A/N: Onto the story, well here's another sort of filler chapter. It's a little short... but I hope you understand because I need to set up some things in the story. Tsubaki is finally in the picture. By this, I guess you know what (or who) will come soon after. ENJOY!

Firstborn Doumyouji

Three years past and Kaede has accepted the fact that her husband was gay.

Aside from discovering that Kaii has been frequenting some high-end gay bars all across town and receiving some complaints from suspiciously handsome secretaries, Kaede found him even more motherly than she was.

Funny… Kaede wrinkled her nose at the memory. He could've been such a sweet mother. If only he had the reproductive organs to give birth and maybe mammary glands to breastfeed, Tsubaki would've found a mother and a father in Kaii.

Kaii tried to put up the disguise he had worn for years, but as he aged, significant telltale signs began to emerge revealing his closet homosexuality. Kaede had to buy off many of their employees' silence in exchange for promotions and cold hard cash. If it didn't work, connections with certain syndicates and underground lords did the trick. It wasn't Kaii's image that she protected actually; rather it was the image he projected as a father.

A toddler by now, everyone expected Tsubaki to be some spoiled little rich girl who would throw a tantrum and bawl every time she didn't get what she wanted. But surprisingly, Tsubaki did not meet those expectations. She was well-behaved and every bit as polite as an educated socialite, even at that young age. Most of them thought the Doumyouji's had taught and trained her well by showing her proper etiquette in public and private functions.

But in reality, the Doumyouji's just hired the best tutors money could buy.

Tsubaki grew up under the watchful eye of Tama, the old household helper who was the nanny of Kaede when she was growing up. Kaede and Kaii were in and out of the house at the most inappropriate times. They would come home past midnight, head to their own rooms at opposite ends of the mansion and leave promptly at seven in the morning to go back to the office.

As the business continuously expanded, the less their presence was felt.

They are playing robots, that's how Tama tried to bring some humor into the dire situation, explaining in terms she thought that Tsubaki would better understand.

But Tsubaki was not just like any child. She was exceptionally perceptive. It made her wonder why they were nothing like the families on TV. She felt the tension in the household when her parents were home and the chill when her parents were away. Tsubaki loved staying outdoors during playtime or even during study hours, not setting aside the fact that every word out of her mouth echoed eerily inside the enormous mansion she shared with virtual strangers.

There were times when Tsubaki was thought to have been a strange, almost abnormal child. Outside, during playtime, Tsubaki was always energetic, creating her own world with invisible playmates all afternoon. Yet, during the rare times they had dinner as a family, she hardly made any noise except to politely thank the servants who served the food, which was maybe because Kaede and Kaii conversed in business terms or as Tama thought it, Tsubaki tried to be at her best behavior in hopes of some words of acknowledgement from her parents.

But she rarely received them.

Tsubaki almost seemed invisible to her mother, the one parent she longed for the most. And though her father occasionally brought treats home for Tsubaki in the rare times he caught her awake, she felt him holding back. To make up for their absence, her parents did not deny her whims. But she didn't want to shop for toys or dresses by herself, which was often what she and Tama did with an unlimited credit access in hand.

Like any child, she wanted nothing more than her parents to be there.

She wanted to sit in her father's lap; listen to him read a storybook and then tuck her in to sleep. She wanted a mother to prepare a glass of warm milk beside her bed, whisper 'goodnight' and kiss her on the cheek just before she drifts off. She wanted the feeling of security as she sleeps under her parents' watchful gaze.

Unfortunately, she received none of these as her father and mother came in and out of the house with nothing more than a formal greeting or a nod as they passed her on their way. Kaii and Kaede were always on the go, leaving no space in their schedule for family quality time.

Although Tsubaki already had a strong developed perception, she was still too young to understand the complexities of life. After all, she wasn't aware of just how much it pained her mother to look at her from a distance and watch her grow up into a beautiful young girl. Tsubaki didn't realize that underneath her mother's passivity laid a cut so deep that she couldn't move on with her life. Tsubaki didn't understand the pressures of the public on her socialite parents that they had to pretend to be the perfect couple every waking hour. Tsubaki didn't know that her mother was steeped in guilt and shame, because even Tsubaki's identity was a lie.

All the little kid thought was that she just wasn't good enough.

In reality, it wasn't because Tsubaki didn't measure up to her strict mother's expectations. But every time Kaede saw Tsubaki, she felt as if her inner demons were picking at her sores. It ached her so bad that she couldn't just go and embrace the baby she carried with her for nine long months. At the same time, she didn't want to grow close to her hence she be compelled to confess the dark secrets that even she wasn't clear of. The detachment in their maternal bond created a hollow ache inside that she diverted onto the emotionless long hours of work.

Doumyouji Kaede tried to make up with Tsubaki as she worked herself just to ensure that her child would be having a bright future, one that would not go to waste. She had dreams for her child; dreams that she wanted to achieve but then realized she never could. Maybe, if she were brought up right, if she weren't fooled by such abstract foolishness like love and hope, maybe she would not be hurt. Maybe if she learns to be independent, never allowing anyone close enough to make her vulnerable, maybe she wouldn't go through the pains she did. Maybe if Tsubaki chooses better paths in the crossroads, she would lead a good life; something real and meaningful, not like the well-guised acts that Kaede and Kaii put up.

Kaede wanted only the best for her daughter. It was the greatest dream a mother had for her child.

All Kaede wanted now was for Tsubaki to grow up nothing like her.

Thank You Notes:

Ruth: Wow. I'm flattered that you're still reading and reviewing. Really, I am. Thank you ever sooo much!!! I'm going to try and incorporate more twists and ficcie goodness just so I could repay all your niceness. Thanks for the feedback.

Gal: Hello! Another faithful one. I thought I had lost all my reviewers. Hehehe! I do try to make her as nice as realistically or at least, manga-ishly possible. Hehehe! Thanks for reviewing!

cuppajava: Hey, I appreciate the encouragement. I hope you don't guess all that I'm about to write. Hehehe! It'll kill the suspense. LOL! Thanks once again! See ya next chap!

Please if there are other readers out there just lurking around, REVIEW!!! Thanks! (Especially if you want Tsukasa in the story ASAP! Hehehe!)