His Family

Chapter 8

It was Wednesday night and Rei finally ended his sleepover with the Fujiwara family after breaking the rules sporadically throughout the week. He took his wife home with him. As they returned back into the comfort of his room. He was relieved it was over. He can finally entertain himself with a movie or play video games to regain his energy back. Kana, who was quiet most of the ride back, reading a thin paper of a screenplay, decided to break the silence, slamming it shut.

"Why are you doing this? All week long, you have been breaking the rules, while it was funny to watch, I don't understand what you gain from this?" It was a question that bothered her for a week.

Rei glanced at her briefly, cocking his head to the side as he took a seat, bouncing on the bed slightly, texting aggressively.

"Because... take a guess!" Rei stuck a tongue out, rotating his hands wildly around his head as if creating a sparkle visual effect in real life.

Kana sighed, realising speaking with him was useless. Although for a moment, his face turned serious, since she didn't entertain him. She watched her take a seat on one of the couches near the bed. "I'm doing this for you."

He pushed his hands on the back, leaning back as he crossed his leg, thinking. Her brows sunk in, confused. "What? How is it for me?"

"Because... you said you wanted freedom." Rei cryptically trailed off, flopping on the bed. "I'm just honouring our deal."

"Eh..." Kana stared at him for a moment, her eyes widening. That's not what she meant when she said she wanted freedom. He knew it but he didn't want to see through his extended kindness.

However, she did. She saw through his dismissive words. Her heart fluttered, stomach flipping. A slow blush crept her cheeks as she realised what he meant. He remembered what she said? And actually understood her? He... understood her struggles and is doing something about it? She covered her face with the script, lowering her head.

Rei turned to her, unaware of the emotions she was going through. "Anyway, what are you reading?"

"A script." She replied, stoically, calming herself down and raised her head. "The audition is two days... I didn't get a chance to practice since I've been busy with medical school and with dad home, I couldn’t do it under his eyes either."

She let out a heavy sigh, clearly stressed. "Do you mind if I practice out loud?"

"Go ahead." While she was rehearsing her lines, Rei checked his phone until he heard a knock on the door. He got off the bed, checking who it was. It was the family's butler. He bowed at him. The only people who showed him respect were the servants of the house.

"Hmm, rare for you to come at this hour." Rei cut straight to the chase. "Does father want anything?"

"Rei-sama, Mahiro-sama have invited you and your wife to lunch tomorrow. It will be a family gathering so Ryouga-sama and Ren-sama will be there too." The old butler never raised his head, his eyes closed, hands still on his chest.

"Hmm I see. Thank you for letting me know. We will be there." Rei nodded.

"I'll take my leave then." After giving out the message, he retreated. Rei closed the door and went back in. He had an inkling that his father wanted to meet everyone's spouse so he needed Kana to be there. "Is it okay with you if you meet my family tomorrow? Or do you have something planned?"

"I've nothing planned and even if I did... I think I held off meeting your family for too long." She seemed to have been listening all along. It wasn't her who held it off but his own family but he appreciated the way she viewed things.

Rei smiled, relieved she accepted easily. He went back to his bed, laying down. As Kana continued to practice, he couldn't help but focus on her. He lay on his stomach, abandoning his entertainment to watch her as she practiced with herself, doing her lines and the other person's lines. She even brought a prop gun to help her act.

"Your voice sounds worried. From your lines, it should be more urgent and frightened." He swung his legs, resting his chin on his palms as she acted with the air. He found it amusing how she was pointing the gun at herself.

"Like this?" Kana cleared her throat, acting again.

"You are trying too hard now." Her words were flunacting a lot. "Be more subtle."

Kana regained control of her voice, trying to follow his instructions. He hummed in delight. "So much better."

At the compliment, she pushed her hair behind her back, getting a little bashful but it wasn't noticeable.

"Want me to act as the hitman?" Rei suggested. Her scene was very short so he can help her out as he had nothing going on. "I already memorised the lines."

She nodded, she seemed relieved that he was helping her. They both practiced, with her being the victim and him the hunter. The script was of a new movie where the wife of the protagonist gets killed by a hitman and then the protagonist comes to avenge her. It was a very minor role that a lot of movies seemed to have.

"Again." Kana repeated. He noticed how passionate she was about acting despite the fact he didn't understand how she was getting anything done by leading a double life.

Although this time, he decided to pull a prank, he dropped the gun. He started to pretend to be running away from Kana who followed him, picking up the prop in confusion on why he let it drop.

"Stay back!" Rei yelled, scared, getting close to a dead end or pretending too by getting closer to the wall.

Kana stared. It seemed like he stole her lines when he was supposed to play the villain. With one quick motion, Kana slammed her hand near his head, startling him as he didn't expect her to catch on quickly. She pointed the fake gun under his chin, pushing it upward so his eyes struggled to meet hers. Her voice lowered two octaves. "If you scream for help, I'll shoot you."

She tilted her head upward. Her face serious, reversing their roles perfectly. She played along.

"W-Who are you?" The gun pressed deeper on his throat, his Adam apple dropped when he swallowed. "What do you want from me?"

"Who am I?" She caressed the gun on his throat, sliding it to his shirt, letting it hang on the hem, pushing the shirt slightly down. Her eyes crescent as a smile crept up her lips. "Your Death Reaper."

In the story, the protagonist interrupts and the situation turns into a hostage. The hitman is forced to hold a gun to her head as the male lead comes to rescue her but fails to do so.

She aggressively pulls him and because she was shorter than him, she instead improvised and pointed the gun on his side stomach. He let out a yelp at the sudden movement, embarrassed. He hoped she didn't hear that. Unfortunately, she did. She lightly poked him there again and at that, Rei bit his lips and took a step to the right, to avoid the muzzle.

At that moment, she suddenly kicked the back of his leg and his leg caved in. That wasn't in the script. What the hell? Before he could recover, her right hand wrapped around his neck, her chest pressed to his back not giving him room to wiggle out. He could feel her... his face turned red as her hand gripped his left shoulder and she pushed the gun deeper into the side as he struggled to escape.

"I didn't know you were sensitive there?" She teased, he can hear the smile in her voice. His cheeks were bright red.

"Let me go!" He wiggled, embarrassed about this discovery and her close proximity. This one the first time she was clinging to him.

"Na!" She fought him, trying to exploit his ticklish area but he was stronger, he stood up and she hung on his back, adjusting herself on his back. She is full on getting a piggy ride.

"Hey, let me go!" He twirled around, trying to pry her fingers off as she laughed out loud at the situation.

"Did you hear the sound you made? It was a-ha!" She mockily imitated the way he yelped. He thought her cheery laughter sounded pretty but her teasing needed to stop. "You sounded like you were strangling, A-HA!"

He flung himself to the bed where he knew he could win. Nope, he was wrong. She rolled onto him and rammed his wrists on his sides. He was taken aback by her bold actions... his face heated up at their compromising position. His heart is pounding out of his chest now. Why... Why was he feeling this way? Like he was in love?

"Awww are you that embarrassed by what happened? You didn't sound that bad." Kana thought he was blushing about the incident as she grinned at him.

...

Nevermind, he deadpan. She was slower in processing than he thought. She got off him as if not affected by it. "I promise not to mention it to anyone."

The smile was still on her face as she went back to the couch, taking the script from the table.

Rei fixed himself, still shaken by what happened. He pouted at her nonchalance. Only he was affected by it? The way she grabbed him... he lightly patted his cheeks to feel if they were heating up because she rattled him more than she should have. Dangerous woman. He should be the one doing the seducing here. He should be the one winning her over...

He ran a hand on his hair, reminding himself that he didn't really like her. The situation was just flustering. That was all. That was all there is to it. He quickly turned on the other side, deciding to focus on his phone since he helped her enough.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Kana dressed up formally, a simple white dress that made her not stand out in any shape of form. It didn't even look flattering, just plain. It suited the occasion. Rei fixed his own tie, wearing a black suit as well, having his hair slicked back with gel. "I just want to warn you that I'm the least favoured son in my family so my brothers might treat you rudely. I don't think they will do anything to you physically-"

He noticed Kana's brows furrow. She didn't know why he was saying that but he didn't want to elaborate either. His brothers were vicious to him. "-so try not to not to stand out. I don't want any attention toward us today..."

Kana seemed confused by what he was implying but thought carelessly of it. She did get his implications that he didn't want her to get angry or confront any of them. "I understand."

There was still like an hour before their lunch with his father so both Rei and Kana went downstairs to see the maids setting up the table in the big dining room. Unlike her house, they had a separate room to eat and a separate area for the kitchen.

Rei noticed Ren and his fiancée talking to each other near the living room. He hasn't seen her yet so unfortunately he couldn’t ignore interacting with them.

He walked to Ren, raising a hand in a small gesture. "Brother... Haven't seen you in a long while."

And he wished it stayed that way.

"So this must be the woman you are engaged to marry too, you should introduce me to her." Ren seemed annoyed that he interrupted them but didn't chide him. Ren's fiancée was a woman with red hair and blue eyes, dressed in a fancy, colourful dress as if wanting attention.

"Ugh....you are here too... This is my beautiful fiancée, Chisaki and this is my bastard brother, Rei." Ren introduced.

Why did he introduce him like that? He guessed he shouldn't expect much from Ren. Mentioning his status to lower him in other people's view.

The moment she made eye contact with Rei, her eyes widened in surprise, looking at him up and down in curiosity. She then batted her brows, bringing her hand out so he could shake it... Rei awkwardly grabbed it to do a quick shake but instead, she rubbed her thumb on his hand. He pulled his hand quickly.

Rei felt uncomfortable with the attention. Out of all his siblings, he was blessed with the most physical beauty. He hoped Ren didn't notice her little gesture. He didn't want to deal with a jealous brother. He dealt with that enough as children that's why they stay away from each other.

"Oh, your ugly wife is here too." Ren snickered, noticing Kana behind him and Kana's, who donned a polite smile, froze in place. Rei didn't expect that Ren would actually say that to her face.

"Oh-"

Rei sent a look, hoping she wouldn't insult him back. He was sure she would.

"-my... brother-in-law, I haven't seen you since my wedding." Kana politely greeted him, bowing slightly. "Your jokes are very funny ha-ha-ha."

The forced laugh made him sweatdrop. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Kana, I'm pleased to meet you and Chisaki-san. I'm excited to see your weddi-"

She extended her hand out but Ren walked past her, bumping into her rudely as Chisaki as well snickered, following him. "I'm busy right now so I'll get going. We can make small chat another day."

Ren didn't spare them a glance as he put his hand on the back of his future wife, pushing her away, looking back at them and laughing.

Rei clenched his fist. He was used to Ren and his bullying tactics so why was it irking him how much he was behaving right now? He tried to calm himself down, not to risk his position any more.

He approached Kana with caution and worry. A part of him wanted to defend her by confronting his own brother. What man would let his wife get disrespect? But also a bigger part of him, that was used to being bullied, overtook him. His father took Ren's side so much when they were kids that he learned to endure. The more he let Ren do what he wanted, the less pain he felt. The planner who liked to keep a low profile had a stronger desire to remain hidden. More out of habit.

"Hey... are you okay?" He asked timidly, his fingers stretching to hold her but he pulled it back. He didn't deserve to ask.

"I'm okay." Kana turned toward him, smiling, pushing a hair behind her ear. "To be honest, I don't want to get along with your brothers so that worked out so much better for me."

Kana grinned, happy and Rei watched her closely. Her facial expression didn't give anything away. Her mood didn't seem to dampen, instead, it sparkled when she saw the swimming pool beyond the glass window. She leaned into the glass, her fingers leaving prints on the glass before she noticed it. "I want to check the swimming pool!"

She looked around the house, getting closer to Rei, whispering. "I didn't get a proper look last time because we had a fake honeymoon but wow, this house looks amazing from inside."

Rei chuckled at her excitement. "Do you want to explore?"

"Yes please." Kana's enthusiasm over the miniscule things made all his worries fade away and he couldn't help but smile.

"Let me be your tour guide then."

He showed her around, showing her the kitchen first. The servants would stop from time to time to stare at Kana with curiosity, finding the situation odd as Rei never comes in. Plus the bright personality is rare around this household. Rei continued to show her around their garden then in the basement where they had a small arcade and gaming area. Kana seems to be dizzy with how they had everything. It was a very grand way to live.

"Wow... you live... very luxuriously." Kana muttered, shocked by what she had witnessed. They both walked to the pool area, on the sidewalk. The weather was cold so they won't be swimming anytime soon but it still had coliform water.

"I think we live humbly." Rei jokes, amusedly.

"Humbly huh? What an out of touch thing to say." she sarcastically responded, laughing. He smiled although the smile quickly dropped when he caught Ren with Chisaki again.

Ren seemed to have noticed him as he stood up from the resting chair, walking towards them with a smirk. Chisaki stayed in her seat, looking at them, with a tinkle of amusement. What a dreadful vibe.

"Well, well, our two lovebirds are here too? Don't you know you are trespassing?" Ren placed his elbows on Rei's shoulder. "Didn't I tell you before? To stay out of my sight?"

He whispered in his ears. "Are you desperate to have my fiancée's attention? Do you think I didn't notice how you looked at her? Are you trying to steal her away too?"

Of course Ren noticed. There is no way he didn't sense how Chisaki seemed interested in him.

"You are misunderstanding... I didn't-" Rei tried to fix the situation but before he could, Ren aggressively pulled him from the arms, flinging him right into the pool.

Rei sank in, water filling him up, the coldness refreshing and freezing. He lay there motionless for a minute before standing up, water dripping from his hair, splattering the surface. He looked at his reflection for a moment before back at Ren.

"Want me to show your ugly wife the mistake she made in picking you?" Ren was on a power trip. Rei resisted the urge to fight back. "Does she know you are like my slave here?"

He stood straightener, looking cocikly at Kana who had an unreadable expression on her face. "You see? He's like trash. The trash of the family."

Kana let out a small sigh before she got closer. "What? You don't want to see what your pathetic husband look like crying for hel-"

Kana, with one simple leg raise, kicked Ren aggressively right into the pool, watching as he flopped right in, splashing. Rei immediately avoided him, stunned by Kana's action.

Kana bent her knees, stretching her hands out for Rei to hold. "Let's go or else we will be late for dinner."

"This BITCH!" Ren cried out, cursing out Kana with more colourful curse words that she ignored. Chisaki screamed like a lunatic, going inside to call for "help." "How dare you-"

Kana ignored his loud screeching, nudging her hands for Rei to take them. Rei hesitantly held her, confused on why she was doing this but also, for the first time, actually relieved that someone did what he couldn't do. "Let's... go."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOOXOOO

Both Rei and Ren hurriedly changed outfits but there was not enough time to dry their hair. Just like Rei thought, Ren went ahead and complained to their dad like the coward he was. Although he couldn't help but find a wet haired Ren, ranting on the dinner table, funny. Rei played with his food, unable to focus on eating. Kana already started to eat, not caring.

Ito Mahiro listened. Starting the dinner this way made Rei anxious. He was always confident, smart, and daring but when it comes to his family... he reverts into a weak boy who is trying not to stand out.

"Is this true? You kicked him into the pool?" Mahiro drummed the table, a little confused.

"No, what happ-" Rei was thinking of how he can defend Kana effectively so his family won't shun her either. He wanted to say it was an accident. Her leg slipped.

"Yes, I did." Rei felt a chill go down his spine, looking at Kana who admitted to it unapologetically.

"Are you going to apologise?" Mahiro seemed curious as to why she wasn't immediately grovelling for mercy.

"Why should I apologise when I was not wrong?" Kana challenged.

The tension in the air thickened. He noticed Ryouga smirking, amused, his wife beside him, listening quietly. Her face is long, similar to Ryouga, with brown medium length hair and hazel eyes. Knowing his raven haired brother,, he probably felt happy that Kana was ruining herself with her own hands. He tried to nudge her to not talk, now understanding her a little when he was acting out in front of her family.

"I kicked him because he called me ugly and was harassing me and my husband. Did you raise your son to be so mannerless and shameless? I think you should be embarrassed of yourself." Rei and Ren gasped, Ryouga's dark orbs glanced at his dad in curiosity.

"So because he called you ugly, you pushed him to the pool?" There was a brief moment of silence. Mahiro's shoulders shook, head looking down as a small laughter escaped his lips before a full on boisterous laugh broke it. He raised his head up, laughing and then he stood up. He slapped Ren across the face swiftly. Ren and Chisaki gasped, stunned. This was the first time Ren got punished by their father.

"How dare you behave like that to your sister-in-law? Are you trying to disgrace our family name? Did you not grow up at all?" Mahiro yelled hoarsely.

"B-But fathe-" Ren held his cheeks, mouth hanging.

"No buts. Go apologise right now." He pointed at Kana.

Ryouga, Ren and Rei's eyes widened, shocked by the difference in behaviour.

"I... I'm sorry." Ren apologised with slight confusion. He didn't mean it. He was just saying it because his father demanded it. Kana didn't respond, just staring at him.

"If you bother her again, you will face the consequences of your actions." Mahiro let the threat hang in the air, it could mean a light punishment or a very severe one. They could never know. "Now shut up and sit down, I didn't call you today to hear about your childish behaviour."

Ren lowered down in the seat, a little afraid, his shoulder slumped now that his father bruised his ego. He didn't look at anyone.

Kana smiled at Mahiro. "Thank you Mahiro-san."

Mahiro returned the smile and Rei glanced between them. What was this? Were these two on good terms? Or bad terms?

He noticed Ryouga's staring at Kana, a calculative look on his face. Rei didn't like the attention she got so he redirected the attention. "Why did you call us here father?"

Mahiro, as if remembering why he invited his sons over, spoke. "I wanted to meet my daughter-in-laws."

He looked at Ryouga's wife, Hinami, Chisaki and then at Kana. "But I also wanted to give you three a mission. As you know, my company is being raided with lawsuits and news articles. If anyone can solve this issue first, I will give ten percent of my company shares to him. This should help in the succession race."

At the mention of shares, both Ryouga, Ren and Rei perked up. He is giving them a lead? By giving them a shareholder position? But the lawsuit wasn't looking good for them. It was a big controversy and it will be hard to turn the public's opinion to their favour so this was meant to be challenging.

"I expect to see good results as this issue is proving to be a thorn to my side." Mahiro ate quietly while the three brothers calculated how to gain an upper hand. Minami and Chisaki's gazes hardened. Minami's father was a politician while Chisaki was the daughter of a rival company. They played a big role in this small fight.

Rei sighed as he looked at Kana, smiling a little as she seemed confused, out of the loop. He didn't care about her background, he had ways to win his own fight in his own way.

"Yes father." The three said in union as their fight, officially, begun.