3. Visitors

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Shizuru dress for the day, "I don't think I've properly thanked you, Shizuru, for being willing to take in Alyssa."

Shizuru glanced over her shoulder, a smile on her face, "No thanks are necessary, Natsuki. You are quite right in saying that, prior to Alyssa's revelation, you had no blood relatives, save perhaps for your Father. And the strain on that particular relationship is, of course, well known."

"I…uh…I got a letter from him the other day. And…" I sighed, "It complicates my life. My life has been nothing but complicated since I was seven years old, Shizuru. I would give anything for simplicity."

She gave a soft laugh, "Ara, but we can't have things complicating my dear Natsuki's life. What did the letter say? Or is it too personal?"

I pull the letter out of my jacket pocket and hand it to her.

Dear Natsuki,

I am writing to ask your forgiveness. When your mother died, I visited you in the hospital. During that time, I was visited by a representative of District One.I was well aware of the research your Mother was doing. Too aware, as it turns out, for District One's tastes. They informed me, in no uncertain terms, that if I remained by your side, they would kill you.

You were vulnerable in your hospital bed, comatose and helpless. I had no choice but to withdraw.I wanted to be there for you. I tried to provide for you, financially. I know that's no substitution for having a family, but it was all I was permitted to do, lest they try to harm you.

Natsuki, I want to make up to you everything that has befallen you in the intervening years. I will understand if you don't wish to renew our relationship as father and daughter, but at least consider my offer.

Whether you accept me or not, there is one more sin I must confess to. The woman I left with was not my only affair. There was one other, many years ago, with a woman named Satsuki Yuuki (here, Shizuru paused reading the letter, and looked at me with a mixture of alarm, bemusement, and dawning realization as she asked, "Ara, but isn't that Yuuki-han's mother?" to which I could only sigh and say, "Keep reading.")

and from that brief union there was a child. Satsuki married shortly after, and we all agreed we'd tell the girl that Satsuki's husband was her father, but she has my eyes, green, but of a lighter shade than your mother's. She is your half-sister. And even if you won't accept me back into your life, I hope you won't hold her responsible for my sins, and at least invite her into your life as a sister.

I await your reply. If I do not hear from you within a month, I will assume that you want to break all ties, and I will accept that answer.

Sincerely,

Genichiro Kuga.

Shizuru slumped onto the bed next to me, "Ara, but it seems Natsuki has more family than she knew about."

She gave a nervous laugh.

"Imagine how I feel," I sighed, "So, the Dad I hated for being a cheating bastard and running out on me is only guilty of being a cheating bastard. And I may or may not have tried to beat the brains in of my illegitimate half-sister by my father, while trying to get close to my half-sister by my mother."

"Have you shown this letter to Yuuki-han?" Shizuru asked.

"I have not," I replied with a rueful grin, "Can you imagine her reaction? 'Hey, Nao, I know I tried to beat you bloody, but it turns out that we're siblings, and the man you thought was your Dad only raised you, but he wasn't the sperm donor.' That ought to go over real well."

"Perhaps allow me to find a more tactful way of broaching the subject with her," Shizuru said.

"Anyway, that's a problem for tomorrow," I said, "Right now, we have John Smith at our door."

88888

"So," I sat in a chair opposite Smith in Shizuru's study, Miyu standing behind me, "You said you had a proposition."

"You really have this strange notion of me as some sort of villain," Smith smiled his oily smile. Give me one of Kanzaki's smirks, any day of the week. Smarmy he may be, but I don't think Kanzaki is half as bad as this guy. Even when he was possessed by an alien demon/god/monster thing.

"You invite it," I said.

"I am merely the face in this region of the Searrs Foundation. In charge of our communications department. Indeed, the only reason I was named as Alyssa's conservator is that all other parties listed above me were…disciplined by our superiors for the various failures during the Carnival last October.

"It isn't as if I asked for or wanted the job?"

"Then why the surveillance?" I countered.

"You expect me to simply hand a young child over to an unknown element without first vetting them? That would be irresponsible," he smiled broadly, "However, since you seem well suited to the job, may you have better luck with it than I do. Honestly, all I get from the brat is heartburn and paperwork. May you, a relative, fare better."

I could feel Miyu tense up, but I gave her a soft look and shook my head.

"So, you don't intend to obstruct me in seeking conservatorship of my half-sister?"

"I'll even sign papers today and have a lawyer contact you with the finalization. The hearing on the 24th will merely confirm that all parties are in agreement, a formality with all signatures in place, and then she's yours. I do want one thing, in exchange."

"I'm listening."

"Well, as I said, I'm the face of the Foundation in this region. That means that, while I had no power to make decisions, I am being held accountable by the Foundation for those decisions. Truly, an unfair result of my diligent work."

"Yeah, sounds rough," I made it a point to look as bored as possible.

"If fired before the paperwork goes through, a new conservator would be named within the Foundation, and you would have a whole new fight on your hands. And I can make sure to stall and delay, if that suits me. However, it can all be over today, if you simply agree, as the new conservator, to sign off on my severance package. $1 million, with retention of my stock options."

"It's a pittance," Alyssa informed me.

"If you say so," I blinked.

"Miyu can review the paperwork to ensure that he hasn't hidden any legal trickery in it," Alyssa added, "And you can have Fujino's lawyers review it as well."

Miyu read through the document that Smith offered, "It is legitimate, and there are no hidden clauses or stipulations."

"So, I sign, Alyssa is in my custody, and I'm her guardian?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Fine," I signed the paperwork and turned it over to Smith, "I want to hear from that lawyer tomorrow."

Smith bowed and left.

"That was relatively painless," I exhaled.

The hearing, four days later, cemented it, and I was officially Alyssa's guardian.

We returned from the courthouse, and were just about to unwind, when there was a knock at the door. Shizuru opened it, and she visibly recoiled in surprise.

"Mother. Father. I…wasn't expecting you. Won't you come in?"

In stepped a man dressed in a very expensive suit and a woman clad in a kimono. The man had piercing crimson eyes, was bald, and there were very obvious muscles bulging under his suit. The woman had the same tawny mane as Shizuru, and wore the same serene smile I'd grown accustomed to on her daughter.

"N-Natsuki," Oh, this was bad. Shizuru never stutters, "May I introduce my parents Shinosuke and Shizumi Fujino. Mother, Father, this is my…my…"

She's stumbling over the word. She'd told me that she'd resolved to tell her parents the truth about who she was, if asked, even if it meant expulsion from her family. But it seems that being confronted with her parents now had put a bit of a kink in her resolve.

"But we know who this young woman is," Shinosuke Fujino had one of those deep, gravely voices that commanded immediate attention, "Had you not written to us in your school days, telling us of your dear friend, Natsuki Kuga, daughter of Genichiro Kuga and Dr. Saeko Kuga."

"But surely there is a reason, Shi-chan, for your hesitance in telling us?" Shizumi Fujino smiled the beguiling smile, "Are we then to give credence to the reports from Hoshino-san?"

Shizuru blanched, and I managed to get ahold of her just before the strength left her legs.

"Shizuru," I looked her in the eyes, "Shizuru, are you alright?"

"I…"

Shinosuke nodded once, "The evidence of my own eyes confirm it, then. That is not the response of a casual friend, nor a sycophant attempting to ingratiate themselves into the family. This woman is your lover, Shizuru?"

"How about talking to me directly, instead of acting like I'm not in the room?" I shot.

Shinosuke Fujino blinked, then began to laugh, holding his belly. It was a strangely warm laugh, and upon hearing it, the color began to return to Shizuru's cheeks.

"Oh, but that is perfect," And suddenly, the gravely quality was gone from his voice, and he sounded much more…I dunno, personable? It's not a quality I'm familiar with much, unless you count Mai, "I had intended to put this girl to the test, but she's already answered the challenges beautifully."

"Indeed," Shizumi Fujino giggled, "I had read, Kuga-han, that you were very direct and to the point. I can see this was not mere embellishment by Shizuru, now."

Now it was my turn to blink, "Wait, you're not going to chew Shizuru out for being in a same-sex relationship?"

Shizuru looked at me, worriedly, then back at her parents.

"Oh, that?" Shizumi giggled again, "Dear girl, we already knew. She wrote home frequently, and she would have a single line in her letters about how she was considered a power couple with that Kanzaki boy, while there were whole paragraphs dedicated to what she described as her dear friend, Natsuki-chan. It did not require the work of a master detective to deduce where her affections lay."

Shizuru blinked, "I was that blatant?"

"In fairness," I looked at her with a smile, "I think you and I were the last to figure it out."

I'm recalling a conversation on the beach with Mai, where she suggests that I'm not into guys, and my angry response. But even then, a single face had flashed through my head.

"Wait," I blinked, "But then where did all of that self-loathing of yours come from?"

Shinosuke sighed, "Shizuru has always been one to bow to social pressure. I fear that between her tutors, societal expectations, and her well-to-do peers, she had come to see herself as aberrant. Had we known, we might have tried to ease the tension on her."

"Then, you are not ashamed of me?" Shizuru actually looked near tears.

"Well, we had been hoping for grandchildren," Shizumi mock pouted, "But that was always your choice, Shizuru, not ours."

"Oh, you want grandkids?" I grinned, "Hey, Alyssa! Come in here, a second!"

Alyssa had already changed out of the clothes she'd worn for court and into a lovely winter dress, "Did you need something, Natsuki?"

"She's adorable!" Shizumi squealed, embracing Alyssa, "Who is this precious urchin?"

"Well, just last week I learned that she's my half-sister," I said, "And as of today, I'm her legal guardian. So…dote away."

Alyssa shot me a sour look as Shizumi Fujino snuggled her, "So cute!"

"Hey, welcome to the family, Alyssa," I smirked.

"We wanted to ensure that you were doing well, Shizuru," Shinosuke smiled, "And I can see that you are. Now that you're in college, perhaps we might see more of you and your lover."

Then he turned to me, and he put the gravel back in his voice, "And you! If you ever make my little girl cry…"

I held up my hand, "Right back at you, Old Timer."

He laughed again, then nodded, "Then we understand each other. Good. As you said, welcome to the family."