Filum Fatalis

Summary: Threads have always been used to sew and patch ruined clothes. In the case of one prideful boy and one gluttonous girl, invisible threads have always been sewing them, patching them, drawing and pulling them close together, no matter how much others have tried to put them apart.

A/N: This fanfic is coming to an end. And for that, I thank all my readers and reviewers (and also the ghost readers I've been getting) that helped me get up to this point. :3

There was supposed to be a oneshot for this―about the part where "Musume was conceived", as requested by some of the readers during my submission on 'Dulcis'. And I decided to just put it here instead of making another oneshot―because I get lazy sometimes. XD

Chapter Thirty-Two: Consummem (Caelestium Inferorum)

Birds chirping on the trees. The sun just peeking from the horizon, bathing the land in a calm catalina blue. The scent of the crisp, lazy October morning―

―the clean and fresh scent of a certain man currently lying beside her.

Yako inhaled deeply with a smile, and sleepy, brown eyes slowly opened up.

Flexing her toes to somehow awaken herself, Yako rolled over, and the first thing she saw on her dresser was the little box that used to contain her wedding ring.

A smile bloomed on her face, and she let out a yawn as she rolled over, and she saw Neuro's yukata-clad back turned to her.

Inhaling his scent once more, she draped her arm over him and huddled close to his sleeping form.

"Good morning, piggy."

The sound of his groggy, just-woken voice startled her, and when Neuro rolled over to her side, Yako let out a small giggle.

"You know, we've slept together on the same bed since we were eleven. But this is the first time I felt that something has changed between us."

A small smile painted his face, and he pinched her cheeks as painfully as he could. He wasn't surprised that Yako was not getting teary-eyed anymore. In fact, she sported a huge grin on her face, something that made him think twice about his future tortures on her.

"I feel like nothing changed, really. Though I must say, the thought of being married to you brings me great ideas on how to make you succumb to your knees."

The suggestive remark from his lips and the lustful turn his eyes have become sent warnings to Yako's mind, though she paid it no heed as Neuro successfully took the pause as a chance to tickle her senseless. He knew where her weak spots were, and if he were quick enough―

He nipped on her ear.

―Neuro would see Yako's erotically-flushed face.

"Ah! Neu―!"

He loved seeing her flushed face. Such a lovely shade of red―!

He grinned at her, and he saw realization dawning on her features―she finally picked up the situation they were in.

"Let me shower you with my adoration, little masochist."

Yako quickly glanced at the clock.

It was only six in the morning.

He had been with her for almost all of their lives. Him watching over her. Her holding onto him.

And today, he was going to make her his completely.

Not that she had never been his. Goodness, no. She had always been his, he told her that too many times to count.

"Louse, I suggest you don't push yourself by trying to bend your neck all the way here. It looks ridiculous enough as it is. Besides, it's not like you can see anything, anyway."

She only grunted a muffled response through her gagged mouth. Those handcuffs had been making her wrists itch. And the collar around her neck was making her saliva hard to swallow.

"Now, now, bread crust. No need to get all flustered about. Like the generous master that I am, I'm giving you the privilege to come when I deem fit."

A furious flail of legs was her response.

"Oh? You don't like my offer? But that's already a luxurious trade!"

She whimpered as she felt drops of searing heat on the back of her thighs.

Candles.

She bent her back.

"Nice colors. I'd say this looks lovely on you, kitten," and another melting tear dripped onto her oiled and rosy thighs.

Her back bent again.

"Oh? You seem to like it!"

A hit to her thigh.

No doubt from that riding crop, she thought.

He hit her again, on her buttocks this time.

The impact of the hit made her moan. And the familiar scent of peppermint invaded her sense of smell.

He leaned over her, his searing breath fanned over her damp locks and her hypersensitive ear.

Too close, too close.

She could feel his weight over her, and those long arms of his were shaking.

She idly thought if it was because this would be their first time.

"Heh. You seem to like it a little too much. You masochistic little whore."

Hearing those words made her squirm, longing to rub herself on―

She could feel him moving away from her. She whimpered.

"Don't be so impatient, louse."

A cheerful voice. She knew what that meant.

She braced herself, bitty fingers clasping onto the cold metal of her cuffs, and just as she expected, a painful slap was given to her bottom.

So it was his hand this time.

Her body shook every time a slap was given to her poor buttocks.

A total of thirty times, she mentally counted. She was sure that she will have bruises tonight.

He stopped spanking her, and she could feel his nails slowly scratching the expanse of her thighs.

The act made her sigh.

"Hm? What's this? Does my little ragdoll like being scratched? Do you like this?" and he scratched the back of her thighs again with an agonizingly slow pace.

Her toes curled, and she sighed once again, barely nodding in response to his questions.

She felt those hands leaving her abused thighs, and they had been replaced by the feeling of cool liquid trickling on her heated flesh.

More oil.

Those hands returned, and she felt those large palms gently kneading her sore lower half. She sighed―

―only to yelp as she felt a finger prodding at her entrance.

"Wet already?"

If she hadn't been restrained, she would have glared at him.

"Hm. I must be that good if I'm able to make you wet like this. My finger got soaked! And your opening is tiny! How will I put myself in?"

Him and his dirty words.

"Oh, well. I can always stretch it."

He went down on her, kneading her plump butt cheeks as he sucked on her dripping entrance.

Her taste had always been the same―bittersweet. And he willingly swallowed everything she had offered. "I like your taste," he mumbled, and even though their bodies were barely illuminated in the room (as he slid the curtains shut once sunlight filtered his room), Neuro could tell she was blushing. In turn, he prodded and slowly curled his middle finger inside her, relishing in the feel of warmth clamping his digit tightly―"Relax," he whispered. And he kissed her inner thigh once, twice, and he suckled playfully on her oiled flesh.

He flattened out his tongue on her slit, and he felt her shudder when he clamped her pearl in between his moist lips and toyed it with his tongue, releasing it with a slick pop afterwards.

He poured more oil on her vulva, and his palm warmed her there.

"I really love how responsive you are when I touch you. I do hope you wouldn't be like this with others."

He slowly slid his thumbs inside, and Yako instinctively tried to push those digits away.

In response, Neuro licked her insides slowly, and he patiently waited for her body to calm down. Once deeming her body relaxed enough, he experimented with his thumbs, both digits rubbing into her entrance. Usually, whenever he would put a bullet vibrator in her, he would let her do it herself, so she wouldn't get embarrassed about putting such a thing inside her.

He would occasionally put his forefinger and middle finger in her, and during those times, he always made sure that she was in the mood―

―but this time―

She shook her bottom, and through hooded lashes, he saw her craning her neck towards him.

She somehow managed to successfully pry her blindfold away from her vision―

―and he saw those dark brown eyes were begging him.

He grinned, and he placed open-mouthed kisses on each of her butt cheeks, all the while, he gently moved his thumbs inside her, trying not to let out a bit of his own drool upon seeing her with such a submissive expression.

He moaned inside her, making sure she would feel the vibrations―enough to make her skin want more and―

A steady stream of water flowed from her, and Neuro drank it greedily. Not one drop was spared.

He licked and suckled on her folds, smiling languidly all the while, and as he inhaled her arousal, he began to pump himself through his yukata.

He felt himself pulsating steadfastly in his own hand.

The tip of his tongue toyed with her pink little pearl, and he felt her shudder with delight.

"You like it, kitten?" And he saw her nod, and those eyes of hers were just pleading him to take her―

―well, she wouldn't have to wait long.

He crawled on top of her, draping her body with his, and he removed her blindfold, smirking when the first thing he saw in her was outright brashness and defiance.

"I see you came when I haven't told you to come," he muttered, amusement and sadism dripping from his voice, and Yako raised her eyebrow at him, silently challenging his authority over her.

He shivered in delight from that glare.

"Oh," he whispered breathlessly, pressing his chest flush to her oiled back. "Challenging me, eh? Heh―I like that. Ah―I like that, indeed."

He kissed her nape, and shakily nipped on her jugular as he ripped her gag from her mouth―

―and he eased himself inside her.

The cry that racked her throat was music to Neuro's ears, and when he reached all the way in, he stopped and whispered sadistic words of comfort to her lips.

He teasingly bit on her lobe, and she sighed. Green eyes glanced at her maddeningly blushing face and glassy eyes, and he couldn't help but thrust into her once.

Yako squeaked, and she felt her breasts being milked and fondled and manhandled, and she licked her lips as he started to thrust slowly inside her.

"Look at me, Yako. Look at me," he breathlessly let out, and when she did, her breath got caught in her throat.

Blond and black locks in complete disarray, its ends looking almost frayed as he moved. Hazy, onyx-jade eyes that pierced her core, as though they were searching for the sole thing that would make her wild and frenzied in his arms. A rose-hued face and neck that looked too sinful for her eyes. Plump and delectable lips that slithered lust-filled words, muttering phrases with his velvety voice that always made her come undone. A dart of that eternally skillful tongue that sent waves of pleasure into her very being. Tantalizing collarbones riddled with love bites that seemed to begged for kisses and pure worship.

Yako bit her lip, and her toes curled from the sight of him looking so damn delicious.

A tear slipped from her eye as Neuro made a particularly deep thrust, and a sliver of drool rolled past her lips as she mouthed his name.

His fingers pinched her hardened nubs, and a goofy smile donned her lips as she let out a happy cry.

"You really like being pinched, don't you, little kitten." He grunted out her name, and he leaned away from her and slapped her buttocks harshly, just the way she wanted it.

She keened for more, rubbing her breasts on the mattress as Neuro slammed inside her with no signs of restraining himself.

She realized, as Neuro pulled out and slammed back in, that she liked it―this unhinged version of him in bed.

The little things that usually made him composed crumbled the moment he slipped inside Yako. The feeling of her inner heat roused his well-hidden desire that burned for her ever since they turned teenagers.

And those oiled buttocks of hers were truly looking like the luscious globes of flesh that they were.

He suppressed a shudder as Yako shamelessly pushed back as he pulled out, and she gyrated her hips and teased him by squeezing her inner walls and slowly taking his length inside her.

Neuro watched with morbid fascination as Yako took control of his length, and hungry, green-black eyes stared at those shiny, curvy cheeks quaking and jiggling with each thrust she performed.

He licked away his drool. Oh.

He stopped thrusting and admired her completely―simply staring as she did all the work. He watched those hips roll and those buttocks shake and clench with each thrust, and he looked at her slender back that was too finely-shaped, too feminine and petite―it silently drove him wild.

Her face was completely flushed red, all the way down to her shoulders. Whether it was from embarrassment or pleasure (or both), he couldn't really care at the moment. All they both needed was that glorious heat spreading inside their lust-laden forms―

He blindly fumbled on the dresser to find the key that would unlock Yako's restraints, and once free, Yako immediately whipped around and held on to Neuro, breathlessly mouthing out his name as he took control once more.

His pace sped up, and the bed started to rattle from his thrusts, and Yako tried to catch up with his speed, and she stifled a grin whenever he pounded back to that one spot that made her see flashes of white.

He pressed his thumbs to the sides of her hipbones, and he watched her back arching even more with each thrust, and her perky bosom jiggled wantonly as he mercilessly rammed in her with all his might.

And Yako thoroughly loved it―that grin on her face and the drool on her lips told him so.

And who was he to deny his lovingly submissive wife of such pleasure?

He pulled out of her completely, and she let out a banshee whine and a screeching cry. Wanting to feel more of him inside her, she desperately reached out to his still very erect length (a sight that rendered her speechless, as this was the first time she actually saw it), and frustrated tears rolled down her cheeks when Neuro simply inched away from her.

And the needy wail and the hoarse German curse that came out of her lips truly made him smile.

"Put it back―" she begged, her lips becoming chapped as she looked at her husband's amused face. "Please put it back―!"

He pecked her lips and smiled, "You know what to do, little slave." And as though to further tease her, he slapped his length thrice onto her wet entrance, liking the way it made lewd sounds to his ears.

He teased the tip, entering it for a second and pulling it out and sliding it onto her slit, and it was enough to make Yako squirm in need.

She was throbbing with want, and only he could fulfill it.

"Beg for it," he purred, and she stuck out her tongue obediently, knowing fully well what he was about to do.

Putting his index and middle fingers inside her mouth, she instantaneously sucked on them, and he wasted no time in squeezing her little peaks.

He knew she loved that—that little masochist of his.

He gazed, truly gazed, at her and the woman she had become.

Idly, he wondered when she had turned out to be a woman in his eyes. Her body used to be so thin and flat and so straight. No curves, no plump flesh, no nothing.

He eyed her pleading form, and he grinned.

Well, he supposed, puberty has its perks.

He first noticed her taking the form of a budding woman when they were in their early teens. It was when Yako started to shy away from him and his innocent advances. She would grasp her hands to her chest whenever he would nudge her, and she would sit hunched on her chair, as though she was ashamed of something.

It was then that Neuro, too innocent of the works of the human body of his age, had noticed that Yako started to wear a strange thing around her bosom. He had accidentally seen it when he was on his way to the bathroom.

The way he looked at her was never the same ever again.

Even so, Yako continued to bloom into a woman he wanted her to be.

And he had secretly studied the human body through the books that he read online—devouring each piece of information with much gusto. And when he understood why she had been like that, he had waited. Ever so patiently, he waited. Waited for her to become aware of their differences in stature and in body and in gender and in physique. He wondered of how a man and a woman should be.

And through her, he knew.

That day when he first kissed her on the rooftop in high school―it was one of the most exhilarating experiences he had ever had. The feeling of her lips was utterly sublime, and she tasted of the mochi she had eaten that day, and it added a unique flavor to his tastes.

He now claimed her lips to his, relishing and reliving the experience of his mouth on hers, and Yako mewled and whined and outright begged to be taken once more.

"Please put it back, Master."

Ah. There it was―the words he had been longing to hear.

His lips quivered against hers, stifling a shuddering breath as he smiled at her, and he slowly put his member back inside of her―

―and the almost grateful sigh he heard from her was divine.

They kissed, and he matched the pace of his thrusts to the dance of their mouths and tongues.

Yako hesitated, and she broke their sloppy kiss, and she noisily licked his chin as Neuro hit a spot that made her gasp out his name.

Again and again, he slammed into her, thrust by agonizing thrust. And Yako breathlessly mouthed for more.

She felt his hands encircling her waist and back, and he grunted as gyrating hips met up with his thrusts.

So delicious, they screamed in their heads.

Her newly-trimmed nails met the lean flesh of his back, and she hissed as he slapped her butt cheek.

Canines sucked on supple skin, limbs entwined around their heated bodies as they created a perfect rhythm for their selves.

Like a bow, her back bended to her limit. She put her lithe arms above her head, and she placed her tiny hands on the damp mattress beneath her body, and with one deep thrust from him, her mind swirled and her mouth let out a bit of spittle once more.

His mouth watered and he panted at the sight of her perky, bouncing breasts. A hiss escaped his lips as she purposely shook her hips, effectively clamping his throbbing muscle inside her thoroughly wet walls.

Unable to restrain himself, he embraced her tight, relishing the way her tender bosom was encased to his chest.

He kneaded her thighs and grabbed handfuls of her pert bum, and a cry elicited from Yako's kiss-reddened lips.

They moved as one—heated, sweaty bodies rising and falling on the white sheets, and a shadow was casted behind the glow of the flickering candles on the nightstand, creating a dramatic yet suggestive display on the orange-dyed walls.

The sound of slick kisses was heard, along with the wanton slapping of skin against skin.

He lightly prodded her aching and throbbing pink pearl, nudging it and pressing it with his thumb―and the slightly sticky feeling on his fingertips only made him want more of her.

Yako's breath hitched when he prodded and penetrated too hard, and her body shook as her abdominal muscles clenched.

Neuro felt it―the spasms of her body and the sudden erratic beating of her hammering heart.

He closed his eyes and took in her musky scent.

Such is the wonder of the human body, Neuro mused.

And with a quick tug on her nipple, and with a soft nibble on his earlobe―

―they came with a hitched gasp and a long sigh, and their spent bodies collapsed on the bed.

It was a long time before they recovered from their euphoric high, both of them too intoxicated and content to just entangle in each other's arms and feel each other's heartbeat.

Yako idly smoothed out Neuro's wild locks of black and blond, and in the bask of her bliss-filled countenance, she yawned. And Neuro wasted no time in kissing her mid-yawn.

She opened her still foggy and unfocused eyes, and that tell-tale smile of satisfaction was evident on her visage.

"Don't pull it out yet," she whispered almost inaudibly, as though there was an unseen spectator from afar. Yet Neuro knew that she was only speaking as such because she was too tired to speak.

As he expected, her glassy eyes started to wane, and her eyelids started to droop, and even if her lashes slowly kissed, that satisfied ghost of a smile remained on her lips, and she soundlessly slept.

All the while, Neuro observed her and her sated state―imprinting in his mind's eye the expression that she was unknowingly presenting him. He watched and felt her palpitating heart evening down to its normal calm, and he felt the clenching and pulsating of her inner walls slowly loosening around his length, and he easily pulled away. The sounds of obscene squelching were heard, and Neuro smirked upon hearing the welcomed noise.

He kissed her brow once, and her nose twice, and he whispered silent words of love to her―uncharacteristic of him as it was―knowing fully well that his words would fall on unhearing ears.

Her mouth hung slightly open, that contented smile now gone, it being replaced by an expression that held a complete state of calmness.

He lied down beside her, the feeling of fatigue now taking over his whole body.

Emerald eyes caught sight of the blinking lights of the clock, and a cocky grin crept on his face.

It was now exactly noon.

They had been in and on each other's bodies since six in the morning.

He looked at Yako's bare and sleeping form, and he licked his lips.

Guess we're going to skip lunch for today.

Three days.

It had been three days since his proclamation of "adoration" for Yako.

He had yet to stop―or slow down, rather―from his acts of love for her.

They were currently in the kitchen, both of them looking quite indecent and messy―with a denim-clad Neuro bending over a Victorian shirt-clad Yako on the countertop, anyone with a clear eyesight could see them copulating through the glass windows. It was a good thing that the curtains were providing a decent amount of coverage from accidental peering eyes and from the sunlight outside, but still―

"Neuro―the batter is going to fall―"

"Let it fall. Hn―still so damn tight―!"

The clanging of stainless steel rang loud in the kitchen, but neither of the two occupants paid heed, as they were too busy with their own sticky mess.

Somewhere along the line of their love-filled kisses and too-passionate love-making, they almost failed to hear the shrill sound of the doorbell ringing off the walls.

It was Neuro who realized it first, and he cursed as he sloppily pulled out of her. The sentiment was shared by a whining Yako, who instantly growled and glared at the direction of the front door.

He wordlessly stood straight and somehow made a half-hearted attempt to make himself presentable as he went to the door, and Yako winced as she got off the countertop to rearrange the fallen cooking utensils.

Neuro zipped up his pants as soon as he opened the door, and there, standing by the doorway was a delivery man.

"Delivery for a... Nougami Neuro-san?"

Neuro glanced at the rather heavy box in the man's arms, and recognition suddenly sparked in his eyes. "Ah, yes. That's me. Is it from the photo shoot?"

The man nodded and smiled as he handed Neuro a form to sign. Apparently, he was looking quite unfazed by the sight of the mop-haired and scruffy-looking Neuro. "Yes, sir. From Okazaki. If you would, just sign here," and upon seeing the intricate rings that Neuro wore, he smiled. "Newly-wedded, I assume?"

Neuro smiled sheepishly and quickly signed on the form, and he handed it back to the man. In his most innocent tone, he chirped, "Why, yes I am."

The delivery man tipped his hat and bowed slightly, "Marriage is sweet during the first three years, sir. After that, it's up to the couple to make it even sweeter and not let it turn bitter."

Neuro blinked, unsure of what to say.

And the man awkwardly laughed as he stepped away, "Oh, I apologize, sir. It's just my hobby to give advice on newlyweds. I had a failed marriage, you see―and I don't want others to experience what I went through. I hope everything will turn out fine between you and your wife. Good day, sir."

With that, the odd delivery man bowed and left to ride back on the truck that surely held other packages to deliver.

Neuro briefly pondered over the strange man's words, and he shrugged.

Just outside his house, he saw an elderly couple slowly pass by, and a small smile crept to his lips.

"Yako and I will surely have problems on our way, but it doesn't mean I'll let my marriage to her turn into ash."

He closed the door and returned to his wife, who was now perfectly decent-looking in her rumpled shirt and not looking like the hot mess that she was earlier.

The scent of fresh herbs wafted through his nose, and a grin crept on his face.

"It's pesto lasagna for tonight?"

"Why, yes it is. Your sense of smell in food is getting better. Was that the package from the photo shoot?"

"Heh. I guess I could blame you for that. And yes, that was the album. I guess we could look at it later."

An exchange of lighthearted banter occurred between them, and both of them became immersed in preparing dinner, often asking the other about the other dishes they would make.

Yako washed the dishes as Neuro finished preparing the icing for the mango cake. She pondered over the things they would do for the rest of the week, and she realized something. "Neuro, some of your books are still in the house. We should get them before the week ends," she suggested, and when she turned to look at him, she giggled on how concentrated he looked upon putting the icing on the cake―with a bit of his tongue stuck out, and his brows slightly creased.

Very much like an enthusiastic child.

She let him be, and all the while, she thought of the tasks they were to do. Rearranging the master bedroom and the bathroom were on her "top priorities" list, though there wasn't really any need for further rearrangement, as some of her things have managed to end up with Neuro's belongings over the years.

Besides, I highly doubt he would be surprised to see my feminine products.

"...there. Done. Ah, Slave. You were saying?"

Yako hummed, and her brows shot up, "Ah, I was thinking of the books left in my parents' house. Most of the books in my room are yours, right? We should―"

She was cut off with a flippant wave and a carefree smile, "Moldy, I purposely left them there―so I would have enough reason to come back whenever I please. Besides, memories are held dear by your mother. I doubt she would argue if we left my books there. Father could use them, if he wants to. Ah, but I did take all of the white puzzles―I wouldn't leave them there."

Haruka and Seiichi sat on the dining table, both of them looking forlorn as they stared at the food in front of them.

"You know, it's only until now I realized that our daughter is married―I still couldn't believe it." Seiichi's lips scrunched and nodded as though to assure himself of something, and Haruka shed a tear as she picked on her food.

"It's only been a few days since she got married and yet..." Haruka trailed off, not wanting to get too emotional about her daughter.

Miwako, who was preparing food for tomorrow's breakfast, discreetly wiped a tear. "Neuro-kun and Yako-chan truly have grown, haven't they? I can still remember the day when I first saw them together―it was as if they have known each other all their lives. They even finish each other's sentences!"

Seiichi laughed at the memory, "Why, yes, I remember that! Yako would start the sentence and Neuro would finish it. Haha―such a fitting pair, they are!"

Haruka giggled as she sipped on her tea, "And the two of them would always sleep on the same bed... At first I thought something… inappropriate might happen between them, but nothing of the sort ever happened. And that's a relief."

"—gyahaha! And then, when they turned 16, that cocky bastard kissed her!" Yukinori guffawed as he gulped down another round of beer, and Hisanori nodded to himself as he muttered something intelligible.

"May I ask how you managed to get such private information?" the elder Hayasaka asked, smiling as he swished the glass of scotch in his hands. He eyed his brother carefully with an amused look, noting how, in the recent years, Yukinori had developed into a fine, able-bodied man that was sure to be the envy of men and the impure fantasy of women. In hindsight, Hisanori was glad that Kanae always kept his younger brother in line.

"Mucchan told me before, when we were still in high school. She has a knack for anything that involves those two, ya see (even now). One could say Mucchan's an obsessive stalker slash overboard fan of the Neuron and his Kitten... It's... what the student body of our time considered them as, ya see."

Hisanori chuckled, and he leaned back on his couch. It was a rare occurrence that he would get to spend time with his brother in the Hayasaka residence, and he missed getting all of the juicy bits of information.

Hisanori never knew that his (still) best student had been called such a title. "The Neuron, eh. I didn't know that. All I know was that Nougami-kun is considered somewhat a god in campus, and Katsura—no—Nougami-chan was considered Nougami-kun's 'personal property'. Am I right? Is that why she's considered a kitten?"

Yukinori toyed with his fringe, a lopsided smirk playing upon his lips as he looked at his brother with the eyes of someone who had been keeping a tempting secret dying to be let out.

"You could say that. Ya see, aniki, Yacchan—according to what I've heard from Nougami's yappy caretaker—is Nougami Neuro's all-too-willing slave in the bedroom. The Neuro we saw on campus—his ice-cold composure on anyone that isn't Yacchan—is just the tip of the iceberg."

Miwako cheered up the Katsuragi couple with her cooking. "Why, come now, Master, Mistress. Neuro-kun would never touch Yako-chan in any indecent way! Just looking at how he takes care of her when we're not here—it's as if he's treating her like a queen!"

"Why, Yuu-san! This color would be too much. I'd say purple would be just fine. In fact, why don't we ask Yako-san about this. She knows more than us."

"You know, Aya. Ka—uh—Nougami. Uh... Yeah. Nougami and she had a traditional ceremony, right? Where the colors are black and white and red and all. Also, Green Eyes did say that he hated the aspect of making his wedding a Western one—since he hates his Western roots. Though I think the real reason why he convinced her to have a traditional one is because... well..."

Aya flipped her hair, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Neuro-san can take off her wedding kimono easier than if she had worn a wedding gown. I always had a feeling he had been holding back his lust for her. I couldn't really say if they haven't done anything remotely sexually-related during the course of their high school days, though."

Haruka stood up and smiled at Miwako, and she helped her wash the dishes.

"And my dear daughter would never do such a thing before their marriage. They promised me before. Plus, someone as kind and considerate and gentlemanly as Neuro would never dare harm anyone, let alone my daughter. Why, with a face like his, I bet he couldn't even harm a fly!"

Eishi inspected the current status of the sole Indian prisoner that they have.

"Hey, Vijaya. You still up?" he asked through the cold bars of steel. Vijaya nodded at the man's question.

"I'm still up, Officer. I withstood Nougami's painful number on me before. Just—please don't make him force me to drink five liters of tabasco and wasabi and salt tea again. I'd rather have this flu than undergo his torture again. Please do send my regards to him, though. I haven't got the time to write them a reply on their wedding invitation."

Seiichi yawned and popped his shoulders, and he clamped his lips as he made his way to his wife, and he kissed her on the cheek.

"I bet he doesn't even know what a woman's undergarments are like. He's always too immersed in reading books about law and crime to care about female apparel. The poor thing—I hope he's not having a hard time with undoing Yako's—"

Haruka gasped, "Why, Dear! Don't say such embarrassing things! Neuro is an unsoiled man who hasn't seen anything of the female intimate apparel!"

Mutsuki stifled a giggle as Kanae told her about the time that she hanged out with Neuro and Yako.

The two females were in a coffee shop, and Shinobu, being the faithful partner that he was to Mutsuki, was having a hard time to decide which type of cake he should order at the counter.

"—and then, Nougami-san bought her a box of edible undies! Can you believe it? Aomi-san told me those two have been performing foreplay since he discovered Yako's underwear in her room! It's risqué, I tell ya. But I'm amazed at how those two managed to keep it a secret to her parents after all these years..."

Haruka sneezed as she put back the cups to their proper places.

"Oh, Mistress? Do you have a cold?" Miwako asked, and she hurriedly made her a glass of orange juice.

Haruka shook her head and smiled, "No, I'm fine. Maybe it's just the weather. It's getting rather cold."

Seiichi shivered as a sudden chill went down his spine. "Better go and sit around the kotatsu, then."

Ten months had passed since the day that Yako permanently moved in the Nougami residence. Furniture had been rearranged to accommodate the additional member of the house. An additional fridge had been added to the kitchen. Two more bookshelves had been bought for Yako's books of various languages. More clothing space had been made in Neuro's spacious cabinet, all of it done just to fit half of Yako's wardrobe; the other half of her wardrobe took up too much space, and had to be put back in her duffel bags.

An additional drawer had been bought for her undergarments―something that Neuro really mind buying at all. And on top of that drawer were two framed pictures―one that had her and Neuro on their wedding day, and another picture that was taken outside the Okazaki shrine, which was one the day of their wedding ceremony.

Neuro always made sure that the frames and the glass on those pictures were squeaky clean, as he had once said to Yako that even a speck of dust should never float on the frames, so their marriage would always remain faithful and chaste.

For Yako, it was Neuro's unspoken way of telling her that he would do everything in his power to keep their marriage sanctified.

Yako had bought a chair space-saver for Neuro―a chair that doubled as a storage box, somewhere to put his precious white puzzles and sudoku books in.

Neuro very much appreciated the sentiment, and had reciprocated the gesture by rudely stuffing her inside the rather large chair-slash-box along with the white puzzles and sudoku books.

Some things never really change, Yako had thought dryly.

And now, looking at the not-so-subtle changes in the Nougami house, it made Yako think if Neuro's house had always been lonely.

Only Aomi-san stays here most of the time. Neuro usually comes to his own house rarely. I can't imagine how Aomi-san managed to live here with all the silence.

Brown eyes glanced at the aforementioned Nougami caretaker, who was now chopping up cloves of garlic and chives.

Yako opted to strike up a conversation with the humming Zera, but the booming of Neuro's voice from the living room shook her from her thoughts.

"Amoeba, get in here!"

Yako sighed and wearily looked at Zera.

(S)he shrugged at the sighing woman, and Zera smiled without the showy display of teeth. "Yako-sama, I'll take it from here," and the caretaker took the tomato from her hands and resumed humming as calloused hands grasped the sharp knife and diced the tomatoes in mere seconds.

Yako giggled and nodded, and she smiled at the gleeful transvestite. "Sorry, Aomi-san. I'll make it up to you later," and she went away with a little bow.

"The obstetrician called," he gleefully cooed as Yako appeared on the doorway, "she said we should be there tomorrow for your checkup."

Yako's eyes widened in astonishment, and she grinned broadly as she almost jumped in joy. "Oh. Oh! What time?"

An amused grin crossed his lips as regarded Yako's cheerful stance, "Eight. It's a Saturday tomorrow, so we're both free and―"

He was suddenly cut off by Yako, who promptly tackled him mid-sentence, and she nuzzled him as she laughed joyfully.

"We'll go, we'll go!"

Neuro couldn't help but be charmed by her actions, and he loosely held her against his arms, kissing the top of her head as he did so. "Such enthusiasm, I see. But please do try not to jump on me," he chuckled, and he tapped her nose with a smile, "it's not just you anymore."

Yako laughed, and she hugged him tight, "Should I blame you, I wonder..." It was a light joke, and Neuro chuckled at her words.

"You're to blame to, you know. Really," he revered the gasp that he heard from her lips as he inched to her mouth, "taking in all of me and not wanting me to pull out immediately―such a greedy little thing you are. And we did it every day and every night and every chance we could get―for a whole month."

She shuddered in his feather-light touch, and she muttered a response. "D-don't forget that one time in your office―Usui-san and Todoroki-san almost caught us on the desk."

"Heh. And don't forget that one time when the voyeur almost saw us near the coffee dispenser―"

"You had me up the wall with my skirt bunched up to my waist and―"

"And I was ramming you senseless." He purposefully hissed in her ear, "I waited until I could hear you squeak. But you did a pretty good job in keeping quiet. Ah, but I remember me slipping my finger inside you and you promptly made a complete mess on my pants―"

Yako shivered at the way he just said his words. Such lust-filled tones―!

"Neuro-sama, Yako-sama. Dinner's ready!" Zera suddenly called out, knocking Neuro and Yako out of their erotic stupor.

The caretaker found them lying on the couch, their limbs entwining around one another and their lips almost touching―

―and a throw pillow was tossed to Zera's face.

Neuro's brows twitched at the sudden and unwelcomed intrusion, "Do try to read the atmosphere next time, you oblivious green pus."

Yako merely sighed.

"―I wonder what we should name her..." Yako mumbled as she lightly rubbed her belly. It had been two months since they found out that the little life forming inside Yako was a girl.

She was now five months pregnant.

Neuro hummed, smiling that gentle and secretive smile of his, and he went over to her and knelt in front of her. He leaned his ear close to her belly, trying to find if he could hear the thumping of a little heart.

Amongst the sounds of nature from outside fluttering by his ears, he focused his senses on that faint sound that lightly tickled his ears, and he closed his eyes and basked in her body heat, and surely, there was the sound of a thump, thump inside her. A sound not of Yako's heart.

"...I can hear it," he whispered. And Yako smiled as she caressed his hair and rubbed small circles on his shoulder. She silently observed how calm he looked at this moment; it was the calmest he had been since recently, when cases in Keishichou piled up during their honeymoon in the beach.

They were now in Berlin, living the lives of a couple temporarily staying under another certain couple's mansion.

Everything went by in a blur since the day that Neuro's parents called for one last time―the green-eyed man had snapped that day, and his parents, for the sake of seeing their only son, promptly offered them a free-expense trip to the Republic of Germany.

Zera had received a great deal of lecture and insults from Neuro that day, saying that the caretaker shouldn't have talked to his parents about the status in Neuro's current life. Zera truly didn't mention anything to them, really. And it remained a mystery as to who had been the person that contacted Neuro's parents on his wedding day.

Yako, on the other hand, had opted to remain silent through it all, and she decided that whatever conclusion Neuro would come to would also be Yako's conclusion―as she fully respected him as her husband.

Large brown eyes glanced at the window, and she saw the serene and peaceful landscape of Berlin.

The Nougami mansion in Berlin was located in the outskirts, where meadows and sparkling lakes and soaring oak trees was the usual sights the eye could see.

It was springtime in Germany, where everything was cool and the weather was—

"—I hate this weather. I hate this room. I hate this house's location. I hate this house. I hate everything in here. I hate the spaciousness. I want to go back to Japan now and read my books and bury my feet under the kotatsu and—"

Yako sighed and listened on to her currently ranting husband. Long gone was Neuro's profound enthusiasm for his still developing child; it was replaced by the eternally deep-rooted hatred for anything and everything that involved his early years in the mansion they were staying in.

He and Yako have been staying for two days now.

And Neuro had yet to see his parents, and Yako, as brave as she was whenever it came to Neuro's random whims, secretly hoped that his parents would like her, and she hoped that they would try not to pick at all the bitter wounds that Neuro tried to bury within him.

"Hush. Come now, Neuro," she lightly reprimanded, patting his head as she did so, "the baby will hear you saying such things. It's not a wise thing to say." She smiled at her slightly swollen belly, rubbing it gently, "Daughter, please don't mind your father saying such things. He just had a bad day, you see." And she breathed in deeply, and for a moment, she felt her stomach moving and contracting, and Neuro—being the silent spectator that he was—was amazed at what he just saw.

As though approaching a newfound animal, Neuro's eyes were large and wide like a child's, and his fingers trembled upon hovering them on her belly.

"You can touch it, silly," she cooed, giggling upon seeing his truly innocent face.

He blinked, as though he got out of a trance, and he carefully placed his hand on her stomach and—there!

A small movement from within her was felt through his shaky fingertips, and he immediately jolted his hand away.

"Your stomach is acting weird," he said, glaring at her belly as though it was the most unfathomable thing he had ever seen.

"The baby is moving," she replied, and her eyes were half-lidded with calmness as she took his hand in her own, and placed them on her belly once more. And she smiled upon feeling it move again, "I think she's trying to say hi." She giggled, and observed his highly-amusing reactions to her body's changes, and a tune of a folksong trilled through her humming lips as Neuro placed his ear on her stomach, and he loosely embraced her.

"Hello, too, little daughter," he whispered, and a proud smile was etched on his lips as Yako rubbed his back.

Slowly, the stuffy room of ornate furnishings and posh décor that once belonged to a then three-year-old Neuro finally seemed to slip his attention, as the warmth of Yako's body and the sound of that tiny heartbeat stole his current trail of troubled thoughts away.

A soft knock startled the young couple, and a blonde woman appeared by the doorway. She was smiling as she crossed the room with her arms outstretched.

Neuro inwardly bristled.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, my son."

And sorry to keep you waiting, readers. =w=