Chapter 18

Sano whistled as he lifted the costume Aoshi was going to give Chloe. "What I wouldn't give to see this on itachi. She'd look so hot!" He turned to his boss and gave a pleading look. "Could Misao try it for a while? I promise that she'll only wear it for a moment…" a look that suggested they would be engaged in activities needing no barriers such as clothes between them.

At the icy glare, Sano set the costume down and backed off, laughing a bit. Aoshi shook his head. "Why she's with the likes of you, I'll never understand," the businessman muttered.

"Love is a strange thing; it can exist in any circumstance." Sano grinned haughtily at his boss, feeling smart at his words.

"Are those wise words coming from rooster-head's beak? I'm shocked," the other man smirked. "Or perhaps you got that quote from someone else? That seems more likely as your brain is a lot smaller than the rest of us."

"You know if you weren't my boss I'd kick your ass right now," the spiky-haired man announced.

"You can try but you won't even be able to get near it," Aoshi answered back arrogantly.

Sano narrowed his gaze on Aoshi and clenched his jaw from saying anything. The other man looked back arrogantly with his eyes dancing in amusement and triumph. He looked back at the costume and pursed his lips. "I must get Misao to bring her to the salon… this won't work if he can tell by her skin tone and hair-colour." He glanced at the spiky-haired young man. "Call Misao right away and tell her she is to bring Chloe to Hidori's salon."

With a curt nod, Sano left with the cell phone in his hand. Once the man was out of the room, Aoshi looked back down at the outfit. Lex Luthor, Mr. Predictable when it came to women, was not going to know what hit him. The smirk that graced the Japanese man's lips was mischievous and full of glee.

Remy sat quietly on the bed in his shared bedroom while Chloe and Misao fussed over the blonde's costume. He may have been deemed empathic, but this was one particular ritual that the boy could not understand. Perhaps it was the fact that he was so naturally male that clouded his ability to comprehend or maybe because he was too young. Still, becoming distressed about what to wear, how to wear it and the make up and hairdos just didn't click well in his mind.

Seeing more than enough of this side of the women he was close to, Remy hopped off the bed and left the room to search for a male. He'd had his share of oestrogen; now he needed a dose of testosterone… and who better to provide that than his own father? With a little smile on his face he skipped down the stairs with one hand on the banister, then walked with his head wandering around and bobbing as if he heard a little melody in his head.

Remy knew Lexie would be in his study and just as as he opened the door, there he was. He felt secret mischief of sorts roll off of the bald man and the child cocked his head to the side curiously before he moved closer. The child watched as Lexie looked up from the screen of his lap top and saw the raise of a pale brow of surprise. Remy knew it was because of his costume and he beamed up at him, holding his head high.

"Well, look at you, Remy," Lex said, the corners of his lips lifting. "When did you get it?"

The young boy was fully dressed as a samurai of the Meiji Era; a full-length kimono, hakama pants and a haori all in blues and whites. At the child's hip was a shrunken version of what Lex himself had behind him – a pair of swords: the kodachi and the katana. Everything was precise; down to the tabi and tabi socks he wore.

"I got it yesterday from oba-san who said it was from my shukufu," the child answered simply, puffing his chest and strutting around for a while.

Lex was torn between laughing at the four-year-old's display of confidence and growling at the idea that Shinomori had actually given something to Remy. He knew the latter reaction was uncalled for as the man was Remy's uncle and thus he was entitled to contact and gift-giving, but he couldn't help but feel uber-protective of his son. Remy, with his sharp senses brought his blue eyes to Lex's own grey ones, his expression becoming solemn.

"I'm happy you're my dad," the boy stated simply.

Lex forgot to breath. He had never felt emotions as severe as those he was experiencing at that moment. He felt himself shakily get up and go over to his son before kneeling before the child and grasping his arms in a loose hold. "Do you mean that?" His voice sounded faint, even to his own ears, but he was beyond caring about that.

The split second that Lex waited was elongated into what seemed to be hours. Remy's head of soft raven strands moved in an upward and downward motion. It took a moment for the answer to register, but when it did, a floodgate burst open and a chaotic blend of happiness, stark disbelief, and relief roared through the older Luthor. Lex saw the four-year-old watch him with eyes that spoke of child-to-parent love and felt the grand feelings grow to new heights. Impulsively, he drew his son in and held him close; his body shaking uncontrollably. So this is what it feels like to have a family member actually love you, he thought, shutting his eyes tightly. He felt Remy's shorter arms wrap as far as it could around his middle and let out a choked laugh. It felt so strange to express so much and yet he was thankful that he allowed such a thing to occur.

It was so difficult not to be open with Remy. He already had empathic abilities, thus trying to hide one's true feelings away from him was impossible. That added to the natural joy and trustful nature made it hard to even deny the boy a glimpse (at least) of the true person behind the front. Lex pulled away and gazed at his son with an intense look in his grey eyes.

"Thank you, Remy," he murmured with a little smile.

In turn he got a toothy grin. "You're welcome," the boy answered enthusiastically, aware that he had just done something extraordinarily wonderful for his father.

The knock on the door had Remy turning his head and Lex glancing irritably at the intruder. His annoyance melted away from his outward appearance as he withdrew into himself once again when he noted that it was Misao. She looked as though she had been searching for someone and found him. Switching her blue eyes to Lex for a moment she informed stiffly, "I just came to get Remy." Then she peered back at Remy and smiled warmly. "Come on; we still have one more stop to make before the party."

Remy turned back to Lex and tugged at his arm. "Please come, too, Lexie," the child urged. "I want you to come, too."

It was then that Chloe decided to burst in as well pushing the door open to its fullest angle and startling Misao slightly. The older Luthor brought his eyes back to the doorway and felt something clench in his gut. She, too, was sporting a traditional Japanese kimono that was a bluish-purple hue with cherry blossom designs. The inner layers were a lighter blue colour while the obi tied around her waist was a peach tone with red, violet and sky blue flowers printed on them. The darkness of her clothing seemed to enhance the pale tone of her skin. Even though it was a conservative costume, Lex noticed the sudden acuteness of his senses. Her face was yet to be adorned with make-up, but he was more than willing to say that she needed nothing to enhance her already flushed cheeks and full pink lips.

"So what's happening now?" Chloe's voice cut through the haze that he had retreated into as he took in her appearance. She seemed oblivious to his attention – to the way he was practically memorizing her appearance.

"I want Lexie to come, Chloe," Remy stated firmly with a delicate frown upon his childish brows.

Misao made a little sound of amusement at Remy's pet name for Lex. She had never heard the boy use it before and to hear it in reference to the bald Luthor was hilarious. She bit her lip, however, when she noticed the deathly glare that he shot her.

"I'm sorry, Remy, but I have a lot of work to do," Lex lied easily as he looked at his son. He knew the boy would pick up on it and had counted on it. As he regarded the child in his arms, his true message was clear in his grey depths. "We can hang out later, though. Now you run along and have fun, okay?" He gave a little smile and urge the child to go with Misao.

The look on the face of the young Luthor changed to one of clear mischief. He understood and would do what his father told him. Before he turned, Remy made sure there was a believable pout upon his face. In a sulking manner, he went to Misao and Chloe, both of whom looked slightly guilty – as if they were responsible for the situation and the boy's disappointment. It took a fair bit of control not to break into laughter – for both Remy and Lex.

Before leaving the room, Chloe glanced back at Lex and bit her lip. "You can come if you want to, Lex…"

He shook his head in reply. "I'll be just fine here… I think things would be far too tense if I went and it would ruin Remy's night for sure."

The blonde considered this and nodded. "Very well… uh… I'll… see you." Awkwardly, she turned away from him and left him alone.

Lex waited for a few minutes, waiting until he was sure they were gone. Then he moved efficiently towards his bedroom. I've still got an hour and a half to get ready, he thought.

Inside the car, Chloe fidgeted, her fingers tugging at one another as she stared anxiously outside. The mansion was rolling out, Lex was still inside and Remy was still sulking. She felt awful about doing this, but even as she barged into his office, the awkward feeling returned and had he come, there was no doubt the rest of the night would have been the same way.

"Hey, Chloe, snap out of it; if I didn't know better, I would have believed you were actually enamoured with the bald bakayarou," Misao piped in a joking manner.

The blonde snapped out of her daze and glanced at the spunky chick beside her. "Well, I would have laughed in your face at thinking such a thought," she replied.

The sceptical look that she got had her rolling her eyes and Misao smiled. "Say, you want a drink? I believe they actually have some red wine stored in here…" she looked inside a compartment and brought out a bottle with a triumphant look upon her face. "Here we go!"

In a mindless motion, she moved the bottle so that it was to pop away from her but lined up to the window by Chloe. Before Chloe could stop her, Misao popped the cork and it hit the tainted glass before ricocheting off of it and landing promptly on Remy's lap. It wasn't the cork that had her panicked, however. Just as she suspected, the red liquid shot out apparently with the intent of ruining her costume. And it achieved to do just that. To the blonde's dismay and horror, it landed in an unceremonious splat across her lap and sank into the expensive material.

She stared at it for a moment before she let out a little peeping sound to express her utter shock. Misao's blue eyes were wide in shock and guilt. "Kami-sama… Chloe, sumimasen… really I'm so sorry!" When she said that, movement was restored in the back seat area. Chloe began to fuss again and Remy watched wide-eyed as the two bickered about the incident. "Kenta-san, we have to make a detour to Hidori's place. Chloe, don't worry, Hidori-san has a lot of other costumes that are just as good as this one. I'm so sorry."

Misao's female companion looked disappointedly at her clothes. "I just feel bad that I can't wear this… it was so pretty…"

"Don't worry, this is a common design. I think it would be best to pick something else out anyway, just in case someone else has the same costume as you. I think a lot of the females will be planning to wear this kind of thing anyway… given that Aoshi-sama is a traditional man and a bachelor… no doubt they would do all in their power to impress him with their attachment to the Japanese culture…"

"You're sure that this Hidori character will have something in her place? What if it doesn't go with my hair?" Chloe began to panic again. "I don't want to look like some wannabe type person… and I have to be in full costume!"

"We can arrange it so that you have the full costume; don't worry so much; Hidori-san is just great with these things."

The rest of the car ride to the shop was filled with panicked comments and reassurances. When they finally stopped, they both sighed in relief and jumped out, ushering Remy out with them as well. The boy hurried with the two older women, fascinated by their reactions to such a situation. His attention, however, was diverted once they stepped inside. The place was flooded with light and screamed posh. There were mannequins with different outfits and mirrors mounted on the walls. The place was had strange designs upon their walls where there were no mirrors and the ceiling was painted with angels, demons, gods and nymphs. It was a clash of cultures, yet they melded together in a glorious mesh. It was like walking into the fun house of a carnival… only for adults.

"Ah, Misao-chan, daijoubu?" A man's voice cut into the tense group. "Oh, Kami-sama, what happened to your dress, dear?" he practically cried out when he saw Chloe's borrowed kimono.

"It's a wine spill… I'm afraid that I can't go waltzing about wearing a wet kimono to a party, now can I?" she tried to kid around but she looked miserable about it.

"Hidori, we need another costume and a makeover that will fit it pronto. Do you have anything that could go well?"

"You know that I don't like these last minute things, Misao-chan… but I'll make it an exception…" the man smiled and glanced back at Chloe then began to scrutinize her. Something lit in his eyes and a full-fledged smile graced his lips. "Oh, my dear, you are going to look fabulous!"

Taking her by the hand he tugged her along down the hall where she would change her appearance for the second time that night. Remy felt his spirits sink. He didn't want to go through this process again. Giving a heaving sigh he moved to follow, but was stopped by Misao, who pulled him towards another direction. "Come on, it'll be boring to watch her. Let's go to the second floor. I hear they have a game room up there!"

The child's eyes grew animated and he squealed. Misao smiled as she guided him up to the level above. Well, Aoshi, everything is going as smoothly as you thought it would. Now we just need Lex Luthor to do his thing and it will all be set!

Lex shifted in his costume as he rode up to the Kyoundai Towers. He had chosen to come as a wanted man of the west; his hairless head was covered by the cowboy black hat and his mouth and nose with a matching bandanna. His entire being for that matter was covered in black. He chose to look ominous and evil – but still inconspicuous amongst the crowds; able to slip into the shadows unseen. He felt bad-ass to start with as he was going undercover to monitor Chloe and Remy.

When he got out of his car and made his way up in the elevator, he felt the mischievous feeling return again. He knew what he was doing must have been stupid, but it was also fun at the same time. Couldn't they cut him some slack? He knew how to have fun, too… even though this kind of fun was slightly warped. At the ding of the elevator his senses became alert and his eyes narrowed as the doors slid open to reveal an agglomeration of laughter and chattering.

And so my search begins for the gold amongst the bedrocks…

To be continued...

Vocabulary

hakama - the loose pants that the samurai wear
haori - the open top that goes over the plain kimono; for male
katana - japanese sword
tabi - special clog-type 'shoes'
shukufu - uncle
sumimasen - I apologize (formal)
daijoubu - (are you) alright (informal)

I'm sorry it took so long to update... I've been having a weird few weeks, I got über-sick mid-last week and I just came back from my two week stay in Lebanon so... it's funky... anyway, thank you to those who reviewed. I welcome the support. :hugs: Keep reviewing! :)

Dew a.k.a. BB