Chapter Twenty

Him & Her

About Nadeshiko x Frank x Fumi. Mainly on Frank & Fumi relationship. A bit dramatic. Forgive me. Enjoy.

"Father..." Kit stared at the Frank who was standing in front of her. She hoped that she was dreaming. No! It had to be a dream...

"It does seems that you are pretty much still in a shock, Kit," Frank smiled as he walked over to her.

"Father, I will inform Alaster about the situation," Riddle said as Frank stopped beside him.

"Send out information about Dick being the betrayer. We need to wipe that group out as well," Frank reminded. Riddle bowed and walked out of the room, leaving Kit and Frank alone.

"How?" Kit asked after recovering from her shock.

"It's a lucky thing that your mother shot my heart instead of my brain," Frank replied as he pulled a metal box out of his pocket, "Her little present saved me."

"Then why didn't you come back for us?!" Kit shouted angrily, "Do you know how much Mother had suffer when you pretended that you were dead?! Do you even know how much she misses you?!"

Frank didn't answer her as he continued to look at Kit. She had indeed grew up more like her mother. His heart dwell in pain when he remembered Fumi. Kit who noticed the sudden change to gentleness in her father's eyes, fell silence for a moment.

"Father?"

"Just stay here and you will be safe, Kit," Frank replied as he turned to leave, "And be a good girl."

"The president is in this?" Kit's question stopped Frank.

"Yes he is," Frank sighed as he faced Kit once again, "I'm working for him after all."

"What does he wants? To bring the Mafia down?" Kit narrowed her eyes as she listened.

"The exact opposite," Frank replied, "He is helping the Mafia to bring the downfall of the government."

"WHAT?!"

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"You aren't serious, are you?" Eriol asked as he sat back on the sofa, his eyes upon Dick who sat across the table.

"I'm pretty surprise myself," Dick smiled sarcastically, "I never knew they could act this fast."

"What are we going to do?" Tomoyo asked, "Rex-kun and Syaoran-kun are down. Sakura can't battle on her own."

"Honey, you still have me and Alex," Eriol sighed as he reminded Tomoyo who blushed in embarrassment for forgetting.

"So we have Alaster, the president who wanted the Mafia to replace the government. Riddle Vok Maxshall, who we now know had some relation to Kit, involved. In what relation are the two of them, we have no idea. Dick is now considered betrayer of the Mafia and us, betrayer of the government. Man... They are making this a lot harder on us," Alex sighed.

"How long are we left?" Sakura asked. She sat with her legs crossed, looking at Dick for an answer. She told them everything she heard from Luke.

"Less than 24 hours," Dick sighed, "Without Kit."

"Which means we had no other choice but get Kit-ne out of Riddle's hand," Meiling said as she walked into the room with drinks and handled them out.

"Guess we don't..." They sighed in union. The situation was against them.

"Dick-kun, we need some weapons before we head to save Kit-ne," Sakura requested with Dick blinking at her.

"You mean you know where she is?" Dick asked, receiving a slight smile on Sakura's face.

"Yes I do," she replied, making everyone turned towards her, "You heard what he said, Eriol-kun, Alex-kun. He said 'you-know-where'. It's a rather risk when he said that. In our family, when someone tells you to meet them at 'you-know-where', it means only one place."

"But he isn't a part of your family, Sakura," Eriol questioned.

"We know where that is," Meiling replied with Tomoyo nodding her head, "Everyone under the Kinomoto's know that particular place."

"But you..." Before Eriol could say any further, Sakura continued.

"When Luke told me that Riddle's last name is Vok Maxshall, I can't help but only wonder if he is related somehow to Kit's family. Yet something doesn't make sense to me..."

"Doesn't make sense?" Dick paused as if he realized something, "Wait, you don't mean to tell me..."

Sakura nodded her head, "Kit's father, Frank Vok Maxshall is only son of the Vok Maxshall's family. In other words, for Riddle to be alive..."

"Frank Vok Maxshall is alive..." Silence accompanied them after the realization.

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"No... You mean to tell me that Alaster is the one who is behind all of this?" Kit questioned as she looked disbelief at her father.

"Alaster had always planed on this," Frank smiled mildly at Kit as he continued, "From the moment he sent me and Nadeshiko to the Kinomoto's. He had wanted us to get close to Fujitaka Kinomoto so as to manipulate him. But Alaster didn't expect Nadeshiko to fall in love with Fujitaka though."

"That's why you used Mother against Fujitaka-sama!" Kit argued. Frank's expression darkened as he saw... the fade shadow of a lady on Kit. He knew that person so well. So well...

"He didn't fall for it, neither did your mother, Kit," Frank replied as he turned to leave. Walking into his room, he gave the order to his men to release Kit and bring her to a surveillance room. Sitting back, he opened his drawer and took out a book. Its cover was quite old. Frank slid his fingers down the cover as he recalled the memories.

- Flashback -

Frank was hiding himself behind a bush as he watched Nadeshiko meeting Fujitaka for tea in the garden. He was so angry with Nadeshiko when he knew that she had fallen in love with Fujitaka.

"Why did you even love that man?" Frank whispered under his breath.

"What man?" Another voice asked from beside him, making Frank fell to the ground. There, beside him, stood a young girl with long shiny black hair giggling at him. Frank recognized her as immediately as it seems. After all, not many people looked so alike to Fujitaka.

"Ojo-sama, what brought you out here?" Frank asked as he brought himself up. The little girl blinked at him, her grayish eyes shone innocently as they stared into his.

"Ah! I know you!" Suddenly she shouted out loud, "You are the one who came in with Nadeshiko-san."

"Hai, Ojo-sama," Frank replied, sweatdrop, wondering if Fujitaka or anyone overheard this.

"Frank," She called out, smiling even brighter, "Frank Vok Maxshall right?"

"Hai," Frank answered reluctantly, "Ojo-sama." In his heart, he wanted so much to get out this. But he couldn't help but wondered, why did this girl remembered his name.

"It's Fumi," She said, "Call me Fumi, Frank."

All Frank could do at that moment was to blink at Fumi who continued to smile at him innocently, looking satisfied with her words.

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"Frank!" Fumi shouted as she ran after Frank who walked briskly away. He was trying to get less involve with her but she kept tagging herself to him. Rumors were giving him the headache.

'Will she please be a little considerate somehow?' Frank thought to himself.

"Frank Vok Maxshall! I order you to stop!" Fumi shouted. With that, Frank sighed and stopped to wait for her to catch up. When she finally caught up, she was panting and Frank scratched his head a little as he watched her.

"Why didn't you stop?" Fumi shouted, her usual mischievous expression was replaced by a serious one.

"Because it will be wiser if I keep my distance from you, Fumi-sama," Frank replied.

"Don't -sama me!" Fumi shouted in a more angry tone, "Didn't I tell you again and again, Frank?!"

"Sorry, I can't do that," Frank told her. But deep down inside of him, he felt his heart hurt a little.

"Why not, Frank?" A male's voice sounded from behind him. Frank felt his heart stopped for a moment. He knew this voice too well and he should really hated it. But it was getting more difficult by the days.

"Because I am not fit to call her by her name," Frank answered as he turned to face the owner of the voice, "Fujitaka-sama."

"But Fumi did say you could call her by her name," Fujitaka smiled, "Didn't you Fumi?"

"Hai, Ni-sama!" Fumi's serious expression was immediately changed back to her usual expression. Fujitaka panted her head.

"Is Fumi up to mischief again?" Nadeshiko asked as she walked towards them.

"I'm not!" Fumi argued as she released her brother and hugged her. Nadeshiko smiled as she hugged Fumi back.

Frank wanted so much to just leave the place. It was a place he couldn't reach. His heart was in pain when he saw Nadeshiko with Fujitaka already. But the scene before him now was a little too much.

"When are you two getting marry, Nadeshiko-ne-san?" Fumi asked when she finally released Nadeshiko who blushed upon the question.

"Fumi..." Fujitaka said in tone of half-threatening and half-playing. Fumi just laughed as she skipped off, shouting that Fujitaka and Nadeshiko are getting married which caused both of them to blush and ran after Fumi. Frank just stood there in shock as the news registered itself into his brain. He was losing Nadeshiko...

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"Frank, are you even listening to me?" Nadeshiko shouted.

"He is the job, Nadeshiko! We are suppose to manipulate him!" Frank argued. He received news that Nadeshiko was marrying Fujitaka in a month time. He was angry, mad. Why? Why did Nadeshiko chose him?

"I don't want to do so now, Frank!" Nadeshiko yelled, "I love him, for your information! I love him with my heart! I will not help Alaster to reach his goal!"

"Nadeshiko!"

SLAP!

Frank's eyes widened in shock as he felt the pain on his left cheek.

"Just leave Fujitaka alone," Nadeshiko said as she walked away from him to the house, leaving him standing there.

"Curse you a million years, Fujitaka..." Frank cursed softly as he regained from his shock. He lost. Lost Nadeshiko. Lost to a man who knew her less than a few month...

"So you really hated my brother." A shadow stood behind him, making him jumped around. Fumi stood there in her night wear, her grayish eyes narrowed at him.

"What are you saying, Fumi-sama?" Frank took a step back as he lied, "Why should I hate Fujitaka-sama?"

"Because you are a CIA agent," Fumi replied as she took a step forward while Frank swallowed his saliva, "And because he took Nadeshiko-ne-san from you."

"How did you..." Frank stopped as he realized he almost spoke the secret.

"Don't underestimate the ability of the Kinomoto's," Fumi sighed, shaking her head, "Both my brother and me know who the two of you are."

"Then you are using Nadeshiko?" Frank shouted angrily.

"You are mistaken," Fumi continued, "It's true that my brother and I know that both of you are from the CIA but it didn't matter when my brother decided to have her as his wife. For in his heart, Nadeshiko-ne-san is everything."

"Then why are you telling me this?" Frank asked calmly. It was then Fumi took her eyes off him and stared at the floor. Silence accompanied them for a while before Fumi replied.

"Because I thought you might like to know and leave them alone..."

Frank felt hurt when he heard her voice shivered with tones of sadness in it. The killer of the Kinomoto's family was shivering? And what's more, in sorrow?

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"Fumi-sama, are you enjoying yourself?" Frank asked as he served Fumi her ice-peach tea.

"Do I look like I am?" Fumi asked as she looked up at Frank, "When I am here, with my brother and sister-in-law on their honeymoon?"

"Well, the rest of the members are here as well..." Frank replied only to be silent be Fumi's index finger.

"I don't need to know the rest that I already knew, Frank," Fumi simply replied.

"I'm sorry," Frank apologized. Even since that night, Frank and Fumi had kept their distances. They barely talked, keeping to only normal greetings. Fumi was always around her brother and all Frank could do was to watch from far. It was then he realized... His heart was no longer with Nadeshiko but with her. It hurt him when he knew he could not be by Fumi's side, that he could not have her.

"Get along," Fumi replied as she continued to observe her brother, Fujitaka who was dancing with Nadeshiko.

"Fumi-sama, are you going to sit here and watch?" Frank asked only to receive her glare.

"Is there a problem, Frank?" Fumi asked as she continued to glare at him, "To just observe my brother and making sure he is not harm?"

"Nothing," Frank replied as he sensed the danger from her.

"Get me Vodka," Fumi ordered as she turned back to her brother. Frank sighed as he made his way to get what she wanted. But in his heart, he could feel... Feel as if his heart was breaking...

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"Fumi-sama, please pull yourself together," Frank said as he carried Fumi in bride-way.

"Where are we going?" Fumi asked as she held Frank's clothes.

"Your room," Frank replied as he looked down at her who returned him a puppy look.

"Okay..." Fumi sighed, releasing Frank's clothes. Frank felt himself tightened his hold on Fumi. He wanted so much that Fumi could hold him just a little while longer. Just to relay on him for the moment. Upon reaching the room, he signaled to the men stationed outside to open the door for him. After Frank entered the room and made sure the door was closed behind them, he placed Fumi on her bed. He slid his fingers gently down her cheek. Even though he was smiling on his face as he looked down on her, he felt his heart beat in pain.

"Frank...?" Fumi whispered as she opened her grayish eyes and looked at him which made him withdrew his hand.

"Hai, Fumi-sama?" Frank smiled.

"Don't call me -sama," Fumi said in angry tone as she pushed herself up on the bed, "Why didn't you follow?"

"But..." Before Frank could explain himself, Fumi had silenced him with her lips.

"Why did you have to be the one?" Fumi sobbed as she pulled away from Frank, "Why must you be the one?"

"Fumi?"

"Why must you be the one I fall for? Why must you be the one who is working as a spy?" Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she continued.

"Why did you have to fall in love with Nadeshiko-ne-san? Why did you have to hate brother? Why..."

"Fumi!" Frank pulled her into his arm as she sobbed even more, "It's enough. You don't have to continue on."

"Why?"

"No more why, Fumi. Please... It hurts to see you like this."

"Why did you have to be the one who will hurt Fujitaka-ni-sama?"

"Fumi...I..."

"I really starting to hate myself... I wanted so much... to kill me..."

"God damn it! Fumi, I love you! I love you so much that it just hurts," Frank cried out loud. He could no longer hold himself in as he leaned in to kiss her fully by her lips, pushing her down onto the bed...

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"Frank!" Fumi greeted as she hugged Frank from the back. Frank was working his head off on his files.

"How's Kit?" Frank asked as he kissed his wife lightly on her cheek.

"She is sleeping already," Fumi giggled, "She will grow up strong and well."

"Let's hope she doesn't get your mischievous attitude somehow," Frank replied with his eyes closed.

"Hey! That was mean!" Fumi made a face at Frank who laughed at it.

"You know I am joking Fumi," Frank told her in between his laughs.

"Ne... Frank..." Fumi smiled as she sat on Frank's lap, "I love you."

"I know," Frank said as he kissed her.

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"You want me to what?" Frank shouted into his phone.

"Nadeshiko is going to ruin our plan. Therefore I want you to kill her," The voice from the other side said.

"But I thought you want to manipulate Fujitaka to overthrow the government?" Frank asked.

"It was ruin," the voice said, "The Mafia and the government are getting together to get rid either one of the families."

"But why kill Nadeshiko? What does she had anything to do with this?" Frank asked.

"Because she is wife of Fujitaka Kinomoto," The voice replied, "Problems with that?"

"Nothing sir'," Frank sighed as he collected all his thoughts.

"Don't disappoint me." And the line was cut.

"Sorry Fumi..." Frank whispered as he put his phone off, "I'm really sorry."

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"Are you trying to kill me?" Fujitaka asked as he looked at Frank pointing his gun at him.

"Yes," Frank replied without hesitation.

"But you haven't pull the trigger yet," Fujitaka said, "You didn't wish to do so."

"Don't tell me like you know everything Fujitaka!" Frank shouted, "It's because of you that Nadeshiko is now injured."

"It's you who shot her if you didn't remember," Fujitaka replied in anger.

"It's all because of you!" Frank argued, "If you are dead..."

"Ni-sama!" Fumi's voice drew both men's attention towards her. Fumi's eyes widened in shock when she saw Frank with his gun pointing towards Fujitaka, "Frank! What are you doing?"

"What do you think I am doing?" Frank asked.

"You are the one, aren't you?" Fumi asked as she narrowed her eyes at him, "The one who hurt Nadeshiko-ne-san."

"So what if I did?" Frank asked, his eyes avoided her, "You are going to kill me?"

"Why? Why Frank?" Fumi asked, tears were forming in her eyes, "I thought you love Nadeshiko-ne-san."

"But she chose Fujitaka!" Frank shouted, "Stay aside, Fumi. I don't want to hurt you!"

"I will never let you hurt Ni-sama!" Fumi yelled as she ran in front of her brother.

"Fumi, move aside!" Frank shouted as he felt himself shiver, "I don't wish to hurt you."

"I will protect Ni-sama!" Fumi shouted back and Frank felt like his whole world crashed before him. Why must the two women he loved love the same man with their lives?

"Fumi!"

"Drop your gun, Frank! I don't wish to hurt you either but I don't want you to hurt Ni-sama!"

Gunshot was heard and Fumi blinked at Frank whose eyes were closed as the bullet missed her by inches.

"Why? Why did you choose to protect him?" Frank asked, the gun shook in his hand, "Why did you protect him when I am your husband? Don't you love me?"

"I will ask the same to you Frank," Fumi argued, "Did you even love me true in your heart?"

"Out of the way, Fumi," Frank refused to answer the question, "I am not here to argue with you!"

"If you are not stepping out, I will force you to," Fumi replied as she pulled out a gun and pointed it at Frank.

"You aren't serious on this," Fujitaka who kept silence until now spoke, "Fumi, he is your husband."

"Husband or not," Fumi replied, "He wants to kill you, Ni-sama. It's my duty to protect the head of the family."

"Then bring it on, Fumi!" He knew, the moment he pulled the trigger now, his normal world will end. He was no longer Fumi's husband but her enemy. Their world, marriage will all end with this. His love for her will no longer matters to her. Both will fight till one falls.

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"Can I check with you if you have a girl named Kit Vok Maxshall staying here?" Frank asked the lady outside Mayflower Orphanage.

"Hold on a moment," The lady replied with a smile as she went to check her lists. It was eight years since he was 'dead' before Fumi. He was in hiding with the help from Alaster. He was married to Monica, daughter of a small Mafia boss and had a son. After he heard that Fumi left the Kinomoto's house and died a year later, he had been looking for Kit, their daughter. Eight years he spent to look for her. All the possible places that Fumi would possibly go. This was the last place.

"Ah... You mean that Kit?" Another lady came out to greet him.

"Is she here?" Frank asked anxiously.

"A man came for her," The lady replied in sorry expression, "It was about a few months after she came in... What was the man's name again..."

Frank's heart sunk as he collected the news. But it stunned him even more when he heard what the lady said next.

"Ah! Kinomoto. Fujitaka Kinomoto. He is the one. He said that he is the relative of her."

- End of flashback -

"And when I thought I finally met you for all these years..." Frank sighed, opening the book. Within was scribbles of words.

Why, Frank? I kept asking myself. Why did you hurt Nadeshiko-ne-san? Why did you want to kill Ni-sama? Did you really love me? Or did you only wanted to use me against Ni-sama? If only you are alive, I would ask you all these. But will you answer these questions honestly?

He stared at the words, gently brushed across the book. He could see marks of tears that had fallen onto the paper as Fumi wrote those words and it hurt him for not being there to give her comfort.

"I do love you Fumi," Frank said, "It's only because I am too weak. I just can't betray Alaster. I'm unlike Nadeshiko who is willing to sacrifice herself for Fujitaka."

"Father?" Riddle called out, making Frank closed the book sharply and placed it back into the drawer.

"Yes, Riddle?" Frank asked as he looked up at Riddle.

"Sakura Kinomoto, Eriol Hiigarizawa and Alex Cohill are here," Riddle reported.

"Well, let's get the game started shall we?" Frank smiled mildly as he stood up and walked towards the window, "I leave the two guys to you, Riddle. Don't disappoint me. I will handle Sakura on my own."

"Hai," Riddle replied as he bowed before taking his leave.

"One last time, Fumi," Frank leaned his head against the glass, "Forgive me and protect our daughter for us."

Hope you guys don't mind me writing this chapter. After writing the previous chapter I just so wanted to write this chapter. (smile) Guess I just like to write this kind of story. (sigh) Hope you have enjoy the chapter.

Next chapter will be mainly on Sakura vs Frank. I hope. Look forward to it. (Though I am not really good in writing fighting scene still...)

Signing off,

Kit.