Still Raining

Still Raining
Sequel to: On the Street of Dreams
Written by: chochowilliams
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: Ayaka is used to getting what she wants and what she wants now is Eiri. She’ll do whatever it takes to make him hers. Anything.
Chapter Summary: Ayaka is on the run, Shuichi is trying to cope with the death of his mother and Mika and the Aizawas get some good news.
Warning: AU, fantasy, angst, drama, romance, M-Preg, language, characters death, M/M
Parings: Ryuichi/Tatsuha, Eiri/Shuichi
Inserts: Quote from Angles & Demons
A/N: Some of you were under the assumption that Ayaka was pregnant. Not true. Anyway, this was supposed to be the epilogue, but it was getting ridiculously long so I had to split it. There is one more chapter and then the epilogue after this. Enjoy!

oOo

Last Time

She was not going to make it in time!

There was utter chaos around her. So many people were yelling and scrambling to get out of the way of the car careening out of control. Not her though. She was heading straight into the heart of the turmoil. She had to. There was no other option. It was her duty as a mother, as a grandmother, as a human being.

Her honey colored hair had come free of its restraint and was streaming out behind her and her bronzite eyes were wide in fear. Her breath was coming out in panting breathes. There was a stitch in her side.

When time slowed down, hope was borne within her. She believed she had all the time in the world to shout to her son and push him out of the way of the white- or was it silver?- car with a flying tackle she’d learned from watching American football, something that her husband had recently become obsessed with.

Her belief was justified.

The last image she had was of her son, her precious baby boy, lying sprawled out on the sidewalk surrounded by a contingent of black clad men and women who had appeared from out of nowhere.

“Thank God,” she whispered before her body exploded in pain. She was smiling when the nothingness claimed her.

oOo

Chapter 26: You Could Always Remain Anonymous

The Next Day - Seiryu Memorial Hospital - Tokyo

Shuichi was numb. His usually tan complexion was pale, his face sticky with the residue of dried tears. His amethyst eyes, red and puffy, were dull and lifeless. Vaguely, he was aware of the black suited men following him as he ambled listlessly through the hospital, but he ignored them just as he‘d ignored everybody else. It was easy to make himself forget their presence. What good had they been anyway? Tohma had sent them to protect him and his family from a possible threat, but in the end, they’d done absolutely nothing as that car had careened towards him. No, it’d been his mother who’d come flying to his rescue.

The pain that had simmered to a dull ache came roaring back. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

This late at night- or was it: this early in the morning?- the sterile winding halls of the hospital were eerily silent. It was deserted like a ghost town. For that he was grateful. Right now, he just wanted to grieve for his mother without having countless strangers coming up to him hugging him and patting his shoulder saying how sorry they were for his loss.

Even now that incessant buzzing followed him no matter how far from the ER he strolled. He could still hear it echoing in his head mingling with Maiko’s screams, his father’s stunned expression and Ryuichi’s silent tears.

He wasn’t sure where any of them were and he didn’t particularly care.

As he approached another junction, the low murmur of male voices could be heard. Even though he could not make out what was being said, he recognized the speakers. They sounded like Eiri and Tohma.

He hadn’t even known they’d left the ER.

“Are you absolutely sure it was Ayaka Usami?”

Shuichi came to an immediate halt. Usami? Where had he heard that name before? His brow scrunched in thought. Usami. Usami. Wait. Wasn’t that the chick Eiri’s father tried to get him to marry? Why were they talking about her? His pulse started racing. Did she have something to do with the accident?

“Yes.”

Shuichi crept forward and peered around the corner. It was Eiri and Tohma. Eiri looked livid. Of course, Tohma looked like his same nonchalant self. He could not remember ever seeing Tohma not levelheaded.

“I looked right as her Tohma. Right at her!”

“I have my people on it, Eiri,” Tohma was saying in his usual calm voice. “We will find her.” He sounded so sure. There was no doubt in his voice. “She won‘t be able to get far with all of Japan looking for her. Don’t worry.”

Eiri fisted his hands. His brother-in-law’s certainty did little to ease the anger surging through him. “‘Don’t worry’? How can I not?! She tried to kill Shuichi!”

Shuichi froze.

What?

This…She…No. No. It can’t be. It…

He staggered backwards until his back hit the wall. The jolt snapped him out of his stunned stupor. Wrapping his arms around his belly, he slid down the wall to the floor as the dam broke and a flood of tears coursed down his face.

Ayaka Usami killed his mother.

“I’ll kill her,” he sobbed as a rush of fury swept over him. “If I ever get my hands on that stupid cunt bitch I’ll make her regret the day she was born!” That was a promise.

oOo

A Month Later - Early Morning - Mataguchi Residence - Avan Minami-Aoyama Manor - Tokyo

Sitting at the table in her small yet efficient apartment with her back to the kitchen, Nami Mataguchi was staring blankly out the sliding glass doors. She did not see the forest of greenery that was her balcony or the endlessly blue summer sky with the intermittent wispy cloud. She heard the distant rumble of traffic. Occasionally the obnoxiously loud roar of a vehicle cut over the rest as if it were a contest to see who can annoy the rest of humanity the most. There was the chatter of people coming and going and the barking of a dog. She watched, but not really taking it in, as a bird perched itself on the railing of her balcony for only a moment before taking flight.

A light breeze flowed into the apartment through the open balcony doors. It trailed across her face like a lover’s hand, but did little to ease the stifling oppression that filled the apartment; the air conditioner was broken.

In her hands was a white ceramic teacup. The floral aroma tickled her senses. She lifted the cup and took a delicate sip. The warmth of the tea spread through her.

“Tokyo police are still on the lookout for nineteen year old Ayaka Usami of Kyoto.”

The cup’s downward motion halted halfway. Nami turned towards the television sitting on the sideboard across the room.

“She’s wanted for questioning regarding the hit and run accident that killed Mai Shindou last month. The forty-nine year old homemaker leaves behind her husband of twenty-eight years Morihiro Shindou and three children- thirty-two year old Ryuichi Sakuma of Nittle Grasper, eighteen year old Shuichi Shindou of Bad Luck and who may have been the intended target, and sixteen year old Maiko Shindou from Seikeitsu High in Kyoto- and one grandson.

“Witnesses at the scene of the accident claim the car deliberately aimed for eighteen year old front man Shuichi Shindou- who confirmed reports just last week that he is indeed pregnant with twins.”

A pre-recorded interview replaced the gray-haired anchorman. The caption at the bottom of the screen stated the man was Yatsutora. He did not appear to be more than twenty years old. “And this lady,” he was saying, “she just, like, appeared from outta nowhere and pushed the kid out of the way. I didn‘t realize until later that it was Shuichi Shindou. That lady saved his life.”

“Reports say the force of the impact sent Mrs. Shindou flying over sixty feet. She succumbed to her injuries in the early morning hours at Seiryu Memorial Hospital with her family by her side,” the anchorman was saying over the silent images of the chaos that had enfolded at the scene following the accident.

A man dressed in monk robes popped on the screen. The caption at the bottom of the screen said, “Masahiro Usami”.

“Ayaka’s father,” Nami whispered. This had to difficult for both him and his wife. Ayaka was their only child.

“Ayaka is a good girl. She would never do something like this. Never! These accusations are ludicrous and baseless.”

Nami snorted. Having worked for the younger woman, she had firsthand knowledge of this so-called “good girl”. The only baseless accusations being made about Ms. Ayaka Usami were the ones being spewed by her father, but then again that seemed to be parents’ prerogative. No matter how much evidence piles up to the contrary, their child was always innocent and would never hurt a fly. “Bull. Shit.”

A picture of Ayaka flashed across the screen. “Ayaka Usami is five-foot-four, one-hundred-fifteen pounds with long brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen driving a 2005 silver Toyota that police say would have massive front-end damage.

“If you have any information please contact the Tokyo police at…And remember, you can always remain anonymous.”

Torn, Nami’s gaze traveled to the cellphone that was sitting on the counter behind her and bit her lip.

oOo

Kyoto Cemetery - Kyoto, Japan

It hadn’t been up for debate. There hadn’t been any question or doubt about them attending the funeral or not and it had nothing to do with Mai Shindou giving her life to save the lives of her son and her unborn grandchildren. Her sudden appearance at the scene that night had been like that of a superhero arriving just in time to save the day. It hadn’t been out of a sense of gratitude or seen as an obligation that he could live without. It would have been childish and immature to blow off her funeral just because there hadn’t been any communication between mother and son in years. They may have had their problems, yes, maybe even hated one another to a degree, but in the end, she was still his mother and her death still left behind a rift that would never be bridged and an emptiness within his heart that would never truly go away.

Whatever may or may not have happened between them, she was his mother and he loved her.

As for his father, the man had completely ignored his presence, at both the hospital as well as the entire time he had been in Kyoto, which had been for the entire month. This had been just fine with Shuichi. He’d been able to grieve for his mother in peace. Though if truth be told, there had been a small part of him that had hoped they could work things out, have some sort of relationship, if for nothing more than for his mother.

Guess that had been too much to hope for.

He was glad that the rest of the family had welcomed him though. It was better than nothing.

Kizou had frightened them. No surprise there. He was leader of the Black Dragons after all. Associating with yakuza could seriously shorten your life expectancy.

Eiri had turned them all into fan girls. It’d been a riot for everyone but Eiri who still had that tick he developed when he was annoyed. He’d liked it better when they’d been disowned from their respective families.

Everyone had fawned over and nearly suffocated to death poor little Takanori who had been so overwhelmed at meeting so many new people at once.

He had been pampered over the entire time. His great grandmother had smacked him upside the head for being involved with a mob boss then turned around and said that he “did well”. He was still not sure what that was supposed to mean.

His sister had been a complete mess. She’d always been closer to their mother than he had been. Because it had been decided that they would stay in Kyoto the entire month, she roped them into helping to finish the nursery. Apparently, she was having a boy. Thankfully, their father hadn’t been home much during the time they were there. Unexpected overtime or so Maiko claimed.

As for his mother, Mai Shindou’s ashes were interred here in the Kyoto Cemetery besides her parents who had passed away several years back a year and a day apart. With his head bowed, Shuichi was kneeling before her grave. His amethyst eyes were shut, but the tears were not deterred. They coursed freely. His lips were moving in silent prayer.

Shuichi was not a religious man, but he wasn’t not religious either. In a way, he was agnostic- not really sure one way or another. On the other hand, he was spiritual- having beliefs that contrasted sharply with organized religion.

He was not sure if there was such a thing as God, or if the concept of God- whether referring to the God (if one existed) or multiple gods- was just invented by early man as a way to explain the unexplainable, but if there was, he was more likely to believe God was something akin to the Force- “energy that flows through the synapses of our nervous system and the chambers of our hearts” as he heard it once described. It’s the man behind the curtain, as it were, the cause of the Big Bang. Thus, it created the universe and continues to help it expand. It helped give life to the planet, from carving out rivers and valleys and forming mountain ranges and growing the forests. It was what caused hearts to beat, hair to grow, lips to smile, noses to breath, tongues to taste, eyes to see, hands to feel, and legs to walk.

His belief in God may be tumultuous, but he was sure of his belief in life after death; whether that be reincarnation, Heaven, or something else entirely he could not say, but he had to believe that death was not the end. He had to believe that life continued after the physical body turned to dust and the mourners left, the tears stopped, the gaping hole the deceased left in the heart and souls of those left behind filled in, the flowers wilted and died, tombstones became overgrown with grass and weeds, and memories faded until finally the only reminder that the person had actually existed was an old photograph in a photo album tucked away in the back of the closet. To believe in life after death was to believe that his mother was still alive. That she was not truly gone, but had just gone on to something better.

Shuichi dropped his head into his hands and sobbed quietly.

O

Eiri stood a little ways back from his husband with an unusually silent Takanori in his arms. If it wasn’t for the fact that his son weighed just under a ton, it would have been easy to forget he had a child in his arms. Little Takanori was never this still or this quiet. Never. Not even when he was sleeping.

He pushed aside his own tears and tried to ignore the aching in his throat and the tightening in his chest. As he’d never met the woman, it was difficult for him to mourn the passing of his mother-in-law (grandmother-in-law?). That was not to say he felt nothing at her sudden and tragic death, for it was impossible to not feel something, some sympathy at least, but it was impossible to have or feel the level or depth of emotions as someone who’d actually known and spent time with the deceased.

What had his heart aching as it did was seeing what the death of Mai Shindou was doing to her son.

“Why Mama cry?”

The question was so innocent, but Eiri was fighting back a renewal of tears because of it. The ghostly ache in his throat became painful as the fight to keep his sobs at bay grew tougher.

Out of the mouth of babes, he thought with a wave of sorrow.

How was a parent supposed to discuss something like this with his child, especially when said child was so young? Little Takanori was only two years old. Come February, he would be three. How could you explain death to a child in a way that he would understand?

It took several tries for Eiri to be able to say, “Mama’s sad.” Even then, the short phrase came out in a hoarse whisper. It physically hurt to speak those two simple but meaningful words. The effort to expel them had him feeling winded and left his throat stinging and raw, almost as if those words had been surrounded by thorns as they traveled up his throat and out of his mouth.

He’d expected his son to ask why Mama was sad, but instead, little Takanori started fidgeting and squirming. As he was hard pressed to hold onto him- his son was like a fish out of water…or his mother, Eiri gently lowered his son to the ground, who took off running to Shuichi before his feet hit the ground.

There was the sound of crunching of gravel behind him. He did not need to look to know who it was.

“Hey,” greeted the soft-spoken voice.

Not trusting his voice to not come out in an embarrassed squeak, Eiri merely nodded, making a noise of acknowledgment.

“How’s he doing?”

Eiri never noticed it before, but Kizou had a slight accent. He wondered if it was more perceptible when the man was emotional.

As he considered how to answer that question, he watched his husband and their son.

With his legs folded beneath him, Shuichi was sitting before his mother’s grave with little Takanori sitting in his lap facing him. His golden eyes were riveted on his mother’s face as the man spoke to him quietly. Eiri wondered what his husband was saying to their son.

“Holding up,” he finally said. It was true enough. Shuichi had his good days and then there were the bad days. Sometimes it was hard to get Shuichi out of bed. Other times he locked himself away in his studio. There were days when Shuichi would cry for hours. Or he would burst into tears seemingly at random moments. Other days he wouldn’t shed a tear. Occasionally, Shuichi acted as if he’d finally been able to move passed her death, smiling and laughing. He wasn’t sure if the emotional rollercoaster was because Shuichi was in mourning or if it was due to the pregnancy hormones, which was one of the only ways to snap Shuichi out of it when he fell into one of his funks. Blackmail at its finest.

“I’m sure he feels guilty.”

Eiri nodded.

“When we were together,” Kizou continued, “he never spoke about either of his parents unless I asked him and even then it was like…” Pulling teeth, he thought, would have been easier than getting him to speak about his family. “Trying to talk to him was like trying to reason with a rabid animal.”

Guess Shuichi hadn’t really changed all that much. Even after they received that card not long after he’d been kicked out of the house and disowned by his father, Shuichi hadn’t said much about his parents. He’d tried to bring it up once or twice after, but Shuichi would just shrug and change the subject. What he did know was that Shuichi’s father thought of him as a “freak” for being a neutral and that he hadn’t had the slightest interest in his son’s life. Even little Takanori’s birth had gone unnoticed. Mr. Shindou doted on his daughter and stepson though…well, had doted on his stepson until said stepson disowned them as his parents. That move had actually helped Shuichi move passed the painful knowledge that he was no longer needed by them.

As for his mother, Shuichi never talked about her now that he thought about it. He didn’t know much about her and Shuichi’s relationship. He knew she refused to acknowledge that Shuichi was a neutral; she’d been in denial about that, but he could not remember if he’d heard that from Shuichi or if someone else had told him.

“He talked about Ryuichi Sakuma a lot though.”

That he did.

“I overheard him and Narata, he’s….” Subordinate? Employee? “…my assistant, talking once. He said that Sakuma was ‘more of a father than’ his father had ever been.”

Eiri believed that.

“But despite how he may have felt for them or he for them, they are his parents and knowing that his mother died saving his life…? That he never had the chance to work things out or patch things up with her?” Kizou shook his head. “I can’t imagine.”

The two men watched as their son stood up and turned around to face his grandmother‘s grave. Behind him, Shuichi stood up on his knees and lightly traced his mother’s name that had been etched onto the grave marker. Eiri saw his husband’s lips move, but he couldn’t make out what he was saying.

When Shuichi pulled back, little Takanori stepped forward and kissed the white pillar where he’d just seen his mother touch.

The sight was too much for Kizou. It forced him to turn around and walk away a pace so he could gather himself. He tipped his head back and blinked rapidly several times, holding them open wide in an attempt at keeping the tears from falling and took deep breaths to loosen the tightness in his chest and dispel the ache in his throat.

Eiri smiled through the burn of tears at the sight.

O

Swiping at his falling tears, Shuichi pushed to his feet and held out a hand to his son while the other gently rubbed his rapidly expanding belly. “Come on,” he sniffed. “Let’s go see Daddy.”

Little Takanori took his mama’s hand and as he allowed his mama to guide him away to where his daddies were waiting, he turned around to look back at the skinny stone where Mama said Grandma was sleeping. “Bye-bye,” he waved.

Violet eyes swimming in a well of tears, Shuichi gave the smaller hand within his a gentle squeeze. When little Takanori gazed up at him, he smiled down at him. “I don’t know about you, but Mama is starving to death here. Where should we go?”

He watched the two year old’s face light up. It was more like an explosion of exhilaration. “Bugger King!” little Takanori cried, bouncing along besides him.

Shuichi chuckled lightly. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Cheering loudly, Little Takanori dropped his hand and tore through the cemetery to his daddies to tell them the excellent news.

Shuichi laughed after him.

He stepped into the main aisle and paused to glance one last time at his mother’s final resting place. What his mother was doing there in Tokyo that night, nobody seemed to know. Had she come to express her outrage at how he was once again bringing embarrassment to the Shindou name? To confront him? Or had she been there to try to work things out between them? Either way, he would never know for certain now and that was worse than knowing that she was no longer just a phone call away.

Turning away, he brushed at the annoying trickle of tears and started down the aisle to where Eiri waited. It was time to go home.

oOo

Seguchi Residence - Tokyo Midtown Residence - Tokyo

Mika was a nervous wreck. She was hoping for the best, but expecting the worse. This was not the first time she’s found herself in the position she was currently in. She lost count of how many times she’s been wrecked by this same nervous expectation, hoping against hope that it would be this time. Unfortunately, despite her fervent wishing and praying, the countless threats and rivers of tears, the desire she and her husband of nearly a decade have held onto, regardless of the evidence that continued to stack up against it, was dashed time and again. Though she knew not to get her hopes up- the higher they were held, they longer the drop inevitably was- she had to hope this time was going to be different. She just had to.

And so, she paced.

From the front door, through the foyer and into the living room to Tohma’s office, then back out through the living room and up to the second floor, passed the four bedrooms, the master suite and the bathroom and back downstairs into the kitchen, around to the dining room and into the back bedroom, passed the downstairs bathroom, the utility room and back out through the dining room and kitchen to the backdoor. Then she would turn around and make her way back through the house to the front door. From there she would begin the cycle all over again.

She was making herself dizzy and yet she refused to stop. She did not want to stop for if she were to she would begin the “what if” game. What if she was? What if she wasn’t?

Feeling nauseous, Mika was trooping down the stairs for what felt like the millionth time when the silence of the house was shattered by the ringing of the phone

Nearly tripping down the carpeted stairs in her haste, she flew into the kitchen.

“Hello?” she panted into the phone.

“Good morning. This is Dr. Yamashita from T-U Family Practice calling for Mika Uesugi,” said the calm, professional voice.

“This is she,” Mika confirmed breathlessly. Her heart was suddenly racing a mile a minute and it had nothing to do with the 100-meter dash she just completed.

“Hello, Mrs. Uesugi. Your tests results came back.”

Experience told her not to, but Mika held her breath and prayed. Please. Please. Please, she chanted.

“I believe congratulations are in order. You are pregnant.”

She was not sure how she’d suspected she might react to the news of a pregnancy. Quiet, calm acceptance? Exaltation? Shock and disbelief? What she got was a well of tears that stung her eyes and blurred her vision before they spilled down her cheeks. Her free hand flew to her mouth to stifle the sobs aching to be let loose. A fine trembling shook her, which she could not seem to stop. When her legs threatened to give out, she had to lean back against the counter to keep from collapsing into a puddle of jelly on the floor. A well of happiness swelled within her. She couldn’t quite believe it. It was too good to be true. She hoped she was not dreaming. If she was, she did not want to wake up. “Are…are you sure?” she whispered.

“Positive.”

“Oh,” she sobbed.

“Five weeks to be exact.”

Mika slid to the floor. She did not know what to say- not that she could. She was too overwhelmed to speak.

This certainly was a dream come true.

“I would like you to come in in two weeks, if that‘s doable, for a routine check up.”

Mika was nodding. Not trusting herself to speak just yet, she made an affirmative noise and hoped the doctor would understand.

Dr. Yamashita seemed to for she laughed lightly. “Congratulations again. I know you and your husband have waited a long time for this.”

That was an understatement, she thought. “Thank you so much,” Mika whispered aloud.

“You’re welcome my dear. Now, if you can hold for a sec, I’ll transfer you to Janus alright?”

She was nodding again. “Certainly,” she forced herself to say.

“You have a good day.”

“You too,” she returned automatically.

Soft music trickled over the line.

“I knew it was all his fault,” she whispered happily, remembering that day a month ago. Never before had she felt this elated. Today was a good day.

oOo

NG Productions - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

He knew he should be paying attention, but Tohma found his attention wavering. It has been like this all month. He could not seem to get any work done. His mind kept replaying the phone calls he’d received as he’d been pacing his office late that night.

The first one had been from K. “We arrived too late,” his assassin for hire had told him.

He’d barely had time to process what that could possibly mean when the second phone call came. This time it’d been from Eiri.

It was all his fault. His fault!

Maybe if he would have just informed Eiri sooner about the possible threat…

If the guards he’d assigned to guard his brothers-in-law had arrived sooner…

If he’d gone over there himself…

If…

If…

If…

Looking back on what he could have done differently was slowly driving him crazy!

And to make matters worse, the crazy bitch was still out there somewhere.

Tohma was grateful for the reprieve when a light knock sounded on the conference room door, interrupting the mindless arguing that had been going on for the last half an hour. He may not have been paying particular attention to any of it, but it was still giving him a massive migraine. The door opened silently and his secretary poked her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Seguchi,” Nanako apologized with a sheepish expression, “but you have a phone call.”

Tohma sat back with a frown. Nanako knew never to interrupt him during a meting unless it was important. His heart starting beating faster. He wondered. “Who is it?” His voice came out steady, strong, and almost bored sounding, nothing like how he was feeling.

All heads within the conference room turned to watch the exchange between his secretary and him as if they were at a tennis match.

“All he would say was that you’d told him to call you if anything substantial came in?” She made the statement a question and looked apologetic, as if she had failed to fulfill a request so simple even a child could complete it.

Tohma’s demeanor stiffened. He knew exactly who it was she was referring to. “Thank you, Nana. I’ll be there momentarily.” It was a trial to speak normally as if this was routine, even though it was anything but.

“Sir.” With that, she exited the conference room, shutting the door behind her.

“What was that all about Seguchi?” asked someone from his left.

Tohma did not ignore him on purpose. His mind was elsewhere. It was already upstairs in his office.

Pushing his chair back, he stood up. “Gentlemen, if you’d excuse me, I must take this. Why don’t we take a little break and continue this in say…half an hour?” Without waiting for a reply, he hurried out of the conference room. Raised voices followed him out.

Deciding it would be quicker to take the stairs rather than the elevator, Tohma raced up the five flights to his executive suite while trying to look as if he wasn’t hurrying. He had no idea if he’d pulled it off. Part of him did not care either way. Some things were more important than modesty, decorum and what people thought when they saw the lead keyboardist for one of the nation’s hottest bands and the CEO of a record label that had become more of a household name than Google racing through the halls like a lunatic. This would be one of them.

He burst into his office and snatched up the phone. “Tell me you found her,” he demanded without any preamble.

“We just received a tip from someone who says she may be hiding out in Honshu.”

Tohma frowned. “Honshu?”

“Apparently, Mrs. Usami and her brother inherited ten acres of land five years ago when their mother died. The old family homestead burned down seventy-five years ago when lightening struck the house and instead of rebuilding, the family moved to Kyoto, but the land still remains in the family. I know the area. My cousin lives around there. There’s nothing around for miles. It would be a perfect place to disappear.”

Tohma didn’t like it. If there was nothing there, not even the old family home, then why would Ayaka go there? Even if it was in the middle of nowhere, it was still land her family owned. It would be folly to think of it as a place to lay low, at least for more than a day or so, but it was a lead, which was more than they’d had half an hour ago. “Thank you Sergeant.” Despite the lack of it being the ideal location to disappear when you had the entirety of Japan- and most assuredly several nations outside of Japan- after you, Tohma was hoping Ayaka Usami was just that moronic.

oOo

That Afternoon - Aizawa Residence - Kyoto, Japan

The anniversary of their son’s tragic accident came and went and the Aizawas had been forced since to accept, thanks to a DNA paternity test, that Little Takanori was not their grandson. The news had been beyond devastating. It had been like reliving the loss of their son all over again. A wound that was not fully healed was easily reopened, but a phone call from a woman who claimed to have dated their son for a short time six years ago changed everything.

Oharu glanced down at the five year old who was skipping along besides her and singing softly a song she did not recognize. She tightened her grip on the small hand within hers. Raising her gaze, she smiled at her husband who was holding the girl’s other hand. Tears misted her vision.

“Can we get ice cream Grandma?”

Blinking back her tears, Oharu smiled down at her granddaughter. “But of course!”

“You spoil her too much Grandma.” Though Masato scolded his wife, his tone was light. There was a twinkle in his eye.

“Well that’s what Grandmas are for,” she said haughtily. “Right Mizuna?”

“Right,” the five year old agreed.

“Well,” Masato sighed heavily, “it looks like I’ve been outvoted.”

Mizuna freed her hands from her grandparents grasps and tossing her hands into the air, began jumping around and cheering loudly.

Masato and Oharu laughed at her antics.

Little Takanori had looked nothing like their son. At times, Oharu had found herself questioning whether he was even an Aizawa. Of course as that had been kin to sacrilege, she’d quickly shaken those negatives thoughts aside. So what, she’d scold herself, if he looked nothing like her son. It doesn’t mean anything. You need not be a clone to be related to someone. She and her sisters looked nothing alike. It always took people by surprise when she told them that they were indeed siblings. Her younger half-sister looked more like her oldest sister than her older sister looked like her.

Now she knew she should have listened to those nagging doubts.

This time, it was different. Mizuna was the spitting image of their son. Their resemblance was such that at times, it forced her to relive the moment three years ago when she found a police officer at her doorstep, but she would not have it any other way. For with this child, their son had been reborn.

---TBC---

A/N: Someone asked and yes, there are female neutrals out there in this AU world. We just haven’t met any. They are just like everyone else. Some think of themselves as male while others may think of themselves as being female. Others may think of themselves as both. It’s a personal preference. Shuichi thinks of himself mainly as male but with a special ability. I placed the warning of this being an m-preg so that you the readers would be forewarned. Does that help?

Anyway, thanks go to ferler, Namikazu naruko14, Nivea1234, DarkestFlameUchiha, idontsurf, fan girl 666, Hononotenshi, Chen-chan, kaname-luvr, RRW, laycee, Selina for your reviews and support. Keep them coming!