Laina wasn't sure what to think. Is Seiji mad that she is still here? Will he be okay with her staying? She took a deep breath as she began putting the groceries away. Ryo was chatting happily with Seiji and Anna. He hugged the little Mason. Mason looked like he was around three years old. She could hear the child's adorable giggles as she put the last bag away. Ryo had shared the rest of the box of Mochi with them.
"So, Ryo, Seiji has something important to tell you," Anna said. Laina walked into the room and saw Anna sitting on the couch with her hand resting on top of Seiji's. Laina smiled at the way Anna was looking at Seiji. You could tell she adored him, and Laina wished someone would look at her like that.
"Yeah? Good news, I hope! It's gotta be better than hearing about the Sanfrecce losing again," Ryo muttered.
"Oh, you heard about that. They haven't been the same. I hope they pull it together," Seiji said shaking his head. Anna squeezed his hand.
"It's good news," Anna said bringing him back to the subject.
"Yeah, Mason is going to be a big brother," Seiji said smiling at Anna.
"Oh! You're going to have another baby?! How exciting!" Laina said running up and hugging Anna. Laina hadn't known them long but she was always excited for a baby. Someday she would have one of her own, but she knew for sure it wasn't going to be with Wyatt. Anna hugged her back smiling.
"Thanks," Anna said and looked at Ryo who was happily congratulating Mason and Seiji.
"Man, you're on baby number two already! Boy you work fast," Ryo joked giving Seiji a nudge, "Gotta make up for all that time wasted on the ice bitch, huh?"
"Ryo!" Laina scolded, "That's not very nice."
"Oh, no. She really was an ice bitch," Seiji said with a laugh, "Anna's the best thing to happen to me."
Seiji looked at Anna adoringly, and pulled her in for a kiss. Laina smiled at them and then glanced at Ryo. His face fell for a moment, and then he put a smile back on, ruffling the little boys blonde head.
"Hey there, little apprentice. You ready for a soccer match?" Ryo asked.
"Yeah!" Mason yelled getting up and running to the door. Ryo laughed and went to the closet, he pulled out a soccer ball and followed Mason out. Laina was surprised he knew exactly where that ball was. She followed White Blaze out to a big clearing with soccer goals on either end. Ryo was acting like he couldn't keep up with Mason, and Mason was giggling as he ran, kicking the ball as hard as he could. Laina laughed when he completely missed the ball and fell on his butt. Ryo scooped him up and swung him to kick the ball. Laina couldn't help but laugh and cheer as the ball went into the goal.
"You did it! You won!" Anna said cheering on Mason. Seiji smirked at Ryo and took off with the ball, kicking it hard and fast. Ryo swerved like the pro he is, and stole the ball away. He turned around, blocking Seiji from getting the ball and kicked it straight for Laina. With a laugh Laina joined the game, running hard to get away from Seiji. She nearly fell and then quickly passed it back to Ryo.
He kicked the ball like it was an extension of him. Laina tried to keep up as they ran, but she couldn't help but admire his moves as he made his way past Anna to the goal. She watched as he smoothly kicked it in. It was amazing, like he could see.
"He could probably still play pro soccer, even without his sight," Seiji said making Laina jump. Laina didn't even know when he got there.
"No kidding! He's amazing," Laina said. Anna tried to get past Ryo and he blocked her again, taking the ball from her easily and passing it gently to Mason.
"Your brother, Matt stopped by this morning. He said you were probably still here. He brought some clothes and asked for the address in case he needed to bring you anything else," Seiji said. Anna looked at him surprised.
"Oh, okay. So, are you okay with this? I never meant to take advantage of cleaning Ryo's house. I'm sorry. It's just that Wyatt showed up at the apartment, and Matt doesn't want him near me," Laina explained biting her inner cheek nervously.
"No, it's okay, this is the safest place for you, really. I mean, Ryo could protect you easily, even without his eye sight. He's the kind of guy who would protect you, even if he doesn't like you," Seiji said with a chuckle, "He complained about you coming in and cleaning his house, but he sure does seem to enjoy having more visitors."
Laina laughed and they watched Ryo teaching Mason how to kick the ball with more control.
"Mason's going to be a pro in no time," Seiji said with a laugh, "Hey, can you describe your brother for me? I just want to make sure that was him."
"Well his hairs a light brown, it's darker than my blonde, and it's pretty short. We have the same eyes. He's a few inches taller than me, and he's not fat, but he's not super fit. He's kind of in the middle," Laina said, keeping watch of his face. He remained stoic and nodded so she assumed he knew what she was saying.
"Okay, thanks," Seiji said, "Don't let me forget the backpack in my trunk."
"Okay," Laina said giving him a smile and then running over to pretend and try to steal the ball from Mason. Then she let him steal it back, yelling like he was really good. Mason giggled and Ryo laughed. Laina couldn't help but smile looking at Ryo. She hadn't known him long but he sure seemed happy. Maybe that's what he was like before the accident. They played for another hour or so and then Laina and Anna took Mason in to make lunch.
"Hey, Ry! I need to talk to you a moment. Stay back, okay?" Seiji said watching the women go inside.
"What's up?" Ryo asked after the door closed.
"I fucked up and you might be in danger," Seiji said quietly, "I'm pretty sure I might have given your address to Laina's ex. Do you know about him?"
Ryo's eyes widened as he straightened his back, "You mean the asshole that hit her? I can't see but Shin made a comment about the bruises she had."
"Shin's met her? Oh yeah, I forgot he comes on Mondays or Tuesdays," Seiji said.
"Shin was helping her learn to fight, but she must be pretty, because he was flirting hard with her too," Ryo said with a chuckle, "I mean she told me she's blonde with green eyes, and she feels like she has a nice shape. Don't ask me how I know that."
Seiji laughed, "You been feeling her up?"
"No! No, I almost took her out this morning. I forgot she stayed the night," Ryo said, "I feel bad, especially after what she's been through, and she still made me coffee and eggs. That was a nice change. Anyway, back to the subject. Why did you give the asshat my address?"
"Fuck, he said he was Matt, her brother. I thought maybe he was and looked more like dad or something. Hell, if she were my sister, I'd want the address of where she was staying incase I needed to get there really quick," Seiji explained, "I asked her to describe him and she said they had the same eyes and her brother had brown hair. But the guy I saw had black hair and brown eyes. I screwed up, man. I'm sorry."
Ryo's jaw twitched and he nodded, "When her brother talked to her yesterday, he seemed like he was worried, and he wanted her to stay away. I bet he had a confrontation with that asshat and the asshat might have been stalking her. Probably saw her going to your dojo for training. I mean he probably would have found her eventually. You just sped up the process for him a bit."
"Listen, Ry, I know this isn't your fight. I kind of threw this on you, but she'd be safer with you than with her brother. We both know that even without your eyesight, you are stronger than her brother and you can fight better, guaranteed! But if you want me to have her go home, I can," Seiji said looking down and kicking the grass, "This isn't your fight."
"No, I got this," Ryo said with a smile, "I've been itching for some action anyway. Plus, I get to beat the shit out of an asshat that hits women for fun, so that's a bonus. I had a hard-enough time fighting Kayura, because I was always taught never to hit women. This jerk needs to be taught a lesson."
"Yeah, no kidding. So, you got this then?" Seiji asked to make sure.
"Yeah, I can get her to stay. I'll call that place and have her be my home aid. They're going to send another one soon anyway," Ryo said scratching his head.
"Well she is a nurse, but I think she works labor and delivery," Seiji said with a laugh.
"That's better for me to explain, they won't complain that she needs training or whatever," Ryo said with a shrug and a smile, "No worries, man! I got this. At least she'll keep Vince off my back about getting help."
Seiji chuckled and patted his shoulder before heading in for lunch.
Ryo pulled out his phone and said, "Hey, Siri, call Vince."
Meanwhile Laina happily chatted with Anna, about her pregnancy so far and how Mason was doing with it. They gave Mason a sandwich and made sandwiches for everyone else. Seiji walked in just as they finished.
"Perfect timing," Anna said handing him a plate.
"Thanks," Seiji replied sitting down next to Mason.
"Are you guys staying for dinner?" Laina asked hopefully. She really wanted them to stay as long as possible. The longer they stayed the less time she had to be alone with Ryo. Also, it helped to have Ryo in a happier mood. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up glass or fixing walls.
"Yeah, we can stay," Anna said with a smile, "Mason's going to need a nap soon anyway. Do you mind if we lay him on top of your bed? I'm assuming you're using the guest bedroom."
"Yeah, that's no problem," Laina replied, "I promise all the sheets and comforters just got cleaned yesterday."
Anna laughed and nodded. Ryo walked in at that moment with his cell phone on his ear. He paused in the doorway and then walked over to the table.
"Here, they need your information," Ryo said holding the phone out in front of Laina. Laina looked at Seiji and Anna and then pointed to herself.
"Me?" Laina asked.
"Yes, you," Ryo said shoving the phone at her. Laina grabbed it before he could throw it at her and held it up to her ear.
"Hello?" she asked getting up and walking to the other room.
"Hi, Laina?" a man asked.
"Speaking," she said tugging at her shirt and wondering what the heck was going on.
"Hello, nice to meet you. This is Vince, I'm Ryo's case manager. He tells me that you are his new aide. I need to know some information so I can put you in the system and you can start getting paid. I really appreciate you doing this for him. It's been really hard trying to find someone that he won't kick out," Vince said tapping away at something.
"Oh, I'm not-," Laina started and glanced at Ryo who grabbed his sandwich and sat down.
"First I need your last name," Vince said interrupting her.
"Jones, but-,"Laina said scratching her head.
"Laina Jones, have you worked as an aide or in healthcare before?" Vince asked clacking away on something.
"Actually, I work at Takuyama hospital. I'm a RN for Labor and Delivery," Laina said frowning.
"Oh, that's great! We'll get you transferred over to personal care. You'll be getting a pay increase to keep quiet about who you are working for. Mr. Sanada requires personal care and privacy. That means you can't go bragging to your friends or co-workers about who you're working with. We'll send you some online trainings to your email. Now where would you like your paychecks to go?" Vince asked clacking away at a keyboard.
"Yes, of course I won't say anything. Uhm... can I get back to you? I need to open a new account before I set that up," Laina looked surprised at Ryo. He smirked, purposely not looking her way as he ate his sandwich.
"Yes, please get back to me quickly and I will get you your bonus, and then you'll get paid weekly, on Fridays. I really appreciate this. Everyone I have sent so far either got kicked out by him, or fled after two days," Vince said with a sigh, "I was actually about to send someone else, so I can let them know not to bother. I can't even begin to tell you what a relief this is. Your all set, just get back to me on the bank account. I have your number and your living with Mr. Sanada so I have your address. Alright, talk to you soon."
"Yes, thanks," Laina said looking at the phone as she hung up. She set it down next to Ryo and then sat down. She picked up her sandwich and stared at him.
"What was that about?" Laina asked. Ryo shrugged and finished off his sandwich.
"You know I was only going to stay here a couple of days. Now I live here? He's transferring me here?" Laina asked Ryo wide eyed. Anna's eyes widened and she looked at Seiji who was stoic as he ate his sandwich. Anna knew something was up. She would be interrogating Seiji later.
"Well you're already here, and Vince called saying he was sending someone. I hate the people he sends. They are always complaining, or they want pictures, or signatures," Ryo said with a sneer, "I figured since you were living here you might as well get paid for it."
"But now I'm actually living here…I don't want to live here. I was just staying for a few days to get away from Wyatt," Laina said angrily taking a bite from her sandwich.
"Is Wyatt going to find you if you live out here? Are you safe out here?" Ryo asked getting up and putting his plate in the sink, "I mean, I'm not that bad! I don't hit girls! I can promise you that I will never hit you! Wyatt on the other hand I might pound him into the ground!"