Chapter 16: Aqua Won't Let Him Near Ai

"H-Hikaru?" Ai stuttered in surprise as she saw her ex through the crack in the door.

"I have to admit, you still look as good in person as you did, what, five years ago now?" He flashed a charming smile, a smile that Ai will admit she blushed at.

"T-thanks, but why didn't you let me know you were coming?" She asked.

"You didn't exactly give me a phone number to reach you." He laughed. "Now come on, don't I get to come in?"

"Sure, but please be quiet right now. Ruby-Chan is still asleep." She said as she closed the door, opened the lock, and fully opened it to let Hikaru in.

"Nice place." He said as he walked in. "It's a little on the cheaper side though."

"I know." Ai said. "Unfortunately, I still am not making a lot, so I have to do with what I can get." She said as he went past her, leaving her to close the door.

Aqua saw the strange man who just walked in. Aqua didn't know who he was, but clearly, he was someone that knew Ai. Aqua wondered exactly who he was, but if he knew Ai it didn't seem like much of an issue.

"Oh, is this one of mine?" Hikaru asked.

One of his? Does he mean-

"Of course." Ai said in a deadpanned glare. "Who else would he be? I don't have any other kids you know." She said in an offended tone.

"Sorry." Hikaru laughed at her offense. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just amazed at seeing my own kid."

Ai raised a brow but kept quiet about it. If he wanted to see Aqua earlier, he should have said so years ago when they were born. But Ai kept her mouth closed and simply accepted the apology.

"Don't be scared." Hikaru kneeled down to Aqua. "I'm Hikaru, I'm your dad."

Aqua wasn't scared. No, he was completely shocked. The son of a bitch who wanted to kill Ai was standing right in front of him. Standing right here, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Aqua had no plan.

He thought he'd have more time. He thought he'd at least have a few months before his father tried to contact Ai or meet them. He honestly thought he was going to have to figure out who he was and find him. But instead, the man just walks up to him, right through the front door, and introduces himself. Any plan Aqua was forming was now out the window, since the man who wanted Ai dead was no in a perfect opportunity to kill her.

Aqua considered his options. He would not be able to fight the man, Hikaru, he said his name was. Even if Aqua somehow got a weapon like a knife or a blunt object, he doubted that he'd be able to do more that give the man a cut or bruise. He couldn't even reach his vital areas with the massive height difference. So, using any kind of physical force on him was useless if he decided to attack Ai now.

He could try to contact the police if something happened. But in the time it would take them to respond, Ai would likely be long dead. Him and Ruby too since they would be witnesses. Aqua had no doubt that Hikaru would kill them too, since in his two attempts to kill Ai would have resulted in their deaths as well.

"Are you ok kid?" Hikaru asked. Aqua was now aware that he was silent.

"It's ok Aqua-Chan." Ai soothed. "This is your father, Kamiki Hikaru." She tried to say.

"He's not saying anything." Hikaru said.

"Give him a moment, this is a lot to put on a child." Ai said.

Aqua had to will himself to say or do something. He needed a plan now. He needed to think of something to give himself an advantage over Hikaru. Maybe, if Hikaru was trying to form a relationship with him, he could use that to his advantage. He could kill Hikaru before he had a chance to hurt Ai if his guard was down.

Wait till he's asleep and put a knife in his neck? No, that won't work. No one would believe a four-year-old killed a full-grown man. The obvious suspect would be Ai, especially since he'd have to use one of her kitchen knives.

A syringe full of air? It would be harder to trace, but he'd be unable to actually even get a syringe. What would a four-year-old need one for anyway? Also, Ai would refuse to let him use any kind of sharp objects. It also still had the issue of having all blame put on Ai if foul play was suspected.

Aqua was fine with prison or death, but he refused to have Ai get sentenced.

"Mama?" Ruby said as she walked into the main room. "Who's that?" She asked, looking at the strange blonde-haired man.

"Ruby-Chan." She greeted. "This man here is Kamiki Hikaru, he's your father." Ai explained.

"My father?" She asked.

"Yea, that's me." Hikaru said. "You look so big and cute. You look a lot like your mama." He laughed.

"Minus the hair color." Ai laughed as well.

ruby went up to Hikaru hesitantly, unsure of how to take the news. She obviously knew that Ai had to have had a relationship in order to give birth to her and Aqua, but it was so weird meeting him.

"Well, we don't need a papa." Ruby said with a scowl. "All we need is mama."

Ruby had no idea of the danger that Hikaru posed to the family. Instead, she just felt jealous of Ai's time. She was worried that if Hikaru came back into their lives, then she'd have to stay with him instead of staying with Ai. She really didn't want to get to know this man if it meant sacrificing her time with Ai.

"Ruby-Chan, he wanted to meet you. Shouldn't you give him a chance?" Ai tried to explain.

"No!" Ruby yelled as she ran over to Ai and placed herself between Ai and Hikaru. "We don't need you!" She yelled.

Ruby stood between Hikaru and Ai, placing her hands out in front as if she was shielding Ai from the man. At least Ruby was hesitant of the man, although for different reasons than Aqua was.

Hikaru laughed a bit as he walked up to Ruby. He knelt down in front of her, getting down to about her eye level, and flashing her a warm and loving smile. Ruby's composure broke a little bit, clearly confused and yet entranced by his warm smile.

"It's ok Ruby-Chan." He smiled lovingly. "I have no intention of taking you away from your mama or getting between you two."

"But-" Ruby tried to argue.

"I know I haven't been in your life up until now, and I don't expect you to just accept me out of nowhere. But I want you to know that I think you're every bit like your mother and I want to try and add to your life. If you'll let me."

Ruby was conflicted as her supposed father tried to reason with her. She obviously had no connection to Hikaru. After all, she had vague memories about her real father, the father she had when she was Sarina. This man seemed genuine, but she also had bad feelings about him since he left Ai in the first place. If he was such a great father, then why abandon his kids? It reminded Ruby of her previous parents.

However, he did seem genuine about wanting to create a new life with them. She wondered what she should do.

"Ruby-Chan." Ai began. "Why don't you give Hikaru a chance, to let him show you that he can be just as loving as me."

"I-I don't know." Ruby stuttered.

"Please take your time Ruby-Chan." He smiled. "I want you to want to get to know me, not be compelled to. So, if you decide to spend time with me, it will be your choice."

Ruby lowered her arms, accepting the olive branch as it stood.

"Ok." Ruby said. "I'll give you a chance, but that's all." She said.

"No!" Aqua screamed, getting between his new family and the man who wanted them dead.

"Aqua-Chan." Ai said.

"He can't just come in and pretended to get back in our lives." Aqua grasped at straws, hoping to prevent Ruby from having any alone time with the killer.

"Right now, it's just to get to know you. That's all." She said.

"I don't care!" He yelled. "I don't want this fucking man in our house!"

Perhaps it was smarter to try and create a positive relationship with Hikaru in order to try and find a way to kill him. However, if he tried to get either Ai or Ruby alone with him, there's no telling what could happen. How easy would it be to make their deaths look like an accident? He'd be questioned and investigated, but he could just as easily deflect those questions or find a way to conceal any evidence of wrong doings.

He had to resort to using his childish fears to his advantage. If he can convince Ai to completely cut Hikaru out of their lives, it would at least prevent any private meetings between them and avoid her death.

"Aqua-Chan." Ai said sadly.

"It's ok Ai-Chan." Hikaru waved off. "He's made it clear that he doesn't want me here. I can understand." He smiled lovingly again.

Aqua noticed that Ai blushed at the smile, no doubt still having lingering feelings for him.

"Please forgive him, there was an incident recently." She said.

"Oh?" Hikaru asked. "What happened?"

"Someone, an obsessed fan broke into the apartment and tried to hurt us. They're still a bit sensitive." She explained.

"Oh no." Hikaru said in what appeared to be legitimate surprise. "Is that why there's bruising on his neck?" He pointed to the faded yet still visible bruise on Aqua's neck.

"Yes." Ai said sadly.

"It's not every day that you almost get stabbed, so I can understand that he's sensitive." Hikaru said.

Aqua widened his eyes slightly at those words. Any doubts he had of Hikaru's involvement was now gone. Ai never mentioned that Ryosuke had a knife, nor that it was pointed at him. The only way that Hikaru would know that is if he either knew about how Ryosuke would attack, or he was watching the scene unfold from a distance.

It was a mistake on Hikaru's fault, however it was such a minor slip that Aqua doubted that Ai or Ruby would notice. Even if they did, there's no way that they'd believe that he was involved.

"How'd you all survive unharmed?" He asked.

"That was Eren-San!" Ruby yelled.

"Eren-San?" Hikaru asked.

"She means our neighbor." Ai said. "He's a westerner that fought the stalker off."

"Yea, he was awesome!" Ruby said in excitement. "He... well, I didn't really see it since I was behind mama. But I'm sure he was cool."

"Really?" Hikaru said. "He sounds like an amazing man."

"Yea, he should be her bodyguard and beat up any bad stalkers!" Ruby cheered.

"You know President Saitou would never let that happen." Ai laughed. "Even if we could afford private security."

"He should do it for free." Ruby said. "There is no greater honor than dying to protect an idol as great as you mama. Everyone should offer their lives so you can be successful."

"R-right..." Ai had no response.

When did her daughter become such an obsessed little otaku? It was cute though, especially since she had such an odd imagination.

"I need to make breakfast." Ai said. "You're welcome to stay."

"Ai!" Aqua yelled.

"Aqua, he is a guest." She raised her voice slightly, showing a side of her motherly persona that he rarely saw, that being her correcting him. "We can't be rude to guests."

Aqua had no way to counter that. At least no way that she would believe.

"Hey, the father of your kids tried to have you killed Ai. You should kick him out or call the police."

Yea... that wouldn't work.

Ruby went over to the couch to wait for food, while Aqua went over to the table so he could be within earshot of Ai and Hikaru. He needed to hear what they were saying so he can plan.

"There's... actually another reason I came here Ai-Chan." Hikaru said as he walked closer to Ai.

"W-what?" Ai asked, getting a bit uncomfortable but still blushing at the forwardness.

"Well, you see, in the past few years we have been apart, I realized that I have grown fond of you. Even more than when we were kids." He said, getting well into Ai's personal space.

"H-Hikaru." Ai stuttered as she blushed.

"I know I wasn't the best man at the time, but I have missed you dearly." He was close enough that Ai felt his breath on her face.

Ai blushed and looked down, trying not to show how much of an affect he was having on her.

"I realized that you were the best thing that ever happened to me." He said as he gently placed his hand under her chin and raised her head up. Ai was almost forced to look him right in the eye, and she blushed even more. "I know I said and... did things that I regret. But I want you to know that I always adored you. I wanted you to give me another chance. I know you thought about it too."

Those eyes. That confidence. That sweet and warm smile that always made Ai melt. Hikaru always knew exactly what she was thinking and knew exactly how to make her swoon over him. It was what attracted her to him to begin with. How his eyes just showed confidence and self-assurance in every action he took. How he spoke with such softness and care to make her feel like she was that only person who mattered to him.

Ai could see herself falling in love over again with him. She could imagine reliving those few weeks that they spent together. How happy and loved she felt. To have the feeling of being treated like a woman again, and not an idol or a girl.

But behind those soft and gentle eyes, was something that Hikaru hid from the world.

"I'm sorry Kamiki-San." Ai took his hand off her chin and gently guided them down.

She continued to hold his hand as she stared down at it. Those soft and gentle hands that at times would become hard and violent.

"Kamiki-San?" Hikaru asked, noticing her using his family name as if they were strangers.

"I know that if I let myself, I could fall for you so easily." She said. "But even then, what was between us is over now. It was a few weeks of time we spent together after almost two decades of our life. I can understand that you said you changed, but even then, you'd never be the man who I once cared for." Ai said, intentionally avoiding any mention of the word love.

"Ai-Chan." Hikaru said sadly.

"Even then, it wouldn't be right to deprive you of a chance to meet your kids. So I'll remain respectful to you and do what I can to make sure that our kids give you a chance to see the wonderful man you became. But I can't fall for you a second time. Please forgive me." She explained.

Aqua was already slipping around them as they were distracted in order to reach the front door. He noticed that Hikaru looked mad for a second. Mad at the rejection Ai gave him. Maybe that was why he tried to have her killed. Was he obsessive over her? A scorned lover that would rather see her dead than happy with someone else? Or was he a psychopath that had no empathy or emotions. Maybe he wanted her alone so he could get her killed.

It would certainly explain his amazing acting talents and social charm. Many psychopaths are able to create this front of being charming and trustworthy before striking.

Either way, time to use Eren for the one thing he actually tolerated him for. Protecting Ai.

While they were busy with his attempt to get her back, Aqua slipped outside without making a sound. He ran over to Eren's door and quickly knocked on the door. After a few moments, Eren didn't answer. Was he at work? Was he off doing errands? That simply wouldn't do. He needed someone who can fight now damn it!

"Hello?" He asked in English, looking down at Aqua. "What do you want?" Eren asked.

Eren's hair was a mess and his eyes had dark circles under them. Clearly, he was just woken up.

"Eto..." Shit! Aqua didn't know English.

Well, he did, but no one knew he knows English. How the hell is he going to let Eren know without revealing his actual English abilities?

Ai only started English lessons with them this week. Not nearly enough time to explain a grasp of the language.

"Guy." Aqua said in an intentionally broken accent. "Bada guy, home, danger." He mimicked. It would make sense for him to at least know some words.

Thankfully, Eren understood. He reached behind him to grab a folded knife that he had and put it in his jeans pocket. He slipped his boots on, though didn't tie them. He only had a red shirt that Ai bought him, so he didn't have much as he rushed out to Ai's apartment.

Why did he have a folded knife? A switchblade is illegal in Japan. He gets that western countries can allow for it, but that just added to the suspicion. Damn it, if Eren wasn't useful right now he'd be working to get Eren away from Ai.

Eren stepped inside of Ai's apartment and kept his hand near his back pocket in case he needed to draw the knife. Inside however, he was surprised to see Ai standing with another man, holding his hand as they talked.

"E-Eren?" Ai asked.

"Ai." He nodded.

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked in Japanese.

"I don't know what you said." Eren said as Ai mentally slapped herself again. "But your kid said there was a dangerous man here, is that him?"

"Dangerous?" Hikaru asked. "Me?" He laughed as he let go of Ai's hand.

"Wait... Where's Aqua-Chan!?" Ai screamed, freaking out that her son wasn't in her immediate view.

"Here." Aqua said from behind Eren.

"Aqua!" Ai ran up to him, almost pushing Eren out of the way.

She scooped him in her arms, flashes of the attack hitting her when she realized that he went outside alone. Somewhere she'd be unable to react or do anything if he was attacked again.

"What did I tell you about running outside by yourself!?" She yelled as she held him.

"Can someone please explain." Eren said calmly, though his patience was running thin.

"What did Aqua-Chan say?" Ai asked Eren.

"Something about a dangerous man in your house, though his Eld-English was poor." Eren said, catching his mistake before speaking.

"That would be me." Hikaru laughed.

Aqua was surprised at how good his English was. He almost sounded like a native English speaker.

"You are?" Eren asked.

"Well, I'm his father." He said, pointing to Aqua. "Notice the similarities?" Eren did.

"I thought you didn't have a husband." Eren said as he looked over to Ai.

"I don't." Ai said quickly. "We only dated for a few weeks, but, well, you know." Ai tried to explain.

"We had sex and she got pregnant." Hikaru laughed.

"Not in front of the kids!" Ai switched to Japanese.

"They won't know, even if they could speak English." Hikaru laughed, staying in English.

"So, you're the dangerous man?" Eren asked.

"I'm not surprised he reacted that way." Hikaru laughed. "This is the first time I'm meeting them, so I get it."

"Sorry for barging in." Eren apologized, though more out of societal habit than a genuine apology.

Eren was actually kind of upset. He was sleeping after the job last night and his shoulder was in pain from having it dislocated. He could move it well enough, but the soreness and the headache just made the sudden call from the kid even worse.

But, he had to take it seriously since he wanted to make sure Ai was safe. He doesn't know why he felt that way, but he just did. He safety took priority in his mind.

"Well, it's ok. I'm glad I get to meet the man who saved my kids and ex-girlfriend." He laughed. "What's your name again?" He asked.

"Eren Yeager." Eren said.

"Yeager?" Hikaru tried the last name out. "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"

Eren stared at him.

"Guess not, though I'm not surprised. Where are you from?" Hikaru asked.

Eren stared at him again, not wanting to engage in conversation with the stranger. Mostly, he didn't have the energy after what happened last night with the ambush. Hikaru glanced around towards Eren's backside.

"I see a blue passport sticking out of your back pocket, American?" He tried.

"Wait, you have your passport with you?" Ai asked.

Ai looked around at Eren's back pocket, noticing that there was the classic blue passport that Americans would typically carry sticking out of his pocket. Though she only saw a bit of it and couldn't tell anything else. She really wanted to know more about Eren, and this was the perfect opportunity.

"I'm not American." Eren said.

Eren held up the passport, which both Japanese citizens noticed was clearly not an American passport. Right under the symbol with Russian letters, was the English writing "Ukraine Passport".

"Awe man, I don't know any Russian at all." Hikaru said in mock sadness. "I only know mostly western European languages, though French is my weakest."

"You're from Ukraine?" Ai asked.

"What are you doing in Japan?" Hikaru asked. Trying to escape the war?"

"War?" Ai asked. "What war?"

"Man Ai-Chan, you need to read the news more often." Hikaru laughed. "The invasion of Crimea a year or two ago. Is that where you're from?" Hikaru turned to Eren.

"Sure." Eren said simply, getting annoyed at this man asking so many personal questions.

Ai looked at Eren in surprise and sadness. A war? Eren was in a war? Or at least the victim of a war. Is that why he's so good at fighting and why he seems like something bad happened to him? Ai never watched international news, so it was a surprise for her to find out that there was a war in Europe. She only knew of the war in the Middle East since America had been there for so long, but even then, she probably couldn't name any countries in the Middle East.

Is that how his mother died?

"I hope I'm not coming off as rude." He laughed. "I'm just glad to meet the man who defended Ai-Chan and my family." He smiled. "She said you fought him off, do you know how to fight?"

"I know a few moves." Eren said.

"What discipline do you study?" Hikaru asked.

"A mix of things." Eren shrugged.

"Ah, a fellow Mixed Martial Arts enthusiast. That's pretty cool." He said. "I actually go to an MMA club nearby; you should come over for a spar sometime."

"Not really interested." Eren said.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun." Hikaru said. "It'll be a light spar, maybe sixty percent intensity. Nothing to cause injury."

"It does sound pretty fun Eren." Ai smiled. "We could come to and cheer you guys on."

"I'm really not-"

"Too bad." Ai said, dismissing Eren. "I'll drag you there too. It'll be fun."

"Sure." Eren sighed. "If you demand it." As annoying as Ai could be sometimes, Eren did find her to be cute sometimes. Especially when she made up her mind.

"What do you think Aqua-Chan?" She turned to her son, who was still in her arms. "Do you want to see Eren-San and Kamiki-San spar?"

"Sure." Aqua sighed in defeat.

"Do you have to call me Kamiki-San to our son?" Hikaru asked.

"Whoops." Ai bonked herself on the head. "I mean see Eren-San and papa spar?" Aqua refused to call him papa.

At least Eren would be there, so there's less chance of something going wrong or an attempt to be made on Ai's life. Even if Hikaru tried, Eren showed that he was skilled. A possible war veteran was a bonus. At least that somewhat explained some of the weird things about Eren, though Aqua still had his doubts.

Aqua came to a realization though. The reason why Hikaru decided to visit them and make himself known. At first, Aqua couldn't explain it. He knows for a fact that Hikaru wants Ai dead after his knife slip up, but now he knows why he's here.

Hikaru is gathering information. He's trying to find out why his plan went wrong a second time and deciding how best to proced. That's why he's asking so many questions about Eren and wanting to spar with him. He wants to see if he's able to defeat Eren if it came down to a fight. He is also trying to get close to Ai and use them as a way to get her alone so that he can kill her in private.

Killers often try to do more direct approaches when they fail an attack. He's likely trying to actually do the job himself now, so he's going to try and get Ai alone. However, he also wants to see if Eren is going to be a threat and if he should deal with Eren.

That's why he tried to get back with Ai. He wanted to try and push Eren away from her so that she would be unprotected. After all, if they were dating, Eren likely wouldn't be in the picture. Luckily, Ai turned him down.

"Well, I should leave." Hikaru said.

"But I thought you'd stay for breakfast." Ai called out.

"I have to go; I have a lot to do." He waved off.

Aqua assumed he got what he needed for now and had no interest in staying.

"I'll see you later Eren. Still looking forward to that spar." He smiled.

"Sure." Eren shrugged, uninterested.

"What about you Eren?" Ai asked. "Want to stay for breakfast?"

"I'm meeting my boss for a job today." Eren said.

"Oh, ok then." She said sadly as he too left.

When the door was shut, Ai breathed a long sigh after the little scare today. She was worried Eren was going to hurt Hikaru after what Aqua said.

Speaking of which.

"You're grounded." Ai said.

"For what?" Aqua asked.

"For lying to Eren-San and going outside without permission." She glared at him, though to Aqua it had very little effect since he was technically an adult.

While Ai was cooking breakfast and preparing for it, Aqua started to think about his plan moving forward.

Hikaru made an information gathering move. He wanted to see what Eren was like and if Ai has any other things protecting her. Aqua will need to find a way to counteract this threat. Hikaru seems like he's now willing to do the deed himself if necessary. Which means that Aqua will have to find a way to deal with him in person.

Killing Hikaru himself is out of the question. Any plan he comes up with would likely risk Ai going to prison since he can't exactly explain how a four-year-old murdered a man. So, he can't directly attack or fight Hikaru, especially if anything goes wrong, he won't be able to overpower the full-grown man.

So he'd have to rely entirely on Eren. Eren was likely at least familiar with conflict, if it does turn out that he was from Crimea. It's still suspicious to Aqua, but he'd forgive it for now. However, if it's true that he does have some experience fighting, then at least that means he'll be able to protect Ai.

He also has to ensure that Ruby and Ai never go out alone with Hikaru. Any time that either of them are separated from Eren can risk Hikaru making his move. It would be easy for him to kill them and make it look like an accident. Either have them fall from a high height or have them fall into incoming traffic. As long as no CCTV cameras catch him, he can explain it off.

He wondered if he should tell Ruby about the situation, but decided not to. Ruby can't keep a secret and would probably try to do things herself and reveal too much. So he had to keep it hidden from his sister.

Ai on the other hand, he needed to find a way to let her know how much he disapproves of Hikaru. The only issue is that from her perspective, she is right that they should try to form a bond. Hikaru was his father after all, and Ai wants him to have a good relationship with his father. So, he needs to figure out a way to really sell it that he wants nothing to do with Hikaru.

That's when he came up with a good idea. He's four, which means he has one advantage that no one else does. He blushed when he knew what he would have to say to Ai.

After breakfast, Ai went to get changed so she could prepare for rehearsals today. Miyako was going to watch the kids so she would be able to focus on the rehearsal entirely. For now, she dressed in a pair of black slacks, a V-neck shirt, and a beige suit jacket that she left unbuttoned. She packed a small bag with workout clothes so she could move when she arrived, plus her dancing heels that she used to practice.

"Oh, Aqua-Chan!" Ai jumped as she saw Aqua come into the room. "You shouldn't come in without knocking, mama was getting changed." She laughed.

Aqua was quiet, more so than normal. She was worried about what he was thinking since he met Hikaru. She expected him to be a bit put off by the news, but at the same time, she didn't expect him to react so aggressively to her ex. It was like he really distrusted Hikaru, which didn't make sense to her.

However, he was four, so it made sense that his emotions were random.

"Are you ok baby?" She asked as she walked over and knelt down in front of him.

Aqua looked down, not meeting her gaze, even though she was at his level. His bangs partially obscured his eyes, but she could see he kept his gaze down towards the ground. He looked so sad and hurt right now and she didn't know why.

Suddenly, Aqua charged into her, reaching around as much as his tiny arms could over her shoulders as he gave her a hard hug. The jump almost made her fall over, but she caught herself and wrapped her arms around him, as if on instinct. He felt so tiny and vulnerable in her arms, like he was ready to break apart at the slightest bit of pressure. His tiny frame felt fragile as she held him.

"W-what's wrong Aqua-Chan?" She tried again, worried that something was wrong with him.

"Please don't let him come near us mama." Ai widened her eyes as he said the one word she never thought he'd say.

He called her mama, not Ai or anything else. He said the word that she hoped he'd say since the moment he first opened his eyes. Not once did she ever think he would actually say that word.

She felt him tremble, as if he was crying or scared. Her heart broke and she had to will herself not to start crying. Her baby boy was terrified.

She wished to hear that word on better circumstances, but he chose now of all times to use it. She mentally kicked herself for not seeing what was wrong earlier. The last time a strange man came to their home, he had a knife to his throat. She traced the back of his neck with her finger, still seeing the bruising that was almost fully healed.

"I don't want that man near us, or to ever see us again mama." He said, his voice wavering as he did so.

"He won't hurt us Aqua-Chan." Ai tried to reassure him by patting his back. "He's your father."

"I know he hurt you before mama." He said.

Ai was taken by complete surprise. How did he know? Was he just that smart? She noticed that he always listened intently to every conversation she had, as if he was trying to find something. Was he really able to piece it together that Hikaru was not as sweet as his outward appearance would show?

"Kamiki-San... yes, he did things that I know he regrets." She said, truly believing him when he said that he changed.

"Then I don't want him here." Aqua said as he clutched a little harder.

His arms felt so weak, and he seemed so vulnerable right now.

"But that's in the past Aqua-Chan. People change as they get older." She said.

"I don't want him here." Aqua said again.

He let go of Ai as he stood back. Ai put a hand lovingly on his cheek as she stared into her son's eyes. His eyes were squinting, as if he was trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out. She even saw some tears about to leak out. His face looked so sad and scared. Ai didn't think she ever saw her son so vulnerable and scared.

"Please mama." He said, his voice now breaking. "Please at least let Eren-San stay with us when he's around."

Eren? How did he factor into this?

Oh, of course. Eren saved their lives. Hers, Ruby's, and Aqua's. Aqua probably sees Eren as a kind of guardian or protector. It's no surprise that he would.

"Ok, we'll make sure he's with us when your father is around." Ai said. "At least until you can learn to trust him."

She didn't have the heart to say no to his little request after the fear and vulnerability he displayed.

"Promise?" He begged as he put his own hand on her cheek.

Especially when he does things like that. It'd be cute if he wasn't so vulnerable.

"Promise Aqua-Chan." She said as she put her hand on top of his head and gently rubbed it.

Aqua smiled a bit and hugged her one more time.

After they let go, Ai had to get her things and leave. Miyako and the President arrived, both to drop Miyako off and for President Saito to take her to rehearsal.

Aqua smiled to himself as she left, glad that if there was one advantage to being the son of Ai, was that he could easily manipulate her with a bit of clever crying.

He knew that she wouldn't be tricked into doing what he said if he didn't give her a good reason. Any bit of logic he used would be completely explained away and treated as a childish fear. However, he could use that to his advantage. His childish fear would be perfect for manipulating Ai, after all, there's rarely every any logic to a child's fear. She would do what he said for no other reason than to humor his child like reasons.

It wasn't perfect, but it at least gave him a way to keep Eren between Ai and Hikaru.

Not going to lie, this was fun to write. I hope the subtle POV changes weren't confusing, but I didn't want to put a line break for every single one. It would just look bad to me. This does mark the first chapter I ever wrote that doesn't have a single line break and still maintained 6,000 words lol.

I know a lot of people were thinking this would be a quick one and done with Hikaru, but where's the fun in that? Since he's also somewhat of an unknown still in the Manga, I decided to make him extremely intelligent and well educated. He knows he failed twice so now he's gathering information before striking again. This way, he can be more prepared, and he'll start doing it himself.

Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter.