There was a knock on the door, and Jabu answered it without a hesitation. After all, who else could've it be?
Shiyru? Shunrei?
Or Seiya?
But instead and to his dismay, it was Seika, Seiya's older sister.
Bossy, annoying, overbearing – someone he never liked.
"Where is my brother?" She demanded bluntly.
Jabu only shrugged.
"I know he is here, or was," Seika pressed on.
Shun came out of his room and upon seeing Seika, he looked at her coldly and folded his arms.
"I want to talk to my brother," Seika said to both of them.
"Too bad he isn't here," Shun replied in monotone.
"Where is he then?"
"Somewhere on this planet earth," Shun said. "We know what you did, all of us."
"What happened between my brother and I is none of your business!" Seika spat.
"It's already the talk of the town," Jabu said with some sarcasm. "You have yourself to thank for that."
Without another word, Seika stormed and slammed the door loudly.
Jabu looked at Shun. "Whoa, your face is really nasty."
"Is it?" Shun didn't feel bad. "I never appreciate people like her. Causing trouble here and there and not taking an ounce of responsibility. She damaged Seiya. He used to joke and laugh all the time, telling us everything. But after what she did, he's a totally different person. He barely talks to us anymore."
"Honestly, if I were Seiya, I'd dig a hole and hide in there forever."
On her laptop, Saori typed what was written in the letters in front of her into Google translator.
She had found these letters in Alman Kido's safe in his master bedroom.
Her heart was full of curiosity about the relationship between Guraad and Alman Kido. Before her death, Guraad had said hated Alman, not Saori. However, she did not mention anything about Natasha, the woman whose picture Alman had treasured.
What was the real story between Guraad, Alman, and Natasha?
That little boy Natasha was holding in the picture – is he a love child of Natasha and Alman? Was Natasha the homewrecker? Or did Alman break up with Natasha and married Guraad?
And more importantly – was Natasha her real mother?
When Saori went back to Alman Kido's bedroom just to look at Natasha's picture again, she spotted a safe. Using the date written on the back of Natasha's picture, Saori correctly guessed the code. She opened the safe and found the letters.
All of them were from Natasha, written in Russian.
Dear Alman,
Hyoga has your eyes. We are waiting for you. Don't forget your promise. I will never forget the night we spent together.
Love,
Natasha.
Dear Alman,
A year went by but you still hadn't fulfilled your promise to me and our son. Things hadn't been easy for us. Please don't leave us behind like this. At least, think for your son! Hyoga is your own flesh and blood. Please don't leave us behind!
Why is it so hard for you to leave her? You told me you only married her for her fortune and wealth. Our love is supposed to be stronger than that. Please, Alman, if you love me then leave her. LEAVE HER! At least, think for your son, your own flesh and blood!
Natasha
Dear Alman,
Hyoga and I have moved to Greece. I have to move on. I cannot wait for you anymore. I'm losing my mind. You are a horrible man who loves money more than anything. I met a Greek man and I'm with him now. Goodbye Alman. You will never hear from me again. You will never see Hyoga.
Natasha
Looking at the dates and content of these letters, it was obvious that Alman was having an affair with Natasha while married to Guraad. Somehow, Saori found herself feeling bad for Guraad, who had been used and cheated on by Alman, who only wanted her money.
She quietly hoped that Guraad would rest in peace.
"Can we go eat now?" Seiya came to her side, interrupting her thoughts.
Saori closed her laptop and grabbed her jacket. Together, they walked to the Greek diner.
"What's on your mind?" Seiya asked.
"Nothing," Saori said.
"I don't think so. There is something."
"I like to keep it to myself."
The two silently went to the diner and neither spoke until the server came with their food.
"Dad has his secrets," Saori said to Seiya.
"What else is new," Seiya said and cut his steak.
"He had an affair," Saori continued. "He only married Guraad for her money."
"So? It doesn't give her the right to treat you badly," Seiya placed a piece of steak on her plate. "She's not your problem anymore."
"Maybe I don't need a bodyguard anymore either."
"You do," Seiya said. "Because you have bad luck. There is always something bad happening to you."
"That's not true."
"Really?" Seiya began to count with his fingers. "Cassius, your house flooded, got punched in the nose, your stepmother died on you, your father first missing in action then revealed to be a cheater–"
"Okay, you made your point!"
"Face it, you need me. I'm going to be your bodyguard for life."
Before Saori could say anything, a man dressed in a suit and tie came to her. He removed his shades, revealing his golden eyes.
"Miss Saori Kido?" He greeted her kindly before grabbing a chair and flashing his badge. "Hypnos, FBI. We have some questions for you."
"I have the right to remain silent," Saori said the first phrase that came to her mind.
"You certainly do," Hypnos said and sat. "You do have a lawyer I assume? Call him please." He then smiled at Seiya. "I'm sorry if I ruined your date. But don't worry, let's enjoy the food. You two like cheesecakes? My treat."
As friendly as he was, neither Saori and Seiya even looked at him. Saori cut her salad into the tiniest pieces and Seiya ate one piece of steak after another.
"You know I'm Greek," Hypnos told Saori, trying to break the ice. "My family had lived in Athens for 243 years and I'm the second generation living in this country."
Yet, Saori and Seiya kept their lips tightly sealed, trying hard to avoid making eye contact.
At Roshan House, Seika sat alone and barely ordered anything. She had run to almost every place she knew searching Seiya, but to no avail.
Hardly anybody wanted to talk to her.
She couldn't deny that what had happened was bad.
In fact, the whole incident was embarrassing.
But all she tried to do was to protect her brother!
That day, she came home from work and found Seiya making out with Miho. She was furious and tried to separate them, literally. The last thing she wanted was Seiya to get Miho pregnant. After all, Seika herself was an unwanted child conceived from their parents' one night stand. One thing led to another and next thing she knew was that she and Seiya were fighting in the courtyard of their apartment building. Their neighbor, Shaina, who never liked Seiya for whatever reason, called the police. Without a lawyer present, all three – Seiya, Miho, and Seika – were telling the police what happened.
And the result? Seiya got arrested for assault.
Miho freaked out and ran to Roshan House to ask Dohku for help. Aiolus just happened to be there picking up his lunch orders. Thankfully, he intervened free of charge. After being released from jail, Seiya never came home.
Tears streamed down her face and she found herself crying.
When Hypnos told Saori to call her lawyer, he meant "one" lawyer.
He totally did not anticipate that she would have four attorneys by her side after she came with him.
Sitting next to her was Milo; sitting behind her were Aiolus, Shura, and Aiolia. Seiya was waiting outside since this case had nothing to do with him. He was her bodyguard, Saori had explained to him in the presence of Milo. She was totally mute until Milo came.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," Hypnos explained himself. "Maybe I should've said it in the beginning. You are not in any trouble."
"Can you tell us what this is about?" Aiolus asked him.
"Your stepmother Madame Guraad had passed away a week ago," Hypnos began. "The cause of death was drug overdose."
"My client has nothing to do with it," Milo said.
"Correct, and I didn't say she's responsible," Hypnos replied. "However, we do have some questions regarding to Madame Guraad's drug ring business. All we need is your client's cooperation."
"What drug ring business?" Saori couldn't believe her ears.
"We know that you had filed a restraining order against Cassius after a fight. Cassius had been working under Madame Guraad, selling illegal drugs. Can you tell us what that fight was about?"
"It has nothing to do with your case," Aiolus spoke.
Aiolia tried to nudge Aiolus to stay silent and Shura tried to keep the brothers apart.
"It's true," Saori told Hypnos. "Cassius assaulted me after an argument, but I know nothing about my stepmother's business."
"Did Cassius say anything to you?"
"He asked me where my Dad is. I don't know where he is."
"We also know that you have the house taken apart. Is there a reason?"
"There was a flood."
"I believe you," Hypnos said. "By far there is no evidence of your involvement and I personally don't believe that you are involved either. We like you to sign a statement and you will be good to go, for now. We are, however, looking at the possible involvement of your father, Alman Kido since the business operation had started years before your parents' split. From this moment on, any time your father Alman Kido contact you, you are legally obligated to report it. If you try to protect him, there can be a risk of jail time. In the meantime, we will need to investigate your house for more evidence. Do you have any questions, Miss Kido?"
"Yes," Saori rubbed her eyes. "Is everything just a bad dream?"
"Oh yes," Hypnos said. "You are stuck in this nightmare until the day you die. The dream is called it sucks to be an adult."