Chapter 21

Shigure and Kyomi's hands stayed connected the whole way back to their house. Shigure tried to pull away before the house came into view, but Kyomi stopped him. She also stopped them walking so she could speak to him.

"Tell me if you feel otherwise, but I don't want to hide this." She said as she lifted their hands between them. "I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't really…. Care." She paused to censor a word and glanced at her son who was looking at the street watching cars. "I'm tired of the mind games Akito plays and I want her to know she has no influence over my life. Only my friends and family have that. Not that I'm trying to use you to do that." She rubbed her forehead to dispel the headache trying to form.

"I know that. I just wanted you to be able to tell your brother in your own time." He said actually being thoughtful and sweet. Kyomi giggled a little manically.

"This part I will use you for. I plan on tormenting those two boys a little this evening as long as you are agreeable to my plan. Regardless, I just wanted to tell you, I don't necessarily want to shout to the rooftops that we are, whatever we are…" Kyomi was interrupted at this point.

"Dating? Together? Any descriptor like that would suit me. I'm not picky." Shigure said teasingly counting off his fingers descriptive words for their relationship. "Boyfriend and girlfriend, courting, going out, lovers, ouch" He was cut off this time by a little punch to the arm. "By the way, what are you planning?" He questioned rubbing his arm.

"You're so dramatic. And just for that I'm not going to tell you now." She said with a mischievous smirk on her lips. Lips that she was making him want to kiss with each passing minute. She didn't afford him the chance however as she started pulling him up the stairs.

Right before they were in eyeshot of the top, she whispered to him, "You said they all should be home right now right?"

He looked at her with a little suspicion before it dawned on him what she might be wanting to do considering her apparent lack of propriety. "They should be eating dinner right now. I told them not to wait for me." He said with a slight smirk himself. He was very thankful right now for Americans and their more lenient PDA social rules compared to Japan. Kyomi returned his smirk guessing that he had figured out her plan.

The trio crested the hill and Luc clamored to get down from his perch and Shigure had to release Kyomi's hand to set him down. The small toddler running into their living room gained the teens attention like nothing else could. Kyomi took advantage of their distraction to enact her plan. She grabbed Shigure's tie and pulled him in for a long, searing kiss. He deepened their kiss with no encouragement and, careful to keep just enough distance between them, they let themselves go fully. They legitimately forgot about the audience that was in their living room. It took longer than Kyomi thought it would to gain the teens attention since Luc kept them decently occupied for a few minutes before Yuki realized Luc had to have had adults with him and looked out towards the pond. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock. He stayed like that for a good amount of time while Kyo helped Tohru get Luc a plate of food and sit down. Once Yuki recovered, he got an evil smirk on his face.

The other couple hadn't noticed after they got Luc settled. Yuki decided to direct their attention where it needed to be. Yuki's back was to the pond and Luc was sitting opposite him with Tohru and Kyo on either side of him.

"Kyo, I challenge you to a match after dinner even though you'll never win. I just need a chance to stretch my legs." Yuki watched Kyo's face carefully as he looked up at Yuki to respond in kind.

Kyo never got a chance to reply because his brain stopped working in that moment. His face went from pure white to a little green to finally red. He jumped up and tried to storm out to the couple in the yard, but Yuki stopped him and skillfully made him fall flat on his face on the deck instead.

This gained the attention of Shigure and Kyomi who finally broke apart. Kyomi hid her face in Shigure's chest to attempt to hide her laughter at her brother's reaction. Shigure put his hands on her shoulders and patted her head while she calmed herself down.

Kyo was back up and going at it with Yuki while Tohru sat stunned and slightly confused with Luc happily eating next to her thankfully being a very good little boy.

Once Kyomi had calmed down, Shigure grabbed her hand and pulled her past the two sparring boys and into his living room to sit down at the table with Tohru.

"I don't really understand what just happened, but you two look happier than I've seen you in, well, ever really." Tohru said still confused over what had happened with Yuki and Kyo, but excited for what was happening between the older couple.

Shigure looked at Kyomi who just grinned at Tohru. Kyomi responded, "We still have a lot we need to talk over, but we did decide to not hide this from anyone nor hide from each other so yes, we are together now, wherever that leads us."

"What my dear Kyomi is trying to say is that she has finally fallen for my dashing good looks and fallen under my spell. After nearly twenty long years, I have finally won my fair maiden's heart." Shigure started to continue dramatically waxing poetic, but Kyomi's outburst of laughter interrupted him.

"Fallen under your spell? What spell? The one where you annoyed me half to death? Or the one where you were a childish pest for twenty years?" She continued laughing as Shigure clutched his heart dramatically like each of her words were an arrow to the heart. However, he couldn't disguise the small loving smile on his face as he watched his girl laugh with abandon, proud that he had made it happen despite the blow to his ego. Kyomi's laughter finally quieted and she leaned towards Shigure to peck a kiss on his cheek. "However, none of that changes how I feel about you." She grinned at him.

"I also seem to remember that you said you might have been in love with me this whole time and didn't want to admit it." He said swiping a finger up her chin.

Kyomi blushed a little. "That was only for you to know puppy! Besides, MIGHT HAVE BEEN is the big catch there." She said punching him lightly on the arm.

At the sounds of talking, the boys had ceased their fight and had returned to the table so they had heard the whole conversation. Yuki just watched the two a little amazed at how comfortable Kyomi seemed next to Shigure and even more amazed at the look on Shigure's face when he looked at her. Kyo was feeling much the same as Yuki, but he was nowhere near ready to admit it nor was he quite ready to accept it. Kyo's slightly strangled voice cut into Shigure and Kyomi's banter.

"So are you two dating now?" He asked haltingly.

Kyomi smiled understandingly at him and answered resolutely. "Yup! We sure are!"

Kyo let his forehead hit the table with a thud and a huge groan before hopping back to his feet. "If you get a step out of line, or hurt one hair on your head, you're dead dog meat got it? If she so much as sheds one tear because of you, I'll bury you in these woods myself, you hear me you damn dog? The only reason I'm even slightly okay with this is because my sister seems to be really happy and I haven't seen her like that for as long as I've known her so you better take better care of her than anything else in your life!" Kyo sat back down with a huff, out of breath from his outburst.

Kyomi almost started to say something but was stopped by a hand on her arm. Shigure stood in another rare moment of seriousness and bowed formally. "Kyo, you have my word I will do the best I can for your sister and love her until she no longer wants me to be there for her. I can't promise she will never cry, but especially if it's because of me, I will do my best to make it right. You have my word." Shigure sat back down and seeing the need to lightly the mood a little since Kyomi was nearly close to tears from his statement, he quipped, "Besides, I've never taken good care of anyone in my life so the bar isn't set very high you know… ouch!" He could have swore he was getting a bruise from his new girlfriend at this point and Yuki had to restrain Kyo from coming over the table, but he had meant every word he had said. He pulled Kyomi's chin to face him and he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips before finally turning to their meal.

…..

After Kyomi turned Luc over to Tohru to put to sleep, she and Shigure decided to take a walk in the woods that Kyo had threated him with.

"Tohru is so good with Luc. He was so excited to hear her stories. She's going to be a good aunt for him." Kyomi said with a conspiring grin on her face.

"You say that like it's a fact." Shigure commented as they walked hand in hand down the wooded path in the moonlight.

"Cause I think it is. I might not know my brother as well as you, but I'd like to think I can tell when two people are in love and would be good together. They take care of each other so well." She said.

"Hmm, you just might be right about that. However, I would point out that sometimes the unexpected happens." He raised their hands so he could kiss the back of hers.

"The unexpected does indeed happen." She said with a small chuckle.

They walked in silence for a time just enjoying being with each other. Then Shigure spoke.

"You are not coming with me when I tell Akito about this." He spoke seriously.

Kyomi sighed heavily knowing he was right to feel that way, but had her own stipulations. "Alright, but Hatori and maybe Ayame will be right outside and you will warn me before you go and either see me directly after or at least call." Shigure was actually a little surprised she agreed and told her as much. "Well, you would feel worse if I got hurt right? I would want to be there for you, but I think I would just be a hindrance and a liability more than anything." She observed.

"All true. And I agree to your demands. I was going to have Hatori close anyway and probably Kureno although he's never far anyway. As much as I don't want to have this conversation with her, it fills me with more fear to think about you there." He squeezed her hand. "What exactly should I tell her?"

Kyomi thought in silence for a time before replying. "It might be best to do it this way…."

….

Shigure and Kyomi talked about how to tell their closest friends about their newfound relationship, and it was decided that Shigure would go to the estate and talk to Hatori and enlist his help to speak with Akito while Kyomi went to tell Ayame and Mine at the shop. Plus, that way if Kyomi needed to rush to the hospital, she could take Aya with her. They weren't concerned with how their best friends were going to react but considering the violence Akito showed when it came to any mention of Shigure and Kyomi just in the same sentence, Kyomi was legitimately concerned for the well-being of her best friend and boyfriend. However, they also discussed not telling her at all and knew Akito finding out second hand would be worse and put the bearer of that news in danger as well.

Shigure wasn't used to having a partner in his scheming, but he was finding it was rather nice. He was thinking about that and Kyomi as he walked up the walkway to Hatori's clinic and let himself in. Hatori was sitting at his desk working on some paperwork and didn't even look up since he knew who had barged into his room.

"Can I help you?" Hatori said sarcastically.

Shigure flopped down on Hatori's couch and sighed. "Yes, you can. But I have a question and something to tell you first."

Hatori leveled a glare at him over his glasses. "I know what you're going to tell me. And so does Akito. One of the maids saw you, Kyomi, and Luc walking hand in hand looking every bit the happy family, and Akito overheard them gossiping. That maid is in the hospital for a broken finger and I had to give Akito a powerful sedative to calm her down and get her to sleep." Hatori let that information sink in.

"Well, then I have nothing else to say, see you later!" Shigure got up and started walking out the door.

"Sit back down, I'm not done with you yet." Hatori said.

Shigure complied, fake tears running down his face as pouted at his failed escape attempt. "I almost made it."

"Do you two know what you're doing?" Hatori started. "You are putting both Kyomi and Luc in danger with this and what happens if it all falls through? What will that do to both of them? They can't handle anymore loss." Before Hatori could continue, Shigure raised his hand to stop him.

"We talked about that at length last night. We made contingency plans in case something does happen. If something absolutely terrible happens, she will go to Ireland to find her father's family there. If that falls through, she has some extended adoptive family in the states she can return to. Either way, she will probably take Kyo and maybe Tohru with her. That being said, we can't predict every outcome, its impossible. She's going into this with her eyes more open than most people's considering what happened at the beach house." Shigure laid out their plans to Hatori who mulled his words over in silence for some time.

"If you are using her for one of your schemes…" Shigure started laughing before Hatori could finish his statement.

"Both Kyomi herself and her brother have threatened me with a shallow grave in my woods if I tried to pull anything like that. I have wondered if this might help reach all our end goals, but that's not why I'm doing it. I'm actually hoping doing this will help protect them. If everyone knows we are together, it might help offer them a level of protection hiding it would not." Shigure reasoned.

"Or it could make them more of a target for Akito." Hatori pointed out.

"It might. But this is what she wanted. She didn't want to hide." Shigure truthfully said.

Hatori sighed heavily. "She's more stubborn than all of us combined. Good luck."

"One look at my dashing good looks and she's swept off her feet. I don't need luck." Shigure said dramatically.

Hatori was interrupted by a phone ringing. It was Ayame recounting Shigure and Kyomi's news. Hatori put it on speaker so the three could discuss the news. Kyomi had already left for home so it was really Shigure and Ayame talking reminiscing about their attempts to woo Kyomi in elementary school and congratulating themselves on success, never mind it was twenty years later and their elementary school exploits had probably hindered Shigure's chances for a little while.

Hatori half listened to them and half continued working before he heard someone come in the front of the clinic. He excused himself to go see who it was. He came back with a serious expression on his face. Shigure caught it and quieted. "What is it Hatori?" He asked.

Hatori replied. "Akito would like to see you and Kyomi as soon as possible."