Author note: Thanks to Juudaime my beta reader.

Thanks for the ones who reviewed my story or add it at their favorites.

Some of you expected a honeymoon in this chapter, but it won't be. Sorry!

Onik21: it's not like I am a fan of Holograf, but I though this song fit perfectly for Kyoko and Ren. Initially I wanted for Kyoko to sing a song too *Laura Stoica - Mai frumosa" but the lyrics sounded strange in english so I gave up at that idea.

Chapter 9 Acting

Kyoko was in the living room reading a script. In one week she will be on the site filming for a feature film.

"Are you ready?" the voice behind asked her. "If we won't leave now, we will lose our reservation."

"Yes, I am. I just waited you." she smiled and put the scrip, which was titled I Love My Wife, on the coffee table.

It had been months since their wedding. Kyoko's outfits suffered a change: it was larger. She was now pregnant, almost six months, and her belly was visible.

From time to time, they'd go out but not before Ren could put a disguise on. Kyoko didn't need one due to her plain look outside acting.

Today they will have dinner at a French restaurant, but before that, they decided to watch a comedy movie, a movie about children. They watched a French movie called Three Men and a Baby.

Due to the short distance between cinema and restaurant, they decided to walk on foot. Not even a moment after, they thought someone will recognize them.

It was a bothersome for them to hide their relationship, but it will be even more bothersome if the press found out about them. Judging by their situation, they knew it was better for them to keep it a secret. If they didn't, they will be stalked by press, paparazzi, and maybe by crazy fans too. Kyoko was scared of his fans. Women went crazy when the news Tsuruga Ren was of out the market appeared.

At the restaurant Kyoko enjoyed the appetizers, foie gras with mustard seed and green onion in duck and her delicious dessert choux a la crème. Being pregnant, she had a lot of needs and food was one of them. Kyoko often had needs in the middle of the night. Being a good husband, Ren couldn't refuse her.

If she wanted to eat ice cream at 2 AM, Ren dress up and go out and buy it. If she wanted to eat something strange, he would call each restaurant he knew. If he wasn't successful in his actions, he would ask for help from his father or Lorri, anyone at desperate times. Their date was a success, and they went home. But they never suspected their dinner wasn't so perfect, that their secret was exposed.

The blond jerk was in the car with his manager, Shoko. For the last three months, he wanted to contact Kyoko, but he couldn't. He said before he wouldn't look for her but his guilt…he wanted to find some sort of forgiveness. He tried to call her, but the number wasn't available anymore rang in his ear each time when he tried. It was normal for Kyoko to change her phone number after his assault. He tried once to enter in LME buiding, but he couldn't break the Chinese wall.

When he thought he'd lost all hope of seeing her, fate was on his side. Through this car window, he saw her orange hair. He could recognize her anywhere. Immediately he noticed the tall figure by her side, but he wasn't surprised by that. What shocked him were her clothes and her body shape. Her clothes were larger, hiding the big belly underneath. His eagle eyes immediately saw the ring on her finger. In matter of seconds, his brain connected the dots. Kyoko is pregnant with Tsuruga Ren's child and she's his wife.

His body moved on its own. He dropped out from the car with Shoko behind him trying to bring him back. He followed the married couple to the restaurant. Knowing the manager, he could enter without a reservation. He decided to sit at a table out of their sight. From that angle, he could see both of them.

"Sho." Shoko tried to resonate with him. "Leave them alone or else you will suffer consequences."

"Shut up." Sho was mad. From the size of Kyoko's belly, he could tell she was pregnant when he tried to make her his. He was mad. The girl he wanted the most was out of his reach. The girl he wanted the most was carrying for another man's child.

Shoko said many things to him, but he didn't listen to her. His eyes were focused on Kyoko. He wanted to catch her alone. After the appetizers, he saw her heading to the bathroom. He went after her. When he was about to enter the ladies' bathroom, he saw himself being dragged to men's bathroom.

He thought Ren was holding him by force, but to his surprise it was a skinny woman with dark hair. For a moment he thought she was a fan of his, but when she opened her mouth, terror invaded him.

"I have a message from my master," the dark hair woman said. "My master words are: don't think I forgot about you. You're in my sight. Our agreement was that you will never come close to her. I see you have forgotten."

The woman took a knife from her pocket. She approached her victim and moved the blade over his groin. "Break the deal and you won't be a man after that."

"I…I…okay, I won't talk to her or see her ever again," he answered after he saw the blade.

"My master is pleased by your cooperation. And another message from my master: you didn't see anything today or else the same rules apply."

He couldn't argue with that. For the last three months, he had forgotten about Mogami Kosuke, that so-called father of Kyoko's. His slight mistake made him face his nightmare; it popped into his head through a beautiful woman. Even if he thought Kyoko was alone, she never was.

Today, when Kageru found out about Ren and Kyoko's date, she decided to follow them. It wasn't new to her. When they were out, Kageru was behind them, hiding in the shadows. She knew it was possible for them to be recognized; her role was to take care of the problem.

Everything was okay, until she saw a blond figure behind them. She recognized him wanted to step in before he could enter the restaurant, but she failed. After that she stayed in a corner ready to catch her prey.

"I will show you the exit," she said while giving him a deadly glare.

Sho couldn't argue. His mind and his body were paralyzed by fear. As if he was in a dream, he found himself outside. As if it were a dream, he could hear Kageru words: Don't forget about my master and nodded. While Sho took his leave, Kageru retreated to her secluded place. Her eyes were on her prey, not even a fly could be escape her notice.

In less than ten minutes, the main actors and two side actors would join to the TV show. The TV host never thought she would have Tsuruga Ren, Hizuri Kuu, and his beloved wife as her guests. To her, Kyoko was just an intruder, an unknown actress. The feature movie I Love My Wife was announced a long time ago and before filming start, they promised a live interview.

"Are you nervous?" asked Ren. He was in his booth with Kyoko.

"A little. I'm afraid they'll find out our secret. If I make a mistake, Japan will know about us." Even if she had prepared the perfect excuses for her condition, thanks to Lori's help, Kyoko still was unsure.

"If they will find out you belong to me, I won't mind. This way some of yours admirers will fade away."

"Admirers? Who will admire a fat woman like me? Look at how I look; I am like a whale."

Ren came in front of her and kneel. His eyes were closed, his head pressing tightly on her belly. "You're adorable. You're the most beautiful pregnant woman in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if they want you." Gently, his lips touched her belly. "Daddy will protect his precious persons."

Immediately after, he finished talking, Ren could hear a small noise coming from Kyoko. Ren's face lightened. "Princess Ayame agrees with me," said Ren as kissed her belly again and rose up on his feet. "I will be there with you. Don't worry."

Kyoko nodded.

The TV host was surprised when Ren came into the studio with Kyoko holding hands. What shocked her the most was Kyoko's condition. For a moment she thought Ren and Kyoko were a couple, and they will become parents in real life.

"Shikai-san, can you tell me what made you chose a newbie as a main actress? Kyoko-san played in just two dramas till now."

"Kyoko-san is very talented actress. She can do any kind of role, her talent is huge."

Kyoko felt a weight on her shoulders. Director Shikai had too much trust in her. "Giving her this role, I wanted to see her talent, I wanted to see how she would portray a character so different than her previous roles."

"Kyoko-chan, I know you have the role of as pregnant woman, but why did you come like this ?" it was time for the TV host to satisfy her and public curiosity.

Kyoko took a deep breath. Confident, she replied, "It's for my role. When I accepted this role, I decided to enter into the skin of a pregnant woman. Takarada-san said this was a good idea, and I should wear this pillow all the time, except when I bath or shower."

"This helps you?"

"Of course it did. Wearing this, I became aware of my body. I watched many pregnant women, and I tried to mimic their habits or the way they walk."

"You're very dedicated to this role. It's rare to see that in younger actors these days." Even if the TV host tried to remain friendly, Kyoko could sense a malicious trace in her voice. The TV host seemed disturbed by Kyoko's presence.

"I love acting. I will not try to act as a fake character and present to the public something fake. It wasn't easy wearing this pillow for weeks, and I will wear it for a few weeks more, but I wasn't alone when I created my character."

For some unknown reason, Kyoko wanted to pay her back. Kyoko wanted to send a subtle message to her "enemy": Ren is mine. "Tsuruga-san," the host moved her attention on Ren. "What do you say about this movie and your role in it?"

"It's something new, even for me. I will play a future father who will withstand his parents-in-law's torture for his wife's sake. To play the role of a father was unfamiliar to me as well, not only for Kyoko-san. But fortunately we helped each other to overcome the difficulties of this kind of role."

"What do you mean Tsuruga-san? What difficulties are you referring to?"

"I will fight against my parents-in-law, I must have a fighting spirit, but the hard part was in showing my emotion as a father. I had to mimic the habits of a future father, caress his wife's belly without feeling embarrassed, to put his ear on his wife's belly, and wait for the baby to kick."

"I understand Tsuruga-san. For men it's harder to show these kind of emotions. And it's more difficult for Japanese men, since they were taught not show their emotions. I guess this was the reason why you touched her so often during the interview."

A faint blush appeared on Ren's cheek. His caring gesture was considered a lesson for his acting career. Being used to Ren's touches, Kyoko did not even noticed until the host mentioned it.

"Takarada-san said this," and Kyoko motioned at Ren's hand on her belly. "will help him a lot in his attempt to grasp the feelings of a father."

The first half of the show finished. They had a ten minute break while the commercials ran. Things went better than they expected. None of them suspected anything. The first half Kyoko and Ren were the TV host's targets, the second half were Kuu and Julie. Kuu's return to Japan was big news for the media. The press was curious about his reasons for returning. In the past, he came a few times, but only for few days. Since his adorable wife was with him, the jackals wanted to know the reason behind it.

"Don't worry Ren," said Julie "Everything will be okay. They won't trick me if they tried to get something from me. Even a model like me knows how to handle with the press."

"Yeah, don't make that face anymore. It's not like we are newbies in this industry," Kuu added.

"Kuu-sama," the host started her interview with Kuu. "What made you return in Japan? I am sure everyone wants to know the reason."

"I missed Japan. My wife and I decided to return to the place both love after teaching the language for so long."

"Yeah, being away from the place Kuu was born was painful for him. We wanted to return to the place where we reached our greatest happiness," Julie put her arm around her husband waist while she talked.

"Your son came with you?" that was the question they feared the most. What should they answer? Was Kuon with them or not? After seconds of thinking, both gave the same answer.

"No, he didn't." It wasn't like they lied. Physicaly, Kuon was with them, but at the same time he wasn't. Ren didn't give up his stage name. Ren still refused to be known as Kuon Hizuri. Until Ren takes his real name, Kuon wasn't there with them.

"He decided to stay where he is now. He's a grown up. He can make his own decisions."

"Too bad he isn't in Japan. I think I speak for all of us if I say we're curious about him. The last time he was seen in the public, he had been ten years old. Considering his parents' beauty, I bet he's a very handsome man."

Or course he's a very handsome man, and he belongs to me, you old hag! Find someone else. Kyoko couldn't stand that woman. She wanted so much to go into her Mio character and choke that woman to death. The way she drooled over her fairy prince annoyed her. But she couldn't, she had a role to play, she had to be into the role of a future mother.

Two months had passed since the live interview. Filming ended. It was almost 10 PM when a visitor came into LME president office.

"I am glad you came to visit me. I thought you wouldn't do it," Lori said to the director of I love my wife.

"I promised I would come."

"Did you bring it?"

"I wouldn't have came if I didn't."

"But before watching it, tell me how the filming was?"

"It went great. Both Ren and Kyoko had exemplary behavior while they were on set. I listened to your advice. I gave Kyoko more breaks. And no, the secret didn't leak. I suggest you to watch this raw version of the movie."

"Fine by me."

Author note:

Sa-chanSachikoKyoko

Yu-chanYusukeRen

Ko-chankotoKuuoto-chan (otosan)

Ya-chanYasushiJulieka-chan (okasan)

"Sa-chan, I want to meet your parents."

"No. I don't want you to!" she pouted. But the man in front of her did not want to give up.

They met when they were students. It was love at first sight. Before their graduation, she got pregnant. He was extremely happy about this. The woman of his dreams was carrying his child. They were married in secret due to her request. It was near Christmas; his wife's pregnancy advanced each day, and he still didn't meet her parents. From some reason she didn't want him to.

"Sa-chan, I took their only daughter from them. I think it will be respectful for me to meet them. I am a man after all."

"But, Yu-chan you won't love me if you will do that." she cried at his chest.

Yu-chan put his arms around her small frame and whispered in her ear. "Baka, nothing can make me stop loving you."

"You promise?" she asked between her sobs. He nodded.

One week later

"You creep, you dare touch my princess? I'll kill you!" the father didn't react too well to the news.

When Ko-chan saw his daughter knocked-up, he jumped on Yu-chan. Yu-chan never thought such a difference can exist between parent and child. His Sa-chan was sweet, she was th damsel in distress type. But her parents, they couldn't be describe as that, not even her mother.

Ko-chan was a tall man, he was the rocker type, with heavy chains around his neck. His wife didn't share his clothing style, her clothes were tight, showing her curves, but her gaze was cold. Ko-chan went into his office and came out quickly. In his hands was a shotgun. He loaded the gun. Seeing the gun, Yu-chan left the room, running to save his life. Ko-chan shot once, but fortunately it missed the target.

"Ka-chan, dad will kill Yu-chan! please stop him!" her legs went numb and she fell on her knees. Her tears flooded her eyes. She knew her father would do this. He was always like that. She could never have a boyfriend in high school because of him. Her father took care of that. When she left home, her father gave her permission to leave to go to college, but with the condition to call every day.

"Ka-chan…please stop Oto-chan! I don't want to hate Oto-chan."

Hearing her daughter pleading words, Ya-chan took a vase from a table, went outside, and threw it directly in Ko's head.

"You stupid man, stop making Sa-chan crying or else you will know my dark side!" Ko was a tough man but feared his wife the most.

Ya-chan passed her husband and stood in front of Yusuke.

"Don't worry about him. He's harmless now," she said while she patted him on the shoulder. "Come inside. We will chat there." In that moment, he knew. The worst between her parents wasn't the father, it was her mother. Behind her smile hid the real monster.

Her parents were in their bedroom preparing for the night. Her father was in bed, waiting for his wife to finish her nightly rituals.

"I don't like him, Ya-chan. A man who stole our only daughter is a bad man. You should have let me kill him." Ko-chan was a little mad at his wife. Today he had the perfect opportunity to erase the jerk from the face of the Earth, but he was stopped.

"I don't like him either, but my adorable daughter loves him. She said she will hate you if you hurt her Yu-chan." He stopped breathing. He couldn't stand the thought his princess hating him. "We must do something so that he will leave her or she leaves him. This way, our daughter won't hate us."

Ko-chan came behind her and put his arms around her waist. "My wife is a little demon."

The young couple stayed in a different room. It had been a long day for them, especially for him. Not even in his worst nightmares he thought he would be chased with a gun. On his right side of bed, his wife was clinging to his arms. She cried almost all day and even now, remains of her tears were on her cheeks.

"Yu-chan, please don't hate me! Please don't hate my parents!"

He put a hand on her big belly, caressing the life inside. "I will never hate you or your parents. They're a part of you. Hating them is like I hating you. That will never happen."

Yusuke was with Koto in town to search for a Christmas tree. Every year, the man of the house went to buy it, while the women stayed home preparing an apple pie.

In the past, Koto was alone, but now due to her daughter's marriage, he was accompanied by Yusuke, the man who stole the heart of his princess. After two hours of debating, they finally decided on a tree. While Yusuke paid, Koto received a phone call.

"The girls said they need some essence for the pie. Can you go buy it? I will wait for you in the car." Yusuke didn't notice the malicious intent in his voice. He nodded and went to buy the essence the girls wanted.

It was a lie. It was true Koto was called by his wife, but not for him to do errands. He was called to trick Yusuke to leave him alone in town. A town he didn't know in the middle of the winter.

The moment Yusuke turned around, Koto brought the tree to the car. When Koto saw him entering the shop and disappearing from his sight, he started the engine and went home. When Yusuke came out from the shop he looked after her father-in-law everywhere.

"Koto-san left few minutes ago," said the old lady who stayed at the corner of the street.

"Are you sure?"

The old lady smile affectionately at the young man, the way a grandma would smile at her nephews.

"The moment you entered, he left. He left you alone, my son."

That son of a b… . He tricked me. You won't win against me, you old man.

Like it wasn't enough to be left alone in middle of nowhere, a snow storm started. The wind was strong, he could barely see. He didn't dress properly for such thing. When he left home hours ago, he didn't anticipated his father-in-law's scheme.

He was going to freeze to death. He tried to cover his face, but it wasn't enough to warm his entire body. He was a strong man, but he didn't think he could withstand cold for much longer. His body became weaker and heavier. When he thought luck left him, he saw the light from a car. .

"Get in!" the man from the wheel said. Yusuke didn't think twice. He got in the warm car.

"Thank you for taking me with you."

"No problem. I saw you in town with Koto, and I think you are heading there."

Yusuke nodded. "What did you do to him for him to leave you in a storm?"

"I married his daughter without his permission and get her pregnant."

The man started to laugh when he heard his answer. "And he let you live?" the man asked again between laughs. "In the past, you would have been dead. Marryin his daughter without his consent and getting her pregnant and still be alive is a amazing. I think you're the hero of this town." The man couldn't stop laughing.

"Is Koto that bad?" Yusuke didn't have any kind of information about his parents-in-law. All he could do was to guess their personality.

The driver sighed. "Poor Sa-chan! While she was in high school, she couldn't have a boyfriend or go to the ball. Her classmates laughed at her because of her father. Normally, high school is supposed to be a memorable experience, full with joy, but for her it was like a living hell. She had no friends."

It was for the first time he heard about this. Now he knew why she didn't have pictures from high school, why she didn't talk about it. Knowing the reason behind her pain, Yusuke felt angry. He wanted to punch Koto.

"How do you know so much?" Yusuke asked

"I was her homeroom teacher in high school. I witnessed her unhappiness. Koto-san isn't a bad person, he adores his daughter, but his way of protecting his child... is too much."

Meanwhile

"Oto-san, where's Yusuke-kun?" Sachiko asked.

Koto removed his winter coat and came closer to the fireplace. "He said he had to buy something and he will come later." He didn't look in her eyes while he explained.

"But there's storm outside. Cabs don't work on this weather." She was worried. She was about to go outside after him, but her mother's strong hand stopped her.

"I am sure he will be okay. He will enter that door faster than you think."

Sachiko went to the living room, sat on the couch, but her eyes were glued to the front door.

She sat on that couch for a whole hour and her dear one still didn't enter that door. She saw the weather worsening. When she didn't look at the door, she looked at the window, but all she could see was a sea of white.

The trees in front of the house weren't visible anymore. When she lost hope, the front door finally opened. The man who entered the house was covered in snow from head to toe. The moment the door opened, Sachiko left the couch in a split second and threw herself in his arms.

"You're so cold! Why didn't you come home with Oto-san?"

He didn't know what how to answer. If he said he was left on purpose, Sachiko will be sad. It was near Christmas, he didn't want to cause problems in her family. "I wanted to buy something. So I sent him home before me. I wanted to take a cab to home, but the weather got worse and it was impossible."

"But then how did you arrive home?"

"I walk on foot for a while, but on the road I met someone who brought me home. I think you know him. He said he was your homeroom in high school."

"Yusuke-kun, woke up!" Koto entered suddenly in the bedroom. "It's time for you to get the blessing of our family!" The sudden loud voice didn't only wake up Yusuke, but Sachiko too.

Yusuke left her side and went to put on some warm clothes. "Blessing?" he asked when he was fully clothed.

"Yes, blessing. For generations we welcome men into our family using a ritual."

Ritual? I hope I don't need to cut my wrist and spill my blood into a cup and drink it. Or worse, he will cut his wrist and I should drink it.

"After that ritual, you will become one of us, body and soul. But let me tell you something, son. The men who failed the test didn't have a happy marriage, their family didn't resist."

"Oto-san, I didn't know about this test. Are you lying to him?"

"My Sa-chan, on the day that the test is announced, only then do the women know about it. Sorry for not telling you!"

Breakfast was enjoyable, they laughed, they shared memories, they were like a real family. Around lunch, Koto took Yusuke uphill.

"My son, the day of your test arrived. All you need to do is to take this sled and go down with it. Son, I must warn you, a lot of us had many wounds after it. If you want to be safe, it will be better for you to avoid the obstacles from the road."

"No worry, father, nothing can stop me from passing this test. Love will conquer all!" Yusuke took the sled and went downhill.

"If you weigh too much it's possible for the ice to break. Be careful not to fall into the freezing water."

And now he tells me! Yusuke avoided everything in his way, but no matter what he did, he couldn't avoid the big lake in front of him. The lake was his last stop, all he could do was hope luck will be on his side.

The sled stopped in the middle of the lake. Yusuke stayed still, not moving an inch. He was afraid to breathe. The seconds passed and nothing happened. He decided to move a little. Then a low noise came to his ears. The noise of the ice breaking intensified. His body was filled with adrenaline. In a matter of second, he sat up from the sled, looked around him, and calculated his best shots to reach the shore. He ran like a madman, followed by an invisible enemy.

Little by little, step by step, he saw the shore getting closer. Only a little more and he will be out of danger. But luck wasn't on his side. Only when he had just two meters till the shore, the breaking ice reached him. The lake swallowed his body. The cold water entered his lungs. He felt his heavy body being dragged to the bottom.

Images of her ran through his mind. Damn it. I won't die here. Her laugh, her swollen body gave him enough force to fight. He moved his arms and legs and after what seemed like hours, he reached the surface. His eyes could see the shore closer than he thought. An unimaginable force controlled his arms and legs. Yusuke reached the shore and came out of the freezing water.

Two minutes later, his father-in-law came to him and put a blanket on his shoulders.

"You passed the test, son. You came alone to the shore. You're a fine man for my daughter."

Yusuke didn't know why, but he sensed the lie behind his words.

"Ouch, ouch… my back!" Koto was in pain. "Ka-chan, what should we do? I can't put the Christmas lights if my back is hurting."

When Sachiko and Yusuke heard the painful scream, they hurried to the place where it came from.

"But if our house doesn't have Christmas lights, it won't grasp the Christmas spirit!" Sachiko's voice was sad. Since she was little, her father adorned the house with dozen of lights. Each night she liked to go outside and stare at them for hours. Seeing the sadness on her face, Yusuke offered to put the lights.

"You can't Yusuke," said Yasushi full of authority. "You still have a cold and it's dangerous for you to go on the roof in your condition."

"Oka-san is right."

"Moreover, you never did something like that. It's dangerous."

"I am feeling fine. To adorn a house with lights isn't a dangerous job. I can handle it."

No matter how much the women were against it, Yusuke insisted until he won the battle. He was proud, it was the first time when he won against Yasushi, the real boss of the family. But was it really winning?

Yusuke climbed the ladder. His hands were full of Christmas lights. Carefully, he started his job from one end to another. His job went smoothly. The last item he had to arrange was the reindeer. He took it and stuck it to the roof. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and admired his wonderful work. Yasushi looked at Yusuke, waiting the moment when he will make his mistake.

She didn't wait too long. Being absorbed by his work, Yusuke fell off the roof. While he was in the air, he searched for a safe position to fall. Yusuke was a strong guy. But he couldn't stop his painful scream from escaping his mouth. Worried, Sachiko called an ambulance.

"Doctor Tanabe, how's my husband? Is he okay?" Sachiko asked the doctor.

While the doctor was with Yusuke, Sachiko was in the hospital halls and move back and forth. Her parents tried to her calm down. Only when the doctor came out, she stopped her movements.

"He's okay! He broke his collarbone. He's going to need a cast. Today, he will come home with you." The gentle smile of the doctor made Sachiko to feel better.

"We tried everything, but he always survived."

"Yeah. I left him in the middle of the road, hoping he will freeze to death, but he didn't."

"We invented that blessing ritual. We knew he would fall into the lake, but he still survived despite everything."

"And after you pretended to be sick for him to climb on the roof. You made that part of the roof more slippery."

"The whole purpose was for him to fall, and he fell, but his injury isn't so bad. He broke just one freaking bone. Couldn't he break more than one? Maybe ten bones?

"And now he's in our house, sick, with our kawaii daughter nursing him. They're closer than ever."

Their conversation stopped when a noise behind them attracted their attention. Their turned their heads and saw a shocked daughter. Sachiko went down to the kitchen to get some water, Yusuke was thirsty. It was past midnight and she was surprised to see the lights on. When she came closer, she could hear their conversation clearly.

She couldn't move an inch. She was home only a week and all this time, her parents tried to hurt the man she was in love with. She knew they were difficult people, but to hurt someone physically was too much. After moments of silence, she finally spoke.

"So you lied all this time? In front of me, you pretended to accept him, but behind my back you conspired to hurt him? You tried to kill him? Why don't you want me to be happy? I love him, I chose him to be my life partner. He's the father of my unborn baby. If you don't accept him then you don't accept this little life within me."

"What are you saying, sweetie. Of course we love our grandchild. This baby is a part of you."

"But it's a part of him too and that part you reject. I will leave this house right away."

Sachiko turned around and left to her room. Her parents were bound by the floor. They wanted their daughter to belong only to them, but in the end they succeeded to chase her away.

"Sachiko, what's going on?" Yusuke asked. Immediately after she came into the room, she went to the closet and put clothes in their luggage.

"We are leaving right now. I can't stand to stay here." She was furious.

"But why? You were fine a moment ago. What happened to you?"

"Yu-chan," Sachiko started to cry "They did this to you. All what happened to you in the past week was because of them. They tried to hurt you. I want us to leave from here!"

"But what about Christmas?"

"If I am with you, I am fine with any kind of Christmas. The sole purpose of the Christmas is to be surrounded by people who love you. I am loved only by you."

"Sa-chan, please don't leave. We promise we won't do something like that."

"Leave me alone. I came here to be with my dear parents, hoping deep in my soul you will accept the man I chose to be with. But you didn't. Moreover, you tried to make his life a living hell hoping he will dump me. And your way of doing things almost killed him."

"But he's fine. He has just one broke bone. Death didn't accept him."

Hearing her father words, Sachiko became more furious. "You left him in the middle of nowhere, hoping he will freeze to death, you almost push him into that lake, hoping he will drown and you made him climb on that freaking roof hoping he will fall and die. Thankd God he broke just one bone and death didn't accept him."

Sachiko was sarcastic now. She was mad. They even dared to joke about their malicious acts.

"We're leaving, Yusuke!" And like this the married couple went out the door heading to their small but warm home.

They had a small artificial Christmas tree on the table. It wasn't big like the one from her parents' home, but it was enough. She spent her day cooking traditional food. Yusuke couldn't help her with anything, but he kept her company. While they were in front of TV watching a movie, they heard the door bell. Yusuke sat up and went to open the door.

"We're sorry for what we did!" the guests started to speak immediately. "We came to ask for forgiveness. We even brought apple pie."

Yusuke let them inside. Sachiko heard their voices and went straight to her bedroom. While her parents waited quietly in the living room, Yusuke went after his wife.

"Sa-chan… they came to see you. Don't you want to talk to them?"

"Why? They tried to kill you. I don't want to see them."

"No one told you to forgive them, but at least you can talk to them. Come!" He took her hand, dragging her off the bed. "Do this for me!"

The young couple face to face with the old couple

"We're sorry for what we did. We really didn't want to kill him, but we wanted to break up you two."

"It doesn't matter if you tried to kill him or break us up. You did this because you disagree with my decision to live with him as my man. All you want for me is to be alone for eternity."

"It's not like this. It's not like we want you to be alone. But how do you expect us to accept a man who stole our only child. We were aware of the fact you will marry one day and we thought we will be on your side on that day. But before your engagement, we thought you will bring your chosen one to meet us. I always thought he will come to me and ask your hand from me."

"Dad, we aren't in the middle agea now. Society developed."

"I know that, but that was my dream as a father. And before accepting him, I wanted to know if he was the right man for you, if he will love you no matter what. But instead, all I had was a married daughter without my consent and moreover, she's pregnant. And not in her first trimester, she's in her last trimester."

"This wouldn't have happened if you weren't sick parents."

"Sick?"

"Yeah, sick. My high school life was hell cause of you. Boys didn't dare ask me out because of you. When I was ask to go to a movie with my classmates, you opposed because boys were there too. When I was invited to the ball, you chased my partner with your gun. I didn't want you to meet Yusuke."

"They weren't good for you. My daughter deserved a better man than the one who invited you to the ball."

"Wait a minute, you said you didn't wanted us to meet Yusuke?" Koto didn't pay attention to her daughter words, but Yasushi was sharp. "If you didn't had these kind of intentions, then why did you tell us and came to visit us? Do you hate us so much?"

For the first time, Sachiko realized how selfish she was. From the beginning, she had no desire to present Yusuke to her parents, but more than that, she tried to keep her baby's existence a secret from them too. For the first time, Sachiko felt guilty. For the first time, tears formed in Yasushi's eyes.

"Let's go, Koto!" she said while she sat up from the couch. "Our presence was never needed by our child. We're leaving."

While Koto tried to comfort his wife, Yusuke came down to bring them back. To his luck, his parents-in-law decided not to go further. He wanted to step in but stopped when he heard them talk.

"Stop crying, Ya-chan! If you cry more, I will cry too," said Koto while they sat on a bench in front of their daughter's house.

"Our child hates us. She hated us long before her marriage. And I even brought apple pie. She hates my apple pie too."

"She said nothing about hatred and she didn't even mention about your pie. She said a dozen time that she loves your apple pie."

"But if she hates me, she hates my pie too. Apple pie is an extension of me."

She really has strange parents.

"Ano…" finally Yusuke became tired of their apple pie hatred. "Can you come upstairs? Sachiko is really sorry for what she did. It's not like she wanted to exclude you from her life, it's just she was afraid of your rejection."

"Why should we? She hates us."

"But she has a right to. The first thing you did when you saw me was to try to shoot me. Later, you tried to drown me, make me fall from the roof. She has a right when she thought you would reject me."

"And what do you want me to do? To give you a medal for stealing my daughter? Say thanks you're still alive?"

Yusuke sighed. "Of course I didn't proceed correctly. This was the reason why I insisted to meet you and apologize for my actions. I wanted your presence in our life. I wanted you to meet your grandchild."

"You wanted to meet us? It was your idea?"

Yusuke nodded.

"So, she really hate us."

Yusuke sighed again. "She doesn't hate you. She was just afraid. I am sure if we leave this behind us, everything will be okay."

They were near the door when they heard a loud scream. Scared by that, they hurried and opened the door. Sachiko was on the floor in pain. Her breathing was heavy.

"My water broke. I am in labor."

He thought he was prepared for this day, but when he heard the word laborhe turned to stone. Faster than the wind, the other man took the initiative.

He took his daughter in his arms and hurried to the car. Behind them (after Yasushi managed to bring Yusuke back to reality) were the father and the grandma. Koto didn't see the traffic lights. The police saw him, started the sirens, and asked him to stop, but he sped faster. In less than five minutes, they were at the nearest hospital. He stopped the car, opened the door, and enter the hospital hallways.

"She's in labor." This was all he said before a crowd of doctors came to him and took the young girl into their care. Behind him were Yusuke and Yasushi and behind them were two police officers.

"Don't move mister, you violated traffic regulations."

Koto turned to face them. "Hell with that, my daughter is in labor. Get the hell out of my sight!"

Koto spit on the floor and went to the place where his child was. A hand touched one of the police officer's shoulder.

"Please forgive his behavior! Usually he's not like this. He was just in a hurry due to my daughter's labor. He was worried. Can you understand?"

She was a master of manipulation. The two police officers left. After hours of pain, Sachiko brought to the world a beautiful baby boy. Her small baby was in her arms and the dearest people were by her side.

"Your baby's so beautiful! We're sorry for what we did. We should have trusted you and the man who became your husband. I think we were jealous because in your heart exists someone else besides us," Sachiko's mother said.

"It's my fault too. I should have came home and presented Yu-chan to you too. If I had done that you would have seem how kind he is and all of this wouldn't have happened."

Like a miracle, all the bad moments were forgiven. That was the magic of a new life, a life born on Christmas day.

Author note: I had a lot of troubles when I wrote this chapter. I didn't know what kind of problems koto will do to yusuke. After I decided on those I didn't know how to arrange this chapter in page. After a lot of thinking I decided for the scenes to be show to Lori as a raw version of the movie. I hope is okay.

Sho presence in this chapter was short, still a jerk. My disliking for Sho is huge so I wanted to create a bad image for him. Sho will have just one presence in the story - next chapter.

In the middle of the story I added author note - I am not happy with that,I just want you to know the characters names and their nicknames of course.

Chapter 10 - New life

Chapter 11 - Epilogue