Chapter Seventy Eight: In For The Penny

Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.

Song Playing: Somebody to Love by Queen

Inspiration: Ace Rothstein from Casino. "When you love someone, you've got to trust them. There's no other way. You've got to give them the key to everything that is yours. Otherwise what's the point?"

Theme 19: Crazy

Hiruma was a firm believer in all or nothing scenarios. As far as he was concerned there was no point in doing anything by halves. The problem with his philosophy was he really didn't trust anyone else to execute his plans: he was man enough to admit that when it came down to it he was a massive control freak. It was why his largest support team was based on an intricate system of extortion and intimidation instead of trust and skill.

So it took him by surprise how easy it was to relinquish his iron grip control over to Mamori Anezaki. It was like this weight being lifted off his shoulders to have someone who could not only follow him intellectually but to be able to anticipate what he was going to do.

It was amazing how much focus he could give to the game when he didn't have to worry about the technicalities. He could have gone on quite happily with the status quo of things if it hadn't been for Musashi and his damn mouth.

Musashi was the only one of their group of friends to crack and finally have THE TALK with him. Admittedly, he should have seen this conversation coming from a mile away. Which, funnily enough, was exactly how Musashi had started what would turn out to be the most important discussion of his life.

If there was one person whose opinion he trusted more than Anezaki's it was Musashi's. In reality it should be the other way around considering he had known the former kicker much longer than he had Anezaki but despite that he always found himself deferring to her over his older looking friend. Still when Musashi had something to say he listened because the former kicker rarely spoke with anything less that the honest truth.

Therefore when his longtime friend asked him when he was going to quit dragging his feet, get off his ass, and ask Anezaki out already Hiruma was forced to seriously consider his question.

After much back and forth he found he really didn't have a good answer. They were practically a couple already: she had a key to his place, had met his parents on more than one accidental occasion, and his cell number. His real reach him any time phone number and not one from his vast collection of burner phones.

With a churning in his gut that he hadn't felt in years and under the watchful eyes of his former teammate he made the call that changes everything.

Less than five minutes later he has a date with Anezaki and Musashi had a smug grin he didn't even bother trying to hide.

In the following months Hiruma found himself wondering why he hadn't done this sooner. It was as if a piece of his life that he hadn't even known was missing was put into place. He found himself laughing more, eating more, sleeping more, and stressing less. The more serious their relationship became the more he found himself needing to make some very important decisions.

The question he kept circling back to was whether or not he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Once he had the ring in his pocket everything else was easy. It was really just a matter of paperwork and having a long talk with her.

Turns out the talk was more difficult that the legalities. If his lawyer was tentative by the sudden change to joint ownership to all his personal documents and his lack of prenup then his fiancé was absolutely livid.

She wasn't at first: when he was simply telling her about where he hid passports, the excessive amount of bank accounts with their codes, and a getaway box should they need to leave in an emergency. She became confused when he brought in the papers for her to sign giving her equal ownership over things she hadn't even known existed. The realization of what he was signing over didn't really kick in until he started going into detail just how much knowledge and items of monetary value he had accumulated over the years.

That's when the protests and arguments started.

This he had anticipated. After all she had a strict moral code for as long as he had known her. So while she had appreciated that he wanted to share everything, and he meant everything, with her it wasn't what was right.

Because, even though she didn't like to think about, who knew where she would be later in life. She had seen enough movies and her mother's soaps to know that just because a marriage started off well didn't always mean it ended well. She wanted to believe they would love each other and be together until they were old but it wasn't guaranteed.

In a dark corner pocket of her heart she knew their marriage could go south. And if it did go wrong it would go horribly wrong.

She liked to think she was a good person who wouldn't take advantage of such a generous situation. However she knew the world didn't always work fairly. So, to protect the man she loved, she didn't want to be burdened with the weight of that kind of power in a possible future where she had become the kind of person who would take the money and run.

In the end she had conceded to his terms because he was bull headed enough not to go through with the wedding until she had. However he hadn't fallen for her because she easily bended to his will.

In order to gain her approval she had set down her own rules. Including granting him the same amount of trust he had shown her. Her finances and such were significantly less than what he brought to the table but he appreciated the thought none the less. She had also demanded a complete disbandment of his extensive blackmailing circuit. In the short term that loss of information was crippling but nothing he couldn't recover in time. Finally he had to make her a promise: a vow on his honor as a man that should he ever feel that she was becoming that woman she didn't want to be he would take her name off everything. So there would be no way she could leave him broke and wondering where the hell it all went wrong.

Only then did she allow herself to sign anything.

And that was it. That was everything he had and now it was hers as well. She had complete unlimited access to information, properties, and finances. Her name was on every deed he owned and against all legal advice he hadn't put in any safeguards. If she wanted to she could walk away with everything. Overnight she could singlehandedly become the most powerful person in the country and all she would have to do was empty out the safes and leave.

Because, even though he had promised he would take her off the accounts he knew he wouldn't. If she decided to run he wouldn't take her name off of anything because he'd never see it coming. She had his trust and when he trusted he trusted completely.

Either he was absolutely bat shit and she would take him for all he was worth or he was making the best decision of his life and they would live happily ever after.

Only time would tell which was the truth.

XxX

Mamori awoke into a state of panic and confusion.

One moment she was sound asleep. The next she was awake with half a dozen strangers breaking down her door and attacking her husband. It wasn't until she had smacked the first one in the head with her bedside lamp that she realized they were police officers. Officers who had wrestled her husband out of bed, cuffed him, and were currently hauling him out the door.

At this point she had managed to gain enough of her senses to throw on a coat and start demanding answers. But no matter who she was talking or how hard she tried to get their attention she was ignored. Until she was left at their front door gawking like an idiot while her husband was being escorted into the back of a patrol car.

She was still in her pajamas when she walked into the police station later an hour and a half later. If she had been in a better frame of mind she would have been embarrassed to be seen in public the way she was: jacket thrown over her sleepwear and a pair of sneakers over her feet. As it was she strode with confidence past befuddled city workers straight into the Police Captain's office. A short man in a back suit had entered the precinct a half step behind her but broke away down a different hall shortly after.

"Captain Kurakowa." Without hesitation she took a seat right across from the head of the department. "My name is Hiruma Mamori. Your men just came to arrest my husband, Hiruma Youichi."

There was recognition in his eyes but he seemed to still be too dumbfounded at her brazen entrance to respond to what she was saying and she wasn't slowing down so that his brain could play catch-up.

"I am normally a reasonable woman. Had you and your men come to me at a normal hour and talked I'm sure you all would have agreed."

At last his brain had caught up with the rest of him, "Ma'am-"

"Captain," Her tone was even but her eyes were furious. She was a woman not to be brushed off. "I was awoken this morning at an unreasonable hour by officers breaking into my bedroom. They proceeded to arrest my husband and shrugged off all my questions. So now I'm here, at the police station, at an equally unreasonable hour to tell you that you can officially consider us uncooperative."

This seemed to strike a nerve as his whole being tensed. His brows furrowed as he leaned across his desk, "Listen-"

"No. Any further discussions will have to be done through our lawyer." In a moment of perfect timing the man she had come with entered the office with her husband in tow. She nodded to the intimidating man in the dark suit. "Our lawyer. Now if you'll excuse me my husband and I will be leaving."

He made a move to stand. "I can't just let you-"

"I said we're leaving." She rose from her seat feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof. "Now."

Then she headed for the door with said husband following right alongside her.

"You-" As they cleared the police headquarters she pinned him with the most withering wife stare that he had ever received over their long relationship. "-have a lot of explaining to do."

Even though it was late, he wasn't wearing any shoes, and he knew he was neck deep in shit when it came to his wife he couldn't help the smug happiness in the pit of his gut that told him he had been right in choosing her all those years ago.