Chapter 45
"So, I think that was the last one," Usagi said, beaming and wiping her forehead. "You can't imagine how grateful I am that you did the shopping yesterday." Her gaze scanned the numerous bags she had packed and the few small parcels she had lovingly wrapped.
"That was no problem, especially if you had to take care of Seiya... How is he, by the way?" Makoto asked, setting aside a stack of bags.
"Um... he's been doing quite well. Taiki is with him now," Usagi said, trying to sound casual, but she felt her cheeks flush at the thought of the previous day.
"That sounds good... By the way, how did you envision distributing the Christmas bags? I mean, we have quite a few packed here," Makoto asked, looking inquisitively at Usagi.
As Usagi explained her plan to distribute Christmas bags to homeless children, it sounded like a beautiful idea. However, filling them on the morning of Christmas Eve was already tight, and they didn't even have an idea of how they would distribute them. The homeless center wasn't open yet due to the final renovations, but Makoto felt that it wouldn't stop Usagi.
"I think we can do it tomorrow, in the areas where we distributed blankets. People have seen us several times, and they are starting to trust us," she suggested, with a sad note in her voice. Memories of Chibiusa and Shingo suddenly overwhelmed her without warning. This would be the first Christmas without them. Without her family, and she didn't even know if they were doing well.
"Serena? Is everything okay?" Makoto asked concerned, handing her a tissue when she noticed the rising tears.
"Yeah... I was just lost in thought... But everything is fine. I'm going back up; we're done here, right?" Makoto nodded with a gentle smile. "Yes, I wish you a lovely evening. I'll be heading to my family soon. Just let me know when you need me tomorrow, okay? And check the kitchen before, there's something for you." Usagi blinked at her in confusion for a moment, then she understood what Makoto meant, and her face instantly lit up as she spotted the fine dessert.
"Are these...?" she began.
"Lemon muffins. A whole batch just for you. Merry Christmas, Serena."
Usagi's grin widened, and she quickly took the first bite of this delicious creation. "These are absolutely delicious," Usagi mumbled with her mouth full and grabbed the large cake plate and the basket of her gifts. Makoto helped her safely get everything into the elevator.
The elevator door opened on the top floor, and Usagi tried to push everything into the hallway as gracefully as possible without losing her balance. Her eyes were constantly fixed on the muffins, which she didn't want to drop at any cost. She stumbled over one of the small packages and stumbled heavily; just in time, she managed to catch herself on the door.
Taiki and Seiya were sitting together in the living room when they heard the noise outside the apartment door. "Did you hear that too?" Taiki asked his brother, and Seiya nodded disinterestedly, continuing to concentrate on the TV. With a certain interest in where the noise came from, Taiki opened the apartment door, but he didn't get a chance to look around properly. Usagi, who had propped herself up against the door, fell into his arms. She was still trying to balance the lemon muffins in her hand. Instinctively, Taiki caught her, and she blinked up at him in surprise.
"What were you trying to do here?" he asked, slightly amused.
"I... uh... I stumbled, and just as I caught myself, you opened the door. Do you want a muffin too? These are from Makoto, and they're super delicious," Usagi enthused.
Taiki shook his head with a smile and placed Usagi back on her feet. "You have to be a bit more careful. Come on, go inside. I'll take the packages," he said, reaching for the packages that Usagi had tried to push with her foot.
As the blonde walked through the door, Seiya's attention instantly focused on her. "Then we're just missing Yaten and the food. Then we can start the gift-giving," he said, grinning and stealing a muffin as Usagi walked past.
"Hey, stop that. Those are mine. I got them from Makoto," scolded Usagi with feigned outrage.
"Oh, come on, Taiki just offered you one too," teased Seiya, taking a bite of his loot before Usagi could reclaim it. In response, Usagi stuck her tongue out at him, and both began to laugh.
"Well, you two seem to be getting along better and better. Just be careful that Ruka doesn't get jealous. She has held the position of best friend for years, and I don't think she'll give it up willingly," Taiki remarked casually, pulling out his phone. Usagi and Seiya stared at each other in horror, fearing they had been exposed.
"I'll call Yaten now. Who knows where he is again," Taiki continued, already raising his phone to his ear.
"What?" Yaten answered, sounding stressed from the other end.
"Merry Christmas to you too. Tell me, when do you plan on being back here?" Taiki inquired.
Yaten sighed heavily. "I'm still at the airport... It will take a bit longer here; I think about an hour or so. Don't start the meal without me. I'll hurry."
Seiya noticed the strange expression on Taiki's face. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously, sensing trouble.
"I don't know, but my gut feeling tells me that Yaten is up to something. I just don't know what. He's at the airport. Any idea what he might be doing there?" Taiki asked.
Seiya just shook his head. "No idea what his twisted brain is plotting again, but he'll probably fill us in soon. You know he can't keep anything to himself for long. Why should it be different this time? Just be patient for a few days at most."
Taiki took a stack of plates from Usagi, who was on her way to the table. "Let me do that. The doctor said you should rest adequately, and you've been downstairs for half the day, packing those bags." Then he turned to Seiya. "You're probably right. But you could also get up and be useful. If you can game all day, setting the table with cutlery should be within your capabilities, right?"
Seiya rolled his eyes in annoyance but got up. For a moment, he considered making objections, but a glance at Usagi softened him. Indeed, the pain today was significantly more bearable, and some movements were much easier for him than the day before. Usagi had settled into Taiki's chair with one of the muffins, realizing that she was much more tired than she had thought.
As soon as the table was festively set, and the long red candles were lit, the doorbell rang. A few catering men entered the room, loaded with large containers that immediately filled the room with a delightful aroma. With skillful movements, they began to fill the table with a festive Christmas dinner. "That looks fantastic," remarked Taiki, turning to the catering men. "Thank you very much; you've done a splendid job." The men nodded politely and left the room; the door closed behind them.
Usagi sniffed the enticing air and hurried to the table to inspect the dishes. A magnificent turkey, golden-brown and perfectly roasted, sat in the middle. Around it were side dishes like potato gratin, caramelized carrots, and sautéed mushrooms. Usagi beamed with joy as she discovered the artistically arranged desserts.
"We unfortunately have to wait a little. Yaten asked me to wait for him before we start with the meal," Taiki said, noticing Usagi and Seiya's expectant expressions.
A sharp look from Seiya met Taiki, and the dark-haired man pulled out his phone. "I better call him again. The good food might get completely cold otherwise. We can't risk that."
It rang several times. "What? It won't be faster if you all call me every few minutes. I'm almost there. Already see the tower. See you in a bit, Seiya," Yaten hissed through the phone and hung up. Seiya scratched his head with a grin. "He's almost here in high spirits."
Indeed, it only took a few minutes, and Yaten swung open the apartment door. Contrary to all expectations, the usually grumpy guy was beaming from ear to ear. Complete amazement was written on the faces of his brothers.
"Well, thank you for waiting for me. But before we start, I'd like you to sit on the sofa for a moment. There are some things we need to talk about. Since the apartment is clean, I see no need to go to the Black Moon now, especially since Serena has put so much effort into decorating everything," began the silver-haired man with a mischievous smile.
"I really hope you won't take long. I'm starving," grumbled Seiya, taking his usual spot on the couch. Taiki leaned against the back of the chair where Usagi had settled again.
First, Yaten pulled an envelope from his bag and handed it to Usagi. With a uneasy feeling, she took it from him, and when she saw whose handwriting was there, she froze. "How?" This word was barely more than a whisper as it slipped through her lips. Her fingers traced the fine ballpoint lines as if she wanted to make sure they were real. Her hands began to shake, and she pressed the envelope tightly to her chest, desperately trying to suppress the rising tears.
Yaten observed the puzzled expressions on Taiki and Seiya's faces. "Let me start from the beginning. This letter is from Shingo, Serena's brother. I had to act quickly, so I did it alone. One of my contacts was able to locate him, and Father had loosened the security measures over Christmas. You know what a miser he is, and since he didn't want to pay the allowances, he thought it was enough to run everything on minimal staff. My luck was that someone owed me a big favor from Father's payroll slip... Well, long story short, Shingo is safe. I just put him on the next plane at the airport to get him far away from Father," Yaten explained his actions of the past few hours. Then he reached into his bag again and handed Usagi two plane tickets. "He's waiting for you on one of those Spanish islands. A family reunion perfectly disguised as a honeymoon," he winked.
Usagi could finally move again and hugged her brother-in-law tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she softly sobbed a "Thank you" into his ear. Yaten patted her back a bit overwhelmed. "It's okay, but I'd like to continue. I've been anything but idle in the last few days."
He broke free from Usagi's embrace, and Seiya handed her a tissue. In the meantime, Yaten slowly approached the door and retrieved his package from there, which he had obtained from the shady place. He tossed it to Seiya, who caught it skillfully and opened it.
With a confused look, the black-haired man peered into the package and became even more bewildered. "Uh... Yaten, this is a lifetime supply of blood pressure medication. What am I supposed to do with this? Apart from the rib incident, I'm doing fine."
A triumphant grin formed on Yaten's lips. "That, my dear brother, is not what it looks like. These pills will pave the way for us, an extra creation from my poison mixer. Take one daily, and in a few weeks, Father will start showing symptoms of dementia, which, of course, he'll initially try to hide. But in 5-6 months at the latest, he won't be able to deny it, and we'll have it in writing that he is no longer capable of running his business. And then, guess who gets his 40% of the votes and shares... it wasn't easy to find something that induces artificial dementia."
Taiki's eyes widened as he realized what Yaten was getting at. "Yaten... I don't know if your plan is brilliant or utterly insane... But how do you ensure he actually takes these pills? I mean, it could be very challenging because his new doctor is very particular... I really don't think it will be as simple as you imagine," Taiki expressed his concerns, crossing his arms skeptically.
Yet, even this couldn't dampen the youngest one's mood. He patted his brother on the shoulder. "Of course, I've thought of everything. Father's doctor will receive a job offer from Zurich in the next few days, an offer he can't refuse under any circumstances. Trust me; the conditions are exceptional." At the mention of Zurich, Yaten scrutinized his eldest brother closely. The sudden tension that seized Taiki was a good sign for him. To heighten the suspense, Yaten made a theatrical pause and slowly opened the door.
"And then, conveniently, we have Dr. Mizuno, who would be willing to work for him again. Since Father was always satisfied with her, he'll take her back gladly," Yaten continued explaining his plan. Taiki's features faded, and his heart skipped several beats. There she stood, his Amy, in a beautiful blue dress adorned with white snowflakes.
No one said anything; absolute silence prevailed. Amy and Taiki exchanged an intense look, both struggling with emotions they desperately tried to suppress. Taiki wanted to jump up and embrace Amy immediately; after all, he believed she was in Switzerland, and now she was standing right in front of him. But he couldn't express his feelings because there was the blonde woman, whom he was married to, sitting right in front of him, the future mother of his children.
Yaten had to control himself not to burst out laughing. He took Amy's wrist and led her into the room, carefully guiding her. Only next to Taiki did he let her go. In his next move, he handed Usagi his hand and helped her up. "What's going on, Yaten? Where are you taking me?" she asked him.
Yaten, however, seemed highly concentrated. "I'm going to sort things out here since you seem incapable of doing it yourselves." "What do you mean? Do you want to clean up or something? Did I forget to tidy up somewhere?" Usagi asked, confused.
Yaten guided her past the small coffee table, then gave her a gentle push. Usagi stumbled for a moment and then landed on the couch, right next to Seiya. "There. Now the picture is finally right. Get your teeth apart now and damn well talk to each other, or should I sing and clap for you?"
All four looked around in shock. It was clear what Yaten was trying to tell them. The silver-haired man now set course for the dining table. As he passed, he bumped into Taiki's shoulder again. "There. When you're ready. I'd like to eat now; I haven't had anything all day, and the food smells fantastic." With these words, Yaten ended his monologue and positioned himself at the head of the table. "If you would be so kind as to bring another place setting, you've set one too few."
Yaten's eyes scanned the richly set table, and he casually began helping himself to the dishes. Usagi, Seiya, Taiki, and even Amy were still trapped in a state of shock. Seiya was the first to slowly sit up; he gradually realized what Yaten meant back then when he said he should talk to Taiki. Carefully, he reached out to help Usagi up. But as soon as she stood, she let go of Seiya's hand again; somehow, it felt uncomfortable for her to have physical contact with Seiya in front of Taiki.
The atmosphere at the table was oppressive and silent. The lavish festive table now looked like a monument to the stirred-up emotions. The appetite of all involved had completely disappeared, except for Yaten, who was now on his fourth serving and was looking for dessert.
"Well, I really expected more joy from all of you. Admit it, my surprises are well thought out, and none of you expected any of this, right?" he joked, winking around.
"That's true. No one really expected so many surprises," Taiki dryly replied. Yaten rolled his eyes in annoyance; he had expected a much more positive response.
Slightly annoyed, he pushed the chair back and stood up. On his way out, he grabbed one of the dessert jars and glanced over his shoulder at the table. "I think you've played pretend long enough. Now it's time for your happy endings. I'm going to leave you alone now. Remember, there are empty apartments downstairs too... don't do anything I wouldn't do. We'll discuss the rest tomorrow," he called out, and then the door closed behind him.