Chapter 35

Deep Secret

Gakupo lets Neru rest for a few hours before going back into the room to wake her up for dinner. He quietly opens the door and peeks inside. He sees her curled up in the middle of the bed with the blanket covering her slender body. He goes into the room and walks over to the bed. "Neru-chan?" he said in a low gentle voice. He gently touches her forehead with the back of his fingers to wake her. "It's time to wake up, love." She slowly opens her eyes and looks around. "Time to wake up, my sleepy princess."

Neru looks at her fiancé, smiles slightly, and then stretches. He smiles down at her as she sits up. He offers her his left hand and she takes it gently. He helps her out of the bed and then he picks her up. She giggles and holds onto him by wrapping her arms lightly around his neck. He brings her out to the living room and sits her on the couch. Ranee is sitting on the floor playing with her light blue ball. "It is dinnertime everyone!" Gakupo called.

"FOOD!" Nero yelled happily.

"Alright," Haku said smiling.

"There's foo?" Dell asked seemingly surprised.

"You should try nii-san's cooking. He is one Hell of a cook," Gakuko said.

"I'm sure that he is," Neru said. She walks over to her fiancé and gently places her right hand on his left cheek and kisses him on the lips, which he promptly returns.

"My cooking isn't all that great…" Gakupo said in a small voice.

"Oh I know that all too well," Neru said with a smirk mistaking what Gakupo said for something else.

"GROSS!" Nero said loudly getting what his sister meant. Gakupo looks at Neru slightly confused.

"My cooking isn't that great…" Gakupo repeated.

"The Hell it isn't," Gakuko protested. Gakupo dishes out bowls of food for everyone.

"I hope that you all will enjoy it…" Gakupo said in a low voice.

"If it is food, then we will enjoy it," Neru pointed out. Gakupo laughs nervously but seems not to have made himself a bowl. Neru takes the bowl that Gakupo is offering her, sits down, and starts eating. Gakupo remains standing by a far wall by the kitchen watching them eat. "It is good." Gakupo's hands are behind his back as he stands there.

"I hope that you all will enjoy the dinner," Gakupo said again. With that said he heads to his bedroom. He sits on his bed with his head in his hands.

"Why isn't he going to eat?" Nero asked confused.

"He rarely eats his own cooking," Gakuko answered.

"Why is that?" Nero asked as his sister finishes eating.

"I'm not entirely sure on why. My guess is that he doesn't like his own cooking all that much," Gakuko said as she continues eating. Gakupo remains sitting on the bed and refuses to look up. Neru gets up, puts her dish in the sink, and then walks to her bedroom. Gakupo remains silent as Neru opens the door, comes into the room, and closes the door behind her again.

"Hey, love, are you okay?" Neru asked him. He looks at her thinking that she will yell at him for his cooking therefore he says nothing. "The food was truly good."

"Was it really?" he asked her.

"Yes," she answered with a smile. With her answer, Gakupo's eyes brighten again.

"Is anyone wondering why I didn't eat?" Gakupo asked.

"Yes, all of us are wondering why on that."

"I just don't think that my cooking is all that great."

"It is good though," Neru said reassuring him.

"My dad said that it would kill someone one day…"

"Well, we are all still alive," Neru said.

"I can see that…" Gakupo said as he flushes a deep red. She smiles, walks over to him, and places her hands on his shoulders. He looks up at her and holds her hands with his own. She sits on his lap facing him and kisses him long and hard on the lips, he returns the kiss immediately. "Did everyone enjoy it?"

"Yes, they did."

"T-that's good to hear." Neru smiles again. He stands lifting her up and spins her in a circle. She giggles happily. He keeps spinning until he gets dizzy and falls onto the bed with her landing on top of him.

"You got dizzy I see," Neru said with a smirk as she looks down at him.

"Yeah, just slightly…" Neru laughs a little.

"Hey, guess what." The Samurai slowly sits up.

"What?"

"I love you that's what." Gakupo hugs her tightly.

"I love you too." She hugs him back just as tightly. He stands up and she gets down causing him to pout.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I didn't want you to get down."

"Oh, okay." She puts her hands on his shoulders again an hops back up. He holds her bridal style again, causing her to smile up at him. He brings her back into the living room. The others look up at him as he comes down the hallway. Gakupo sets Neru on her feet gently and makes sure that she doesn't fall down.

"There he is. That was good food," Nero said with a smile on his face.

"R-really?" Gakupo asked slightly red in the face.

"Yes it was."

"I have been telling him that for years now," Gakuko said as she washed the dishes.

"Dude, when a woman tells you that your cooking is good… that usually means that is good," Nero said. Gakupo rubs the back of his head nervously and Neru rubs her belly softly. He looks at her and smiles. Neru looks from her belly to him and grins broadly.

"Do you think the baby I satisfied with my cooking?" Gakupo asked Neru as he picks up Ranee and cradles her in his arms.

"Well, it's only a couple of weeks old, so it's still just a seed," Neru pointed out.

"I know that. I was just wondering…"

"But I'm sure that it will be happy with your cooking…" She reassured him. The two of them look around the living room at their friends and family.