While most people on the street opened umbrellas and ducked into stores to be shielded from the torrential downpour, one certain individual seemed oblivious to the rain plastering her clothes to skin and her hair to her face, thoroughly drenching her. Passerby who glanced fleetingly at her gave pause at the pain entrenched on her face, a sorrow that was much deeper than something as trivial as being caught in a storm without any sanctuary.

On her part, Natsuki barely felt the hard drops of rain pelt her skin. Her mind was blank, too focused on the throbbing ache in her chest. Realistically she knew that nothing was physically wrong with her heart, that it was doing its job of pumping blood and keeping her alive and whatnot, so why did it feel like a knife was being plunged into her chest with every breath she took? In the pouring rain, she was just numb and hopeless and tired. She was suddenly struck with the feeling of being too young again, like she had only been pretending to be grown up this entire time and now the charade was over. So she did what every kid does when everything proves to be too much.

She called her mother.

-000-000-

Saeko slowly sipped her tea before peering over the rim of her cup at her daughter. "So let me get this straight: you tried to seduce a seventeen year-old—still a child, practically—who did absolutely nothing wrong, just so you could get back at her sister for the juvenile pranks she pulled on you years ago?"

Natsuki winced at Saeko's unimpressed tone. "I suppose it wasn't…the nicest thing I could've done."

"That is quite the understatement, dear daughter. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is the most bullheaded, selfish, spiteful, and cruel plan you have ever come up with, and you should be ashamed of yourself. That poor girl…" Saeko shook her head.

Natsuki shrunk under her mother's glare. "I know, okay? I was so stupid and immature and I've made the biggest mistake of my life. You have no idea how badly I wish I could take it back! I lost her, and I don't have anyone to blame but myself."

Saeko's stern look softened at the despondence on Natsuki's face. "Oh, Natsuki, I wish I could make it better, but you've done something so monumentally stupid that I don't know how to help you. And taking your girlfriend's virginity during a fight? Not the smartest move you've ever made."

"Wait, what?" Natsuki finally looked up in confusion. "I didn't take Shizuru's virginity."

"You just told me how she came to your room in the middle of the night and practically threw herself at you!" Saeko said accusingly.

"Jeez, that doesn't mean I slept with her! I'm capable of restraining myself," Natsuki defended.

Saeko's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you said—"

"I said that she came to my room, took off her clothes, and then we went to sleep. Nowhere was it stated that we had sex," Natsuki said, trying not to blush at the fact that she was talking about—well, her sex life—with her mother.

"You've always been so shy with me about these kind of things! I thought you were glossing over the facts," Saeko argued. "What actually happened then?"

Despite herself, Natsuki rolled her eyes. "I'd tell if you if you'd stop interrupting!"

Shizuru gasped and bucked forward, wrapping her legs around Natsuki's waist. Without missing a beat Natsuki rolled over so she was on top, letting gravity do its work as her body settled against the impossible heat between Shizuru's legs to start a gentle rocking. Sex, she could do. Sex was a skill at which she'd become more than just adequate, coming from quite a few hours of practice; something that required more doing than thinking on her part. But this, as it turned out—staring down at a Shizuru with tousled hair, eyes half-lidded and mouth half-open in pleasure, looking so much less composed than usual and so much more beautiful—this was something more sacred than what she had ever known.

And so when Shizuru cracked open her eyes to beg, "Show me," Natsuki hesitated, torn.

"Please." Shizuru grabbed Natsuki's hand and guided it down to where she needed her most.

At her first tentative brush against warm, slick heat, Natsuki acted.

She jerked her hand away and scrambled off of Shizuru, nearly falling off the bed in her haste.

Shizuru sat up, looking confused and hurt. "Natsuki?"

"We can't. I mean, we can, and I really, really want to, but not right now," Natsuki babbled, looking desperately around the room for something to distract her from Shizuru's state of undress. She glanced at Shizuru before averting her eyes once more. "Can you please put your robe back on?"

Shizuru huffed and jumped off the bed to stalk toward the robe she had discarded on the floor, head held up high. "I don't get you, Natsuki. You seem like you had good time with all those other girls, so why not with me? How am I so different?"

"Because it's you," Natsuki said in exasperation. "You're different, Shizuru!"

"Do you not find me attractive enough?" Shizuru demanded, a glimmer of insecurity peeking out from underneath her angry exterior.

"What—are you crazy? Have you seen yourself in a mirror?" Natsuki protested.

Shizuru rolled her eyes. "Appearances only go so far." She tightened the tie of the robe around her waist and headed for the door. "Since you're obviously too busy thinking about other girls, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Natsuki."

"Shizuru, wait—"

Shizuru pulled on the door, looking confused when it refused to open. Realization dawned in her eyes and she let her head thump against the door in an uncharacteristic display of frustration. "My grandmother put you in the room with the door that sticks."

"Yes, your grandmother put me in the room with the door that sticks," Natsuki agreed dryly. "And why would I be thinking about other girls when I have you? There are a lot of things I haven't told you, and I'm sorry for that."

Shizuru said nothing in response, brushing past Natsuki to climb into the bed and burrow underneath the covers with her back to Natsuki.

Natsuki fidgeted unsurely. "…Am I allowed to sleep on the bed?"

"Shut up and hold me," came the irritated answer.

Natsuki hesitantly moved to curl her body around Shizuru's, her arm wrapping snugly around Shizuru's waist. Feeling bolder when Shizuru neither encouraged nor dissuaded her from doing so, she shuffled closer until there was no space between them, burying her nose in sweetly scented hair. "Shizuru—"

"Don't."

"But—"

"If I talk right now, I'll say things I'll regret later, so I'm going to sleep."

"Can I—"

"Tomorrow, Natsuki."

Natsuki sighed. "Fine. Goodnight, Shizuru." There would always be the morning. With that final thought she let her eyes close, her arms unconsciously tightening around Shizuru as she drifted off to sleep.

"And that's all that happened?" Saeko asked incredulously.

"That's all that happened," Natsuki reiterated in irritation. "Even I know that your first time should be special!"

"Well, my wayward daughter, how do you suggest we proceed? You must have come up with some plan."

Natsuki sighed. "I don't know. Before I can do anything else, I have to stop Reito from ruining her family first."

Saeko looked lost in thought. "What about police? There must be some laws against distribution of private property."

"The whole point is to keep anyone else from finding out about Shizuru and me," Natsuki pointed out. "Besides, even if we could bring legal action against him, he would've already released the photos by the time the case reached court. What the public sees can't be unseen."

"Hack into his files and delete the photos?"

Natsuki snorted. "What am I, a secret agent?"

"Perhaps we should do this in the way of our ancestors," Saeko suggested.

"Which is?"

"Kill him."

"The ancestral ways would also get me arrested for first degree murder," Natsuki rebutted sarcastically. There was a pause. "It's an option."

"If you were a child again, I would've called his mother by now," Saeko said dryly.

"His parents would probably consider you a kid. Besides, it's not like I could go to the Kanzaki Corporation building and demand to see the CEO."

Saeko stilled, the cup of tea in her hand pausing halfway to her mouth. "This boy…his parents own the Kanzaki Corporation?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm going up against the country's biggest company, blah blah blah," Natsuki grumbled.

"The second biggest company," Saeko absentmindedly corrected. "Searrs Industries is first."

"Well, I guess they're about to get even bigger then—the Kanzaki's are basically bankrupt." Natsuki slumped down in her chair. "It doesn't matter, though, because Reito's still a dick."

"Bankrupt? That puts his family in a very precarious position, doesn't it?" Saeko murmured.

"I guess so," Natsuki said, studying the look of intense concentration on her mother's face. "Why?"

Saeko leaned forward and cupped her daughter's face gently. "Natsuki, tell me the truth—do you love this girl?"

Natsuki looked at her mother with pained eyes. "Do you remember when I was younger, there would be times when you had to work the midnight shift of whatever job you had at the time? You would ask old Mrs. Chiba from next door to babysit because you came home late from work, but it didn't matter because on those nights I would stay awake in my bed until you came back, no matter how late it would be. I had to see you come home with my own eyes because I was so afraid that one day you'd look at all the other kids and realize how I wasn't worth the amount of trouble that I was, and that you'd just leave me and find a better daughter, one who was prettier and more popular. Someone who people actually liked."

"Natsuki, I had no idea—"

"It wasn't your fault. You were too busy working all the time to provide for both of us; I didn't expect you to cater to my insecurities. Even when I grew up, even when I stopped being known as the chubby awkward nerd with no friends, I still felt inadequate. For the first year after I met Nao and Mai, I was terrified that they'd figure out what a loser I was and ditch me for someone cooler. I had you, and you were such a wonderful mother, and I had Nao and Mai, the two best friends anybody could ever hope to wish for, and still I felt I had to work my ass off to be worth something to anyone."

Natsuki paused and looked at her mother surely. "I used to be miserable, you know? With every person I've met, every relationship I've ever been in, I've always ended up running away before they could run away from me. But then I meet Shizuru, and she's indescribably gorgeous and so smart and funny and charming. This incredible girl who's insane enough not to care that I'm short-tempered and sarcastic and moody and basically the exact opposite of her, and when I look at her, it's like I've been suffocating my entire life and being with her has taught me to breathe again. And it's funny because I was supposed to sweep her off her feet…so how was I supposed to know she would sweep me off mine?"

The legs of the chair screeched against the floor as Saeko suddenly stood up, startling Natsuki. "Get up," she commanded. "What's your plan to win Shizuru back?"

"Plan to win her back? I have to take care of the whole business with the photos first before I can even think about facing Shizuru again. Even then, I don't think she'll be able to stand looking at me, much less hold an actual conversation."

Saeko waved her off. "I will deal with the photos. You just—you go out there and chase her. Run, fight, beg on your knees if you have to, but do anything you can to get her back, Natsuki, because she is the reason that I've seen you happy in so long—I'll be damned if I let you just sit back and mope as she walks away. Yes, you were extremely stupid and I'll be angry with you for a long time about what you did, but love is rare, Natsuki. It's rare enough that when you stumble upon it like you have, you fight to hold on to it as long as possible."

"But—"

"If you don't, Natsuki, then you aren't the person I raised you to be—you would be a coward, just like your father. No daughter of mine is a coward," she proclaimed, scowling heavily and highlighting the uncanny resemblance between mother and daughter.

"Well jeez, no need to pull out the daddy card," Natsuki complained as she stood, a quiet, newfound determination shining in her eyes. She strode toward the door with purpose in the steps, but hesitated at the threshold before turning back to Saeko. "But the photos?"

"I'll deal with them," Saeko reiterated calmly.

"How?"

"I have my ways."

Natsuki studied her mother's reassuring face before nodding once and walking through the door, her slow pace steadily building up to a run—she had to win back her girl!

Meanwhile, Saeko settled back into her chair to slowly finish her tea. She would need all the help she could get in retrieving those photos...but there was only one person whose help she needed.

When Nao agreed to help Natsuki win Shizuru back, she had imagined it to be more along the lines of going with Natsuki to confront the girl, locking both their unsuspecting selves in a closet, and standing in front with key in hand, refusing to unlock it until they sorted their shit out. She had obsessed over the plan for so long now and even dubbed it "Operation In The Closet."

Instead, they were sneaking around the perimeter of Maria Fujino's estate like thieves in the night, trying to find a weak spot to breach the wall after being confronted with shut iron gates at the entrance.

"Not that I don't love breaking and entering," Nao drawled, "but remind me why you can't just ring the doorbell again?"

Natsuki shot her an exasperated look. "Nao, I've been calling and texting Shizuru all day. I talked to her parents, to Haruka and Yukino, even Shiori's driver. I even looked into getting a fucking carrier pigeon, and I still haven't been able to speak with her. So now I have to go physically confront her in her grandmother's mansion, which is more like a fortress, and did I mention Maria has a sword and who knows what else? Don't you think if it were as easy as ringing a doorbell, I would've done so already?"

"So basically, you didn't even try."

"…It slipped my mind, okay?"

"Hey, I'm not judging. Much."

"It's not like I'll be welcomed with open arms just because I used the doorbell," Natsuki growled as they approached the gates once more. She pressed the buzzer on the gate's intercom system and waited for an answer.

After several seconds, Maria's voice sounded through the intercom. "Yes? Who is it?" Natsuki shivered at her severe tone and shot Nao a panicked look.

Nao made a frantic face at Natsuki and stepped up. "It's, uh, Nao's Pizza Delivery—fresh hot pizza in thirty minutes or less, guaranteed!" She chirped, shrugging at Natsuki's 'what the fuck' expression.

There was a lengthy pause, long enough that Natsuki was ready to throw all caution to the wind and start scaling the gates right then and there. "I didn't order any pizza," Maria said suspiciously. "What was the name of your establishment again?"

"Uh—" Nao was rescued by the addition of another voice on the other side of the intercom.

"Actually, that's for me," Shiori's voice chimed in.

"What?" Nao and Natsuki uttered at the same time.

There was indistinct mumbling until Shiori's voice rang clearly through the intercom, "I'll be right there to open the gate." A brief click sounded as the intercom was turned off.

"Well, shit," Natsuki summarized succinctly.

"We don't even have a pizza."

"The devil incarnate is coming to meet us and that's the first thing you think of? Shiori's basically the founder, president, and CEO of the 'I Hate Natsuki Kuga' fan club!"

"Girls like Shiori are greedy—you can probably make a deal with her. She'll probably only ask for your firstborn child or something."

"Absolutely not. Shizuru would get so mad at me," Natsuki mused.

"Hopeful, aren't you? Or more delusional, actually, to think that my sister would take you back after this whole debacle," a voice called snidely from behind the gates. Shiori glared balefully at them, arms crossed and a sneer fixed on her face.

"How did you get here so fast? I didn't even hear any footsteps," Natsuki sputtered.

"She flew on her broomstick to meet us," Nao deduced. "That's why we didn't hear anything."

"You are so annoying, did you know that?" Shiori retorted.

"Good, it's part of my bitch repellent," Nao snapped back.

"Enough!" Natsuki stepped forward and leveled a hard look at Shiori. "Let me in, Shiori."

"My, so demanding. You're in no position to give orders, Natsuki Kuga." Shiori eyed her up and down. "You really did grow up nicely, didn't you? It's too bad you're still as much of a loser as you always were."

"And how's married life working out for you, Shiori?" Natsuki felt a twinge of guilt at her harsh words, even if Shiori did deserve them.

"You finally grew a backbone, huh." Shiori's chuckle was devoid of any real humor. "Well truthfully, there are a couple problems. Some obsessive creep from high school seduced my younger sister to get back at me for petty and trivial disagreements that happened years ago, which my husband then decided to use as a springboard to blackmail my family. But other than that, married life is just great."

Natsuki's jaw dropped. "Petty and trivial? You are seriouslydeluded if you think how you treated me and countless other people can be brushed off with a snap of your fingers. You know, people used to ignore me in school, and I was fine with that because they left me alone. But you made sure that everyone wouldn't be content with just ignoring me; they had to want to hurt me, too, when the only thing I was guilty of was being unpopular. You made my life into living hell every single day when you deliberately made me a target. And you know what the sick thing is? You knew it would happen, that you could make everyone torment me for no reason, and you relished in it because you love to flaunt your power."

"We were children."

"We were practically adults! Besides, you can't even say your bullying was some kind of phase that was outgrown after high school because I see you doing it even now—you intimidate and humiliate anyone you think is too weak to fight back because you're a malicious, narcissistic bitch. How's that for petty and trivial?"

Shiori's jaw visibly clenched as her fingers tightened around the bars of the gate. "If you want to make something of yourself in this world, it's survival of the fittest. That's the principle I've always lived by, and I don't plan to change that now. So you think I'm despicable, that's fine. I don't care what you think. But if you want to talk about being malicious, let's talk about how you brought Shizuru into this! She had nothing to do with this entire situation—why would you ever involve her?"

"It's different now—"

"You broke her heart, you complete and utter asshole. I just thought you should know that so you know exactly why I'm never letting you in here—we both were playing with fire, yet she's the one who was burned the most. So congratulations, it seems you've finally gotten back at me—you've gotten back at all of us. I hope you have an awful life. Now go away." She turned away.

"Shiori, wait." Natsuki reached through the bars to hold Shiori back. "You're right, I used Shizuru in the worst way. It was supposed to be about getting back at you, and instead I brought her into it. But now nothing is about you and everything is about her. Those photos Reito took? I've been told they're as good as gone, and that's a huge fucking relief to me because I don't want revenge anymore. I don't care if you have a great life or a miserable one, I just care about Shizuru. I'm an asshole and an idiot, and I'm completely, irrevocably in love with your sister. Shiori, at least give me the chance to talk to her. If she never wants to see me again after that, I'll be gone, I swear."

"The photos are gone? How?"

Natsuki wished she knew. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you. Anyways, it doesn't matter—they're gone, okay?"

Shiori hesitated before glaring. "You love Shizuru? Really love her?"

"Yeah, I really do."

"How can I trust you?"

"Shiori, please."

Shiori was quiet for a moment. "You know, for all those times we humiliated you in school, you never said a word. You never yelled, threatened, or begged us to stop. I think that's what pissed us off the most—we could never break you, no matter what we did. Who knew I'd be the wrong Fujino to make you break?" She unlocked the gate and stepped back to let in Natsuki and Nao. "One chance. That's all you get, got it? We're even now."

"You're making the right choice, for what it's worth. I was ready to break down some walls and shit," Nao informed Shiori.

Shiori rolled her eyes. "Follow me and keep your voices down, my grandmother is still out for blood. You won't be able to come in through the front door, so—" She led them away from the front of the house and around to the side, where a rose-covered trellis was positioned against the wall directly underneath a window high up with the curtains drawn. Natsuki could see the room was lit behind the curtains, but not much else.

Shiori pointed up. "There's Shizuru's room. Have fun climbing," she said a little too gleefully.

Natsuki looked at her incredulously. "That window is three stories up. What if I break something?"

"Then you're paying for it."

"I was talking about breaking something like my neck."

"Oh. Well, you're going to be a doctor, you can figure something out." Shiori smirked.

Natsuki glared at her before gingerly placing a foot on one of the wooden slats and pulling herself up. The trellis creaked quietly, but otherwise seemed capable of bearing her weight.

"Should I come up with you?" Nao called up as Natsuki began to climb.

"No, I got this." She chanced a look down to see just how far she was from the ground and had a heart attack when the wooden slat under her right foot broke. "Shit!"

"Don't kill the roses!" Shiori cried.

"Fuck the roses, don't kill yourself!" Nao bellowed.

"Wow, thank you for the really great advice!" Natsuki shouted back with all the sarcasm she could muster at her audience as she regained her footing.

"Keep your voices down!" Shiori reminded sharply.

"Us? You're the one screaming like a banshee!" Nao snapped.

"This is my house, you idiot, it doesn't matter if I get caught!"

All three of them froze at the sound of the front door opening. "Shiori? Why is it so loud out there? Is there someone with you?" Maria's voice floated through the dusk.

"No, I was just trying to scare away some raccoons," Shiori called back, ignoring the faces that Nao and Natsuki made at her.

"Those raccoons have been damaging my property for too long now! What are they doing to my house?"

Shiori eyed them both. "They're just being pests, taking up oxygen and being general wastes of space."

"Tell her they stole your pizza, too," Nao urged.

"Stay there, I'm getting my hunting rifle!"

"NO! I mean, there's no need to come out and kill them, they're so…cute?" Shiori glared when Nao preened and blew her a kiss.

"Since when were you an animal lover? They are an infestation and they need to be exterminated immediately! Make sure they don't escape, Shiori!" The door slammed shut as Maria presumably went to retrieve her rifle.

"Obviously your grandmother doesn't share your animal-loving tendencies," Nao said sardonically. "Nice job, now we're dead."

"Well, you didn't even help at all," Shiori snapped.

"Don't blame me, I'm just a raccoon."

"Why the hell does she even have a hunting rifle? She's like the freaking Terminator," Natsuki huffed as she resumed climbing at a faster pace.

"She used to hunt large game in Africa. But it doesn't matter, just get to the window already so this day can be over!"

"You wanna try climbing on flowers three stories up in the air?" Natsuki snapped back. She was finally within reaching distance of Shizuru's window when she heard the front door open again.

"Hurry!" Shiori hissed.

The window wouldn't budge when she tried pushing it up. "It's locked!"

"What, were you just going to open it and slip inside like a creep? Knock, you moron!" Shiori turned to Nao. "And you, get out of here before my grandmother shoots you. She doesn't need another accusation of murder against her."

"Another—?"

Natsuki rapped lightly on the glass. "Shizuru, it's me. I know you're angry, but the ground looks very far away and Maria is coming to shoot me, so I'd really like to come inside."

"Good luck, Natsuki!" Nao hissed before sprinting away to avoid impending death.

"Natsuki, why the hell aren't you inside yet? Jeez, my grandmother can move faster than you!" Shiori growled.

"For my sake, I really hope she can't!" Natsuki tapped the window a little more desperately, feeling a flicker of hope when the curtains twitched. "Shizuru, come on—"

"Shiori! Are those creatures still there?" Maria's voice was agonizingly close.

Shiori groaned and covered her eyes. "Oh my God, I do not want to witness a murder—"

Natsuki was knocking in a staccato rhythm now and looked down, wondering if it would hurt less to just jump and let the fall kill her rather then waiting for Maria to do the job. This was it, then, this was how her life was going to end—she was either going to end up as a human pancake or an old woman's hunting trophy—God, she was too young—

Just as Maria rounded the corner, the window flew open. Natsuki barely had time to register what was going on before a pair of hands grabbed her by the collar and yanked her inside.

The Searrs Industries Tower was a behemoth of a structure, blending seamlessly into the numerous other skyscrapers that crowded the sky and dwarfed the throngs of pedestrians below. Saeko gazed up at the tall, proud spires that jutted into the sky, noticeably elevating the building above its neighbors, and decided that the architect must have been overcompensating for something.

The lobby inside matched the building's exterior—gleaming chrome and flawless white, the pinnacle of modern technology and innovation. The Searrs Tower was a physical manifestation of wealth and the epitome of exactly what Saeko chose to leave behind, without any regret on her part.

She quietly merged into the steady stream of sharply dressed men and women coming in and out of the elevators, pushing the button for the topmost floor before settling in relative obscurity at the back of the elevator.

The elevator ascended quickly through the building, pausing every few floors to let off passengers. By the time it reached the top of the building, affording a breathtaking view of the city skyline, only Saeko was left to step out onto lavish marble flooring. On this floor, she knew, were the offices of the higher-ups of Searrs Industries—including that of the CEO himself, Alexander Searrs.

While some people might have felt too intimidated to simply stroll up to a millionaire's door, Saeko's demeanor remained impassive and poised as she walked by the desks of the wealthier employees of the company, all of whom paused and frowned in confusion at the stranger in their midst. Confidence was essential—act like you belonged, and people believed you did.

An imposing set of double doors made of dark wood marked her destination. Saeko unconsciously lifted her chin, an appropriately haughty look on her face as she approached the secretary's desk before the doors.

The young woman seated at the desk looked up at Saeko's approach. "Can I help you?" She jumped when Saeko slammed her hand down on the desk.

"I demand to see the CEO," Saeko said imperiously.

The secretary blinked. "Ah, well, do you have an appointment with Mr. Searrs?"

Saeko made sure irritation showed on her face. "He'll want to see me," she assured, her condescending tone implying that there would only be trouble for everyone if she didn't get her way.

The girl, clearly intimidated, stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm very sorry, ma'am, but Mr. Searrs is a very busy man and only meets with those with appointments—"

Saeko sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in a display of faux aggravation. "It regards his daughter. Let me assure you, once Alexander finds out I've been here and turned away by his secretary, of all people, I'm positive he'll have several choice words for you—"

"Oh, his daughter? Yes, of course, Mr. Searrs has made clear that anything involving Alyssa is to come to him immediately," the girl blurted out before picking up the telephone. She cast Saeko a nervous glance before speaking into the receiver. "Mr. Searrs, there's someone here about your daughter." She paused. "Of course, I'll send her in right away."

Before the girl could say anything, Saeko brushed past her, opening the door of the CEO's office and turning around to close the door. She caught a glimpse of the girl's scandalized and unnerved face before the door shut and allowed herself a smirk—despite everything, acting like she owned the world had always been quite entertaining.

"What's the matter with my daughter? Is she okay?" A deep voice boomed behind her.

Saeko closed her eyes briefly, feeling nervous despite herself, before turning around and smiling serenely at a familiar pair of green eyes. "Hello, Alexander. It's been a while."

"Saeko Kuga?" Alexander Searrs abruptly stood up in shock, a pen slipping out of his grasp onto the desk. Ink began bleeding out of the expensive-looking fountain pen, staining the documents below it.

Saeko settled herself comfortably in the plush chair before his desk and preened. "The one and only. Your papers are getting ruined," she added.

The handsome man recoiled and began dabbing at the soaked papers before giving up and sitting down heavily. "You…God, Saeko, what are you doing here? The last time I saw you, you were…"

"Holding a positive pregnancy test?" Saeko finished sarcastically. She smirked when her ex shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm here to discuss your daughter."

Alexander's entire demeanor shifted at this, exposing the "overprotective father" side of him. "Alyssa? What about her?" He squinted suspiciously at Saeko.

Saeko was struck once again at how familiar a shade those green eyes were. She cleared her throat and gingerly took a photo out of her purse, glancing at it once more before sliding it toward Alexander. "I'm not talking about your youngest daughter—I'm talking about your oldest."

His eyebrows nearly flew off his face. "My…oldest?"

She nodded at the photo, an unspoken command for him to see for himself. He drew the photo closer to gape at a dark-haired girl in graduation robes smirking at the camera. The resemblance between the girl in the photo and the woman sitting before him now was uncanny. He looked at Saeko with wide eyes. "You kept the baby."

"She's not exactly a baby anymore, is she?" Saeko remarked dryly. "But yes, I did. Despite what you or my parents said, I wanted her from the moment I knew I was pregnant."

"What did your parents do?" He asked in morbid curiosity. "Your father wasn't the most…progressive man, if I remember—"

"They disowned me," Saeko said almost nonchalantly, quirking an eyebrow at Alexander's horrified look. "You said it yourself—my parents weren't very accepting of anyone, least of all an unwed teenage mother."

"So why didn't you come to me?" He asked in disbelief. "If I'm her father—"

"You were a careless, irresponsible little shit back then," Saeko snapped. "You made it clear that you didn't want anything to do with the baby when you left me to sleep with the next girl who opened her legs for you."

Alexander scowled as his cheeks burned with shame. "Is this blackmail? Are you asking me for money?"

Saeko scoffed. "Blackmail? We have done perfectly well so far without your money, thanks very much for nothing."

"I would've helped if you had asked," he said defensively.

"Your definition of help was giving me money for an abortion and to make sure I didn't tell anyone else about it."

"I suppose I was too immature back then to help take care of a child," he conceded. "But why are you here now?"

She tapped the photo. "Her name is Natsuki. She's twenty-two years old."

"Natsuki," he said aloud, testing it on his tongue. The name hovered in the air, almost tangible before him—twenty-two years of his ignorance now manifest in one word.

"That photo was taken last year at her graduation from University of Tokyo. She wants to be a doctor."

"She looks nothing like me," he remarked, unable to help the note of complaint that slipped in his voice.

Saeko rolled her eyes. "Thank God for that. She does, however, have your eyes."

He nodded, secretly pleased with that fact. "University of Tokyo? She must be quite intelligent." He had no idea why he felt so proud of this girl, this complete stranger.

"The top of her class," Saeko proclaimed, not bothering to hide her own pride.

He leaned back in his chair. "What do you want from me, Saeko? From what you've said, it seems like you two have done just fine without me—"

"And we'll continue to do fine without you. But she does need help…and I can't help her this time. You're the only one who can."

As Saeko began to explain the entire situation to Alexander, he picked up the photo. At first glance she looked exactly like Saeko, but with closer observation he could see his traits in the girl. Besides the fact that their eyes looked exactly the same, she had his jawline. The challenging smirk was his, too. He tore his attention away from the photo when Saeko finished her account and looked at him anxiously for a response.

He folded his hands and raised an eyebrow. "So…Natsuki is dating her student?"

"That's not the point! I give you a ten-minute explanation and that's all you extract from it?"

He held his hands up to placate her. "I went to Reito's wedding. You're saying he's trying to blackmail his in-laws after being married for less than forty-eight hours? That's not going to be a very happy marriage."

"You would know—the media had a field day with your divorce."

"The price of being rich and famous," he remarked dryly. "Unfortunately, Reito's morals are quite characteristic of the Kanzakis. There's a reason I didn't want my company to associate with theirs, and now you're telling me to play nice with them?"

Saeko leaned forward. "Natsuki didn't ask me to come here today. She has never asked where you were, why you were never around, or even who you were. It suits her perfectly fine not having a father. She doesn't need you in her life, Alexander—but she does your help with this."

He mulled over the thought, his eyes drifting to the set of photos on his desk of his youngest daughter. Except for her blonde hair, Alyssa, too, looked nothing like him. Perhaps his genes were exceptionally weak. He scowled at the thought and looked at Saeko. "I try to be a good father. I make sure Alyssa has everything she wants and needs, I spend as much time with her as I can, and if some punk-ass kid ever knocks her up when she's older—" he shrugged self-deprecatingly. "I would take good care of her. I may not be the most moral man, but I'm a good father," he repeated.

"And I believe you. So…will you help Natsuki? Make sure that no one sees those photos?"

"No one will know they had even existed," Alexander promised, extending his hand for an awkward but heartfelt handshake.

Saeko shook his hand and hesitated momentarily before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do." His grin reminded Saeko of young love long past, a flame that burned out quickly but was searingly bright while it lasted. His shy glance at Natsuki's photo did not escape Saeko's attention.

"What is it?"

"Can I…" he cleared his throat assertively. "I'd like to meet her."

"That's not up to me, or to you. She's been old enough for a while now to look for you if she wanted to." At his poorly concealed disappointment, Saeko relented. "However, if she asks…I'll point her in the right direction. You can keep the picture, if you want."

Alexander nodded and sat back down as Saeko headed toward the door. He picked up the photo once more and studied his daughter's face. "We really do have a good-looking kid, don't we?"

Saeko smiled softly. "Yes, I do," she corrected before closing the door behind her as she went on her way.

My writing's a bit rusty, forgive me.