"Hello. Welcome to Holly's House of Food. How many in your party?" A hostess kindly greeted and then asked.
"Hi. Five: three adults and two children." Ryou answered, holding onto Mai, who was laying her head on his shoulder.
"Are you here for breakfast?" The hostess politely asked, smiling at Kai and Mai.
"Yes, we're here for breakfast. She's extremely shy." Ryou answered and then told the waitress when she looked terribly sorry when Mai hid her face deeper into Ryou's shoulder.
"Ok. I thought I'd done something wrong. Ehem… You made it just in time; we're still serving breakfast for about another hour. Please follow me and I'll seat you. Booth or table?" The hostess kindly informed them before asking.
"No need to apologize. Booth, please." Ryou responded.
"Ok. Please, follow me." The hostess politely instructed.
"How old are the children?" The hostess asked, leading them to a booth.
"They're both four." Ryou answered.
"Here you go. You may pick either booth. Do you need booster seats?" The hostess kindly asked, standing between two booths: one was by a wall with a bunch of pictures while the other was next to a window.
They ended picking the one by the window.
"Yes, to the booster seats, please." Ichigo answered the hostess.
The tables were tall while the seats were slightly lower.
Kai was taller than Mai already, and he could just barely reach the table.
"I'll be right back." The hostess informed, setting three menus on the table.
"Thank you." Ryou, Ichigo, and Sakura thanked the hostess.
"What wrong, Baby?" Ryou asked when Mai started fussing.
"I think somebody's tired." Sakura spoke, looking at Mai.
"Pancakes!" Mai cried into Ryou's shoulder.
"Yes, you're going to get pancakes—in just a little bit. We have to wait for booster seats and then we all have to see what we want." Ryou told Mai, gently rocking her.
"Ok, two booster seats. Your waiter or waitress will be with you in just a little bit." The hostess stated, handing Sakura and Ichigo the booster seats before setting five cups of water on the table. She then headed back to her post.
"Can I sit by the window, Daddy?" Mai softly asked.
"Sure." Ryou replied, setting her down so he could take one of the booster seats.
"Kai, where do you want to sit?" Ryou asked, setting up Mai's seat.
"By the window." Kai calmly answered.
"I'll take care of him." Ichigo insisted with a smile, taking the second booster seat.
Ryou didn't reply; he just smiled as they got the seats set up before setting Kai and Mai in them.
Ryou sat next to Mai while Ichigo sat between Kai and Sakura.
"Hello. I'm Kaito and I'll be your waiter this fine morning. Can I start you off with some drinks?" Their waiter, Kaito, politely asked.
"Ichigo, Sakura, go ahead." Ryou insisted, allowing the girls to go first.
"I would like a cappuccino with cinnamon flavoring." Sakura politely told Kaito.
"Of course. And you ma'am." Kaito asked Ichigo, writing Sakura's drink down.
"I'll just have a strawberry smoothie." Ichigo ordered her drink with a smile.
"Of course. Sir?" Kaito asked, writing Ichigo's drink down.
"Can I get a coffee, black?" Ryou calmly asked, watching Mai start to squirm around.
"Of course. And the children?" Kaito asked with a smile; he was a gay man who loved and longed for children of his own. However, right now, his partner didn't.
"I want apple juice." Kai spoke up.
"Ok, and the little girl?" Kaito politely asked.
"Orange juice with no pulp, please. And where is your bathroom located?" Ryou answered Kaito before asking.
"Of course. The bathrooms are just down the hall and behind that wall over there. I'll be back in just a little bit." Kaito answered Ryou before walking away.
"Kai, do you need to go?" Ryou asked.
"No, I'm good; I went earlier." Kai calmly answered, looking out the window.
"Ok…" Ryou sighed, slowly scooting off the bench. Ryou had issues with taking Mai to the bathroom in public places; he didn't feel right about it. Which, to him, he doesn't understand because he has no problems helping her at home.
"I can take her; I have to go anyway." Sakura told Ryou with a smile.
"So do I." Ichigo stated.
"Ok. Go with Mommy and Grandma." Ryou told Mai, setting her on the floor; she fell over right away.
"Come here, Pumpkin." Ichigo gently spoke, picking Mai up before they walked to the bathrooms.
"Do they always travel in packs?" Kai asked, watching the girls leave, causing Ryou to choke on his water little.
"Where did you hear that?" Ryou asked, trying to hold back laughter.
"Around. I usually hear guys say it when they watch a group of girls walking away. Then they start acting stupid, falling over, and start talking gibberish. Maybe girls really are witches…" Kai explained and then mumbled, seriously thinking about it.
This time, Ryou couldn't hold back and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Kai asked, confused.
"Kai, girls aren't witches. Just wait until you're older; you'll understand what all that means. No, I'm not going to explain it to you now. But I will say: most—not all, but most guys will do that once or a few times in their lives. And trust me: girls do it too." Ryou explained, smiling.
"I hope I'm never like that—I like being smart." Kai seriously replied.
"We'll just have to wait and see. And being smart is a good thing but being kind is more important. Also know this: just because you're extremely smart, doesn't mean you won't make mistakes and such. Some of the smartest people can be just as stupid as others. I've made mistakes—plenty of them. I'm going to tell you this, because I don't want you to end up exactly like me. By the time I was ten, my IQ was over 180. But I wasn't exactly very social; I was a loner—and that carried on as I got older. I didn't have any friends my own age; I only had Keiichiro and my parents. And I believe because of how smart I was then and am now; I pushed people away because they weren't as smart as me. I'm not saying do stuff you're not interested in. I'm saying, try to not talk about how smart you are—or push others to try to be smarter; it'll come back to bite you in the butt. Do I have friends now? Yes. But that's only because of underlying circumstances. No, you do not need to know about that."
"If your mother could carry kids on her own, and things didn't happen the way they did; you and Mai wouldn't be here today. Now, listen to this part very carefully: you and your sister are NOT mistakes. Far from it. But the night you and Mai were—being created, I was stupid; I made a mistake. Nine months later, you and Mai were born. It only took three years learn about you two, but I got you—both of you. If I had known about you two to begin with, I would've gotten custody of you then and there—one way or another. I would've fought for you two so that you two could've had a better life than you had before. Now, here comes the part about your mother."
"Your mother and I are very aware that you are aware that she couldn't carry you and your sister inside of her. We also know that you know that she cannot currently or will ever be able to carry any child inside of her. Now, if she could become pregnant and carry a child to term, you two still probably wouldn't be here." Ryou explained, he stopped to take a breath, when Kai spoke up.
"Why?" Kai asked, confused.
"Because your mother didn't like me in that way. And to be fair, I wasn't always the nicest to her. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to treat a girl that you end up liking (way in the future) the way I treated her. But I have loved your mother since the first time I laid eyes on her. I knew the very first time I saw your mother that she was the one I was always going to love. However, she was with someone else. So, I kept my distance and was very rude—and not so nice to her. I did that to keep her around, but to not let her know and lose her. I wanted her to be happy even if I couldn't. Needless to say, I didn't know how to manage my feelings, and was just plain rude—and not very nice."
"Maybe you and your sister would be here in the future—but you certainly wouldn't be here now because your mother and I, at the time were not together in any way, shape or form. I'm not going to say you and your sister are the reason she and I are together; that's a horrible reason to be with someone. The reason for that is: if someone's not happy with the person they're with and have kids together, it not only creates tension for the parents, but it also makes tension for the kids. It's just not fair—for anyone involved. And whether your mother and I ever got together without you or your sister being around or not; she would still be the woman I love for the rest of my life—even if I couldn't be with her. And that's what love is. If you love someone, you set them free. If they come back, it's obviously meant to be. If not—well, then, they're meant to be happy with someone else." Ryou seriously explained, taking a few breaths between. The entire time, he was looking Kai in the eyes, neither of them realizing the girls had come back.
"What about now?" Kai curiously asked.
"What do you mean?" Ryou asked, looking at Kai.
"How do you feel about everything now?" Kai asked.
"I couldn't see my life without any of you—especially you and your sister. Yes, I love your mother very dearly, but you and your sister come first. I will always love you two just a little more." Ryou honestly answered.
"I love you too! I'm sorry it took me so long!" Ichigo cried, hugging Ryou.
"Hey. We've already been through this: it doesn't matter. I have you now; that's all that matters—you and the kids." Ryou firmly told Ichigo and then blinked a few times as Sakura took pictures.
Oh, and Kaito was standing there—a blubbering mess.
Earlier:
In The Bathroom:
With Sakura, Ichigo & Mai:
"Holy cow; these toilets are huge. Hold on, Mai. These are too big for you to use on your own; you'll fall in." Ichigo instructed, removing Mai's bottoms; she then held her over the toilet while her mom sat in the next stall—silently crying.
"Jeez, Child… You really did have to go." Ichigo told Mai, astonished as she had been holding Mai over the toilet for almost fifteen seconds—and she was going.
Another few seconds ticked by before Mai was finally done and ready to wipe.
"Ok, wait here. Now it's my turn." Ichigo instructed, removing her bottoms and sat down, after placing a seat cover thing.
She stood up, wiped, flushed, and threw the seat thing away when she was done.
"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked, looking at Mai.
"Yes." Mai softly answered just before Ichigo opened the stall door.
"Ok, let's wash our hands." Ichigo told Mai, turning the water on. Once the water was lukewarm, Ichigo lifted Mai to wash her hands before washing hers.
"Mom, are you ok in there?" Ichigo asked after she picked Mai up.
"Yeah, I'll be out in just a second." Sakura answered after taking a deep breath.
"Gramma's sad?" Mai asked when Sakura came out to wash her hands.
"A little." Sakura answered with a smile.
"Because Grampa didn't come to breakfast with us?" Mai asked, confused.
"No, Sweetheart. It does have to do with Grandpa, but you're much too young to understand right now." Sakura told Mai with a smile.
Sakura knew Mai was just a little girl and was confused. She also knew she'd be even more confused when they returned to the summer house, and Shintaro won't be there.
"Ok. Please be happy, Gramma." Mai softly pleaded, reaching over to pat Sakura on the cheek.
"Thank you, Sweetheart; I will be." Sakura promised.
"Is something wrong, Mai? You don't have to go again, do you?" Ichigo asked when she noticed that Mai kept giving her weird and confused looks.
"No, I don't have to go again." Mai answered, squinting a little at Ichigo.
"Then what's wrong?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"Why do you have hair?" Mai asked, just as confused.
"Wh-what do you mean by that? I have hair just like you and a bunch of other people." Ichigo explained, very confused—especially when she saw her mom snickering a little.
"No! You have hair on your naughty parts! I don't have hair there! Why do you? Why don't I have hair there like you?! I want hair there like you!" Mai cried out, stomping her feet, clearly confused. She had this look of strong determination in her scrunched-up little face causing that Sakura couldn't help herself and burst out laughing.
"Uh… Uh…" Ichigo stammered, embarrassed, trying to figure out what to say.
"Gramma, what's wrong?" Mai asked, confused.
"Nothing Sweetheart… It's just that, your mommy asked me that very same question when she was younger. Seeing as Mommy's too shocked to speak at the moment, I'll tell you what I told her: the hair on your mommy's naughty part is adult hair. Most all adults have adult hair on their naughty parts. I do. I'm sure your daddy does as well. But don't go asking to see it. You don't get to see a guy's adult hair until you are much, much older. Anyway, once you're older, you'll start getting your adult hair. But until then, just be a kid. Ok?" Sakura explained, looking at Mai.
"Ok." Mai happily replied; she was satisfied with that answer.
"Are you ready to go back now?" Sakura asked once Ichigo recovered.
"Yeah. Pancakes!" Mai happily cried.
When they got back to the table, they heard Ryou explaining some things to Kai.
Current Time:
"That is just the most beautiful thing I've heard and seen in a long time." Kaito stated, tears running down his face while several other customers clapped—embarrassing Ryou and Ichigo.
"…Thank you…" Ryou and Ichigo slowly responded, blushing just before everyone went back to doing what they were doing.
"Why was everyone clapping?" Mai and Kai asked, confused.
"Never you mind…" Ryou told them, blushing a little, setting Mai in her booster seat.
"May I please have the honor of taking your orders?" Kaito asked—still a blubbering mess.
Normally, Ryou, Ichigo, or Sakura would've said something. But it was clear as day that Kaito was gay—and seemed like he was having some kind of personal issues.
"Yes, I would like the "Happy Sunny Meal" with two sunny-side-up eggs on two pieces of toast with the scrambled egg smile and bacon hair." Sakura calmly ordered her meal.
"Uh-huh… Ma'am?" Kaito asked, looking at Ichigo.
"Can I get the "Mixed Platter" that comes with French toast, waffles, pancakes, one egg, sausage links, and some strawberries?" Ichigo asked, getting Mai's attention.
"Would you like peanut butter, melted chocolate, syrup, or whipped topping—or a combination?" Kaito asked.
"Syrup and whipped cream please." Ichigo answered with a smile.
"Of course. For you, sir?" Kaito asked with a smile.
"I'll have scrambled eggs with French toast, sausage links, and some bacon. Oh, and melted chocolate and whipped cream for the French toast, please." Ryou answered, ordering his meal.
"Yes, of course. And the children?" Kaito asked with a smile.
"I want the "Lumberjack" breakfast." Kai stated with high enthusiasm.
"I don't think we have a child version of that." Kaito replied, looking back.
"I don't want a child version; I want the adult version." Kai insisted.
"That is a lot of food. Are you sure you don't want something else?" A different waitress asked, walking by.
"Yes, I'm sure." Kai answered, slightly annoyed that someone else wanted to tell him what he should or shouldn't have.
"If that's what he wants, he's sure." Ryou spoke up.
"That's a lot of food…" The waitress insisted in shock.
"He'll eat it all. Trust me. He'll have the "Lumberjack" breakfast." Ichigo insisted as calmly as she could, being annoyed by now, causing the waitress to walk away, huffing.
"Ok. And the little girl?" Kaito asked, getting back to business.
"I want what Mommy's having, but with scrambled eggs and sausage patties." Mai told Ryou, tugging on his arm, looking up at him.
"How much is in that?" Ryou asked, looking at Ichigo.
"The "Mixed Platter?" There are three types: the one that she ordered comes with four pancakes, four pieces of French toast, four waffles, choice of eggs, five pieces, or a combination of sausage or bacon, and choice of fruit or fruit salad with fruit of choice." Kaito explained.
"She'll never eat all that… Mai, Baby; you won't eat all that food. You have to get something else." Ryou calmly told Mai.
Mai's eyes got big; she looked like she was going to cry but didn't shed any tear as she started looking through the pictures on the menu.
"We do have a child's version of that. Everything's just cut in half." Kaito told them when Mai started looking for something else.
"I guess she'll have that. But she wants it with scrambled eggs, sausage patties, and a fruit salad with oranges, bananas, grapes, kiwi, peaches, and strawberries with no whipped cream or anything like that." Ryou told Kaito.
"Would she like peanut butter, melted chocolate, syrup, or whipped topping, or a combination?" Kaito asked with a smile; he had seen many children not get what they want and just start wailing. Mai just sat there quietly, eyes huge and watery.
"Syrup please and thank you." Mai politely answered for herself.
"She is so polite and well behaved." Kaito noted, writing her order down.
"She is." Ryou agreed.
"I'll be out with your food after a little bit." Kaito informed them before walking away.
"So, what are we going to do today? It looks like it's going to rain." Sakura asked and then noted, looking out the window.
"And it's too cold to go swimming right now." Ichigo added.
"I don't know. We'll just have to take things one step at a time. If the weather keeps up like this, Kai and I will be able to go fishing." Ryou answered, looking out the window.
"Yeah!" Kai happily exclaimed.
"Kai, shh… Inside voice." Ichigo lightly scolded.
"Sorry." Kai apologized right away.
"Mommy has adult hair on her naughty parts. And one day Kai and I will have hair there as well. But I'm not loud to ask to see a boys naughty hairs until I'm older." Mai happily announced, causing Ichigo and Ryou to nearly spit their drinks out.
Meanwhile, Sakura sat there, trying not to burst out laughing.
"Wh-what?" Ryou asked once he could breathe and got his composure back while Ichigo sat there, embarrassed.
"You don't need to repeat yourself; he heard you. Just a bathroom conversation that I'll explain later." Ichigo immediately spoke up when she noticed that Mai was going to start talking again.
"Ok." Ryou and Mai replied, watching Ichigo:
Ryou just looked dumbfounded.
Mai was sitting there, drinking her juice, kicking her legs back and forth.
Kai was looking from Ichigo to Ryou and Mai, confused.
"I don't understand. What's going on?" Kai finally asked.
"Nothing. It's nothing for you to worry about." Ichigo answered, red in the face.
Meanwhile, the wheels were starting to turn inside Ryou's head—and he figured it out. He had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep himself from laughing out loud. But inside his head, he was bashing his head against something hard.
'Thank God.' Ichigo thought to herself when she realized Ryou knew what was going on.
"But Mai gets to know. I wanna know too!" Kai immediately started complaining. Part of that was frustration for not knowing what was going on. The other part was hunger.
"Mommy has adult hair on her naughty part—the part she potties from. I know; I saws it." Mai happily answered because she got to explain something to Kai; she was so proud of herself.
"What a great breakfast conversation…" Ryou mumbled, shaking his head, trying not to laugh.
Sakura, on the other hand:
"Excuse me; I need some air." Sakura excused herself.
Neither Ryou nor Ichigo knew what to do; Mai still suffered from PTSD and her other issues—and wants to feel smart. And Kai gets so frustrated when he doesn't understand them.
"Ok. That's enough now—please. We'll talk later—when we're not in a public place. Ok? This just isn't a conversation we have in a public place—in restaurants." Ryou firmly told Kai and Mai.
"Yes, Daddy. I'm sorry." Mai apologized, looking down.
"Sorry." Kai mumbled, looking down.
"No. Now don't start crying; neither of you are in trouble. This just isn't a conversation to be having in public. You're both two young to even know what you're taking about. Once you get older—in a few years, your mother and I will explain it all to you. Ok? Do you understand? You two aren't in any trouble. But from now on; when we tell you to stop, you stop. Ok?" Ryou explained, looking from Kai to Mai.
"Yes." "Yes, Daddy." Kai and Mai replied.
"Good. Now, no more tears." Ryou told Mai, rubbing her tears away.
"Daddy, I'm hungry." Mai told Ryou, changing the subject.
"I know, Baby; food will be here in a little bit. Why don't we save the orange juice for when food arrives?" Ryou replied and then suggested.
"Can I has the water den?" Mai asked, looking at a cup of water.
"Yes, you can have the water. Both hands though." Ryou replied, handing Mai the cup of water, holding the bottom so she wouldn't drop it.
"Feel better?" Ichigo asked when Sakura returned.
"Yes, thank you." Sakura replied, sitting in her spot.
Ten Minutes Later:
"Ok. I have a "Happy Sunny Meal." An adult "Mixed Platter" with syrup and whipped cream. Scrambled eggs with French toast, sausage links and some bacon. One "Lumberjack" breakfast. And a child's "Mixed Platter" with syrup. Do any of you need refills on drinks?" Kaito asked, after handing everyone their food.
"Can I have more orange juice Daddy?" Mai asked, looking at Ryou.
"Might as well; she's already sucked down half of her current cup. She'll suck down more. Kai?" Ryou asked, taking Mai's cup, he poured the rest of her orange juice into his empty water cup.
"Yes, please." Kai answered as he started eating.
"No pulp, correct?" Kaito asked, remembering.
"No pulp." Ryou repeated.
"If he eats all that food, I'll pay their bill, do garbage, and whatever you say for a whole year." The one waitress told Kaito as he refilled Mai's orange juice with no pulp and Kai's apple juice.
"Ok." Kaito simply replied before he went back to Ryou and the others.
The "Lumberjack" breakfast, by the way, is: five pancakes, five waffles, three pieces of French toast, three sunny-side-up eggs, a fair amount of scrambled eggs, a fair amount of hash browns, five sausage links, three sausage patties, five pieces of bacon, three pieces of regular toast, a typical fruit salad, with cups of syrup, melted chocolate, and whipped topping.
Forty Minutes Later:
"I can't believe he ate all that food…" The waitress stood there, dumbfounded, standing behind a counter with Kaito—who stood there, smiling.
"Well, here's their bill; pay up." Kaito sternly told her.
"Fine…" She grumbled, pulling out her wallet. The only reason she wasn't going to try to back out is because the general manager had heard her little bet.
"Say… You're not going to hold me to the other half, are you?" The waitress asked, somewhat scared.
"You're damn right I am." Kaito replied, snapping his fingers in the air as he got a to-go fruit cup.
"Are we all done here?" Kaito asked with a smile.
"I believe so." Ryou answered as they sat there, not eating.
Mai fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago—after she got done eating. She was lying on the bench with her head on Ryou's lap and her hands on his knee.
"Would you like a to-go cup for her fruit salad?" Kaito politely asked.
"Yes, please." Ryou replied, lifting Mai a little.
"Here you go." Kaito handed Ryou a decent-sized to-go cup.
"Thank you." Ryou thanked, taking the cup from Kaito.
"Mmmm… Daddy…" Mai moaned and stretched as she slowly woke up.
"Did you have a nice nap?" Ryou asked as she leaned into him, making it easier for him to get her fruit in the cup.
"Yeah…" Mai answered, stretching a little.
"Excuse me." Kaito started once Ryou got the rest of the fruit in the cup.
"Yes?" Ryou and Ichigo asked.
"This is my boss and owner of the restaurant; she would like to talk to you." Kaito politely informed.
"Ok." Ryou and Ichigo replied, looking at each other, confused.
"Mr. Ryou Shirogane—son of Jin and Ami Shirogane." The lady spoke with a smile.
The woman had long brown hair and pale blue eyes; she was taller and relatively thin.
"How do you know me and my parents' names?" Ryou asked, looking at the lady, pulling Mai close to him.
"I'm not going to hurt the children. You don't remember me, do you?" The lady calmly asked.
"No. Should I?" Ryou asked, looking at her.
"I suppose—you were only four the last time I saw you. My name is Holly Shirogane. Your father is my younger cousin; I'm your cousin—or second cousin if you'd prefer." The lady, Holly answered, shocking Ryou.
"If you're my aunt—why didn't you come find me when my house went up in flames and killed my parents—or I thought they killed my parents. I just found out they may be alive." Ryou sighed, looking at Holly.
"Well, I heard about the house being engulfed in flames; I never heard anything about your parents being killed though. Honestly, when I saw you sitting at this booth, I thought I saw a ghost. Ryou, I was told you were dead; that would be why I never came looking for you." Holly calmly answered.
"Who told you I was dead?" Ryou asked, confused.
"Your dad. Yeah, out of the blue, after not talking to me for six years, he called to tell me you were dead; your body was completely incinerated in the fire—along with Keiichiro. Is he still alive as well?" Holly explained and then asked.
"He's alive; he took care of me after we thought my parents died." Ryou replied.
"That's good." Holly sighed in relief—especially when it looked like something clicked in his head.
"Why didn't you and Dad talk until then?" Ryou outright asked her.
"Has to do with our parents—your grandparents. I was born six years before Grandpa met your grandmother. Your dad was then born four years after that. So, your father and I are roughly ten years apart. It has nothing to do with your parents; they were very kind and loving towards me. It all had to do with my mother; she was very vindictive and took me away. When you were born, your dad somehow got a hold of me. It was nice. For that age, you were incredibly smart; you must be super smart now. But then again, your dad is really smart as well. Anyway, I was around until you were a little over four—maybe five. My mom called ranting, raving, and bla, bla, bla. Doctors told her she was really sick—and that because I was her only living relative, I had to take care of her because she absolutely refused to live in a home. Needless to say, it was all a trap, and I was institutionalized for ten years. By the time I got out, Mom really was sick. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, horrid, or whatever; you're obviously a family man. But after that stunt, even though she begged me for my help, I told her no and moved out here. She passed away about five years ago. I was very surprised that she left me all of her money and this place. Back then, this was a bar she had purchased one night when she was extremely drunk. For the most part, she got it completely paid off; I paid the rest of the debt and turned it into what you see now. I hate bars. But anyway—you're a father now, I see. You must be the mother. You're very pretty. Just like Jin, he knows how to pick 'em. Eh? Eh? Eh?" Holly explained and then asked, embarrassing both Ryou and Ichigo.
"Yes, this is Ichigo. And these are our twins, Kai and Mai." Ryou calmly replied once he was able to get over his embarrassment.
"Kai and Mai? Are those short for something?" Holly asked, looking at Ryou.
"I don't really know; I didn't get them until they were three. And we didn't find out Ichigo was their mother until sometime later. Long story short: I got extremely drunk one night, had a one-night stand with a girl, who got me drunk on what I've always assumed to be the anniversary of my parents' deaths so she could find something. After that, she just kind of vanished. Last year, when I found out about and got the twins, we thought she was their biological mother. However, they both got really sick at one point and that's when we found out she stole Ichigo's eggs that were being saved for future use and had them implanted into her. And then, after that, that's where I came in. Their case worker is having a hard time finding or getting their original birth certificates so that he can make some changes. So, we're still waiting on that." Ryou explained as he and Ichigo covered Kai and Mai's ears to keep them from hearing specific details.
"Ahh. Oh, I'm sorry. You must be Ichigo's mother. I don't want to leave you out of all this." Holly politely noted after apologizing.
"It's quite alright. This is a family thing." Sakura stated with a smile.
"You're so kind. If you don't mind my asking, but what kind of changes?" Holly asked, confused.
"Names and such. Seeing as neither Ichigo nor I got a chance to be a part of their lives when they were born, they were named by the lady who gave birth to them. We technically have the right to change their names to whatever we want. However, we have agreed to not change their names as to not confuse them—well Mai anyway. Also, we want to have it on record that Ichigo is their biological mother instead of the other lady." Ryou explained.
"Oh, I see. Anyway, I have to get headed home to my family. I actually just wanted to see if you remembered me. Also, if it's ok with you and Ichigo; I'd like to give Kai, Mai, you, Ichigo, and her mother a complimentary cake. They're just small cakes; they're actually about the size of three small pieces of cake smashed together. We have a variety of them in the heart of the diner—A.K.A: the center of the diner. Kaito will lead you to them and get them ready for you all—granted, you allow the kids can have one. Oh, it was so good to see you again. You grew up into a fine young man who got yourself a very pretty girl and have two lovely kids. Your parents will be so proud of you. Also, these cakes are complimentary. Your kids are two of the best-behaved kids we've ever had here. Well, I have to head out. I hope to see you again sometime." Holly insisted, hugging Ryou before she left.
"Daddy, cake? Can we get cake?" Mai asked, lightly tugging at Ryou's arm.
"Yeah, ok. Just let me get the check first." Ryou told Mai as he stood up.
"No need for that, sir; it's already been taken care of. The waitress who was by earlier, bet that if your son ate that entire "Lumberjack" breakfast, she would pay for your meal—among other things. You're all good." Kaito informed Ryou with a smile.
"Ok. Well, come on; let's get your cakes." Ryou sighed as Mai slowly scooted, wincing here and there.
"Are you hurting that badly?" Ryou asked, looking at Mai as she made her way to the end.
"I'm ok." Mai softly replied once she got her legs over the end of the bench to get down.
Right away, Ryou, Ichigo, and Sakura could tell she was going to fall over once she made it to the ground.
"Come here." Ryou sighed, picking her up.
"Am I getting cake as well?" Kai asked as they followed Kaito.
"Yes, you are. Here we are. We have many different types of cake. Just look at the pictures and pick out which cake you want." Kaito happily sang.
"The cakes aren't really that big, are they?" Ryou asked when he noticed the pictures of the cakes each had, like, eight pieces each.
"No, of course, not. I mean, we do have cakes that size. The cakes that you and your family are getting are technically made for children, but adults love them just as much. The smaller ones are behind the pictures; the bigger ones are in the show cases up front, in back, and in the kitchen." Kaito explained.
"Ok. What would you all like?" Ryou asked as they looked over the pictures.
"Nanner Peanut Butter De—" Mai started when she saw a picture of a white cake with peanut butter cups, chocolate and peanut butter frosting, and bananas on it; she knew the first three words but couldn't figure out the last word.
"Nanner Peanut Butter Delight?" Kaito asked while the others continued to look.
"Yes, please." Mai happily responded with a big smile, completely forgetting about how much pain she was in.
"Very good reading." Ryou praised Mai with a smile.
"Let's see… This is one of our more popular ones. Hmm… Oh, you're just in luck; there are two left." Kaito stated, disappearing behind the small case; he then picked out a small cake and placed it in a box.
"Can I get the "Triple Strawberry Surprise" with hard chocolate frosting?" Ichigo asked, looking at the pictures, eventually landing on a three-layered strawberry cake with oozy chocolate frosting between each layer. The outside of the cake was decorated in pink, strawberry frosting, and strawberry sprinkles. It also had small strawberries in the shape of a heart on the top. The surprise was the type of sauce drizzled all over; it was dyed pink—but it wasn't strawberry.
"Of course." Kaito replied with a huge smile, once again disappearing behind the case.
"Ma'am?" Kaito asked, looking at Sakura.
"Oh, umm… "Pineapple Coconut Sunset Paradise," please." Sakura answered, looking at vanilla cake dyed dark blue, red, purple, and a little yellow with pineapple frosting and coconut shreds.
"That one is also pretty popular. But it looks like we have—one left; you get the last one." Kaito informed, picking out her cake and placed it in a box.
Kai was still looking, so Ryou went next.
"I'll just have the "Yellow Sprinkle Surprise." Kai, hurry up and decide before we leave, and you get nothing." Ryou chose his cake and then calmly to Kai. Though, he wasn't actually going to leave without getting him a cake as well.
The cake Ryou picked out was a yellow sponge cake with chocolate frosting, covered in multicolored sprinkles. The surprise was the sauce in the center of the cake and on the outside.
"Can I get the "Quadruple Chocolate Volcanic Lava" cake with chocolate sprinkles?" Kai asked, finally making his decision.
"Of course. Technically, this cake is very popular; however, not so much for the smaller ones. Most people want this in the large version." Kaito stated, pulling out what Kai had asked for.
The lava cake was a dark chocolate cake with homemade milk chocolate frosting, chocolate sprinkles, white chocolate oozy chocolate running down the sides, and an ooey-gooey hot chocolate fudge center.
"That's just what you need…" Ryou sighed as Kaito taped the boxes down the sides to keep them together before placing them in a large bag.
"Here, go with Grandma. I'll get the cakes." Ryou told, passing her to Sakura.
"Come here, Sweetheart." Sakura cooed, taking Mai from Ryou.
"Thank you." Ryou thanked Kaito, taking the cakes.
"No, thank you. And please, come again." Kaito insisted with a smile, waving as they left.
It wasn't raining, but it sure was cold and windy.
Ryou got the cakes in the back of the van when Kai looked away for a second.
"Mr. Nikos? Hey, it's Mr. Nikos! Mr. Nikos!" Kai yelled, waving to a tall, skinny man in a dark blue trench coat, black boots, and a fishing hat covering his short, light brown hair.
"Kai, what are you doing? Who's Mr. Nikos?" Ryou asked, looking from Kai to the man Kai was waving at.
"Kai and Mai Shirogane?" The man asked, shocked but with a smile.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Mai cried, immediately reaching for Ryou. She was struggling to much that she almost fell out of Sakura's arms.
"Ok, ok… Hold on. Kai!" Ryou calmly told Mai before calling when Kai went running to the man, meeting him halfway.
"How have you been?" The man asked, looking at Kai.
"Good, and you?" Kai asked.
"Kai, what do you think you're doing just running off like that?" Ryou asked, walking over to them.
"Sorry." Kai apologized, looking at Ryou, guilt written all over his face.
"What are you doing with Kai and Mai?" The man, Mr. Nikos demanded, looking directly at Ryou.
"I'm their father, Ryou Shirogane. This is their mother, Ichigo Momomiya. Just who are you?" Ryou asked, demanding an answer from this man he did not know. Also, he didn't like this man's tone of voice—or the way he was looking at Mai—and severely upsetting her.
"I was their therapist after they were released from the hospital ward and transferred into the child protective services ward. I had heard they were released into their father's care, but I did not receive any information about you. I was not aware their mother was alive. I was also told that their mother was to not have anything to do with them." Mr. Nikos calmly informed and then stated, narrowing his eyes at Ryou.
"You mean Maya. Maya gave birth to them, yes. But she was not their biological mother; Ichigo is. And it's none of your business as to how any of that happened." Ryou told this Mr. Nikos; there was something about this man he didn't trust.
"Are you two happy with your current living situation?" Mr. Nikos asked, looking at Kai and then to Mai.
"Of course, we're happy. Mom, Dad, and Grandma are the best. And yes, we feel safe; Mai is even talking—and has been for the last year or so. Why are you asking this?" Kai answered and then asked, confused.
"I just want to make sure my two favorite clients are well taken care of. My professional opinion? Kai seems like he's doing fine. Mai, on the other hand, seems like she should still be seeing someone. I'm always; available." Mr. Nikos firmly offered his services.
"They're already seeing someone, thank you very much." Ichigo stated, standing next to Ryou.
"Mai, is something wrong?" Ryou asked when Mai started shaking like a leaf.
"She's really pale." Ichigo noted, concerned.
"Home! Wan go home!" Mai cried, tears starting to run down her cheeks.
'Why are they acting like this? There couldn't be something wrong with Mr. Nikos, could there? He was always so nice to us. But Mai—she seems so scared and upset.' Kai thought to himself, looking between his family and Mr. Nikos.
"Well, as nice as it was to meet you, we have to get going. Come on, Kai." Ryou said as calmly as he could, turning to walk away.
Kai noticed it right away: Mr. Nikos smiled a creepy smile and waved at Mai. She immediately hid her face in Ryou's neck and started crying even more.
"Bye-bye." Mr. Nikos bid farewell, still smiling and waving.
"Bye." Kai replied before going with the others.
Because Ryou didn't trust this Mr. Nikos so much, they decided to take a walk around the block a few times before going to the van.
They wanted to make sure Mr. Nikos wasn't still in the parking lot before they got to the van. Turns out he had gone into the fishing hut next to Holly's House of Food.
The walk was awkward and silent—except Mai's constant crying.
Somewhere during the second round around the block, Mai had cried herself to sleep; she was so exhausted. She also had an accident and peed herself; she hadn't done that since the fourth or fifth month of living with Ryou.
"Is he gone?" Ichigo asked as they walked back up to the parking lot.
"Yeah; he went into the fishing hut." Ryou answered before they walked to the van and drove back to the beach house.
Five Minutes Later:
"Kai, can you run up to your room and grab your sister's stuffed animal and a clean pair of underwear, please?" Ryou asked once they got inside.
"Sure." Kai answered, before running upstairs.
"What's going on?" Ichigo asked, confused and worried about Mai.
"I'm not sure. But Mai sure didn't like that man. I mean, she peed herself and she hasn't done that in a lone while now." Ryou sighed, holding Mai.
Even though she was sleeping, Mai was clinging to Ryou for dear life, and she was not letting go.
"But he can't be that bad, can he? Kai seems like he trusts him enough." Ichigo asked, looking at Ryou.
"I don't know—but there's something about him I don't like." Ryou answered, rubbing Mai's back.
"I know how you feel; there was something I didn't trust. But I don't know what." Ichigo agreed, looking out a window.
"It's a parent's intuition. All good parents have it." Sakura informed Ryou and Ichigo, making a pot of coffee after putting the cakes away. Kai then came running downstairs with two stuffed animals and a pair of underwear for Mai.
"I brought her mine as well—so she'd have extra comfort." Kai told Ryou, looking at him and Mai.
"Thank you. Well, come on then." Ryou calmly instructed, leading the way to the spare room.
"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"I'm placing Mai in bed down here so that when she wakes up, she won't go stumbling down the stairs and hurt herself. She's already in enough pain as is. Her knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows are very puffy and red today." Ryou answered, laying Mai down so he could change her. Once she changed, Ryou placed her in the center of the bed with both stuffed animals and two large blankets on either side of her so she wouldn't go rolling out of bed. He also placed a stool on one side of the bed while he placed a chair on the other side so that she could get out easier.
"What are you planning?" Ichigo asked as they walked out of the room, leaving the door open.
"Kai, what are you doing?" Ryou asked, noticing that Kai had sat on the couch.
"I'm going to see what's on television." Kai sighed.
"No, you're not." Ryou stated, standing there.
"What do you mean? What'd I do?" Kai asked, confused, looking over the back of the couch.
"You didn't do anything; we're going fishing. That is what you wanted to do today, isn't it?" Ryou asked, looking directly at Kai.
"But Grandpa's not here. I thought we were only going because of him." Kai replied, confused, looking at Ryou.
"We don't need him to go fishing and have a good time; it can be you and me time—just the two of us." Ryou insisted, immediately getting Kai's attention.
"Really?" Kai excitedly asked.
"Yeah. If we go now, we can make it to the bait and tackle store and then make it to a secret spot I know of to fish." Ryou told Kai.
"Yeah! I'll be right back; I have to use the bathroom first." Kai excitedly exclaimed, getting up and ran to the bathroom.
"Secret fishing spot?" Ichigo and Sakura asked, looking at Ryou.
"It's a spot my dad used to take me when I was Kai's age—maybe a little older." Ryou answered.
"I would've never pictured you for the fishing type." Ichigo responded, kind of shocked.
"I wasn't. But it made Dad happy; I would do anything with my dad whenever I could. Because of his job, he didn't get to spend too much free time with me. I want to do the same with both Kai and Mai—minus being away so much. If he wants to go fishing; we'll go fishing. I don't mind fishing; it's actually very peaceful. I'll have my phone on me; it'll be on. Call me when Mai wakes up just to let me know—or God forbid, something happens." Ryou answered but then seriously told Ichigo.
"Ok." Ichigo replied with a smile; she loved just how great of a dad Ryou was.
"Are you ready?" Ryou asked when Kai came running back out.
"Yes!" Kai exclaimed with a huge smile.
"Well, then—let's head on out. We'll be back after a few hours—unless there's emergency or severe weather." Ryou let Ichigo and Sakura know, before kissing Ichigo.
"See you after a bit." Ichigo replied with a smile, watching her boys leave…
