chapter 10

Chapter 10 – Protection

"S-S-So, a-are y-you t-two-"

"We are together, Mr. Ichigo. Here, why don't we sit down to discuss what happened. Are the kids asleep, Ai?"

"Mhmm!"

Good.

I wouldn't want them to expose our lie, after all.

Making my way to the couch, I turn back to see Ichigo with his head held in his hands.

Seems that our new relationship was pretty shocking.

Poor guy.

"I'll make some tea, so go sit down, president."

With Ai's words, Ichigo awakens from his... breakdown and sits on the couch along with his wife.

Ai's cheerful humming in the background, I can only hang my head at Ichigo's intense stare.

This situation... it's painful.

Just as I try to break the silence between the three of us, Ai skips over with a platter of four steaming cups.

"I made it just how you like it, Miyako!"

"T-Thank you, Ai. Now, how about we-"

She cuts herself off in surprise as Ai sits across my lap, her arm latched around my neck.

"U-Uhm, Ai? Maybe not the best time for this?"

"Mou! It's comfy! I almost got hurt today, so just let me enjoy myself!"

I could only now notice the tone of her voice.

Her facade... it was still there, but less so than normal.

No longer wearing that fake smile all the time, allowing her face to relax however she naturally felt.

Though those peppy speaking habits were still there.

But they were cute, so who am I to complain?

And from the slightly raised eyebrows of Ichigo and Miyako, I can guess that they've noticed at well.

"W-Wha-!? No. I don't even care anymore. Just explain what happened."

Ai and I then told the two the events of what had transpired, well, not exactly.

Instead of having her get stabbed and subsequently healed, the attacker was stopped by me before he could hit her before running away.

A deafening silence is what followed.

"So, let me get this straight."

He then stares up at the two of us, mostly Ai.

"Not only did this guy, Ryousuke, know your address, but he also knew about your twins!?"

Bringing her finger to her cheek, Ai then tilts her head as if searching for the right words.

"Umm, yep!"

"It's over!"

Oh dear, it seems that we could've been a bit smoother with relaying everything to poor old Ichigo.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ichigo, I doubt he has any proof, or if he does, he would keep it to himself."

"Why do you say that?"

"He went and attacked her without releasing anything online. I think he only sees two people in the world, Ai and himself."

My words seem to calm him down a little as his strained frown relaxes.

"Haa, yeah, if a fan went as far as he did, you're probably right. Still. What's to say he doesn't attack again? And it's hard to go to the police with no proof while also keeping everything a secret."

"Well, I'm not sure about the police thing, but I'll stay over to protect Ai until the issue is dealt with."

I then feel Ai press against my side, her cheek resting against mine.

"My knight in shining armour~"

Well, ignoring that, and the heat of arousal that's growing at her cute antics, I see that Ichigo has narrowed his eyes, his arms folded in front of him.

"And how confident are you in their protection?"

"Completely. And if the address does get leaked, if anyone tries to verify it, I'll be the one to answer. Two birds with one stone!"

"Hmm... yes..."

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo then leans back into the couch.

"Well, stalkers aren't uncommon in this industry, and there is a way I can solve everything, but that will take some time. For now, I don't want the kids going to preschool nor will Ai be doing any activities other than ones she can do at home."

Tilting his head forward, he meets my eyes with an intense glare.

Unfortunately for him, I had faced the killing intent of countless powerful monsters, but I'll clench my fist to make him feel a bit better.

"And you, Cassius Anemoi, will protect them. And absolutely no funny business got it!"

"Aww~ Maybe a little funny business is okay~"

Those are dangerous words, Ai, very dangerous.

"Ara~? Is my Cassius embarrassed perhaps~?"

Is she teasing me?

I'll be damned if I don't get her back.

"No... I'm just, worried..."

"Oh? Worried about what?"

"That I won't be able to hold back."

In the corner of my eye, I can see her cheeks light up in a blush as she quickly separates from me, nearly falling over.

Jeez, such a weak defence for such a powerful offence.

"Wawawa-"

"Enough! Stop flirting in front of us!"

Oh yeah, they're still here.

"Sorry about that Mr. Ichigo, Miyako."

"You're obviously not sorry!"

Well, no, I'm not.

Haa, but this waiting is really annoying.

I wonder, should I tell them about the person behind the scenes?

No, I probably shouldn't.

As extremely unlikely as it may be, especially with the ex being the likely culprit, these two aren't completely off the hook.

Might as well wait until I can see Ruousuke in person to ask him some questions.

'Nicely', of course.

"Haa, well, I don't want to be here any longer if you two are going to be like that. Do you need anything from your place, Cassius?"

"Hmm, just my music equipment and computer. Oh! And I wouldn't want my food going bad! Speaking of which, after this whole thing is over, could I ask for your help?"

"With music? Well, I guess so. But I'd need you to record a sample to send to any contacts, they aren't going to help just anybody from scratch."

"I see. Thanks, Mr. Ichigo, Miyako. Let's keep in touch."

Shaking hands, the two of them then leave the apartment with Ichigo already on the phone.

I can only assume it's one of those celebrity-stalking measures he talked about.

Turning to Ai, my now girlfriend... yeah, that will take some getting used to.

I see that she's recovered from her embarrassment and is surfing through channels on the couch.

"Cassius, wanna watch something?"

Well, I was going to grab my computer from my apartment.

"Sure. What's on?"

But that can wait for later.

For now, I should stay with Ai.

After all, even though she doesn't show it, almost dying is surely a scary experience.

Sliding down next to her, I watch her go through various channels one after another.

Eventually, I feel her weight press against me.

"Ai?"

"Mmm, comfy~, sleepy~."

Ah, so she's tired.

Well, I guess she's had a long day.

"Alright, but didn't you promise the kids to be with them?"

"Uuu~ But I'm comfy here!"

At her proclamation, she then slides her head down to rest on my lap, curling into a ball.

Cute.

"Haa, alright. I'll take you over there once you fall asleep, okay?"

"Okay~"

Running my hand softly through her hair, I see her mouth perk up in satisfaction.

Really cute.

Slowly tracing circles across her head and around her ears, her breathing soon evens out as she dozes off.

While I did want to talk a bit more about us, this is fine too.

Wrapping my arm around her thighs, I hold Ai up in her still curled-up position before taking her to her room.

Laying her down next to her children, I tuck her under the covers and wipe away the hair on her face.

Hmm... I mean, we've already kissed, like, four times, so this wouldn't be too far, right?

No, it wouldn't.

Leaning down, I plant a gentle kiss on her forehead before making my way back to the couch.

Now, I have no clue when, but once Ryousuke doesn't see his favourite idol in the news tomorrow, that's when he's most likely to strike again.

But still, that doesn't mean I shouldn't remain vigilant.

Well, the door is locked, and I'm confident that my instincts would pick up anyone trying to break in even without the noise.

So, settling in, I slowly drift off to sleep with a smile, thinking of the softness of a certain someone's lips.

----- 1 Day Later -----

Hearing a ringing of a phone, I shoot up from my sleeping position.

Dammit, who the hell is calling at this hour?

Walking over to the home phone, I pick it up without answering to see who it is.

"Hello? Ai? Are you there?"

Oh, it's just Ichigo.

"Nope, sorry Mr. Ichigo, it's just me, Cassius. Why are you calling at-"

Looking over to the clock, I feel my annoyance grow.

"3 in the morning?"

"Calm down, this is good news."

Oh?

"I was about to look into the attacker when..."

Hearing Ichigo explain his story, I feel my mood decline even worse.

So it seems that Ryousuke had killed himself.

As we don't have to worry about him attacking again, nor that he would release any proof of Ai's kids or address, Ichigo was rightfully ecstatic to hear the news.

Unfortunately, I was not the same.

"Goodnight, Ichigo. I'll tell Ai when she gets up."

There was someone behind the scenes that wanted Ai killed, and Ryousuke was my best shot at knowing who it would be.

While I'm convinced it's the ex, I'm not 100 percent certain.

If I was to remove him from the world, thinking that everything was fixed and relaxing my guard when he was not the culprit, Ai could be attacked again.

And I may not be there to save her at that time.

Haa, well, things just got a bit more complicated.

Ichigo, not wanting to overwhelm Ai, had given her the week off while also releasing the reason to the media, being an attack.

I can only hope the failed assault draws out the big bad guy, either in the form of another pawn like Ryousuke or the person themselves.

I hope Ai won't mind me staying with her a little longer.

----- Ai POV -----

Slowly feeling the numbness of sleep wash away, I open my eyes, my room lit by the morning rays.

Looking down, I see Aqua and Ruby both cuddled next to me, the blanket laid snugly over all three of us.

It seems Cassius put me to bed, huh?

That's nice of him.

But wow... that wasn't a dream, was it?

Getting stabbed, nearly dying, getting healed, Cassius' magic, us k-kissing...

I guess I'm no longer a single woman.

But this time, I'm not blindly searching desperately for love like the lost girl I was before.

Now, I know it, I feel it, I receive it, and most importantly, I can give it, all without any lies.

Wrapping my arms around my sweet babies, I pull them closer, the spike of warmth now more noticeable than ever.

Hmm, today's a Monday, right?

Wait.

It's Monday!

Oh shoot, I'm so going to be late for the recording!

"Morning, Ai."

Looking over to Cassius, I see he's dressed in one of my aprons.

Oh... that's a very good look.

"Why do you look so startled? Did you forget what Ichigo said about staying here until everything's solved?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot."

"That's fine. I'm making cream cheese omelettes, I was just about to wake you guys up."

"Ngh~ Mama?"

Glancing down, I see that my daughter is rubbing her face against my shirt.

So cute~

"Morning, Ruby. Do you want some breakfast?"

We didn't have any dinner last night with everything that happened.

Even I can feel the slight pain of hunger.

"Mhmm."

"Well, good thing I made enough for everyone. Also, Ai, we need to talk about something."

"O-Okay."

I wonder what's it about, probably about our living situation, no?

It's not something about us, is it?

Something bad?

Does he regret being with me already?

Will he abandon me just like Mother did?

Will-

"Ai?"

Staring into his eyes, I didn't even notice the small tear tracing its way down my cheek.

"Hmm, we definitely have to talk about this later, but for now-"

He then leans in and plants a kiss on my nose.

"-let's get some food in you, okay? I'm sure you're hungry."

"A-Ah, yes."

Bringing my hand up to my face, I absently rub the place he had just pressed his lips to.

This tingly feeling, the softness of voice...

No, he loves me, he told me he does, and I know it wasn't a lie.

What was I so worried about?

Besides, he's one of the three people I love, he taught me that showing my true self was the answer.

Even if he doesn't love me, I would just make him fall for me again.

After all, I'd already promised myself.

I'm not letting you go, Cassius.

"W-Wha!? Mama? Cassius?"

"Why are you so loud in the morning, Ruby? Ah, good morning, Cassius, Ai."

With Ruby being carried out by Cassius while smacking his back, and Aqua following behind lazily, a smile unconsciously forms on my face.

Yes... this, this feeling of family, it's what I've always hoped for, wished for.

It's beautiful.

----- Aqua POV -----

Stuffing another forkful of eggs into my mouth, I ponder over the information Cassius had told Ai, which I had been listening intently to.

To give us all time to recover, for the next week, Ruby and I would be kept home from pre-school and Ai would not be taking any jobs.

And it seems the stalker, the one who had nearly killed Ai and actually killed me, committed suicide.

While I held no pity toward the guy, something still felt... off.

What is it? This feeling of unease.

As if I'm missing the piece to the puzzle-

"But, Ai, I think there's someone else aiming for you. Someone that gave the stalker your address and knew that you had twins..."

That's it!

Someone... someone who knew about Ai way before, when she gave birth.

There's of course Ichigo and Miyako, but no, Ichigo views Ai as his daughter, and after our little lie, Miyako has warmed up enough that she and Ai are like sisters.

Cassius of course knows about us, but that was way after our birth, and he even saved us, so that's not it.

The only one I can think of would be...

"Your ex."

A painful silence.

"I- no, we can't really do anything without proof, and even I'm not absolutely sure, but I'm nearly certain he's the culprit. I'm sorry if this makes you uncomf-"

"No."

Looking over to Ai, I see her wearing an emotion I haven't ever seen her wear before.

Anger.

"You're right, it's probably him. And if he did... right when I had found my love... putting my sweet babies in danger... I won't forgive him."

An oppressive aura descends, only to be broken when Cassius reaches over to hold her hand.

"Alright, just leave everything to me."

"A-Alright, Cassius. Sorry, for letting you see that."

"No, don't be. I love when you're genuine. And if I'm honest, that was kind of hot."

Okay, I'm going back to my room.

"D-Don't say such embarrassing things! B-But, if you're sure..."

"I am."

Well, at least Ai's calmed down now.

"Now, what's this guy's name again?"

"Hikaru Kamiki."

Cassius then opens his phone.

"Ah, so he's an actor. Makes sense that he didn't want a scandal. But I was thinking he was a politician or something, to go so far."

Placing down his phone, he then continues.

"Anyways, until everything is over, do you mind me staying longer to keep you safe?"

"I don't mind at all! Even if it wasn't just to keep me safe."

His cheeks turning red, Cassius then turns to me and Ruby.

"And what about you two? Do you mind me staying a bit longer?"

"No way! Your eggs are yummy!"

I guess Ruby is easy to please.

I'm worried about her future in regards to romance.

"Yes, it would be a pleasure."

I was going to ask for Cassius to stick around anyways.

He offers otherworldly protection, is a great partner for Ai, and is a great father for Ruby.

Although I don't really know what a father is meant to do...

But anyways, he's good to have around.

But please, for Kami's sake, stop flirting so much!