Chapter 58

Taiki sat in his car in front of his father's house, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Kakashi's words still echoed in him. He had actually handed over the leadership to him, something he had never expected. In none of his well-thought-out scenarios had the old man ever considered relinquishing power, and yet, here they were. His thoughts wandered so far that he didn't even notice the passenger door opening. It was only when it slammed shut with a loud noise that he jolted awake, suddenly looking into the familiar eyes of his mother.

She lovingly placed her hand on his, loosening his firm grip on the steering wheel. "He told me what happened. How are you, my dear?" she asked empathetically. Taiki contemplated in silence. He knew very well that he couldn't fool his mother. "It's okay. Everything is coming together right now... I need to get an overview first, ask Yaten and Seiya about the current situation... And there's also..." Hikari interrupted her son's stream of words with a single glance. "Taiki, you also need to sleep. You look completely worn out, my dear. Don't burden yourself too much. Remember, you have many employees, distribute the tasks evenly. You'll surely find Serena soon, don't worry too much," she said, gently running her fingers through his long hair. "I'll take your father to the countryside for a while. You have complete control to make decisions. I think you should know that."

Taiki perked up. "Did you also talk to Father about the business?" A meaningful smile appeared on Hikari's lips. "Yesterday, I simply reminded him that you three are no longer children and that he will soon be a grandfather. Maybe I also mentioned from time to time that he could retire since the company is in good hands with all three of you... Well, however it happened, yesterday he still seemed very reserved. You know how he is when he has to admit something he doesn't like. I think, with the words you just said, you finally convinced him." Her hand rested on his cheek. "Even if your father never says it, we are proud of you... and now, go and get your wife back and show this Tsukino what you're made of. Meanwhile, I'll make sure Kakashi keeps quiet on the sidelines." She pressed another kiss on Taiki's hair and exited with a broad smile. Taiki watched his mother until she disappeared back into the house. She always managed to give him courage.

Then, he glanced at his phone. Family chat.

I'm waiting in Blackmoon, there's something to discuss. Yaten

Be there soon, Seiya is temporarily absent. Haruka

How absent? I thought he was raging through Tokyo's streets, tearing open his wound again. Yaten

I'll explain later, give me an hour. Tai, what about you? Are you still alive? Haruka

Taiki pondered briefly over the messages and took a deep breath. The messages were over an hour old, so Haruka and Yaten were already at Blackmoon.

Yes, be there soon. Taiki

Then Taiki turned the key in the ignition and drove away from the estate. It didn't take long until he arrived at Blackmoon. Expertly, he entered the building, maneuvered past the lightly clad ladies who barely paid him any attention, and opened the door to the meeting room. Yaten was sitting there in his usual manner, surrounded by a cloud of smoke, a glass filled with light brown liquid that Taiki knew was whiskey without having to look closely. Haruka sat across from him, Michiru on her lap, and now all eyes were on Taiki.

"I'm thrilled. Father left you alive," greeted Yaten. Shaking his head, Taiki took his seat, placed his briefcase on the table, and looked from one to the other. "Even more than that. If I understood him correctly, he wants to step back and leave the business to me, including the situation with Kenji." Yaten's expression shifted from shocked to disbelief, and then a hint of amusement crept in. "Say that again. I think I misheard. The old man actually wants to step back? Voluntarily?" demanded the silver-haired man. "I'm not sure exactly what caused it. It might also be that Mother had a hand in it, but yes, Father will go with her to the countryside and, as he put it, observe everything from the sidelines."

"Well, that's wonderful. We can smear Kenji with dementia pills, and then everything will be yours," Yaten said with a trace of anticipation.

Taiki's warning gaze met his brother's. "Yaten, it won't be that simple. Firstly, we still don't know where my wife..." "Stop, I'd like to interrupt you here," Haruka said. "Actually, we know exactly where she is right now. I found her earlier and brought her to Seiya. They are safe and on board Seiya's new ship, but don't ask me about the name right now." "When? How? And why didn't I know about this?" Taiki inquired. "Because it had to be quick. She sent a friend from the street to the harbor office. This friend then led me to her... Well, the rest is irrelevant. The main thing is that she's fine. Oh, before I forget, Seiya sends word that the meeting point is at her brother's," Haruka informed him casually.

Also, the vacation completely slipped Taiki's mind amidst all this turmoil. Doubts crept over him as he thought about what was happening.

"Very well. I could really use a vacation right now. You'll never guess what I found out," Yaten grinned mischievously, securing the attention of the other two. He waited for a moment to heighten the suspense. "Mimete, Kenji's beloved assistant, has a weakness for someone with green hair, who happens to be in my basement right now." Haruka and Taiki pondered briefly over Yaten's words. "What do you mean by that?" Taiki asked. "Just as I said. The two of them are involved. Mimete offered to disclose everything we want to know, and then she wants to make a run for it with Tellu," Yaten interrupted himself briefly to light a new cigarette. "Initially, I declined because I originally planned to have some more fun with Tellu... You should have seen how she reacted at the mere sight of my tools. It would have been quite amusing. But now, I think it would actually be to our advantage because, logically speaking, we would get all the information, Kenji would be left without an assistant from one moment to the next, and that would be all settled before our departure," explained the silver-haired man further.

Taiki also reached for the bottle and poured himself some of the light brown liquid. "In principle, it sounds good... but it's too easy... everything is just too easy right now," he murmured and took a sip from his glass. "I understand you... What do you plan to do now?" Haruka asked, turning to Taiki.

He let out a tense sigh, then looked at his brother. "How long do we have to consider the offer? Did Mimete set any deadlines for you? Or do we have to worry about Kenji's special team showing up at our doorstep? After all, if I recall correctly, Mimete has full authority."

Yaten seemed to be the only one completely relaxed. "Even if... no one knows where my basement is, they can search until they're black in the face. So, no pressure, we currently hold the upper hand. Also, I've already ramped up the surveillance and security measures in the tower and at the outposts. No one can get in with us. Rest assured."

A puzzled furrow formed on Taiki's forehead. "Then let me sleep on it for a night. I need to let all of this sink in, and then I need an idea of what to do with Amy. Even though Father has stepped back now, Kenji won't give in so easily. I have a bad feeling about this..." he said, thoughtfully swaying his glass. "Tai, what if you leave with Amy tomorrow? I mean, Yaten and I can hold the fort here over New Year's, and in the sun, you can contemplate our next steps. It would only be a few days, and that way, Amy would be out of harm's way for now," Haruka suggested after a while. Yaten didn't seem very enthusiastic, rolled his eyes, and extinguished his cigarette. "Yeah, I think Ruka is right. We'll manage. But before any decisions are made here that could potentially restrict me, I'm going to check on Tellu again. I'm pretty sure she has a lot more to tell me. I'll keep you posted." With that, he grabbed his jacket from the chair and disappeared before anyone, especially Taiki, could raise objections.

Usagi snuggled even closer to Seiya, her hand gently stroking his bare chest where her head rested. His fingers traced over her back, and he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"You have no idea how worried I was about you. I'll never leave you alone again," he whispered to her.

Usagi increased the pressure of her fingers. The images of their escape came flooding back. Seiya didn't miss this detail, and he sat up a bit.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? And don't say nothing; I can feel that something is bothering you."

Usagi also sat up, her back turned to Seiya. She wrestled with herself, debating whether she was ready to talk about everything. But when she felt his hand on her shoulder, she was sure that she trusted Seiya more than anyone else. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

"I... I suddenly felt so alone. When I stood there by the burning barrels, it was like a journey through time for me. Even though I haven't lived in orderly conditions for long, it felt like a profound turning point in my life. It wasn't as bad the first time. At least then, I had Chibiusa and Shingo by my side. But yesterday... There was no one, just me and the cold. If Naru hadn't come, I don't know if I would have reached you at all. I'd probably still be alone in the cold," she broke off, and Seiya wrapped his arms around her. With a gentle insistence, he pulled her closer, his hand resting on her stomach.

"You are not alone, and you will never be alone again. We are all with you – Yaten, Haruka, Taiki, and me. We are your family now, and we will take care of you, no matter what happens."

Usagi's hand joined Seiya's. She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at him with sad eyes.

"And what if something had happened to you? Seiya, if anything had happened to any of you because of me, I could never forgive myself. I mean, look at you, you got shot... what if he had hit you somewhere else," Usagi escalated further into her tangled possibilities. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she audibly gasped for air. The beginning hyperventilation made her chest heave vigorously as she tried to regain control of her breathing.

Seiya gently pushed her shoulders away to get a better look at her. "Sweetheart, look at me. I'm fine. It's just a scratch, and I would do everything the same way again. You bear no blame," he said decisively, wiping away her tears.

Usagi forced herself to smile, but she couldn't find the strength to reply. Her emotions were on a rollercoaster, and she plunged back into Seiya's protective arms.

It took quite a while for her to calm down completely, but eventually, she succumbed to exhaustion and found solace in Seiya's loving caresses as she drifted into sleep. Seiya observed the sleeping beauty next to him for a long time. The whole suffering she had endured in her young years was reflected on her exhausted face, and Seiya wished he could take some of her burden away, but he didn't know how.

Seiya contemplated for a while, holding Usagi in his arms. The silence around them was only interrupted by Usagi's steady breaths. Thoughts whirled in his head, worrying about the woman he loved so much. But eventually, Seiya succumbed to fatigue as well.

It was in the middle of the night when Seiya suddenly jolted awake. A blood-curdling scream from Usagi made him instantly alert. His heart raced, and he turned on the small nightlight.

His next glance was immediately directed at Usagi, who was huddled in the bed next to him, legs pulled tightly to her body and tightly embraced.

"Usagi, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he called out in concern, rushing to her other side so that he could see her better. Seiya's eyes focused on Usagi, whose face was contorted with pain. He sensed that something was terribly wrong.

Usagi whimpered, her hands clutching the bedsheet. "I don't know, Seiya... it hurts so much," she whispered through tears. Seiya felt a pang of helplessness. He wanted to do everything to help Usagi, but in this moment, he didn't know what to do. After all, they were in the middle of the sea, and there was no help in sight.

"Where does it hurt? Can I help you in any way?" he asked, trying to suppress the rising panic.

Usagi bit her lip, struggling with the pain. "I don't know, Seiya... it feels like I'm tearing apart." Another look at Usagi's suffering face made him abandon his plans. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll be back in two minutes. I'll just inform the captain to turn back. We're going back to Tokyo. You need a doctor."