Still Raining

by chochowilliams

3rd and final installment in the "I Want Us To Be A Family" series. There was one woman at the press conference that refused to leave well enough alone. Two years later, she's back and causing trouble. She's determined to prove that Aizawa isn't the biological father of little Takanori. What if she's right?

8. We Gather Together To Discuss Miracles

Raining

Sequel to: Street of Dreams

I Want Us To Be A Family Series

Written by: chochowilliams

Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Summary: There was one woman at the press conference that refused to leave well enough alone. Two years later, she's back and causing trouble. She's determined to prove that Aizawa isn't the biological father of little Takanori. What if she's right?

Warning: AU, Angst, Drama, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fantasy, M-Preg, Language, M/M, Hentai, OCs, OOC, Hermaphrodites (referred to as "Neutrals"), Christian Extremist POV, Bashing

Pairings: Shuichi/Eiri, Ryuichi/Tatsuha, one-sided Eiri/Ayaka, Mentioned: Shuichi/Taki & Shuichi/OMC

Inserts: None

A/N: Enjoy!

oOo

Chapter 8: We Gather Together To Discuss Miracles

Aizawa Residence - Kyoto, Japan

The phone was ringing as Oharu Aizawa stepped into the house. Setting down her grocery bags, she stepped out of her shoes and into house slippers before padding softly, and without hurry, to the extension on the sideboard sitting along the wall opposite the front door. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Aizawa?"

"Speaking."

"This is Tohma Seguchi."

Suddenly her heart was racing. It was making it difficult to catch her breath. "Oh! Yes! Yes! Hello, Mr. Seguchi. What can I do for you?" she asked with false cheerfulness. It sounded forced even to her.

There was a pause and then, "I wanted to let you know that the results of the paternity test have arrived."

Oharu was an avid reader and had read more than once about characters that suddenly "went still" when caught unawares, but she never thought she would experience something similar and here it had happened twice. First when she learned of her only child's death and now.

She forgot how to breathe. Her pulse started racing. She could feel the rapid thumping of her heart in her chest. Her hold on the phone tightened; her grip slippery with the onset of sweat.

"Is that right?" she stuttered in a breathy whisper.

She didn't want to hear what he had to say.

She didn't want to know what the outcome of the paternity test was.

She didn't care.

She didn't.

She didn't.

Her throat closed around a mysterious lump.

Please don't say it, she chanted.

A stray tear rolled down her cheek.

There was another pause. "Mrs. Aizawa…Oharu." Tohma spoke hesitatingly. "I think you should sit down."

That was all that needed to be said. A sob rose up within her and escaped into the silence of the foyer before she could stop it. Her vision blurred behind a veil of tears. She started shaking her head in denial and couldn't stop. She couldn't stop. She wouldn't. If she did, it would be true and she did not want it to be true. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. She refused to believe it. She wouldn't believe it.

"I am so sorry," were the soft words spoken into her ear.

When her legs gave out, she staggered backwards and hit the wall. It knocked another sob out of her. The phone tumbled out of her hands and clattered to the floor, but she didn't notice. Nor did she hear the voice calling out to her. She slid down the wall and collapsed into a heap onto the floor, sobbing quietly.

oOo

En Route to NG Productions - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

"Why'd you assume Aizawa was Takanori's biological father?"

With a heavy sigh, Shuichi leaned his elbow on the passenger side door, resting his chin in his cupped hand and stared out the window at the city speeding by in a blur of color.

Why was Eiri bringing this up yet again? Hadn't they been over this enough? And what did it matter anyway? What's done was done. Nothing could be done about it.

"Why wasn't what's-his-name ever an option?"

Shuichi rolled his eyes.

As if they hadn't just seen "what's-his-name"-otherwise known as Rique Kizou-the other day. Kizou and Eiri had even had an amicable conversation and much to his delight, Kizou and little Takanori seemed to hit it off, so Eiri pretending he could not remember what "what's-his-name's" name is was not going to work.

Acting was not one of Eiri's strong suit. Pretending he didn't "know nothing about nothing" was clearly a ploy to remain disconnected from a situation he was emotionally attached to. Besides, they both knew that Eiri knew who and what Kizou was-or more accurately, who the man had been. It was because Eiri abhorred the idea, as well as the thought of, someone other than him touching what belonged to him that Eiri tried to act as if Kizou did not exist. He was such a possessive git.

Some did not care for the thought of "belonging" to another person. The idea that they could be claimed as if they were the last slice of pizza angered and disgusted them. They argued that they were not a thing to be bought, sold, and tossed aside whenever their owner grew tired of them. They were living, breathing human beings with thoughts, emotions and feelings all their own.

Shuichi was not one of those people. All he has ever wanted was a place to which he could belong, where he did not have to hide or pretend to be something he wasn't or be ashamed of what and who he was or wasn't. He'd wanted someone who could love him for whom and what he was instead of what and who that person wanted him to be. He found all that and more in Eiri. Eiri did not think of him as the "freak". To Eiri, he was beautiful. A bit on the rambunctious side, but perfect. Eiri loved him and he loved Eiri, possessive streak and all.

Though Eiri may deny it, the man had a habit of memorizing the names and faces of people who he felt were a threat to him and his claim, which was just about everyone in the free world. At social gatherings, Eiri kept to his side as if they were crazy glued together, his golden eyes scanning the vicinity for potential threats. Eiri would even go so far as to growl at someone who was as presumptuous as to glance at him.

Eiri really was a character, but…

Shuichi slid a glance at his husband behind the wheel, silently waiting for an answer.

…he wouldn't have it any other way. For the first time in his life, he felt as if he were truly loved, as if he truly had a place where he belonged. It was a nice feeling.

"You know why," he answered softly, turning back to gaze out the window.

Honestly, he was sick of talking about it and refused to discuss it any longer. All it did was cause him to feel worse than he already did and he already felt like complete and utter crap. The whole situation was a total mess. Though, really, he had nobody to blame but himself.

Like most teenagers, he'd lived his life as if he knew all the secrets of the universe. He used to believe that nothing and nobody could touch him because everything happened to the other guy and not him, and if it did then…Oh, well. C'est la vie. That's life. Besides, like Tatsuha said when the older man confronted him three years ago, he had been suicidal at the time. Back then, he'd believed that nobody loved him. That nobody cared about him and that nobody would miss him when he was gone. He'd been, after all, a freak and everybody knew that freaks were a waste of space and all of humanity would be better off it they were annihilated from the face of the planet.

But all that changed in an instant.

Meeting Eiri that night in the park changed his life. If it wasn't for Eiri, he would even now be a pile of ash and bone in some third rate urn buried in the back of some coroner's basement, if he was lucky, but his son was definitely the best thing that ever happened to him.

There was one regret he had in regards to his son and that was his naivety.

oOo

Jumping to conclusions like they had-assuming that Aizawa was the biological father of little Takanori, assuming that Kizou could not have children, it was now all coming back to bite them on the ass. It did not matter what the results of the DNA paternity test turn out to be because either way someone was in for a major disappointment. The Aizawas could very well lose a grandchild-the only link to the son they lost-or Kizou could lose a child. Eiri's link to little Takanori was assured no matter what. He could not even begin to imagine what life was like on the other side of the fence.

He should have insisted they wait until they knew for certain before naming Aizawa the father. He should have…He didn't know what else he should have insisted on, what he could have done differently to avoid being in the spot they were now, but he should have done more, something he could have done differently.

The public already believed, thanks to Tohma, that Shuichi and Aizawa were dating prior to the other man's death-lie or not, he felt nauseous at the thought-but what if Kizou turned out to be little Takanori's biological father instead? Then what? What possible scenario could Tohma pull out of his ass to explain the sudden turn of events?

This was one giant mess.

oOo

"Where we going Mama?"

With the introduction of his son's inquisitive voice into the heavy silence, Shuichi felt his gloomy mood lift.

Turning around as much as the seatbelt would allow, Shuichi smiled at his two-year-old son who was strapped into his booster seat in the middle of the backseat.

That had him thinking. With one child already and two more on the way-that only they and Shuichi's doctors knew about presently-what would they do if they were to have another child? He wasn't even sure if Eiri wanted more children. Would three be enough? But what if, for argument's sake, they did have another child? Then what? He would gladly give up his studio if the space were needed. But…

A sly grin spread slowly across his face. "You'd have to give up your precious Mercedes," he whispered more to himself than to his partner.

Eiri blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

Shuichi grinned at the man. "If we have more children. You are going to have to exchange your Mercedes for a family van."

Eiri blanched at the thought.

Shuichi laughed out loud at the expression of horror.

"Mama," demanded the angry little voice from the backseat. "Where we going?"

Smothering his laughter, but still grinning like a madman, Shuichi regarded his son, "We're going to the studio again."

After swallowing the dread at the idea of giving up his precious baby, and he wasn't referring to his son, Eiri glanced at his son's reflection in the rear view mirror for brief moments at a time.

"Remember?" Shuichi was saying. "We were there the other day and you played with that man who bought you pop with the marble in it?"

Eiri sneered at the memory. Yes. Give an already hyper two-year-old sugar. Brilliant idea.

Beaming, little Takanori nodded enthusiastically and starting dancing around in his seat.

Shuichi laughed at his son's antics.

Eiri shook his head in amusement. Guess he should just feel happy that this transition between Aizawa and Kizou was going so smoothly, but he could not suppress the little stirrings of jealousy.

Little Takanori did remember that man. He'd been so nice! They'd played hide-and-seek and tag! He wanted to play with him again! He was really fun! Not as much fun as playing with Mama. Nobody was as fun as Mama. Mama was the bestest ever! Maybe that man would buy him another drink! Daddy did not like him having that drink, but it was so yummy and the bubbles had tickled his nose. Maybe Mama could talk to daddy again into letting him have it. And maybe he could play with the man longer this time and they wouldn't have to worry about Daddy being angry that they were making too much noise in public because Mama would be there and would tell Daddy to hush just like he did last time. He couldn't wait!

oOo

NG Productions - Executive Offices - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

It did not take long for them to arrive at the tall steel and glass building that housed the NG Production record company.

Eiri pulled around back to where the entrance to the underground parking garage was located. At the gate, he took the employee key card Shuichi handed him, and held it up to the scanner. A light blinked green and the barrier rose. He handed the key card back to Shuichi, who shoved it back into an inner pocket in his bag, and started forward slowly. Shuichi guided him to the reserved parking for the artists on the second level near the elevators. Considering Shuichi's current state, Tohma had given him permission to park in one of the handicapped spots.

They piled out of the car-Shuichi shouldering his messenger bag, Eiri pocketing his keys, wallet and cellphone. As soon as their son was free of his confining car seat and his sneakered feet hit the ground, he was off racing towards the elevators, Shuichi at his heels. Eiri locked the set the car alarm and followed.

Little Takanori rose up on his tippy toes and pressed the call button. Proud of himself, he beamed up at his parents as they trooped up behind him. "I pushed-ed it Mama!"

Shuichi pouted. "But I wanted to do it," he whined, crossing his arms over his chest.

Little Takanori strode up to his mama and patted his leg. "You can press it next time." He said this was a serious expression on his face.

Eiri chuckled lightly.

The elevator arrived just then with a ping that resounded in the silence of the underground parking garage. Moments later, the doors slid open.

"Alright. Let's go," Eiri announced. Grabbing his son's hand, he followed his husband onto the elevator car. He pressed the button for Tohma's floor and watched the doors slide shut.

oOo

With their son between them, swinging from their hands and squealing with a set of lungs that rivaled those of his mother's, the three of them stepped out of the elevator and into a plush, but silent hall.

There were no other doors along the passageway-or at least, there were none that could be seen-other than the single door at the end, but knowing Tohma Seguchi as they both did, neither would be at all surprised if there was a concealed door, or two. In fact, Shuichi was sure there was one if he were to believe the rumors.

Shuichi, Eiri and their son made their way down the hall, their footfalls muffled by the carpet under their feet.

On either side of them, the walls were lined with plagues-awards, and platinum and gold albums, including one for Bad Luck's debut album Gravity-and autographed photos of the various artists signed onto the NG label.

Shuichi could not get over how many there were! In the short time since the fledgling record company was founded, less than three years ago, NG Productions has become one of the top record companies in all of Japan.

The hallway ahead of them opened up into a small foyer-like space that was filled with lush exotic and native plants, expensive antique vases and intricately carved wood furniture.

Eiri snorted. It was just like Tohma to flaunt his wealth. That man does nothing subtly.

When he felt his son's little hand slip free of his, Eiri stopped and glanced down at the two year old sharply, his heart harming in sudden fear, but he needn't have worried. His son was currently in the process of trying to scale Shuichi as if he were Mount Fuji.

"Up Mama," little Takanori declared. "Up Mama. Up!"

Eiri frowned at his husband as the younger man squatted down. "Shu," he warned as his husband lifted their son up into his arms.

Shuichi shushed his husband. There was nothing wrong with him giving his son a little attention. Besides, he was only twelve weeks along. It wasn't as if he was so big that doing so would cause any sort of harm to him or the twins. Eiri was such a worrywart.

"Shuichi."

Ignoring him, Shuichi turned with a flourish and marched off down the hall.

Eiri gazed after him. "Damn brat," he mumbled.

"Heard that," Shuichi called over his shoulder.

Eiri rolled his eyes.

"Saw that."

Eiri scrubbed his hands over his face. God help him. It's started. Stupid pregnancy hormones. Dropping his hands, the sigh he started to expel choked off when he met a pair of golden eyes staring at him over Shuichi's shoulder. Was it him or did he son look angry? Great. This was all he needed. A mini-Shuichi.

Shaking the shudder that raced down his spin off, he hurried after them both.

oOo

Eiri caught up to them at the executive office of the company president. Reaching around his husband for the door, he gave the doorknob a twist, pushed the door open and stepped back. He ushered his husband and son into the office with a wave of his hand, trying to ignore the twinge of guilt he was feeling for making his husband angry with him, which was ridiculous because he didn't do anything to cause Shuichi to become angry with him.

Honestly, dealing with Shuichi and his constantly changing moods-whether he was pregnant or not-was like being on a roller coaster ride. It was enough to give one whiplash.

Shuichi stepped over the threshold and paused. Turning towards his husband, he rose up on his tippy toes-holding his son steady on his hip with a hand on the toddler's back-and pressed his lips to Eiri's cheek in a chaste kiss. He giggled at the stunned expression on Eiri's face.

Little Takanori, wanting to kiss his daddy too, leaned forward-causing Shuichi to act fast otherwise he would have ended up dropping his son-and pressed his open mouth to Eiri's cheek like he'd seen his mama do. Then he spun around and grinned at his mama who chuckled lightly.

"Come on. Let's go! Let's go!"

Little Takanori giggled as Shuichi bounced him lightly on his hip. Still smiling, he stepped into the office to greet the young woman sitting behind the desk in the outer office, leaving Eiri stunned.

He really did not understand Shuichi. Not even a little bit. Boy should come with a manual, he thought.

"Hello Nanako."

Shuichi's voice stirred him from his stupor. Shaking himself, he followed Shuichi into the office and nodded at his brother-in-law's new-not to mention extremely young-secretary.

"Mr. Shindou. Mr. Uesugi. Hello," Nana greeted warmly.

Shuichi shifted his son in his arms. Little Takanori was definitely not a lightweight. His arms were already beginning to ache.

"Hello there," Nana smiled at little Takanori. Her voice had gone up several octaves. It was a typical adult slip when speaking to a child.

Little Takanori stared at her silently for a moment before replying shyly, "Hi." After which, the two year old wrapped his arms around Shuichi's neck and buried his face in Shuichi's shoulder.

Definitely did not get that from Shuichi, Eiri thought. Shuichi was anything but shy. He chuckled deeply.

Shuichi tossed him a glance over his shoulder. The look said everything.

Suddenly it was a lot warmer in the office.

Clearing his throat, Eiri stepped forward, wrapped an arm possessively around Shuichi's waist and prodded the cooing woman. "Tohma is…?"

"Expecting you," Nana replied. "Go right in."

"Thank you," Shuichi grinned.

Eiri nodded.

They skirted the secretary's desk towards the door that lead into Tohma's office. Eiri rounded his husband and reached for the doorknob. He gave it a sharp twist, pushed open the door and stepped inside.

An explosion of sound greeted them.

II

An Hour Later - Executive Offices - NG Productions - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Eiri's patience was waning. Quickly. Not as if he had any to spare in the first place. He'd always been a little on the impatient side. There'd always been a bit of an anger issue as well. But, really, didn't one go hand in hand with the other anyway? He wasn't certain if that was the case, but it was for him, so it wasn't exactly a surprise that the longer they dawdled here like a bunch of useless lumps, the thinner his patience became, the more irritated he was and the closer he was coming to snapping.

For what seemed like the millionth time in only the last five seconds, Eiri glanced at the clock on the wall. How much longer where they going to wait? He was going stir crazy. No, scratch that. He was slowly losing his mind. If he would have known that they would have to wait for Kizou to arrive, he would not have rushed over here so damn quickly. He could have remained back at home working on his manuscript for a little while longer. What an absolute waste of time this was.

He frowned at the clock. The damn contraption was broken. It had to be. There was no other explanation. Otherwise, how else would you explain the fact that every time he peered at it, it showed the same time? It was a conspiracy. He swore it was. It wasn't enough that his own husband and child were trying to slowly drive him insane, but now his brother-in-law was in on it too. Perfect.

A pair of smiling emerald green eyes met his over the desk. He scowled back. "What?" he snapped.

"Nervous, Eiri-kun?" Tohma inquired, leaning forward and resting his chin on his laced fingers.

"No," he answered curtly.

Tohma regarded him with a cocked eyebrow-perfectly manicured of course.

Eiri stilled his bouncing knee, grumbling about stupid, nosey brother-in-laws.

Ignoring the amused look on his brother-in-law's face and that damnedable twinkle in his eyes that said he clearly thought he was an omnipotent being, Eiri glanced over his shoulder at the mayhem that was ensuing behind him.

Other than Tohma, who was sitting behind his desk like a king on his throne overlooking his subjects, Shuichi and little Takanori, there was also Ryuichi and Tatsuha. It was quite the surprise to realize that his brother and his brother-in-law-or would that be father-in law?-had been invited to the big reveal.

He wasn't angry that Tohma would go behind his back and inform others besides those not directly involved. Maybe a bit miffed that it was done without his knowledge or consent, but he wasn't mad. After all, Tatsuha and Ryuichi have a right to know just as much as he and Shuichi. This affected them as well, but this was a private moment. Family or not, there were some things that did not require an audience. If they'd wanted spectators, they would have agreed to go on one of the dozens of talk shows and nightly news programs that have had their phone ringing off the hook all goddamn weekend.

"Here."

At a small sitting area, his son was kneeling at a long rectangular glass coffee table coloring with his uncle Ryuichi-or was that Grandfather?-and Uncle Tatsuha in a rather large coloring book amidst a sea of crayons, markers and colored pencils. A two year old and an expensive leather sofa. Not a good mix. Tohma did not seem overtly concerned though, so who was he to care? Not his furniture. Not his problem.

The coloring book was a clown coloring book thank you very much. Uncle Tohma bought it just for him.

"For my favorite nephew," Tohma'd said when he'd handed the present to the toddler.

"You're only nephew," Eiri reminded him.

The kid was so spoiled. It didn't come as any surprise, though, what with little Takanori being the only child in the family. So far, Eiri added. Not only were he and Shuichi expecting twins in a measly twenty-eight weeks-he couldn't decide whether to strut around with his head held high and his chest out as of he were a peacock trying to impress his potential mate or strap himself in a straitjacket and confined to a padded cell-but Maiko was due to deliver a healthy baby boy in just over a month-by all that was holy was it only a month away?-and Tohma and Mika were actively trying to have a baby.

His older sister and her husband have been trying for years to start their own family, but with little success.

At one point Mika believed she was pregnant, or so said the home pregnancy test she took, but her OB/GYN a couple of weeks later claimed she wasn't. False positive was what they called it. Had that really been the case though? Eiri had to wonder about that.

From the copious amounts of research he'd done when he found out the boy he was beginning to fall in love with was pregnant, he'd learned that it's quite common for pregnancies to end in miscarriages before the pregnancy was even known. Could this be the reasoning behind his sister's "false positive" pregnancy? It beat the alternative.

Because of the difficulty they were having conceiving, both Tohma as well as Mika underwent testing to determine whether there could be anything preventing them from becoming pregnant, such as scar tissue or low sperm count-as was the case for Kizou apparently-but all the tests came back negative. There was nothing, at least from the medical doctor's point of view, stopping them from becoming pregnant.

"It could be psychological," was what the doctors suggested.

If there was anyone who had any sort of inkling as to what Kizou was currently experiencing, it would have to be his sister and her husband.

Little Takanori handed his uncle Tatsuha the blue crayon he'd been using.

"Oh, thank you," Tatsuha said. He now had a pile of crayons besides the page that his nephew had torn out for him.

Eiri chuckled.

His son reached for another crayon, this time red, and turned back to the coloring book.

"That's very pretty," Ryuichi said to the toddler.

"Thank you." This was said without a blush or hesitation.

Oh so modest his son, he thought with a snort.

As for his husband, the singer had gone to the bathroom. Thankfully, it wasn't at that stage where Shuichi was racing off to the lavatory every five seconds-yet. It was only a matter of time though. Add a rollercoaster of emotions and cravings that would make other expectant mothers nauseous and he'd be lucky to make it through the next twenty-eight weeks without whiplash.

Almost as if it were against his will, Eiri found his gaze traveling yet again to the clock.

For someone who was "just going to the bathroom", Shuichi has been gone for quite some time. Eiri snorted. What was he saying? This was Shuichi. He probably got lost, fell in the toilet or decided to take a little detour, which would explain why he'd wanted to use a bathrooms on a different floor rather than Tohma's private en suite bathroom.

Baka.

Just this once he'd indulge his husband.

Besides, the reprieve Shuichi's momentary absence was giving him was a welcome distraction and not from Shuichi's idiocy either. From the moment they stepped into the office, Ryuichi has been throwing Shuichi these glances periodically. From the expression on the older man's face when he watched Shuichi, it was evident Ryuichi was torn and it did not take a genius to figure out what the man was torn over either.

As well he should be, Eiri thought with a flair of anger.

But as glad as he was that Ryuichi remembered their little conversation and was even now in the process of trying to psych himself up enough to man up to his own idiocy, this was not the time. Given the topic of their future discussion, Eiri wasn't sure if the time would ever be right.

oOo

Ryuichi sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Setting the brown crayon aside that he'd been using to color in the trunk of the tree in the page his grandson had torn out of his coloring book, he sat back and glanced over his shoulder at the clock.

He always knew that eventually he would have to tell Shuichi the truth, though if he wanted to be honest with himself, there was a small part of him that didn't want to. Wouldn't his son be better off not knowing?

He has a right to know, argues a voice in the back of his mind that sounded vaguely like Eiri.

Of course he does, Ryuichi argued back.

Still…!

Would it be worth it? Would emptying his closet of all its skeletons be worth all the pain and earth shattering consequences?

What was better: a comfortable lie or the distressing truth?

It was selfish yes, but Ryuichi was terrified that once the truth was out there, his relationship with Shuichi would change. Nothing would be the same afterwards. How could it? He could only hope that one day Shuichi would forgive him and that he wouldn't be stopped from seeing his grandson.

"Ryu?" called the soft voice.

Ryuichi blinked back the threatening sting of tears and cleared his throat of a mysterious lump before he acknowledged his husband. He smiled at the concerned expression. "Hm?"

"You okay?"

"Fine," he assured the younger man. More or less, he added. After all, it wasn't everyday that a man had to tell his little brother that they were actually father and son.

Knowing what he had to do was not making knowing that he had to do it any easier.

oOo

Shuichi would not go so far as to claim it was better than an orgasm, but it was pretty darn close.

Once they discovered he was pregnant, Eiri had forbidden him from indulging in many of his heavenly-turned-sinful delights. Even though they'd technically been separated at the time, it hadn't stopped them from acting like a couple of teenagers experiencing-hence the pregnancy-and it certainly hadn't stopped Eiri from turning into Mr. Dictator either.

Fun times.

But that was why he'd used the bathroom ruse. How could he let the opportunity to sneak away from Mr. You'll-Have-Nothing-But-Rabbit-Food-For-Forty-Weeks-Because-I'll-Be-Damned-If-I-Let-You-Pollute-My-Child-With-Crap for a couple of minutes pass him by? This was his chance to have whatever he wanted without Eiri breathing down his neck.

The hardest part of having some measure of independence is self-control and as anyone could attest to, he had absolutely none. Meaning, of course, that as soon as he stepped into the cafeteria, he'd wanted one of everything. Pizza. Subs. Chicken wings. Buffalo wings. Chicken fingers. Chicken fries. Chicken bites, otherwise as "boneless chicken wings" apparently. Mozzarella sticks. Pizza logs. Tacos. Chinese. Tai. Vietnamese. Japanese. Pasta. Parfaits. Salads. There was just too much to choose from. If he would have listened to the little Eiri inside his head, he would have steered clear of everything and gone straight for the fruit, but of course he ignored the little party pooper and decided, after much deliberation, to get some ice cream and not that frozen yogurt crap either. Real ice cream.

By the time he paid for the frozen treat and made his way through the cafeteria-stopping several times to speak with various NG employees as well as fellow musicians-to the elevators, he'd devoured the ice cream sandwich, liked his fingers clean and was seriously contemplating going back to buy another. In the end, he decided not to, mostly because he'd already been gone for a while and if he did not get back soon, Eiri would hunt him down. That would not be a good thing, especially seeing he's been cheating on his diet.

"Stupid Eiri and his stupid rules," he grumbled.

Standing before the elevator bank, Shuichi pressed the call button. Instead of lighting up, the doors slide open with a ping. A familiar voice called out as he stepped inside the cab.

"Hold the elevator please!"

Shuichi pressed and held the "open" button on the panel. He watched as a tall blond haired man followed closely by a second male who had the appearance of someone who could juggle a city bus or two without breaking a sweat raced into the elevator. Once both men were safely in the elevator and clear of the doors, he let go of the "open" button and watched as the doors slid shut. He noticed the second male had taken up position right before the elevator doors.

"44 please," rumbled the deep voice behind him.

"Gotcha." Shuichi started to nod, his finger reaching for the number "44", but froze even as he pressed the button, which lit up. That voice! Was it…? His eyes wide, Shuichi whipped around. "Kizou," he cried out happily.

A wide grin poured across the Japanese-French Yakuza boss's face. "Shuichi! Hey!" Kizou enveloped Shuichi in a hug.

Yutoshi, the muscle bound shadow and bodyguard, spared a moment to glare at Shuichi over his boss's shoulder.

Shuichi stuck his tongue out at him. It was a childish move to be sure, but one he could not stop from doing. It was a reflex. Yutoshi had a tendency to bring out the best in people, especially if he did not like them very much. Shuichi definitely qualified as one of those people. In fact, if he was not mistaken, he was on the very top of Yutoshi's very long list. Yutoshi just did not like him. It was that simple.

"Shuichi," Kizou scolded lightly. He did not have to have eyes in the back of his head to know the rivalry had begun. It was a good thing Yutoshi hadn't been at the house last week when Shuichi stopped by.

"I didn't do it," Shuichi said automatically, freeing himself from his ex-lover.

Kizou gave him a look.

Shuichi wilted under that look. It was the same one Eiri always gave him. "Hey, he started it," he argued, pointing to the gorilla of a man.

Yutoshi said nothing, just gave Shuichi a not so flattering once over before returning to guard hiss boss from the closed elevator door.

A light growl rumbled in Shuichi's throat.

Kizou heaved a heavy sigh. "Honestly, you're like children."

"Am not!"

Yutoshi snorted.

Something inside Shuichi snapped. "What was that ape face?"

And it begins, Kizou thought with a heavy sigh.

oOo

The ride to the top floor where Tohma's office was located was a long, silent journey. The tense air in the cramped car made what was usually a two or three minute ride-depending on how many times the elevator needed to stop to pick up and or drop off passengers-seem twice as long. It reminded Kizou sharply of a bridge near his childhood home in France that he used to cross on an almost daily basis. He remembered thinking that the bridge seemed to stretch for miles, even though in actuality it was only several hundred feet long. Crossing it seemed to take forever. It went on and on and on and on. It was like a nightmare where you're running from some unknown entity. The harder you run, the faster you get nowhere. He'd hated that bridge as a child, but when his parents announced after his little brother was killed that they were moving to Japan, he'd mourned the loss of that bridge. Strange how that happens.

He kept trying to distract Shuichi away from the blatant animosity he felt towards Yutoshi, to make the ride easier for everybody-himself especially-but it didn't work. The phrase "if looks could kill" seemed very appropriate.

They'd never liked one another, Yutoshi and Shuichi. Never. Yutoshi, he could remember, hadn't had a problem with that first initial introduction in the bathroom of some dive all those years ago. It was everything that transpired afterwards that Yutoshi'd had a problem with. Kizou never did get a satisfactory answer about this dislike Yutoshi and Shuichi felt for one another. Apparently, Shuichi hated Yutoshi because Yutoshi hated him. Yutoshi hated Shuichi…Well, who knows why. Frankly, Kizou could care less. As long as Yutoshi realized that despite the hatred he felt towards Shuichi, Shuichi from here on out-if the results of the paternity test came back stating he was indeed the biological father of little Takanori Uesugi-was going to remain part of his life.

He scrubbed his hands over his face and wished he were back home in bed. To think it was only midday.

"Thank God," he muttered gratefully as the elevator lurched to a stop on the top floor of the modern glass and metal NG Productions building in the heart of downtown Chiyoda-ku.

Shuichi, impatient to leave the crowded car and the annoying bodyguard far behind before he caught gorilla-itis, stepped forward, but a large hairy arm impeded his movements. "What's your problem?" he snapped angrily over the loud ping. A hand landed on his shoulder. He started at the touch. He glanced over his shoulder at its owner.

"Let him do his job," Kizou told the younger man.

Shuichi opened his mouth to argue. "But-"

Kizou merely shook his head.

Beyond irritated now, Shuichi crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in annoyance. It was nothing personal against bodyguards, but it was personal against this bodyguard in particular. Bastard.

Yutoshi stepped out of the elevator and glanced up and down the hall.

His impatience growing, Shuichi waited for the empty corridor-that could not be more than several dozen meters long at most and had only the only door at the far end-to be swept and cleared. It seemed to take longer than it should. Knowing Yutoshi, the man was probably taking extra long just to annoy Shuichi. It was working.

Shuichi had to press the "open" button several times before Yutoshi was satisfied the coast was clear.

Rolling his eyes, Shuichi strode out of the elevator and marched down the hall towards Tohma's office, brushing by Kizou and his shadow none too gently.

Sighing, Kizou followed the angry singer at a more leisurely pace. He spared a glance for Yutoshi whose expression did not change.

Shuichi was…He did not want to say Shuichi was hard to deal with under normal circumstances, but it was a pretty close assessment, but now that Shuichi was pregnant, dealing with his already overly emotional state was near to impossible and to have Yutoshi deliberately rile Shuichi up was not helping matters. He did not envy Mr. Uesugi in the least.

At the sound of a door slamming, Kizou pried his attention from the wall art he had been making a pretense of examining, pretense because he had not taken in anything, and glanced up the hall. It was empty except for himself and Yutoshi.

This was going to be a long day, he decided.

Outside that same door Shuichi had vanished into, Yutoshi remained.

"Mr. Kizou?" asked a young woman as he entered.

"Yes," he confirmed as he shut the door behind him.

The woman smiled warmly at him. "Go right in, sir."

"Thank you."

Crossing the small reception area to the only other door, which had been left ajar, Kizou slipped inside a large modern office. The far wall was not a wall at all, but floor to ceiling windows overlooking the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. The NG Production record company building was by far the tallest in the surrounding area. It made for a breath taking view. Glass shelving units filled with awards and plagues stretched the entirety of the left hand wall, marred only by a door. Behind the door he had entered through was a small row of file cabinets. A sitting area, occupied by two men and his-hopefully-son, took up the right hand wall.

As he entered, all eyes were on him. All conversation came to a halt.

In chairs before a U-shaped desk that looked as if it cost ten times more than he'd paid for his sat Shuichi and besides him Mr. Eiri Yuki. There was an empty chair besides the writer. It appeared as if Shuichi had not yet cooled down, if the look the singer was giving him was any indication. Looks like a serious conversation with Yutoshi was in order later.

"Where's the moron?" Shuichi demanded.

"Shu," sighed a resigned looked Eiri.

Shuichi ignored his husband.

Guessing by "moron", Shuichi was referring to Yutoshi, Kizou answered, "Out in the hall."

"Good." The less he had to interact with that-that…sorry excuse for a human being the better. Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned away from the Yakuza boss with a childish humph.

The struggled to keep from snapping at his husband was great. Eiri felt his eye twitching.

Kizou let his gaze sweep around the office once again.

The toddler that might just be his son appeared to be deeply engrossed in what he was doing, so engrossed that he hadn't even realized someone new had arrived. One of the men with his son he recognized instantly as Ryuichi Sakuma, Shuichi's older brother if he wasn't mistaken. While he was not a fan, some of the younger Dragons were, especially Narata. The other man he did not know, though given the remarkable appearance to Eiri Yuki, it was a safe bet the two were brothers, possibly even twins.

Then there was a small blond man who rose from behind the large, expensive desk. "Ah! Mr. Kizou."

Kizou recognized him as well. "Mr. Seguchi." He strode farther into the room and shook the man's hand.

Little Takanori's head snapped up and around at the voice. A grin spread across his face. It was that man! Now they could play and maybe even have some of that yummy drink that tickled his nose.

Jumping to his feet, he raced towards the man.

"Well, now-" Tohma's announcement was cut short by the appearance of his nephew was who launched himself at the new arrival with such gusto that he nearly knocked the poor man off his feet.

Eiri chuckled. Definitely his mother's son.

Shuichi gasped. "Takanori!"

Little Takanori was oblivious to everything but the man to whose leg he was clamped around. "Hi!"

Kizou chuckled. "Hi there."

"Do you wanna play?"

"Well…" Kizou glanced around for some support.

"Takanori, sweetie," Shuichi was saying. He scooted to the edge of the chair and bending over, clasped his hands between his knees. "Not now okay?"

Little Takanori pouted. He stomped his foot and crossed his arms over his chest. "I wanna play now!"

Images of Shuichi flashed through Eiri's head. He exchanged a knowing look with Ryuichi, who was chuckling lightly.

Kizou squatted down before the two year old. "Hey, I have an idea." His hazel eyes as golden as a pile of gold twinkled. "Why don't you go see if you can get Uncle Ryuichi to buy you some Ramuné? Remember? It's that drink we had the other day with the marble and the bubbles that tickled your nose?" He wrinkled his nose for emphasis.

"I 'member! I like that drink!"

"Me, too," Kizou whispered. "And afterwards we can play okay?"

Grinning, little Takanori raced back to the sitting area and started hopping around Ryuichi excitedly. "Can we get some 'uné?"

Eiri's eye twitched.

"Of course," Ryuichi complied easily.

Making sure he had his wallet, Ryuichi stood from the couch and holding out his hand, escorted his grandson from the office and down the hall to the elevators, all the while listening to the toddler ramble a million miles an hour about something that Ryuichi could not quite understand.

"Well, as I was saying," Tohma restarted, "now that we're all here, shall we get started?" His eye scanned the others.

Suddenly, there was a swarm of elephants doing the samba in Kizou's stomach. Feeling more nervous that he could remember ever being before in his life, he carefully lowered himself into a chair besides Eiri. He caught Shuichi's eye. The younger man grinned. Guess he was forgiven. Some of the nervousness melted away.

As Tohma retook his seat, he glanced passed his guests to the man sitting in the shadows of the office door. "Mr. Iba? If you'd do the honors?"

"Of course."

As one, they all turned and watched as a man whom Kizou was assuming was this Mr. Iba strode forward. There was a large business envelope in his hands.

The results. The results were in that envelope.

This was it. Oh, God. This was it. In a matter of seconds, they would all know. Was he or wasn't he?

His heart was hammering so loudly within his chest, it was a wonder nobody called him on it. The elephants were now performing a dizzying waltz. It was making his stomach churn.

"Everyone, this is Takashi Iba from the DNA Diagnostic Center," Tohma introduced. "He personally ran the test."

A low murmuring met this announcement.

Suddenly feeling lightheaded, as if he were on the verge of passing out, Kizou watched as the business envelope was opened and a single sheet of paper was slid out. His palms grew slick with sweat.

Was it too late to change his mind?

The tension within the office was almost painful.

Tohma noticed that Eiri's knee was bouncing again. This time faster. It was moving at warp speed. The smaller hand clenched within his was white knuckled. He followed the arm that the hand belonged to and noticed that Shuichi looked like he was on the verge of being sick.

Takashi Iba cleared his throat. "With a 99.995 percent probability..." He paused.

Whether for dramatic purposes, as if he had some misguided notion of this being a program on television, or maybe he was feeling just as nervous as the rest of them, Kizou was not sure, but he was sure he wasn't the only one who wanted to cry out, "Get on with it man!" Maybe a swift kick up the ass would help this man to get a move on.

"…Rique Kizou is…" Takashi Iba lifted his gaze from the paper in his hands and sought out the man in question. "…the father of one Takanori Eiri Uesugi." Or so he tried to say. He hadn't even gotten passed "father" before the cheering began. It wasn't even cheering. It was more like a roar of sound.

Shuichi was up and out of his chair before the sentence was even half out of the man's mouth. Laughing and crying at the same time, he flung himself at Eiri and then at Kizou.

"Congratulations Mr. Kizou," Tatsuha shouted above the noise from his seat on the couch.

Kizou was stunned to say the least. He had a son? He'd heard the words, but it was as if they'd been spoken in a foreign language that he did not know or understand.

"Congratulations," rumbled a voice.

He had a son.

Still in shock, Kizou went to open his mouth, but nothing came out but a squeak, so he nodded.

He freaking had a son!

The first tear slid down his face. He was never a religious man before, but now he was certain. There had to be a God because this was nothing short of a miracle.

III

Somewhere amidst the impromptu celebration celebrating Kizou's new status as a father, someone had brought Shuichi a cup of tea. He had a feeling Eiri was responsible. Or, more likely, Eiri via Tohma via Nana. That man really was too good to him. Overprotective and possessive as hell, but way out of his league.

The white ceramic teacup and saucer were not traditional Japanese, but Shuichi thought they were beautiful, especially the colorful bouquet of flowers and lively butterflies that decorated both.

Eiri's opinion of such feminine cups? "They suit you."

"Shut up," Shuichi had retorted, but there had been no stopping the grin.

Shuichi brought the cup to his face and breathed in the heavenly aroma. It was a wonderful scent. It loosened the coils of tension knotting his insides. He took a tentative sip and practically moaned. It was liquid sex. Absolutely perfect. Not his usual blend, but it was would do. Oh, most definitely. The warmth of the tea flowed through him, vanishing the tension within him completely.

Through the steam rising from the cup, Shuichi swept his gaze across the office to the black leather couch where Kizou, Ryuichi and Tatsuha were listening intently to two year old little Takanori who was both stuffing his face with the junk food laid out before him-he was partial to potato chips loaded with half the dip in the container-on the coffee table and speaking adamantly about one thing or another. Shuichi chuckled at the serious expression on his son's face.

Where minutes prior the stacks of coloring books, the colored pencils, crayons and markers had been his son's lifeblood, now it all littered the floor, long forgotten.

So fickle his son.

With a two thousand watt grin on his face, Shuichi turned towards the man of the hour: Rique Kizou. Now there was a happy man. To the best of his knowledge, Shuichi could not remember a time when Kizou was this radiant.

"Fatherhood suits him," he thought aloud.

He was glad Kizou turned out to be the father of little Takanori. Kizou would be a great father. There was no doubt in Shuichi's mind.

But…

While he'd never been in love with Kizou, he did love the older man. It was impossible not to. He'd been a kind and gentle lover, compassionate, protective. If he'd never met and fallen in love with Eiri, Shuichi honestly could have foreseen spending the rest of his life with Kizou. Of course that was something he had no intention of confessing to Eiri anytime soon.

Despite the vast wealth of knowledge that Shuichi had on the Black Dragons, knowledge that in certain hands-hands like the PSIA-could bring down the entire association once and for all, Kizou had let him go that day without a second thought. Not many in Kizou's position would have done that. That was the type of person Kizou was. Ruthless, hard, vindictive and unforgiving when he was forced to be, to those who earned his trust and respect, Kizou could be a formidable ally. Cross him and he would not think twice about cracking your head wide open.

But it was the Yakuza part that had Shuichi on edge.

Of course they-meaning he, Eiri and Kizou-still had many things to discuss concerning their son, but Yakuza or not, Shuichi could not very well in good conscience keep Kizou away from his son. Kizou deserved to get to know and spend time with his son and vice versa. But it was because Kizou was the leader of the Black Dragons, a notorious Yakuza gang, which had Shuichi on edge and knotted his insides in nervousness. He was not going to keep his son from his father even though said man was a criminal and led a very dangerous lifestyle, but he couldn't help but be frightened at the endless possibilities that could ensue because of it. That was not to say that he did not trust Kizou, Eiri or Tohma, for he did. All three of them would never let harm befall little Takanori, but that did not stop him from worrying. It was his right as a parent.

All this uncertainty and worry was starting to give him heartburn.

Seeing the different emotions-the most prominent one being fear-race across Shuichi's face one after another twisted at Eiri. It brought out a side of him he never knew existed before that fateful night nearly three years ago. Every time this protective, possessive side of him came roaring to the forefront, it took him by surprised. That he felt this strongly about anyone that he would go to bat for them or do whatever he could to see that frown turned upside down was something he'd never thought he would ever experience.

Going against his first impulse to ignore what he'd thought at first to be a bum asleep on the bench in the middle of the park had been the best decision of his life.

It still amazed him to this day that the sixteen year old he'd been obsessed with had reciprocated his feelings and was even now not only his life partner, but also carrying his children.

Not caring for the worry lining his husband's face, Eiri draped an arm around Shuichi's shoulders and pulled the smaller man gently against him.

Shuichi leaned his head against Eiri's shoulder with a content sigh. "What'll happen next?" he asked.

"Don't know," Eiri said truthfully.

"That is something you, Eiri and Mr. Kizou will have to discuss."

Eiri was forced to drop his arm as he and Shuichi turned towards the source of the voice. Neither cared for the loss of contact.

Sitting behind his desk with his hands steepled before him was Tohma.

"In the meantime, there are a few things we should go over before the press conference," he continued. At the grimace, Tohma reassured his brother-in-law that neither he nor Shuichi nor Kizou would be required to attend.

Both men breathed a sigh of relief. They despised having to deal with the press.

"Ah, Mr. Kizou," he called, "if you could join us please? There are some things we need to go over and then I'll leave you to your…negotiations."

Eiri snorted.

"Certainly," Kizou replied.

Shuichi watched as Kizou bent towards their son and spoke softly. Though he could not hear what was being said, he knew it was something their son did not like when, predictably, the two year old started to pout. He folded his arms over his chest and plopped down on the floor, dropping his head so far forward that his chin touched his chest.

His son. The drama queen. At least he wasn't hitting his head against the floor. That scared Shuichi half to death. It was a new maneuver little Takanori had taken to doing and he did it quite often. Once when Eiri refused to buy a particular toy that little Takanori wanted, little Takanori sat down on the floor in the middle of the crowded store and starting smashing his forehead into the floor. When he told Ryuichi about this, his brother claimed he used to do the same thing.

From besides him, Eiri all but rolled his eyes.

Not liking the miserable expression on his son's face, Kizou slid off the couch and crouched down on the floor besides the toddler. This time what he told little Takanori was better received.

"I like that," little Taknori stated confidently and loud enough for them all to hear.

"Good." Kizou kissed the boy's forehead. "Why don't you play with Uncle Ryuichi and Uncle Tatsuha while I talk to Mommy and Daddy okay?"

"Okay!" Excited at the prospect of getting to play more with the nice man again later, little Takanori stood up and grabbed another chip out of the bowl and plunged it into the dip.

Standing with a grunt that had Shuichi giggling, Kizou made his way across the office towards the others, ruffling his son's soft raven hair as he passed.

Eiri inclined his head in greeting and Shuichi smiled as Kizou reclaimed the seat he'd been in earlier. Shuichi reached out for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Well," Tohma stated, watching the three men before him. He reclined back in his chair. "We have a lot of ground to cover. The press is going to be all over this story; especially you Mr. Kizou seeing you are who you are."

Shuichi squirmed uncomfortably.

Kizou gave the smaller hand within his a reassuring squeeze.

"The first question will most likely be how you can be the father Mr. Kizou if Shuichi and Taki Aizawa were dating at the time of the conception. Where do you fit in?"

Oh wonderful, Shuichi groaned. It was a good thing he was not required to be at the press conference. Guess all the skeletons were coming out of the closet now.

…To Be Continued…