((... hi... I'm not dead yet, I swear. Just... no internet, no internet security... working way too much... I'm sorry! ~cries profusely~ I hope you all have not given up hope for this story and Nekojoshi, thanks for being so patient... I know you were losing patience with my long, LONG awaited chapter. Sooo... here you go and thanks to all who have favorited and reviewed this story!))

Chapter 9: The Talk

Takashi sat rigidly before his mother and father. He knew what to expect... kind of. It was a very bad situation, his mother kept accusing him of infidelity (he wasn't even close to being engaged) and his father just sat there drinking tea.

"Why, oh why, couldn't you have waited until you were married!? At least wait until I get to know the girl before you start ruining her body! I swear, Takashi, you've never been so irresponsible! Are you at least using protection?! You're not too rough on her, are you?! She's injured, for goodness sake!"

The young man kept his face stoic but the flushing from his mother's words-turned-hallucinations could not be stopped and it was not overlooked by either parent. But after a good 30 minute rant, she turned to the man she'd married and yelled, "This is all your fault! You didn't give him the talk! Do it right now! I'm too young to be a GRANDMOTHER! I'm not a "nana" yet!" She crossed her arms in a pout.

The head of the Morinozuka household calmly lowered his cup and said, "The talk is supposed to be man-to-man. He's never shown interest in a young lady before and he said that the school had provided a discussion on puberty. But now that it seems he has taken an interest in Artemis, I will talk with him now. Please leave us be..."

Mrs. Morinozuka shook her head in refusal. "If I leave, you'll go back to drinking tea! I will not leave until you've talked to him!"

"Takashi is embarrassed right now. A man does not discuss such things with his mother, it's just not done. Even with you being in the room, he will remain embarrassed and will not be able to pay attention to the words I speak. Leave us..."

She growled once more but turned to storm off. "Don't forget the part where he's supposed to wait until marriage!" And with that, she was off to the garden to cool off.

Mr. Morinozuka picked up his cup and took a sip, gaining a sweatdrop from his son. After a moment, the cup was once again placed down. "So how long have you been in love with her?"

Mori's jaw hit the floor. How had his father known? Surely, it wasn't obvious- his face was a mask of stoic perfection! But wait... he got that mask from his father... of course he would see right through it. Once the shock wore off, he answered, "Since last night..."

"Did something happen last night that should raise warning flags? Your mother will send you to become a monk if you're not careful..."

He shook his head, answering, "No... well, almost... She... 'offered' herself to me. Nothing happened, though. She was doing it to gain approval. And she broke down when I asked her why she would do that..." The young man sighed. "Father, she was a slave to a dishonorable man. She's terrified of the possibility of going back to him and I won't let her go through that again. Artemis... she wants to be my... my slave..."

"Slave? Takashi, that's no way to treat someone you-"

"I know. But she won't budge... She insists and I know it's because of her past but I can't... I won't let her go and if she wants to do this, I'll just have to play along. Until the day comes when she realizes that I love her..."

His father nodded. "Understood. Let's just hope that on that day, she realizes that she loves you too." Taking another sip of tea, he said, "Remember to always wear a condom. Give us a month in advance so we can get her on birth control. And your mother will want you to be married... so give it at least until you graduate. Then you can be married and free to do whatever you want with your lovely bride."

Takashi turned cherry red and nodded, lowering his head. He couldn't talk at the moment but soon stood up. "Thank you for the talk, Father, I-"

"Oh, I'm not finished yet. We still need to discuss foreplay, oral satisfaction, deflowering, and fetishes..."

The mortified Mori slowly took steps away from his father, shaking his head. He couldn't believe that he was going to have to go through that kind of talk. No, he really couldn't do this. It was the first and only time he'd ever retreated from a confrontation and he knew that his dad was laughing at him though there was no verbal recognition of laughter behind him.

Mr. Morinozuka smirked. "If that doesn't keep him from getting her on her back, nothing will..." He poured himself another cup of tea for a job well done. "I'm not quite ready to be a 'pop-pop'... and he's not ready to be 'daddy', either."

Meanwhile, Artemis was sitting on her bed, wondering what went wrong. Satoshi had asked her all these questions about why they were holding hands, what really went on that morning, and if they were a couple. She answered honestly. Takashi was making sure she didn't get separated from her chosen master, he was changing her bandages this morning, and that they had a master-slave relationship.

But all her truths got turned into lies. Suddenly it was Taka-bro couldn't stand to be away from her, he was unraveling her binds like a geisha, and they had an odd fetish. Try as she might, there was just no convincing the young man and now she was his "sister-in-law".

Standing up, she decided to get supper ready. Sitting there did nothing to prove her status as slave. Entering the kitchen, she saw close to a half-dozen other servants cooking and cleaning away. She bit her lip. With such efficient servants, how could she stand out as the best one to stay by Takashi's side.

"Where is the flour?"

Artemis froze, amber eyes wide. She'd used it all earlier... Stepping forward, she softly claimed her guilt. The head chef scolded her for being so careless and handed her a pouch of money, demanding she go get some more.

Off she went, determined to get the flour. She didn't think about asking for a driver, this was her punishment for using it all for the cakes. So she walked and walked... and walked to the nearest store. It was about 2 miles away but she did it. And a while later, she returned with a sack of flour. The Morinozuka compound was in a frenzy. Clearly they had lost something. She went to the kitchen and placed the sack on the counter before going to help with the search. Satoshi, wearing pieces of kendo gear over his karate outfit, found her and his eyes bugged out before he glomped her hard enough to open some of her wounds and make her wince.

"Takashi, I FOUND HER!" Her ears were ringing at the loud yell and she could barely process his inquiry of where she'd been hiding and how worried everyone had been when Taka-bro couldn't find her.

She blinked in surprise and was about to answer when a door slammed open to reveal an uncharacteristically frantic Mori. She took a step back, fear registering in her eyes. She'd forgotten that he thought she'd been in her room. Was she supposed to stay there? He hadn't said so but maybe he thought he didn't have to. Oh dear... he must have needed her for something and when he couldn't find her... was he mad? Was this where she got to see the true nature of her new master?

He moved up to her quickly and she shut her eyes, expecting... pain? Maybe... but it hurt to even think that the gentle giant she thought he was would hurt her. Tears prickled her eyes and she refused to release the saltwater sorrow.

Yes, there was pain... but only because he was hugging her to his chest so tightly. All the air seemed to rush out of her lungs. She knew she needed air, however, the warmth almost made her wish the moment would last forever- air or no air. She didn't have to breath to take in his delightful scent, feel his masculine form, see his shaking limbs. Wait, what?

She softly stepped back, looking up at his face. His arms still encircled her body but he was clearly shaken. "Master...? What's wrong? I-I'm sorry... the chef n-needed flour an-and I'd used i-it all... I we-went to the st-store... I apologize for-for not being in my room wh-when y-you needed me..."

"Don't scare me like that..."

She found herself locked against his chest once again and she gently blushed as she returned the hug softly. "I'm sorry, Master... I'll stay by your side... for whenever you want me..."

Satoshi sighed, shaking his head and leaving the room. 'It's still weird even if it was a really cute reunion...' he thought as he went to the dojo to finish up his training.

((Awww... there ya go for chapter 9! I'll update when I can but... I'm sorry for the long waits in between chapters! I just can't afford internet right now with car payment and doctor bills... ~cries profusely yet again~ Review and make me not so sad, please!))