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Rui bowed his head, "I wouldn't have it any other way, my lady." He stood, "it's time for lunch, shall we?"

Kaoru squeaked as Hana's wet tongue licked his ear, waking him up. He sat up and rubbed at the spot, "Hana!" But he saw she had no choice thanks to Faichi being the one pushing her away. He rolled his eyes and pet the puppy, playing with her. "Sleep well?" He asked, avoiding thoughts about later. They got up and had lunch, but really their group session with Rui wasn't that bad. It was more towards building up their trust in each other and laying the foundations for a solid, healthy relationship. In all honestly, Kaoru had enjoyed it. It helped him learn what a normal relationship is supposed to be like and now what his mother had trained him to believe it was. Towards the end Rui surprised him by strongly suggesting they go out to a late lunch and a movie tomorrow in place of their session. His excuse was that he wanted them to start off like a normal couple would have with dates and easy time together. Kaoru agreed so long as Daichi was ok with it. Rui promised they would be safe and that a family body guard would be near by at all times to ease any of Daichi's worries. They played with Hana and went to bed after dinner, both still tired. Kaoru woke up around his normal time and got ready for the day, wondering what movie they would go to. Before he knew it, one came and they were getting ready to go. "I heard Black Panther just came out. And Jumnji is really funny from what I have heard, or we could see the greatest showman. What do you think?" he asked as they drove away.

Once the two were gone, Rui joined Yui in her office to wait for the arrival of Kaoru's father.

Akiko stared at the main house for several minutes, sick to his stomach about what was going to happen inside. He'd been summoned, which he'd been expecting ever since his wife had disappeared which was directly after they had found out about Kaoru's attempt. Gods, how would the main household make him pay for her crimes? She and her family had been arrested, but she wasn't blood related so that would be good enough punishment. He, on the other hand, was a direct descendant of the main house, cousin to the head of the house himself. He would be made to answer for what had happened in his own home. He sat in his car and absently played with his fingers, a nervous habit his wife had hated. So much she'd even broken one of them to make him stop. Akiko shivered at the memory and sighed, Kaoru hadn't been the only victim of her madness. It was five to two and he couldn't put it off any longer. Akiko got out of his car and walked to the front door.

He was greeted by a servant who lead him to the Head Wife's office and he felt himself shrinking in. He'd hoped for one of the meeting rooms because they were more open and servants could come in at any moment. But the office was private and the only people who would come were those who were summoned. He forced himself to breath as the door was opened and he stepped inside. He kept his eyes firmly on the ground, not daring to look up, as he bowed low to the woman behind the desk. He would take him punishment in silence, as he always did, and if there was enough of him let to go home when it was over he'd cry then.

Rui frowned at the tense way that Akiko stood. His hands were balled and shaking slightly, his shoulders hunched in on themselves as if the man were trying to make himself smaller. It was the look of someone waiting to be hurt and he felt his stomach drop. Even without Akiko saying a word he understood why he'd done nothing to save Kaoru. He was as much a victim as his son, though Rui still had some questions for him. "Sit, Akiko." The man quickly obeyed, keeping his eyes down, and it only solidified Rui theory. "Do you know why you are here?"

Akiko nodded, "My wife-," he swallowed, "I'm here to answer for what she's done."

Rui lifted an eyebrow, "We do have some questions we would like answered. Firstly, how long has she been abusing you?"

Akiko's head shot up and he looked at them for the first time. He swallowed, looking away quickly, "I don't-"

"Do not lie to me," Rui snapped, immediately regretting it when Akiko flinched, "I will know if you lie, so please, honesty only."

Akiko nodded, "Sorry, I just-" he closed his eyes and dropped his head to his hands, "I don't even know anymore. I think-I think it's been from the beginning. We were only fifteen when she got pregnant. I know she did it on purpose, I didn't want to have sex, but she-she," he shook his head and made himself talk about something other than those first few times when she had 'taught' him how to be a 'real man'. "She would control everything, tell me what to do and who to see, get angry when I screwed up. I-I managed to protect Kira, our daughter. I took her beatings for her, but Kaoru..." he looked up at Yui, tears in his eyes, "She's hated him from the moment she met him. I-I cheated on her. There was a woman at work, she was so kind to me. She made me feel like I was actually worth something and I slept with her. When I found out she was pregnant, I tried to file for a divorce. I wanted to leave my wife and take Kira so we could live in peace, but she-" he closed his eyes, letting himself cry, "She killed her. It was a few days after Kaoru was born, I was about to finalize the divorce when I got a terrified call. I tried to get to her in time, but-" his voice broke. "She let Kaoru live. She said he was my shame that I would have to bare."

He paused, "I'm sorry. I should have protected him, but I couldn't. I was always in so much pain, I knew she'd kill me if I got in her way...or she would kill Kaoru to punish me. I couldn't save him just as I couldn't save his mother. I know the main house has ways to deal with members of the family who have brought them shame. J-just," he looked up at the woman in front of him, tired brown eyes meeting blue, "if you are going to kill me, please do it quick. Kira is basically running the company, she has been for years. She's safe and Kaoru is in good hands. No one will miss me, I just, I don't want it to hurt anymore." He whispered the last part, his cheeks turning red as tears of shame rolled down his cheeks. He'd spent his entire adult life in pain, he didn't think he could stomach any more. All fight had left him years ago and now he was just tired. He just wanted it all to be over.

Rui felt overwhelmed with the wave of new information. Kaoru was a b*****d son? And his mother had been murdered. Gods. And now his father sat in front of them, thinking they were going to hurt him too and begging they kill him instead. The vile witch needed to rot in prison. No, she needed to be beaten on a daily basis by every damned person in that prison until the day she died for what she had done to these two. From what he'd researched, Kira was fine. She was mentally stable and a genuinely good person, if distant towards her little brother, but how Akiko had managed that was beyond him. Rui turned to Yui, ultimately the decision as to what to do with the man lie with her. He was aware that the family had made a few people 'disappear' in the past, but he wasn't going to influence her decision one way or the other.

Kaoru smiled, "Yeah, something fun would be nice. Take our minds off things for a while." He slipped his hand into Daichi's while they finished their ride. He got out when the door was opened for him. He walked to Daichi and held his hand once more, nervous about being out of the house, but trusting Rui that they were safe. When Daichi asked what he wanted to eat, Kaoru chewed a little on his bottom lip as he thought about it. "Italian?" He asked, not sure if Daichi liked Italian food, but his husband was ok with his choice. They walked to the restaurant and got a table relatively quickly. Kaoru offered for the bodyguard to sit with them, but he politely declined and sat nearby where he could keep an eye on them and all of the exits. Kaoru felt nervous with the man around, but he supposed it was better to have him and not need him than to need him and not have him. "This looks like a nice place. I wonder how the food is." He looked at his menu and glanced at the wines, "Since you aren't driving, do you want to have a drink with dinner?"

Akiko lowered his head when Yui stood, his body tensing as she came closer. What she going to hit him? Oh gods. He closed his eyes when he saw her hand move, flinching when soft fingers touched his chin. There was no pain, just gentle pressure for him to lift his head. He opened his eyes in shock, staring up at Yui. She said she wasn't going to hurt him, but everything in him screamed not to believe her. The rest of what she said didn't make much sense to him either. Akane was in jail? But, how? He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "It seems pointless now. The divorce? What's the point anymore?" He was ordered to see a therapist, that it was all he needed to do in order to atone and he looked from Yui to Rui in confusion. "Surely-surely that can't be all." He shook his head, "I don't understand. That can't be all. I-I let her torture him. She-she would tie him to a pole on the veranda, for days! She wouldn't let him have any food or water and I just let her!" True, he'd risked punishment to sneak him water at night, but he didn't do anything to stop her.

Rui cocked his head to the side, "That's not entirely true, is it?" Akiko looked at him, wide eyed, but he swallowed hard. "Akiko?"

The man looked down, ringing his fingers, but quickly forcing himself to stop, "I-no." He sighed, deflating, "I would sneak him water if it was more than a day or two. I couldn't just leave him out there. Especially in the summer."

Rui smiled and walked over to Akiko, placing his hand on the man's shoulder slowly. "You did what you could to help him, Akiko. You were so brave to help him like that, even though you knew if you were caught you would be punished." He knelt and met the man's eyes, "I'm proud of you for risking so much for Kaoru. And I know that Kaoru doesn't hate you, he probably knows how much you were risking too." He gave the shoulder a gentle squeeze as he saw tears filling Akiko's eyes, "Hey now," he pulled the man in and hugged him close. Akiko stiffened for several seconds before melting into the touch. He let out a sob and clung to Rui while the man held him close and rubbed his back. "I'm so proud of you, you were so brave, Akiko." He said softly, glancing up at Yui for a moment, "Akiko, are you living by yourself right now?"

Akiko pulled away and sniffed, blushing to have been crying like that. He rubbed his eyes and nodded, "Kira has had a place of her own since she turned eighteen. With Kaoru gone it was just Akane and me. With her in jail, I guess it's just me now." He looked down, he dreaded and looked forward to going to an empty house. He wasn't going to be facing beatings when he returned home, but he hadn't been alone since he was fifteen. He didn't know what he was going to do.

Rui thought for a moment before standing. "Yui, can I have a word outside, please?" He walked with her to the hallway and shut the door. "I don't think he should be alone." He frowned, "He's too much like Kaoru. I'm worried he might try to, well, make an attempt on his own life. It feels too much like the same. He thinks he's a failure, that he should be punished and when he asked you to kill him there was no fight in his eyes, no desire for life. I'm worried if we send him home to his empty house it's just going to remind him of everything. He could easily become overwhelmed and take his life in a misguided attempt at redemption." He rubbed his chin, "The problem is what do we do with him? I don't think we should have him stay with Kira. She's got a life of her own and is fairly busy what I've heard. Having he watch over her traumatized father would be a burden on both of them and only increase Akiko's guilt." He sighed, knowing that Yui probably wasn't going to like his proposal. "I was thinking that maybe he could stay in one of the outlying houses. Away from the main house where he and Kaoru could run into each other, but still near where we can keep an eye on him. I'd stay with him to keep him company and then I could help him with counseling as well. Who knows, maybe living somewhere without being beaten on a daily basis and steady companionship will do him a world of good. Can we undo thirty-six years of trauma, probably not. But we can give him a foundation to move forward on." He shrugged a little, rubbing the back of his head, "It's up to you, of course. I just don't feel right sending him off on his own...and knowing as much as I do about the situation, I don't know if it would be good to have someone else take over his care. It would just make him have to reopen his wounds all over with another stranger." He felt a little protective of the man, which was a bit odd for him. True, he, Akiko and Yui were close in age, but there was something more than that pulling him. It was like Akiko was a challenge, one that Rui wanted to help him overcome. "Again, it's your choice."

Kaoru glanced at the menu, looking over all the different delicious looking options. He glanced at the desserts and smiled, "They have zabaione! I remember having it once with my father while mother was away. We went out for dinner and he allowed me to get dessert. I just pointed to something, too nervous to even try saying it. It turned out to be this amazing sweet cream over berries." He smiled, it was one of his few happy childhood memories. "I wonder how he's doing..." Kaoru's smile fell and he focused on the menu. He knew his mother would often take her anger out on his father as well. Not to the extend she did to him, but the man had often been at the end of her verbal abuse. He shook his head a little and picked a meal at random. "I think I will have the spaghetti alla puttanesca with steak. It looks delicious, I'll just have the wine paired with it. And maybe, if we still have room, we could try the zabaione?" He asked, looking at Daichi hopefully. He didn't doubt the man would say yes, but he still wanted to ask to be sure.

Akiko sat in the office alone, looking down at his hands. He was scared to know what Yui and Rui were talking about in the hallway. Were they going to lock him up after all? He swallowed and curled his hands into fists, whatever they decided he'd accept. His thoughts trailed to Rui and how the man had said he was proud of him. How was that possible? Akiko was a coward who allowed his wife torment his only son. The child of the only woman he'd ever loved. He hadn't done anything worth being proud over. He was a pathetic coward that deserved to be punished.

Rui sighed and nodded, "I know I have a lot on my plate right now, but I don't know Yui. That man has spent years perfecting lying and hiding to get by. I don't know that any one else will be able to actually help him. He will nod and say what they want him to say and no progress will be made." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess this one is getting to me, you know? That vile woman has caused so much hurt, so much damage and I want to be the one to fix it." He smiled a bit, "It's probably stupid and selfish of me, but I want to help them." He nodded at Yui's concern over Kaoru running into his father. "I don't take Akiko for the type to go wandering around. And it's true the boys could potentially find their own place now that the threat is gone. Will you be telling them over dinner now that we have confirmation she's locked away?" He waited for Yui answer before nodding, "Then I suggest we tell Akiko to stay indoors for the next week until the boys find a place of their own. I have a feeling he might be hiding a few injuries of his own and will need medical treatment, but we will get to that point. If it's ok, I'll leave telling him of his new living arrangement to you. It will have more authority coming from the head of house and you can keep up your scary leader routine." He winked at Yui before heading back into the office. He noticed Akiko's flinch as the door opened, the man's head turning towards the door so quickly, it made him worry for his neck. Akiko was shaking and Rui walked over to pat him on the shoulder, a little encouragement before moving to stand to the side of Yui's desk where he'd been originally.

Kaoru finished ordering and frowned a little at Daichi's game. "You want me to lie to you?" Something about that felt really, really wrong, but Daichi said it was a game and was the one telling him to lie. "O-k," he said softly, thinking about what he could possibly tell Daichi, or worse, what lie he would tell. "Um, I never really liked school, it was too stressful for me to enjoy. When I was ten, my sister came to visit and she gave me a toy dog and I still have it." He bit his lip, not sure if he had done it right. She had given him a toy dog that he'd kept for several years, but his mother had found his hiding place and burned it in front of him when he'd got second at his last piano recital. She'd given up on his ever being better than the 'first loser' after that. He just hoped that he was playing the game right.

Akiko watched them both come in and shrank under the head's gaze, He dropped his eyes and listened to her orders, swallowing hard. He was to live here? Why, what were they going to do to him? It sounded like he was essentially being put under house arrest. "I understand. I don't want to put anyone out, I will be fine with what I have." He was terrified to be taken back to the house with some stranger. He had no idea what they would do to him when alone.

Rui frowned, "I will go with you, it is no bother and that way you can be comfortable getting your things. You need more than the clothing on your back."

Akiko looked up at the man before dropping his gaze again, "Yes, sir." he whispered.

Rui stepped forward, "Please call me Rui. Miss Yui, might one of the guards drive us?" He waited for her to give him permission before bowing, "Come, Akiko. Let's get your things and get you settled." He bowed to Yui before heading out.

Akiko scrambled to his feet and bowed as well, making sure it was a deep, respectful bow, before hurrying after Rui. He would remain quiet and gather his things quickly so as to not anger the guard. He didn't know what to expect during his stay here, but he was preparing for the worst. Yui had said she and Rui weren't going to hurt him, but that didn't mean he was safe from the guards or anyone else in the household. Honestly, he expected them to beat him on her orders. Akane certainly had done that on more than one occasion.

((so we can fade him out now and have Rui meet with Yui just before the boys get back or we can play out them going to get Akiko's things and settling him into the outlaying house. Up to you!))

Kaoru nodded, Daichi had gotten that easily. Kaoru frowned when Daichi said his. Which was the lie?
He knew Daichi did speak other languages, but he didn't know how many. Daichi traveled a lot, but he didn't know where all he'd gone. The one that sounded the most off was the prom one. "I-I think the last one? It wasn't that you couldn't find a date, but you didn't want to find one?" he asked, hoping he was right. He waited for Daichi's reply before thinking of his own lie and truths. "I've written a children's story, I'm addicted to cooking shows and," he bit his lip, thinking for a moment before whispering with a blush, "I want to make love to you in a bath." He didn't know why he'd said that, but it was all he could think of while on the spot. "Forget that one! It was stupid, um, I think you look amazing in a suit? Is that better?" It had to be better than jumping straight to making love.

Kaoru sighed, that one was obvious, he guessed. He listened to Daichi's and thought for a moment, "I can't see you doing drama. So I'm guessing that is the lie." But Daichi seemed the type to do really well in debate. Their food was brought and Kaoru kept playing, occasionally adding a compliment to Daichi into his three or something that he had hoped Daichi would do with or two him. Those were said softly as he blushed deeply. What little there was to know about him was shared with his husband and little by little they got to know each other better. When dessert came, he got excited and grinned as it was brought out. He handed Daichi a spoon and scooped up a berry with the cream, "Well, I hope you don't like it so I can have it all." He said with a grin. It turned out they both liked it and shared the plate with happy sighs.

They finished and paid before heading to the theater. Daichi got the tickets and they got popcorn and a soda to share before sitting down to watch the movie. Kaoru found himself laughing hard than he had in a while. Seeing a fat white man acting like a teenage spoiled girl and teaching the other girl to flirt was just too funny. When the movie was over, he threw away their garbage and held Daichi's hand while they walked out. "That was seriously funny. I loved it, can we get it when it comes out on dvd?" They got into the car, the bodyguard driving them home and Kaoru spent the ride quoting the movie.

Rui had made sure that Akiko was settled into the outlaying house. It had taken a while to assure him that he wasn't going to be accosted by the guards. Rui had a feeling he didn't quite believe him. He received a text from Yui that Kaoru and Daichi were on their way home, so he made his way to the main house, promising to return soon. Akiko had looked like he'd wanted to beg Rui to stay, but had staid quiet and nodded. Rui frowned a bit and considered moving to the outlaying house with Akiko for the time being. At least to make him feel more secure at night. He met with Yui and smiled a bit, "He's as settled in as he can be at the moment. I hear our boys are coming home, are you going to have them come straight to your office so we can talk to them about the b***h?" He'd been referring to her like that in his head all day when he'd seen just how bad Akiko was. "And would it be ok if I had the family doctor come with me to the outlaying house to look at Akiko? I'm fairly certain he's got some injuries he's hiding."

Kaoru laughed, "My hair isn't long enough to flip it around like that. I think I'd do about as well as the girl did, without the benefit of the dance battle ability." They got to the house and Kaoru looked up at it with his smile fading a bit. "Can't be helped, can it?" He asked, looking at Daichi with a sad smile. "It'll be ok. We've got each other, right? And Hana, I bet she will be happy to see us." They got out of the car and went inside, only to run directly into Rui and Yui. They looked a little upset and Kaoru slipped behind Daichi, not sure what this meant. He didn't hide fully, just stepped slightly behind the man, holding onto his hand tightly. He nodded when Daichi said they had a good date. It had been good.

Rui smiled as gently as he could, but before he could sleep, a little yipping ball of fur came barreling down the hallway. Hanna was on her back legs, bouncing as she whined to be picked up. Rui's smile became more genuine as Kaoru laughed and bent to lift the puppy. She licked him and Daichi, clearly excited to see her humans again. "Shall we step outside? It will give Hana a chance to run off some of this energy." They walked out and Kaoru sat down on a bench s he put Hana down. Hana began zooming around the backyard, running in circles as she got out her zoomies. Rui watched her for a moment before turning to Daichi and Kaoru. "I'm sure the two of you are wondering why I felt it was safe for you to go out this afternoon." He met Daichi's eyes for a moment before meeting Kaoru's, "Your mother was taken into police custody this morning. We have guaranteed that the case against her is solid enough for her to be locked in prison for the rest of her natural life."

Kaoru stared at Rui, unable to process what the man had said for several seconds. Once it did, a thousand thoughts swirled through his head and he felt faint. "She-but I..." He couldn't breath and grabbed for Daichi, holding onto the man for dear life. "It's my fault. I-"

Rui cut him off, "No, Kaoru. She has been involved in illegal activity for years before you were born. Her entire family is yakuza, the government has been looking for a chance to take them down, we just gave them the intel they needed to do so. If anything, Miss Yui and I are the reasons she's in prison. It has nothing to do with you."

Kaoru looked from Rui to Yui and then to his husband, "She was-" he saw Rui nod from the corner of his eye and he closed his, "I think I already knew. There were men who would come to the house. They were scary and one-one threatened my father with a gun, but mother just laughed." He shivered, "I'd forgotten that, it was just after my sister moved out. I wasn't very old, I hid in my room after I saw the gun, but they didn't come near me." His father hadn't been able to leave his room for several days after their visit. "I-She's really gone?" Hana jumped up onto the bench and lay in his lap, panting softly as he watched Rui nod.

"She's gone, I swear it," he kept his tone soft and his expression clear, but he was furious to hear that those monsters had used a gun to threaten Akiko.

Kaoru stood up, Hana in his arm. "Daichi, can we go to your room? I don't feel well." He knew he was pale, and he still felt a little dizzy. "I want to lay down." He leaned on Daichi as they walked, quiet until they got to the bedroom and he sat down. "I can't believe it. She's gone." He looked up at Daichi, "We can go home."

Rui sighed and looked at Yui, "That could have gone worse."