{Three Months Ago}
[Munich, Germany]
A tall man walked into his penthouse. After delicately placing his Burberry coat on the coat hanger, he set his keys down on the work table beside his computer and headed for the kitchen. The smell of freshly brewed Earl Grey roams the apartment room
by room, tea after a day of hard work is a routine Reiji follows sacredly. Helping himself with some biscuit and tea he headed back to his working table to retrieve the mail he had received. One pastel pink envelope caught his attention in the pile
of white ones. France? What could this be, Reiji thought to himself as he hastily opens the mail to the surprise of his brother's invitation. Never had he imagined for the faintest second that he would live to witness his sloth, good-for-nothing
brother committing to something as grand as marriage. He was even more shocked to learn the identity of his soon to be sister-in-law, Yui Komori.
Having had worked as a pharmaceutical developer in Germany since his graduation Reiji had not forgotten the lessons he took alongside his brother at a young age. Amongst the most influential families like his own, he knew that the Komori family was one
of the first Japanese Christian settlers to migrate to Europe. Perceived as the Messengers of Peace from the East the Komori was a representation of friendly hospitality from the East, bringing along with them medicine and technology previously unheard
of to their European neighbors. The skills and dedication the family put into establishing a more inclusive community from all types of Christian immigrants alongside their contribution in aiding the control of the plague at the end of the century
earned them respect and sociopolitical power from the European church society. Rumors have it that the Komori was at one point one of the leading members of the New World Order and the Knights Templar. Despite all conspiracies, it remained one of
the purest family names measured against other families of the same reach in power. Its ancestors donated most of their fortune to charity anonymously and its descendants lived undisturbed, humble lives away from the attention of the high society
for years. But that was until the alleged engagement of Aiko Komori and his grandfather Abelard Sakamaki that put the Komori family name back on the grid. The engagement was called off out of the blue despite its positive outlook, no one knew the
reason except the couple themselves.
Now to learn that his very own brother is repeating history, especially the fact that he was personally invited to witness such a consequential moment shakes him to his core. For years he tried to distant himself from the rest of his family, ever since
Shu ran away from home at the age of 14 his own mother had not shown the faintest smile. He tried to impress her with awards and achievements, but none of which mattered to Beatrix Sakamaki who only had eyes and heart for one son. So when it comes
the time to enroll into University, Reiji took his first offer if a full ride scholarship and headed off to Munich without turning back. He had not seen this brother of his or the city that hosted his youth for a decade, with a smirk on his face he
took out his calligraphy kit and wrote returned his RSVP.
{Three Months Ago}
[Amsterdam, the Netherlands]
There are such despicable relationships such as brotherhood, singularly to those bonded not by blood, or in his case, partially bonded by blood. Subaru never accepted his mother's union to Karlheinz despite him carrying the family name. He watched his
mother deteriorate under the wrath of Karlheinz's manipulation. Oh, what divine clothes that used to put his mother on the covers of notorious lifestyle magazines; little did they know of the marks of domestic abuse hidden underneath the long-sleeved
designers outfits. Christa did truly love Karlheinz, a love so great which drove her to insanity when she found out his betrayal with Beatrix. His mother would cry and destroy things in the house whenever Karlheinz is away from home. He would hide
under the covers whenever he hears shattering of glass like how others do when a lightning storm hits. When he was old enough to know that his mother would never hurt him, the two of them ran away from the Sakamaki mansion one night and found a peaceful
life with their extended family in the Netherlands.
Grievously, the state of depression his mother fell into soon became the reason of her perishment only months into his first year of university. Given the decent amount of fortune left behind from his late mother's modeling days Subaru was able to continue
his ways of life. He was almost through with leaving his past when he came across a text from his friend/mentor who works as a researcher in the psychology department of his university.
"What's up man?" Subaru greeted his friend with a hug,
"It's all good," Stefan replied with a small smile,
"You should look at this." Stefan handed him a sealed file,
"This is the case subject we've been sent from Japan for our study in Schizophrenia." Subaru stared blindly at the name printed on the paper. Sakamaki, Kanato.
"I thought you might want to take a look at this beforehand, you have all the rights to object to the study before we begin since the subject has not filed for any family consent forms."
Stefan was one of the few people Subaru had shared his past with, now with Kanato on his hand, he was unsure whether to allow Stefan continue with his research or refuse and save his 'brother' some dignity to his family name. Imagine the tsunami it would
cause if the Sakamaki name was on a published journal as a test subject which facilitated a psychological study, Subaru could already foresee Karlheinz's fury and what it might possibly mean for his half brothers.
He promptly excused himself from the room. In the hallway of the university, he knew like the back of his hand, cold sweat ran down his back as he hesitantly pulls out his phone and hovers above the only brother whose number he had.
"Hello?"
"Hi…um… It's Subaru Sakamaki."
"Subaru?" the man on the other side of the phone was amused, "To what do I owe the honor to for this call, my brother?"
"I…um…. got some news that you might be interested in." Subaru's knuckles were turning white from clenching his fist, it was a habit he had since he was a child,
"You got it too?" confused, Subaru kept his silence, "I guess it's a thing now. But don't count on it, even though it's a wedding the groom is still our flakey brother."
"What? Shu is getting married?" Laito was taken by surprised at the sudden change of tone,
"Isn't this what you wanted to tell me about?"
"Well… no. I didn't know about that." now he started pacing up and down the hallway, scrunching up his hair nervously.
"Then what is that motivated you to call at 4:30 in the morning?" Dammit, he had forgotten about the difference in time zones… Subaru quietly cursed in his head.
"It's this thing with Kanato."
"What about that psycho triplet of mine?" Laito enquired as he got off the bed, got dressed and tipped toe out the door of his latest female companion's apartment.
"He's about to be sent to my university as a study subject for the psychology department."
Laito smiled sadistically, "So that's where the brat disappeared to. Wouldn't dad be thrilled to learn the news."
"You're the only one I've told this news, and I intend to keep it this way." Subaru continued,
"I only called out of respect to ask you what to do with Kanato, it's in my authority to request for another test subject and I wanted to hear your wishes."
"Where did you say he was sent from?"
"The partner hospital of a University in Nara, Osaka." So that's where father hid Kanato after his little episode at the annual company dinner, Laito thought to himself.
"Can you send me the details of the hospital? I'll handle the rest." with that Laito hung up the phone.
He received a text with all the contact information he needed, by this time he was already seated in his Uber.
"Hello? This is Laito Sakamaki and there's something that I need you to do for me."
{3 day before the wedding}
[Paris, France]
That morning Reiji landed in Paris with a sort of mixed emotion, for the first time since the day he replied to the RSVP he was unsure of what to do. Paris was his home, where he grew up and got his first distinction in chemistry, it was also where he
learned to mature so fast, that his mother would never love him the way she does Shu. He was a genius like she was, and that is a bond stronger than blood. What Reiji could master in three months Shu could learn in one with half the effort dedicated.
Reiji had always envied this of his brother since Beatrix was never one to appreciate effort. When he was younger he used to think if only he were to diversify from the shadows of Shu, that he could create a new field of respect for himself. But until
this day he still could not stand the sound of a violin, because it was to the sound of Shu playing Allegretto grazioso by Brahms that Beatrix told him that he would never be good enough for her. It's true, there's nothing that cuts
quite as deep as a mother's calm confession.
Walking out from customs he was greeted by an unfamiliar face, holding up a sign with his name on it. He walked over to the petite girl whose eyes were unfocused until they met his few meters away.
"Reiji-san?" he walked over to her,
"Yes, that is me." she hurried to help him with his bags and led him towards the exit.
"I've heard so much about you from Shu-" he could hear the smile in her voice, he was not used to this certain kind of perkiness.
"I'm sorry but who are you exactly?" she stopped in her tracks.
"Oh! Silly me! I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Yui Komori, Shu's fiancé." Reiji shook her extended hand skeptically as this was not how a Komori look in his head. In contrast to a professional, serious attire she was… well… pink. It's not that
she was dressed cheaply, no, she had on a classical Chanel with short heels from Jimmy Choo. Reiji was no fashionista to begin with, but Yui just so happens to be dressing in brands Beatrix liked. For years Reiji had habitually scroll through the
websites of these brands to scout for a perfect present, even after he had gone off to university he will send cards and gifts to his mother on Mother's Day and Christmas.
"Where is that good-for-nothing brother of mine anyways?"
"He had a class this morning, but he'll meet you at the restaurant of The Hilton later in the afternoon," Yui explained, trying to carry his suitcase in the car, but he beats her to it.
"Allow me." the two of them got in the car and drove to his hotel. The small talk they shared during the ride was one of the few which Reiji fairly enjoyable, perhaps it's the unthreatening nature of the girl, he just felt at ease at her presence. It
was just not what he had in mind for his brother's bride.
"If I may ask," he politely interrupted, "How did the the two of you meet?"
She was silent for a moment, just when he thought he had misspoken, she replied softly, "He was my first childhood crush since I was a little girl."
"We would spend many summers together on my grandmother's vineyard picking grapes and running around. He would read to me and teach me how to play the violin, although I'm not very good at it." she continued with a faint blush on her face,
"He was like my prince… But then he just stopped coming one summer and I would wait by the gate every day in hopes that he was just held up, that he would walk through those doors like he did summers before. It wasn't until earlier this year that I met him again. I was not in a good place at that time, but I guess it's fate that brought us together again. And this time I have no intention of letting him just disappear." she
pulled up in the parking lot,
"Sorry… I must be rambling. How rude of me." Reiji chuckled at her flustered expression,
"No, no, no. It was a beautiful story." Despite all the jealousy and sibling rivalry they had growing up, Reiji never wanted to harm his brother. Now looking at the girl that will soon-to-be his sister-in-law, he felt genuinecontentment for his
brother's luck to find a woman he would find more tolerable than Shu himself. The girl was pleasant, and anyone around her will get engulfed into this aura of calmness that is especially precious to Reiji. For the first time in forever, Reiji was
beginning to understand why some people would so graciously entertain the idea of family.
She parked the car and helped him with the registry at the hotel as he spoke little French. She passed him a note with her and Shu's number neatly printed on it, then promised to join them for dinner later in the day before driving away.
noshade=""
By the time she returned to the airport, it was around five in the afternoon, her eyes easily spotted the youngest member of the Sakamaki family from the sight of his white hair.
"Over here Subaru-kun!" she called out,
"Um… Do I know you?" she shook her head and extended her hand,
"I'm Yuki Komori, Shu's fiancé, and it's a pleasure that you can make it to our wedding." he stared at the cheerful demeanor of the girl before him
"Oh."
"Let me help with those bags. There might be traffic on the way to your hotel at this time of day." Subaru followed her, in his head trying to draw memory of the faint encounter he had with his half brothers.
"It must be a tired flight from the Netherlands, help yourself to some water and snacks at the drawer." Yui said as they settled in the car, "So what is that you do?"
"I'm a third-year university student studying clinical psychology," he explained,
"Do you want to be a psychologist when you graduate?" he scratched the back of his neck nervously,
"Thanks… I think I'll probably spend the few years after graduation doing research for the university since my current mentor got me a contract to assist in his research while I complete my post-graduate course."
"That sounds terrific! I hope all the best for you in years coming." he smiled politely in return. The two of them continued to exchange small talk, where he learned that she is a fourth year about to attend grad school in New York.
"Isn't that where Laito is?" he asked, recalling that phone call from months ago.
"Yea, we are quite good friends," Yui replied knowingly,
"I wonder where Ayato is?" at the corner of his eye, Subaru caught a moment of panic in Yui's composed countenance before quickly recovering.
"We all go to the same school, but pursuing different majors. Laito is double majoring in Anthropology and Fashion Design, Ayato does Business and Management, and I study linguistics.
Sensing her discomfort, Subaru quickly changed the topic to asking about her studies, which she enthusiastically answered in details.
"I wonder where the others are staying at…" Subaru said to himself,
"You're all staying at the same hotel, Reiji, Laito, Ayato, and Kanato."
Kanato?
"It'll be a little reunion for you brothers."
"I'm sorry did you say Kanato?" That's impossible, how did he manage to get discharged given his state? Subaru thought to himself.
"Yea, he RSVP-ed."
Suddenly Subaru is grateful that they are all staying that the same hotel since Laito have some serious explaining to do.
Something Yui didn't know at that time was that there's something about Sakamaki reunions and weddings that just seem to be the recipe for chaos to come.
{A/N: Hope you like this chapter! I've just finished up with school so I'll have more time to write :) Please leave a comment below telling me what you think of the story so far, I read every comment and could sometimes take those into consideration while
writing. Favorite and follow if you like the story, I'll be updating more often now that I have more free time on hand, so look out for that =) If you like my writing, I have 2 other stories which you can check out if you are interested. Last but
not least, thank you for reading, I look forward to reading your comments! -W.P.137}