Raine: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Sorry for the long wait, I had a bunch of midterms to study for and take, but now I'm on break! Thank you for favoriting, following, and reviewing. It's much appreciated! Now on to the exciting stuff! Drumroll please!
"Haruka!" her father sputtered in outrage, "which of these men did this to you?!"
"Relax, dear," her mother tried to soothe, but her own voice was shaking.
One of the two young men stepped forward, eyeing STARISH with distaste, "Haru, which of these guys touched you?" His hands curled into menacing fists as his glare attempted to intimidate the men.
"Kaito-nii, please don't hurt them!" Haruka cried as she stood up and stopped her black-haired brother from hurting STARISH.
The guys refused to let Haruka stand up for them, so the seven encircled her, protecting their princess from harm.
Tokiya leveled his lapis lazuli eyes with Kaito's icy orbs as he spoke calmly, "None of us have touched her, but all of us are taking responsibility for the babies."
Haruka's mother squealed, "BABIES?! Plural! Oh, Haru-chan, how many are there? What are you going to name them? Oh, this is so exciting!"
The guys flinched back as Haruka's mother started sparkling in exuberance. She was off in Kira-Kira-Sparkle Land at the idea of having grand-babies to spoil. Her blue eyes glazed over as she began daydreaming.
Haruka's father looked at his wife, "Minori! That isn't the issue! Someone touched my little Haru-chan! They need to pay, and take responsibility! Help me, damn it!"
Minori pouted at him, "But Shintaro-koi, Haruka doesn't look upset about this, does she? Besides, I was her age when we had Kaito." She trailed off a bit, waggling her eyebrows suggestively at her husband.
Shintaro blushed at his wife before turning to Haruka's grandmother, "Mother, please help me out here!"
She ignored her son and turned to her granddaughter. "Haru-chan, are you happy?"
Haruka nodded, linking hands with Cecil and Syo while Ren hugged her from behind.
"Haru-chan, which of these young men is the father?" her grandmother asked gently.
Haruka opened her mouth to explain, but before she could say anything, a familiar laugh echoed around everyone. The Nanami family looked around in confusion while STARISH and Haruka just sighed.
Soon enough, Shining burst into the living room in a flash of red and a puff of smoke, having never stopped laughing.
Both young men looked at him in confusion; Haruka's grandmother sighed, knowing about the mischief he causes from Haruka's letters; her parents just stared at him slack-jawed.
Haruka's mother was the first to snap out of it. "Oh my god!" she squealed. "You're Shining Saotome! I am a huge fan of yours! Your song, 'Owing it to Love', was the reason I met Shintaro. Can I get your autograph?" she asked as she bounced around the celebrity.
Haruka, Kaito, Shintaro, the other young man, and Obaa-chan sweat-dropped at Minori's behavior, while STARISH stared at the woman; wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
Shining seemed taken aback that someone had interrupted him, or could act crazier than he himself. "But of course, Mrs. Nanami," he said smoothly, handing her an autographed photo that he pulled out from his jacket pocket. "What did you mean, saying that my song is the reason you met Mr. Nanami?"
Minori got a nostalgic look in her eyes as she recounted the story. "Well, it was the day that your new CD was coming out, and I just had to have it, so I decided to go out to the shopping district, but like Haru-chan, I have a terrible sense of direction...I got terribly lost. I even got stuck on a crosswalk after the light changed. The oncoming driver wasn't paying attention, I was going to die, until a strapping young man rescued me. That was the day I met the love of my life." She turned lovey-dovey eyes to her husband. "We were married in the next month, and then Kaito was born the following year. Without your song, I never would have gone out that day, and if I hadn't gone out, I wouldn't have met my knight in shining armor."
Shining put a hand under his chin as he pondered his next course of action. "Mrs. Nanami, I have come to inform you and your family of some important information. Just before I entered, Miss Nanami was about to explain the situation, I think I may be able to help with that. You see, your future grandchildren do not have a single father, but instead, all of STARISH are the fathers."
Shintaro and Kaito had veins throbbing on their foreheads while the amber-eyed young man stared at STARISH in surprise. "And I don't suppose you had anything to do with this, right?" Shintaro managed to growl between clenched teeth.
"That is correct. I am sorry, but the whole thing is really my fault, your daughter has just been kind enough to go along with it. You see, Miss Nanami's songs when combined with STARISH's voices are magic. My song 'Owing it to Love' had just barely tapped the surface of something called the 'Happy Pulse'. When STARISH sings your daughter's songs, they are able to fully tap into this magical pulse. That is why I wanted to have the next generation of idols also be able to tap into the Happy Pulse."
"What sort of crap is this!" Kaito shouted. "You had my sister become pregnant for some sort of 'magic'? I don't believe you!" Kaito started walking up to Shining.
"Ah, please listen to one of their songs before you try to kill me."
Haruka sat at the well-loved piano and began to play her heart out. "Map of the Future" could be heard as her fingers tickled the ivories. The guys began to harmonize as her family and Shining were whisked into the world of music, surrounded by warm feelings and stars.
Shintaro looked around, and spotted Haruka smiling more beautifully than he had ever seen before. She looked so happy playing piano among the members of STARISH. He looked at the faces of the young men, their faces mirrored his when he married Minori. That look, she was their everything, the sun, moon, and stars in their sky.
When the song ended, Kaito was still glaring at STARISH and Shining, but it was half-hearted. He sighed. "Listen up, it's clear to me that you buffoons make my imoto-chan happy, but if you ever hurt her, I will kill you. Am I clear?"
Masato shook his hand, "I believe that is more than fair. Thank you for your support."
Shintaro sighed in defeat. He refused to look at STARISH. "L-listen. Take care of my little princess. I am not ready for her to leave the nest, but I trust you to take care of her," his voice trailed off and he started sobbing. He turned to his wife, "Minori, my little baby is going to have babies!" STARISH was taken aback by the sudden change in character.
Minori rubbed his back soothingly. "It's okay dear, Haru-chan is happy, and that is what matters most."
Haruka sent a grateful look to Shining before she walked over to help soothe her papa. The amber-eyed young man continued staring at Haruka. All he could think about was how beautiful she had become since he last saw her.
Haruka's mother faced her when Shintaro's sobs had started to subside. "So, Haru-chan, how many babies are you having, and how far along are you?"
Haruka smiled weakly before answering, "I am two and a half months along, and we don't know for sure how many babies there are yet, but there are at least seven."
Haruka's father heard this and began a fresh round of sobs. Minori bit her lower lip in concern, "Will you be alright Haru-chan? After all, you were very sickly as a child. Can you handle the pregnancy with that many children?"
"Let me assuage your concerns," Shining interjected, "Miss Nanami took some physical tests from my very best doctors. I have been given the all-clear. Her body will be perfectly capable of carrying the babies and she will be able to have other children later in life if she chooses to."
Minori and Obaa-chan sighed in relief. The two young men let out breaths they didn't know they had been holding.
The amber-eyed young man, who had remained mostly unnoticed throughout the discussion, suddenly walked up to Haruka, and pulled her into a tight hug. He closed his golden eyes as he buried his nose in her pink hair, inhaling the scent of raspberries. His long purple hair fanned around them at the movement.
STARISH drew in a collective gasp as the leaped to their feet.
Haruka looked at the young man, smiled, and opened her mouth, "Hello-"
A/N: Again, I apologize for not updating sooner. My poll about the pairing has closed. The verdict? Just STARISH x Haruka. I may throw in some of the other guys flirting with her, but it is primarily STARISH. I have written half of the next chapter, so expect an update soon!
Reviews are appreciated. Let me know what you liked or disliked (but no flames please).