"How are you feeling?"
He was relived as she opened her eyes. The room was empty with the exception of the hosts, and the girls. "Fine, thank you. All of you." He took her hand, and she squeezed it.
"My father?" "You just had to be patient Ai. My lawyers found out he was swindling. When he gets out the girls will be old enough to take care of them selves." She smiled and leaned against the back of the couch.
"So it's over." "Well not quite. Now that your father is gone, your company and the custody of the girls go to your mother. We need to find her." "She was the one who paid the kidnappers to kidnap me. I want nothing to do with her, and I don't want her to have anything to do with the girls."
"That's not up to us Ai." "It's up to me." He looked up, and immediately knew whom she was. There was so much of Ai in her she couldn't anyone else.
The girls had crawled up on either side of Ai, and Kyoya wanted the hosts to leave to give them privacy, but Ai told him not to go as the lady sat down in front of the girls.
"So what are your names?" "I'm Chieko and that's Arisu." "Chieko and Arisu, what lovely names." Arisu looked up at Ai, the only mother she had ever known, and even though she probably understood whom that woman was, she crawled closer to Ai.
"Mommy says that when I was born I looked so noble, giving me another name would have been a crime." Chieko, not understanding who the woman was, followed her sister's example.
"And mommy says that when we were babies everyone mixed me and Arisu up so I got both blessings. Mine and hers." "Hers and mine, Chieko." Chieko looked once again at Ai, who smiled down at her. "Hers and mine." Ai kissed the girl on the forehead before again looking at her mother.
"You have become a wonderful woman Ai. I wish I could take some credit." She rose and turned to Kyoya.
"Everything's in my name. You can just check. I want her to have it all, even custody of the girls. I will sign whatever needs to be signed."
Kyoya called up the lawyers. Inside his stomach was doing somersaults, and he even surprised him by being so calm.
"You're being overprotecting Mana. Its not like they are children. They are 13, and have flown here many times."
"I just don't know how you can be so calm Ai." "How is everything back home? Are you falling apart without me?" She could hear laughter at the other end of the phone.
"You have been away for four years now Ai, it will be good to get you home." "It will be nice getting home." She said goodbye and Ai checked when the plain was landing. Giving them time to get their baggage, they should be there any second.
She was standing by the arrival door as two girls threw themselves at her. "Arisu, Chieko." She hugged them and looked at them.
They had grown at least half a head. Arisus hair had grown long, and Chieko had cut her hair very short, both beautiful in different ways.
"Nice flight?" The girls shared a look Ai had seen so many times. "What?" "You know how you give us present when you come home." "Yes." "Well we decided we needed to give you a present." "What have you girls done?"
Someone grabbed her from behind, and she was going to throw him off when she recognized the scent. She spun around and flung her around him. "I thought you couldn't come?" "I finished earlier. Who could I not come to your graduation?"
"Haruhi will be happy to see you. She came yesterday." "Just Haruhi?"
She kissed him, and loved that he kissed her back. The twins giggled, and Ai smiled towards them. "Thanks for the gift, now go get into the car." Laughing they ran out, and kissing Kyoya and Ai followed.
The graduation was over, and Ai was looking over Paris and realised that even thou she missed home, she would miss Paris as well. Kyoya came up and laid his arms around her. "What are you looking at?" "Paris." "You are coming home with us tomorrow aren't you?"
After five years she could read his little changes pretty well. She smiled as his voice was shaking ever so slightly. He's afraid.
"Mori sends his regards. He was sad he couldn't come, but he and Hunny are still at the disclosed location, training. He says he has some new moves he wants to teach me."
She laughed, but stopped as his hug tightened. As if he was scared she would blow away in the hot air if he let her go.
"Of course I'm coming home with you. Paris is a lovely city, but there is no place like home." She could feel how he relaxed. She turned and saw how he looked at the city. She couldn't quite read his gaze thou.
"What are you thinking?" He looked at her, and for a second he got the same look as when she had stood in front of him five years ago.
"What is it?" She got scared. "Say something." Kyoya smiled and went down on one knee. Ais fear changed from what he didn't say to what he was going to say.