"I suppose he's attractive," the elder Isaka said, his lips betraying a slight smile. "But I don't swing that way. What did you think, Kaoru?"
"He's not my type," Kaoru answered, truthfully. Before he and Ryuuichirou had gotten together, Kaoru's type had been anyone who resembled Ryuuichirou in any way, shape, or form. Which was rather pathetic, really.
Ryuuichirou hummed. "I wonder if the blonde from last time still works here."
"That was a different hospital," Kaoru said flatly.
His father raised his eyebrow and gave his son a look, lips pursed.
"What?" Ryuuichirou tilted his head as he eyed his father. "I'm in a monogamous relationship, that doesn't mean I've lost all sense of attraction to other people. And unlike you, I don't limit myself to one gender."
The elder Isaka shook his head. "I don't – wait, don't touch that, Ryuuichirou!"
The latter was a phrase Ryuuichirou's parents had often said throughout his childhood. If Itsuki was anything like his younger father, raising him was going to be one hell of a ride.
Ryuuichirou looked at his father with wide, innocent eyes. "I just wanted to see what it's made of. Not much else to do here, anyway."
"You know," Kaoru said as he watched Ryuuichirou fiddle with his IV tubing, "one child in the house will be difficult enough to handle. There's no way we can deal with two. What do you think, Isaka-san? Should we leave Ryuuichirou behind when we leave the hospital?"
"Hey!" Ryuuichirou said, dropping the tubing and turning his head to glare at Kaoru.
The elder Isaka clicked his tongue. "So cruel, Kaoru-kun."
"Exactly!"
"Marukawa wouldn't function as well without him," the elder Isaka continued. "The better option would be to drop him off at the office and lock him in. He could surely live off vending machine food."
"It wouldn't be much different from what they're feeding me here," he mumbled. Then added, more clearly, "If this is a decision by committee, I veto the idea. Besides, don't I get the mansion when you die?"
"Sort of," the elder Isaka said, steepling his fingers. "I changed the will recently. As of now, it goes straight into the possession of Itsuki, with Kaoru named as executor if he's still a minor."
Warmth settled in Kaoru's chest. He recognized this was the elder Isaka's way of making Kaoru part of the family.
Still, Ryuuichirou wasn't much appreciative of the gesture. "What?! Do I at least still get the Marukawa stock, or does that go to Itsuki, too?"
The elder Isaka dropped his gaze and whistled innocently.
"Great, he's not even a day old and he already has more of an inheritance than I do."
The elder Isaka only shook his head. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm still leaving you the villa in Tuscany."
"But I haven't been there in decades!" Ryuuichirou cried.
"Pity. You're missing out on a fantastic opportunity, son. Why, I remember how your mother and I use to use the villa as a lover's escape all the time! You were conceived there, you know."
Ryuuichirou stared at his father, open-mouthed and utterly mortified. "I didn't know that," he said slowly, "and I really didn't want to."
Kaoru figured this was a good chance to sneak out. He hadn't properly seen Itsuki yet, and he needed to get himself something caffeinated if he planned to stay up for the first sunrise of the new year. "I'll be back," he muttered as he left the room, shutting the door before Ryuuichirou could register any sort of protest.
Kaoru would've liked to be able to say he was already able to identify his son by sight, like some honing parental vision. Unfortunately, however, he had to read the nametags to find Isaka Itsuki.
There. A healthy baby boy with – Kaoru could see it now – a small tuft of red hair. The baby was sleeping, so Kaoru couldn't even try to gaze at his eyes, but from what the nurses had said a while ago, Itsuki's eyes were the blue-gray color several people started with at birth.
"Kaoru?"
He hadn't expected that voice. He turned towards it to see his sister, her normally smooth scarlet hair frazzled, brown eyes bloodshot. In her hands, she held a Styrofoam cup with a lid; steam was rising from it.
"Keiko," Kaoru said, "what are you doing here?"
Keiko raised one eyebrow at him – a technique, he remembered, she had perfected after hours of practicing in front of the mirror. "Why am I here? You don't know?"
"Should I?"
Keiko shifted on her feet and ran a hand through her hair. "I think so." She sighed, looking down at her cup before meeting his gaze again. "Mom's here. She has pneumonia. They doubt she'll last longer than a day or two; she'll be lucky to make it through the night."
Kaoru suddenly found it difficult to breathe. A chill ran through him; despite that, his hands were covered in sweat. "She's at the last stage of Alzheimer's?"
Keiko bit her lip and started to fidget with her cup, thumb tracing the rim of the lid. "She's been at the last stage for a few months now. Didn't Dad tell you?"
Kaoru shoved his hands in his pockets, posture going rigid. "We're not precisely on speaking terms," he said.
Keiko frowned, but gave him a pitying glance. She took a sip of coffee before she spoke again. "He said something to me a few months ago about how you abandoned us and weren't on speaking terms with any of the family anymore."
Kaoru jaw dropped; his throat felt strangely dry, and he was starting to get dizzy. "He said that?"
Keiko didn't say much at first, still frowning and fidgeting. She dropped his gaze before she glanced at the glass pane of the nursery. She took another drink before speaking again. "Well, yeah. I figured it wasn't you; that's just not like you." Keiko paused, her lips pursed.
"Look, did you get a woman pregnant and can't marry her, or something along those lines? Because, well..." Her eyes darted back to the glass pane.
Kaoru paused, trying to figure out what to say next. "Something like that."
Keiko nodded, still not looking away from the nursery. She mumbled a barely audible, "doesn't seem like something you'd do, more like Ryuuichirou-sama."
It was a good thing Keiko was the one with the coffee; had he been drinking it, he would've choked. As it was, he coughed awkwardly.
Keiko stood on tiptoes as she leaned forward, peering through the glass. "Which one?" She turned her gaze back to Kaoru. "If you don't mind me asking. I swear I won't even glimpse the names."
Kaoru frowned, before saying, "row farthest from us, second on the left."
Keiko turned back to the pane, a watery smile gracing her face. "The redhead? I won't be the only one in the family anymore?"
His heart thumped painfully. "I suppose you could say that," he said dryly.
She whirled to look at him, her grip on the cup tightening. "Ah, Kaoru-nii, I didn't mean –"
He smiled at her as sweetly as he could under the circumstances. None of this was her fault. Still, he knew there was a slight bitterness to his smile. "It's okay." He hesitated, before adding, "His name is Itsuki."
Keiko swallowed audibly. "I'll be sure to tell mom that."
Kaoru must have looked quite shocked, because Keiko began to chuckle. "That's the most I've seen you react since I've known you, Niichan," she said, eyes alight and she went into full on uproarious laughter. Once she calmed down, she asked, "So, do I know the mother, or..."
He started coughing again. Keiko had spent much of her childhood looking at Ryuuichirou with hearts in her eyes, declaring she was going to be his bride someday. "Perhaps," he went with.
Keiko blushed, possibly having realized the futility of the question. "Well, I'll be going then." She stood awkwardly for a moment. "I... hope to see you soon, somehow."
He swallowed. "I'd like that."
She gave a slight nod of the head and turned rigidly, walking in the general direction of the elevator.
Kaoru let his gaze wander back to the nursery. He searched for Itsuki again, but his vision had become blurry.
He whipped away his tears before making his way back to Ryuuichirou's room.
"Kaoru? Are you alright?"
He'd been trying to keep his distress from appearing on his face, but Ryuuichirou had clearly seen right through him, his eyes bright with concern.
"I'm fine," he said stiffly. "How are you doing, Ryuuichirou-sama?"
Ryuuichirou must have been truly worried, because he didn't even bother to correct him on the honorific. "What happened?" he demanded, and the cutting look he gave him was enough to get Kaoru to confess. He was exhausted anyway.
"I meet my sister in the hall, by the nursery."
"She's here?" Ryuuichirou furrowed his brow.
"Yes. She says the whole family is here..." He took a deep breath. "My mother doesn't have very long now, from what I understand, so they say their last goodbyes." His throat was thick and painful, and he couldn't bring himself to say another word.
"Kaoru," Isaka said gently, his eyes wide.
"I'll be back," the elder Isaka said, and Kaoru was grateful to the man.
"It's okay, I'll be fine."
Ryuuichirou rolled his eyes. "Sure, I believe you." He paused for a moment. "I could probably get someone to let you in to see her, if I play my cards right."
Kaoru smiled weakly. "Thank you, but my immediate family members are all in there. I wouldn't want to disturb them at a time like this."
Ryuuichirou fell back onto his pillow with a sigh. "Whatever, you martyr."
A few moments of silence passed before Ryuuichirou began to fidget, and then lifted his head again. "You know, your mother might want to know she's a grandmother."
Kaoru swallowed thickly. The words stung, even if Ryuuichirou hadn't meant them to. "My sister said she would tell her. Besides, her mind is so far out of it she doesn't recognize anyone. It would do just as well for me to tell her by her grave." A knot formed in his stomach. He could see the family grave in Zōshigaya in his mind's eye. Kaoru doubted they'd allow him to attend the funeral. He'd have to go on his own time to light incense and say his goodbyes and wish her spirit peace.
When he opened his eyes, Ryuuichirou was staring at him with a lost, puppy dog-like expression. It didn't suit him. "Kaoru, I'm sorry for making you go through this."
Kaoru bit the inside of his cheek. The narcotics and post-natal hormones must be a potent mix, to cause Ryuuichirou to act like this. "Don't be stupid. It's not your fault my father is so closed-minded. And it takes two to tango, you know."
Ryuuichirou frowned. "Still, I –"
The sound of a door opening interrupted their conversation.
Ryuuichirou and Kaoru both turned their heads to see the elder Isaka returning with a blue cloth-covered bundle in his arms.
Kaoru heard Ryuuichirou's breath hitch, and watched from the corner of his eye as the younger man attempted to pull himself up to see better, only to collapse back to the bed, his eyes wide.
"Dad," Ryuuichirou said once he'd regained his composure, though his fingers were making soft bunches in the sheets, "how did you get him out of the nursery without an orderly tackling you?"
The elder Isaka jutted his chin, his chest thrust forward and there was a smug gleam to his eyes. "Must I remind you from whom you learned those skills of persuasion?"
"I don't know, must you?" Ryuuichirou replied listlessly.
Close up, Kaoru could see with an increased clarity the tuft of red hair that he'd seen through the window with Keiko only moments before. Moments? It felt more like days.
"I think it's best he spends his first New Year's Eve with family, yes?" the elder Isaka rumbled. "Here, Kaoru, you can hold him."
Before Kaoru could even get a word in, the elder Isaka was handing him the small, precious bundle. Looking down at him, he didn't look like much – besides the distinctive red hair, he looked the same as any other newborn, scrunched up and incredibly tiny. Kaoru's mouth was extremely dry; he felt as though he should say something, a word of greeting at the very least, but his throat wouldn't let him form the words; and in any case, nothing he could say seemed to be of much importance right now.
Instead, he met the eyes of the elder Isaka, and managed the most deep, meaningful, "thank you" of his entire life.
"It's getting close to midnight," Ryuuichirou said.
Kaoru turned his gaze toward the analog clock above the doorway; it indicated the new year was only minutes away.
A new year that, hopefully, would be better than the last.
Romantica
"Usagi-san, do you think you can hold him for the rest of the night? My arms feel tired."
Akihiko cast his eyes about for the fangirl who'd spotted him earlier; she hadn't talked to him or anything, but she snapped a picture of him and excitedly pointed him out to her friends. She could have just found him attractive, but he didn't want to take his chances. Things looked good right now, though; after she and her friends had slunk away further into the crowd, embarrassed, when he'd pulled up his scarf and hood, she hadn't bothered to return to that spot. No one else was eying him, all too caught up in the final few minutes to midnight and a new year.
"I can take him," Akihiko said, and quietly and carefully took Yukihiko from Misaki's arms, trading him the camera.
"Thanks," Misaki said. There were bags under his eyes, and Akihiko knew there were some under his too. Despite the exhaustion that caring for a small child bought, he and Misaki had a great time earlier in bed when they'd finally gotten it all to the themselves and after more "strenuous activities" had been approved by the doctor.
They'd worked out the whole co-sleeping thing not long after Yukihiko was born; most nights he'd get to sleep in the bed with both of them or whichever one of them was occupying the bed that night. If Akihiko – or Misaki – felt so exhausted he was afraid he'd roll over in a deep sleep, the baby slept in the sturdy, immobile bassinet currently occupying a cleaned out corner of the master bedroom. Finally, on nights when things were to happen between the sheets, Yukihiko would spend the night in his crib. Yukihiko had yet to sleep in his crib, of course, since last night he'd stayed with Takahiro and his family. Mostly the baby slept between Misaki and Akihiko, and honestly, it was something they all enjoyed. And with the addition of a small refrigerator at the bedside to store filled bottles in, they didn't have to get up nearly as much. "He should stay up until midnight; hold him close, the drum will probably startle him."
"I know," Akihiko said, pleasantly amused. He and Misaki had had a long conversation days ago on where to spend New Year's Eve. Misaki's parents had taken him every year to the Meiji Shrine until their deaths, so in the end it was pretty much a shoe-in, despite the crowds and long wait. "We went over this a dozen times already."
"I wouldn't worry too much, Misaki," Takahiro jumped in. "No one is going to hear a baby over the drum, anyway. And it's not like we're at Zojoji."
Mahiro was blinking away sleep in his father's arms, but he still managed to keep an eye on his baby cousin. It wasn't all that surprising; according to his parents, Mahiro had spent the entire time they were babysitting Yukihiko earlier watching the baby, despite said infant's lack of doing anything that would interest a four-year old, or indeed, most people. He'd even stayed up much of the night watching over his cradle like a sentry, trying to soothe Yukihiko with soft words every time the baby cried. Between that and calling him "Yuki-chan," Mahiro seemed completely enamored with his younger cousin, making Akihiko wonder if familial love was an innate Takahashi trait. He was grateful for it, in any case.
"Leave them be, Taka-chan," Manami said. She looked nearly as exhausted as her son, lightly gripping her husband's shoulder. "We were just as worried when we first took Maa-chan here."
"You were, I was fine," Takahiro replied.
"I wasn't the one constantly trying to look up the temperature," Manami said, her tone slightly dry. Still, her eyes had a mischievous, teasing light to them.
Takahiro blushed; perhaps that was a Takahashi trait, too. "It was cold that day!"
"How much longer do we have, anyway?" Akihiko said, interrupting the conversation. It was starting to get pretty cold outside...
"Not much longer, Usagi-san," Misaki said cheerfully. "They should start beating the drum soon."
"I think they're preparing to do so now," Manami observed.
As the drum sounded, Yukihiko's face scrunched up as if to cry. Quickly, Akihiko began to rock him, shifting his arms in an effort to further block out the noise and protectively cuddle him closer to his chest.
As Yukihiko began to calm down, Akihiko said as clearly as he could through the din,"Happy new year, my son. May your first year of life be more pleasant than mine." He swallowed thickly before muttering to himself, "I'll do my best to make sure of it."
Notes:
cosleeping: Oh, boy. The practice of cosleeping - that is, an adult sharing a bed with a child - is fairly common in Japan and other non-Western countries. However, at least in Western countries, there is a huge controversy over co-sleeping, because some studies have linked cosleeping and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). There's controversy over exactly how the two are linked, if there's other factors other than cosleeping that are confusing the results, but, basically - in the West, at least, this is a highly controversial issue. That being said, I decided the couples would cosleep - at least in this story - because of cultural and characterization reasons. I hope that's clear?
Meiji Shrine and Zojoji (Temple) - Two of the most popular public destinations for New Year's Eve in Tokyo. The first is a Shinto shrine and the second is a Buddhist temple. From what I read, Meiji Shrine is more of a quiet reflection type place and Zojoji is a spectacle (it's near Tokyo Tower). Anyway, if I got any of that wrong just holler at me and I'll try to fix it.
Continue on to the next half for the New Year's Eve of the other two couples.
