Kinda short, me thinks, but VERY important.
"Ryuu, talk to me. Right now." Atobe demanded, his eyes flashing angrily at his oldest child. "What the heck is gonig on?!"
Ryuu took a deep breath and then gasped, "Ren, you never told me--"
"Dr. Hatchett caught him," Atobe said, his eyes softening only the slightest bit. "Ryuu, you've got your mother in the room worried sick about the reaction you and Ren just had to your new little sister. I don't know what your reason for reacting like that was, but that was not acceptable."
"I know," Ryuu answered, and his father nodded, proud that he recognized his own fault and did not make up excuses for himself. Ryuu sighed. They would have had to face the music eventually anyway. At least this way Ren wouldn't have to be involved. "... Ren is my mate."
Atobe's expression did not change, his business face, honed from years and years of the 'training' his parents had given him did not falter. Without missing a beat he said, "Go on."
"We... I didn't want him to get hurt. I didn't want to form a relationship and then be unable to produce an heir, or cause a unfavorable position for the company or... Or have you and Mother hate us..." He watched his father closely for a reaction and continued when he got none. "So, I made a deal with him... That we wouldn't get together unless there was another possible heir. Unless the baby was a boy."
Things made sense to Atobe now. Ren's over the top reaction to seeing the baby. How he hadn't reacted like that until he saw that it was a girl. For a moment Atobe didn't react. He thought about Jirou and what Jirou would do at this moment. That, of course, was obvious; Jirou jump up, arms wrapped around their son, and assure him in a quiet voice that everything was okay.
Atobe couldn't do that.
"Are you stupid?" Ryuu looked up at his father, and, for the first time, was met with the gaze of Atobe Keigo's 'ore-sama' facade. Atobe's eyes were of a hard steel and his expression equally hard. "If you want something you need to go for it and disregard all consequences. Have I taught you nothing?!"
Ryuu stood there, stunned, for a moment. His father was... telling him to go for it, in his own, strange way. As this finally hit him, Ryuu smiled.
"Hai, arigatou, Otou-san."
Ryuu made his way to the room that he shared with his brother carefully, slowly, trying to decide what to say along the way. Nothing was coming to him. He opened the door to the room... And stopped in his tracks. "What are you doing?"
He knew what Ren was doing, it was obvious. He was packing.
Ren didn't answer.
"Ren, talk to me, where are you planning to go?"
"... Elsewhere." Ren answered in a quiet tone. "I can't... I can't do this. I'm sorry Ryuu, but I--" He shook his head, the beginning of tears in his eyes. He stood up to leave, brushed out the door, past Ryuu, and began his way down the hallway.
"Ren!!" Ryuu shouted out, his stunned body finally kicking into action. He rushed after his twin down the hallway and wrapped his arms tightly around Ren's waist. "I love you! I've always loved you, and I will always love you. I know that, you know that, and I don't care what anyone else says or thinks! I don't care about our parents, or the company, or our damn, stupid bet! I don't care. I love you, and I want to be with you!"
Ren was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled. "I love you too, Ryuu, forever and always." And he turned around and gave his brother a long kiss, one that he'd been waiting for for a long time.
'Loosey-Goosey' was to only way to really explain how Ayumu looked that morning. He had a very uncharacteristic grin on his face, and he was walking as if on cloud nine. Even a fool could tell that Ayumu was in a ridiculously good mood, and as humans (yes, even positives) tended to do, rumors were flying. Naturally, Shusuke felt the need to confront his son about it. However, Kunimitsu knew that with Shusuke's over-protective nature, that was sure to make Ayumu draw into himself. And with how Ayumu had seemed to be doing so much better, especially since Sora (though Shusuke was willing to admit that, he knew it too), Kunimitsu subtly, but firmly suggested that he be the one to talk to Ayumu.
For a whole minute, neither Ayumu nor Kunimitsu said anything. Finally, to Ayumu's great relief, Kunimitsu began to speak. "I want to know that you're sure about this."
"I am," Ayumu said, resolutely. He thought, "But, Papa... Something strange happened yesterday, too."
"Oh?" An eyebrow rose.
"When I got home from being with Ayase... The moment I smelled Sempai, I..." He blushed.
"Ah," Kunimitsu said, and smiled. That explained it. "You don't need to worry. Your senses are going to be naturally more sensitive when it come to your mate. That is why we all try to stick close to our mates as often as possible. The reaction will not be as... intense, as you've been around Noboru-kun longer," Kunimitsu assured him. "But, Ayumu... I... Shusuke and I are worried about Noboru-kun, because he's not..."
"A positive," Ayumu nodded. "I know." He wondered whether or not Sora was awake yet.
At that moment, in fact, Sora was waking up, and was disappointed to find himself alone, Ayumu no where in sight. Sora saw the note soon after that, which read: 'Went to breakfast. Rest up.' and was signed with Ayumu's name. He sighed, and settled onto his pillow once again. Last night had been... Amazing, but it had left him with one lingering doubt.
Ayumu was not like he was. Ayumu was a Positive, and he was not. He remembered Ayumu's gorgeous wings and how... But he wasn't like that. Sora, he hated to say, was just a normal human, and could never measure up to Ayumu, and they could never love each other on equal terms. He understood that Ayumu was strong, and intelligent, and on a whole-nother level than he was, and he hated to feel like he wasn't good enough. Because he knew that he wasn't good enough. Not for Ayumu.
Sora scribbled a quick note, saying he had to stop by his Mother's house for a bit, and left the Trivial Property.
Yusuke Ono sighed into Chikage's kiss. This was heaven, this was--
"Ono! Wake up!"
--A dream.
"There's some mute kid here," Tachibana (no, not from POT!) said. "Kanda says--"
"Master!" Kanda yelled, coming into the kitchen, "It's that boy! From yesterday!"
Ono nodded to let his apprentice know that he knew who he was talking about. Kanda had talked about nothing but that boy yesterday after the two young boys had left, of course he remembered. On one hand, Ono was worried, because it was rather unconventional for Kanda to fall for someone so much younger, but on the other hand, he figured that is was somehow related to Eiji Kanda's 'animalness'. (Yes, he's a positive.)
Ono grabbed a piece of paper and pencil and headed out to see what the young boy needed. He handed the paper and writing utensil to the boy after a quick greeting. Ayase wrote for a moment, and then held it up for Ono to see.
'I would like to work here part-time. Please.'
Meanwhile, Sora had reached his destination, and it wasn't his house. He took a deep breath and headed up the front steps, knocking loudly, with confidence, when he reached the door.
"Yes? Oh, Noboru-kun," A man with thick glasses answered with a small smile.
Sora nodded to Inui in acknowledgment.
"How can I help you?"
Sora took another deep breath. "I want to become a positive. I want you to help me."
Inui's 'evil-scientist grin widened. "Kaoru's out right now. Come on in."
Ah, the plot thickens! Until next time!