Almost done. I'll try to get the last chapter up soon and then the epilogue. Enjoy.

Walking back into his apartment, Shin noticed that no one was there. Knowing them, they probably separated to let out the rest of the steam that boiled up. That left him with a dilemma; should he start watching the soap opera that Sayoko sent him, or should he wait for the twins to return to join him?

Eh, he didn't feel like translating for them.

He was in the middle of cooking dinner when the phone went off. The dog's ears popped up. The woman on the other line sounded distressed.

"Allô."

"Shin, I need your help."

Having gone out to settle down, Gabby bought a few things. Knowing Shin, she knew he'd be home already and probably had started to cook something. As she walked through the door, she could smell something. Shin had started cooking, but wasn't when she found him. He looked stressed and worried. The person on the other side of the phone was female, and because of the language difference, she assumed it was his sister.

What made her worry was that Shin looked at her and then left for the bedroom with the phone. The dog followed. She finished cooking the chicken before getting a glass of wine ready for him. She knew that he'd talk after a glass.

"Shin?"

He turned to give her a sad look. Tears were already forming.

"What's going on? What did your sister say to you?"

"Jiko ga at ta. Ryuusuke-kun ha, fune no tenpuku kara korosa re ta. Ane-chan ha watashi ga kaet te ki tai to kangae te i masu." Shin spat out fast, not realizing what language he was using.

"Shin, now in French please?"

Shin sighed to relax himself, "Ryuusuke's boat capsized after a storm hit. He didn't make it. So Sayoko requested that I come home to help with the children."

"Oh." Gabby said after a moment of silence, "You're not coming back, are you?"

Shin turned away, not knowing how to put it nicely.

"I'll let you pack." She said heading for the door.

"Gabby." He said standing up, catching her arm, "You can still come with me."

"Shin, we've been over this. The language and culture are so different."

"I know." He let her arm go. He didn't stop her from leaving.

Gabby avoided him during the time before he left. She even didn't show up to the airport to wish him goodbye in fear that she was wrong about not going with him. Martin had given her a disappointed look when he came back from dropping Shin off. He knew she'd regret not going. He just didn't know when she'd realize it.

It was mid-July when he found an apartment in Yamaguchi. Shin had Ryo and Shu over for a small homecoming party. They all found that Claudia didn't like Shu. The dog laid in a corner giving the man a look and sometimes would growl.

"Sorry Shu, I don't know what her problem is." Shin laughed.

"I know," Ryo teased, "He ate all of the food and didn't leave any for her."

"Like I'd leave a well cooked steak for a dog." Shu retorted and then looked at Shin, "Are you sure you can't move in with us? Your cooking is even more amazing."

"No, I can't." Shin grinned, "Taro will fight you for me."

"I'll move in with you and Jae." Ryo teased, slapping him on the back softly.

"You can't cook as well as he can."

"Fine." Ryo said, "So have they given you the job yet?"

Ryo was talking about the new European restaurant that opened. Shin had already put an application in for a cooking job.

"Not yet. They don't think I can cook French food."

"Have they lost their minds? You lived there for what, five years?"

"Something like that, and I worked in a café for two years. I guess that's not enough for them."

"It's their loss." Ryo added, "Nice passport picture."

Ryo was looking at Shin's French passport.

"Were you drunk?"

Shin smiled, "Maybe. The three of us went out to celebrate the night before."

"I'd keep it. It's better than the other passport picture." Ryo said, holding both up, "This one; you look like you were twelve."

Shin gave him a look, "I was sixteen in that picture."

"Yep." Shu grinned, also deciding to look, "Mullet and all. No wonder you and Ryo got haircuts. It looks so bad."

"The eighties" All three hummed.

"Yeah, the haircut was needed." Ryo said after wards.

"Yes." Shin agreed, taking the dirty plates from the table.

"Too bad Seiji and Touma aren't here." Shu said.

"Why's that?" Ryo asked.

"We need to do another training day."

Ryo hummed, "Well, they're both on some cruise in the Caribbean with the families."

"Lucky them." Shu said, "Then the three of us need to go out. I need to pound on someone for a bit."

Shin stared him down before laughing, "If you didn't look like your Uncle Chin, you wouldn't have to."

"I thought he was looking fatter." Ryo added.

"You guys are mean. I haven't been able to go out to the gym recently."

"Looks more like a year or so." Shin said.

"Ha!"

Ryo laughed, "I'm going to have to take a rain check on training day. Byauken and I are going on a camping trip."

"Booo." Shu said.

Shin laughed, "Alright, I have to go check on Sayoko and the kids. You're both welcome to stay here."

"Laters." Shu waved.

"Bye." Ryo added, "Ok, it's time for me to beat you on 'Super Smash Brothers.'"

"No way. You can't beat Donkey Kong with Samus."

"Oh but I can."

Walking through the front door, Shin was met by Taro. He was excited to see him.

"How's your mom?"

"She's still in bed. Naomi's in there too." The boy said.

"Is she eating at least?"

Taro nodded, "What did you cook? Steaks?"

"Yes." He said heading for the kitchen, "Grab yourself a plate. I'll bring them food."

Taro took to being the man of the house pretty seriously. When his mother was in bed, he made sure Naomi got up for school and that she behaved. Whenever Shin came over, he informed him of how she was doing. Taro even made Naomi go to her room after she kicked Shin in the shin and stomped on his foot.

Knocking softly on the door, Shin peeked inside. Naomi was asleep on the bed, making faces as she dreamed. Sayoko, though, was staring at the wall. Her face was red from crying. He left the plates in the room. Shin didn't know how else to help her.

"Shin,"

He stopped to listen.

"Can you take her to her bed?"

Nodding, he walked over to pick the sleeping girl up.

"Anything else?"

"No. Thanks."

Shin gave her a sad smile as the closed the door. He sat down on the sofa, watching Taro play some game. After watching the character on the screen kill someone from behind, Shin spoke up.

"Does your mother know that you have this game?"

"Uncle Shin, please don't tell. This game is lots of fun." Taro begged.

"How did you get it?"

"My own money. Dad let me get it last year. The good guy, Snake, is cool. He's a spy who sneaks around, like we did last year."

Shin nodded.

After watching Shu and Ryo head back to Tokyo, Shin went to open the shop up. He knew that if he couldn't get Sayoko out of her room, he could at least make sure that her only form of income stayed. Of course he had Taro and Naomi helping him; mostly Taro. Naomi liked to put handprints on the plates as the decoration. The first few were cute, but Shin knew after a while, they probably wouldn't sell.

"Naomi, sit." He said in a soft tone, "We have to put more than just handprints on these."

"Okay." She smiled, putting her hands in more paint.

Maybe a pre-school or daycare would like them, Shin thought.

"Hey, let's try something different." Shin then spoke up, handing her a simple cup, "This needs to be painted."

"But there's no color." She frowned.

"They're supposed to look like that. It's a tradition for this kind of pottery."

"Fine." She crossed her arms before looking at what he was doing, "What's that?"

Shin stopped to look at the mug he was painting, "Oh, it's an old project of mine that I never finished."

"Is it as old as you?"

Shin stared at her for a bit, "No, but it's older than you."

"Like how old?"

"Eight years."

"What's taking you so long then?"

Shin sighed, "Life."

"Naomi, that's rude." Taro pitched in.

"So. Uncle Shin sprayed me in the face with a water gun."

"That was last year."

Shin let his face fall into his hands. The siblings were constantly fighting when he was around.

"Taro, can you unlock the front door?"

The boy stopped, and then nodded. Shin then made Naomi head back into the house to check on Sayoko. He soon took his project with him to continue to work on.

"That's not hagi-yaki, Uncle Shin. What is it?" Taro peeked over the counter.

"Beer mug."

"For who?"

Shin stopped. He had forgotten who it was for. It was for someone special… oh yeah.

"I was making it for Jun, not that we were going to let him drink beer, but because he won his kendo matches."

"Is that the old Suiko?" Taro was pointing to a small unpainted figure.

"Yes."

"Are you still going to give it to him?"

Shin laughed, as he knew where Taro was going with this, "How about when I finish it, I'll give it to you?"

"Uncle Shin, you're the best!" Taro yelled, giving him a hug.

Hugging him back, he had the biggest grin that he had in a long time.