~Chapter Thirty-Seven~

Perseverance

One Touch and I Was A Believer.
Every Kiss; It Gets A Little Sweeter.
'Cause This Love Is Only Getting Stronger,
So I Don't Want To Wait Any Longer.

People Say We Shouldn't Be Together.
We're Too Young To Know About Forever.
It's Between Me And You, Our Little Secret,
But I Wanna Tell 'em…

I Just Wanna Tell The World You're Mine, Girl.

~ They Don't Know About Us, by One Direction

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

Curious, Akira remained quiet but narrowed his eyes in consideration, obviously wondering why I would speak this formally while at home and in his presence. He slowly raised himself from the chair and walked forward to stand in front of me. "What is it, Takashi?"

To his surprise, I dropped into a rigid and formal bow, which served to indicate just how serious I was now. I stared at the granite tiles without blinking, feeling both excited and fearful of his impending reaction to my request. I inhaled sharply and prayed to Kami that the deep breath would calm me. And I blurted –

"I want to marry my girlfriend, Samantha May Steel."

Takashi's P.O.V.

Silence thickened the cold air in the room and made it difficult to breathe in the wake of shock and discomfort. Lost within the cold and empty feeling roaring in my skull like fire, I could not catch the breath whispering between clenched teeth. My heart skipped several quick beats, but I ignored the oddly soft palpitations in favor of concentrating upon several yellow and brown tiles, a color scheme likely picked out by Oka-san. Earth tones were a personal favorite of mine, too, and I smiled faintly at the familiar colors, relieved. I could also feel the returning calm settling in my stomach.

The hair at my nape prickled, and I realized that two steely gray eyes were now piercing into my skull. "May you and I discuss this matter now?" I humbly asked, seemingly of the earthen tiles, and attempted to breathe in again through the silence screaming in my ears.

Storm clouds, dark blue in color, were rumbling in the distance, too. Thunder screamed loudly and lightning flashed in quick streaks through the dark window behind Father. "Stand, Takashi, and face me," Akira suddenly demanded, his tone of voice soft with heavy waves of emotions foreign to one as young as me.

A flash of lightning illuminated his silhouette, outlining the great bulk of his strong and muscled torso. Noble facial features darkened, his thin eyebrows drawing down to meet the bridge of his nose, and Akira glared down at me, irritated and disappointed with the blank expression and the lack of action on my part. Thus, I quickly and obediently moved to follow his instructions, fear zipping into my stomach. What if I am not allowed to stay with her? My heart clenched. My Sammy-chan…

My curved back straightened into a ramrod straight posture. I jerked upwards, on command, and stiffened, mentally preparing myself for the worst. When I was staring straight into his gray eyes – the gateways into his soul – I hesitantly asked, "Yes, Otou-san?" Hope was ringing in my voice.

After I complied with his demands, Akira opened his mouth and slowly stated, "You are a man now, my son, and thus must act like one." He eyed the blank, almost even expression, upon my solemn face and nodded in approval. "I am not surprised, however, that you need little guidance in this area." Gray eyes glimmered and lightened with the strength of his pride. "You have – and always will be – a strong yet gentle soul worthy of recognition and respect, Takashi."

My eyes, stormy with the fear that I could barely suppress now, widened with surprise. My father, a man of strength and speed and wisdom, was not gentle in any sense of the word and could be labeled apathetic at the best of times, really. He rarely displayed his emotions to others. Then again, Akira was not interested in stitching his emotions to the sleeves of his expensive kimono and letting others – namely, his enemies – see what in this world would hurt him.

The true secret of the Morinozuka Clan, however, was not the amount priceless treasures in our vaults or our incredible knowledge of and skills in the martial arts. We were not materialistic or overly selfish, in part because all Morinozukas were raised to be selfless. Our secret, therefore, revolved around the almost animalistic ferocity with which we protected the precious people closest to us – the ones we called family, friends, and lovers.

Like Mitsukuni, Satoshi, and Sammy.

My precious ones…

Marriage was even more sacred to the Haninozuka and Morinozuka Clans for this reason. We would protect – to the death, if necessary – our partners and children. She was a sweet girl, but Sammy was my weakness, too. Someday, I realized, the children (because I wanted several little girls and boys with sky blue eyes and mischievous smiles running barefoot through Morinozuka Manor) that Sammy and I welcomed into this world would also be at great risk if others were to realize what truly threatened and provoked the Haninozuka and Morinozuka Clans into action.

Take Akira for example. He loved his wife and both of his children dearly and wished to avoid disputes, both verbal and physical, at all costs. His obsession with training his sons in all forms of martial arts, the major branches of politics, and bits and pieces of several different languages and customs reflected his desire to see us protected against those that might wish harm upon us or our precious ones. Both Satoshi and I were carefully and equally instructed in means of communication and compromise. We were conversationalists.

We were conversationalists? Inwardly, I sweatdropped and corrected that last thought. Well, Satoshi converses incessantly and I smile and gesture 'yes' or 'no' in agreement with his ideas, but…

If that failed, however, Morinozukas would immediately shift from defense to attack mode. We would fight for our values and beliefs. Already, Satoshi and I had been invited and accepted into the ranks of several elite martial arts groups and political communities that valued the expertise and skill with which Satoshi and I displayed. He and I enjoyed interacting with the prodigal children of other martial artist families; however, all possible romantic relationships that I encountered ended before even starting.

Like Satoshi and Mitsukuni, I blatantly refused to marry a girl for political and financial gain, because that would be wrong and contradicted the values of the Morinozukas and Haninozukas before me. We were not like the Ootori and Suoh Families. After all, Kyoya and Tamaki would eventually marry and live with whomever the current Lord Ootori and Lady Suoh decided smart, pretty, polite, and docile enough for the Ootori and Suoh bloodlines, respectively. Haruhi, I realized grimly, did not fit the last requirement, either…

Yes. Most other families of noble lineage scoffed at the notion, but the Morinozuka Clan married for love. I did not believe in breaking that tradition and disgracing the wishes of the Morinozuka and Haninozuka Clans – my family married into the Haninozuka Clan because my grandfather discovered his bride in the young woman assigned to his care. After a year of secret meetings, Morinozuka Seiji married his ward, Haninozuka Arisa, thus connecting the Morinozukas and Haninozukas together in marriage, and later blood.

My father did not mind that I followed this example by refusing to accept political betrothals, either. He supported this decision and often nodded in approval when I politely albeit sternly refused the advances of the daughters of the enemy; however, Akira would not like that I finally decided to marry a commoner, even if that commoner was now a noblewoman. No one outside of the Morinozuka and Haninozuka Clans really comprehended the (seeming lack of) reasoning behind these actions, but Akira trusted the judgment of his wife and children.

In the end, Akira appreciated that we were working to make him – and the rest of the world – proud of the Morinozuka Clan. However, Satoshi and I rarely received smiles, handshakes, and verbal praise. It was possible that I would find his large hand resting on my shoulder, his eyes suddenly bright with pride, but I could not remember the last time that I was given so many compliments upon my good characteristics and personality traits.

He believes in me, I realized then, admittedly feeling a medley of emotions, from shocked to nervous. Will Otou-san still believe in me, though, when I mention that Sammy-chan was once a commoner? The blood in my veins pumped faster, and I blushed, cheeks stained red with pride and embarrassment – the desire to prove and justify myself to him exceeded all else. I would need not only a single explanation for wishing to marry my sweetheart, but several. I would have to thoroughly convince my parents that I loved, cared for, and would protect Sammy.

Without my wife, I would not be able to continue the Morinozuka bloodlines, and that would be considered dishonorable in many ways. I would bring disgrace to my name and that of the entire family. The position of Lord Morinozuka, traditionally given to the first son, would be passed to the next in line: Satoshi. Although I loved him dearly, I did not think it best for the family if the cheerful and oblivious Satoshi claimed control and lordship of the Morinozuka Clan. He, like Mitsukuni, loved flowers, kittens, and all things cute and adorable and huggable. Present him with flowers or a cute kitten and the world seemingly vanished.

And I sweatdropped, thinking back to his earlier sweet n' sour actions, all mixed between concerned and conniving. Sometimes, I wonder if Mitsukuni and I should trade siblings for the day…

Thankfully, Akira did not recognize the pained and somewhat constipated expression in my eyes and interpreted it to be worry over my request, rather than fear that Satoshi might be redecorating the dojo. He interrupted the aforementioned train of thought, which centered around training in a pink dojo filled with daisies, and then declared, "Know that I am proud of who you are, my son."

"Otou-san…" I visibly startled at the admission, feeling off balance with the world for a moment, before bowing low to the ground yet again and then murmuring, "I do not deserve your praise and recognition, but I offer my sincere thanks for this approval."

Now, I declared, mentally crossing both fingers together like Sammy often did when nervous and needed extra luck, if I could only receive his approval for that little request of mine, all would be well.

Oblivious to this inner conflict, Akira turned his back to me and glanced out the large window, his stormy eyes searching through the darkness for his sanctuary. My father calmed when the bright light of the waning moon erased the dark shadows clinging to my mother's garden. It rested below, just outside of his personal dojo, and lined the western border of the property, connecting us yet again to the Haninozukas.

Yellow and white roses clearly lined the stone walkway between the two large houses, and I remembered clearly following the path to visit my cousins just yesterday. Mitsukuni wanted to discuss my impending date with Sammy, but Yasuchika scoffed at the mention of the eccentric nightmare and suggested I find another girlfriend to pursue. Alas, I did not get to rebuke him; Mitsukuni responded instantly to the derogatory insults and, like a guard dog, attacked the younger male. He beat him black and blue, too. Last I heard, Yasuchika was in a coma…

My youngest cousin deserved the punishment, however, for thinking to insult what was mine. He was incredibly lucky, too, that I did not get to him first. Mitsukuni might love Sammy, but Yasuchika was a member of this family first and would always receive preferential treatment. Yes, Yasuchika hated his guts, but Mitsukuni would do whatever possible to help the younger blonde boy, just like I would do all in my power to help Satoshi. Family was important to us. And I looked forward to the day that I could include Sammy in this family.

"A wise man once said, 'Behind the face of each great man is an even greater woman,'" Akira suddenly recited, his expression uncharacteristically soft and lost deep within the flashes of his memories. "For me, your mother is that kind, smart, and considerate woman."

Like Romeo and Juliet, I smiled faintly at the thought of the stories of family drama surrounding the marriage of Morinozuka Akira and Haninozuka Karin. The healthy color drained from my skin like water, however, and I grimaced in horror. Without the poison, suicide, and dying, anyway…

"Takashi." His silver eyes suddenly flickered to me, staring straight into my eyes and into my soul, reading the strong emotions boiling in my chest. "What of this young woman you speak of?" He narrowed his eyes, curious, and darkly demanded, "Who is Samantha May Steel?"

Before I could think to attempt and prevent the subconscious reaction, I relaxed marginally and began to smile softly in response. My silver eyes crinkled faintly at the corners, a smile in their depths, and lightened to shades of cloudy gray. The worried expression that I fostered morphed into a small but honest display of happiness. Although I did not notice the change, Akira did, and responded by leaning backwards, folding his arms, and staring at me with wide eyes.

"My Sammy-chan is a small bundle of fun, filled with love, humor, and mischievousness," I explained. My muscles relaxed beneath the force of the mental images in my mind, all centering on my sweetheart running around the abandoned music room with that silly smile and Nekozawa Umehito's black cape, pretending to be Batman. "She is rather eccentric and likes to reference anything of interest to her."

"You list her good qualities, but I hear nothing of her faults," Akira dryly pointed out, before readjusting his shoulders to emphasize the warning in his voice – I want the truth, not this pretty picture of teenage love. Dark hair was nervously ruffled with his right hand, and Akira sighed, feeling old all of the sudden. "No one is perfect, Takashi."

Scowling, I straightened to mirror his aggressive posture and gritted out, "Yes, Sammy-chan is weak, selfish, bitter, and often too curious for her own good, but…" My heart skipped another beat, rushing blood to the skin just beneath the hollows in my previously pale cheeks, and I stubbornly insisted, "But I am in love with her!"

"What of her previous status as a commoner?" Akira questioned, relentless in his quest to find fault with the eccentric young woman who would bear his grandchildren – and thus the heirs to his bloodline. "I am assured that the girl has trouble adapting to new people and situations, neither of which would be beneficial to Morinozuka Clan in any way."

My fierce expression darkened considerably, knowing that Akira was referencing the death of her family and her subsequent adoption. "Her childhood home, her parents, and her little sister are gone," I growled, too infuriated to control the sound like a proper son, and narrowed furious eyes at him. "I am aware that Sammy-chan dwells too much in the past, but I also know that my girlfriend feels like this because of her ability to love unconditionally, without the need for lines and boundaries between cultures, languages, religions – or social classes."

Within the pocket of the shirt I picked this morning, which seemed like forever ago, I could feel Piyo restlessly shifting from foot to foot, upset with the tone of voice I used. He was moving up and down, back and forth, and scratching small lines into my muscled chest. The pain, however, did nothing to me. Yes, I controlled the desire to scream rude expletives, but only because Piyo chirped softly at me in an attempt to comfort the frustration and fury whispering in my veins.

Kami, I wanted to punch through the wall and into the next room, in which rested the dojo for our students and where I could happily beat upon a couple of dummies – like father!

Ignoring the subtle (but clearly intentional) jibe about class, Akira pulled his arms around his sides, folded his slender hands behind his rigid back. "So I see…" He considered the glare in my eyes with what could be either fury – or amusement?

Dumbfounded, I stared directly at him, unblinking in my confusion. What the fuck is going on?

Humming filled the room, and Akira thoughtfully cocked his head to the side, staring at me over the edge of his slender nose in a condescending way. "Would Steel-san succeed in finding her niche in our world with her lack of indiscretion and understanding of the necessary political niceties?" Akira inquired, almost evenly, and examined his rough fingernails with interest.

My hands curled inwards, to fists, and I inhaled sharply before releasing the tension in my palms, fingers, shoulders, neck, and torso. Calm trickled into my soul like cold water from a waterfall, soothing the rush of accusatory fire burning in my chest. Piyo cheeped twice in approval and burrowed further into my empty pockets, appeased for the moment. Later, however, I would need to earnestly bribe him with seed, cornmeal, and other tasty goodies to get the chicken to return to his nest for the night. Great…

"With all due respect, Otou-san," I quietly said, lifting both eyes and staring straight into the cold glare of Lord Morinozuka, who I both loved and feared, "My Sammy-chan never will belong to any one group and does not need to find her niche." Inhaling slowly, I released the breath and added, "She belongs only in my arms, where I will keep her happy and healthy and safe from harm."

There was a moment of silence, during which I wondered if I surpassed the bright white line between son and father, moving from devoted ally to rival in a moment of blind desperation. I automatically stepped back, the territorial feelings screeching to a stop and chilling the blood in my veins. My father stepped forward to compensate for the sudden distance between us. With perhaps the meanest glare in the world, Akira moved closer and closer, the dark irritation in his gaze rivaling that of his brother-in-law, who often attempted to pulverize Mitsukuni, but to no avail. My cousin was strong and full of conviction, whereas I was sometimes weak in spirit – unless given the proper incentive, anyway.

Who is Samantha May Steel?

I braced myself for the blow that I sensed coming but decided to firmly stand still, acting again upon my instincts and the primitive need to display how strong, how quick, how serious I was in regards to protecting Sammy. Akira slowly lifted his foot and lowered it to rest beside the right, before halting right in front of me, staring into my eyes. He raised his thick right hand, scarred with zigzagged lines because of his incessant training, and aligned it with my eye, where I determined his fist would land when – and notif– the hit connected.

Feeling sick, I tensed, and the muscles in my jaw immediately began twitching with nervous and erratic tension. Come at me, and I will show you just who Samantha May Steel is now! I quieted and searched for my center as a curled fist zipped, like lightning, to meet me. She is mine!

To my infinite surprise, however, Akira stopped short of his intended target and merely patted the twitching skin below my eye with his big knuckles. His hand remained there, resting gently above a pulse point in my cheek, and tapping in time to the pounding of the blood in my ears. I hesitantly relaxed in his hold, frantically wondering if this might be his idea of psyching me out prior to battle, and yet still subconsciously leaning into the odd touch, which I found to be unusual and familiar all at once.

Fuzzy memories of being carried in his strong arms, my chubby hands curled tightly around his thick neck, flickered to life. His gigantic hands were so much larger than mine, but I trusted the quiet giant to protect me, even against himself. My mother was smiling in the distance, her wide honey eyes open with laughter when I stared out at the ocean in awe and then reached forward to grab the sun in my open palms. The sun remained in the skies, though, and I only succeeded in pulling the giant man into the ocean with me. I blinked to clear my mind of the images, the phantom ocean water burning my eyes and making it difficult to see.

My father smiled wistfully at me. "You have grown up so incredibly fast, Takashi," Akira said, his stormy eyes suspiciously bright and shining with what I believed to be tears. "I feel like I have missed the leap you made from teenage boy to young man."

"Ah," I muttered, stunned with this turnabout, and sheepishly began rubbing my neck in the hopes of distracting myself from the teary expression in his gaze. It was strange, unusual, and not at all comforting. In truth, I could not be more worried for his sanity – or my own…

Chuckling, Akira reached upwards and roughly wiped at his eyes to clear the suspicious wet substance from his tanned face. He pinched the bridge of his nose, amused, and smirked down at me. "You, Takashi, are just like your mother," Akira stated with conviction.

Admittedly, I was startled at this declaration and moved forward without conscious thought to glance into his eyes, searching for the truth behind his words. I could not find it, however, and feeling confused, I heatedly argued, "Oka-san believes that I look like you!"

"That is true," Akira responded, his silver eyes scanning my eyes, skin, hair, and lanky but muscular form in agreement. "You are my mirror image, yet you share her shy demeanor and love of animals." He glanced out the glass window and to the beautiful garden, his expression softening into a smile. "Your nature is gentle, and the decisions you make reflect the need to protect your precious ones."

"Ah," I mumbled the affirmative phrase again and shifted from foot to foot in embarrassment, thus proving his point, I realized. My lips twitched upwards in amusement, but I could not find it within myself to contradict his statement. Both Satoshi and I were unusually gentle – and, in the case of Satoshi, highly emotional – for Morinozukas.

"As I said, Takashi," Akira snickered lightly at the embarrassment reddening my nose and then continued, "You are more your mother than Satoshi and I." He paused, however, and rolled his silver eyes in a good natured fashion, thinking of Satoshi. "Your brother is a close second, of course…"

My mother, Haninozuka Karin, argued with her parents incessantly about the benefits of her betrothal to her fiancé, Morinozuka Akira; the former was a ward of the latter. It did not help matters, either, that the two were cousins because of the marriage of the previous generations of Haninozukas and Morinozukas. My mother, however, refused to settle for another man. Karin loved Akira. And I loved Sammy.

Father nodded twice in approval at the similarities, pleased, and gruffly said, "You are a good boy, Takashi." He smiled wistfully, his stare distant and lost in memories. "Man, I mean." His silver stare brightened briefly, returning to the current moment, and focused to me. "If I remember correctly, I said that every great man needs his great woman, yes?"

"I…" My silver eyes snapped to his in that moment, stunned, and I will be the first to admit that I stupidly stared at him, openmouthed in disbelief. Nervously, I swallowed the lump in my suddenly swollen throat and croaked, "Do you mean it, Otou-san?"

"Yes, Takashi," Akira gently reassured, his solemn expression lightened by the cheerful twinkle in his stormy eyes. He looked ten years younger, and I remembered instantly the painting in the hallway, hanging just outside the ancient office door.

Lost beyond words, I bowed low to the ground again to compensate for the quick thanks that I could feel swimming from my open mouth. "Thank you," I whispered, tears of relief brimming in my eyes.

Oddly enough, Akira, who was all about polite gestures, decided that we would have none of that formality and reached forward to hug me. I was surprised by the sudden affection but returned the embrace by wrapping my arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. My eyes closed slowly, and I breathed in the faint scent of his cologne, remembering all of those childhood memories of riding his shoulders. That time is now over.

Although saddened at the prospect of losing the innocence of childhood, I smiled because a new chapter in my novel would be opened next. The pages were slowly turning from the first part of the story and to the climax, which would likely be filled with different challenges to triumph over. High school would eventually end, then college would follow immediately afterwards, proceeded by marriage and children.

Yes, I would be stepping into the world of adulthood, but I would not be alone.

Sammy would be with me.

***Author's Note***

Takashi: O_O ...He said, "Yes."

Shadowsammy: Poor Takashi! He's too stunned to realize that the chapter is over. :)

Takashi: o_O ...Father said, "Yes." O_o

Shadowsammy: *Poke, Poke, Poke*

Takashi: ...please review...

YOU HEARD THE MAN! READ AND REVIEW, PEEPS! oR PiyO wILL eAT yOur SoUl!

Sweet dreams! :D