Alright, here ya' go. Enjoy! -L


Chapter 38

"Why don't we just wait until they agree on something before we do anything?" suggested Takuma, not knowing how to move the discussion forward anymore.

"We don't have the time to wait!" reminded Kaname. "If we want to get them married before anyone can guess about her pregnancy, we do barely have two months left. That's just enough to make the necessary arrangements. Furthermore, we have to get the council's approval before we can begin planning. We can't wait until they make up. She said she wanted this, and we'll have to deal with it…"

"But we're not even sure if that's final yet… And don't be offended but I sincerely don't see these kids becoming parents." said Takuma, shaking his head.

"Be assured, we don't either." replied Kaname with a sigh.

"I tried to convince Juuri to talk to Kaito but I can tell she didn't think rationally when she said she wanted to have the kid." intervened Yuuki in an attempt to tell Kaname to wait a little longer. "She really doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

"So what should we do?" asked Takuma before this would turn into another fight. "The meeting is in a few hours, what do we tell them?"

Kain's superior had managed to get them an audience for the next day and Takuma, Kaname and Yuuki had spent the last hour discussing how they should negotiate with the council. They were interrupted in their conversation by a knock on the door. Kaname narrowed his eyes at sensing who stood behind the closed door while Takuma and Yuuki exchanged a surprised look.

"Come in!" called Takuma after receiving a nod from Kaname.

Kaito entered the room, carefully followed by Juuri who stayed one step behind him, trying to hide her red eyes by hiding behind her fringe and his back.

"Father." began Kaito, feeling his self-confidence rapidly melt away under Kaname's burning glare. "We have something to tell you…"

"Did you talk?" asked Takuma with a welcoming expression, trying to ignore the murderous stare Kaname was giving his son.

Kaito nodded, feeling more nervous by the second.

"Did he hit you?" asked Kaname darkly when he noticed that Juuri was careful to stay behind Kaito and not look at anyone.

Juuri shook her head, not wanting to show her face right now nor use her broken voice.

"And what did you have to tell us?" asked Takuma with the same nervous smile, mentally praying that Kaname would not somehow make the situation worse.

"I… I'm… I decided to keep the baby." said Juuri, carefully stepping forward.

"We decided to have it." corrected Kaito and took her hand in his. "Just so you know. This is a common decision." added he to convince the three in the room. "So now, you only have to worry about the wedding…"

"I'm going to kill that son of a..." thought Kaname with gritted teeth, subconsciously tightening his knuckles at his sides.

"Only?!" sneered he. "Do you realize how much is needed for a wedding such as yours, especially for the situation we're in? Are you conscious that your mother will go to attack as soon as she knows about it? Besides the practical details, we have to get the council's authorisation, thoroughly prepare the list of the guests so that no one will feel forgotten and at the same time be careful that no one will discover the true reason behind your early marriage, try to find some protection against Sara as she will know one way or another, and at all costs, hide from her the fact that she is having a grandchild or my daughter will be the easiest target she will ever have. Do you even have so much as an idea of the danger lurking around the corner?"

"Kaname…" tried Takuma, afraid that Kaito would yet again lose his temper. "Please do-"

"That woman is not my mother." interrupted Kaito, returning Kaname his dark glare.

"Kaito!" exclaimed Takuma. "Stop answering the adults. You aren't supposed to. Now, was there anything else you wanted to tell us?" asked he to send him away as soon as possible before the situation would get out of hand.

Kaito cast a fast glance at the carpeted floor before looking up at his father again.

"Yes. I would like to ask something from you."

"And what is it?"

"May I have the permission to go out?" asked he, looking at Takuma in the eyes.

Takuma furrowed his brows at the request.

"What for?"

"I um… can't tell." answered Kaito and looked down at the ground.

"Why should I allow you to go out then?"

"Because… it's for… I need to go shopping." explained Kaito, knowing he wasn't convincing at all.

"Shopping?" repeated Takuma, raising an eyebrow. "Well, let me think about it. Go now, we still have much to discuss with Kaname and Yuuki."

Kaito nodded and exited the office, Juuri following without a word. Kaname watched them go, staring darkly at Kaito's back. Yuuki and Takuma exchanged a half-amused half-relieved look, feeling his murderous aura propagating around the room.

"Kaname…" called Takuma nervously, beginning to fear for his windows. "Take it easy now..."

Yuuki grabbed her husband's hand softly, tugging at it to get his attention when she heard the slight sound of cracking glass. He turned his gaze towards her and his expression changed totally upon seeing her smile. Takuma sighed in relief, feeling Kaname's anger retreat slightly.

"Now at least we know what they both decided…" said Takuma, trying to come back to the initial subject. "What do we tell the council?"

"That we need their approval because of the danger Sara provides." suggested Yuuki.

"But the logical thing to do would be to stay hidden rather than holding a grand ceremony…" contested Takuma.

"I'm pretty sure they also want to arrest Sara and put her behind bars again. We could present the wedding as a pretext to lurk her out of her hideout…" said Yuuki, realizing one second too late that she probably shouldn't say that to Takuma.

"Takuma." said Kaname as he also realized it. "I know you can't get over her, but there's just to see it as it is. She won't hesitate to destroy you and kill or manipulate your children as soon as she gets the occasion. It's only a matter of time. And you must unfortunately accept it."

"Easy to say..." murmured Yuuki, looking down at the ground. "Did I ever give up my faith in you all those years ago?"

"It's not the-"

"It's okay Yuuki." assured Takuma before Kaname could finish his sentence. "I'm not offended. It is the truth after all…"

Yuuki looked at him with a pained expression, feeling sorry for him.

"Back to the subject. Your idea is very good." smiled Takuma looking at Yuuki. "That way we can convince them without having to tell them the whole story. The child must remain a secret at all costs for now. And who knows, Sara might actually come…"

"She'd better not…" replied Kaname darkly. "For her own sake. I'll make her pay for what she did to us." said he while containing his rage.

Yuuki looked down at the ground, sorrow filling her features as Takuma watched his friends with a pained expression.


Once they were done discussing, Takuma realized that he had some time left before their meeting and he remembered what Kaito had asked him. "May I have the permission to go out?" "Why in the world would he want to go out?" pondered Takuma, thinking hard about any valid reason. Kaito may not always be thinking rationally, but he was not stupid. He knew about the danger and wouldn't be asking if it was for something trivial that the servants could do for him. And apart from Juuri, he couldn't see anything that was so important that Kaito would ask to personally go out. "Conclusion: Maybe he wants to get her a present now that they have reconciled." Takuma smiled. Maybe that kid was growing up actually. "It's good to know that he won't stay a spoiled child forever." But the main problem was still there. He could definitely not let Kaito go alone, and not with someone of his age either. They would be totally defenseless if the worst were to happen. Sending one of the servants was also out of the question, as they wouldn't have the power to do anything if something happened. And all the adults had other things to do. So that left only one person out of the people who had a driving license and to whom he could entrust the responsibility of watching Kaito. "Chikao." Takuma buried his face in his hands at thinking about the headache it would be to convince Chikao to accompany his brother outside. "What did I ever do to deserve this…?" With one last sigh, he reluctantly pushed his chair away from the desk and went to get his oldest.


"And why should I be playing babysitter?" asked Chikao bitterly, giving his father an angry scowl before returning his attention to the business manual he was reading. "It isn't my fault he can't treat his girl right..."

"Please Chikao." begged Takuma. "Try to put yourself in his shoes for a minute. You should be able to understand him more than anyone else. You were exactly there before."

"Except I didn't act like a total asshole." replied Chikao emotionlessly, turning a page in his book.

"And that's very good! But your brother needs more time than you to realize this kind of things. Please see it as a favor you're doing me, to help your father out." insisted Takuma.

"And if I refuse nonetheless?" asked Chikao, briefly looking up at him.

"Then I will have no choice than to make it an order."

Chikao halted his movements for a while, rapidly calculating what it could cost him to refuse. But he was getting tired of having people arguing all the time, so he decided it was best to give in.

"Alright." sighed he and closed his book. "I'll take him to town."

"Thank you very much." smiled Takuma. "You're saving me…"

"Hmm." was Chikao's somber response as he walked towards his closet to change.


Kaito sat at the edge of the bed, staring at Juuri as she slept, tracing her face with the tips of his fingers. In that instant, she looked more vulnerable than ever. He couldn't help but wonder if it was due to all her crying and the fit of nausea she had just before falling asleep. Or had she always looked like that without him paying attention? His eyes then slowly trailed down her body and rested on her stomach. There was a small life in there. A life that would be turning his world upside down completely in a few months. And now, what was he supposed to do with this information? How was he supposed to look at it? Did he have to do something specific in order to prepare himself? Was there written instructions somewhere on how you become a father? Was he supposed to think in a specific way? Exactly what was he supposed to do? A knock on the door dragged him out of his thoughts. His body stiffened when he sensed that it was Chikao. What did he want? Regardless, he got up and went to answer him.

"Yes?"

"Dad asked me to accompany you outside…"

Chikao couldn't look more jaded right now. And to not be shooed away, he cited:

""Tell him that the enemy's spies are everywhere and that I ordered you to accompany him." That's what he said. So here I am."

"I see…" commented Kaito, his eyes narrowing slightly upon his father's choice. "Give me a second." said he as he took off his shirt.

"I don't like this more than you." warned Chikao. "And the sooner I can get back home the better."

While Kaito was changing quickly and gathering his things, Chikao eyed Juuri's sleeping form.

"Did you decide on something finally?" asked Chikao, still looking at her.

"We're keeping it." answered Kaito and got out before closing the door.

Chikao raised an eyebrow and started going, Kaito following him close up.

"We? So it is your child suddenly?"

Kaito looked down at the ground, slightly shameful.

"To be honest, I don't think she could ever have been… doing this with someone else. I just got so scared when I saw them together… And I didn't want to think I could suddenly get such a huge responsibility I think…"

"May I know what exactly you want to do outside?" asked Chikao, not really caring about his brother's reasons.

"I'd… like to buy her some gifts as an excuse."

"And did she tell you why she wanted to keep it?"

"She said she was too scared of abortion."

"Alright." replied Chikao and opened the door leading down to the garage.


See ya' next time! -L