Cyan Rubies: Ahhh thank you! :)

bored411: Your hunch may or may not be confirmed this chapter! Haha thanks for reading!

Lillyannp: Thank you so much! Honestly I've kind of been in that situation before where I felt sooooo out of place and just...eugh. It's so nauseating, it's like everyone's watching you even though you know they're not. Thanks!

SabellaX: Thank you sooo much! It means so much to read! Probably if Kosuke was calmer she would've talked to him, if only to avoid him going "KOSUKE IS THAT YOU?" and explain what's going on, but she panicked. And yes, it'll absolutely be revealed what happened between Emiko and Shigeo, but that is...a long ways out. Thank you so much for your reviews!

Kosuke waits.

She waits.

And she waits.

And she waits a little more.

But she is slowly and surely losing her mind, because she hasn't gotten a single word from Shigeo for a full week.

No phone calls, no letters, no anything.

Every morning that she wakes up to start her same routine of getting the children ready for school and cleaning the house and running the errands, the feeling of waking up after a weird dream intensifies. The details of the party are starting to slip away. She can't remember the dress in as much clarity, or what Mr. Ootori looked like, or the ride back to her house.

It isn't unlike how she felt after the night at the Blue Tower—in particular, the repeated question of Did I really do that?—but it is better in a way that isn't…better. She's confused and bewildered, but at least she doesn't get queasy when she thinks about it, or remembers the horrid feeling of clammy hands on her arm.

The people in Kosuke's circle know more about the party than the Blue Tower, too. Given, that they know something at all is a huge difference.

Kosuke has elected to keep details private, though it isn't easy. She didn't think she was going to have to come up with a cover story for Haruhi. She had fully intended on venting the details of what had happened to her friend not because she was expecting Haruhi to take care of anything for her, but because maybe the older woman could figure out answers where she couldn't.

Tamaki's out-of-nowhere appearance at the party, however, meant that she had to keep her mouth sealed shut. She could confirm now that Tamaki hadn't noticed her, thank goodness. He either would have confronted her himself in all his top-of-his-lungs glory, or Haruhi would mention something Tamaki had told her.

Haruhi does not like that Kosuke won't tell her anything, and Kosuke can't blame her, because she's all but certain that she is quite horrible at hiding when something is wrong. She's sure that Haruhi wouldn't mention anything to Tamaki if Kosuke just asked, but she is horribly cautious as of late, so Haruhi gets nothing. Kosuke does not describe the party, or Mr. Ootori. Everything is under lock and key.

This is…fine. Kosuke can just keep going as if nothing is wrong, no big deal. She's done that so far and…yeah.

What Haruhi does know now is that there is a "deal" involved in this. If Shigeo gets what he wants, he will set Kosuke and her siblings for life. Supposedly. So in spite of her set jaw and furrowed brows when Kosuke's stress peeks through, she's understanding.

Ranka is not.

Neither is Tamaki.

"I just cannot wrap my head around the idea of not being in your daughter's life for almost twenty years and trying to use a fancy little dinner date to make up for 7,300 days of abandonment." Ranka slams his teacup down on the saucer hard enough to pierce Kosuke's ears. Haruhi's, too, judging by the flinch. "What kind of man does that?!"

"A despicable one," Tamaki agrees. He's so enraged Kosuke is feeling physical heat coming off him. He is as red as a fire. "Absolutely heartless."

Ranka nods. "I'm sorry, dear, but that man could give you a gold brick every day for the rest of forever and I'd still think you naïve for trusting him."

Kosuke explains what she has explained five hundred times now and will explain five hundred more. "I do not trust him. He wanted to have dinner and talk and that's it. He's not a demon."

"He is in my book."

Tamaki cools down about two degrees so he can look at her and ask, "What did you talk about? Unless he spent every moment apologizing for what he's done, I don't see what other conversations were so interesting."

"Private stuff, no offense."

Haruhi sighs and sets her fork down. Something in the breath makes Kosuke think she actually does agree with her father and fiancé but has to side with Kosuke as per best friend sympathy rules. "Would you two please back up a little? She hasn't done anything wrong and she doesn't have to apologize for anything."

Normal Tamaki returns with a surprised blink, and frowning deeply, he reaches across the table to pat Kosuke's hand. It's not hard: he is a very lanky man. "We don't mean to make you feel like you need to apologize for anything." Then Fury Tamaki returns in all his crimson glory. He's growling. "But you shouldn't be going near ten miles of him!"

"He hasn't done anything."

"That's our point." Ranka twirls his spoon in his teacup. "He hasn't been doing anything for nineteen years."

"He said he was respecting my mom's wishes." Ranka and Tamaki both fix her with the same half-confused, half-enraged look. "Mom didn't want him to talk to me, so he didn't."

"Even af—?" Ranka catches himself, pressing a finger to his lips. One could almost hear him mentally chiding himself for going that far, but he returns to his anger, albeit a little cooler. "And why, pray tell, did your mother want him far, far away?"

"I…don't know."

Tamaki blinks. "Did she never tell you?"

"I didn't even know what his name was before he showed up. Mom never talked about him."

A silence lingers over the table for a minute. This is not the peaceful little lunch date Kosuke had been hoping for when she'd gotten the invitation. The Fujiokas and Tamaki are back in Karuizawa for the weekend, staying once again at Misuzu's pension. Kosuke had been stupid, really, to think that it would've just been another casual how-has-everything-been catchup meeting and not a let's-talk-about-the-estranged-dad-that-took-you-to-a-party catchup meeting. At the very least they waited until Minami and Hitsuji went outside to play before they jumped on her like tigers.

Kosuke has asked Haruhi to keep most details under wraps until there's finally an outcome. For now, only Haruhi knows Shigeo's name—but only his first name—and that there's some kind of deal Kosuke can make with him. As far as Ranka and Tamaki were concerned, her father was a nameless man who struggled to find her in the wake of Emiko's death and had taken her out to a dinner. No details, and that's how it's going to stay if nothing comes out of this.

"You're not stupid, Kosuke." Tamaki's sincere voice is always hard to listen to for Kosuke. Somehow he knows exactly what to say and it hurts. "I don't know what your plans are, but if you're looking at maybe keeping in touch, I won't tell you that you can't. Just…please figure out what his motives are."

See, now Kosuke wishes Tamaki knew everything, because maybe then he could bless her with some peace of mind. She just doesn't know what else he'll do along with that.

"Can we please change the subject? I just want to relax a little." Kosuke stabs a strawberry on her plate with her fork. "How's the wedding planning coming along?"

Ranka blows a strand of long, reddish hair out of his eyes. He has cooled down to mild annoyance. "It'd be going a lot better if people would stop trying to turn my daughter's wedding into their paychecks."

The wedding, which hadn't even set a date and probably wouldn't for quite a while now, is actually not something Haruhi and Kosuke discuss often. It's not never talked of, and it's not for any bad reason, but it tends to get stressful for Haruhi, and she'd rather avoid the topic when they chat. Kosuke knows a few details, like how the only expensive thing Haruhi point-blank asked for was a "fancy tuna" bar (whatever the hell that is), but for the most part there are only basic ideas.

Thus, when Ranka says that, Kosuke can't help but be confused and looks to Haruhi for an answer.

"It's not always bad," she begins, because Haruhi does like to assume good things of people, "I mean, I get that this is their business so they want to find ways to make money. But still, there are a lot of people just blatantly ignoring what we want so they can sell us something more expensive."

Tamaki adds, "It's mostly venue and catering. We have over two hundred bakers begging to make the cake for us, and the ones we've turned down keep coming back with 'better offers.' Several upped their usual prices specifically for us." He sighs and takes a sip of tea. "Hikaru and Kaoru get under my skin every chance they get, but they aren't trying to snag our wallets."

"It'd be easier to manage if Kyoya were more available." An almost sad look passes over Haruhi's face. "Not that I can blame him…He deals with so much already."

So far Kosuke has only heard names and stories about the high school club friends of Haruhi and Tamaki. Tamaki very much wants Kosuke to meet all of them, but she is busy and so are they, so they never really even attempt to make plans. She knows that they were all in the Host Club that made the hearts of Ouran girls soar for years before its disbanding—i.e., they all graduated and could no longer keep the Club going, but are all as tight-knit as ever, and haven't gone through much change.

She's also aware that despite all their quirks and misadventures and the twins' seeming glee in torturing Tamaki to death, they all love each other like family. The Hitachiin twins had taken it upon themselves to design the bride and groom's clothes, for example, and though the "Zukas" (Hani- and Mori-) had no specific skills to offer, they were more than willing to help with anything at all.

Kyoya O-something, Tamaki's best friend and former vice-president of the Club, is supposed to be closely involved with the planning. She doesn't know details and won't pry, but all Kosuke knows is that it's something or another with his family business that's keeping him extremely busy. Haruhi and Tamaki have both offered to let him peacefully step out of the planning, but he apparently insists on keeping in.

"At least we have some good helping hands," says Ranka. "I can't say much for his sense of style, but Yuzuru knows how to coordinate with venue planners, I'll give him that much. Maybe Anne-Sophie can tell him about color coordination when she gets back."

Tamaki perks up like he always does when his mother is mentioned. Kosuke knows the details of the whole story: his parents' affair, the deal Tamaki's grandmother made with Anne-Sophie, the years Tamaki spent without her…She was happy that he got a happy ending, at least. The two were reunited with the surprising help of his grandmother, who went through a monumental change of heart. Her visit back home to France had been prolonged due to a flare in her symptoms, but Tamaki saw her on a regular basis now. His family was not so broken anymore, especially after his parents' very private wedding.

"Kosuke, you should meet her when she comes back," he told her. "She'd love to! Promise you will."

Kosuke chuckled and promised. Couldn't help it. His sincerity was too powerful.

For just a little while, they all sit like that, talking about the wedding and family and this and that. The Fujiokas' apartment building may or may not be in talks of closing, but neither father nor daughter take it seriously, as the owners have "talked" about it several times before. Only once do Minami and Hitsuji run back inside to show her a cool rock they found. It is indeed very, very cool. Hitsuji pointedly ignores Tamaki and it clearly crushes him. Kosuke cannot explain why her little brother doesn't like him. He just doesn't.

While they're finishing up their tea, Misuzu comes gliding up to the table in a little twirl of layered skirts. Kosuke is incredibly jealous of the pension owner. Not only does she never break a sweat, she somehow manages to keep her makeup, hair, and apron immaculate all through the day.

"How was everything?" she asks. Her painted lips go from a smile to a frown. "Don't spare my feelings!"

"Wonderful as always, Misuzu." Ranka winks at her, and she winks back. The two were close, and many of the Fujiokas' trips to Karuizawa were really just excuses to see one another. "You never disappoint."

"Oh, you stop that." Misuzu flitters a hand at him, blushing, and her face becomes a little more plastered-on as she turns to Kosuke. "What about you? Was everything satisfactory?"

Misuzu…okay, Kosuke doesn't know if Misuzu likes her or not. Misuzu is very much aware that Kosuke is the eldest daughter of the Nakaharas, AKA the owners of the Lily Bowl, AKA one of the most successful restaurants this side of the mountain. Honestly, Kosuke never thought they were in much competition with one another even before it closed down for good. It was a restaurant vs a pension. All she knows is that every time they have dinner here, Misuzu is very, very, very attentive on Kosuke's reception. Like she is both a rival and a mentor.

"More than satisfactory," Kosuke promises her, trying her best to neither look afraid nor intimidating. "The strawberry cake was very light!"

It's always specific compliments that get Misuzu's genuine smile to return. Mentor. "Oh, thank you, sweetie!" Her smile freezes. Rival. "What about the chicken? Was it too dry? You were cutting it up for ages!"

"Oh, no," says Haruhi, "that was Tamaki's."

"She…cut up his food for him?"

Haruhi huffs, half a laugh and half a sigh, and pointedly remarks, "She can't inactivate 'Mom Mode'."

Kosuke is aware that she has said something to her. But Tamaki has a splotch of whipped cream on his lip and she's too busy dabbing it away to pay enough attention, so she just dumbly goes, "What?"

Misuzu folds her hands in front of her lap and seriously says, "Well, none of that's really why I came over here. One of your neighbors just called saying she knew you'd probably be here. Apparently there's a customer waiting at the Lily Bowl?"

Kosuke and Haruhi's eyes immediately find one another.

"Uh-oh." As casually as she can manage, Kosuke scoots back from the table and stands to her feet. "I better go give them my…apologies."

Tamaki frowns. "I thought you said this happens a lot?"

"It does! It does, but—you know, some aren't as forgiving as others. One waited a whole two hours just to tell me how inconsiderate a person I was. Damned my family name."

She is sad to say that that is actually not a lie she made up on the spot.

"It would definitely be rude to keep them waiting," Haruhi says. Far too agreeably for her, but it's okay, Kosuke knows she's trying. "You go on ahead, Kosuke. We'll watch over the kids while you go."

"Thank you so much; tell them I'll be back soon. I'll call when I'm—Haruhi, don't put your elbows on the table!—I'll call when I'm done!"

"Be careful." Ranka turns to keep talking to her as she moves for the door. "If they try to give you any trouble, you tell them what-for."

If only, Kosuke thinks to herself as she leaves.

The twenty-minute walk between the Lily Bowl and the pension becomes a fifteen-minute walk thanks to Kosuke speed-walking the whole way there. Some folks walking the sidewalks give her sideways looks, and she wonders if she looks scared. She feels scared…or something that feels very similar to being scared. If it is who she thinks it is, then she has to be careful not to get her hopes up. True, he probably wouldn't have come all this way just to say it didn't work out, but still. He's unpredictable, and she only started to get that idea when he showed up on her doorstep after 19 years.

As she finally walks up to the outside of the Lily Bowl, she neither sighs in relief nor stiffens in anxiety. He's pulled a car all the way up to the gate this time—he must have walked some distance the last time he was here—and though it isn't as gaudy as a limousine, it's definitely of a higher price than most Karuizawan residents would drive.

The car's ignition cuts off as she approaches, and Shigeo steps out. He's in slacks and a buttoned shirt, neither casual nor sophisticated. He doesn't make eye contact with her as she approaches.

"We should go in," is the only greeting she gets. "This is better for a private environment."

Swallowing, Kosuke leads the way across the front yard and to the front door. Already she is running every possible outcome of this through her head and mentally practicing her own emotions. If he says it didn't work out, she will be disappointed but accepting. If he says it did, she will be over-the-moon with joy and jubilation…and also fear.

There is only one table for them to sit at, and Kosuke brushes aside papers and pens—bills, more specifically—for them. That's probably very ironic, considering the topic at hand.

"It occurred to me that I probably should've gotten a phone number from you." Shigeo pulls his chair back and sits. "Not that this should've been discussed over a phone call."

Kosuke clears her throat. "So there will be a discussion, then."

"A long one, I'll gander."

Okay. Okay. This might be good…unless the discussion is going to be about how sorry he is that he won't be able to help, and Kosuke is carefully neutral about this whole situation, but she doesn't want to hear that.

(Actually, nevermind—she doubts he's ever apologized for anything in his life.)

"The man that we talked to at the party, Yoshio Ootori, is the head of Japan's most successful medical technology and care company."

"…Right."

"Over the course of the last two decades, we have occasionally discussed a possible partnership between our businesses. Nothing came out of it before. He didn't see much use in allying with a smaller-scale company and I didn't see the need to leech off someone else's established success to establish some of my own."

Bitterness laces his words, and Kosuke thinks back to the conversation they had at the party. Mr. Ootori's questions and comments were almost all directed at her. Which, considering he'd been told the story of her possible heirdom, might make sense. It sounded to Kosuke like she was a factor in the two's possible partnership.

"Recent…developments in both his business and mine have changed our perspectives somewhat." Shigeo taps his fingers on the table, once, twice. "We are considerably more open-minded in coming together. However, we both still have reasons to hesitate. Do you understand?"

She mulls it over. "This deal that you've been talking about…Is it a compromise so you two will work together?"

He pauses, like he would have preferred a simple "yes", but nods. "He and I would both like a sort of safety net. Or rather…a contract to ensure our concerns are addressed and that neither of us will back out the second we're slightly dissatisfied."

Kosuke doesn't nod so much as she slowly bobs her head back and forth once. She is becoming increasingly concerned with the implication that she's about to be handed a motherlode of responsibility in a field she knows all of three sentences about.

Shigeo watches her for a moment, almost unblinkingly. Kosuke watches him back just to be unintimidated. It's not the same, though. Shigeo is considering her. Thinking something over. He and Mr. Ootori at least have one thing in common, and that's that you can see their minds working through their eyes.

"What did you realize when you were at the party?"

"About what?"

"Everything. The people, the setting, what everyone was talking about." He quickly adds, "Be completely honest. Don't try to kiss up."

For a moment, she puts herself back into those white heels and remembers. Everything had been lush and grandiose and no doubt the dreams of many.

At the same time, her awe and wonder had stretched over the line into bafflement more than once. The house had been absolutely stunning, but she couldn't come to terms that it was a house. Those two girls had been beautiful and friendly enough, but those brand names and companies sounded alien to her ears. Most of all, it was how just about everyone acted regal and composed, not necessarily stuck-up, but portraying only the most sophisticated of humans, even if they weren't conscious about it.

"It was all very impressive, but a few things sort of…weirded me out." She wonders if a man of his standing thinks poorly of that phrase, weirded me out, but he just rolls a hand at her to continue. "I know it might be normal for them to live in houses that big and behave the way they do, but it isn't for me. It's just odd."

This had been the answer he was expecting: he intertwined his fingers halfway through her explanation.

"As you said, all of that is considered normal for us. We are the elite." He sweeps his eyes, her eyes, around the little dining-room-turned-living-area with a hint of disdain. "To me, living in a house this small, not knowing the names of Japan's most profitable companies, not having proper clothes to wear to a party, that is odd."

Kosuke wills herself not to be offended, because she knows he has a point. Okay, yeah, it was kind of selfish in that rich-people way to look at those who couldn't afford to sling their money every which way and say "You're weird," but…fair enough. It is two different worlds.

"There are many, many things that I find bizarre that you do not and vice-versa. What I think is cheap, you would probably find expensive. What I find common, you would find rare. This includes many of our practices. Did owners of other restaurants around here send you birthday wishes as a sign of good will?"

The idea of Misuzu sending her a birthday card before they ever even met sounds laughable. Kosuke shakes her head.

"Have you ever had a staff of cleaners and cooks and groundskeepers to care for your estate?"

Would this place even be considered an estate? Kosuke shakes her head.

"Did you ever carefully mind your actions, knowing that everything you did or said to anyone influenced the prosperity of your family's business?"

Well, to be honest, every single time Kosuke has fallen sick she had to keep it under wraps because she lived in a restaurant, but…no. She shakes her head.

"Everyone in this circle of the world depends on one another. Everyone knows it, even if they don't want to admit it. One person turning their back on you could send everything you've worked for spiraling into the ground. Because of this, people will go to certain lengths to establish a connection or keep one intact."

Confusion level: 50%. "Okay…?"

Shigeo leans forward just a bit. "Every member of a family has to pull their weight to keep their children, their parents, their brothers, and their sisters from afloat. A three-year old child will have such responsibilities one day if they don't already."

Confusion level: 100%. "I understand."

"They may not like it—I know more than a few who despise it—but they know how selfish it would be to let their family pay for their own inaction. So many people serve as the bridge between their family and another because they know that it's what they need to do."

Confusion level: 110%. "Alright."

"The Ootori family is no different. Every member, from the oldest to the youngest, has a responsibility to each other. All of Mr. Ootori's children know this."

Confusion level: 500%.

"This includes his youngest son, who is willing to assist in bringing our businesses together to mutually benefit both of us."

Confusion level: 1000%.

"In order for him to do that, and for this partnership to happen at all, you will need to do the same as him."

Confusion level: 49208%

"Mr. Ootori has agreed to an arranged marriage between you and his youngest son."

Confusion lev—

Confu—

Con—wh—

What—

What.

What

The

Hell?

Did he just—

He did just say

"Arranged marriage"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

…didn't he?

Time stops.

No, it just…twists.

She's in Wonderland again.

This is the disorienting fall down the rabbit hole.

Just—okay.

Breathe is the protocol her brain sends to her body. Breathe or you're going to die.

She breathes. Probably. She doesn't die.

She cannot do…anything. For just a minute, she has to just stay put.

One little thought will open up floodgates and she'll be overwhelmed.

So, breathe. Breathe and wait. Breathe.

Shigeo is watching her. Whatever.

Perhaps she should break this down bit by bit.

"Marriage."

The lawful binding caused by the love between two people. The connection between spouses. When people are married, they have a wedding, usually one that involves a white dress and black tux and a whole lot of people congratulating them and wishing them well. After this, they sleep in the same bed, they live in the same house, they kiss and cuddle and brush the hair out of each others' eyes, they tell each other what's bothering them and what their day has been like, they have to consider the other when making decisions, they possibly make children together and raise them, and maybe become grandparents, and if all goes well they will be together until their hair has turned white. They are in love and they are happy.

This was what her parents had lived.

(Not entirely. Neither of her parents would ever have white hair and if Kosuke or Minami or Hitsuji have children of their own one day, Marti and Emiko will only be known to them by stories.)

She knows what marriage is. She had thought about marrying Kohta one day in that non-serious imagining way that teenage girls do. She had focused more on the rings and the wedding, not so much agreeing to be someone else's in return for them being hers.

And…arranged marriages.

She's only ever heard of that actually happening in history class and it was always between princesses and kings and earls and other nobles. But wasn't all that supposed to be drastic eras for medieval measures? That was when everyone was starving and trying to kill each other, and no one trusted anyone unless they were "family", hence why lords would ship off their daughters to strangers to ensure backup incase the enemies declared war.

That people still partake in arranged marriages is mind-boggling. She cannot wrap her head around the idea that anyone—especially those who live in palaces and won't wear clothing that isn't made by thousand-dollar designers—could be so desperate that they would agree to bind themselves to someone for the rest of their lives. Or so horrifyingly desperate that they would agree to bind their children.

She recalls that the party Shigeo had taken her two was for two people in an arranged marriage, but admittedly, she just let that go in one ear and out the other at the time. They'd had a "choice", but the thought occurred to her again: how is it a choice if everyone's pressuring you to take one specific option?

At least they had been allowed to grow up together.

This "youngest son"—

The man her father—

—her father, who she met a little over a month ago—

—wants her to marry…

She doesn't even know his name.

She doesn't know his name or what he looks like or his personality and she's being asked to agree to marry him, for the rest of her life? Meaning that from now on, if she ever finds a spark of interest in another man, and considers maybe being with him, she'll have to decline because sorry, she's taken, by an absolute stranger.

And yes, Kosuke has had her parents, her siblings, her friends old and new, but she's never had someone having that much of a connection to her. No, she isn't of the ancient mindset that a wife is her husband's property, but she thinks that spouses are both individuals and a pair. Things that will affect her life with affect his life and vice-versa.

And how in the actual hell, THE ACTUAL HELL,is she going to explain this to Haruhi, Tamaki, and Ranka? Is it even POSSIBLE to explain this to her sib—

He's going to be connected to her siblings, too!

She can't even compare it to when Emiko had married Marti. She knew Marti. She had looked at him and thought, I really wish you were my dad. Hitsuji and Minami know as much of Mr. Bachelor as she does.

"You're quiet."

Shigeo speaks, and now Kosuke is all too aware of him, too. The deal that he had talked about, the reason that he had found her and dressed her up and introduced her to Mr. Ootori…This is it. This is his master plan all along.

In response to Shigeo's voice, Kosuke's mouth opens, closes…and she stands up, heading for the kitchen. She fills a glass with tap water, chugs it, and returns with more.

She just has to get her head screwed on right again.

"I need to summarize all this."

Shigeo says nothing.

"You have only barely been aware that I've been alive for nineteen years. Only after my parents died did you actually seek me out, not out of good will or to extend comfort, but because you saw a business opportunity. And despite not even saying a word to me yet, you already decided that you would polish me up and present me to Mr. Ootori like a prized pig and say 'What about it?' and crossed your fingers hoping he'd say yes. If he didn't, that was going to be it and you were going to leave. Now that he has said yes, you're asking me to spend the rest of my life married to a stranger because that's the contract."

She isn't shouting, exactly, but her words feel hot as they leave her mouth. Her finger keeps jabbing onto the wooden tabletop until it hurts. She is the bewildered sort of angry, because now she is understanding perhaps just what had Emiko running for the hills all those years ago.

Kosuke was never seeking a proper relationship with him, or even an apology. But she doesn't think you can get much lower than looking at your own flesh and blood and thinking, "I could use that to my advantage."

Shigeo's face remains static save for the gradual narrowing of his eyes as she yells at him. Kosuke honestly can't be bothered to give a crap about even being civil anymore. She is more offended than she thought was humanly possible.

"I don't appreciate what you're insinuating about my character," he says almost icily.

"What did I insinuate? That's literally what's happening right now! You found out that the mother of your child died and you pounced at the opportunity to—"

BAM.

Shigeo's fist strikes down upon the table with a bang that makes Kosuke flinch hard. His hand has to be sore as all hell, but he doesn't mind it, instead pinning her with a glare that she would almost call hateful.

"I couldn't care less what you think of me, but don't you ever try to tell me how I felt about anything in regards to your mother."

She doesn't back down. This whole thing makes her think of wolves, trying to growl and snarl and assert themselves. She can't think of a reason why she should care about angering him after he turned her into a chess piece. She simply makes a note of his reaction. She has confirmation now that he feels something about something about Emiko.

"I told you from the beginning that I was not here to establish any kind of relationship and that I would leave if what I required wasn't given."

"I never wanted to have a relationship with you. It just never crossed my mind that what you 'required' was selling me away."

"I told you already. This is a connection between my business and the Ootoris', not a sale."

Kosuke grips the edge of the table just to give her hands something to do. Her knuckles are stark white. "It doesn't matter how technical you want to get about it. You're using me as a bargaining chip, pure and simple, and nothing you say will make that sound alright."

"Well, personally, I'm not here to be scolded by a little girl about what's right and what's wrong. I'd just like to remind you of what I promised from day one."

Shigeo leans forward a bit, eyes hard as stone, not rising at all but suddenly very taller. For a split second, Kosuke considers whether she should try to just ride this out or tell him to get out now, leave, don't ever come back, you disgusting leech.

But then he says: "Financial security for you and your siblings for the rest of your lives."

Though her knee-jerk reaction is a huge NO CHANCE IN HELL, her next one is more of dreadful consideration.

That is what he promised her, and knowing now that he is intending on sucking her into his world as his heir and his young and unmarried daughter, she honestly cannot think of how he wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

Kosuke's mind drifts to all the threats she has tried to defend her family from for the past year, each with a price tag. No way to get an education for a higher-paying job, a loan shark she still sends letters to lest he retaliate, taxes and bills and food…This whole time, Kosuke has been walking down a declining path. Slowly but surely, it was going lower and lower, and she didn't know what they were going to do when they were living by their spare coins.

Still…that doesn't mean that this isn't absolutely ludicrous. Just to not end up starving and penniless one day, she'd be given away to a stranger, bound into not one, but two elite families in an elite world where she knew nothing about anything. For the rest of her life. DECADES.

"I also want you to know this." His voice is not softer, but more…bargaining. "I don't simply mean I'm going to send you a paycheck every now and then to keep you supported here. This is going to be a commitment, not a job. You aren't going to be able to take time off from this. Because of that, you'd be fully ingrained into 'my world', as it were. You'll never have to worry about looking at price tags, costs for health and education, or wondering if you will be able to pay your bills in time. I would also promise you that anything you want would be at your command, but you don't strike me as a girl who focuses on pretty dresses and expensive cars."

No, she isn't. So she doesn't focus on that stuff. When she was little, she wanted to be rich enough one day to live in a house with a candy store in the walls and a pool the size of an ocean in the backyard. Everyone wanted that because everyone is at least a little materialistic. In the real world, though, that's not something she considers.

What she does consider is the times Minami and Hitsuji got sick and needed medicines that couldn't be bought over-the-counter, or how many times she's picked Minami up from school and wondered if they'd even have enough money to send her to college when she got old enough.

This is…

This is a nightmare.

To marry a stranger…

She had no idea what would be expected of her. Would she be expected to cuddle and kiss him, call him cute little things like "honey" or "sweetheart", smile at him and blush when he complimented her? Would she have to be the epitome of a jubilant bride on her wedding day? Or was this actually going to be the medieval-era political union, wherein the two of them would acknowledge each other as acquaintances at best and ignore each other otherwise?

Oh, god…Was she going to have to have children with him? The thought made her physically ill very suddenly.

But.

But.

She can't be old Kosuke anymore.

When her siblings wanted to be carried to bed, she'd let them cry and fuss because she wasn't strong enough to do it.

When her mother and father expressed their concerns for her future, she brushed them off with uncaring jokes and kept going as if she knew what she was doing.

If her parents ever thought before—or…just before—the crash that killed them about the idea that if something ever happened to them, it was going to be lazy, stupid, uncaring Kosuke to take care of herself and her siblings…their nightmare had come true.

Kosuke cannot be that selfish anymore.

She doesn't have to love this or be happy about it. She can't be.

But she can do it.

And she will.

Because…this is all she has left.

"Mr. Ootori has agreed to this already?"

She can see he is trying not to be smug. She hates it. "Yes, but he does want you to meet Kyoya first."

"And if I don't do this…everything is off the table?"

"Correct."

She thinks she knows, now, why Emiko ran away. She wonders if this is why she could never speak of him.

Shigeo stands to his feet, tucks the chair back under the table, and bows to her at the waist. "We can talk more about this later."

Just in his tone, however, she knew that they were both aware she'd already made up her mind.