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As the Smoke Clears #4 in Rivalry Series	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2672 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-As the Smoke Clears
- 2-Smoke 2
- 3-Smoke 3
- 4-Smoke 4
- 5-Smoke 5
- 6-Smoke 6
- 7-Smoke 7
- 8-Smoke 8
- 9-Smoke 9
- 10-Smoke 10
- 11-Smoke 11
- 12-Smoke 12
- 13-Smoke 13
- 14-Smoke 14
- 15-Some 15
- 16-Smoke 16
- 17-Chapter 17
- 18-Smoke 18
- 19-Smoke 19
- 20-Smoke 20
- 21-Smoke 21
- 22-Smoke 22
- 23-Smoke 23
- 24-Smoke 24
- 25-Smoke 25
- 26-Smoke 26
- 27-Smoke 27
- 28-Smoke 28
- 29-Smoke 29
- 30-Smoke 30
- 31-Smoke 31
- 32-Smoke 32
- 33-Smoke 33
- 34-Smoke 34
- 35-Smoke 35
- 36-Smoke 36
- 37-Smoke 37
- 38-Smoke 38
- 39-Smoke 39
- 40-Smoke 40
- 32
- 33
- 34
Author Note: imootosan = someone's little sister. I found this word at an online English Japanese Romanji dictionary site. Thanks to those who pointed out errors in Japanese words used in this series. Wish my Japanese fluent pal would get back to the USA to help me fix the series' linguistic mistakes!

CHAPTER 33

Itsuke awoke before his companions. Tak managed to be partially atop Keisuke, with his head resting over Keisuke's heart as usual. Smiling at the genuine peace he saw on Tak's face, Itsuke got out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Quickly getting a shower and donning his clothes, Itsuke finished his morning absolutions in record time. Striding quietly across the master bedroom, he slipped out of the room to keep from waking the others.

The dark-haired man walked into the main part of the flat that Keisuke's grandparents were renting. It was overwhelming to be in such a huge place. The luxury of everything he saw unnerved him. Yet, to his mind, it was fitting that Tak should get to enjoy such things. All their lives, Tak had watched over him, and gotten little in return. Perhaps it was Tak's good karma coming full circle that had brought Keisuke into his life.

"Good morning, Itsuke kun. Sleep well?" Keisuke's grandsire asked from the open dining room archway. Turning to face the long European styled table, Itsuke saw that Keisuke's relatives and Hikaru were already having breakfast.

He stepped into the room's doorway. With a sketchy head bow, Itsuke answered. "Hai. Domo for asking, Tatsuhiko san."

"Itsi, you're up." Hikaru chirped from his booster chair.

"Morning, Hikaru. Finish your breakfast for your grandparents, 'Kay?"

"Okay, Itsi." The toddler nodded solemnly and began eating again.

Keisuke's grandmothers sat at the table on either side of Keisuke's grandfather. Both were holding steaming mugs. Other relatives were sitting around the table also finishing meals, or sipping breakfast beverages.

Obāsan Masako asked, "Are Takumi and Keisuke up, Itsuke kun?"

Itsuke shook his head. "Not yet. Didn't want to wake them, so I came out here. Tak had another bad nightmare and couldn't sleep for a couple hours. Keisuke san calmed him until he could sleep again. I'll watch over Hikaru until they get up if you'd like, Masako san. It looks like you're all busy talking."

"That won't be necessary, young man. We can watch our great grandson until Keisuke and Takumi are ready to take over his care. Forgive me for my curiosity. Naze are you in the same room as Takumi and Keisuke?" Keisuke's other grandmother spoke in a mildly sharp tone.

Tatsuhiko heaved a hard sigh reminiscent of his own mother's when she was the most disappointed. "Erika, I have already explained that Itsuke and Takumi can't be separated for very long due to the tortures they survived in that horrible compound. I've explained the medical condition to you, and yet you insist upon missing the point."

Itsuke wondered how to answer. Recalling how this blue eyed grandmother had cross-examined Tak about his presence the previous evening, Itsuke fell back on expected phrases. "Gomen nasai gozaimasu. I didn't mean to offend minasan by offering to help. I thought you needed to concentrate on your plans."

"You haven't offended us, Itsuke kun. Erika wants to get to know little Hikaru. She's worried she won't get to spend enough time with her new great grandson unless she personally takes care of him. Come in and get some breakfast. By now, you must be quite hungry."

"Domo, Masako san. Um, I shouldn't impose. Your family looks like you're discussing tomorrow's celebration. Interfering with your planning is wrong since I'm an outsider." Itsuke replied, hoping that the Takahashi matriarch would allow him to flee to the living room. Itsuke feared finding himself on the receiving end of Keisuke's blue eyed grandmother's sharp tongued cross-examination.

Tatsuhiko answered. "You aren't an outsider, Itsuke kun. Keisuke and Takumi have explained your family relationship with Takumi. Besides, you're still considerably below your target weight and can't safely skip meals yet. Your medication requires food consumption before you can take it."

Caving to the inevitable, Itsuke found an empty chair to sit in. To Itsuke's surprise, Masako placed breakfast in front of him with an encouraging smile. He smiled in return. Keisuke's one grandmother was considerably nicer than the other he thought silently.

"Takumi said he considers you his otouto yesterday. How did that happen if I may pry?" Keisuke's Sobo san asked him in a surprisingly sweet voice.

Looking at Keisuke's shorter grandmother, Itsuke felt that answering her question was easier than annoying her. Keisuke and Tak had enough to worry about with the upcoming ceremony that brought Keisuke's relatives to Tokyo. If he could deflect uneasy reactions of Keisuke's family to his presence, it could only make things easier.

"We've known each other since we were very little kodomo. Tak was always at my house when we were little. My ryōshin even call Tak onīchan. Tak wanted them to be here for the ceremony, so you'll get to meet my Okāsan. It bummed Tak out that Otosān couldn't get time off from work."

"Is that so?" Keisuke's sobo asked with an odd sounding tone. Itsuke wondered if he had said something wrong as he nodded. Itsuke began to eat when the old woman fell silent.

"Was there any particular reason for Takumi spending most of his time in your home instead of his own?" Sobo Ogino asked as she studied him.

Not wanting to say the wrong thing yet again, Itsuke wondered how to explain Tak's childhood. Anything involving Tak's childhood was a potentially explosive topic. One thing Tak hated was discussion about his family. Deciding to encapsulate their friendship seemed the safest way to avoid any loaded subjects.

"Hai. It kept Tak out of Oyaji san's way at the tofu shop. He was really busy and didn't have time for Tak."

"Naze didn't his okāsan take care of Takumi I wonder?"

"Tak doesn't have an okāsan."

Another of the older women at the table spoke. "How did you meet Takumi kun, Takeuchi san?"

"I met Tak our very first day of school. We lived a couple blocks apart, so he started hanging out at my home after school every day. He did that through middle school. We even got jobs at the same gas stand in high school. It still feels weird when we don't see each other and hang out. . . . You know? Keisuke san is the center of Tak's world now, but he makes time to hang out with me every couple weeks. Tak likes to know how things are in my family."

Tatsuhiko took control of the conversation. "Takumi has struggled deeply with guilt because his Project D fan apology letter may be responsible for Itsuke kun's abduction. Of course nobody at this table except me knows anything about the terrible abuse Itsuke kun and Takumi suffered. I'd like to get permission from Itsuke and Takumi before speaking about the specifics to clarify their circumstances to minasan.

"Tak's blaming himself for my getting mangled to the point he stopped eating for almost a week. Better let Keisuke san and Tak decide how much minasan knows about the compound, Tatsuhiko san. Keisuke san can tell minasan anything that Tak doesn't mind strangers knowing right now."

"Afraid Takumi will stop eating again. Aren't you, Itsuke kun?" Tatsuhiko asked.

Itsuke began rubbing the twinging stumps of his scarred knuckles while staring at the table top. Itsuke felt like he was walking in a land-mine seeded field. However, to be at the ceremony for Tak, he had to find a way to defuse the low-key animosity he sensed from the old lady staring at him so intently at the head of the table. He nodded as he toyed with his food.

"Wish I could get Tak to stop blaming himself, but he won't listen to me or Keisuke san right now, Tatsuhiko san. He gets stubborn like that. He always watched out for me when we were little. He always knew something was wrong with me even if we didn't know it was a real illness. So, . . . Tak feels like he really failed me and my ryōshin because I lost fingers. Okāsan's the only one that can get Tak to stop blaming himself. She'll make Tak listen when she arrives this evening."

One of Keisuke's uncles cleared his throat drawing Itsuke's attention. Looking over at the older man, Itsuke hoped he didn't look as uncomfortable as he felt. "We noticed that you seem unusually close to Takumi kun yesterday when you accompanied him and Hikaru. You must know a great deal about Takumi. It would be normal after having spent every day with him for so many years. However, don't you think it a bit odd that you refuse to explain anything, or allow Tatsuhiko san to do so?"

Hearing the borderline accusation in the other man's voice, Itsuke flushed. He desperately wished to avoid painful subjects that Keisuke's family seemed determined to make him explain. Finding it so difficult to keep his mouth shut when he was stressed, Itsuke knew he was the last person that could be trusted.

"That's a rude thing to say, Nobuyuki kun. Takumi, Keisuke and Itsuke have explained that he and Takumi have been close as siblings for many years. Yet you insist on making Itsuke's reluctance to speak about Takumi's abuse sound dreadfully deceptive." Tatsuhiko's tone was mild, and yet held an undercurrent as sharp as a razor blade.

"Onīsan is simply pointing out that his reluctance seems unusually strange, Tatsuhiko san. After all, as close as they appear, wouldn't Itsuke san know how to answer without getting clearance first?" A woman that looked much like Keisuke's mother spoke.

"Kimiko and Nobuyuki make valid points, Tatsuhiko. It does seem strange that the Takahashi family has kept my family in the dark about Takumi's illness. Who can truly blame us for being concerned about the newest members of our family? The majority of things we know are from nightly news broadcasts." Sobo Ogino added with an equally sharp tone. The rest of the table's occupants nodded in agreement.

It could mess up everything between Tak and Keisuke if he said things wrong. Thinking about how to calm the situation without getting into trouble, Itsuke struggled to find acceptable answer. He had to keep the changes among the three of them secret. Feeling the piercing blue eyes of Keisuke's sobo lingering on him, Itsuke met her gaze. Her sharp eyes made him jumpy, yet Itsuke felt helpless to avoid the building confrontational tension.

"For years I was the only person Tak talked to about his troubles. He doesn't talk to anyone else as a rule. I'm not trying to hide things to be mean. Respecting Tak's privacy is a habit for me, minasan. Still, I'm relieved that Tak has Keisuke san now because Tak has someone beside me that he's willing to talk to about his troubles. Keisuke san is very reliable also. He'll listen to Keisuke san more than he will me. If you want to know about Tak's health, Keisuke san's the one you should ask."

Itsuke desperately hoped Keisuke's family would accept his answer. If they ever learned the things going on under their noses, . . . ? Itsuke's mind shied from the guilt laden thought. Thinking about things would only make him stumble harder. Trying to shut those thoughts away, Itsuke took a deep breath ands sought to reclaim the tattered remains of his calm.

Erika hummed softly. "You do seem to respect my grandson which is good. Still, I wonder how you'll feel once Takumi and Keisuke accept the Love Legacy vow. The have to take the vow to inherit the rings and molds that go with their matching necklaces, Itsuke kun. After all it amounts to a marriage vow."

Itsuke found his eyes returning to the tiny old woman who watched him with older versions of Keisuke san's eyes. The same cutting concentration was contained in her eyes as in her voice. Her comment was only slightly less cutting than her cerulean eyes. Resentment flared in Itsuke's chest. He had no intention of ever coming between Tak and Keisuke. A glance at little Hikaru was all he needed to firm his resolve ever single day. Keisuke's little boy gave him plenty of incentive to stick to his choice to do all that he could to keep Tak and Keisuke together.

"You make it sound like I'd want to come between Tak and Keisuke san. I'm happy for them, Ogino san. The only thing I want is Tak's long term happiness. Keisuke san is the only one that has ever made him happy."

"Not quite, Itsuke kun. Keisuke told us that Takumi lived most of his childhood through your antics when you were growing up. He warned us that Takumi's otosān is very taciturn and rarely speaks to his musuko. Takumi experienced a very abusive childhood overall. You gave Takumi his only safe outlet for happiness during his private hell according to Keisuke" Masako san interjected into the conversation.

Startled, Itsuke turned to face Keisuke's other grandmother. It seemed they already knew plenty about Tak's childhood. A glance at Tatsuhiko san's face worried Itsuke. Keisuke's grandfather looked at his wife as if her comment had genuinely annoyed him. The dark-haired younger man understood perfectly. Tatsuhiko san must be thinking about how angry Tak would be once he learned his private hell was getting aired without his permission.

"Oyaji san can be kind of grouchy but Tak doesn't blame him. Because of Tak's okāsan, Oyaji san didn't get into the pro racing circuit with Tsuchia sama where he belonged. He gave up everything when he found out Tak was on the way. The sad thing is how Tak's okāsan dumped them both for a rich man a couple years after Tak was born. Tak and I met her once, and we never wanted to see her again. After the things she said to Tak, he began hating her with a passion. It was really sad. She told Tak he was a baka for not trying harder to find himself a new okāsan before walking off with his imootosan. She really infuriated my okāsan when she heard the things coming out of that sick onna's mouth. That's when Okāsan told Tak he was part of our family. She started calling Tak onīchan after that nightmare. That's how Tak became a member of my family whether it's legal or not!" Itsuke retorted as anger got the better of him.

Sobo Ogino grumbled with an accusative look at her in laws. "I didn't know anything about this. Naze didn't someone tell me about Takumi's imootosan? We should have invited his family to the ceremony. IT is the custom you know."

Masako san turned her head to stare the smaller woman down. "Actually, Itsuke kun has told us far more than we knew, Erika. Keisuke confided the information about Takumi's abusive childhood recently. Fujiwara Bunta has a serious drinking problem and is violently opposed to Takumi being with Keisuke. That's all we know about the man outside of his having been a hotshot street racer in his youth. We don't know anything at all about Takumi's okāsan, or his imootosan."

Eyes widening, Itsuke realized he had accidentally spilled Tak's half sister's existence. She was an absolutely forbidden topic to Tak. He knew how livid Tak was going to be over his slip. Dropping his face into his hands, he began shaking. Tak would never forgive him for his breach of trust.

"Itsuke kun, are you all right?" Tatsuhiko's voice flowed into his conscience.

"Tak's gonna kill me for mentioning his okāsan's family. They're completely forbidden topics. He really explodes whenever anyone mentions them. He only saw his imootosan once when we were in middle school. By that evening I knew he'd have my head if I ever mentioned either of them. Tak said as far as he's concerned they don't exist, and never will. His mind has never changed about them. Damn, I really screwed up this time."

"Look at me, Itsuke kun." Tatsuhiko's voice was close to his ear Itsuke realized. He jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. "Calm down, young man."

Dropping his hands into his lap, Itsuke took several deep breaths in a row. "Gomen for freaking out, Tatsuhiko san. Tak doesn't have any contact with that half of his family outsider of Tsuchia sama. Oyaji san's even worse than Tak about exploding over any mention of Tak's okāsan. Normally I'm not dumb enough to say anything. Guess I'm a little stressed over getting the third degree from minasan."

Sobo Ogino and the other elderly woman Itsuke met the day before stared at each other as if nobody else existed. Itsuke took their silence as permission to resume eating despite feeling nauseous. He had to take his morning medication. Once he got enough of his meal consumed, and took his medication he hoped he would not be as easily cornered. The food had gotten cold as he was grilled by Keisuke's family.

Without warning, grandma Ogino's sister took over the conversation. "Are you insinuating that Keisuke's unaware of Takumi having an imootosan, Itsuke kun?"

Itsuke sighed. Giving up, he set his eating utensil down. "Your guess is as good as mine. There's not a chance I'm going to ask Keisuke san if Tak mentioned that branch of his family. Nothing will make me cause problems between them. Tak'll tell Keisuke san everything when he's ready. Honestly, mentioning Tak's family is always a very bad idea. This isn't the right time to make him that angry either. You have that ceremony tomorrow. Minasan needs to leave Tak's past alone, and concentrate on the things that matter."

"How dare you tell us to ignore this information, Takeuchi?! Keisuke's my grandson, and I have every right to know about Takumi. He agreed to be with Keisuke for the rest of their lives!" Sobo Ogino snapped trying to push past Tatsuhiko's larger bulk.

"Itsuke shot out of his chair and faced the dainty woman. "With all due respect, you're wrong to pry into Tak's childhood by forcing me to give you the information you want! It was awful enough for Tak when it happened! He doesn't deserve to have that nightmare thrown in his face again. He's managed to get past it without hating minasan around him, unlike Oyaji san. You'll make Tak withdraw from Keisuke san if you don't leave his past alone. I can't let you do that to them because they belong together! I know Tak will tell Keisuke san everything when he's ready. Right now, he isn't ready. He barely survived the compound! Tak's got too much to get over for you to bring up the past, Ogino san! You've got to leave Tak alone. Nothing you're demanding from me matters any longer."

Fists at his sides, Itsuke knew he would get yelled at, and yet he had to fight back for Tak. Even if it meant Tatsuhiko san summarily dismissed him from this house, he had to try to salvage his mistake. The old woman's eyes were snapping fire as her mouth opened.

"Sobo, not another word!" Keisuke's furious voice boomed across the dining room. Whirling to face the archway, Itsuke saw Tak squirming in Keisuke's hold, eyes blazing. One of Keisuke's hands was clamped over his mouth. He had wrapped the other arm like a band of iron around Takumi's arms and waist. The blond was barely able to contain Tak.

"Keisuke? How long have you been standing there?" Masako san's voice shook as she spoke.

"Long enough to know that Sobo's up to her damned tricks again. I'm mad as hell that you let her screw with Itsuke kun this way, Ojīsan. None of you stopped Sobo from unfairly interrogating Takumi yesterday either. Then, I get up to find this kind of bull shit happening again. This stops immediately, or heads are going to fucking roll!" Keisuke growled in a voice unlike anything Itsuke had ever heard. From Tak's widening eyes, he figured Tak had never heard that specific tone either.

"This young man isn't Takumi's otouto. He doesn't act like his otouto either, grandson. You love Takumi! The last thing we want to see is you getting your heart broken because of this interloper!" Ogino san snapped as she rounded on Keisuke.

"Shut up, Sobo!" Dropping his head closer to Tak's, Keisuke spoke in a calmer tone. "My own, settle down. Don't blame Itsuke for this mess. You don't know how manipulative Sobo is. Let me deal with her. Will you to promise to calm down while I stop her from tormenting Itsuke kun? . . . Deal?"

Takumi managed a small nod. Releasing his mouth and body after a few seconds, Keisuke stood beside him, tensed for action. Itsuke knew he deserved to be in loads of trouble. "Gomen Tak. I screwed up again."

Keisuke snarled before Tak could react. "Wrong, Itsuke kun. You got manipulated. Sobo took full advantage of your illness to meet her newest damned agenda. Where the hell do people think I learned to be so damned conniving? I got all my tricks from Sobo."

Pivoting on his heels, Takumi looked up at Keisuke. Itsuke saw that he was shaking with fury. "I'll be in our room because right now I'm way too angry to stay here safely."

He brushed past Keisuke and limped out of sight. Itsuke wiped a hand over his face and back across his neck. Takumi's wounded rage was his fault. Closing his eyes, Itsuke felt as if his legs were turning into limp noodles. He dropped back into his chair in a semi collapse. His eyes closed tightly as he tried to contain his own hurt over how badly he had yet again injured Tak's heart.

A hand on his shoulder forced Itsuke to open his eyes. Lifting his head, he saw Keisuke was touching him. "Take it easy, Itsuke. Everything will work out."

"You don't know how much Tak hates his past, Keisuke san. If he could, . . . he'd wipe all of it out of existence and start over. I really hurt him by saying anything, even if your sobo manipulated me into it. Don't get mad at Tak over my big mouth spilling anything you didn't know. Tak was planning to tell you everything before we got kidnaped. He probably never got the chance, and now he's a mess because of the compound. His memories are really bad, Keisuke san. It's fine if you get mad at me for hurting Tak."

He heard the distinct sound of Keisuke's molars grinding and popping. "The one that deserves my anger is Sobo, not you, Itsuke. I should have seen this coming because I know how she gets over me."

The blond's head turned to impale his dainty grandmother with a fiery glare. "You don't have the right to make fucking assumptions, and accusations, Sobo! You don't know shit about the things that Itsuke did to save Takumi in the compound. Takumi's only alive because of Itsuke kun! How dare you do this underhanded shit to them both?"

"I dare because I don't believe for a second that this young man thinks of Takumi as his aniki. The way he looks at Takumi isn't the way a family member looks at their onīchan. He's in love with Takumi, Keisuke! Someone has to protect you and Takumi. I won't tolerate him coming between you and Takumi kun ever!" The old woman was pointing an accusing finger at him as she yelled right back.

Itsuke wished he could disappear without a trace. He had not realized his feelings were so obvious. Yet, Keisuke's grandmother had noticed, which meant the others had also. Hearing a deep rumble vibrating from Keisuke's throat, Itsuke looked up at the man who had a painful grip on his shoulder.

Barely controlled rage flowed in the other man's voice. "Excuse the hell out of me, Sobo, but I don't recall asking you to run mine and Takumi's lives! You don't have any damned say in whom Takumi cares about either! Itsuke's been with Takumi all of their lives. You don't have any fucking right to destroy their relationship! If you think I'll let you get away with this shit, you're begging to see how wrong you are! If vicious intrusion into mine and Takumi's privacy is the price of inheriting Love's Legacy, I'm refusing here and now!"

Itsuke found his eyes falling on his clenched fists as the room's unified gasp rolled over him. Taking several deep breaths, Itsuke fought back tears that stung the back of his eyes. He didn't dare blink if he was going to keep those tears from falling.

"You can't mean that, Keisuke! The legacy is the most important inheritance in our family." A man at the table spoke. Itsuke did not bother looking up and see which of the strangers surrounding him owned the shaken voice.

"Nothing is more important to me than Takumi's happiness, not even the legacy! Seeing him and Itsuke getting hurt because of an old set of damned jewelry is intolerable! None of you know a damned thing about Itsuke. I know Itsuke, and I can tell you that you're all judging him harshly and unfairly! Trying to destroy his lifelong connection to Takumi isn't going to happen if I can help it! Itsuke would sooner die than see us split up!"

"Grandson, calm down. You're scaring poor Hikaru witless." Tatsuhiko tried to reason with Keisuke.

His words jarred Itsuke out of his own pain. Wiping a hand over his eyes, he looked up to find Hikaru who was cowering in his booster. The toddler seemed to want to blend into the table, or escape beneath it. Standing, Itsuke darted around the adults converging on Keisuke. He reached Hikaru a moment later. Masako san failed to soothe the toddler enough to let her release him from the booster chair's straps. Instead, Hikaru shrieked and fought against her and the strap confining him in his chair.

"Easy, Hikaru, Uncle Itsuke's got you." He quickly released the clasp and hauled the toddler out of his seat. Keisuke's son clung to his neck. Masako san blinked at him several times as Hikaru immediately quieted.

"Gomen, Masako san. Hikaru has known me longer than anyone here. We were in the compound the longest. Let me get Hikaru out of here. We'll be in his room." With those words' Itsuke headed toward the archway seeking to get to the toddler's bedroom.

"Where do you think you're going with my great grandson?" Erika Ogino snarled as she stepped between him and the exit.

"He's my musuko, and Itsuke has every right to have him, Sobo! Obviously Itsuke knows it's time to get Hikaru out of here because I'm too fucking furious to stop yelling at you for the shit you've caused this morning!" Stalking closer, Keisuke loomed over his grandmother radiating palpable fury. Hikaru buried his face in his neck as Itsuke rubbed the toddler's back.

"How can you put this young man in charge of your musuko? Hikaru's your responsibility, Keisuke. You need to start caring for him or Yukiko will have to take custody of him and make certain he gets raised properly!"

"Let 'Kāsan Yukiko make the mistake of trying to take Hikaru from Keisuke. She'll answer to me if she oversteps her place a second time, Sobo san." Hearing Tak's much softer, vicious edged voice snapped Itsuke's head around. He knew the kind of trouble that tone always preceded. Tak was struggling to keep from going berserk.

"Get Hikaru to our bedroom now, Itsuke. Lock the door and don't come out unless Keisuke or I tell you it's okay."

Gulping hard, Itsuke nodded and fled the dining room. "Itsi, is Oyaji and 'Tosān going to fight?"

Stepping into the master bedroom, Itsuke shut the door and locked it. He carried the toddler to the bed and set him down. He dropped onto the mattress beside the youngster. "They're going to do a whole lot of yelling, Hikaru. Your Oyaji and Otosān are very angry, Hikaru. That's the reason Tak told me to bring you in here. Your Otosān's so mad he can't stop yelling, and I think Tak's just as mad. But, your ryōshin want you to feel safe while they yell at minasan that are saying mean things."

"You got scared of Chichi too. Didn't you, Itsi?"

"Well, I'm not so much afraid of Keisuke as worried that he's too angry to think things over before he acts, Hikaru. The thing that worries me is your Otosān and Oyaji yelling at each other because I said the wrong thing. You probably don't even understand this mess. Anyway, you don't be scared of your otosān. Keisuke san won't ever hurt you."

"Chichi's still scary when he's mad. First time I saw Chichi, he was running across the guest room. He had Yet Kwai under his arm. He had a big metal bat in his other hand. He looked that mad. I heard the screams. Then there were big booms in the pens. I know people died downstairs. Chichi came back with Oyaji and you. He was bleeding and really sad."

"Your otosān found your okāsan dead in a pool of blood. He was hurt by learning too late that she was in trouble. Tak almost died too. That hurt your otosān, Hikaru."

"How come Chichi's family want to hurt you and Oyaji, Itsi?" The toddler asked with an expectant look.

"They think I want your Oyaji and Otosān to stop loving each other. Yet I never want to see that happen, Hikaru. Tak and Keisuke san should stay together forever."

"You, Oyaji, and Chichi will stay together forever with me." On the heels of his childish demand, Hikaru bounced up and flung his arms around Itsuke's neck. Hugging the little boy back, Itsuke felt a wash of sorrow. A moment later Hikaru let go and flopped down on the bed with a big yawn. "I'm sleepy now."

Grabbing the edge of the main spread, Itsuke folded it around the child's small body. "Go ahead and take a nap if you want, Hikaru. Gomen that I didn't grab any of your toys so you can play until Keisuke or Tak let us know things have calmed down."

"Don't need toys 'cause I have you, Itsi." With those words Hikaru closed his eyes.

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As the Smoke Clears #4 in Rivalry Series