pederasty

Part nine

Hanamichi smiled at the waitress as she placed their orders on the table. The girl blushed brightly when Youhei flashed her a killer smile.

Hiroaki rolled her eyes at the hopeless girl. “You should stop that you know,” she scolded Youhei as she sipped her choco-float.

“Stop what?” Youhei smiled at Hiroaki. Hiroaki had just told them last night about the coming baby and Youhei had been the most excited of them all. The girl warned them though not to tell Akira, or else she’ll go back to her parents’ house and not let them near her and the baby. The gang reluctantly agreed.

“I think Usagi should be informed of the baby,” Hanamichi told Hiroaki.

Hiroaki glared at the redhead. “Give me a break, Hanamichi. Usagi would probably tell Akira.”

“So?”

“Duh!”

Youhei laughed at the two.

“I think Akira deserves to know that he’ll be a father again. And Mamoru also has to know that he’ll be a big brother soon,” Hanamichi insisted.

“I’ll tell them when I’m ready,” Hiroaki argued. She ignored Hanamichi’s pleading eyes and went to stare at the falling snow. The baby was now four months old and her body was starting to show. It was only by Hanamichi’s insistent inquiry that she was forced to tell them about her pregnancy. They didn’t ask who the father was; they seemed to know who the guy was anyway.

“What shall we name her?” Youhei asked.

“How’d you know it’s a girl?” Hanamichi asked the very sure Youhei.

Youhei shrugged.

“I’m gonna name her Rei,” Hiroaki answered. She glanced back at her two companions and grinned at them. “If it’s a boy, then it will be Yukito.”

The two best of friends blinked at Hiroaki. “Oh,” they said simultaneously.

“When will you be picking little Usagi from school?” Hiroaki asked the redhead.

The three of them were sitting in a corner booth of an ice cream parlor cum coffee shop as they killed time waiting for Usagi and Mamoru. They’re the only customers since the day wasn’t exactly warm. As a matter of fact, it was below freezing point outside. But Hiroaki craved a glassful of choco-float and a plateful of vanilla ice cream.

“Three,” Hanamichi answered. He took a spoonful of gooey rocky-road ice cream and ate it with gusto.

Youhei ordered warm chocolate and sipped the warm brew in relaxed mode.

The three fell silent as they relished each of their orders. Each was also occupied with their own thoughts. Hanamichi was thinking of Kaede’s words that Akira should know about Hiroaki’s pregnancy. Youhei was thinking of Takenori again. And Hiroaki was thinking about what the baby would look like and if she should tell Akira.

Suddenly the door of the parlor opened and a huge bulk entered the humble store.

“Welcome!” the waitress greeted the newcomer warmly. “May I take your order, sir?” she asked when the newcomer sat down.

“Cappuccino, please,” the newcomer replied as he sat back on his booth. He looked around the parlor and was surprised to see the three friends. He turned away when Youhei saw him.

Youhei’s eyes sparkled when he recognized Takenori. Hanamichi noticed his friend’s reaction and twisted around.

“Oi, Gori! Come join us,” Hanamichi called out. He knew though that Takenori would rather sit alone than sit You Youhei. The guy had avoided them for three months now since little Usagi was now enrolled in a prestigious school for the gifted and didn’t need the constant tutoring session from Takenori anymore. Usagi liked the school and Mamoru was with her so Hanamichi was feeling more secure for his daughter.

Hiroaki looked behind her and found a slumped and obviously trying to disappear Takenori. She laughed and joined Hanamichi in calling Takenori to their table.

Youhei chuckled happily.

Takenori sighed but he didn’t stand up. He barely glanced at the waitress when she placed the steaming cappuccino on his table. He sipped the warm brew and tried vainly to block out the two who were loudly calling him. He smiled in triumph when the two finally shut up.

Youhei’s eyes darkened but he smiled widely at the two. Hanamichi gave him a worried and sympathetic look. Hiroaki just pouted and made a face at Takenori’s back.

Suddenly Hanamichi’s cell phone rang insistently. He answered it with a merry hello. Nodding for every question that the caller asked, Hanamichi hanged up the phone after a minute of conversation.

“Let’s go,” Hanamichi said to the two as he moved out of the booth.

“It’s not three yet,” Hiroaki protested. She still wished to eat some banana split.

But Hanamichi was dragging her out of the booth. Hiroaki pouted but conceded.

Youhei smiled reassuringly at Hiroaki. He waited until Hiroaki was out of the booth before standing up. He followed the two slowly. When the two passed by Takenori’s table, they gave the poor guy a slap in the back of his neck. Youhei had laughed at this, thus making Takenori glare at him.

Takenori intensified his glare when Youhei stopped at his table.

Youhei maintained his smile. It was hard but he forced it. “Akagi-san,” he started.

Takenori narrowed his eyes as warning to Youhei. But Youhei ignored him.

“For all I did and for all that happened, I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.” With this, Youhei walked out of the ice cream parlor.

The two waited patiently for Youhei outside the ice cream parlor. They saw ei tei talk to Takenori and were very worried.

Youhei laughed at the two’s expression. He felt good, now that he said what he should have said months ago. His friendship with Takenori might never be salvaged, but at least he felt more like the old him.

“I’m okay,” Youhei reassured the worried two. “He didn’t give me a knuckle sandwich or something like that.”

Hanamichi grinned at his friend. “We’ll just wait for Kaede, then we’re off to get Usagi.”

“Why can’t we wait for them inside?” Hiroaki whined. “It’s cold here, you know.”

“Kaede doesn’t know this place,” Hanamichi explained. “He might miss us.”

Hiroaki rolled his eyes at the redhead. Youhei nodded in agreement with Hanamichi.

“Good afternoon,” a baritone voice said softly beside Hanamichi.

In surprise, Hanamichi jumped a feet off the ground.

“GODDAMNIT, FOX! WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?” Hanamichi yelled at his lover who suddenly materialized beside him.

Two of Hanamichi’s companions laughed at the redhead.

Kaede just stared emotionlessly at Hanamichi. Then he gave the redhead a small smile.

Hanamichi blinked before blushing like mad. “Stupid fox,” he muttered under his breath.

Kaede comforted the redhead as he held Hanamichi’s hand. “Let’s go,” he said as he led the three to his car, which was parked, near a bank. “Usagi and Mamoru are already inside.”

“They get out of school around three, don’t they?” Hiroaki asked Kaede.

“I talked to the headmaster,” Kaede answered. He glanced behind him. “Is that your brother-in-law, Hana?”

The three friends turned around to face Takenori. Takenori blushed but defiantly stood his ground.

Hanamichi and Hiroaki chuckled then turned back to begin walking to Kaede’s car again. Youhei smiled apprehensively at Takenori before following his friends. Takenori followed them like a silent shadow.

“Dadee!” Usagi greeted Hanamichi excitedly. She hugged her father tightly when Hanamichi scooped her up in his arms.

“How’s my little girl? Were you good today?” Hanamichi patted Usagi’s back.

“I’ve been good, Dadee. But Mamoru had a fight,” Usagi informed gravely.

“Oh?” Hanamichi glanced at Kaede, who nodded. He put Usagi down and went to Kaede’s car. He opened the car door and looked for Mamoru. He found the boy sitting stiffly at the edge of the car seat. “Hello, Mamo. How was your day?”

Mamoru briefly glanced at Hanamichi before staring into space again.

Hanamichi sighed. He heard a soft shuffle in the driver’s seat and turned to stare at a pair of mischievous eyes. He grinned at Akira. “Hello, Akira.”

“Hello, Hanamichi,” Akira greeted back. He looked at the silent Mamoru and sighed. “The headmaster called me, saying that my son broke a classmate’s nose. He refused to apologize even when Usagi asked him to. The headmaster placed him in detention.”

“You called Kaede?”

“Hell, no! as Uas Usagi who called my brother. I was already talking to the headmaster when Kaede arrived.” Akira shifted in his seat. “They wanted to kick my son off their school.”

“Can’t you arrange something?” Hanamichi looked at the silent boy. He couldn’t help but smile at the remarkable attitude resemblance the boy had with his Kaede.

Akira sighed again. “Yeah, we arranged something. But he’s suspended for a week. I told Kaede to warm up a bit so Mamoru would follow suit.”

“Hey! Don’t blame my Kaede!”

Akira just stared blankly at Hanamichi.

Hanamichi blinked at the change of attitude the happy-go-lucky guy had. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m fine,” Akira answered defensively.

Hanamichi blinked again before getting out of the car. He searched for Kaede and found the guy beside Hiroaki and obviously arguing with the girl. He looked around and saw Youhei standing near a car beside the bank; Usagi was beside him. Takenori was beside Hiroaki and trying to calm the angry girl.

“No! Damnit! Don’t decide things for me!” Hiroaki shouted at Kaede.

“He deserves to know. And so does my nephew,” Kaede insisted.

“You’re pretty talkative today,” Hiroaki mocked Kaede. “But I will not tell Akira about the baby.”

“What baby?”

The two arguing adults stopped their argument when Akira stood beside Kaede. Kaede didn’t even glance at Akira.

“What baby?” Akira asked again. He looked at Hiroaki, and studied her from head to foot.

Hiroaki raised her chin in defiance.

“Are you pregnant?”

****

Youhei looked at the group of adults a foot away from him. He looked down when Usagi moved closer to him.

“Are you cold, Usa-chan?” Youhei asked.

“No,” Usagi murmured. “But someone is hurting, Uncle Youhei.”

Youhei smiled reassuringly at Usagi. He would have given Usagi a reassuring word but someone threw a snowball at Usagi.

Usagi yelped then glared at Mamoru.

Mamoru grinned at the angry girl, and then threw another snowball. The snowball hit Usagi’s face.

Usagi forgot about the people around her and threw snowballs at Mamoru in retaliation.

Youhei laughed at the two warring kids. He dodged the balls that might hit him. Suddenly a loud alarm sounded inside the bank, and pandemonium struck.

Four men barged out of the bank and ran straight at Youhei. They yelled at Youhei to get out of the way. But Youhei was too surprised to move out of the way. He was standing in front of their getaway car. He felt bruised by the way the four had bumped hard on him.

Then the fifth robber got out of the bank, shooting a .45 pistol at the bank’s guards. He bumped into Youhei, and thinking that the guy was trying to stop him, he shot Youhei in the chest. The getaway car was starting to move away from the crime scene and the fifth guy jumped into the car window.

Youhei blinked and was surprised to find blood in his hands, where he had touched his chest. He closed his eyes as pain burst throughout his body. He lost consciousness and slumped to the pavement.

The whole scene seemed to be in slow motion for the people around Youhei. Usagi screamed in horror as she witnessed how her Uncle Youhei was shot. Mamoru instinctively wrapped his arms around her and turned her head away from the bloody scene. Hanamichi ran to his best friend but Kaede held him back. Kaede immediately called an ambulance but he kept a strong hold on Hanamichi, who struggled to get free. Hiroaki fainted and Akira caught her before she hit the pavement.

It was only Takenori who calmly felt Youhei’s pulse. He sighed in relief to find it beating strong. He carefully turned Youhei in his back. Takenori took out a handkerchief and pressed it at the gunshot wound. He prayed silently that the small guy would survive the wound.

It seemed like eternity as policemen ran around the scene interviewing witnesses. And media men scampered around the scene when they found out that the two Sendoh Enterprise heirs were present in the crime scene and that it was their friend who was the victim. The loud siren of the ambulance seemed like a heaven sent sound to the people caring for Youhei.

Takenori nodded to Akira and Kaede as he entered the ambulance with Youhei.

The group of friends huddled close for comfort as they watched the ambulance drive away.

****

Kaede calmly pushed Hanamichi inside his car. Hanamichi didn’t protest for he had been in shock. Usagi hiccupped as she sat beside Mamoru inside the car. Hiroaki was still unconscious and Akira tenderly placed her beside the two children. He joined the cramped space after a minute of talking to the media men, and Kaede sat in the driver’s seat beside Hanamichi shortly after.

“Everyone okay?” Kaede inquired softly.

“One is unconscious, one is crying, one is calm, and one is as silent as a lamb,” Akira answered.

“And one is as annoyis a s a bee,” Hanamichi retorted. Now that the shock was gone, anger settled in. “Why did you stop me, fox?”

“You were in shock,” Kaede answered coldly.

“My best friend needed me!” Hanamichi shouted at Kaede. He forgot that Usagi was just behind him. “You should have let me care for him.”

“Care for him? Bullshit! You can’t even be calm at a time like this,” Kaede yelled back at Hanamichi. He was upset too, so Hanamichi had no right to shout at him like it was his fault.

“Yes! You were always calm! And cold! And uncaring! I don’t know why I put up with you!” Hanamichi cried.

Usagi whimpered as if in pain. Mamoru hugged her protectively.

“Stop it!” Mamoru surprised the adults by yelling. “Stop it! You’re hurting Usagi!” Mamoru hugged Usagi tighter as the little girl cried harder.

The couple obediently shut up. Kaede turned on the ignition and maneuvered his car out of its parking space. Hanamichi turned his head away from Kaede and stared at the traffic as they passed it.

Akira had watched the two quarrel in an indifferent manner. He had a problem and he honestly didn’t want to add another by joining the lovers. He looked at the unconscious Hiroaki and sighed. He didn’t know what he felt right now, but it sure was scaring the hell out of him.

****

The gang arrived at Kanagawa General Hospital after a few minutes. Akira asked the receptionist where they could find Youhei Mito.

“Mito-sanstilstill in the emergency room,” the receptionist answered while battinr eyr eyelashes at Akira.

Akira smiled at her gratefully before leading his friends to the waiting room. They found Takenori with his head between his hands. Usagi immediately ran to her uncle and hugged him.

Takenori was surprised at Usagi’s sudden action but appreciatively hugged her back.

“How is Youhei?” Hanamichi croaked as he sat down across Takenori.

Takenori looked at Hanamichi before shaking his head. “I don’t know yet. But Kogure personally handled his care.”

Hanamichi flinched when Kaede touched his shoulders. Kaede wisely let his redhead go. He walked slowly to a window.

Akira led Hiroaki toofa.ofa. The girl had awakened in the car before they arrived at the hospital. Now, Hiroaki walked around like a zombie.

“Mamo, go sit beside Hiroaki,” Kaede ordered the silent boy softly.

Mamoru wordlessly followed his uncle’s order.

Kaede looked at Usagi and seemed comforted that she was sitting on Takenori’s lap. He glanced to his right and worriedly studied his Hana.

“He’s going to be fine, Hana.”

Hanamichi gave Kaede a blank look. It was enough to break Kaede’s heart. Kaede walked in front of Hanamichi and kneeled down.

“He’s going to be fine.” Kaede cupped Hanamichi’s face as he reassured him softly. “Believe in Youhei, Hana. He won’t die without a fight.” Hanamichi’s tears fell and Kaede wiped them away calmly.

Hanamichi bent his head and banged it carefully with Kaede’s. He sniffed and nodded slowly.

Kaede sighed in relief. He hugged the redhead tightly before he stood and faced Detective Mitsui, who just arrived.

Akira barely glanced at Kaede when Kaede stood beside him.

“Who were the bastards?” Kaede growled.

Hisashi shook his head. “Still unknown, I’m afraid.” He paused and looked around Youhei’s friends behind his two childhood friends. He stared back at Akira and Kaede. “I have a lead. And it’s not pleasant,” he whispered in French.

Akira’s eyes narrowed at Hisashi’s change of language. The three of them used the changing of language when the case they worked on was very dangerous.

“I don’t care,” Kaede replied in French. “They shot Youhei in front of Usagi and Mamoru. Tell me who they are, I’ll personally *clean* them.”

“Whoah! Don’t be so hot, Kae-chan,” Akira said in French. “Why don’t we let Sashi-kun handle this?” He glanced at Hisashi who nodded in agreement.

Kaede scowled at his brother.

Akira just grinned back at him. “Father would not be pleased if we go back to our old jobs.”

“Do I look like I care?” Kaede retorted.

Hisashi coughed delicately. “I don’t think your Hana would be happy if you went missing for a few days without an excuse.”

Kaede closed his eyes as he calmed himself. He opened them again and regarded Hisashi with a penetrating look. “Call Hu.” He then turned around and d ned near the window.

Hisashi and Akira exchanged glances at the simple order.

“What do you think?” Hisashi asked Akira.

“About calling Hu?” Akira grinned when Hisashi nodded. “I think you should.” He left Hisashi and sat beside Mamoru.

Hisashi sighed in defeat. ‘Damn!’ he thought as he exited the hospital. ‘What kind of trouble is this incident going to bring?’ He entered his car and drove to his station.

****

A very tired Kiminobu walked in the waiting room. He sighed as he saw the kaleidoscope of expressions from his friends.

“How is he?” Kaede asked after a few seconds of silence. He was standing beside Hanamichi.

Kiminobu sighed again then smiled triumphantly.
eryoeryone gave a sigh of pure relief.

“He lost a lot of blood, but he’ll recover,” Kiminobu informed the group.

Usagi wiped away her tears then yawned.

Kiminobu saw Usagi and turned to Hanamichi. “Usagi is tired. You all should go home now.”

“I’m staying and watch over Youhei,” Hanamichi said. He turned to Kaede. “Take Usagi home.”

Kaede frowned in disagreement. He knew that the redhead was about to collapse in emotional stress. “No. Let’s go home together.”

Hanamichi opened his mouth to protest but Takenori interjected.

“Go home, Sakuragi,” Takenori ordered softly. “You’re about to collapse.”

“But..”

Takenori’s eyes softened as he looked at his niece. “Usagi needs you more now than Youhei.” He turned back to Hanamichi. “I’ll watch over Youhei.”

Hanamichi thought for a minute then nodded. He let Kaede lead him out of the hospital while carrying Usagi. Akira, Mamoru and Hiroaki followed them. Hiroaki was carrying Mamoru because the boy had fallen asleep on her lap. Hiroaki refused to let Akira touch her so Akira let her carry Mamoru.

Akira glanced at Hiroaki in the corner of his eye. He badly wanted to comfort her; unfortunately Hiroaki hugged Mamoru closed like a shield against him.

“Shit,” Akira murmured softly.

Hiroaki heard him but chose to ignore him. She continued walking with her chin held high. She knew that by now the good-for-nothing pervert was thinking of how to talk her into giving up the baby.

“I won’t give up my baby,” Hiroaki said calmly.

Akira stared at her in surprise. He smiled gently and shrugged his shoulders. “I know,” he answered.

Hiroaki conti to to stare ahead. She followed Hanamichi and smiled reassuringly at Usagi when the little girl gazed at her quizzically.

Akira kept staring at Hiroaki while he walked on alongside her. Since he wasn’t looking at where he was going, it’s only natural that he’d end up hitting something.

“Ouch!”

Hiroaki glanced at the man beside her and couldn’t help laughing. Akira glared at her as he peeled himself away from the glass panel beside the entrance door. He straightened himself and stood proudly. Hiroaki only laughed harder.

The couple in front of them looked back to see what got the girl laughing. One look on Akira’s expression made them decide to ignore them.

Akira was not happy to be laughed at, especially if it’s his woman. Yes, he knew that Hiroaki would probably hang him upside-down if she ever knew that Akira placed a claim on her, but he was placing that claim anyway. Hiroaki was his and his only. The very idea smoothened his ruffled feathers, and he grinned.

Hiroaki sobered when she saw the smug look on Akira. ‘What is he thinking of now?’ she thought suspiciously. She decided to ignore him again. So with an unladylike snort, she turned away and went to Kaede’s parked car.

Akira blinked at Hiroaki’s back. day day would never come that he’d understand Hiroaki.

“You coming?” Kaede asked Akira from the car window.

Akira nodded and made his way to the car. He frowned when he found himself seated with Hanamichi.

“Hiro-kun wished to sit in front.” Hanamichi pointed his finger at the brunette beside Kaede.

Akira sighed in frustration as Kaede drove the car to Youhei’s house.

***

“We should talk,” Akira disclosed to Hiroaki in a firm tone. He followed her when Hiroaki tried to escape to her room.

“Get out!” Hiroaki sizzled with fury. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Bullshit! You’re pregnant and I’m the father!”

“So? I can manage without you. I don’t need you,” Hiroaki cried hysterically.

Akira took a deep breath to calm himself. He closed Hiroaki’s door and walked to the girl in the middle of the room.

“Hiro…”

“Shut up!” Hiroaki screamed. “Get the hell out of my room! I don’t wish to talk to you. My God! I wish that I never met you.”

Akira’s jaw tightened as pain assailed his chest. He took a deep breath. “Hiro, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“I said SHUT UP!” Hiroaki glared daggers at Akira. “Can’t you get it straight in your head that I don’t wish to have anything to do with you? If you want visitation rights for the baby, okay. I’ll allow you to. After all, my child deserves to know who her father is.”

“I don’t want a bastard child, Hiro.” Akira gave Hiroaki a stern look.

“Don’t worry, she won’t be.”

Akira’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “What do you mean?”

“That would be none of your business,” Hiroaki retorted haughtily.

“Like hell it’s not!” Akira’s voice boomed around the house.

Mamoru and Usagi simultaneously looked up when they heard Akira.

“Just ignore them,” Hanamichi ordered the two kids.

Both stared back at him doubtfully.

Hanamichi sighed. He could hear the two fighting and so did the two children. He didn’t like to handle the two children alone, but Kaede had been engaged in the phone for a while.

“Come here.” Hanamichi opened his arms for the two kids. The two immediately ran to him.

Hanamichi tightened his hold on the two when they heard a loud crash in Hiroaki’s room. The three stayed in a tight hug until Kaede entered the living room.

Kaede looked at a pair of pained brown eyes, and his fury was renewed. He walked to the three most precious to him, and hugged them close protectively. He gave Hanamichi an apologetic look before kissing him senseless.

“I have to go,” Kaede informed Hanamichi softly. “Dad called.”

Hanamichi’s eyes filled with tears but he nodded.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Hanamichi nodded again.

Kaede looked up before letting his family go. He climbed the stairs two at a time and knocked hard on Hiroaki’s door.

“Akira?”

Akira opened the door slightly. “What?”

“Dad called,” Kaede replied in a soft undertone. “We have to go to the office.”

Akira saw Kaede’s eyes and knew the truth behind the lie. He closed the door and gazed at Hiroaki longingly.

“I have to go,” Akira said.

“Don’t come back,” Hiroaki retorted.

Akira chuckled mirthlessly. “Don’t count on it.” He opened the door again and went out of the door. He jogged down the stairs and glanced at the three on the couch guiltily.

“Bye,” he murmured.

Usagi untangled herself from Hanamichi and ran to Akira. She hugged Akira tightly when Akira picked her up. She sloppily kissed his cheeks to comfort him.

Akira smiled gratefully at the little redheaded girl. He looked down and saw Mamoru. He put down Usagi and hugged Mamoru. The boy hesitantly hugged him back.

“Thank you,” he murmured to the two kids.

“She’ll get over it,” Hanamichi reassured Akira. He glanced up at the stairs then stared back at Akira. He smiled cheekily. “Just don’t give up.”

Akira smiled back at the redhead. “Yeah,” he agreed. He slowly parted from the two children and walked out of the door. He found Kaede inside his car.

Kaede wordlessly turned on the ignition as Akira buckled his seatbelt. Akira leaned back on his seat as Kaede expertly zoomed intaffiaffic.

“Who called?”

“Hisashi.”

Akira glanced at his brother sharply. “What’d he say?”

Kaede’s eyes hardened in suppressed anger. His knuckled turned white when his hold on the steering wheel tightened. “He found the five bastards.”

Akira’s eyes went back to the passing traffic. He shared Kaede’s fury and he could understand them. “Where?”

“Hisashi said he’ll meet us at the North port.”

“The North port,” Akira murmured in nostalgia. “I can almost smell the blood.”

“The gang that shot Youhei had been the one that cornered Hisashi back last summer.”

“I see.” Akira thought for a minute. “I didn’t bring my .45.”

Kaede operated the car with his left hand while his right hand ran itself in the car’s headboard. With a slight push, a small opening was revealed. Kaede easily pulled out a gun with a silencer. He gave the gun to Akira.

Akira whistled. The old job that they both had parted seemed to be catching up on them. He and Kaede had worked as spies for the government during their younger years. Akira quit the job when Hisoka had a heart attack that disabled him to work in the office if in stress. As the eldest child, he had to take responsibility. Kaede continued to work for the government but resigned when he met Hanamichi. Hisashi worked with them too, but he joined the army then the police after the two brothers quit the espionage.

“What about you?” Akira asked his brother.

Kaede pulled out a retractable knife from his pocket.

Akira laughed. “You never liked guns, didn’t you?”

“Too noisy.”

Akira grinned coldly. In truth, he’s getting excited at the prospect of the chase-and-kill again. Looks like the training had marked them both deeply than they thought.

“Let’s get this over and done with,” Kaede intruded Akira’s thought. “I believe you have some unfinished business back home.”

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. He sighed dejectedly. “She just refused to listen to me.”

“That’s the first time a woman turned you away.”

“Not exactly,” Akira admitted with a sheepish grin.

“But it’s the first time the lady-killer Akira had fallen in love.”

“You seem to know me well.”

Kaede remained silent.

“Did Hisashi really called?”

“No. I did.”

Akira laughed. He fell silent when he spotted the port. Kaede parked his car beside a beachside stall while Akira pasted his usual sunny expression. He watched as Kaede made simple orders to the owner of the stall. He sighed when Kaede motioned for him to start walking to their destination.

‘Wait for me, Hiro-kun,’ Akira thought. ‘I’ll be shit if I get myself killed today.’

***

Kaede silently opened the front door. He glanced at his wounded brother with worry.

“I’m not going to the hospital,” Akira told his brother before they begun a heated argument again.

Kaede shook his head then walked into the darkened living room. He was surprised to see the kitchen light on. Unreasonable fear crept into him. He looked at Akira, who felt the same.

Kaede silently walked towards the kitchen. Akira followed him with Kaede’s gun in poise.

“One o’clock, Youhei was shot in the chest,” a familiar voice softly spoke when K eme emerged in the kitchen.

Kaede sighed in relief when he recognized the man, whose back was facing Kaede, standing in the middle of the kitchen.

“Four, Kimi-kun informed us that Youhei’s safe. Four-thirty, you told me that Hisoka-san wished to see you and Akira. Twelve, you came home.” Hanamichi slowly turned to face Kaede. “Good evening, fox. Or should I say, good morning?”

“Hana.”

Hanamichi’s eyes blazed in rage. “Don’t ‘Hana’ me you, bastard!” he shouted furiously. He took a deep breath. “Do you know how worried I was?” His brown eyes filled with tears and anguish.

Kaede calmly took a step closer to Hanamichi. But Hanamichi slapped his hands away when he made a move to hug himse. se. Kaede stubbornly refused to let Hanamichi have his way.

Hanamichi cried brokenly as Kaede held him close.

Kaede breathed Hanamichi’s scent deeply. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Where have you been?” Hanamichi sniffed.

Kaede shook his head. “Don’t think about it, okay?”

“Why not?” Hanamichi struggled to look at Kaede in the eye. “Why not?”

Kaede gazed at those expressive brown eyes and smiled lovingly. He shook his head again, and kissed Hanamichi softly. Hanamichi froze but responded heatedly after a few more coaxing kisses from Kaede.

Akira quietly climbed the stairs when he saw his brother kissing the redhead. He made his way to the upstairs bathroom and stripped off his clothes. He winced when the cloth covering his gunshot wound was removed. He hissed as he let water cleaned the blood off the wound.

Their attack on the bank robbers in the North port had been bloody. The gang members were obviously trained in warfare for each had carried heavy artillery. It was only by the assistance of Hu that they managed to take the gang by surprise. Hu was Kaede’s main eye in the field during his time in the espionage. Akira and Hisashi had never seen him, and the voice that answered each of their phone call was always electronic.

The three friends attacked the gang’s hideout by entering an opening on the floor of a warehouse in North port. The gang was celebrating their success in seizing no less than five hundred thousand American dollars from the bank. Kaede growled angrily when one of the bank robbers boasted that he killed the guy standing near their car. Hisashi calmly rolled a tear gas capsule and stun bomb.

War broke out, and the army of three won over the gang with a minimal injury on Akira’s part. Hisashi informed the two brothers that the gang had more members than the one that they fought, revenge was one of the possibilities. Kaede just shrugged off the warning, and Akira just grinned at Hisashi. Kaede phoned someone and ordered a clean-up crew. Hisashi and Akira could only blinked at Kaede’s efficiency. Of the three that joined the business of spying, only Kaede took deadly jobs. ‘Kill or be killed’ had been Kaede’s motto during his espge dge days.

Akira finished cleaning his wounds and turned off the faucet. He searched the cupboard for some bandages and placed it on his wound as tightly as he could. He suddenly felt so tired. He threw his clothes in the trash basket and bagged them up. He didn’t want the children to see any of the blood. He was exiting the bathroom when he saw Hiroaki come out of her room.

Hiroaki stared at the bare-chested Akira in surprise. “What are you doing here?” she snarled.

Akira blinked then grinned at Hiroaki. “Just using the bathroom.”

Hiroaki’s eyes moved from the blue eyes to the white bandage on Akira’s left arm then to the trash bag. Her eyes traveled back to the white bandage. She noted with clarity that the white was stained with red.

“You’re wounded.”

Akira looked down at his wound. “Yeah,” he agreed calmly. “I sorta messed up with the bad crowd.”

“You went after Youhei’s shooter?!”

“No,” Akira lied. “No. We…um…we…we…” he stopped his stammering when Hiroaki marched up to him angrily. He was not surprised when Hiroaki punched him.

“You should have taken me!”

Akira sweat-dropped. He was hoping that Hiroaki was angry because he put himself in danger, not because she was left behind.

“You should have taken me!”oakioaki sounded like a kid in a tantrum.

Akira just stared at Hiroaki with hurt puppy eyes. “You’re not even worried about me,” he whined as he turned away from Hiroaki.

“Why should I be?” she retorted with a snort.

“You have no mercy,” he wailed.

Hiroaki wrinkled her nose with distaste. She snorted again then walked down the stairs.

Akira heard her leave and ran after her. “Where you going?”

“None of your business.”

“You’re not going to the kitchen, are you?”

“Yes, I am.”

Akira blocked Hiroaki’s path.

“Get out of my way,” Hiroaki shouted at Akira.

“You can’t go in there.”

“Why not?”

Akira took a deep breath. “Because Hanamichi and Kaede are honeymooning in the kitchen.”

Hiroaki blinked then eyes filled up with tears.

Akira panicked. “Come on, Hiro-kun. I’m sure they’ll be finished soon. So why don’t you and I go back to your room?” He carefully pushed Hiroaki back up the stairs.

Hiroaki resisted. “But I’m hungry,” she wailed brokenly. She rubbed her rounded belly to soothe her hungry stomach.

Akira studied the mother of his future child. He sighed in defeat. “Okay. I’ll go get the food for you. What would you like to eat?”

Hiroaki thought for a minute. “I don’t know.”

Akira face-faulted. “How would I know which to bring you if you don’t know what you want to eat?”

Hiroaki shrugged her shoulders. “I usually just raid the refrigerator.”
ira ira stared at her, then ed. ed. “Okay. You just go back to your room. I’ll go get your food.”

Hiroaki smiled brightly at Akira.

Akira felt like superman as the adoring eyes shone at him. He grinned happily as Hiroaki climbed the stairs and disappeared on the corner. He squared his shoulders in determination then marched to the kitchen.

Honeymooning was exactly what Kaede and Hanamichi were doing in the kitchen.

Akira turned his head away from the two and went directly to a huge trash bin in the corner of kitchen near the refrigerator and deposited his trash bag. He opened the refrigerator and looked around the small space. He was trying to decide which food to bring but was getting very uncomfortable when Hanamichi moaned loudly.

“God damn it!” he growled at the two. “Can’t you two pause that for a few minutes until I get out of here?”

The only answer he got was a grunt from Kaede and a giggle from Hanamichi.

Akira went back to deciding which food to bring when Hanamichi screamed in ecstatic agony. A nosebleed was threatening to surface, and Akira was reminded that he had been sexually frustrated for the past months thanks to the brown-eyed brunette upstairs.

Deciding that he’ll never be able to think coherently with the two near him, loudly pronouncing their love for each other like there’s no tomorrow, Akira plugged out the refrigerator and heaved the food storage out of the kitchen. His wound bled profusely due to his effort, but Akira dismissed the pain when he remembered Hiroaki given him hero-worshipper eyes.

Hiroaki perched on her bed while rubbing her tummy. She was really hungry. She looked up at the door when she heard a loud bang outside. She carefully stood up and walked to the door. She blinked at the white box that blocked her bedroom door.

“Could you open the door further, Hiro-kun?” Akira asked as he peered at the top of the refrigerator.

Hiroaki wordlessly followed Akira’s request. She curiously watched the man walk into the room with his heavy load.

Akira placed the refrigerator’s door in front of Hiroaki’s bed and plugged the cord right after. He sighed in relief as he sat down on the soft bed. He surveyed his handiwork critically. Nodding with satisfaction, he looked up at Hiroaki and gave the pregnant girl a wide grin.

Hiroaki couldn’t help but grin back. She walked to the bed and sat beside Akira.

Akira opened the refrigerator door for Hiroaki when he saw Hiroaki rubbed her tummy again.

“I would like that cake, if you please,” Hiroaki said meekly. Her stomach growled in anticipation.

Akira carefully took out the chocolate cake inside the refrigerator. “Did you have dinner?”

Hiroaki nodded. She blinked when the cake was thrust to her. “Where’s the fork?”

Akira slapped his hand to his forehead. “Shit! I forgot!” He heaved a deep sigh. “I guess you have to eat with your fingers. I can’t possibly go back into the kitchen.”

Hiroaki nodded and started picking pieces of the cake with her fingers. She licked her fingers hungrily as she devoured the chocolate cake.

Akira watched her. Hungry too but not the same hunger as Hiroaki\'s. He smiled with pure adoration at Hiroaki as the girl ate the cake with gusto.

Hiroaki glanced at Akira and blushed self-consciously.

Akira smiled wider at her expression.

“Would you like some?” Hiroaki offered a piece of cake in her fingers to Akira.

Akira nodded and bit the piece. Hiroaki knocked his head softly with her fist when he bit her fingers along with the cake.

“I don’t taste good.”

“I beg to differ,” Akira murmured hoarsely. He moved forward and kissed Hiroaki softly.

Hiroaki closed her eyes as the kiss deepened. Sanity hammered along her head but she pushed it away as Akira pushed her carefully to her bed.

She knew, in the back of her mind, that she’d regret this tomorrow but she needed to feel the one that made her heart beat with pleasure and pain.

‘Maybe in the morning,’ Hiroaki thought. ‘Maybe in the morning I can turn him away.’

***

Hanamichi laid his head on Kaede’s shoulders as they both lay on the kitchen table. He grinned when he remembered Akira.

“I wonder what happened to him,” he murmured.

“I don’t care.”

Hanamichi giggled. He looked at Kaede and took a peek on his lips. “Where have you been all night?”

Kaede ignored Hanamichi’s question. He looked at the ceiling then sat up. “We should finish this on the bedroom. The kids could come down anytime now.”

Hanamichi frowned in annoyance. “The kids will not be coming down.”

“How’d you know?”

“Because…” Hanamichi scrutinized Kaede’s expression. “I sent them to your father’s house.”

“Why’d you do that?” Kaede refused to look at Hanamichi on the eye.

“Because I’m emotionally unstable. And so is Hiro-kun. I thought that maybe Hisoka-san and Mona-san would watch over the kids better than the two of us.” Hanamichi studied his lover closely. “But that’s not the issue here, is it?”

Kaede stood up beside the table. “Come on. Let’s go to the bedroom.”

“Shit! Where the hell have you been all night?” Hanamichi yelled at the cold fox. “I called your father with the intention of asking him to let you and Akira goes home. But your father seemed surprised that I asked such question. He never saw you all day.”

Kaede’s expression remained impassive.

Hanamichi stared at Kaede, obviously hurt with his lover’s indifference. His voice cracked as he asked the question that nagged at him since Kaede’s sudden departure.

“Are you cheating on me?”

Kaede looked at Hanamichi in surprise. “What kind of question is that?”

“The kind that needs an answer,” Hanamichi retorted.

Kaede sighed. “I’m not cheating on you.”

“Really?”

“Hana,” Kaede smiled tenderly at Hanamichi. “The activity that we just did on this table is not something I would exchange with a petty one-night stand.”

“I wasn’t talking about a one-night stand. I was talking about another lover of yours lurking about.”

Kaede moved closer to Hanamichi and kissed him deeply and wantonly. “Is that something you would exchange for another?” he gasped as he parted after a few minutes of kissing.

“Hmm,” Hanamichi moaned. “I guess what we have is unique and special. And you’re changing the subject.”

Kaede grinned lecherously at Hanamichi. “You’re right. I shouldn’t change the subject.” He made a move to kiss Hanamichi again but the redhead evaded his advances.

“That’s not the subject, fox.”

Kaede blinked at Hanamichi. “What’s the subject?”

“Where have you been all night?”

Kaede parted from Hanamichi and started to walk out the kitchen. Hanamichi ran after him.

“Damnit, fox! Where have you been all night?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Why not?”

“…”

Hanamichi caught Kaede’s arm and stopped him from mo fur further. Kaede stared at him blankly.

“Why won’t you tell me?” Hanamichi begged softly.

Kaede’s resolve melted. He lovingly traced Hanamichi’s face. “I have to protect you.”

Hanamichi gave a bark of sarcastic laughter. “You’re not doing a good job.”

Kaede grinned at Hanamichi. “I went after Youhei’s shooter,” he said honestly. He watched with amazement the widening of Hanamichi’s pupils. Hanamichi opened his mouth to say something but Kaede placed his fingers over them.

“Shhh…” Kaede caressed the soft lips before kissing Hanamichi senseless again.

Hanamichi slumped to Kaede as his legs turned to Jell-O.

“We should finish this in the bedroom,” Kaede whispered.

Hanamichi nodded with agreement.