Innocent Seduction

Chapter Seven

was depressed. She was depressed because she was in a dilemma. She found it ironic that being a she was struggling financially. If my father knew… he would have a field day, she thought sadly. "Damnit! I can't even tell Hiroshi," she complained out loud.

At the mention of his name, she blushed. So far, it has been two weeks and they had been going out. They were more relaxed with one another. It was far more than before. He seemed better with her. Although they weren’t that talkative, but his presence helped.

Right now, she stared quietly at her financials. The red circled numbers were increasing and she had no idea how to make them go away. She knew it was a big mistake to move here before finding a stable job. She didn’t know what she was thinking. She didn’t even have proper money to eat anymore. And yet I still can't stop shopping, she thought in agony.

She gathered her thoughts when she heard the doorbell. Quickly, she took her papers and hid them between a magazine. She quickly made sure there were no signs of it and went to the door. She opened it and smiled. "Hey…"

He kissed her cheek and walked in.

"I'm wondering, won't Seiichi think its weird when you keep coming here?"

"He's in Osaka again and Sumi seems to like hanging around Yuuka these days," he explained, sitting down on the sofa.

nodded and walked towards him. 'So, how is my boy?" she asked, sitting on his lap. She put her hands on his shoulders and smiled at him.

'He's actually good for a change."

smiled. "That's good to hear," she said, putting her head on his shoulder. However, the minute she did that she heard a light growl from his stomach. She sat up and grinned. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

'Not really. My stomach's hungry, I couldn’t care less if I ate or not."

She got off him. "We can't have that then. Relax, while I go and make something."

Yagyuu just shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought she was acting like his wife or something. He paused in his thoughts at that before shaking it off entirely.

Looking around to find something to occupy his mind, he spotted the magazine on the table. Deciding it was better than letting his mind wander; he picked it up and flipped through it. However, he wasn’t expecting to find what he did.

His eyebrows furrowed in questioning as he looked at the documents he stumbled upon. He knew that it wasn’t any of his business but curiosity got the better of him. Quickly scanning over the papers, he realized what they were.

Her financial stability is spiraling downward fast, he thought. Looking over the numbers and making quick calculations in his head, he estimated that she had enough for maybe a few weeks at most, unless she starved herself. I should have confronted her about this.

At that moment, came back with a plate of food. “Hiroshi, I hope you’re okay with…” She drifted off when she noticed what he was looking at. Dropping the plate, she dashed over and quickly grabbed the papers away. “What are you doing?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Yagyuu questioned in calm anger that was tinged with disappointment. Although he had an inkling of an idea about her financial troubles, he was hoping that she would have told him about them now that they were closer than before. “Or maybe the question should be why couldn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to take care of it myself. I don’t want any pity, even from you,” stated firmly, turning her back to him. She didn’t want him to see she was beginning to fall apart.

“, pride is all right to have, but too much will be your downfall,” Yagyuu said. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. “Don’t you trust me enough to help you?”

bit her bottom lip. She did trust him, a lot more than he probably thought. She was having an internal struggle between her pride as an independent woman and her sensible side that knew with his help she would be able to get out of the bind she was in. After a minute of battling with herself, her pride gave way, letting her sensible side rule this time.

turned around and put her arms around his waist.

"?"

"I know you've heard this a million times by now. I just want you to hold me, Hiroshi,' she requested. "I'll talk once I can find my voice again."

------------------------------

sat next to him as he made some phone calls. It took a lot of strength and swallowed pride to tell him that she was struggling. He told her that finding a job was the first thing for her to do and he ordered no shopping on the list.

He asked her to call and Jackal to see if they have anything for her while he called some of his own friends. He hated doing this, but he was going to use his connections to make sure she had something by the end of this week.

He looked at the last number that he had in his phone book. He debated with himself for a second before remembering that he was doing this for . With hardened resolve, he dialed Niou's number. "This is a surprise."

"I'll get straight to the point," Yagyuu said firmly. "You once told me you help out in recruiting. Do you think you could find a suitable job for ?"

"Actually I do. If I recall correctly, she wants something to do with kids, right?"

"Yes."

"My sister's looking for a nanny for her brats."

Yagyuu leaned on the sofa and rubbed his jaw. "The evil twins?"

"Yup."

Yagyuu looked at who was looking earnestly at him. "Seriously, Masaharu… would you wish those two kids amongst your worst enemy?"

"That's why my sister is paying a price that makes gold look like dirt."

Yagyuu let out a sigh. "Let me talk to and then I'll let you know, ok?"

"That's fine, but one thing. If she wants it, then she gets it. It saves me time for reference check.'

"Thank you."

"And Hiroshi…"

Yagyuu paused. "Yes?"

"This woman, she's more than a friend?"

"Have a nice day, Masaharu. I'll let you know what she thinks soon." Once he hung up the phone, he let out an annoyed sigh.

“What did Niou say?” questioned. Although she had only heard one side of the conversation, she had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about.

“Masaharu’s sister is looking for a nanny to take care of her kids,” Yagyuu informed her.

“So that’s whom you were referring to when you said the evil twins,” said, understanding dawning on her. “What else did he say?”

“He said that his sister is willing to pay well and that you have the job if you want it,” he finished.

looked at him in astonishment. “Really? Right off the bat?”

“Probably left a good impression on him at the water park,” he said with a slight shrug. When he saw the contemplative look on her face, he asked, “Are you considering it?”

“I don’t see why not,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Considering the circumstances, it sounds heaven sent even if it’s with the twins.”

Yagyuu looked a bit disturbed. “, are you sure? I know how evil those two are… I mean Seiichi who never complains has voiced his opinion about those two.”

“It’s not like I really have a choice!” she snapped, standing up. “Now, let me prepare you another sandwich.”

“Sit down, . I feel like ordering some Chinese.” He picked up his cell phone again. “What do you want?”

“I want you to call Niou and tell him that I accept the job.”

“…”

“How bad could it be, damnit!”

-----------------

Two Days Later

“I thought he was kidding when he told me to wear jeans and sneakers.” hugged as he helped her walk into her apartment.

“Then just quit.”

“No!” she said, pushing away from him and standing up with a determined voice. After a few seconds, she held her head and almost fainted if Yagyuu hadn’t caught her. “I will turn those two demons into angels!”

and Yagyuu looked at each other. Yagyuu was just returning back home with Sumi when he saw escorting a very tired inside. Now that she was draped over Yagyuu, was able to open her apartment with no trouble.

“I warned you about those two, didn’t I?” Yagyuu mumbled as he helped her inside when the door opened. After fumbling a bit to get their shoes off, he led her to the couch, where she gratefully plopped down on.

Sumi, who had followed her father in, went up to and sat down next to her. “-sensei, are you okay?”

glanced at the look of concern sent her way by the girl. She responded with a reassuring but tired smile. “I’m fine, Sumi-chan. Thank you for asking.”

“Here, this will help you,” said, handing her a cup of freshly made tea. took it with a grateful smile. settled in the adjacent seat. “So how was it? By the way you look; I’d say that they were a lot more trouble than you thought they would be.”

“Well, they sure kept me busy. It’s bad enough that I can’t tell them apart yet, but they are mischievous too,” replied, a sigh escaping her lips. “If I kept my eyes on one, then the other would go off and do something.”

“Probably got it from Masaharu,” Yagyuu commented, not resisting the slight twitch of his lips. “Despite not usually being able to handle them on his own, Masaharu does spend a lot of time with his nieces and nephew. In turn, they practically adore him because of all the stories they heard from when he did all sorts of pranks and stuff back in middle school.”

scowled. “So I have Niou to thank for not only getting me the job but for them being so mischievous as well. Wonderful.”

“There’s still time to back out,” suggested with a grin. However, he knew it was pointless for even suggesting it. She was stubborn to a fault.

“There’s no way I’m backing out, ! Just you wait and see. I’m going to have those girls wearing halos over their heads in no time,” declared, determination showing on her face.

shook his head with a smile on his face. He wondered how long that determination would last. He looked over to Yagyuu and saw the hidden amusement; he was probably thinking along the same lines.

“Papa.” Yagyuu looked at his daughter with an expectant look. “Sumi’s hungry.”

Yagyuu nodded. “Let’s go then. I’ll make you something to eat,” he said, holding out his hand for her to take. Once she did, he looked over to and . “What about you two? Would you like to join us if you don’t already have plans?”

“I was supposed to meet with Jackal, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind coming over if it’s all right with you,” replied with a thoughtful look. When Yagyuu gave him the okay, he took out his cell phone to contact his boyfriend about the change of plans.

Yagyuu glanced over to . “And how about you ?”

“That’s awfully generous of you Yagyuu,” responded with a teasing smile. “But I accept your generous offer wholeheartedly. Just let me freshen up a bit and I’ll be right over.”

“Take your time.” He looked over to who had just finished his conversation. “How’s your end?”

“Jackal’s coming. Says he wouldn’t want to miss how ’s first day with Niou’s twins was,” informed, teasing smirk on his face.

“Someone would have told him any way,” pointed out, slight glare directed toward the European male. She turned back to Yagyuu. “We’ll go when Jackal gets here.”

With a nod, Yagyuu left the apartment and headed to his own with Sumi in tow. When he stepped inside, he noticed that Yukimura’s shoes were in his usual place, which meant that he was actually home. “Sumi, why don’t you go tell Uncle Sei that we’re going to have guests over for dinner?”

“Okay!” She chirped, running off to find Yukimura.

Yagyuu made his way to the kitchen, thoughts occupied with the possibilities of what to make. As he was rummaging through the fridge and cupboards, he took notice that his housemate was leaning against the wall.

“Sumi tells me we’re having guests?” Yukimura inquired with a questioning look that held amusement as well. “Who’s coming?”

“, Jackal, and ,” Yagyuu replied automatically as he just started to pull things out of the fridge only to put them back.

Yukimura raised an eyebrow at that. “Really now? Was there something special that happened that I didn’t know about?”

“Apparently, we had caught supporting to her apartment who was returning from her first day on the job,” Yagyuu explained, still looking in the fridge.

“She found a job?” Yukimura asked with interest. “What is she doing now?”

“Ask her yourself when she gets here,” Yagyuu said, pulling out a pot.

Yukimura let out a sigh. He wondered why there was a slight defensive tone in Yagyuu's voice every time 's name came up. As usual, he decided to let it go. "So what's for dinner?"

Yagyuu looked at him wryly. "At the moment nothing," he admitted. "The fridge is empty!"

"Good, then we can order Sushi," he said with a smile.

"And Chinese!" Sumi yelled.

Yagyuu nodded. He pulled out a notepad and paper and began writing down what to order. In a few minutes, he actually made the call and that was when entered. "She's taking a shower and said she will nap a bit. Do you guys mind if I crash here?"

"Sure,' Yukimura answered.

Yagyuu nodded and picked up his wallet and keys. "I'm going to get some drinks," he suggested. "Sumi, want to come with me."

"Uncle Sei said he will play with me Playstation."

"And too," piped in with a grin.

Yagyuu nodded and walked out. He was going to the elevator, but stopped. He decided to check on because he had been a bit worried when she looked exhausted. Using the key he had, he walked into her apartment. He had it for emergencies, but she had told him to keep it as well. "?"

Silence.

He frowned, for he could not hear any water running. "?"

Silence.

For a second, he panicked and walked to her bedroom. He knocked and looked around, but froze when she walked out of the bathroom. They both actually froze. At any woman's natural instinct, she would normally scream when a man walked in on her naked, but she just froze in her place.

Fortunately for , she had a towel in her hand and quickly held it in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

He turned around and looked down. "I came to check up on you. You looked really tired."

"I'm fine," she said quietly, wrapping the towel around her body. "You can look now."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"It's alright," she said, sitting on the bed. "Thanks for checking up on me." She smiled, patting the space next to her.

Yagyuu sat down and she put her head on his shoulder. "Your hair is still wet," he said, moving his hand through it. "You'll catch a cold."

"Yeah, yeah…" she mumbled, moving away. She stood in front of him and smiled. "I've missed you," she said, bending down and placing her hands on her knees. She looked into his face as he sat down.

Yagyuu realized that he had missed her as well. Even though it had been only a day, but he did miss her. Steadily, he moved his hands and cupped her face. "Show me how much you've missed me."

laughed. "That's so cheesy; did you watch a romance with Seiichi?" She giggled.

"No," he answered seriously.

went serious as well and placed her lips on his. They kissed casually until it turned serious. Not surprised, found herself on the bed with him on top of her, but not suffocating her. Since they started dating, they had kissed more profoundly and were acting accordingly to their body instincts.

Now, with her in a towel, it seemed more serious. His lips had left hers and he had found her collarbone, which seemed to be his favorite place in the last few days, he went lower and lower, the towel almost loosening until she stopped him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Yagyuu froze in place. Snapping out of his haze, he took in the situation they were in. Or more accurately, the position they were in. He immediately sat up so that he was no longer hovering over her. She followed suit, holding on to her towel to make sure it wouldn’t fall.

“I’m sorry,” Yagyuu muttered, burying his face in his hands.

wrapped her arms around him, settling her chin on his shoulder so that she could see him. “You don’t need to apologize.” She wasn’t expecting the response that she got.

Yagyuu quickly stood up, turning his back to her. “Don’t … not when you’re still just in a towel,” he said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear. “Besides, I should be going to get the drinks that I was supposed to be getting.”

“Hiroshi…”

“You get ready and just head over. I’ll see you when I get back.” With that, he swiftly left the room and exited the apartment, leaving to her thoughts.

-----------------

'Is it me or you look sexier without your glasses?"

Yagyuu stared wryly at Jackal. "Please don't," he muttered, placing the food that had just arrived on serving plates. "I don’t think your boyfriend would appreciate you flattering me like that."

Jackal chuckled. "I'm just tying to loosen you up a bit," he said cheerfully, taking a seat across where he stood.

Yagyuu didn’t say anything.

was at the side, fixing some little things like a salad. She had been quiet most of the time, but everyone took it as a sign that she was tired. She busied herself in the kitchen because she didn't really feel like interacting with anyone.

"Say, Hiroshi. Are you seeing anyone?" Jackal asked casually, making stop a bit from chopping tomatoes for the salad.

Yagyuu didn't say anything for five minutes, but finally looked at Jackal. "Why do you ask?" he finally asked, turning his direction to the half-Brazilian.

"One of my clients, she is a very beautiful woman and she had hinted several times that she wants to be set up. Don't get me wrong, for I don't do this normally, but she's a friend and I think you two will suit well." Jackal looked at him.

Yagyuu just finished with the plates and placed them on the table. "That's fine, I guess," he said. "Maybe this will get you people off my back to hook me up with someone."

Jackal smiled genuinely. "Has Seiichi been bothering you as well?"

"He's been mentioning it every week."

They both continued chatting casually. However, none realized that had simply left the kitchen to go sit with and the rest.

During dinner, the healthy munches of four grown man and an excited little girl could be heard. It was clear that everybody was hungry and they were all enjoying the mouth watering feast in front of them.

was trying to enjoy the conversation, but her heart kept shifting. The conversation Yagyuu had with Jackal earlier had bugged her deeply. Why did he say yes to going out with someone else? She thought miserably. Also, how he had left suddenly earlier, hurt her pride. And why the hell did he push me away? She shook her head, thinking.

"?"

looked up when she heard her voice and realized that it was Yukimura. "Yes?"

"Do you want some more salad?"

nodded as he placed some on her plate.

Yukimura smiled at her. "You seem really tired." He observed. "Where do you work now?" he asked, sipping his soft drink.

"I am the nanny of Masaharu's twin nieces," she answered, making him almost choke on his soft drink.

Sumi patted his back gently so he could go back to breathing normally.

"What any sane human being would do that?!" Yukimura exclaimed, looking at her.

watched him wryly. "The desperate kind," she answered softly, resuming eating her food. The way she had answered kind of gave it a serious tone, so Yukimura decided to drop the subject and not make any more drama out of it.

They ate while the men conversed. Finally, Jackal took Sumi to play with him while and Yukimura conversed about politics and helped Yagyuu to clean up.

She was busy washing dishes when she felt him near. "You're quiet," he said, moving a strand of hair that was on her eye. He moved it because he knew her hands were too soapy for her to do anything.

moved away. "I'm just tired."

"Okay," he said, taking the dishes she had washed to dry.

washed, but then put her hands down. Her pause made him turn to look at her. "I'm not only tired, but disappointed as well," she whispered, looking away. "How could you say yes to going out with someone else?"

"?"

"How could say yes to Jackal? Aren't we dating? Didn’t you ask me to go out with you? Why do you want to go out with someone else?" she asked, giving him her back. "And why did you say yes in front of me? Are you mad because I stopped you earlier?"

"No, that's not the…"

"I only stopped you because people were waiting! I'm not going to let my first time with you be like a ten minute thing!" she said heatedly.

Yagyuu stopped in his place. He touched his forehead. ", I know it wasn't like that," he said quietly.

"You pushed me away." She jabbed her finger on his chest. "Why did you push me away?"

"Because you were naked," he whispered. "Damnit! You were in a towel! Of course I was going to push you away. At the end of the day, I am still a man!"

's cheeks heated. She bit her lip and looked down. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I just thought that you didn’t want me."

Yagyuu let out a sigh and took her hand. He pulled her close and held her tight. "You silly woman," he whispered in her ears, hugging her. put her arms around him and held tight.

"Everything alright?"

They jumped apart, looking over to see Yukimura standing there with a grin on his face. glanced to the ground with a light blush on her face while Yagyuu just looked anywhere other than where his housemate was standing. Silence reigned until Yukimura let out a small chuckle.

“I was hoping for when you’d actually tell me rather than finding out this way,” Yukimura stated with a smile.

Both of them turned to him with confused looks on their faces. “What do you mean by that, Seiichi?” asked, no longer blushing.

“I may have not been around all the time, but I’m no idiot, ,” Yukimura replied. “I’ve seen the way Hiroshi’s been acting the past few weeks.” His moved over to said male, a smirk crossing his features. “You’re not slick enough to deceive my eyes, Hiroshi. You should know that by now.”

Yagyuu released a sigh. He had thought that he was doing a pretty good job tricking his friend. Apparently he wasn’t as good as Niou for this round. “So?”

“So what?” Yukimura questioned back in slight confusion. “I approve if that’s what you’re asking about. But it’s not like you really need it from me.”

“Oh? I had the distinct impression that you’d probably give me some sort of interrogation,” Yagyuu responded, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Shrugging his shoulders, Yukimura replied, “Since it’s you, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Thanks,” Yagyuu said wryly.

“So, what about the others?” Yukimura asked, almost whispering since said others were in the other room. “Are you going to tell them or not?”

Yagyuu and looked at each other as if telepathically communicating with each other. After a few seconds, they both reached the same conclusion. “We won’t tell them just yet. Maybe at a later time,” answered for the both of them.

“Any particular reason for the delay?” Yukimura inquired, questioning gaze shifting between the two of them. When neither said anything, he let out a sigh of his own. “Well, whatever. It’s your decision, just as long as you tell them.”

nodded and looked at Yagyuu. "Well…" she said, moving away from him. "We'll discuss later; I need to go and lie down."

Yagyuu nodded.

grinned. "I guess I can do this now," she said, kissing his lips lightly in front of Yukimura and then walking away.

Yagyuu cleared his throat and continued washing the unfinished dishes that left.

"So?"

Yagyuu glanced back. "So what?"

"Maybe she managed to get off the hook, but how long has this been going on?" Yukimura asked, grinning.

"Just go and entertain our guests, Seiichi," he mumbled.

------------------------------

"That was fun," whispered against Yagyuu's lips. They were both in her apartment much later. Since Yukimura knew about them, it was easier for him to just go to 's apartment without justifying himself.

"How come you don't look tired anymore?" he asked, looking up at her. He was resting on his back with her a bit on top of him. She had her arms around his waist.

"It's my day off tomorrow." She trailed her finger up his chest. "Niou told me to try a day before weekend and then start anew from the week."

He looked at her. "Why?"

"So I could take a full break for the week. Today was a trial."

He let out a sigh. "I thought you were mad at me." He changed the subject.

"I am."

Yagyuu moved his hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. "I told you I am a man," he repeated. "Having a naked woman around does not help us."

"I was wearing a towel, but how about a fully clothed woman next to you?" She grinned, leaning down.

He pulled her gently down and kissed her.

He threaded his fingers through her hair, not caring if he messed it up. His other hand slowly traveled the length of her back, earning him a shiver from her. He settled his hand on the patch of exposed skin of her lower back before slipping under her shirt.

herself was busying her hands in exploring the man under her. Her hands traveled down his chest, not missing the own shiver she elicited from him. Her hand traveled back up and with little effort, started to unbutton his shirt.

When the need for air surfaced, they separated panting as laid her forehead against his. She stared into his eyes, unsurprised at seeing the desire that bordered lust in those dark pools because she knew that her own eyes reflected the same thing. Being driven by that desire, she dived, kissing him once more with much more intensity.

Before either realized, Yagyuu’s chest was fully exposed while ’s shirt was riding up a lot further than deemed appropriate. She was lying fully on top of him and took advantage of the new position that gave her a better angle to kiss him.

Both were so lost to the world that they almost didn’t hear the loud knocking on the door. “Ignore it. They’ll go away,” murmured against his lips.

’s voice drifted through the door, making the two halt in what they were doing. “Hey ! Open up! I accidentally left my cell phone in your apartment.”

cursed her friend to oblivion before getting off of Yagyuu. She pulled down her shirt, and tried to at least make herself presentable for her friend. She cursed again when she realized that didn’t know about Yagyuu just yet. With strength she didn’t know she possessed, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

“You need to hide!” She hissed at him, pushing him toward the direction of her room. Once he was inside, she quickly made her way to the door where incessant knocking was quickly becoming agitated. Swiftly opening the door, she sent a slight glare to the European. “What is it?”

Taken a back by the near snarl of a greeting, he took a step back. “I just needed to get my cell phone.” He stepped when she opened the door wider for him to enter. Snagging the forgotten phone that was resting on the table, he turned back to leave quickly.

However, as he made his way back to the door, he was able to get a good look at who was still holding the door open. He raised an eyebrow at her disheveled appearance. Her hair was in tangles, clothes rumpled, and if he didn’t know any better, her lips were slightly swollen as well.

“What happened to you?” He asked, giving her a questioning look.

“What do you mean?” She questioned right back, still patiently holding the door open for him to leave through. When he gestured towards her, she took a good look at herself, having the decency to blush. “I-I was sleeping when you came.”

gave her an incredulous look. Not only was a bad liar with him, but also she had to give a pathetically overused excuse to cover herself up. However, he sensed that she didn’t want to talk about anything with him. So he just gave a shrug before leaving her alone. “I’ll call you,” he tossed over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

sighed as she closed the door. No doubt was on to her now. However, before she could think on it some more, she remembered a certain someone was waiting in her room. Dashing off to her room, she opened the door only to let out a smile at the sight.

Yagyuu was sprawled on her bed fast asleep, if the steady rise and fall of his chest was any indication. He must have been really tired if he fell asleep in such a short time, she mused. She walked up to her bed and just stared at his sleeping form before joining him, curling up to his side with an arm draped over his waist.

-----------------

“Aunty , can we have a snack?”

looked at the puppy eyes of her charges. She couldn’t even attempt to deny them when she was sucked into those watering pools. The twin girls let out little cheers when let out a sigh.

“As long as you pick up your toys here,” bargained. Receiving nods, she smiled. “So what do you want to eat?”

“Apples!” Both girls chirped together.

“All right. You two get started while I go get your snack,” said. She headed off to the kitchen. It had been weeks since she had started this nanny job with Niou’s nieces. As she had promised, she had turned the terrors into little angels. They were still occasionally causing some mischief but it was all in good fun.

When she got to the kitchen, she nearly screamed in surprise. Luckily she was able to hold in her scream when she saw the familiar head of silver hair. She laid a hand on her chest in attempt to calm her racing heart.

“Masaharu, how many times do I have to tell you not to appear unannounced?” questioned as she walked up to the male who was raiding the fridge.

“Always one more than the last time,” Niou replied with a smirk.

just shook her head in amusement before shoving him aside to get to the apples that were stored there. Once she pulled out two bright red apples, Niou continued with his raid of his sister’s fridge. “So any particular reason for your visit this time besides leeching off of your sister?”

“You wound me ! I can’t come visit my dear nieces and their beautiful nanny?” Niou asked with a mock hurt expression on his face. He had pulled out all the appropriate things to make a decent sandwich and placed them on the table where she was cutting the apples.

“You know this isn’t the first time you’ve used that excuse on me,” remarked dryly.

“What can I say? It’s the absolute truth,” Niou said, a smirk still firmly in place as he made his sandwich.

“Sure, whatever you say,” responded, sarcasm in her voice. She proceeded to cut the apples into the little bunny figure that the girls loved so much. Unknown to her, she was being watched by the observant Niou.

Just as she finished cutting them, patters of feet could be heard coming down the stairs. Seconds later they were greeted by twin sets of head coming into the kitchen. “Uncle ‘Haru!” Both girls exclaimed, each latching on said uncle’s legs.

“Hey Miu, Mai. Have you two been well?” Niou asked, patting both on their heads affectionately. He received nods from both girls, which earned them a smile from their favorite uncle.

“Here you go girls. You can go watch that movie that we got earlier as you eat these,” said, handing both girls their own plate of bunny shaped apple slices. Both girls beamed a bright smile at her before heading off to go watch the movie.

“You are a miracle worker.”

turned to Niou with a questioning look on her face. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll be the first to admit that those two aren’t the easiest to take care of. Most people would have quit by now because of all the mischief they cause,” Niou explained.

“And who was the person that got them to be that way?” stated more than questioned as she threw away the excess peeling and cores of the apples.

“Well it’s not like I told the stories. You have my brother and parents to accuse for that,” Niou defended himself, though there was a fond smile on his face as he remembered his childhood days. “Those were good times though.”

“So I’ve heard,” muttered, but there was a smile on her face.

“You probably heard from the others I bet,” Niou stated, his left eye twitched in slight annoyance.

“Well, I do live across from two and my best friend is going out with another,” she pointed out.

“Well, whatever. Anyway, like I was saying, you’re a miracle worker. My sister said if she could then she’d keep you here to watch them full time,” Niou informed as he proceeded to get a glass from the cupboard and pour himself some orange juice. “But it was just a passing thought for her. She knows you can’t.”

“She gives me too much credit,” mumbled with her head bowed down so that her hair could shield her blushing face.

“Well you deserve it all if you are able to tame those two,” Niou admitted, raising his glass to her. “I envy the man you’re going to marry.”

didn’t say anything to that. However, she was hoping that her hair was doing a sufficient job in hiding her darkening blush. However, Niou ruined the moment with his next comment.

“Unless of course that man is me,” Niou added with a devilish smirk on his face. This earned him a dishtowel to his face.

-----------------

tossed her keys onto the table near the door. She made her way to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of tea, placing the mail on the tabletop along the way. Waiting for the water to boil, she shifted through her mail. Nothing but bills and junk greeted her sight until she came upon the last one.

She looked over it with a critical eye. Distinctly recognizing the handwriting, she turned it over, freezing in place when she saw what it was sealed with. There staring right at her was the family crest. She dropped the letter as if it spontaneously combusted. She stared at it, wondering what it could possibly contain.

She was saved from thinking of all the possibilities when the kettle started to whistle. Quickly making her way to the stove, she turned it off and carefully poured the boiling water into the teapot. She waited for another few minutes before pouring the tea into a cup.

Her shoulders slumped at the relaxing effect the smell of the tea alone did for her. Unfortunately, before she could take a sip, she heard the lock from her front door turning. She knew for a fact who the person entering was.

“?”

“In the kitchen,” she called out. Seconds later she was greeted by the sight of her steady boyfriend. “You’re earlier than usual,” she pointed out, turning around to fix him a cup.

Yagyuu walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist in a gentle embrace. “I got Seiichi to pick up Sumi today,” he responded, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Apparently he had promised her to take her to a movie.”

turned around. “So, no interruptions?” She grinned, looking at him.

He bent to kiss her, but she turned away.

"Don't bother," she muttered. "I'm busy and I know even if we tried it won't happen," she added, resuming to her tea making. She didn’t know what the word was, perhaps it was frustration. Every time they had almost gotten intimate, there was some sort of interruption that annoyed them both. "So, let's just…eek…"

Yagyuu lifted her and threw her onto the sofa. "If one fails once, then they get up and try again," he said with all seriousness, leaning down and kissing her throat gently.

She couldn’t help, but chuckle as her arms automatically came around him. "Impatient, are we…"

He pushed her into the sofa and…

"Ow…"

Yagyuu moved up. "What is it?" he asked, watching her wince.

swore softly and removed what caused the jab in her back. She pulled out an envelope. It was the expensive looking one again. She frowned and wanted to throw it away, but he caught it.

"It looks expensive," he said, turning it in his hand.

"Hiroshi, I don't care," she said, sitting up. She realized that the mood was gone again.

He leaned back and pulled her between his legs. "Go on and open it." he urged, nudging her.

She looked at the envelope in her hand curiously and let out a sigh. "Since when were you so damn nosey?" she demanded, ripping it open out of frustration. A fancy elegant card emerged from the torn envelope. read it and then gently placed it to the side. "It's not important," she said.

"…"

She picked it up and showed it to him.

He read the card and realized it was a grand ball invitation in the honor of her father's birthday. Apparently it was 's doing. He skimmed the date and time and took note that it was in two days. "You should go," he said.

"No, thank you,' she muttered, standing up. "I seem to be involving myself a lot with them in the past months. I want it to end."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms. "You should go," he repeated with all seriousness.

"I don't want to."

He didn't remark to that. "We'll both go and I want you to get ready now because we'll go and get something."

glared at him. "I said no and what the hell are you going to get for a man who has everything."

"Did I say it's for him?" he asked, pushing her away from him so he could stand up. "We're getting you a dress and our gift to him is you being there."

sat back down. "No."

"!"

She looked up at him. "This is none of your business," she snapped. "I went to the last ball and it was a disaster. I don’t want to go to another…"

"This is none of my business?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Do I really mean nothing to you?"

paused. "That's not what I meant."

"It was loud and clear for my ears."

stood up. "Hiroshi… you're twisting my words around."

"Then prove it to me.'

She looked at him in disbelief. Somehow, she had a feeling that she had been set up.

------------------------------

Two Days Later

"-sensei… You look very beautiful," Sumi whispered, watching in awe and adoration of the woman dressed up in front of her.

"And she will look even more beautiful if she didn’t have that scowl on her face," Yukimura remarked, standing there with his arms crossed.

looked at him sharply.

Yukimura just smiled as Yagyuu walked into his living room.

Sumi blushed and walked to her father. "And papa looks handsome," she said shyly.

Yagyuu bent down and kissed her cheek. "Next time Sumi and Papa will dress up and go out together, alright?"

Sumi nodded and hugged him tight.

looked at Yagyuu and then away. She didn’t want to do this. He had emotionally blackmailed her into going. She had never thought that he would be the one to do so. She had pointed out that Sumi will find it weird that she's going with him, but he said she won't suspect anything. She was annoyed because he had an answer for every excuse she made.

"?"

She looked up at the voice and found it to be his. "I don't want to go,' she whispered.

He held her upper arm lightly and led her out. "We're going."

Yukimura smiled as Sumi waved excitedly. "Hiroshi," he called, stopping them.

"Yes?"

'You have fun and make that woman smile," he said, walking towards him. "And you don't have to come back home," he whispered in his ears before closing the door.

------------------------------

Two Hours Later

"Let's leave."

Yagyuu looked at her. "We are not leaving until you see your father.'

"Hiroshi, please…" she hissed in his ears, tugging his arm. "Why are you so persistent!?"

He held her hand and led her to the dance floor. "Let's dance," he said, holding her close. "You need to relax, . Everyone's watching and smile."

She didn’t say anything. She was wondering why he was being so stubborn about this. However, she wasn’t in the mood to argue anymore. She danced quietly with him when he let her go. "We'll switch."

"Swtich…" she said, and then to her surprised she found herself in her father's arms.

'?"

She stiffened, but didn’t want to ruin the dance so she just held his hands and danced quietly.

"You… You came?"

She watched him sadly and nodded. " invited me and Hiroshi forced me." his name slipping from her tongue.

"Hiroshi?"

"Yagyuu Hiroshi."

's eye went to the man she was referring to. "I see," he said. "Well, thank you for coming," he added sincerely. "I am happy."

looked at him and nodded. "This is random, but we're dating."

"Yes, any man who forces his woman to see her father is obviously important to him." He watched her kindly. "I owe him a lot then."

didn’t say anything. He just asked her questions while she quietly answered them. Finally, he moved and gave her back to Yagyuu. "Thank you, please make sure to have some cake before you leave," he said with a bow.

Yagyuu held her close and looked at her. Finally, she looked up at him. "Thank you," she said softly in his ears as he held her close. They were dancing slowly to the soft beat and the crowd seemed to be disappearing as they only focused on each other.

He moved his head slightly and looked at her. "For?" he asked, confused.

put her arms around his neck and smiled. "Thank you for forcing me to come here."

He kissed her forehead and gave her a genuine smile. "I only put myself in your father's shoes, ."

She nodded as they continued dancing. It felt like ages when she felt someone tap her shoulder. "May I steal the lovely away for this dance?"

looked at as she held Yagyuu's hands. She looked at Yagyuu and then back at . There was something different about him. There was something sincere in the way he looked at her. She looked at Yagyuu again and nodded while he let her go. "She's yours for fifteen minutes," Yagyuu said, walking away.

took 's hands, but kept her at a respectable distance. "He seems serious."

"He is," she confirmed.

"Since I only have fourteen minutes and thirty seconds left, let me get straight to the point."

raised an eyebrow, but waited for him to continue.

gave her a gentle smile. "Forgive him."

She paused for a second, but he urged her to continue moving because some guests stopped to stare.

"He was lonely and so was my mother. They found solitude in each others presence," he said, looking at her. "Perhaps the way he introduced us into your family hurt you, but…"

"That's enough," she interrupted, looking away. "Don't say anymore."

"."

She snatched her hand back and looked away, clutching it onto her chest. "You have no right to tell me these things. You took everything away from me," she whispered heatedly. "How dare you tell me these things?"

He brought her back into his arms. "I swear that nothing I did was intentional. You think it was hard for you? What about me? How did you think I felt when a step sister I was looking forward to having just left and blamed me for it?"

didn’t say anything. What was he trying to tell her? Was he trying to say that she had been so selfish thinking of herself that she didn’t even consider others? She looked at him when she saw Yagyuu coming from behind. She moved away from and looked up. "I don’t' know what to say."

"Just forgive him. You saw how happy he was dancing with you," he told her. "I invited you because I know this will make him happy." He looked at Yagyuu. "Please talk some sense into her." He left at saying that.

"I thought he was supposed to be your evil step brother."

looked at him. "He's perverted, but I guess he can be okay…”

He didn’t say anything. He felt that 's words somehow impacted her, but know the pride that she possessed she made sure it didn’t show. He finally took her hand, after they had eaten the cake. "Shall we leave?"

She nodded.

They bid goodbye to her father and went back home. The whole time ku had been silent. They finally arrived. She was quiet, but he could sense that there was something relaxed about her. Maybe it was a good idea to drag her there.

At her door, he waited for her to open it. put her key in, but didn’t unlock it. She turned around and hugged him. "Thank you…" she said quietly.

Yagyuu held her and lifted her chin. His reply was a gentle kiss. Her arms around his neck, she responded to him and to her surprise he lifted her up and backed her against her door. However, that was a bad move because not only did her key jabbed her back, but they both heard the sudden crack.

got down and swore softly. "Oh no," she said when she realized that her key was broken. "I can't get in now!"

He tried, but she was right.

"I'll ask the land…"

He grabbed her wrist. ", its midnight," he objected. "Don't wake him up now."

looked at him. "I need my stuff, Hiroshi."

He held her hand and pulled her towards his apartment. "Just stay the night with us," he ordered. "You can use one of my shirts."

resigned, following Yagyuu inside his apartment. They silently made their way through the apartment, not wanting to wake up the sleeping occupants. She made sure to hold on to his arm as he navigated in the dark to his room.

Once there, he closed the door before turning on the light, temporarily blinding them until they adjusted to the sudden brightness. Yagyuu went over to his dresser and rummage through it before handing something to change out of.

“You can change in the bathroom right over there,” he said, pointing to door that was slightly ajar.

“All right,” said, taking the offered shirt and headed to the bathroom. Once she closed the door behind her, she began to undress. Carefully setting aside her gown, she picked up the shirt he gave her. However, when she did, something else fell from it. Picking up the fallen object, she noticed that he had provided a pair of boxers as well. Smiling in amusement, she put on the makeshift sleepwear before leaving.

When she left the bathroom, she noticed that Yagyuu had already changed into just a pair of sleeping pants. Although she had seen him bare-chested before, she still couldn’t help but stare at him.

wasn’t the only one reduced to just staring. When she had exited the bathroom, Yagyuu noticed her right away. He just stared at her, engulfed by his large shirt. For some reason, seeing her in his clothes had made him feel a bit possessive of her.

Before he knew it, he was right in front of her. He tilted her face up, staring deep into her eyes. Not knowing what possessed him, he dove in landing his lips right on hers. She reciprocated without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his neck while he pulled her even closer to him by wrapping his arms around her waist.

What started out to be a gentle kiss, turned more intense, as all of their kisses tended to flow. ran her fingers through his hair as he began to lightly run his fingers up and down her back that made her arch into him even more. She didn’t even try to contain the small moan that escaped from her lips when he started to travel down her jaw line.

“Hiro…” she whispered when he found one of her more sensitive spots on her neck. She tightened her hold on him, silently encouraging him to continue on with his ministrations.

Yagyuu was spurred on by her encouragement, hands managing to get under the shirt and skimming along her bare skin, making her shiver. However, it wasn’t enough. He wanted more.

Swiftly picking her up that earned him a gasp of surprise from her, he carried her over to his bed and laid her down. He hovered over her, face just centimeters from hers, staring into her eyes. They stayed that way for a minute before meeting each other for another kiss that was full of unbridled desire. When air became a necessity, they pulled apart, taking in deep breaths.

“You do realize that Sumi-chan and Seiichi are not that far away from here, right?” whispered as she stared into eyes that bordered lust.

He leaned down until he was right next to her ear. “Then we’ll just have to keep things quiet, won’t we?” He whispered before placing a teasing kiss behind her ear.

“Hiroshi!”

He lifted his head until his eyes were level with hers. “There won’t be any interruptions this time.”

------------------------------

Kurohane (Teniyume) & DeVeliCious (Endless Dreamers)

Edited by Elenniel