They woke up in her bedroom a bit late in the day. She ensured he had his herbal brew before making breakfast for them both. They were both wearing large, white, ultra-soft robes for now until deciding what to do. She prepared some lemon-mint tea and sat next to him at the dining table after they ate.
"Gelek should be in the air by now. Ah. He texted. Yes, his flight left as scheduled. And he gave me the flight number," she nodded on checking her phone. She sent the information to Seonhee to keep her informed. "Now we just need to pass the time to wait for his arrival. What did you want to do?"
"I want you to learn how to drive," he said. Now she rose a brow at him.
"I know the basics. But…it's true I should learn a bit more," she sighed and sipped her mug of tea. "I was thinking of something else, though."
"Hmm?"
"Beach day."
"Oh?"
"There's a few places I know of that are fairly discreet. We should do that today, too, for a couple hours. Maybe just after noon hits. It will also help me to drive there," she chuckled. "I think I have a string bikini…"
"You are not wearing such a thing around the others," he muttered. That got her snickering softly.
"Even if I wear something light over it?"
"No. You'd get stared at too much."
"It would give them a challenge to avert their eyes."
"Ugh…"
"And I doubt any of them would dare to do anything if you're with me. So I wouldn't worry about it."
"What does it look like?" he asked with indecision. She grinned and walked into the bedroom. When she came out in something that looked like tight, bright red strings around her chest and hips, he found himself pursing his lips tightly. "You are not wearing that."
"Why?" she asked in a sultry way. "Some people wear nothing."
He was about to argue with her, but then she turned around to expose her back perfectly. His eyes trailed down to lock on her rump, and he found himself letting out a slow, careful breath of air that he was unconsciously holding in. Then he realized what she was doing when she wiggled her rump. "You are evil."
"You think so?" she snickered.
"Oh, I know so…" he growled, set his mug of tea down and got up to follow her right into the bedroom. After twenty minutes of enjoying each other, he had her back pulled into his chest to cradle her. He heard her sigh, and he squeezed her lightly to talk.
"I'm going to say something a bit selfish of me…" she mumbled. "So, I'm sorry in advance."
"Go ahead," he urged gently.
"I'm…glad…that Yumi is out of your life. Because…I'd likely never have known you like this…" she swallowed. He lost himself in thought and found himself completely agreeing.
"True. So, I'm going to say something now, too. What Dog Catcher did was absolutely disgusting to you. But…if he didn't do what he did…you'd likely be another person and we'd never have met."
"So much truth in that."
"As we both agree that we know things happened that probably never should have, we shall both learn from this and appreciate what we have now."
"I can live with that."
"And you will only wear what you call a 'swimsuit' here in the privacy of our home without anyone else in here," he growled to get her laughing softly.
"I do have another one that is a bit more modest of dark blue and black design. It's still a G-string, though…" she grinned. He muttered a swear to get her dying with laughter at it.
"I do have a question, now that I think about it," he mused. "Have you ever smoked cigarettes?"
"For a week. Then I stopped when the smell seemed to give away my position. After I did my research on what those little crap things did…I decided to never touch one again," she said with a small shrug. "If anything, the smell of those things made it very easy for me to find my targets for the heavy smokers."
"Likely the best tactic to think of on quitting that," he mused with agreement. "I should have had that mindset. I can't smoke them anymore from the cancer. They weaken me now."
Then she turned to press her forehead against his. "You know…I was only planning to come back here to get my medicine and pack up what I knew I could. I was planning on leaving for Tibet…"
"Were you really?"
"I was. I never imagined that I'd be finding you…coming to this point…Dog Catcher put down…and I'd probably go there still if something happened to you…"
"I can see why that would be."
"No one would have ever known I existed. I'd still have no past. I was planning on starting over somewhere. I just…wouldn't really know where…" she swallowed and found herself held tight.
"I'm going to summarize our next set of events," he muttered.
"And that is?" she murmured.
"You will go driving and we may hit up a beach."
"Sounds good. It will be nice to be out and about for a bit."
"We are going to get married today," he said. "After Gelek gets here."
"I figured that much…"
"I will not leave your side at any point today."
"I know…"
"We will demand to have tomorrow uneventful to ensure that whatever Gelek gives me takes effect."
"I can ensure that is done."
"Keep giving me your crazy concoctions to keep me going for now."
"Planned on that…" she said with a soft chuckle. Then he gazed at her and caressed her cheek.
"Let me love you more and more with each passing day…"
"I never…would have expected that…" she whispered and let him kiss her deeply. All he wanted was to savor her in his arms right then and there. He was just starting to fall asleep when his phone rang.
"I should have turned that damned thing off…" he grumbled. She laughed softly and let him reach over to grab it and put it on speaker.
"Kiryu-san!" Kasuga said cheerfully.
"I guess everyone is itching to see us?" Saiki mused.
"And curious of the plans for today!" Kasuga agreed.
"She knows of a beach we can go to. I want her to drive to it. We'll spend a couple hours there and likely head to the Geomijul building after. We can have something to eat there and ensure everything is ready to get married tonight. And tomorrow…I can't be disturbed. Whatever Gelek needs to give me, I must ensure it works. So I want very little contact with others until it's done," Kiryu said sternly. "This is my health we're talking about. And he's bringing a companion, so we want them both to be safe at all times."
"We can show Gelek and his friend around and help him settle in at the Survive Bar," Kasuga said to show he was on board with everything. "Where do we meet up?"
"The Survive Bar. Figure an hour? This way you can also make sure that upstairs room is ready?" Saiki asked. Kasuga hung up the phone after that, and Kiryu sighed while holding her again.
"I really hope that what's given to me doesn't kick my ass…" Kiryu grunted. "Practically everything does now."
"Even me?" she grinned and laughed when he tickled her.
"You may as well show me your other swimsuit," he sighed and let her leave the bed. He let his eyes roam over her slender, short and lithe form. "You really do have the most perfect body I've ever seen for your stature. Damn!"
"Constant training does that," she chuckled. "I was thinking that, should this slight cure help you get some strength back, that I put you in my training room to rebuild a bit of what you lost."
"I can see that," he nodded.
"You have some strength left, but it's depleted so much! I will help you rebuild what you can safely," she nodded and let him watch her slip on the slender bathing suit. He saw it covered a bit more of her chest with dark blue fabric, and the straps were black to criss-cross down her back. The bottoms attached with small clips and had a strip of dark blue with the sides being black. Her belly was bare, and she ensured the suit still fit snugly. When she turned to expose the G-string, his eyes narrowed with complete appreciation.
"You'll wear something over that, right?" he asked.
"I do have a dark blue spandex cardigan that comes down to my knees. Of course, I always take my belt. I never go swimming, though. I know how to swim, but I just…like to watch the ocean and read a book. I was thinking you could have your head in my lap and rest while the others played," she smiled.
"I would greatly enjoy that," he chuckled. She moved to sit in his lap, and he settled his arms around her. "I could see you wearing a hat."
"You think so? Ah! I did have something…" she mused. He reluctantly let her go to fetch what she thought of. Now he saw her come out in the sheer, dark blue spandex cardigan, her weapons belt around her hips and a large, broad sun hat of black lace on her head. It was set with a black velvet band and a large, dark blue rose. He was completely fascinated with her attire.
"You look adorable!" he said to get her giggling softly. "What shoes? The black ones that you always wear?"
"Yes. The ones with hidden blades. I can't ever be unprepared," she nodded. "But…you like this?"
"It's perfect," he chuckled. "Hmm. I don't think I have a set of swimming trunks, but I don't plan to swim, either."
"Give me twenty minutes," she smiled. "I can make you something. I do have your measurements, so it won't be that hard."
"Go for it," he chuckled. He put the large robe back on and moved to the television to check what was on the news. He did reclaim his mug of tea to finish off, and he set hers down to make sure she drank hers down. He found her sitting next to him to hand over a dark blue shirt that opened in the front with matching shorts. She even presented to him a set of sandals made of strong vinyl and rubber bottoms. He was quite impressed. "This doesn't look too bad!"
"I'm glad you approve," she said. "Try them on?"
"Sure," he nodded and stood up to strip off the robe. She studied his body thoroughly while he moved, but she was also trying to see if she could find any abnormal spots from the cancer. So far…I'm not seeing anything external appearing. That means it's all in his organs. That is not good…
"I need to check something," she said and rose up. "I don't know if this will hurt you. But I need to see."
"Hmm. Okay. I trust you," he nodded. "Do I stand?"
"No. Lay on the couch, please," she said. He did just that, but she had him move onto his chest to expose his back. "I don't want to do this around your lungs. Just let me know if you feel anything odd. You don't even need to undress."
"Alright," he said and relaxed himself. Then his brown eyes popped open wide from the pain he felt when she pressed down hard in a spot along his lower spine. "Ah!"
"That was around where your spleen would be. How sharp was the pain?" she asked and rubbed a bit to gently ease him back down.
"That…was…excruciating…" he winced.
"Your spleen is mildly affected. I see. Let me check one other area. Are you ready?" she asked. He winced again, but found himself nodding. He felt her prodding along the upper part of back now, and she pressed down where his large intestine started. That got him coughing hard, and she quickly relented with intense concern. Her soothing massage got him back under control as swiftly as the pain hit him, and he sighed with intense relief.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"How bad…?" he had to ask.
"I…can only hope that Gelek can…" she faltered. He rose up now to pull her into his lap and cradle her.
"Calm yourself," he muttered in her ear. "I'm here now, you know. Don't think of anything else now. We're getting married tonight. Whether I'm standing or on a damned stretcher. We are getting married."
"You just have to rush everything, don't you?" she sighed.
"With you? Why not?" he grinned and kissed her forehead.
"It appears that most of your internal organs are affected. I didn't see any irregularities in your muscles. I will suggest something, though," she said.
"What's that?"
"I can put you to sleep with an acupuncture needle if it gets too bad. To see if it will help you," she said slowly.
"Do that," he nodded.
"Of course," she smiled softly.
"I actually feel better with you giving me medicine. Anyways, let's finish up and head out," he said and kissed her softly. He handed her the mug of unfinished tea for her to quickly swallow down. The mugs were now moved into the kitchen, and he pulled her close.
"I don't want you to leave my side today," she said.
"I already told you that I had no plans to," he said in his soothing tone. "And we are staying home tomorrow. No matter what anyone says."
"As you say," she nodded and let him kiss her ravenously. They finished getting ready to go out, and he kept an arm around her. As they started to head to the elevator, he studied what she was wearing.
"You don't have a purse?" he mused.
"Nope. Never needed one. I do have a small pouch on my belt that carries what I need," she shrugged. "With the way I was brought up, it made no sense for me to have a purse."
"True. Nothing wrong with it. Just noticing it," he chuckled.
"Oh, where are those glasses?" she asked. He turned around to go into the bedroom to grab them. He definitely didn't want to be anywhere without them! He rejoined with her and moved into the elevator. "We never know…"
"Exactly. I'll text Kasuga now…" he muttered and did just that. "We should be there within ten minutes if we walk."
"Fine by me," she smiled and ensured the elevator was locked down. He found his eyes trailing to the necklaces that rested on her chest, and he sighed. She looked at him curiously.
"Definitely at home day tomorrow. Not only for recovery, but because it's part of the wedding night…" he muttered. That got her laughing and shaking her head at him.
"Absolutely hilarious, darling," she chuckled out. They paused at the sight of a black car pulling up alongside them.
"Please get in," the man in sunglasses said.
"Nope. We are heading to an event. We will be looked for if we are late. I know you're with the Daidoji and we already spoke with a few of you. Saiki is not available for recruitment, and I'm in a form of retirement," Kiryu growled out.
"How about this," Saiki mused. "Are you capable of working with an appointment?"
"What?" the man asked.
"You know what an appointment is, right? To set a date in advance to get something done?" she asked critically.
"Oh! Ah…okay. Later tonight?" the man asked.
"No. We have intense plans," Kiryu growled with mistrust.
"Um…tomorrow…?" the man asked. "And it doesn't have to be both of you, so you know…"
"Tomorrow is no good for us, either. You want to meet with me? Fine. Day after tomorrow. I'll have lunch with one of your superiors. Of course, my husband will be with me. And I say 'husband' because I will be married by tonight. That will be to Kazuma Kiryu, and he's standing with me right now. And if you even think of making me late for my own wedding, I will fuck you up with the rest of your faction. Are we clear?" Saiki said sweetly. The man paused at this and took out his phone to make a call.
"It is acceptable terms," the man nodded and cleared his throat after putting the phone back. Kiryu narrowed his eyes with complete mistrust.
"Good! See you in two days. And if anyone else shows up thinking otherwise…" she said with a clear warning edge in her tone. Kiryu saw her toss a small pebble under a back tire as the car drove off. It got neatly stuck in the tire tread, and she checked her phone to activate something.
"What was that you just did?" he asked. "What did you throw?"
"Tracking device. The moment the car stops for more than ten minutes, it gives me a pulse of the coordinates. Then it hibernates until the car moves again. Every time the car stops moving for more than ten minutes, it gives me a signal. This way it can't be tracked since it's always dormant until needed," she grinned.
"And the tire pressure of moving activates it…" Kiryu marveled.
"On top of that, it looks like a small rock that's stuck in the tread. If it comes off, it self-destructs," she chuckled. "Made of cheap materials, so it's no big loss to me. I have at least a hundred of them here and there."
"I absolutely love and adore you," he said. She blushed hard at him and squeaked when he lifted her into his arms to carry her. They made their way to the Survive Bar with no other incidents, and he set her down to let her in the door.
"Hey, hey!" Tomi grinned. "You should have let me come get you!"
"Actually glad we didn't. A Daidoji employee tried to pick us up. Saiki and I will meet with them after tomorrow. And no one disturbs us tomorrow. I have no idea what that medicine will do to me," Kiryu said while sitting down. He pulled Saiki into his lap and checked the time. "When do we start for the beach?"
"Just waiting for a few others to show up," Sa-chan grinned. "I got my swimsuit on under my clothes!"
"I got my swim trunks on. I just need to take off the shirt," Kasuga grinned.
"You were approached by the Daidoji?" Seonhee frowned. Joongi was sitting by her and was just as concerned.
"I put a tracker on the tire as it left," Saiki grinned. Seonhee was quick to walk over and learn about what it was about. Then she was handed three of the small, pebble-like devices. "Toss one under a back tire to avoid suspicion while the car drives off. Let me know if one is in use and I can see which one activates with my app. I loaded up serial numbers in it, and they glow when the tracker is live. A bit complex, but not too hard when you know what to do."
"Oh, I know exactly where to use these…" Seonhee mused. "You'll let me know of where the car stops?"
"After the car parks for ten minutes, yes. And you can even test it on ours to see how it works," Saiki chuckled.
"Are you sure that I can't hire you for the Geomijul?!" Seonhee asked to get Saiki dying with laughter now. "I will even pay you twice as much as Joongi!"
"What?!" Joongi gaped to get Saiki laughing even harder.
"She can do side jobs after I approve of them. No matter what, she will always work for me in the end. For safety," Kiryu smirked and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Who are we waiting for?"
"Zhao, Chi-chan, Adachi-san and Nanba-san. Goro, Daigo and Taiga will meet us where we plan to be. I just have to send them the location. I think Zhao was planning lunch at his restaurant, though," Kasuga frowned.
"We want to have lunch at the Geomijul headquarters. This way we can look over the room for the wedding," Kiryu said. Kasuga looked at him and went to his phone to text Zhao.
"Okay…he'll be here in five minutes…" Kasuga said when he read the reply text. "Chi-chan wants to go to the beach, but may be late. She's trying to pull strings to get out of a business meeting."
"Where are Adachi and Nanba?" Kiryu asked.
"I think they said…shopping for wedding gifts? I have no idea…" Kasuga shrugged. "Oh! We don't need to wear suits, right? To the wedding?"
"Nope. We are doing casual dress. So I could wear this and be fine," Saiki chuckled. At the small stare Kiryu gave her, she bit back her laugh.
"You will make a dress for yourself. Unless we go dress shopping," he said.
"I would rather make one for myself, then. I don't need others to see my tattoo," she said. "I'll need some good fabric, though…"
"I know a place. We can hit it up after the beach. It's on the way to the Geomijul headquarters," Seonhee nodded. When Zhao showed up to wave, Kiryu rose up with Saiki pulled against his side.
"Let's go. I want Saiki to drive, though," he nodded.
"I don't have a driver's license…" Saiki grinned. "But I know my way around a car. I'll just drive slowly."
"Who's car are you gonna drive?" Tomi asked. Kiryu looked right at him. "What?! My van? Oh, no. No. Don't look at me like that! I use it for work! I can't use it if it's wrecked! Come on!"
"If he's going to cry over someone driving his little van, then I don't need to touch it," Saiki shrugged. Tomi started to fluster. Sa-chan snickered and texted Chi-chan to keep her in the loop.
"I have something you can use," Seonhee said and nodded to Joongi. "I have cars at the ready all the time."
"Good thing Dog Catcher's car was sold…" Saiki growled.
"That was the first thing we got rid of," Kiryu said and rubbed a hand over her back to soothe her. "Let's go to this beach you know of."
"Yes. You all can follow me," she nodded and moved to the door. "Oh. The room is ready upstairs?"
"All set," Osamu smiled. "Ah, can I show up to the wedding? I'll serve the drinks. I'm good at that."
"I will not complain," Seonhee chuckled. "Joongi. Ensure he gets there."
"I can do that," Joongi nodded. "I'll call you when we're almost ready."
"Please do," Osamu nodded and watched them leave. Then he moved under the counter to start pulling out some choice alcohols with a special, light one for Kiryu due to his medical issues.
"Okay. Keys?" Kiryu asked. Joongi handed over the keys to the dark blue car, and Saiki moved to get into the driver's seat.
"I'll go with you. This is, ah…my car," Joongi said while clearing his throat. Saiki gave a slightly wicked grin to get him nervous.
"Don't worry. I do know how to drive. Just enough," she chuckled. Kiryu sat in the front seat to keep an eye on her and their surroundings. She started the car, waited for Tomi to show he was ready, and she began to drive rather smoothly. She led them outside the main city limits and kept going about ten minutes down one of the major highways.
She pulled off the highway and navigated down a narrow street that was quite forgotten. She pulled up alongside a small hill off the main road. She looked at Kiryu and he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"We need to get over the hill, but I don't want to leave the car," Saiki frowned. "This place…can have issues. And some hills have odd ground underneath the main part. I don't want to damage the car."
"I see. Joongi, take over. I'll sit in the back with her," he said.
"I need to be up front to see how he drives," she said.
"Ahh. You learn by watching. Oh…" Kiryu blinked. "You can remember everything he can do?"
"Pretty much. Why?" she asked.
"You have a photographic memory!" Kiryu said with a bit of surprise. "That…explains a lot…"
"It definitely would…" she mused. "Of course, I'm sure it developed as I started to hone in on my training. Anyways, let's do this."
"Okay," Joongi agreed and got out after she parked.
"We there yet?" Tomi asked from the minivan.
"Not yet. I need to take over for a moment," Joongi said. He got into the driver's seat, and Saiki sat in the passenger seat to watch him. Kiryu got in the back seat and kept a close eye on everything. She watched how Joongi maneuvered the car carefully around the hill and over various terrains that made it up. She looked behind her to see how the minivan followed to judge how it moved, too, and was able to guide Joongi to the secluded beach below.
"I never knew this was here…" Kiryu said with pleasant surprise at the small section of secluded beach.
"I discovered it while on a mission. I made sure to remember it. Whenever I came out this way, it was…a treat for me to come here. It's been…seven years since I've been here. And it hasn't changed," she chuckled. "I have no clue who owns the property, but I've never been disturbed."
"It's at least half a mile," Joongi mused and parked the car. "No signs. No people. Nothing to show anyone's been here. Hmm…"
"This place should belong to the Geomijul," Seonhee said when she got out of the minivan. "I'll look into it."
"It's a nice vacation spot," Saiki nodded. She saw beach umbrellas and chairs pulled out by Kasuga, and Tomi took out a volleyball net to set up. Zhao was soon helping him along, and Sa-chan started to set up the chairs.
"A couple hours, right?" Kasuga asked.
"About that long. I won't swim in the ocean, but I'll be watching everyone," Saiki said. She pulled out her phone to bring up a book she downloaded to read. A large beach towel was set down with an umbrella for her, and Kiryu lay back on the towel to rest his head in her lap after she sat on it.
"Need a chair?" Tomi asked.
"The towel is fine," Saiki said and ran her hand through Kiryu's hair. Kasuga had already sent a text to Daigo on where they ended up. The three former yakuza men got to them twenty minutes later. Kiryu was in a deep sleep by now, and Saiki was still running her hand through his hair while she read on her phone.
"Well, hello…" Goro said when he walked over.
"He's sleeping. Don't disturb us, please," she muttered out. "He needs this rest, and it was my idea. Go and play with the others."
"Awww. You don't mean that, right?" he frowned.
"Be careful. I set traps around me," she said with a narrowed glare at him. That got him to pause and get pulled away by Taiga.
"Did you really set traps?" Kiryu mumbled half awake.
"He doesn't need to know if I did or not," she said with a soft chuckle. He chuckled with her and let himself drift off to sleep again. Five minutes later was when Chi-chan showed up. She was quite impressed with the small spot of beach, and she was now calling someone she knew of to check on it.
"I see. Hmm. So, technically, it's unclaimed public land? Put in a bid to buy it, please, as a personal, protected resort. I'll want builders here to fence off the area and put no trespassing signs. Also, were the packages sent out and delivered? Good. I'll be at the wedding event, so I'll talk to the board tomorrow. And if anything is damaged, there will be words exchanged," Chi-chan said regally and ended the call. Seonhee was looking at her with amusement.
"So…this area is up for grabs?" she asked.
"Yep! Not for long, though," Chi-chan chuckled.
"And what's the talk about damaged goods?" Seonhee frowned.
"Wedding gifts," Chi-chan grinned. That got the girls laughing at each other and chatting about best ways to secure the beach.
"Well, well, well…" a blond thug said on walking over with several friends. "I knew I heard voices. I didn't expect to find this place, though! I think…it may make a great hangout…"
"Don't try it. This place is being purchased right now as a private location and will be fenced off. Cameras will also be set in place to have this beach monitored around the clock. You are trespassing and not invited. Leave," Chi-chan said with a glare.
"We didn't see any signs…" one of the thugs started before seeing Daigo and Kasuga stride over.
"We are the signs for right now," Daigo growled and got into a fighting stance. "If you don't want your asses handed to you, then you'll leave the way you came and forget about this place."
"And I'm the electric fence!" Goro snickered with his dagger out. Saiki watched calmly and didn't say a word. Kiryu was her primary concern, and he was sleeping calmly in her lap. But she did send her haunting, whispery tune into the ears of the thugs to spook them.
"I told you this place was haunted!" a thug whimpered.
"I don't hear anything. Do you?" Tomi asked with confusion.
"Just the beach and the waves," Zhao grinned with knowing. Kiryu yawned and found himself sitting up now. She had to pull back her haunting tune for now, but the group of thugs were already anxious and nervous.
"How are you feeling, dear?" she asked and ran a hand over Kiryu's forehead. "I'm sorry you had to be woken up by a bunch of children."
"I'll be fine. I definitely needed that nap, though! Maybe I can get another one in later on. It really does help," he nodded and pulled her securely into his lap. "I don't want you to kill anyone on this beautiful beach."
"But I already did," she grinned. Now he looked at her. "How do you think I know of this place? I found a group of vagrants that were disrespecting the place. I took them all out in the middle of the night and dragged their bodies into the water. The blood in the sand made this place the 'Murder Beach' or 'Bloody Beach' by the locals. So they gave up the land, and I've been enjoying it ever since. After a month, the beach returned to normal, and I'd always check up on it."
"You…caused the murder here…eight years ago…?!" the blond thug gaped.
"Of course I did," she shrugged.
"You bitch! My brother was part of that!" he started to rage.
"Oh, good. That means you can join him," she said with a twisted grin. Now he paused and all the color drained in his face.
"No," Kiryu said.
"But they'll just come back here and destroy the place," she frowned. "I have to set a fresh example…maybe…more bread crumbs…"
"No," he said again. "I don't want any deaths on our wedding day."
"Spoil sport…" she frowned. Then she laughed at his poke to her sides.
"I'll be back to burn this place to the ground!" the blond thug swore.
"And your family will be laying you to rest next to your brother…" she said with a grin. "Maybe with your head stitched back on…"
"Dude…they were headless…" a thug whispered out.
"I am the Headhunter of the Yakuza. It wouldn't be like me to not leave a body headless somewhere, right?" she grinned widely. "Then again…hmm…I thought I left a ring of skulls around this place…"
"Did you really?" Kiryu asked her with a smirk. At her wink, he knew it was a lie. But that didn't matter from the priceless looks from everyone else.
"I think I did. I wonder if the hill rose up over them," she grinned. The blond thug glared at her and began to walk over to confront her. Then he found Joongi, Zhao, Daigo, Taiga and Goro in his way. Kasuga and Tomi approached the other thugs to show they were ready for a throw down. Seonhee, Sa-chan and Chi-chan got up to back up Kasuga and Tomi.
"Do I have to do something, too?" Kiryu growled.
"No. Let them handle it. You need to keep me from getting up and murdering every single one of them…" Saiki said with a growl of her own.
"You heard her. If she moves, you all die. Don't want that? May as well tuck tail and run," Taiga smirked. "Been a hot minute since I threw a punch, though. Maybe you all can humor us…?"
"It's an off day for you both. Leave it to us," Seonhee said.
"We can clean up our own mess. Don't worry about that," Kasuga grinned wickedly. "Adachi-san would be pissed that he missed a good fight."
"I want to punch the blond one…" Kiryu muttered.
"Just focus on me," Saiki smiled and lightly opened up the dark blue cardigan. He was instantly drawn to what she revealed.
"I forgot why I was mad," he said with a small grin and squeezed her. At the nuzzle she gave under his jaw, he grunted and pulled the umbrella out of the sand. He set it right in front of them to make a barrier. "They don't need to see us make out. And...if we're quiet…maybe something else that can lead up to something more…"
"I like your idea," she chuckled and let him kiss her ravenously.
"This just got awkward…" Tomi said and found himself laughing.
"Why do I feel left out and jealous?" Goro sighed.
"You can go into the ocean. You're not limited to bushes," Seonhee said with a grin. That got intense laughter from Saiki until Kiryu muffled her. Sa-chan and Chi-chan were in their own fits of laughter at it. Joongi cleared his throat and refocused on the thugs in front of him.
"So, are we kicking their asses?" Taiga asked.
"Probably should," Daigo grinned.
"I need to do something to refocus. I'm all for it," Goro smirked and readied his dagger. The group of thugs were sorely outmatched and deposited in the brush on the other side of the hill.
"Needed that…" Kiryu muttered. He had her securely in his lap with clothing mildly shifted aside.
"I can tell…" Saiki chuckled and rested against his chest in a flushed way. "I should still murder that group…"
"No," he muttered and carefully had her move to fix clothing back up.
"I'm going to need to check something next week," she mused.
"What's that?" he asked. She took his hand to place on her belly. His jaw dropped. "What? Are you…?! Seriously?! Already?!"
"No," she chuckled. "It would be the time to see if something happened."
"Oh! Damn! Don't do that to me!" he scowled to get her laughing. "But…you think it's time to check by next week?"
"Yes. When we met was the time of my…fertility. I wasn't expecting anything to happen between us, but I'm sure the spark happened when you were told to kiss me," she sighed and rested against him again.
"Yeah. You were right that things got weird. But I am not one to complain about it," he nodded and rested his arms around her. "How much longer here, you think? Another thirty minutes?"
"I would say so. Hopefully that group won't get it in their simple, thick skulls to come back here…" Saiki muttered and watched him move the umbrella.
"Twenty minutes longer. Then we'll head back," Kiryu said to the group. "Joongi can drive to the fabric place."
"I know where it is," Joongi agreed.
"I'll go with you when we leave," Seonhee said. She was on the phone with several of her men to get the beach locked down. She told them they could hang out for a while, too, as a small getaway as long as nothing was damaged.
"This is a very nice place," Kiryu smiled and fully took in the sights. "I wonder what it would be like to fish out here…"
"The fishing is quite good, actually. We just need to go farther out, so we could make a dock. Maybe even a small pagoda for mild shelter," Saiki nodded. Kasuga overheard them, and now plans were made to get that done. Cleanup was soon happening, and Kiryu got up to shake the towel free of sand.
Chairs were gathered up, and everything was loaded into the minivan carefully. As the vehicles started up with everyone in them, Joongi was the one to lead Tomi out of the area carefully. Chi-chan made note of where to make a safe place for discreet parking. She realized the hill could be fully bypassed now.
"We can drive down a bit and get on the road safely," Joongi said. "I scouted a bit while everyone was enjoying themselves."
"Not bad. I just made my way over the hill," Saiki chuckled from her place in the back seat. Kiryu rested his head against her shoulder and gave a small cough. She frowned and rubbed her hand over his chest. She studied him and asked, "Are you feeling well? Or do we need a stretcher for you?"
"I'll be fine," he muttered. "I just…can't do any real excitement right now. When it comes to being encountered."
"So I don't count?" she grinned. He gave her a look and kissed her to show she was exempt. She leaned into him now and pressed her face into his neck. All he did was hold her, but the car came to a halt when someone got in the way.
"I'm not done!" the blond thug shouted and jumped onto the hood of the car. Before anyone could say anything, Saiki had smashed through the windshield, her sickle weapons were at the thug's throat, and the man was flat on his back at her mercy on the ground. She curled her lip back to show she was ready to cut, but it was Kiryu that hauled her back.
"Saiki! Come back to me!" Kiryu said to get her attention again. She was still growling with rage at everything. As much as Joongi was in shock at what just happened to his car, Seonhee realized the thug was panicking that he narrowly escaped with his life. Kiryu was just glad that she didn't bring out the scythe. He was almost certain the entire car would have been cut in half.
"You should go now. Before she loses focus on her husband and hunts you down. And I'd advise to never come this way again," Seonhee said with her own glare. The thug was quick to bolt off to safety.
"Easy…" Kiryu said and caressed the sides of Saiki's face. "That's it. Focus on me. It's over. It's done."
"He…still lives…" she growled out.
"I know. He's an idiot. But even idiots learn the hard way. I was an idiot, too, once, you know? Even I had to learn in odd ways. Are you cut anywhere, though? You really destroyed that windshield!" Kiryu said with complete concern over her safety.
"I trained…how to avoid glass…" she murmured. He saw she was struggling, and he pulled her close to cradle her.
"What happened?!" Daigo asked when he ran over.
"Don't!" Kiryu said in warning. "Don't come over here. I'm trying to keep her calm. She almost killed that blond bastard. See if you can salvage the windshield that she smashed through."
"She…smashed through…holy shit…" Daigo blinked and moved off to help Joongi. It took another five minutes for Saiki to calm down enough and wince at the massive headache that struck her. Kiryu kept cradling her until she could think again, and he moved to whisper in her ear.
"Tell me this," he muttered softly. "Your headaches…did they happen before or after the poison was given to you?"
"After…" she swallowed. "A…counter-balance…I think…"
"I see. It…worries me. It's as though you don't get the headaches if you complete the job. From what I've witnessed, that is. If I snap you out of it…" he frowned. She could only nod and let him hold her tight. He had her put her weapons away, and he carefully lifted her to carry her back to the car.
"I'll have to get this fixed when we get back," Joongi grimaced. "I got all the glass out. I suppose I'll drive slow to keep the wind back."
"No. Let him ride with Tomi. This is for his health. We'll have a few others join us to trade places. And I'll insist that Goro is part of the trade. So, Kiryu-san and Saiki, please go to Tomi's van," Seonhee nodded and started to bark out the new seating arrangements. Kiryu carried Saiki away from everyone until the way was clear. He sat in the back of the minivan and gave a small, wary glance at the others to keep quiet.
"Easy…" Kiryu whispered in her ear. She pressed her face into his neck again, and this time he felt her relax in sleep. He closed his eyes to sigh with relief, and he kept running a hand over her back. Then he looked at the others and said softly, "She's sleeping. Let's hope we don't get any more unneeded attention. We can talk, just keep it down."
"Yeah," Kasuga nodded. "I mean…what happened?"
"Blond idiot jumped onto the hood to threaten us. Saiki…jumped through the windshield to kill him. I had to book it to her side to keep her from lopping off another head," Kiryu grimaced. "Every time I force her to stop herself…she gets an intense headache. And she admitted they started after she started the poison medicine to help her mind. I noticed that…when she completes a job, she's fine. If I stop her…her head screams in pain. And then she falls asleep like now."
"Because she has to snap out of her killing persona?" Chi-chan asked.
"Yeah. She told me…how she got her tattoo. We know it was done without her consent. And Dog Catcher…he used her while she was out cold…" he growled. Kasuga turned from where he was in the front seat at this. Even Tomi blinked and found himself stunned. Sa-chan gasped softly at this, and Chi-chan was not happy about it. Zhao was even perplexed and could only listen with Tomi while he focused on the drive.
Kiryu continued, "Anyways, there was an issue with a rival Clan. A small one, but it was becoming a thorn in the side of the Tojo Clan. I had heard that the 'weapon' was let loose. I didn't know who or what it was…but in a single night, all two hundred members of that Clan were beheaded and laying in heaps around the main entry room of their building."
"Wow…" Sa-chan blinked.
"That's crazy!" Kasuga said with his own shock.
"Even crazier was that she told me it only took her around twenty minutes to get it done. Maybe even less. And she told me that it was done after she withheld herself from the medicine to see what it would do. She was told to take it every five years. At the time she had to take it, she had to see the outcome of not taking it. She blacked out…and woke up to the massacre she did," Kiryu sighed. He saw that Saiki was still sleeping, and he continued to cradle her. "It was later that day that I saw Dog Catcher boasting about his little pet going in and doing the dirty work. That was when I confronted him and was ready to smear him into a wall."
"Amazing…" Chi-chan frowned.
"And no one really knew of her after that?" Zhao frowned.
"It was intentional. Dog Catcher only wanted her to be known by him with minimal outside influence. Because, if others like me found out about her, we would have freed her. He would have lost a valuable position as her guardian. As well as a precious source of income," Kiryu muttered. "I wanted to ask her more questions after we talked for ten minutes. I wanted to find out who she was. I was…thwarted. And I was warned to stop asking questions discreetly. To forget about her and her existence."
"Hmm?" Saiki finally moved a bit.
"It's okay. Sleep more," he soothed and let her press into his neck again.
"My head…" she whimpered.
"It still hurts?" he asked with complete concern.
"No…just…light…foggy…" she muttered. "I need…to finish…the job…"
"No. No you don't," he whispered. "I am your boss. You completed the job. And you completed it by listening to me."
"I…did the job…?" she asked in a faraway tone.
"To perfection. And I'm proud of you," he chuckled.
"Kay…" she sighed and fell asleep again.
"I lost one love. I won't lose another…" he muttered and cradled her close.
"Hey, ah, I have someone following me…" Tomi said when he spotted the black car a few cars down. "We just got on the highway…"
"What?" Kiryu frowned and looked behind him out the back. He caught sight of the car and realized it was the same one from earlier in the day. He reached for Saiki's phone and found her alert and taking it out for him. "You should sleep more."
"I can't when there's trouble. Part of my training. The fog is gone now, so I can think again. You telling me that I completed the job did it," she muttered and pulled up the app that had the tracking devices. She pulled up the glowing serial number and pressed a command to it. "Yep. Same car. And I have some hot spots where the car parked. Okay. Want to see something funny?"
"What's that?" Kiryu asked.
"Watch the car," she grinned and pressed another action button. The explosion that happened on the back tire was immense and the black car swerved out of control. It didn't kill the man, but now the car was incapacitated. "Yeah, that car won't be following us anytime soon. It will resemble a nail blow out, so we'll be in the clear. It might have even taken out that entire side of the back end, too, come to think of it, so they may have thought they were under a form of attack. But they can't link it to us."
"Those things are also bombs?!" Kiryu gaped.
"They self-destruct in a weak way when they fall off. But when I activate it? While it's 'alert'? Yeah. They blow up big," she chuckled.
"You gave Seonhee bombs. And she doesn't know," Kiryu said to get Saiki snickering and nodding with agreement. Then his phone rang to show it was her calling him. "Hey. You saw that explosion? Yeah. The car that had the Daidoji from earlier had a tracking device. It showed up to follow us. Saiki activated something in her app that turned the tracking device into a bomb."
"WHAT?!" Seonhee shrieked.
"Focus on getting to the clothing store, please. We'll talk more when we get there," Kiryu said and hung up the call. Now he found himself looking at Saiki with his lips pursed together. She looked at him and seemed to shrug. "You made those yourself, right?"
"I did…" she said with a small smile. "I told you I did a lot of research…"
"You are going to blow away getting your basic education degree," he mused. "What do you think you have weak points in? Other than society?"
"I honestly don't know," she admitted. "I think…I'm a bit weak in handling money. I had to teach myself a bit on that. Learning how to be around others, as you surmised. And I guess…forcing myself to know that…I don't have to always kill someone to get things done…"
"That you don't," he agreed and kissed her forehead.
"And I don't know…how…to be a mother…if it happens…" she whispered softly in his ears. He found himself smiling and nodding.
"There are other things I know that we'll need to figure out together. We'll work on all of it when the challenge arises," he said and continued to hold her close. "There's a lot that I don't know about, too."
"I was thinking of something daring…" she mused.
"Oh?" he looked at her.
"You told me about those children. The orphanage you cared for. Maybe we can track down certain ones from there and discretely drop notes to have them meet at the Geomijul building…to witness the wedding and let you safely talk to them…" she mused. Now he looked at her with complete shock. "Bad idea?"
"No. It's a brilliant idea!" he said and quickly called Seonhee. "Hey. I have a challenge for you. And Saiki suggested it."
"I'm all ears," Seonhee said.
"If I give you a list of names, can your boys find them and drop cards to have them meet at the Geomijul building? Tonight? To witness a wedding? And the names belong to a particular group from an orphanage…" he said lightly.
"Give me the list. Right now," she said with wry chuckle.
"And if the Daidoji figure things out, I'll be the one to get in their way," Saiki growled in warning. "My idea. I'm not part of their shit group. They have a problem with it? They can come to me."
"Oh, I would definitely back you up in that," Seonhee snickered and hung up the call. Kiryu was still reeling from the fact that he might finally get to see the children that he came to love as his own.
"I love you so much…" he muttered and kissed her deeply.
"I know how much this means to you. And I really want you to be happy. I also want to know who may want to be adopted by us…" she said after the kiss broke. Now he looked at her with even more shock. "What? Adults don't need the parents or the government to tell them if they want to be adopted. They have a say so for themselves."
"You researched this…"
"I did."
"So…bringing them to us…"
"We can ask who is interested."
"And…depending on how many…"
"I can procure some adoption papers…"
"And as adults, they don't need permission…"
"Nope," she grinned. He started to shake a bit, but it was with a form of unrelenting joy. "Let this be my wedding gift to you."
"It's…the best gift…I could ever ask for…" he whispered and hugged her tight. Kasuga was silently listening in with the others during the ride.
"I wonder…" Kasuga finally said.
"What?" Kiryu asked him.
"So…you're saying you could adopt me as your kid? And it would work?" he asked. "I mean…I don't need to be adopted, but…"
"That's how it works. I can adopt any one of you as long as you have no living parents. Or just want to be adopted by me and Kazuma. Hmm. I may need to pick up some adoption forms…" Saiki thought aloud. "I can download them and print them out. As many as we need."
"I can already think of five…" Kiryu nodded. He rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed deeply. "There were twelve that I knew of. A few moved away…but I saw Taichi recently. Thanks to Makoto. I'm proud of what he's become. He worked hard."
"What is the name of the orphanage?" Saiki asked.
"Morning Glory. I was in Sunflower, but it's in ruins now. You know how I agreed to have faked my death to keep Morning Glory safe. The Daidoji…they kept me from them all…" he muttered painfully.
"Not anymore," Saiki said with a small nod.
"You don't remember the orphanage you were taken from, right?" he asked.
"I don't. I was…only there for a couple days. I barely remember anything," she frowned. "Just that night. And what I could remember after that."
"I see," he nodded and saw Tomi parking the car in front of a shopping center. They all got out, and Joongi walked over to them from getting out of his car. Seonhee was already on the phone with the Geomijul headquarters to start getting a list out. Kiryu texted her the names of those he knew would be able to be reached safely. "I wonder if I should ask Makoto for help in this…"
"Let Seonhee do what she must first. I'm sure that word will spread to others. I need to find a fabric shop. I don't want to buy a dress," Saiki said lightly. When Kiryu rose a brow at her, she studied him. "What's the look for?"
"You are still dressed for swimming," he mused.
"And?" she smirked.
"We are buying you something to wear. Then we'll go to a fabric shop," he said calmly. She shook her head at him and started to walk away. "Come back here. I mean it!"
"I'm doing fine. Others are dressed in much less. My cardigan and hat are hiding me with no issues. You are overworking yourself. Come. Let's get my fabric so we can leave here," she muttered under her breath.
"You really can't stand crowds. Can you?" he frowned and caught up with her. He didn't want her to walk alone for any length of time.
"I don't know how I'll be at the wedding…" she admitted.
"Stay close to me," he muttered lightly and kept a hand on her back.
"The dress shop isn't far. Joongi is getting his windshield replaced," Seonhee said. "I can lead the way."
"I am not buying a dress. I will make my own. I need the fabric," Saiki said. "And I need to be quick. I don't like crowds. At all."
"Well, the fabric store is on the second floor," Seonhee said.
"We're gonna look for wedding gifts. We'll meet up at the Geomijul headquarters later," Daigo nodded. He pulled Goro along, and Taiga ensured their friend couldn't escape them. Kiryu led Saiki to the stairs to go up, and the others followed. Zhao was making note of some stores selling exotic meat, and he was soon walking into one to start making purchases.
"Let's find something!" Chi-chan giggled at Sa-chan. The girls walked off, and Kasuga found himself running into Adachi and Nanba.
"Oh, hey! Didn't expect to find you here. We just finished up some shopping. Everything okay?" Adachi asked.
"You all missed something big…" Kasuga muttered and led his two friends to the food court to talk. While the two men got caught up, Kiryu found himself getting stopped in his tracks by Saiki. She was staring in the window of a candy shop and was looking at a set of boxes filled with chocolates.
"He…got them from here…" she said with complete mistrust.
"What? What's going on?" Kiryu asked.
"Dog Catcher…would bring me chocolates…I recognize the boxes…" she winced. Now he paused and quickly pulled her along.
"I'm sure the chocolate is fine. It's just the packaging that triggered the memory. It's okay. The shop did nothing wrong to you," he said gently.
"I know. It's just the sight of the packaging. It…threw me off. I'm okay," she said with a small smile. "Small things like that will always affect me."
"So getting you chocolates in different boxes will be fine?" he smiled at her.
"I think that's good," she chuckled and leaned into him as they walked. As they passed a jewelry store, she found her eyes drawn to the diamond rings.
"You like them?" he asked.
"I just admire them. I don't need them. I don't want them. They are nice to look at. I have all I need," she chuckled. Then she paused and rushed into the store with a fierce determination.
"Just put the jewels in the bag. Nice and easy," the robber said with a gun at the cashier. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf, but she gasped when Saiki took out a sickle and poked the edge of it into the man's back.
"If you move, I will slice you in half," Saiki said to get the man to drop his jaw. "If you scream, I will gut you open and slice you in half. And if you don't stop whatever the fuck it is you're doing, I will cut off your head, gut you open and still slice you in half. Do you understand?"
"Ah…!" the man gasped. Kiryu walked in and took the gun from the stunned man after realizing what almost happened. Of course, he used a nearby rag to do it to keep his prints off the weapon.
"Very good," Kiryu nodded. He noticed the camera was down for maintenance and it fully explained why the man tried what he did. Seonhee was called, and she notified the security team of the shopping center. The man and weapon were hauled away, and the grateful cashier bowed to them.
"Thank you so much! I told the other staff about the camera. It was supposed to get repaired today, but it was delayed until tomorrow. I don't really have a way to give you a reward…" the girl started.
"No. Please don't. I'm just glad I overheard what the man was doing," Saiki nodded. "And I heard the gun click. That's how I knew something was about to go wrong."
"You heard him arm a gun from the outside of a store?" Kiryu blinked.
"Training, my dear," she chuckled. "I fine-tuned myself to know how every weapon is drawn, about to be used and what it sounds like in use. Especially in random areas with intense noise."
"Ah! I know what I can do. You both have rings? I can clean them for free," the girl smiled.
"Oh. I suppose…" Saiki smiled.
"It will be just a couple minutes," the girl nodded and took the wedding rings from Kiryu and Saiki. They both waited patiently and got the rings back. "I found an odd engraving on the inside of your ring, Miss. I wanted to point it out."
"An engraving?" Saiki asked with genuine surprise. On seeing the inscription 'To Kai with all my love' along the interior, she gasped and trembled.
"Wow…" Kiryu whispered. He looked at the girl and said, "I'm sure you need an explanation. The rings belonged to her parents. They were murdered when she was very young and the rings finally were brought back into her possession. They were stolen property and we found the thief."
"Oh! I'm so sorry to hear that!" she frowned with sadness.
"The rings are now our wedding rings to keep them together," he smiled. "Thank you for cleaning them."
"There was an inscription on yours, too," the girl said softly. Now he took off his ring to check it.
"I see…'To Hori my loving protector'…" he read. Saiki was doing all she could to keep from bursting into tears. He put the ring back on, thanked the girl and quickly lead Saiki out of the store. Seonhee had her eyes lowered to show she was also mildly affected by everything.
"If it helps," Seonhee said while following them. "I received word that we started to drop off cards to meet a few people. And it was reported…extreme excitement. So…we will have plenty of guests."
"That is wonderful news," Kiryu chuckled. At how Saiki was still a mess of emotions, he finally had to take her to a bench to sit on and pull her into his lap. He ran a hand over her back to calm her down. "I know. It's okay now."
"Kazuma…" she whimpered out softly and got cradled.
"I know…" he whispered and rocked her. "Not really the best place for this…but no choice…"
"The fabric store isn't far off. We should get going," Seonhee said.
"I know. Just…the shock…" Saiki sighed and swallowed.
"Let me know when you're good to go, okay?" he said and stroked her back. "We have a pretty busy night. And likely just as busy day tomorrow."
"A busy day tomorrow…?" she frowned.
"Medication and recovering from a wedding night," he muttered to get her laughing softly with agreement. "And I know we'll be bombarded with others that want to become our kids. So…likely a busy day."
"Of course. Okay, I'm good. Let's get some fabric to make a dress," Saiki nodded. Kiryu did place a warm kiss on her mouth before letting her move from his lap. He led her to the fabric store now, and she swept her eyes over the entire array of various fabrics.
"Do you know what you need?" Seonhee asked.
"White lace, white silk, perhaps white satin or velvet…" she started to throw out. An assistant was called over to help, and various bolts of fabric were brought over. Saiki looked over everything and began to study the various patterns of lace. She chose one that looked like stitched Victorian flowers. Then accepted a large bolt of white silk. Stretch velvet was next, and she decided to pick up the satin.
"What do you have planned?" Kiryu mused.
"You'll see," Saiki chuckled. Seonhee was also curious, but she kept a lookout while the shopping happened. The purchases were done, and the bags were collected.
"I'm starting to get a bit hungry. Should we get a bite real quick?" Kiryu asked. "I know we can eat at the Geomijul headquarters, but I could use something to tide me over."
"I would say the same," Saiki agreed. They made their way to the food court and Kasuga waved them over.
"We ordered some lunch," he grinned. "Zhao will make us something when we get to the Geomijul headquarters."
"Good to know," Kiryu said and took up a sandwich. Saiki chose a small plate of sushi. He looked over at what she had and split his sandwich in half to share her dish.
"Really?" she asked to get the others laughing.
"I'm sharing my meal, too," Kiryu said. She shook her head at him and they were able to finish eating. They were able to rise up from the table, clean up and head out with their purchases.
"The Geomijul building is next?" Saiki asked.
"That's the plan. But Joongi is still getting his car windshield replaced. I have someone else meeting us to help," Seonhee nodded.
"Hmm. We have four hours until Gelek lands," Saiki said on checking the time. "I can spend an hour making my dress. Kazuma, I don't know what you want to wear, though."
"I'm sure I can get something for him," Seonhee chuckled. "We do have a wardrobe section. Zhao will likely be working on dinner and a wedding cake. I do have some men with cooking skills that will help with that. And here's the ride."
"We'll ride with Tomi and follow you," Kiryu nodded. "This will ensure that we are following you. Even though you may have called ahead, it would be best to show no foul play."
"True. Okay. Let's go," Seonhee nodded back. Then she looked at Nanba and said, "Stay close to Kiryu-san. You're still a bit of a sore thumb to the Geomijul. Just…letting you know."
"I figured…" Nanba muttered.
"You'll be fine," Adachi said calmly.
"Hmm?" Saiki asked with a raised brow.
"We thought he was an enemy and infiltrating in. When we were wrong, we tried to make amends. I still have some that think otherwise," Seonhee shrugged.
"If they think otherwise still…" Saiki said with a narrowed glare.
"I know. Don't worry about that," Seonhee agreed.
"He is helping Kazuma with his health. That is invaluable to me. So, Nanba, you stay close to Kazuma at all times. No exceptions. If someone tries to draw you away, decline them and let us know," Saiki said with a protective form of concern. "And if anyone doubts what I can do, I will prove what I can do."
"That won't be necessary, but I understand where you stand," Seonhee nodded. "We need to get moving."
"Right," Saiki nodded. The bags and other purchases were collected and put in Tomi's minivan. Seonhee's man also opened the trunk to his car to help move things. Ten minutes later finally had them on the road to get to the Geomijul headquarters. Saiki was paying very close attention to how they got there, and Kiryu knew she was committing the route to memory.
"I know you'll want to be alone when you work on the dress. As in, me not in the room to surprise me. I'd like Chi-chan and Sa-chan to be with you. Even Seonhee. It would put my mind at ease," Kiryu said.
"The most we'd be apart," Saiki chuckled and let him kiss her passionately.
"Yeah. A few hours, but in the same building. And I know you'll rush to me if something goes wrong," he nodded. She gave a small nod back and watched Tomi pass the main gate guards. They were led to the parking garage, and Joongi's car with a newly repaired windshield was parked close by.
"I'll pick up Gelek and his companion personally," Joongi said when they got out of the vehicles. "If anyone else wants to help with that, it's fine by me."
"Take Goro and Taiga when they arrive. I want Goro distracted as much as possible. And I know that Taiga is already on board. I texted him directly. Daigo will be here to help Kiryu-san and ensure nothing goes out of control," Seonhee said calmly. Joongi nodded and prepared his car for travel.
"Where can I work?" Saiki asked. Seonhee gestured for her to follow, and Saiki was pulled close by Kiryu to get a long, intense kiss on her mouth. He had bent down to do this, but he was used to it now.
"I miss you already…" he whispered.
"I'll be at your side in a few hours. I would advise to hide yourself in case your other guests come looking for you. I'll want to meet them with you," she smiled softly. He nodded and kissed her again before forcing himself to let her go. He watched her stride off with the other girls, and he grimaced.
"She'll be fine, Kiryu-san! Let's get you dressed up!" Kasuga said.
"I know. Fine. Let's do this," Kiryu nodded.
"I did pick this up," Adachi said and pulled out a wedding document. "Nanba was with me. And, eh, I had to tell them that it wasn't for us."
"Yeah, that was a bit embarrassing," Nanba cringed. That got the men laughing at it.
"I'll go introduce myself to the kitchen," Zhao said and made his way there.
"Okay! Um…what do I do?" Tomi asked.
"Go check the wedding chamber," Kiryu said. Tomi gave a thumbs up and moved off. Clothing was soon being collected with some bantering, but it was a flurry of movement with Saiki.
"You're making yourself a full dress?" Chi-chan blinked.
"Yep…" Saiki nodded and pulled in a hem.
"What's it going to be?" Sa-chan asked.
"A cardigan of sorts. A flowing skirt that splits up my legs. My belt, and I don't care if it will be the only black item on me. Same with my shoes. They are my weapons, and I won't be unprepared at any time," Saiki chuckled.
"Your shoes are weapons?" Seonhee asked. Then she blinked when Saiki extended her leg in a graceful move to press her heel flat against the base. The nasty blade flicked out and back in when the pressure was released. "I totally need a set of those!"
"I would need to train you in how to use them. If you press too hard, you can slice off your own foot by accident. It took me a week to master them. And I made sure to wear platforms to protect my feet until I knew how to step," she chuckled again. "If you want the training, I can provide it. After tomorrow, of course. Kazuma and I will be quite busy with medication and recovery."
"I know. I'll make sure you're not disturbed," Seonhee agreed.
"That is so wild," Sa-chan giggled out.
"Have you talked to Kasuga yet?" Saiki asked while stitching the silk cardigan together. She was lining the inside of it with velvet for comfort.
"I…don't know if I can…" Sa-chan admitted.
"You need to. I've been giving him advice. If he can't use it, then it's no good. Give him another chance?" Saiki winked. Sa-chan sighed and found herself nodding. "Think of it as a wedding gift to me. Just try again. He's a bumbling idiot, but he's your bumbling idiot."
"Oh, that's a great way to put it!" Sa-chan groaned. All the girls laughed hard at this and Saiki continued to work on her dress. At the airport, Joongi, Goro and Taiga were idling away the time in the visitor's waiting section. They were keeping close to the time and constantly checking around themselves to ensure nothing was going to go wrong.
"I could always go back and…" Goro started before scowling at the hard glare Taiga gave him.
"No. You stay here with us. You'll be a pain in everyone's ass if you go. And I don't want you to become a wall ornament with no dick," Taiga smirked.
"Oh, fuck off…" Goro snorted. Joongi was keeping tabs with Seonhee and glanced up when the monitor displaying flights showed that their desired plane just landed.
"That's us," Joongi said and rose up calmly. Taiga and Goro were now on alert and ready to jump into anything that might happen. At the sight of two bald men in orange robes approaching, Joongi waved at them. "Gelek?"
"Yes! It's good to be here. Ah, this is Rabten. He is to ensure the mission goes well. We never go alone on such things, so it's good to have him with me," Gelek nodded. He blinked his narrowed, brown eyes and sighed. "We have carryon luggage, so we can leave quickly. We never need much."
"As he said," Rabten nodded. "We don't want to draw suspicion."
"Then let's go," Joongi said and walked with the small group out of the airport. Several other Geomijul men kept a lookout to ensure they got to the car safely. Right after they got underway, they were followed to further ensure of no foul play. This kept up until they safely got to the Geomijul headquarters, and everyone parked in the safety of the garage.
"Where is Saiki?" Gelek asked.
"About that," Joongi chuckled. "She is, actually, getting married here tonight. And she wanted you to conduct the ceremony."
"Oh! How unexpected! I mean…I suppose I can…" Gelek said with pleasant surprise. Even Rabten was pleased by this news. "I am supposing that she is marrying the one that is ill? The Dragon of Dojima?"
"You are correct," Joongi nodded. "This way, please. And you can keep watch over your luggage."
"It would be preferred," Rabten agreed. "I can keep it with me."
"If anything happened to it, Saiki will find out who did it and kill them without a shred of mercy," Taiga muttered. "We all know you may have something that can help Kiryu. I won't tolerate anything going wrong, either."
"I'll just go check on…" Goro started and narrowed his eyes at Daigo coming over. "What the fuck…?"
"Come with me. All of you. The wedding chamber needs to be examined. And, Goro, don't you fucking dare leave my sight. I don't want to be staring at your head off your body," Daigo said with complete warning.
"Oh, good! You're here! Ah, this way," Tomi said when he jogged over. "We need to see where you're gonna stand. Kiryu-san's almost ready. I'm not sure about Saiki, but we're almost ready to go."
"Where can I set up shop?" Osamu said with a small box of his finest. He was led to an area for a small bar setup. At the sight of some young adults coming in, Joongi was quick to lead them in.
"We're finally going to see Uncle Kaz!" one of the young men said.
"I missed him so much! I mean…if it wasn't for the Tatara Channel…" a young woman said softly.
"And he's getting married! I wonder to who. I mean…Yumi died…but…" another young man frowned.
"Calm yourselves. Let's see. We have six of you here. Just find seats for now. We'll let you meet with everyone after the ceremony," Joongi said gently and guided them to where they could sit. At the sight of a delivery truck appearing with an order of beautiful white roses, those were quickly gathered by the men and set into place. A stunning selection of them were taken to where Saiki was, and it was Seonhee that took them.
"Flowers? Really?" Saiki frowned while she dressed.
"Every bride needs flowers. It's a tradition," Seonhee said and had Chi-chan arrange them carefully.
"Let me make a wreathe!" Sa-chan said and got some extra flowers. "Did you want me to work on your hair?"
"I don't see the point. All I have is the hair on the sides of my head. Unless the locks are braided, there is no need to do anything with my hair," Saiki said softly. Sa-chan frowned at that, but she set the finished bouquet aside. She got to work on a wreathe for Saiki's head, and everything was prepared within ten minutes. Saiki put on the lower skirt of satin, silk and velvet with an overlay of the Victorian lace. The upper part nearly resembled what she wore when she was first seen with a white velvet band, but it had an overlay of the lace. She also ensured that it supported her chest perfectly and let her necklaces hang over it without being hindered.
She threw on her stretch velvet and silk cardigan. She ensured the lace also layered over it neatly. She put on her shoes and belt, but she was able to add a slight overlay of lace to lightly hide the black. She gathered up the bouquet and positioned the floral wreathe on her brow. With a small smile, she nodded that she was ready.
As they prepared to go into the main room for the wedding, Kiryu was a bit nervous. He was standing in a black suit, but he had waved aside the tie. His white collar was unbuttoned slightly for comfort, and he was standing where Gelek was. Nanba, Adachi, Tomi, Goro, Taiga and Daigo were standing on one side by Kiryu. At the sight of Seonhee, Chi-chan and Sa-chan walking down the aisle now, Kiryu knew it was only a matter of time.
He did see his beloved kids seated with excitement on seeing him. He gave them a small nod and gestured for them to remain seated. Joongi was seated in the main row to ensure the bride would not be attacked. He even offered to walk down the aisle with her to give her away, but it was quickly declined. They all knew that Saiki would dispatch anyone that dared to touch her. At the glimmer of white, Kiryu's breath caught in his throat. He was simply speechless at her.
She took in the room that was usually done for main lobby waiting. It was decorated with silk ribbons, chairs were brought in and lined with flowers, and the carpet she walked on lead straight up to where Kiryu was waiting. Each step she took was purposeful and filled with meaning. Her senses were aware of anything out of the ordinary, but she did smile softly at the gasps from the youths that saw her. She continued to walk down the long stretch until she stood before Gelek.
"Do we have the rings?" Gelek asked. She removed hers as Kiryu removed his to hand over. "Very good! Let's, ah, begin."
"Don't say a fucking word," Taiga warned Goro. Saiki shifted her gaze over at him to show she heard him. He gave a small nod and stood tall again. Gelek cleared his throat and went through the vows he knew of. When it came time to ask them both if they agreed to the marriage, both Kiryu and Saiki gave their vows.
"Does anyone have any say against this marriage? Say so now," Gelek said. Saiki mildly heard Daigo clearing his throat at Goro in warning. She smirked, put her ring on Kiryu as he did hers, and let Kiryu kiss her when pronounced that they were husband and wife. Everyone squealed and applauded everything. They both signed the wedding document, and Kiryu saw she signed it with her real name. She also took his last name, much to his delight. He rolled up the parchment and tucked it away in an inner pocket.
"A couple hours. Then we go back," Kiryu sighed and sat down. He pulled her into his lap and found himself swarmed with the young adults he loved as his own. Osamu was pouring drinks and handing them out. Zhao was serving up dinner, directing where food went and how to clean up neatly.
"When do we talk privately?" Gelek asked when he had a clear moment to talk to the new couple.
"Tomorrow morning. I really don't want this night to mess me up. First thing tomorrow, we'll send you a text. You bring over what you have. We'll meet up then and do what we must," Kiryu nodded. Then he looked at the eager youths that sat around him. "As for all of you…Saiki suggested that we could adopt you as our own. What do you all think?"
"I'm in!" Taichi grinned. "I'll still call you Uncle Kaz, though!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he laughed and hugged them all again. Saiki smiled at this and breathed a sigh of relief. She soon found herself swarmed with them, and she had them all sit down to let Kiryu tell them all about her. She knew they would be outraged and shocked at everything, but he held her and kept her calm through the whole thing.
When it was decided that it was time for the event to end, Tomi was the one to take them back to their home. The youths hated to leave, but they knew they would definitely be seeing everyone again in a few days. Saiki made sure they all had her number, and she set specific ringtones for all of them. Gelek and Rabten would travel with Osamu back to the Survive Bar for their current stay.
"Remember. No one disturbs us tomorrow. Only Gelek should be here. Maybe his companion, too. No others," Kiryu said sternly.
"I'll remind them all," Tomi promised. He made sure they left in the elevator, and he was quick to drive off.
"We're married…" Saiki shivered.
"Yes. We are," Kiryu smiled and pulled her close.
"We have a lot of gifts to go through…" she murmured and gasped when he lifted her in his arms.
"We'll look at them tomorrow. Maybe…" he muttered and kissed her passionately to finish the night off.