Chapter 14: Of Trust, and Revelations.

A distinguished-looking man stared at the glass in his hand as he swirled the liquid within it. A few days ago, he had gotten word that Ran had arrived at Shirokin, and was staying at his son's apartment, while she was looking for her own place.

Of course, that would be the case, whether Shin really was playing by the rules or not, but either way, it was a step in the right direction. If strong-willed women were the type of Shin preferred, then he should warm up to Ran that way eventually.

Of course, according to his informant, Shin's plans were almost complete as well, but no matter. He had the information he needed to keep his son in line, and they both knew it.

The only troubling thing was Shin's complete acceptance of the matter. He didn't seem in despair (as he should be) if he had indeed given up on the Ooedo heir. There was no sign of depression or desperation, just a quiet sense of urgency and determination.

His son's desire for that woman's safety had blocked out all the other aspects of their agreement. That was probably one of the reasons behind it. That, and that if the news he received was accurate, the Kagami were also moving against the Ooedo soon.

His son already had too much on his plate to worry about anything else. And since Shin would have replaced him by that time, the best that Shin could do was prepare the Ooedo for any eventuality…before he left. Unless he didn't plan on leaving, or was planning to use the police force to keep the Kagami threat at bay.

Maybe that was Shin's real motivation in agreeing to take over his position, like he had said, and that his son had not been lying. It was not unexpected.

But, in the end, none of that mattered. Whether Shin was pushed into a corner or not, he only felt relief that his son would not become a criminal. And if he's able to bust a dangerous group in the process, it was all to the good.

If he could get over that woman, even better.

He was young. Even if his first love failed, Shin was no weakling. His happiness did not, should not begin and end with that Yamaguchi Kumiko.

Or so he hoped, because he didn't want the price for his son's happiness, to be a choice between right and wrong. He didn't want his son to be hunted down by people he knew. It didn't really matter if Shin hated him, but like every parent, the last thing he wanted was for his son to live a life of constant danger and difficulty.

Love can fade, but duty and honor, peace and luxury, were things a person could control to a certain degree. And it was this that his son should cultivate.

The phone rang. It was one of his men reporting that Otohata Rei had just picked up Shin for lunch, and that they seemed to be on their way to Shirokin. Typical of Shin to make sure someone capable would keep an eye on things for him. Considering the steps Shin was taking, he shoudn't have to worry. There was a good chance Shin was being straight with him, and he probably didn't have to monitor his son's activities that closely.

However, Shin was also too willful and stubborn. And it was because of this that he couldn't afford to stop or let up.

Which is why, until the moment he was sure of Shin's real motives…the game continues.

0o0o0

It's her. Rei thought. She's the one.

During their stay at Toudai, he, Shin and one other had ended up with a reputation for being polite, but mostly distant. But because of Ran and her friends, they knew he was only being (rudely) picky. Because the otherwas on good terms with his best friend's girlfriend, he had also ended up with the same diagnosis.

But Shin? Shin who never entertained any female attention, unless it was necessary, did not earn any ill-will because of it. They simply thought that Shin's 'part-time job' ate up too much of his time, for him to do otherwise. And because Shin's eyes never even seemed to recognize any level of attractiveness in a female, and seemed to merely tolerate Ran's antics because they were related, he had gotten off the hook.

Not that he particularly cared what the others thought.

However, seeing Shin interact with this (older) woman, Rei recognized it.

They were wrong. Shin wasn't any different.

Because, like him, Shin didn't see anyone else.

The three of them really were alike. They only saw the people who mattered, and tended to ignore everyone and everything else…and for Shin it was this woman.

"Yours is a quiet sort of friendship, huh." He heard her mention.

"Oh?" Rei asked, a blank expression on his face. "How so?"

"You've been watching us, all quiet." She stated, matter-of-factly. "Shin's generally like that, too. You probably don't talk much."

"That's some deduction." He replied, absently. This made Kumiko smile and ruffle up his hair, which he promptly tried to avoid. Shin merely watched. "So what was Shin like back then?"

A smirk settled on her lips as she answered. Shin sighed. That was never a good sign.

"He stares! He broods. He's a man of mostly 3 words. Not really that much different from now. If it wasn't for your question, you were doing it, too."

"You're exaggerating." Shin sighed, rolling his eyes.

"That would be two words. Batting average." Kumiko goaded, chuckling a little, now. Rei was, too.

"Suit yourself." Shin muttered in resignation, knowing it was futile to make her stop.

"Two, again!" She said, grinning evilly at Shin, trying her best not to laugh…too much. "See what I mean? It's always Yes. No. Fine. Do it. Stop it. Are you stupid? I'll kill you! So Noisy! and my all time favorite, for when I try to pick him up when he's cutting class…What, now!?! You'd never guess he was such an obnoxious know-it-all."

"So he does have moments." Rei noted, extremely amused, without looking like he was trying to get excluded from that description (which, he secretly was).

At this, Kumiko's smile disappeared, as she shot Shin a fulminating look, while Shin was now the one smirking.

"Every time he tells me off." She muttered.

"Get in trouble a lot, huh." Rei mentioned, a knowing look on his face.

"Just like Ran." Shin inserted, sneaking a sly look at Rei who met his eyes with a bored expression.

"Who's Ran?" Kumiko asked, noting Rei's sudden detachment. Suspicious.

"Shin's cousin." Rei answered, making sure he sounded normal. Whatever that meant.

"Hey, you know her, too." Shin countered, amused at Rei's discomfort.

Rei sighed. Shin really wouldn't tell on him, but this was probably retribution for being laughed at, earlier.

"I've known her since high school." Rei clarified, and Kumiko, seeing how Rei was trying to be flippant about it, gave Rei an obnoxious smile.

"You…you like her don't you? You probably don't have a girlfriend, because you love her so much, and can't love anyone else!!!" She declared loudly, with stars in her eyes, and flowers in the background.

Rei heard Shin snort, cover his face with a palm, as he tried desperately not to choke on his laughter.

"No." Rei answered, smiling a little smile, as he said the next words, friendship with Shin be damned.

"That would be Shin, not me. I dated one of Ran's best friends."

He had expected Kumiko to start grilling Shin on who this mysterious girl that Shin happened to love was, when he noticed that it wasn't going to happen.

Instead, Shin and Kumiko were now quiet. Too quiet.

"This isn't a secret, is it?" Rei clarified, as Kumiko EHEHE-d nervously.

"I see." He added. And he really did.

0o0o0

On the way back to Shin's office in Shirokin, Rei asked;

"Are you guys going out?"

"Technically, no."

"That's two."

"Do you really want to know?"

"It's okay. I get it."

Shin was beginning to regret introducing those two, but it couldn't be helped. He wanted to make sure everything went as planned.

"You know why I asked you to come, right?" Shin asked, serious, now.

"You don't even have to say it." Rei confirmed. It would be strange if Shin's family just allowed him to date someone from the Yakuza, much less marry an heir to one of its most powerful families. Which is what he suspected Shin wanted to do.

"Incidentally, why did you date Aya?" Shin asked, in a suspiciously innocent tone of voice. Some part of Shin really was interested. He didn't see the point, though he understood what might have motivated Rei. Of course, he was also curious if Rei still felt the same for Ran. That, and a small part of Shin that wanted to get back at Rei for the other's earlier comment to Kumiko, felt the need to take a moment of revenge.

"You don't have to say that either." Rei mumbled, looking out the window.

And of course, Shin understood that feeling very well. He stopped the car.

"Rei. There's something else, too." He began, feeling that now was probably as good a time as any.

Otohata Rei eyed his friend. He could've asked why, but Shin always had perfectly sound reasons for the things he did.

So he complied. And after a few steps, he almost couldn't believe what Shin said next.

Shin, on the other hand, knew that with his next few words, he just might lose one of his closest friends, but it had to be said. So with a heavy sigh, he told Rei the rest.

"My parents and Ran's are arranging our marriage…to each other."

After the initial moment of silence, Rei finally managed a grim reply. "I don't see that happening."

"But we want the parents to. So when and if we tell you over dinner, I need you to act exactly like that, so that they don't doubt it. You don't have to hide what you feel. But I need you to trust me."

Shin could only be thankful that even as a teenager, Rei had never let his emotions cloud his better judgment. It was the reason why he could be open with him, like this.

"That's why you brought me to see her, isn't it?" Rei asked, realizing that it wasn't just to satisfy his friend's curiosity, and the need to provide useful help to the woman he loved that made Shin introduce them.

It was because Shin wanted him to understand that there was nothing to worry about, no matter how bad the news got.

"That bad, huh." Rei added. Shin only nodded. A smile played on Rei's lips. "I'm flattered."

"I don't remember flattering you." Was the rather rude reply he got.

"Because, all these years, every time Ran did something I hated, the look on my face seldom varied, and so she thinks I've got emotional malfunction. You on the other hand, think I'm capable of being upset. So you warned me. You do me too much credit."

Rei watched a sneaky smile appear on Shin's face. "Interesting." He heard Shin whisper. Rei looked at shin suspiciously.

"You…you know something. " Rei deduced. "Say it."

The smile now had a hint of…satisfaction. Of assured Retribution. Rei knew this meant a lot of bad things.

"Hn." Shin answered absently, as he got in the car and started it. Rei got in as well, and replied;

"Fine. I get it. Some things shouldn't be said." Rei muttered. "Not like you held back, either."

"You're bargaining." Shin noted, as he steered the car towards the downtown Shirokin area. "You never let others bait you."

"I've never seen you go out of your way to demean yourself for someone else, either." Rei answered, referring to Kumiko's earlier jibe about Shin's vocabulary.

"In that respect, she really has us all figured out." Shin replied.

After a moment of silence, Rei asked, "Shin…is she in trouble?"

He figured it was a safe enough question, the answer explaining everything.

Shin's desire to make her family's business legal, therefore untouchable by the police.

His would-be-fake arranged marriage with Ran. His possible return to take over his father's position.

Leaving someone he trusted to handle his share of responsibilities, until he returned or made other arrangements, if that was no longer a possibility.

It was all to protect her from an outside threat, mainly Shin's own father, or some other group wanting to initiate a war.

Shin stopped at his parking space, just outside the office, as he answered, the look he gave Rei, confirming the latter's suspicions.

"Yes."

However, there was one more piece to the puzzle that was missing.

"I can take over your duties as their lawyer even if Shinohara quits," Rei began, choosing his words carefully. "…but you started a project to make Ooedo legal. I'm sure you also have someone replacing you temporarily, until there's a permanent solution."

Shin was spared a response, as Ran came out to meet them, a short, brown-eyed, smartly-dressed woman in tow.

"Sawada-sempai. Otohata-sempai, o-hisashiburi! Sorry to cut the pleasantries short, but I've got some paperwork my client needs you to sign, and he needs it back, immediately. You know how he is."

"Yo, Fujioka." Rei and Shin greeted.

Of course, if Fujioka Haruhi was involved, the other chess piece in this game could only be one person.

"I thought you didn't want to work for Kyouya." Rei asked, as Shin took the documents from Haruhi. Everyone knew how demanding Kyouya could be, and Haruhi was definitely his favorite…victim.

"I won't be. This is a one-time deal, since I was on the way." She explained, an annoyed smile on her face as she looked away, as if remembering something unpleasant. "I'll actually be working with you, Sawada-sempai and Shinohara-sempai."

And, as expected, Fujioka Haruhi had been manipulated into the game, because Kyouya was in it. And while Kyouya was definitely helping them, it didn't mean he couldn't use this opportunity to further whatever goal he had in mind regarding Haruhi.

For all intents and purposes, Ootori Kyouya was a brilliant businessman.

Unfortunately for Fujioka Haruhi, Kyouya had decided to make her his business.