Chapter 129 - First Night, First Morning

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Ara frowned. She was receiving mixed signals from her voice. Asou Chiaki was telling the truth, but at the same time not telling her everything. She sighed, remembering Ryuu, Yayoi, and Emi.

It seemed that the people around her had a penchant for secrets.

Oh well…

Maybe her brother had told Chiaki not to say anything – which was possible also. If it's like that, there was no sense quizzing the poor secretary. The girl already had enough on her plate keeping her brother in line.

It was a funny thought but true. Asou Chiaki had been having her hands full because of Suzuki Aki since they were in pre-school. She was what you call the peacemaker, referee, and torture boss when Aki forgot to behave and Asou would literally beat her brother up when they were younger, but also shielded him from bullies. She was the only one who didn't care he was the Suzuki heir.

Ah…

Remembering those qualities, now, more than ever, Ara felt it's a pity that her brother was too blind to see the gem that Asou Chiaki was.

"Alright. I guess I'll just have to ask Big Bro," she told the other, before saying goodnight.

Oh well…

Ara lay back on the futon, now feeling a bit tired. All the thinking finally made her exhausted even if she failed to answer all the questions that bugged her brain. She would just have to deal with them some other time.

"It's frustrating though," she whispered, just as a scratching sound was heard by her screen door, and she frowned.

SCRATCH…SCRATCH…

It sounded like a claw or a nail, then a yipping sound followed, and her eyes widened in excitement as she hurried to scramble towards the shoji to open it wide enough to let one wiggling puppy in.

"Byakky! Oh, what are you doing here?" she asked excitedly as she picked up the little guy and hugged him close.

She smiled a little upon smelling a bit of Ryuu's scent on him. The puppy was probably snuggled close to the Koutaishidenka earlier before coming here.

So why was Byakuya here?

She got her answer when her phone vibrated again, and she returned to the futon with the puppy to read it. It was a message from Kou.

"Sending back the son to his mama for the night. Don't worry, you will get used to the place soon. Go to sleep princess."

Ara chuckled. Ryuu must have felt her move a lot or heard her talking. He must have thought she couldn't sleep because the place was unfamiliar to her. He was really very sweet. Her initial impression of him as a cold, stoic man had completely been destroyed by now.

"Okay. Goodnight," she replied, and Ara with Byakuya in her arms fell asleep finally with a smile on her lips.

Her sleep was not disturbed by any dreams. It was very peaceful. When morning came, she felt really well-rested and wet…

Huh?

Ara's eyes flew open as a wet tongue licked her face. The puppy's hot breath fanned her cheeks and she groaned as her nose detected something.

Oh please no…

She lifted herself from the bed and realized Byakuya had peed at the edge of the futon. The puppy's body was wet too so it seemed after peeing, he rolled all over it, spreading the pee on the tatami. She looked like she wanted to cry. Well, she wanted to cry.

RAWR! AAAWR!

The puppy yipped, and Ara saw shadows behind the shoji of her room, just as familiar voices called out to her.

"Miss Ara, are you awake?"

It was Yayoi calling to her, and the shadow next to her must be Emi. She walked towards the screen and opened it, startling the two.

"Good morning," Ara greeted in urgency which the others returned.

They did notice, however, her restlessness, and were curious.

"Did Miss Ara have a nice sleep?" Yayoi asked and Ara smiled as she nodded.

"Yes – but…"

Yayoi and Emi looked at her expectantly, until they smelled something, and they blinked as if trying to figure out what it was and Ara was not able to do anything but confess.

"I'm so sorry. My son peed and he swam in it."

At her words, the two women looked confused until they saw the puppy circling Ara's feet and understanding dawned in their eyes.

"The Little Young Master is not yet potty trained," Emi giggled, and Yayoi's lips also twitched in amusement.

Ara also felt amused hearing the title "Little Young Master". It's her fault though since she called the pup her son.

"Don't worry about him Miss Ara, we will take care of the Little Young Master," Yayoi told her, but Ara shook her head.

"I want to help. At least with cleaning this little mischief," she said as she picked up the puppy.

"Then let us take him first while you change clothes," they said, and Ara obeyed.

Soon the three of them went towards the back area where the servants wash things. There were other people who took good care of cleaning the room, while Ara, Yayoi, and Emi went to give Byakuya a bath.

"It's still winter. Although Little Young Master is a snow dog, it's still better to give him a warm bath and dry him immediately," Yayoi said, and thus, they did.

As soon as they had finished, the puppy was immediately dried and mother and son were led towards the room to have breakfast.

Since it's still seven and a half in the morning, the two businessmen were still there, having their morning meal.

"Good morning," Ara greeted Kazehaya Gin and Suzuki Aki who both were reading newspapers while eating.

Ara was used to seeing her brother like this. It was her first time to see Kazehaya read a newspaper though and she was surprised.

"Big Bro Kaze, I didn't know you read newspapers," she commented. "You don't look like it."

Kazehaya looked up from his paper and grinned. "Right. I'm too awesome for this tedious reading material. However, it's a necessary evil in my trade."

Ara chuckled. "Yeah," she agreed before looking around.

"Your husband is at the dojo," Kazehaya offered the information, noticing as she was looking around. "He wakes up early every day around five to six, then mostly spends his morning after breakfast doing archery."

"Oh…" He's like an old guy, Ara secretly smiled.

"He's like an old guy," Aki commented, voicing Ara's thoughts that she let out her mirth audibly.

Kazehaya Gin on the other hand shrugged. "Well, he's been like that since he was little. He needs to discipline himself else he's like a volcano."

"Volcano?" Ara couldn't believe it. Kou was the cool type, not the hot-headed type.

"Yep. He has a terrible temper originally. If he doesn't follow strict discipline he reverts to his original hotheadedness."

"Wow, I can't imagine that," Aki stated in wonder.

"Well, he's a Homura," Kazehaya shrugged.

The Suzuki siblings just had to nod. After all, the Homura clan was also named as such because of its affinity to fire and its nature according to history, and most of the prominent members of the Homura House were indeed infamous for their volatile temper.

"Don't worry though. Ryuu's an expert in controlling his mood. He won't blow up on his beloved wife," Kazehaya told Ara teasingly.

"But that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want even if Ryuu spoils you rotten," Aki warned Ara. "You're going to be a wife now, Ara. You have to think of your husband too okay?"

Ara who was about to start eating paused. Why did it sound like she's being scolded? She remembered then that the original Ara was a little bit willful, and she had no choice but to accept the advice.

"O-okay…"

Aki smiled fondly at her afterwards. He stood up and went towards her, and in her surprise, her brother pulled her into a tight hug. "Congratulations little sister. Are you happy?"