The Tangled Web We Weave
by Crawlspace
~ Day 1 * Part 2 ~
~ Saturday Evening ~
Usagi yawned hugely and stretched
her arms high up over her head. She was
getting sleepy like everyone else, but unlike everyone else, she didn’t want to
go to bed yet. Her arms came down and
wrapped around Mamoru’s, slowing their already meandering pace through the
garden even more. He smiled at her as she
hugged his arm tightly.
Several seconds passed with more
silence, then Usagi said suddenly, “It’s not fair.”
“What’s not?” asked Mamoru.
“That I have to sleep with Chibi-usa
when everyone else gets to sleep with who they want to.”
“That isn’t exactly true,” he
answered, thinking of Ami’s mother. Then
he grinned at her pout because she wasn’t looking up at him. “If she’s that much of a bother to you, send
her to my room. She can sleep with me.”
Usagi stopped dead and crossed her
arms over her chest while giving him a hard frown. “Oh, no! If I can’t sleep with you, neither can
she.” Then her eyes narrowed and her
head tilted to the side. “You knew I
would say that, didn’t you? You’re
teasing me. How mean.”
Mamoru laughed quietly at the
indignation Usagi was trying very hard to throw at him.
“That’s not very nice, either,
Mamo-chan,” she pointed out.
Reaching forward, he pulled her
against him and draped his arms around her.
It only took a few seconds for her to stop caring about his
teasing. Usagi rested her head against
his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I’m glad you came home,” she said
softly, the phrase still sincere after two months and innumerable recitations.
Mamoru pulled back and cradled her
face in his hands. Gently, he tilted
Usagi’s gaze up to his. “So am I,” he
answered, his sincerity matching hers.
Slowly, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.
Usagi sighed inwardly, her toes
curling as warmth spread through her.
She was never, ever going to let him leave again.
*
* *
Seiji lay on his sleeping bag and rolled
his eyes as Kara asked the same question for the fourth time.
“So then Ami is Miki’s daddy?”
repeated Kara, coming once again full circle in her questions as her mother
pulled her nightshirt over her head.
Shouko sighed. “No, she isn’t.”
“Why?” questioned the little girl,
still not satisfied with any of the answers she’d been given.
“Because Ami is a girl,” said
Shouko, hoping it would be good enough this time. “Daddies are boys, like your daddy and
grandfather.”
“Hotaru’s daddy is a girl,” pointed
out Kara.
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because… because I said it
is.” Shouko put a finger to Kara’s lips
to stop any more questions. “No more,
Kara. It’s time to sleep now.” She picked the child up and deposited her on
the sleeping bag beside Seiji. She
kissed Kara’s forehead, then Seiji’s, taking his Gameboy
from him as she stood. “Sleep. Both of you.”
Kara frowned, but followed her
brother’s lead of silent obedience.
A few minutes later, Seijuurou
walked into the room with two glasses water.
“Kitchen water, as ordered,” he announced, setting one on the table
closest to the children and the other on Shouko’s nightstand.
His wife frowned at him for his
extended absence. The kitchen wasn’t
that far away, the coward. “Next time,
I’m sending her after you, no matter where you run to.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad,”
answered Seijuurou as he sat on the bed and stretched his arms over his head,
hoping to just brush it off and escape another argument.
Shouko started to answer, but
stopped herself. Instead, she grabbed
his arm and pulled him from the bed into the bathroom. Her voice a harsh whisper behind the closed
door, she said, “Your sister has lost her mind!
And no one seems to have noticed!”
Seijuurou tensed. “This is just Kaya’s way. It always has been, whether it makes sense or
not. But she knows what she’s
doing. Trust me.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about,”
replied Shouko, crossing her arms over her chest.
He couldn’t win this one, and he
knew it. Shouko wanted a better answer
than ‘trust Kaya.’ Problem was, he didn’t have one.
So, instead, he opened the bathroom door and turned off the light. “We don’t really want to get into this
tonight, do we? Let’s just go to bed.”
Shouko didn’t say anymore. Moving around him, she walked back into the
bedroom and climbed into bed, turning the table lamp off without waiting for
him.
*
* *
She’d taken two steps into the dark
bedroom when her foot landed on something it shouldn’t have. Haruka paused as Michiru turned on the light,
then lifted her foot from the white envelope she’d heard crinkle under her
foot. “Huh? Where’d this come from?” she asked as she
stooped to pick it up.
Michiru watched in curiosity as
Haruka tore the gold sticker sealing the envelope. The blonde took out the small note folded
inside, opened it, and began to read.
After a few seconds, one corner of her mouth turned up in amusement, and
she handed the note to Michiru. “It’s
for you.”
A touch of surprise showed in
Michiru’s eyes. She looked at the note,
then grinned and began to read out loud while Haruka flopped on the bed and
stretched out.
‘When I asked my uncle, he said we
should never let important chances pass us by.
Especially when they’re chances we didn’t think we’d ever get. So, this is my chance. I know about you and her, but I wanted to
tell you that I really, really like you.
I have for a long time.
‘A year and a half ago was the first
time I saw you. My Uncle Kyo took me to
see you, and I got your autograph and you spoke to me. I bet you don’t remember, but that’s
okay. There were a lot of people who
wanted to talk to you then. I saw you
again after that when my Mom made me go to an art show. I didn’t get to talk to you there, because
you were with that other person, and everyone wanted to talk to both of you
because you were together. Mom wouldn’t
let me because she said it would be impolite to interrupt the adults. And she thinks you’re a bad role model for
Kara, but I don’t care about that.
‘Then, last summer when you were in
‘So, even though you’re with her, I
hope you can like me just a little, too.’
Ishida
Seiji
Haruka chuckled as Michiru finished
reading the note. “The kid should know
better.”
“He’s just boy, Haruka,” chided
Michiru lightly as she moved over to the bed and sat on its edge.
Haruka grinned up at her. “Precisely.”
Michiru giggled softly and shook her
head. She tucked the note into the
pocket on her blouse, noting the amount of nonchalant attention Haruka paid to
her as she did, then stood and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
*
* *
Setsuna stood with her arms crossed
and listened patiently while Hotaru and Chibi-usa explained in great detail why
Chibi-usa needed to sleep in here with them rather than across the hall with
Usagi.
“Usagi wants to sleep by herself,
anyway,” continued Hotaru.
Chibi-usa nodded in agreement. “Besides that, she snores really loudly, and
I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. And,” said Chibi-usa holding her arms out as far as they would go, “she
sprawls. She’s a total bed hog.”
Setsuna refused to let herself smile at that and refrained from telling the small
lady in front of her that she did the exact same thing.
“Please, Setsuna-mama,” begged
Hotaru, turning on those watery, puppy-dog eyes.
Setsuna took a deep breath. She was not going to give in. She was going to get a full, peaceful night’s
sleep…
“Please, Puu,”
added Chibi-usa in a tiny, pitiful voice as her eyes went wide and hopeful.
She was going to be strong. She was not going to give in…
“Please,” both girls chorused,
drawing out the word in perfect harmony.
She was going to give in.
“All right,” ceded Setsuna. Her head fell as a sigh escaped her lips.
If the girls noticed her defeated
posture, they didn’t show it. A gleeful
cheer sounded from them as they hurried over and scrambled into bed.
“Hurry and put your nightgown on,
Setsuna-mama,” said Hotaru happily as she arranged the covers around her. She patted the slim space between herself and
Chibi-usa. “We’ll save space for you in
the middle.”
Chibi-usa smiled at her, and Setsuna
briefly contemplated the hardwood floor as a better alternative. Her common sense quickly overruled that idea,
regardless of the plush throw rug in the middle of the floor. Instead, she had Hotaru scoot over to the
middle, and, after changing into her nightclothes, claimed the left side of the
bed. Perhaps, she reasoned to herself,
Hotaru’s tendency to cling while she slept would help cancel out Chibi-usa’s
tendency to push everyone out of her way.
Then they could all get a decent night’s sleep.
*
* *
Tiny, soft hitches of breath were
the only sounds left in the room, and Makoto was grateful for that. After all the noise they’d made in here
tonight, she was surprised Ami’s family hadn’t thrown them out. She looked at Ami, hesitant about her next
move, then turned her eyes back to the baby in her
arms. Bug’s cheeks were red from the
effort he’d put into the last hour of high pitched wailing he’d done. Now, he was down to those
little, hiccup-like noises he was prone to before he’d settle himself
completely.
Over on the bed, Ami sat quietly,
looking helpless to it all. So Makoto
made the decision. It was now or never.
Moving slowly so she wouldn’t jostle
him more awake, Makoto walked over to the crib and very carefully laid the baby
on his back. She cringed as his face
screwed up in a pre-cry, then let out a small sigh of relief as he changed his
mind and his features relaxed. His eyes
stayed closed as he curled his fists and toes several times, getting
comfortable in his new bed. Makoto
reached into the crib and gently stroked a hand over his hair before
whispering, “Have good dreams, Little Bug.
And let us get some sleep while you’re at it.”
She stood for a moment more and
watched as his breathing evened out.
Then she took a tentative step backwards, and then another. When the crying didn’t start again, she
turned to Ami with a relieved grin and nodded.
Ami released a long, slow sigh and
fell back on the bed with her legs hanging over the edge. She let the capped, unused bottle she still
held roll from her hand onto the floor.
He hadn’t wanted to nurse again, and that meant the odds of a bottle
working plummeted even further than usual.
It had seemed at least worth a try, though, when nothing else was
helping.
The bed let out a creak as Makoto
collapsed onto it, and they both grimaced, braced for the beginning of another
crying fit. But Miki stayed silent, and
after several minutes, Ami turned to her side and propped her head on her hand
so she was looking down at Makoto.
Makoto, sensing Ami’s gaze, opened
one eye. When Ami grinned at her, she
opened the other and smirked. “How many
times today did you tell people he’s a good baby?”
“He is. Usually.” Then, wanting to get back to where they were
before Miki decided to prove to everyone in the house how wrong she was, Ami
asked, “What was it you were saying about my mother?”
“Hmm?” responded Makoto, a moment of
confusion hitting her before she remembered what they had been talking
about. “Oh, right, that. You know how we were wondering why your mom
hadn’t just said something about bringing Saatchi-san with us? Well, I was gonna say
I think I kind of understand how your mom felt, having to tell her parents
about him. Because when I saw her with
Gram,” and here she paused and smiled at the warmth she felt for being allowed
this term of affection. Then she raised
her arms up and stretched before folding them under her head and continuing. “When I saw her with Gram, I thought ‘that’s
us’. And believe me, I will never forget
how hard it was, sitting at the dinner table that night with your mom and
waiting for that bomb to drop. I suppose
things like that don’t really get easier, no matter how old you are.”
Ami nodded, remembering herself how
anxious she’d been. “That was a rather
tense evening, wasn’t it? I’m not used
to thinking of Mom as the child in anything, so I hadn’t thought of it from
that perspective.”
“Yeah. And tense is an understatement. But at least she took it well. And Gram seemed to be
liking Saatchi-san pretty well.
Your grandmother seemed okay with everything, too. Your grandfather, though…” trailed off Makoto. “I swear I couldn’t tell if I should try and
talk to him or stay as far away from him as I could.”
Ami shook her head at the concerned
look that appeared on Makoto’s face.
“Grandfather can appear harsh at times, but he really isn’t. If he ever does become displeased, though,
you’ll know. A good rule is, if you can’t tell and have to ask about his mood, then
you’re safe.”
“What about your
Aunt Shouko? I got the feeling she
didn’t like me very much.” Makoto waited
for some kind of response. When all she
got was silence and Ami chewing on her lip, she said sarcastically, “You’re
supposed to disagree with me.”
Ami blew air through her lips as she
searched for the best response. Finally,
she answered, “I’m not certain. She’s
always been kind to me, if a bit distant.
I don’t think it was just you, though.
Perhaps, in a few days after she’s had time to get used to everyone,
she’ll be a bit less aloof.”
Feeling bad for the sudden worry she
could see in Ami’s eyes, Makoto reached up and stroked the backs of her fingers
against Ami’s cheeks. An easy grin
appeared on her lips, and she said, “You’re right. I guess it does take people a little time to
get used to us sometimes. Hey, you know
what?”
“What?” asked Ami, her smile coming
to reflect Makoto’s.
“If your hair was the same brown as
your mom’s, you and Seiji would look like twins.” Then her grin went lopsided. “Well, he’d be your shorter, really skinny
twin. I think you two even wear the same
kind of glasses.”
Ami couldn’t help a small chuckle. “The poor boy.”
Makoto’s smile widened,
and she ran her fingertips lightly over Ami’s cheek down to her smiling
lips. Slowly, she traced them with one
finger, then let her hand slide back behind Ami’s neck
so she could pull those lips to her own.
It was a light, gentle kiss at
first, gradually easing from reconnecting to wanting. As the kiss deepened and became more
demanding, Ami settled more fully against Makoto’s side, pressing as closely as
she could at their awkward angle. Then
they froze, both going stiff as boards and holding their breath as the same
thought passed between them. Maybe, if
they just stayed still and quiet enough…
But it was a futile effort.
The cranky mewling from the other
side of the room quickly escalated to a torturous sounding cry.
They both let out hugely frustrated
sighs. Ami rolled off of Makoto and
stood. “I’ll get him this time.”
Makoto only nodded. This was definitely NOT how she’d planned on
spending their first night of vacation.
*
* *
She rose from the couch and tiptoed
across the small sitting room attached to her grandmother’s bedroom as soon as
she heard the first soft snores. The
bedroom door opened soundlessly into a quiet hallway, and Kaya breathed a sigh
of relief. Relief that was short lived
as the baby’s crying picked up again. In
a sudden panic, she closed the door too quickly, cringing as it hit loudly in
the jamb. She stood frozen for several
seconds, waiting for some other sound than Miki’s cries. When it didn’t come, she inched away from the
door and headed for the wing of guest bedrooms, stopping just briefly in front
of the girls’ room. They’d already said
she couldn’t help, though, and she felt no guilt, under that circumstance, in
attempting to get away from it.
As she continued to tiptoe down the
hallway, Kaya couldn’t help feeling somewhat like an errant teenager for
sneaking out to her boyfriend’s room in the middle of the night. She shook her head, trying to rid it of that
foolish thought. She was not a child,
she reminded herself, and she had no intention of spending her entire vacation
sleeping on her grandmother’s couch, no matter who had put her there.
Standing at the door to Ken’s room,
she knocked lightly before easing it open.
“Ken? Are you awake?” she asked
as she closed the door and leaned back against it.
Ken sat up in bed slowly, then reached over to turn on the light. Squinting against the sudden brightness, he
rubbed at his eyes and said, “I was wondering if I’d get to see you at all tonight.”
Kaya pushed off the door and
meandered over to the bed. She climbed
in beside him and settled the covers around her legs before pulling her knees
to her chest and resting her chin on them.
“I’m a grown woman. I’m not going
to let my parents dictate where I can and can not sleep.”
An amused grin appeared on Ken’s
face. “So why didn’t you just tell them
we could share a room?”
“They’re my parents. I can’t tell them we’re sleeping together,”
she answered, the tone of her voice making it sound like
a completely obvious and logical thing.
Then she let out a quiet sigh and looked over at him. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that
this morning, but I’m glad you came.”
“I’m glad I’m here, too. But no more surprises like that.”
Kaya nodded in promise. Then she grinned at him and leaned forward,
capturing him in a slow, easy kiss.
Ken’s arms moved to encircle her waist, and he pulled her closer to
him. When the kiss ended, Kaya smiled
widely as she stared into the warm brown of his sleepy eyes. Reaching across him, she turned off the
light, then pushed him back until he was lying
comfortably against the pillows. She
settled herself against his side, with her head on his chest and listened to
him breath. With his arm around her, and
his warmth beside her, she felt at ease for the first time since they’d
arrived.
*
* *
Wakefulness came to her slowly. Minako took a long, deep breath, then blinked away the sleepy haze that hung over her. Reaching over in bed, she expected to
encounter Rei. Instead, her hand landed
on the still warm sheet where Rei had been.
Sitting up, Minako held the blanket
against her to keep the airconditioned chill off her
skin. One fist rubbed at her half-closed
eyes for several seconds before she was able to see Rei in the darkness of the
room.
In front of the window, her form
framed in soft moonlight, Rei stood silently looking out. Minako smiled lazily as she admired that
perfect form, its curves not quite hidden by dark hair that flowed like a
shimmering wave down Rei’s bare back.
“Rei,” called Minako softly after a
few quiet moments had passed. When Rei
turned to her, Minako’s smile widened. “Whatcha looking at?”
Rei smiled back at her. “Nothing. It’s quiet out here. Peaceful.” Her attention was drawn back to the window for
a moment, her hand coming up to rest on the cool glass. Then her concentration abruptly shifted, and
she walked back over to the bed.
Climbing in, she sat beside Minako.
“I thought I felt something passing over when I woke up. But I think it was just your knee in my
back,” she added with a smirk. “I swear,
sometimes you’re as bad as Usagi when you sleep.”
“But I’m much more fun when I wake
you up,” answered Minako teasingly. She
scooted around so she was sitting in front of Rei and pushed the miko gently
backward until she was sitting against the pillows. Situating herself in Rei’s lap, her fingers
played with a long lock of hair as she asked, “What exactly do you mean
‘passing over?’ Like a ghost or something? Do you think the house is haunted?”
Rei grinned at the childish
enthusiasm in Minako’s voice at the possibility of staying in a haunted
house. She almost hated to disappoint
her. “No, there aren’t any spirits here. At least, none that I’ve noticed. It wasn’t anything. If it was, it didn’t find us interesting
enough to stay.”
A pretty little frown appeared on
Minako’s lips, and her fingers moved to drawing circles around Rei’s
collarbone. “Darn. I was hoping I’d get to tell Colleen all about
staying in a haunted mansion on my vacation.
Oh, well. She’ll be jealous
enough as it is when I tell her about this place.” She giggled quietly, but then her mood turned
serious. Her eyes held Rei’s and she
asked, “It really is okay? You looked very focused when you were standing over there.”
Rei carefully brushed the bangs
across Minako’s forehead and nodded.
“It’s okay. I think I want to
take a walk out there, just us, at least once before we leave. It’s been a long time since we were someplace
this calm.”
Minako’s playful smile
reappeared. “That’ll be nice.” She leaned in slowly until she was within
kissing distance. “No school. No work.
No insane-to-keep-up-with schedules.
We can sleep in!”
A burst of laughter escaped from
Rei, making Minako’s smile even wider.
“You are such a bad influence,” said Rei just before she closed the
distance between them and captured Minako’s lips in long, languid kiss.
*
* *
It had been a long, tense day, even
by Rin’s high standards, and sleep wasn’t coming
easily. Not wanting to disturb his wife unnecessarily,
he’d come to his office and started reading over the material for the proposal
he would be presenting to the hospital board next week.
He had lost track of time in the solitude
of the room, when a light knock sounded at the door. He called for the person to enter, and the
door eased open. Midori stepped into the
room, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dimness of the desk lamp after
the brightness of the hallway. She
walked up to her husband’s desk and stood, looking down at him, her hands
resting casually in the pockets of her robe.
Rin leaned back in his chair, the
leather stretching audibly as he did.
His blue eyes locked onto the soft gray of hers, and for several long
moments, they stood in silence. Then Rin
let out a sigh and said in quiet exasperation, “Your daughter…”
Midori’s mouth turned up in a grin,
and she walked around behind the desk so she was beside Rin. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she finished
the sentence for him, though her words weren’t the ones he was thinking
of. “…Has come home for a visit with her
daughter and grandson. She also happened
to bring along a very polite, well educated, and well spoken guest who seems to
care a great deal for her as she must for him, since she went to the effort of
bringing him home.” She smiled more
fully at him. “You should take the boys
out to the green tomorrow. Invite
Chiba-san and Saatchi-san, as well. I
heard Chiba-san spent last year in
Rin made a noncommittal noise, then let out another long sigh. Slowly, he stood and took Midori’s hand. He gave it a squeeze, the tight line of his
mouth softening without becoming a smile.
“It is rather late to be in here with all of this, isn’t it, Dori?”
“Yes, it is,” she answered back, her
grip on his hand tightening.
Rin nodded, then
moved toward the door, releasing his wife’s hand when they stepped out into the
hallway. After taking several steps, Rin
stopped and listened. When Midori looked
at him in question, he said, “It’s quiet.”
“They took him for a walk, I think,”
she answered. “The bedroom door was open
when I walked by.”
A low, deep sound that was almost a
chuckle escaped from Rin. “Devine
retribution,” he said.
“Rin,” scolded Midori, even as she
smiled. “That’s not very nice.”
“Neither were all the nights we had
to walk the halls with her.”
“It was only because she missed her
mother,” said Midori as they continued the walk back to the bedroom. “She was an angel when Kaya was with her.”
“Mmm,”
replied Rin. A thoughtful look appeared
on his face, and when they reached their room, he said, “Impress upon your
daughter that she needs to take the baby for a night, to let the children get
some rest.”
“You want me to guilt her into it,
don’t you?”
Rin didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed her cheek before removing
his robe and climbing into bed. Midori was
still standing there with her arms crossed and an unhappy stare aimed at her
husband when he pulled the covers up around him and called out, “Good night, Dori.”
Throwing her hands up in vexed
defeat, Midori followed her husband’s lead and crawled into bed.
*
* *
Ami had forgotten how quiet the
nights could be out here. As she and
Makoto walked a restless Miki through the garden, she wondered if any of the
others had found it difficult to sleep without the usual sounds of traffic and
city.
Makoto’s sluggish pace slowed even
more as she yawned and shifted the baby to her other shoulder. A high-pitched, cranky cry was her reward for
moving him. She rubbed his back and
cooed at him, trying to calm him down.
“Come on, Bug, quiet down,” she practically begged. “It’s almost two. You’re tired.
Go to sleep. You know you want
to.”
The baby began to cry even harder
and squirmed in her arms.
“Want me to take him for awhile?”
asked Ami when Makoto stopped to adjust her hold on the baby.
Makoto shook her head. “No, it’s still my mile. Once more around the pool,
and then you can have him back again.”
Ami nodded, but as they turned back
in the direction of the poolhouse, movement on the
back porch caught her eye. It took a
moment for her to figure out who it was in the dark, but when she did, she put
a hand to Makoto’s arm to stop her.
“Hold on a moment, please. Uncle Kyo’s back, finally.
I’d like to speak with him for a few minutes.”
“Okay,” answered Makoto. She tilted her head in the direction of the
pool. “We’re going to head over
there. If you don’t meet up with us,
we’ll come back this way to you.”
Leaving Makoto, Ami approached her
uncle slowly, the dim light on the porch making his usually easy-going
expression seem thoughtful and faraway as he stared up into the clear sky. “Uncle Kyo?” she said softly.
Kyo’s
mouth turned up into a smile. “Heya,
Squirt. Sounds like
that boy of yours is keeping you up late.”
Moving so she stood beside him, Ami
answered, “We were all getting a bit stir crazy walking around the room in
circles. Coming out here seemed like it
would be a good idea and less of a disturbance for everyone than walking the
halls with him, since we’re furthest from the bedrooms on this side of the
house.”
“Smart girl,” said Kyo as he reached
over and ruffled her hair. Then his
smile widened, and he pulled her against him so her
back was to his chest. He gave her a
tight squeeze, and said, “I really am glad you drug your family up here for all
of us to meet. I’m just sorry I wasn’t
around to spend more time getting to know all of them today. But I’ll make up for it, I promise. You know, now that you have that baby and
Gram understands why, she’s going to make you come up here more often. With or without your
mother.”
“I figured as much,” answered
Ami. “It would feel strange coming
without Mom, though.”
“Then you’ll just have to force her
to take some time off and come with you,” laughed Kyo. “She really needs to relax more.”
Ami grinned, and for several
minutes, the two of them stood in comfortable silence. Then Kyo reached into his pocket and pulled
out a bag of M&M’s. He popped a
piece of candy into Ami’s mouth before tossing back several himself. Ami chewed and swallowed, then moved from her
uncle’s loose embrace so she could face him.
“May I ask you something,” she
asked. When Kyo nodded, she went on,
“This morning, when you told him about Mom, I heard Uncle Seijuurou say, ‘not
again.’ What does that mean?”
Kyo swallowed his chocolate and rested
his hands casually in the pockets of his jeans.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that.
Anyway, I suppose Kaya’s never told you about how we met your father?”
Ami shook her head. “She very rarely tells me anything about
Papa.”
“That does fit Kaya’s personality,”
said Kyo, not terribly surprised. “Let’s
see, it was Kaya’s last year of med school I think, and she was coming home for
winter break. We hadn’t seen her at all
that summer, so Mom made sure Juurou would be here,
also. Well, your mom came home just like
she was supposed to, only she didn’t come alone.”
“She brought Papa,” guessed
Ami. “And she didn’t tell anyone she was
going to.”
“Nope. We hadn’t heard a word about him,” confirmed
Kyo. “Mind you, I was just a kid, so I
wasn’t privy to most of what went on after Mom hustled everyone up to Dad’s
office. But before that door
closed…” Kyo let out a long whistle at
the memory of the silent explosion that had happened when his sister and father
clashed. “In one breath Kaya introduced Suoh to us, and in the next she was telling us they were
getting married. Father’s face turned so
red I thought he was going to explode on the spot. And the silence that followed it was
horrible. Suoh
couldn’t take it. He wound up leaving a
few hours later. Kaya, on the other
hand, never backed down.
“You’ve never seen Kaya and Dad
truly fight with each other, but let me tell you, it is a wondrous thing when
it happens,” went on Kyo, his eyes drifting back up to the stars. “They didn’t say a word to each other, they
didn’t have to, and the rest of us were too afraid to even try. Even Granddad kept quiet. We spent days avoiding them, tiptoeing around
the house, only eating together because we had to, while watching Dad and Kaya
stare each other down. And I swear I
don’t think three words were spoken in those three days by anyone. Deafening silence, I think is the term.”
“What happened?”
Kyo shrugged. “Dad blinked.
And I lost 3000 yen to Juurou as a
result. I’ve never seen your mom so
happy, though, so it was worth it.”
“Why, though?” asked Ami, trying to
comprehend her mother a bit better. “Why
do things that way? I understand the
difficulty in bringing Papa home to Grandfather, but I would think it would
have been better to tell them first.”
“Beats me, Squirt,” replied Kyo with
another shrug. “I’ve spent the entirety
of my 32 years trying to figure Kaya out, and I haven’t managed to yet.”
A serious, thoughtful frown appeared
on Ami’s face, and Kyo wasn’t going to let it stay there. So he decided to touch on a subject he’d
wanted to ask about before being pulled away to the hospital. Deciding to take the long way around to it,
he started with, “How have your little girls been getting along with Seiji and
Kara?”
Ami hesitated at the sudden change
in subject. Then she answered, “Well,
they seem to like Kara well enough, and she them. Seiji, though, seemed to be avoiding us as
much as he could.”
“Don’t worry about him,” replied Kyo
with a dismissive wave. “He’s just a bit
shy. He’ll warm up to you in a day or
two. Now, just so I don’t embarrass
myself at breakfast, remind me who belongs to who. Chibi-usa is?”
“Usagi’s cousin,” answered Ami,
repeating the little white lie they’d all become familiar with.
“And Hotaru?”
“Setsuna, Michiru,
and Haruka.”
“That’s
the part I’m trying to figure out,” said Kyo, bringing his finger up and
tapping it against his lips. “Tenoh and Kaioh are the couple, right? How, exactly, does Meioh fit into that?”
“Um, well…” stuttered out Ami,
understanding what her uncle was asking and searching for the most appropriate
answer. She touched briefly on ‘I don’t
know’ and ‘It’s none of my business,’ before finally settling on, “She’s their
family.”
Kyo nodded at that somewhat
ambiguous answer. “Okay. Is she Hotaru’s biological mother? The other two don’t seem old enough.”
“No.”
“Oh, it’s like that. We weren’t sure, and Juurou
was trying to guess with me.” Then he
asked, “And Meioh is what, 24 or 25? Somewhere around in there?”
“I really don’t know,” answered Ami,
her brow wrinkling in confusion at these odd questions.
“Is she seeing anyone?”
Ami opened her mouth to answer, but
quickly shut it. Hesitantly, she asked,
“Why?”
Kyo laughed. “Because she’s a drop-dead
gorgeous woman. She’s also the
only adult, possibly heterosexual female in this house that I’m not related to. I have to at least try.”
Ami’s jaw fell open and she stared
at him in disbelief.
Kyo laughed harder and tapped her on
the nose. “You look just like Kaya when
you make that face at me. You should go
find your ‘friend,’ Squirt, or else she’ll get mad at you for leaving her with
a disagreeable infant.” With that, he
turned and headed into the house.
Slowly, Ami’s mouth closed and she
stared in the direction her uncle had gone.
She couldn’t stop the small, pitiful whimper that crept out between her
lips.