I am still alive! Think of this as an advanced happy holiday gift to everyone. :) I'm super sorry for the late update. 1 word: LIFE.

Standard disclaimer applies. Once again, I am too lazy to backtrack and check the details so sorry if there are any inconsistencies. Please do feel free to let me know if you notice some.

And last and definitely not the least, thank you so much to all my loyal and faithful readers. Thank you for being patient with my slow updates. Real life is just too tough… ugh…

And to the new readers, welcome!

On with the chapter! :)


Chapter 27: Me and the Scandal

"P-P-P-Papa!?" the blonde maid stuttered hysterically, an interesting shade of red coloring her face.

"Ruu-kun," she continued, as she took the baby from the equally startled and now frozen brunet's shoulders, "Why did you call the young master papa?" she asked, trying to humor the child. "And here I thought you were enemies!" she joked.

But rather than enjoying his mother's embrace, the baby started to squirm and reach for the still startled brunet.

"Papa! Papa!" he yelled as he continued to struggle.

Hearing the distressed voice, Kanata had finally snapped out of his frozen-state. "Now, now… I'm not your… uh... P-Papa!" he said, struggling to get the word out.

As soon as the words left his mouth though, the baby's eyes immediately glossed over – tears forming at the corner of his eyes. And without warning, a large wail was let out by the very upset child.

The two teens immediately looked at each other – panic clearly written on their faces.

"Why did you say that!?" Miyu scolded the equally panicking brunet as she struggled to calm down the distraught child.

"What was I gonna do, let him think that I am his P-p-papa?!" he retorted. Somehow, the thought didn't unnerve him as much as it should, but he was not going to tell that especially to the blonde in front of him. "What would people think!?"

"You could have at least humored him!" she scolded him as she rocked the baby in her arms. Miyu continued to try and calm the baby down.

"Now, now, Ruu-kun. Please stop crying," she coaxed as the baby buried his face to her chest. But as the seconds go by, they can tell that the child was not going to stop any time soon.

As Ruu continued to wail, guilt continued to creep inside Kanata's conscience. He knew what it felt like to be alone and abandoned, and here he was showing the same treatment towards a 2-year old kid.

His mother died when he was quite young. His dad, too distraught by the loss of his wife, decided to travel around the world in search of peace and the meaning of the remainder of his life.

In truth, Kanata felt that he made his father leave since his resemblance with his mother is uncanny. Seeing the face of his dead wife in his child everyday would have been too painful for him to bear.

So staring a bit longer at the two blondes together, Kanata knew what he had to do.

Rubbing his neck in defeat, Kanata immediately took a step towards the two.

Suddenly aware of the sudden proximity, Miyu turned her attention to the blushing, fidgety brunet in front of her.

"Okay," he murmured, still a bit unsure if he was about to do the correct thing.

Miyu tilted her head to the side, "Young master?" she asked, not understanding the meaning of the single word he said.

"I'll be his Papa," he said, his attention focusing too much on the kitchen flooring.

Slowly, the sparkle returned to his blonde maid's eyes. A brilliant smile immediately appeared on her lips and she turned back towards the still crying child.

"Ruu-kun," she said, hinting for the child to listen. The child clutched her shirt even tighter, a refusal to show his face to either of the teens.

A hand softly touched the top of his head and started to pet it slowly. "Ruu," Kanata said, effectively drawing the child's attention towards him.

Once his brunet eyes met the glistening blues, he knew that he was doing the right thing.

"Can you forgive your idiotic papa?" Kanata asked as he motioned for him to transfer into his arms. "I was just surprised, that's all," he said, as he gave a sheepish smile.

Blinking a few times, Ruu was a bit confused. Clearly, he had just gone through the disappointment of knowing that the brunet was not his papa. But here he is now, calling himself that.

Feeling the nudge from the arms around him, the blonde baby turned to look towards his mama and was surprised to see her encouraging smile.

"Are you going to forgive your papa, Ruu-kun?" Miyu asked as she motioned to the brunet in front of them.

Slowly, the baby turned to look at the still waiting young man who, without waiting, grabbed him from the arms of his mama and seated him right back on top of his shoulders.

"Now, where were we?" Kanata said as he made Ruu as comfortable as possible.

After nothing but a few more seconds of silence, the brunet slowly felt the baby's hands take possessive hold of his head.

"Papa," he said, as he snuggled towards his head.

Kanata couldn't help but smile in satisfaction, and he unconsciously turned to look towards the young woman in front of him.

"I think it would be best if we keep this," he said, giving a vague motion towards their new arrangement, "to ourselves."

CLICK!

The two teens turned to look towards the source of the sound only to find the head butler aka Grandpa Kouzuki holding a camera in his hands.

"Oh don't mind me. I just liked how the three of you looked together," he said as he waved the camera lightly.

The two teens blushed with the comment.

"So I see Ruu-kun has found a father," the old man said seriously, as he pushed the bridge of his glasses.

If they were blushing before, the two were now burning up.

After being silent for what felt like minutes, the old man suddenly grinned smugly, "Don't let Seiya find out about this or you'll never hear the end of it." And with that, the old man turned and stepped out of the kitchen, the doors swinging in momentum.

For a while, the gaps showed nothing but the retreating back of the old man. But on the third swing, a face they new all too well suddenly appeared.

"Look at the happy family…" Seiya joshed, all the while holding the dreaded tablet in his hands.

"You three look so good together!" Akira said through the screen, squealing in delight.

.

..

"SEIYA!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

After a dreaded long weekend full of nothing but teases from Seiya, Akira, and occasionally the elder Kouzuki, Kanata found himself actually looking forward to Monday.

Classes went by quickly and before he knew it, it was time to go home.

As he walked towards the gates, Kanata was pretty satisfied with just how uneventful the day has been.

As soon as he sees his limo, the brunet felt the sudden urge to go home and get back to his two blondes the soonest. And no, Seiya was not one of them.

As if hearing his wish, the door opens and out emerges his blonde maid to greet him.

"Good work today, young master," Miyu says, as they stand in front of each other.

Blinking away his surprise, Kanata found his voice. "What are you doing here?" he asks, curiosity clear in his voice.

Miyu just smiled at him. "Well, someone couldn't wait to see you back home," she answered contently.

A blush immediately appeared on the brunet's face.

Seeing his reaction, Miyu was able to understand what her words imply and a blush rose on her face as well.

"I-I mean…"

"Daa!" Ruu interrupted, already clearing up what Miyu was about to.

As if breaking from a trance, Kanata bent to have a clearer look of the limo's interior.

"Hey there, Ruu," the brunet greeted seeing the blonde baby tucked in a car seat inside.

Seeing a clearer image of the brunet, the baby couldn't control his excitement and started to reach out for him.

"Papa! Papa!" Ruu whined, as if it was taking too long for him to be picked up.

Chuckling, Kanata reached out for the child. "Alright, let's go," he said, taking the kid in his arms.

Once free from the confines of the car, Ruu squeals and happily hugs his surrogate father. "Papa! Papa!" he calls out happily, albeit a little too loudly.

"N-Now Ruu-kun," Miyu lightly scolds him, in an attempt to silence the excited child. After all, the last thing they need is for someone to…

"Did I just hear him call Saionji-kun 'Papa'?" Nanami said as she approached the small 'family'.

"Y-you must be hearing things, Nanami-chan!" Miyu said overenthusiastically. "H-he says 'Daa! Daa!' all the time," she explains.

As if wanting to correct his mother, Ruu took it upon himself to clarify what he is actually saying, "Papa! Papa!"

"See! He did say Papa!" Nanami exclaimed, a bit too loudly.

"What? What?! Ruu-kun calls Kanata Papa?!" Santa practically screams to the whole school.

"Santa!" Kanata scolded the scandalous teen.

"So you have tainted my dear Miyu-cchi!" Nozomu cries as he holds a rose reminiscent to a sword. "I challenge you for her honor!"

Before the brunet could complain, the fourth member of the gang decides to bring her share to the mix.

"Two years ago, right before Miyu-chan had to leave for America, you both realized that you were deeply, madly, and truly in love with each other. Instead of asking her to stay though, you decided to just let her go and pursue her dreams. But on the night right before she leaves, you two confess to each other your true feelings. Wanting to savour every last bit of your time left, one thing led to another and before you knew it, you both were too caught up in the heat of passion. Of course, being a spur of the moment thing, both of you forgot to take certain precautions, which resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. Being so far apart, Miyu-chan started to doubt your feelings towards each other and decided to keep the pregnancy a secret. Which is why she asked to extend her stay in America for another year. But after having the baby and raising for a few months, she realized that it was unfair of her to keep this from you and decided to come home. A bit shocked with the news, Saionji-kun was upset at first, but soon realized that he was more upset about all the missed moments rather than the situation. And having resolved the problem, you've finally accepted being called 'Papa' by Ruu-kun."

As soon as she finished her story, everyone was a bit astounded with just how rich the plot Aya was able to conjure in just a span of a few minutes.

"So… how much did I get right?" Aya asked, her smile broadening with excitement.

Blood immediately rushed up the two teens faces. "ABSOLUTELY NONE!" both Miyu and Kanata yelled simultaneously. But just as they were to berate the over-eager playwright-to-be, a dark aura suddenly engulfed the whole school. Thunder started to rumble with dark louds taking shape.

Slowly, a dark figure was emerging from the school building, her voice deeper than death itself.

"'We musn't, young master,' Miyu-chan said as they break from the heated kiss.'

'I think you're just upset about me leaving that's why you're doing this.'

Cupping her cheek with his hand, Kanata swoops in for another kiss. 'I love you, Miyu.' Kanata said in a deep, husky voice. 'I always have, and always will.'

Her walls breaking, Miyu takes the initiative and throws herself to him, 'And I love you,'

And… and.. AAAAAAAND!"

"HANAKOMACHI!" a bright-red-faced Kanata yells as he places both his hands on the shoulders of the raging girl. "IT WAS NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Oh my, my imagination seems to be on hyper drive today," Christine said shyly, as the clouds and the thunder dissolved into nothing.

And so everyone let out a deep and pleased sigh, happy that they are spared from the wrath of the girl.

But naturally, they spoke too soon.

"PAPA!" Ruu yelled/scolded, seeing his father being friendly with another girl aside from his mama.

1

2

3

All hell broke loose.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The Saionji limo barely managed to escape the episode at school.

But the ride home wasn't any better seeing as the two teens sat as far away as they can from each other – their faces still red.

The overly descriptive and graphic scene narrated to them earlier still fresh in their minds, which made even looking at each other unbearable.

Sensing the tension between his parents, Ruu took it upon himself to break it. The child reached out from across the seat and towards his father.

"Papa!" he whined, motioning for the brunet.

Noticing this, the two teens immediately turned towards the child and, inevitably, towards each other.

As their eyes met, both immediately realized how silly they were being and couldn't help but laugh at themselves.

Indulging the child in his whim, Miyu proceeded in passing him on to the brunet. "That was a close call," she started a thankful smile on her face.

"I'll say," Kanata said as he arranged the child on his lap. "That was too much for me to handle."

The rest of the drive back was more relaxed with the baby asking to be passed from one parent to another. And in no time, they find themselves back in the comforts of the Saionji mansion.

However, instead of the usual line-up of maids and butlers, they were greeted solely by the elder Kouzuki.

"Welcome back, Master Kanata," he greets with his mandatory bow.

"Gampa!" Ruu greets happily high on Kanata's shoulders – to which the elder waves his hands playfully.

Unused to the lack of presence, Miyu asks, "Where is everyone?" as they enter the mansion, trying to remember the select instances where most of the staff were missing.

"About that…"

Suddenly, a new voice interrupts the group. "Kanata, my boy!" an old, bald man is suddenly sprinting towards them.

"Dad!?" Kanata yelled, extremely surprised by his father's presence.

But before the elder Saionji can tackle the brunet, the man slows to a stop as he spots the blonde baby sitting on the shoulders of his son.

"Who's that?" he says, as he points to the child.

"Oh… this is Ruu," he said, gathering the blonde baby in his arms.

"And what is he to you?" Hosho said, his hand starting to shake from eager anticipation for the answer.

"W-well," Kanata starts, unsure with how to answer. "I'm sorta his…"

"PAPA!"

.

..

"WHAT?!"

-Chapter 27 End-


A/N: Too lazy to proofread right now, so sorry for the spelling and grammar errors. Please let me know if you're bother by a few.

So Hosho makes an appearance! I'm a bit torn with how to treat his character – whether he should be a source of conflict or not… But the story will finally move forward. I'm pretty sure a few of you are tired of all the fluff I've been writing.

Well, I think I'll sleep on it first. ;)

Love it? Hate it? Getting tired of it?

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks for (still) reading!