Destiny

Chapter One

I looked at him in disbelief. I'm sure that the 'are you mad' question was in my eyes, but he knew I would never say it out loud. He knew that I wouldn’t dare say it, but that still didn’t change anything. "A…Arranged marriage?"

looked at me. Correction, my father looked at me. "We think it's best to agree to this, considering that you are already…"

"If you say old, I will scream," I interrupted, glaring at my father. "Don't you dare say ‘old’. I am only twenty-seven years old."

He glared at back with the very stubbornness that I had inherited. "Twenty-seven in this society is old! Plus, you have not had a decent boyfriend for months." He crossed his arms, but then let out a sigh and rubbed his hand. "My good friend has an exceptionally distinguished gentleman for a son. He is the perfect match for you."

I looked at him cynically. "And yet this man is single? I hardly think that a distinguished gentleman would agree to an arranged marriage. If he's so perfect, shouldn’t he already have someone by now?" I asked sarcastically.

He frowned for a minute and move his hand to his jaw, thinking. "That's because he is always buried in his work and doesn’t socialize much."

My eyes narrowed even more and I crossed my arms as well. "Dear daddy, so you want me to marry a hermit?"

"Stop playing around with my words!?"

I blew up. "I can't believe you would even be considering this. Do you hate me that much?!"

"The least you could do is meet him," he muttered. "Then you could decide if you want to go along with it or not."

"No." I shook my head. "A thousand times, no."

" …" he whispered, then knocked me on the head. “We're meeting them whether you like it or not! Why do I put up with you as a daughter?"

"Because I feed you."

He walked to the door. "You're having dinner with him tomorrow, so please dress in something other than trainers."

"But…"

"That's final!"

 ~~~

Next Day- or rather, evening

I wanted to scream. In fact, I knew I would any minute. I… I… I was dressed up… I knew he had no faith in me. The minute I got back from work, three people attacked me and spent four hours dressing me. I should've been better prepared. I know how that crazy man acts. I should've known he would hire a hairdresser, make up artist and a stylist.

I looked around and felt like a gigolo. I hate this. The dress was uncomfortable. My eye make up was itchy and I just wanted to breathe. The fact that the restaurant was the type that had a secluded table in each corner bothered me. I didn’t want to be alone with this man. I didn’t want to…

' -sama?"

I immediately looked up. My breath caught in my throat. Quickly, I turned away and looked down at my folded hands on my knees. Damn that idiot for choosing someone so good-looking, I cursed.

"You are -sama?"

I let out a sigh and tried sitting up in the tight-ass dress. I was already having problems breathing in it, let alone move comfortably. "Yes, I am." I bowed slightly. I finally looked into his eyes. They were strikingly dark. I found myself staring even longer into those mysterious depths. Suddenly, realizing that I was staring for too long, I looked away, embarrassed.

"Thank you for meeting me, -sama," he said politely. "I am Sanada Genichirou."

His voice… It was so deep. It was so manly.

"Not like it was my choice," I muttered, then cursed softly and covered my mouth. I quickly looked at him and my cheeks turned red. He had obviously heard me. However, he looked at me and said, "The feeling is mutual, ."

His sentence gave me a light of hope, but at the same time, it was intriguing that he had actually said that. What he said made me bolder. "Emotional blackmail?" I asked curiously as he helped me to sit down and I almost cursed softly again as the dress even hugged me more and almost stopped my circulation with that movement.

"Are you alright?" he asked, taking a seat opposite me.

"I… I'm fine," I whispered, trying to lean back on the chair so I could give myself more room to breathe. I took that opportunity and eyed him. He… He was not only good-looking; he had an aura of a lion. The confidence, the build and the… yes, the sexiness. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that he was sexy.

I shook my head. No! I will not succumb to this! I will choose my own husband! I finally looked up and saw him talk to the waiter. He glanced at me. "What would you like to drink?"

"I'll have fresh lemonade with mint please," I answered automatically.

He nodded and ordered for the both of us. I studied him a bit and realized there was something strict about him. I couldn’t quite put it into words, but he looked like a man that shouldn’t be messed with. Finally, he looked at me and when he did, I remembered something…

That's because he is always buried in his work and doesn’t socialize much…

"You don't talk much, do you?" I asked, leaning on my elbows and watching him. I found him looking at me. Was that a hint of surprise in his eyes? I could not confirm it because it only appeared for a second. I didn’t even let him answer, but asked, "Do you really want to go through this, Sanada-san?"

As if on cue, the waiter walked up to us and placed our drinks on the table. Sanada picked up his glass and drank it. He looked at me. "We are in the same situation, -sama." He folded his hands. "However, my reasoning is different from yours. My mother is very sick and she has always hinted that she wants to see me get married."

Wow. That was a full sentence, I thought. I frowned at what he just told me. "But an arranged marriage?"

"I am very traditional."

Was he for real? He was so blunt. Hmmmm, this is harder than I thought, I tapped my finger at the corner of my lips.

"You think too much."

"Eh?" I looked up.

"You keeping tapping the corner of you mouth."

"How observant you are." And that was the end of it. We ate in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't comfortable either. I knew he was still here. His presence was strong. After we ate, I realized that I couldn't even breathe now. Damn this dress.

"Are you alright?"

I looked at him and wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t even speak. I stood up immediately and leaned on the wall. "I… I can't breathe," I choked, trying to breathe. I was thankful that no one could see us because of how the place was built.

He stood up and I realized he was holding a knife. I panicked. What was he going to do…

<RIP>

It was as if a mass of air exploded in my lungs and I could breathe again, but… "You idiot?!" I whispered hugging myself. He had… He had cut the mid part of my dress.

"Idiot?" he asked, removing his jacket and placing it on my shoulders. "I'm not the one wearing a dress two sizes too small."

"You really think I would do this to myself?" I muttered sarcastically, walking out with him. "I want my trainers." I shivered and hugged myself even more, burying myself in his jacket. I stopped for a second. His jacket… It was so warm and it… It smelled so good.

I wanted to say something, but couldn’t find anything else to say. He stood next to me and I noticed that he was actually very tall. I was not short, but there was just something about his height… We walked again and I got annoyed. "Will you please say something? Why are you so quiet?"

He blinked.

"We're supposed to see if we're fit to be together. Say something, damnit! How can I decide?"

He rubbed his jaw in surprise. "I think you have managed to shout for the both of us."

My eye twitched at his comment. He was seriously starting to aggravate me. I sat down on the ground and looked down. "Sanada-san?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to agree to marry you."

He said nothing.

I jumped up and pointed my finger at him. "I'm going to marry you because I'm going to teach you how to be social! No more one-word or five-syllable sentences coming from you, mister!"

He rubbed his face. "You call that a valid reason to get married?"

I don’t know what came over me, but I grabbed his hand. "For the moment, yes." I looked at him. Somehow when I looked at his eyes, I felt that he was smiling, yet he didn’t seem to be smiling. "So what do you say?"

~~~

"She is rather peculiar, don't you agree, Renji?"

Yanagi Renji looked at Yukimura Seiichi with a hidden smile. They were at a small gathering at Sanada's house. The only guests were the two of them since they were his best friends, and 's father.

It had been three months since Sanada had called the two of them and somehow casually told them that he was getting married. They had lost touch with everyone else from middle school, but somehow the three of them had managed to stay friends.

"I think I can confidently say that Sanada is going to have his hands full this time." Renji sipped his drink, watching Sanada stand next to his elder brother.

"Are you guys talking about me?"

They both turned and smiled at the woman. They both admitted that she was pretty - if she took proper care of herself. She seemed uncaring about her attire. However, today was different. She was actually dressed in a kimono and Yukimura knew it was at Sanada's request. "Yes, -sama, we were in fact saying how lucky Genichirou is."

raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing him. She had other worries at the moment. She and Sanada had actually gotten married this morning at court. It had been three months since the night she had met him and now… He was her husband.

~~~

My husband? It was still a weird feeling to me when I looked at him. What worried me more was having to live with him. At first, we had discussed living with his family, but I felt awkward so I asked if we could live alone first because I wanted to get to know him better. After that I would be ready to move in with his family. He had agreed to my request.

When I met Sanada's mother at the hospital, she had embraced me tightly. I had felt bad because she wasn’t told that this was an arranged marriage. I looked down and let out a sigh.  I think I spaced out for a while because I didn’t realize he was standing next to me. "We should leave now. You look tired."

I actually did feel tired. Come to think of it, I'd been out all day and it was late at night now. I nodded thankfully and we bid goodbye to the others.

When we went back home it was as if it hit me that I was married. I… I was alone with a man. Suddenly the three-bedroom apartment seemed too small and I started to go into a claustrophobic panic. He was my husband and was he expecting me to… I couldn't even say it. I shook my head and went to the bedroom. I found him nowhere in sight. However, my eye caught something - a box with my name on it. I opened it curiously and choked at what came out of it. My eye twitched as I lifted the skimpy negligee and noticed that there was a note attached to it.

I want grandchildren~

I cursed softly at my so-called father, clutching the garment in my hand. " ?"

I turned around, startled. He was looking at me and then his eyes rested on what I was holding. I could’ve sworn I saw him blush. "Rest assured, I'm burning this," I murmured, walking past him. "And dear husband?"

He blinked.

"I'm your wife; you can't call me anymore.”

He smiled a bit and went to change. I went to my own drawers and pulled out my pajamas. They were pure cotton, guaranteed not to leave any part of my body exposed. I changed in the bathroom and breathed out. It might not be so bad after all. When I walked out, I found him only in pants, looking at something.

Okay, I lied. It was bad. It was definitely bad.

He saw me come out and picked up a pillow. "I'll be in the guest room." He walked out.

I stopped. Wait a minute… He's leaving me alone? He… he can't do that. I stomped after him. "Sanada Genichirou!" I yelled, opening the guest bedroom door. "Do you really think it is okay for you to leave your wife alone on her first night?!" I demanded, glaring at him.

He looked at me, emotionless.

"I am not a pervert! I don’t want you to sleep with me, but don't… Just don't leave me alone on my first night in a completely strange place." I think my statement totally contradicted itself. I love being alone, but I was feeling vulnerable.

"I thought you were uncomfortable."

"Don't assume things on your own," I muttered. "Say something! Ask me! Why do you keep assuming things?" I walked out of the room and went to the master bedroom. Fine! If you don't want to share, screw it! I hit the pillows and went under the covers. 

I was actually surprised when I felt him climb into the bed next to me. I never really thought that he would come after me. However, I didn’t turn around. I stayed stiff on my side. I tried counting sheep to sleep, but I couldn't. I still didn’t turn, but said, "Sanada, are you awake?"

There was a moment of silence and he finally answered. "Yes."

"I feel pathetic." I turned around. I found him looking at me. He didn’t have any expression on his face. However, what he did surprised me. He pushed his arm towards me and patted my head gently. "You need to sleep." He pulled the covers over me to my chin and tucked me in. "Tomorrow is a new day."

"Somehow I feel like a child."

"Go to sleep," he ordered, turning on his side.

"Yes, father," I grumbled, closing my eyes. Surprisingly, sleep did come easily.

~~~

When I woke up, I felt delirious. I did not have the energy to get up or the voice to speak. My body was on fire. I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, but I could not. I even forgot where I was until I noticed someone above me. "You're finally awake." He placed a wet cloth over my forehead. "You've been sleeping all day. You have a fever."

"Fever?" I whispered, trying to sit up, but he didn’t let me.

"Don't you dare get up."

"I need the bathroom!"

He let out a sigh. Before I knew it, I was lifted in those powerful arms and was taken to the bathroom. He put me down and made me lean on the wall. "I'll wait by the door."

I did what I had to do and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes widened at my beet-red face. I washed my face. I think he heard me because he walked in and stood behind me. "You need to lie down." he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come on."

I leaned against him and nodded. He lifted me again, but this time went to the living room and placed me on the sofa. 'Wait here," he said and went back to the room. He got a blanket and pillow and helped me to use them. "Stay here so I can keep an eye on you."

I closed my eyes and decided to listen to him. It was crazy. First day of married life and my husband had to nurse me. Great, he must think of me as a weakling, I thought, trying to get comfortable. I wasn’t worried about him because he was staying at home. He had taken – no, his elder brother had forced him to take a month off so we could adapt to our new life. If I learned one thing about my husband it was that he'd never be able to oppose his brother.

I exhaled and cursed myself for being sick. I shouldn’t have tired myself like that. I had been out the whole day and I knew I was exhausted, but come on… It was my wedding day. My eyes closed for a few minutes and I suddenly woke up. "Sanada?!"

'I'm here," he said, walking in. "Is something wrong?"

I fell back on the sofa and closed my eyes. "No… I just wanted to… I didn’t want to be alone."

~~~

Sanada crossed his arms and watched the sleeping . His sleeping wife. She was sleeping soundly and it was clear that she was tired. Touching her cheek slightly, he noticed that her fever was gone. He was surprised that she had slept almost all day. It was close to seven in the evening already. He looked at her again and decided to order some dinner for the both of them and then he would wake her up.

An hour later, he had set the table and the food was ready. He went to and shook her up. "Wake up."

She stirred.

" …" He paused. He sat her up gently. " , wake up," he said gently, shaking her slightly.

She stirred and moved close to him. Her arms suddenly came around him and she buried her face in his chest. "Sleepy," she murmured.

He couldn't help but feel protective of her. He patted her head once and kept his hand at the back of her head. "You need to eat." He moved and she opened her eyes a bit. "Come on."

rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I'm awake," she muttered annoyed, but she didn’t move. "I'm awake, I'm awake…" She rubbed her eyes and then paused for a second.

~~~

Why am I in his arms? I thought in a panic. I looked up and peered into his face. He was obviously not looking at me. I blushed and moved away, pushing my hair back. I sighed, but then I smelled something. "Something smells good," I remarked. And at that moment, my tummy decided to announce that I was hungry. I couldn’t hide my embarrassment.

He stood and pulled me up. “I ordered food."

I was surprised. I could get used to this pampering. I followed him to the table and sat down. We both ate in silence. After eating, I picked up the plates, but he stopped me. "Go back to bed."

"I'm not sleepy anymore."

"Then take a shower."

I put my hands on my hips. "Are you implying that I stink?" I demanded.

He rubbed his forehead wearily. "You…" He stopped. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the bathroom. "Just once, don't talk back." He left me in the bathroom.

I was so angry that I actually decided to take the shower to cool off. I wondered if this was a typical first day of marriage. I left it and towel-dried myself. I noticed that I didn’t have a change of clothes with me so I just wrapped the towel around myself and walked out.

" , phone."

I swore softly and went to the living room. He just looked at me once and resumed to his newspaper reading.

"So how many grandchildren are on the way?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to calm myself, but I snapped. “Listen, you perverted old man! I'll kill you with my own bare hands if you talk like that again."

"I want grandchildren."

"Adopt!" I yelled, slamming the phone down. I huffed and looked at my husband who was looking at me. He blinked a few times, but then rubbed his eyes. "Go and put some clothes on. You'll catch a cold."

I looked at him and ignored his request. I sat next to him. "Darling husband, you look preoccupied."

"Do you seriously talk to your father that way?"

I sat next to him. "I love my father." I crossed my legs and leaned against the sofa. "But he can be perverted sometimes. He won't stop telling me that he wants grandchildren."

<Pause>

"What about you, … ? Do you want kids?"

I thought about his question. I was confused because I didn’t know the answer. Did I want kids? No, the question was, did I want kids in an arranged marriage? I barely know my husband and to have kids with him… "I don't think I'd want kids," I finally answered. "I don't know you very well, so it wouldn't be fair to my children to raise them in a false marriage," she answered. I stood up and looked at him. I didn't want to hear his remark on that. "Let's go out."

"Out?"

"Yes." I pulled him up. "Since we won't be in doing anything, let's go and have some fun."

"Fun?"

"Yes, you old man!" I led him to the bedroom. "We're going to go out and do something exciting." I opened his closet and pulled out some stuff. "And stop using one word! Full sentences."

He stopped me from pulling out clothes. "I can pick my own clothes, thank you." He moved me and pulled out a sweater and jeans.

I sensed that he was irritated, but he didn’t show it. I ignored the feeling and went to change since I was feeling better. I got ready fast so he wouldn’t change his mind and we went out.

"Walk or drive?" he asked me.

"Let's walk." I hugged his arm. "The weather is beautiful." I knew I was being forward, but I promised myself that I would make this work. I let go of his arm when I spotted something in the dark.

"Wait," he said, catching my arm. "It could be dangerous," he explained when he saw me approaching the box on the floor. What made me curious was I could hear rustling. I ignored him and opened the box and my heart skipped a beat.

It was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen. It was a beautiful gray kitten with gorgeous baby blue eyes. I picked it up and noticed that it was shivering. I removed my jacket and covered it with it. "You look lost, little one," I said softly, hugging it.

I looked at Sanada and noticed that he wasn't too happy. Not like he ever was. "Can we?"

He wanted to answer, but he sneezed several times in a row.

Could it be? Was my husband allergic to cats? "Are you allergic?"

He looked at me wryly and eyed the kitten that was looking at him with wide eyes.

I lifted the kitten and leveled it with Sanada's face. "Look! It's giving you puppy eyes and saying please take care of me."

"How can a kitten have puppy eyes?” he muttered.

I moved the kitten away and gave him puppy eyes. "Then for me. I always wanted kittens, but the stupid old man would never let me have any. Please. Please. Please…"

He sighed and I knew I had won.

~~~

Next Day

Sanada walked out of the room in the morning. He had slept more than usual. He looked around for , but couldn’t find her. He heard a scream.

"Keigo!"

He thought for a second. Keigo? He wasn't too fond of that name. He walked to the kitchen and found scolding the kitten. "Keigo! Bad boy! If you don't listen to mummy then she will be very angry."

"What are you doing?"

looked up. "Keigo's being a bad boy. He's fooling around and not letting me clean him."

Keigo again… he thought wryly. He walked towards her, but to his surprise the kitten stood in front of him. He sidestepped him, but the stubborn thing hissed at him.

picked it up. "I discovered something today," she said, placing Keigo on the table. "Keigo is extremely jealous. He attacked the newspaper man, the postman, and…"

"So I can't go near you?"

smiled. "Not yet." She looked at him and giggled.

Something tells me I made a mistake agreeing to this, he thought again as hugged the kitten. She seems happy though. He watched her cuddle the kitten and smile cheerfully. He could’ve sworn the kitten gave him an arrogant smirk, knowing that he had won.

"Do you like the name?" He looked up from his thoughts. "The name Keigo - do you like it?" she repeated, looking at him.

He thought about it for a second. The arrogance, the jealousy, and manners…. "I think it's perfect." He smiled, thinking of someone he knew a long time ago.

looked at him. She put Keigo down and walked towards Sanada; she placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him. "I don't think I've seen you smile genuinely until now."

He looked at her and gave her another smile. He felt like holding her, so he put his arms around her. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down and saw the not-so-cheerful Keigo with his claws in his leg. I'm going to kill him, he thought, kicking the kitten slightly away, but it wouldn’t move. "What's wrong?"

"I don’t' seem to be well-liked in my own home." He pointed downwards and 's eyes widened at what Keigo was doing.

~~~

I don’t believe this. My kitten was jealous of my husband. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing. At the same time I was contemplating whether it was smart or stupid of me to have brought the kitten into our lives, but every time Keigo turned to me with those cute puppy eyes, I caved. "I'm sorry. I'll teach him some manners."

He let go of me and poured some coffee for himself. He never let things irritate him, but the stupid kitten seemed to be really getting to him.

"Your father called earlier. He invited us out for dinner and I accepted," I said, looking at him. "He said that your mother will be joining us as well."

"I see."

I frowned and stood next to him. I placed my hand on his upper arm. "Gen…" I said quietly. "Your father talked to me about your mother for a bit. I'm sorry… I didn’t know that she was very sick."

I was going to say more, but he winced and we both looked down and saw Keigo smiling mischievously at the both of us.

He ignored the kitten. "She'll be fine. She can go out from time to time. The doctor says it's good for her morale."

I looked at him and smiled. Since I didn’t have one of my own, I felt protective of his mother. She had been so nice to me when I first met her that my heart almost broke. I bent down and picked up Keigo and placed him in the living room. "I'm going to take a shower," I announced. "And you need to get ready."

Half an hour later, I was dressed and so was my husband. He looked dashing. If I could only break the silent façade of his, I knew I would be happy. I walked toward him and hugged his arm. "Shall we go?"

He nodded.

As we walked to the door, I noticed my kitten not looking very happy. Damnit. I knew the damn kitten was spoilt, but not to this extent. No wonder someone left him outside in a box. "No," I said, ignoring his look. "I will see you when I get back."

"MEOW!"

"No,” I repeated firmly. This was a family dinner and there was no way I was dragging a kitten with me.

It happened too fast. Before I could even react, I felt the pain on my face. In a minute, I saw my husband pick up the kitten and walk out with it. He came back and led me to the living room. "Sit," he ordered. He came back and dabbed my cheek with a towel. I winced at the stinging.

"No more Keigo?" I asked.

"No more."

I somehow knew that was final.

~~~

Dinner surprisingly went smoothly. It was just his parents, brother, and my own father. I found myself chatting to his elder brother most of the evening. He was surprisingly nice to talk to and I enjoyed his company. I was amazed that the two were related.

My husband was quiet the whole time. The usual questions were asked and the normal responses given.

How are you?

Fine.

The day?

Good.

Weather?

Not bad.

Then his mother asked, "Have you two discussed children?"

I almost choked on my sushi.

His mother smiled. "I'm guessing not," she said knowingly. The next thing I saw was that she had sat next to her son and started talking to him. I tried straining my ears to hear them, but it was useless. I stopped straining when I felt Shinichiro's arm around me. "She's probably emotionally blackmailing him into having kids."

I looked at him wryly and moved his arm. "And why can't you bring that joy to her? Aren't you the eldest and wisest?"

He looked serious for a second. "My wife can't have children."

Damnit! I thought. I looked down. "I'm sorry,"

Again, I felt his arm around me. "You are right though. I am the eldest, but certainly not the wisest. He may look like an idiot sometimes, but he is smarter than me. I don’t take things too seriously."

I thought about what he said, but didn’t ponder on it for long. "How come I haven't met your wife yet?"

"My wife is a journalist. Her work makes her travel worldwide to cover stories, so she's busy most of the time."

I looked at him, amazed. He was alright with that?

"I know what you're thinking, but don’t worry. She gets four months off every year, so we make up for the time."

I smiled. I turned my gaze to my husband who was still talking, no - listening - to his mother. I felt that he was annoyed by something. Was the woman really telling him to have kids? My god, we’d only been married two days! I looked back at Shinichiro, who was grinning at me. "Get that look off your face.'

He laughed out loud and made both Sanada and his mother look at us.

I caught my husband’s eye and blushed. I think he was surprised how well I as getting along with his brother. I wish he'd show a little jealousy or something so I would know that I mean something to him. I looked away and saw that Shinichiro caught my worried look. He just winked at me and stood up. "Mother, I think it's time you give her husband back," he said jokingly.

I'm not sure whether he did that to relieve Genichiro or me from my worried thoughts. Whatever his purpose was, it worked. I saw my husband leaving his mother's side and sit next to me. Without thinking, I touched my cheek and winced. The stupid kitten had done a number on me. It had taken a lot of concealer to cover up the scratch.

Unexpectedly he touched my cheek. I froze. "Your concealer was smudged," was all that he said before turning to look away.

I sighed. This was turning to be more difficult than I thought. This was not a marriage in name only. This is a marriage that is supposed to work. I had put a lot into this and I needed to make it work.

But how the hell am I supposed to do that?

~~~

DeVeliCious

Edited by Kashii & Elenniel

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Note:

Thanks to Elenniel for naming Sanada's brother.