Yusuke nodded a bit, standing from where he had been sitting on the couch. He took a breath, moving to the door. He waited by the stairs for Rei to lock up, to on edge and energetic to take an elevator. He felt Rei would prefer it this way anyways. Descending, he took his mind off of the task at hand, counting the steps a bit as they walked down. Whoever said that counting helped calm someone..lied. His mind trying to go back to where they were heading, as well as many other odd little things inbetween. He sighed, brushing his hair back behind an ear, though it did not stay there long as usual.

He needed to be confident, it was not a big deal, just his appartment. He had seen Rei's, so it was alright for the other to see his...He couldn't just say no, and he needed to change. He led him not to far away as he had said, to a nice complex. A few people waved and said hi to him, he greeted them warmly in return. He slid a hand into his pocket, as they climbed a few stairs to his door. His key was there...good...nothing more embarassing then getting all the way here and suddenly 'oh wait...you forgot your key!' he shook the thought away, his neighbor opening her door to greet him.

Her husband asking if he was alright, since he hadn't come in last night. He reassured them he was alright. They were kind people, ever since he had moved out on his own, they had been like a second family, helping him and taking care of him when needed. They had a baby girl, and another on the way. Yusuke helped babysit when they needed it. They said farewell, and he unlocked his door, taking a breath before opening the door. Inside was quiet, the lights out as they had been from the day before.

The curtains closed, casting the room into even more darkness. He sat his keys on a stand by the door, moving to the curtains to open them. The livingroom was nice, typical things within, couch, tv, tables, and two bookshelves. The tv was rarely used, but it was there. Across the way was a dining room, leading into the kitchen. He felt a bit self concious about this now. It was warm feeling and homy in a good way...at least to him. He wondered what Rei thought. "So this is it....home sweet home...sort of" he bit his lip a bit.

Yusuke seemed to be well liked by his neighbors, enough that they stopped to ask him if he was alright. It was nice to see that he had people that cared for his well-being. Rei found himself unconsciously smiling as he followed the teen to his apartment, keeping silent. He wondered if Yusuke was as nervous as he had been yesterday when he'd let the other into his apartment for the first time.

As he watched Yusuke's back, just a couple steps ahead of him, Rei could have touched him if he just reached out. No...he was probably just as nervous as he had been. Yusuke was a very kind person...and sometimes...that realization made Rei wonder just how Yusuke had ended up with someone like himself. Rei didn't deserve him...but he'd keep him for as long as he wanted to stay. He was happy spending time with the white-haired youth, he wasn't going to doubt their relationship before it had been given a chance again. He'd done a lot of thinking last night. He would do his best to be a good guy for Yusuke.

When they finally got to Yusuke's apartment and he let the two of them in, Rei calmly looked around. It was a nice apartment. It felt...lived in. Welcoming. Warm. A big contrast to the emptiness of his own apartment.

"It's a wonderful place. It feels safe and warm." Rei finally spoke, smiling warmly.

Yusuke watched Rei for what felt like forever, nerves setting in about what the other was thinking and feeling. He took a breath, letting it out as the other finally spoke. He smiled, "It can be.." he said. He motioned to the room, "this is the living slash diningroom.." He took Rei's hand, leading him over to the dining room, "the kitchen" he smiled, Hattori had made plenty of meals for him there. He then to the other to the hall, motioning to the left. "Bathroom and spare room...though there is not much in there right now" he says, opening the door a mit. There was a bed and a dresser, for guests to put belongings away if needed, as well as a desk for their use. He turned to the right, pausing a moment, "and well...my room.." he was unsure if he wanted to show the other inside, but it was fair since he had done the same for him.

He opened the door, stepping inside, his hand still with Rei's for a moment. It was a nice room, he crossed over and opened the shades. There was a bed against the wall, it was neatly made..he would thank Hattori later... There was also a dresser with a few pictures on top of it, as well as a miror that had more recent photos pinned to it. He needed to get some more frames. A desk had books from school as well as personal ones and various objects neatly put away on it. A few other personal touches about the room were there, and he smiled. "Not much to look at but..its home..." he moved to the closet, opening the door. "Feel free to look around and make yourself at home" he said, getting some clothes to change into. "I won't be long, don't want to make you late" he slipped out of the room and over to the bathroom to clean up and change. Once inside, he blinked a bitt, running a hand through his hair. He hoped that had gone ok.

It really was a cozy apartment. Compared to the cold feeling that filled his own home because of all the whites and metallics, Yusuke's home had much warmer vibes to it, as he had said so earlier. While Yusuke was out changing, Rei examined the few photographs that were placed around the room.

Photos really were nice for taking snapshots of life. He especially loved taking ones that weren't planned. Yes...the posed shots came out wonderful, but sometimes the shots that were taken on the spur of the moment captured the emotions much more beautifully. You could really learn a lot about someone from the photos they kept.

There were various shots of him and Hattori, as well as some with a third male in them. He had a few of his parents up there as well, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. One was of a girl, smiling happily from the frame, next to a younger Yusuke. It was the last one with the girl in it and the third guy. After that, it was just Hattori and Yusuke in a few of them. Yusuke took a quick shower, changing into a pair of black pants. He picked up the shirt he had gotten and sighed, turning to the door a bit. He stepped out, moving to the room with a slight blush on his face. That faded however, when he saw the other looking at the pictures. He moved over to the closet, opening it again without a word. He got a white T-Shirt out, as well as a black and magenta shirt. He turned his back to the other, moving to the bed a bit.

Rei looked away from the photos and glanced to Yusuke. The other seemed...down. Had he...done something wrong? "These photos are wonderful." He commented, his voice softer than normal. He took a step closer to Yusuke before pausing in his step and stepping back again. "Can you tell me about them Yusuke?" Maybe it would help to get the teen to talk. He didn't want to push and sometimes flat out asking if someone was feeling alright didn't work. They'd just give a half-hearted response. Or a "I'm fine" and that's not the type of answer Rei was looking for. He wanted to understand Yusuke...baby steps. They'd get to know each other slowly.

He sighed, slipping on the T-shirt, before he pulled a white sweater with a magenta diamond pattern on it. He looked quite handsome. He thought for a moment, he had promised the other he would not pull away anymore....that if he asked something he would get an answer. Yusuke turned to the pictures. "You already know Hattori and Byren" he says nodding to a picture of the three of them together at a young age, "we've all been friends for what feels like forever." He knew Rei was probrably more interested in the others however. He picked up one of the grown ups, handing it to him. "My parents....it was a pain to get us all in one shot at times, everyone was always doing something" he smiled slightly at the picture, "dad was late for a flight and mom was cooking dinner."

He began fixing his cuffs, "mom ended up burning it and dad missed his flight, so we all went out together...it was actually kind of nice..it even started raining as we were coming home." He fell silent for a moment, the memory on his mind. It had been one of the last good ones before.... He closed his eyes a bit, hesitating to speak of the female in the picture, or the male in many of the others. Even after that at all...The two seemed to be the most painful and hard. He sighed, "my sister and a friend who was like a brother to me and a son to my parents" he says looking at the tow of them in the photos for a moment. He knew a silence had fallen, but he was unsure about the right words to continue this conversation.


He glanced at the clock then back at Rei. "We should get going, don't want you to be late....I'll tell you when we talk later like you promised" he smiles, "I did tell you I would open up and be honest to right?" He takes Rei's hand, leading him from the pictures to the front door. "And that, ends the tour of my sad appartment" he laughed lightly. "Maybe you will be seeing it again..." he says slightly softer a moment later. "Alright, lets get going shall we?" he closed the door, locking up. His usual lighter mood returning, but there was still a hint of sadness under the surface. Now they both had something to tell eachother about later.

Rei let himself be pulled along. What could he say? How did he comfort him? He didn't know how. And he wasn't going to kid himself into thinking he did. So he stayed silent and followed along, taking the lead when they were outside and Yusuke had locked up. They would talk later and work through all of this then. Though Rei wished he could have offered some sort of comforting words. Instead, he was hesitant to speak, worried about saying the wrong thing.

"We're meeting at the bookstore." he informed Yusuke, before turning their steps in that direction. He could show Yusuke the other photos, the ones he kept in albums to avoid questions. There were so many stories and things to speak of. At least the two of them were patient enough to wait to work through it all, or else things would have ended up being a bit...more complicated. Probably.

It didn't take long for them to reach the bookstore and Rei was just wondering whether Alexis was inside or not yet when he heard a happy exclamation and arms were thrown around him, he released Yusuke's hand reflexively and caught whoever it was by the waist to keep them from falling.

They hadn't been at the bookstore long when Alexis nudged Naira and motioned for her to turn around. She caught sight of Rei's telltale green hair and immediately broke into a smile, tossing her bag of candy into Matteo's waiting hands. "Papa!"

Her cry was the only warning she gave before throwing herself at the man, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight.

"Naira?" Confusion painted Rei's voice as he switched his gaze from the girl in his arms to Alexis who gave him a half smile and a small wave before turning and leaving. Matteo stayed behind though, standing where he was left, rearranging a bag he held. "Why...are you here?" he asked slowly as he caught the girl by her shoulders and carefully untangled her arms from his neck.

She obediently let go, though her small hands grasped onto Rei's and kept ahold of his hands. "Alexis sent for me. You have a beautiful hometown Papa."

"Yes...it is quite nice..." Rei answered distractedly, his brow furrowed in confusion still.

In that time Naira had caught a glimpse of the white-haired male that had been with her Papa and gave him a questioning look. "Hello. Are you Papa's friend?"

Yusuke looked at Rei a bit as they walked, he gave the other's hand a light squeeze of comfort and a smile. Leaning a bit against him as they walked, he nodded at the mention of the bookstore. They did not talk much on the way, and he did not wish to push Rei into it. When they arrived, a female moved forward and hugged Rei, calling him 'Papa'. A bit of unease and shock moved through him, and he watched for a moment, that had not been what he had been expecting.

He watched the two of them, staying quiet for a moment but his mind was going a mile a minute. No, he couldn't jump to conclusions before things were explained...that was dangerous. He took a breath to calm himself, jumpping a bit as the female noticed him. He rubbed the back of his neck a bit, looking at her, before glancing at Rei. He was unsure what Rei had told anyone about them...had he officially told them that the two were together....were they even officially together? He hesitated for a moment on what to say, so he switched it to introducing himself. "My name is Yusuke" he says with a smile, "it is a pleasure to meet you.." Awkward, but he hoped that it helped a bit.

She smiled sweetly and let go of Rei's hands to grasp the sides of her skirts as she dipped into a curtsy. "The pleasure is mine. My name is Naira." After she straightened up she brushed her braids back again. Matteo had finally joined the trio, nodding to Rei. Naira gave Yusuke a glance over, tapping a finger to her chin as she thought.

"Hey...Mr. Yusuke. Do you know a Mr. Yosuke?" She asked finally, interrupting Rei when he turned and placed a hand on her shoulder, about to speak.

It wasn't that he was unhappy to see her. It was just...completely unexpected. And seeing her again, feelings of uneasiness swept through him, though this time he was able to keep the feelings completely off of his face and from showing anywhere on his person. No need to worry anyone.

She was turning sixteen this year wasn't she? Ah. Rei's gaze went from Naira to Yusuke, the eighteen year old. They weren't that far apart in age, now that he really thought about it. Oh.

A hand collided with his back, making him stumble forward and he quickly turned his head to roll his eyes at Matteo, who had barked out a laugh at Rei's reaction.

He blinked a moment at her curtsy, then her question. "Yosuke? Yea...I have a cousin named Yosuke" he says, glancing at Rei for a moment as he caught sight of the other looking at him. He got an uneasy feeling, the way the other looked completely blank. Something was bugging him...deffinetly. Something he didn't want to show. He had to trust Rei, and he would... Which drew his mind back to the females question. Wait...how did she know a Yosuke? Was it the same one? He was a bit curious now, but he kept himself from asking for the moment, looking at the guy who was there as well. He recognized him, the same as the guy who had waved and left when they had come in. They were the guys from the bar...the ones Rei had not seemed to want to talk about. Who were all these people? He wanted to ask...wanted to talk to Rei, but he seemed to know this female, so it was not right of him to be selfish and merely pull him away like that. His heart was racing a bit, but he kept the kind look and smile on his face for now. He would keep quiet and trust Rei...he just hoped the other would keep his promise and not just pull away again.

Rei cleared his throat and gently took one of Naira's hands, the girl quickly switching her attention back to him and smiling as she moved back to his side.

"Yusuke...Naira is my daughter." Rei said. "I've known her since she was eleven." What else could he say about it? That was basically it right? Oh right. He gestured with his free hand to Matteo. "And this is Matteo. He's like a brother to me." Oh the irony of that word.

"Papa, is it alright if I stay with you? Alexis is working and I don't want to bother him..." Naira asked softly after Rei had stopped speaking. She didn't really understand the relationship between Rei and Yusuke, though she had an inkling of an idea. And she had to wonder if this was Yosuke's cousin that he had spoken of. There couldn't be that many Yosuke's living here with cousins that also lived here...right?

Rei glanced to Matteo curiously. A job? He figured it was something like that for the Italian to show up here...but he hadn't heard anything about it.

"Yea. That's fine darling. You're always welcome in my home...you know that." He answered distractedly. This was getting stranger by the moment. Alexis hadn't told him why he was here...and had even invited Naira over. It was like the Italian was trying to distract him from something...

He glanced at his watch. "It's about lunchtime...why don't we all go get something to eat and talk then?" He suggested.

D-Daughter? The thought froze in Yusuke's mind for a moment, as he looked at Rei. The other had introduced both of the other people there, and it really was a bit of a shock to him though he kept it inside. He felt a bit out of place though now...these two were really close to Rei....where Yusuke wasn't really sure where they officially stood. The other had said the female could stay with him..why wouldn't he, if she was his daughter. He took a breath, well...that would seriously cut into any bonding time, since he was sure the female would want to spend a lot of time with Rei while she was here...at the same time Rei would probrably want the same. It made him feel even more out of place. He only gave a slight nod to Rei's mention of lunch, in thought for the moment. Truth was, his thoughts were going back to pulling back a bit...to running slightly now before he got hurt. Would it mean things would end before they even really began? He trusted Rei...but still, the feelings within his heart and the thoughts within his mind would not go away so easily. The other seemed very distracted now...perhaps he should make an excuse to let the three of them be alone?

Realizing how quiet Yusuke was being, Rei turned his head to rest his gaze on him. His eyes softened as he realized what was probably running through his mind at the moment. So...he wanted to leave then... He lifted his lips into a small smile, turning his body so that he was mostly facing Yusuke now while Naira was talking to Matteo. "You can leave if you want." he said, voice barely above a whisper. "I won't keep you against your will." If this situation was making Yusuke uncomfortable, then there was no helping it. Rei couldn't blame him for how he felt. It would have been more than a bit overwhelming for anybody really.

He looked at the other, hearing his words. His thoughts fading a bit, he took a deep breath. His gaze roze, looking Rei straight in the eyes as he shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere...I made a promise remember. Not to run, and besides, we are supposed to be getting to know eachother better right? Honestly and openly?" He gave him a warm and genuine smile, "I'm here...I'm not going anywhere..." His hand reached up slightly as the other two were distracted, to gently caress Rei's cheek before he let it slip back down to his side. He would hold back on the personal stuff though, might be awkward for Rei around his daughter and friend. He knew this was hard on him, and he would not force him to acknowledge them as anything more then friends, since really...they wern't really concrete yet.

Ari peered over the top of the bookcase she was standing in front of, tip-toeing to see out the window. She recognized Rei and Yusuke but...who was that girl clinging onto Rei? And the two men that had been with her. Who were they? Rei had never mentioned other people to her before. She quickly dropped behind the bookcase when Rei turned. What was going on here?

She glanced down to her phone, clicking the lock button to check the time. She didn't have any left to spend standing here wondering. She quickly took the books she'd picked out to the counter to pay for them, her mind racing.

When he was a block away from the rest of the group he pulled out his phone and dialed Shiki's number to find out where the other man was. From there they met up a few streets away and walked on in silence, Shiki shooting glances over to Alexis that he probably thought were inconspicuous. Alexis couldn't be bothered to call him out on the action, running through possible scenarios through his mind. This all would rest on the slightest hope that the little miss did not know who he was already. There was a chance her parents had not told her about him. But it was a slim chance.

Rei nodded, but couldn't respond before Naira tugged on his hand to tell him that Matteo was going back to the hotel he and Alexis were staying in. He accepted the bag of sweets that was handed to him, arching an eyebrow at Naira, before bidding Matteo a 'see you later'. After the man had left, he turned back the other way and considered where they could go. It was Naira's first time here after all... "Let's go get some Thai food." he suggested, remembering that Naira loved eating spicy foods and she'd really liked Asian cuisine.

Out of the corner of her eye, the purple-haired girl watched her Papa interacting with Yusuke. So their relationship was like that huh. Well, she wasn't a selfish person by any means, but Rei was the closest thing she had to actual family, she wasn't about to give him up so easily, and especially to someone she barely knew. This Yusuke would have to prove to her that he was a good match for her Papa. She tugged on his hand to get his attention and while he was busy with Matteo, frowned a bit in Yusuke's direction. The frown was quickly gone as her lips lifted back into a smile and she nodded at Yusuke before agreeing to Rei's suggestion.

Yusuke caught the sight of the frown from the female momentarily when she pulled attention from Rei. He took a breat, getting the feeling she didn't like him really right now. They had just met after all. He would do his best to try and make a good impression. After all, if she was Rei's daughter then she was important to him. He wasn't a bad or rude guy, he would be nice and kind. He was interested in getting to know her, and attempting to do his best not only for the girl but for Rei as well. Right now would be one of those influential times in thir getting to know eachother. He smiled warmly and nodded, "alright." He felt a bit better, more like himself. He could do this...he could accept this. Even if it was not what Rei planned for him to find out right now, he was kind of glad. It was one less obstical to worry about for Rei and to get over. He ment what he said to the other as well, he was not going anywhere. He would do this for himself, for Rei and for the two of them.

At the same time, his nerves still lingered. What if she did not like him, what if he was not good enough? He kept the expressions off of his face as he thought about this. He glanced at Rei, a warm look settling for a moment. He really did care for him and want him happy. He wanted to try his best, and be the kind of guy Rei needed and could open up to and talk with. He knew he needed it as well. He had always had Hattori...Byren...and even his cousin Yosuke. He had had two others, but now...they were a memory. The past few days had been the craziest in awhile, but they had also been at times those which he would not change for the world. He was glad he met the other, and glad they were getting closer and that he had a chance with him. He did kind of wish the other would give him something solid to go on about where they stood, but he did not wish to rush or push things to fast. For Rei, and for himself. His eyes moved for a moment outside to the sky above.

He wondered what would happen if he lost Rei at this point. Right when he was opening his heart up and becoming attatched. Would he get hurt again? He could not do that again...get so close...only to have it ripped away. His heart would not survive that...it almost haddn't before. Would he have to tell Rei about that to? Eventually yes....but how would the other look at him when he found out...what would he think? Yusuke looked back at the others, ready to go when they were, but a lot on his mind. He hadn't really allowed himself to sort all this out either...he hadn't thought it though but he had decided he would not lie or hide things. For now though, he would focus on Rei and his daughter, today was not about him.

After Yusuke had given his consent to the choice in venue, the trio set off. Naira walked hand in hand with Rei, occasionally glancing to Yusuke as she told Rei about her studies. Like any parent, Rei listened with rapt attention, giving the girl smiles when she explained how she solved difficult problems and such.

Rei wasn't her real father obviously. They only had a nine-year age difference between the two of them, not to mention that the two of them didn't look alike at all. While Rei was mostly, if not all, Japanese, Naira herself was of purely European descent. She didn't speak much of her birth parents, not having remembered much about them, but she still liked to imagine, every so often, what kind of people they had been.

After Alexis had taken her into the Vincitori household, she had learned manners and was given tutors. And while the members of the famiglia watched out for her and were more than happy to play with her when they weren't busy, she never had a very close connection to any of them besides Alexis and Matteo until Rei. The man had come to the Vincitori mansion on invite from Alexis apparently. They had met somewhere in Italy and had hit it off and apparently, when he'd heard that the older male had come to some trouble, Alexis had opened up his home.

Naira had been very curious about this foreigner that was suddenly living with them and took to peering into the guest room to watch Rei as he fiddled with cameras and equipment of all shapes and sizes. She hadn't thought he'd noticed her watching, but one day instead of finding him working, she found him standing by the door waiting for her. He had invited her into his room and slowly explained what everything he was doing was and the different kinds of equipment and related things.

It became a daily thing. After breakfast, she would head to Rei's room and spend an hour or two with him before her studies and then lunch. Then she, Rei, Alexis, and Matteo would gather in one of the sitting rooms and enjoy one another's company for a bit before splitting up again before dinner. At bedtime, Naira would pull Rei to her room to get him to read to her from a book, or to tell her stories of the places he had been to. Sometimes she worried that the then still teenaged Rei would find her annoying. She was just a ten year old child, what could she do for the teenager?

But she did wonders. Her companionship was all Rei truly needed from her while he lived in their in the mansion. He had to return home after almost a year, saying something about having a dear friend who would miss him if he didn't return soon. A childhood friend of his that he said he had helped to raise...much like he had done with her. But he came back to visit periodically until she was old enough to start going out on her own and then she would fly out to his next shoot site and then spend time with him then.

Her gaze once more wandered over to the pale-haired male and she scrutinized him. Rei had been severely depressed when she'd first met him, he had had much progress towards getting better. She never wanted to see him in that state again. If this guy made him happy...then she could accept him. But if he hurt her precious Papa anymore...her grip on Rei's hand tightened as she turned her gaze away with a huff.

The twenty-four year old was almost completely clueless as to what was going through Naira's mind. Even when she was recounting her escapades for him, he could tell that she was distracted, her eyes darting to Yusuke periodically. Was the male bothering her? She'd never had a problem with his companions before. That is to say, she was acting rather childishly today. She hadn't clung so tightly to his hand in years, no longer the timid little girl who was both fascinated and wary of the foreign places she visited with him.

He wanted her to be comfortable with Yusuke. If she couldn't...then he didn't know what he would do. He couldn't abandon Naira, she truly was a daughter to him. Arianna was different, though he had had a hand in helping to raise her, she was closer in age to him and had had her grandmother and parents. Naira...Naira had had Alexis and the Vincitori Famiglia. And then she had had him. She had been a little girl, wronged by the world, yet still so willing to open up her heart and to love someone as broken as he had been.

Yet, he also couldn't just break it off with Yusuke. He had promised that he would try to make this work. If they had a chance, he wanted it to work out as well. The both of them had already suffered through a lot to get to where they were. Why...did things always have to be so difficult?

He glanced over to Yusuke and gave him a smile as well before facing forward again, spotting the restaurant he had thought of just a couple stores down. Hopefully this meal would help to cross some of the bridge that separated two of the people in his life.

Yusuke did not mind the two of them being close. It was kind of sweet. He walked a few steps apart from them, thinking more to himself then saying anything at all. He kept getting negative vibes from the female, which only succeeded in making him more and more nervous. Taking a breath, he smiled warmly at Rei when he gave a smile. He felt a bit sick, not really hungry anymore but he could not just sit there. He slipped out his phone for a moment, his eyes moving to the bunny charm that hung from it and matched Rei's. He sighed slightly, he was hoping things would settle down. He pushed his feelings to the back, attempting to shut them off a bit as he was skilled in doing many times before. It wasn't like back then, there was a lot more to it then, but detatching himself a bit helped him to focus on the present and lighten up. He placed his phone away, glancing at the female a moment before they headed on.


It was not to far now he knew, but the steps still in a way felt like miles. He looked up towards the sky, it was a beautiful day really. He smiled lightly, enjoying the feeling of the sun. It helped slightly as well, life really was a precious and beautiful thing. He felt his hand for a moment brush Rei's other, looking back with a few blinks. He blushed taking a step, almost a hop, back. He hadn't realized he had been spacing out and moved closer. It was a bit embarassing, his eyes moving away for the time being.

Rei looked away from Naira when he felt Yusuke's hand brush his own. His attention shifted to Yusuke again and he caught his hand with his own, twining their fingers as was his habit. He tugged on Yusuke's arm to get him to fall into step with him.

It wasn't too strange walking hand in hand with someone on either side of him. It was different...and a bit awkward, but not too strange. It felt nice knowing that the ones he cared for were alright. When they finally reached the restaurant though, he released both hands and held the door open, ushering the two teens in before him.

...wow did he suddenly feel old when he thought that.

Ergh. Bad thoughts. He shook his head slightly, trying to derail his train of thought from going back down the path of how Yusuke and Naira did not have a very big age difference between them. Those kinds of thoughts would only serve to weird him out again and he'd have more sleepless nights ahead if he didn't stop them now.

...oh god, Yusuke was still a high schooler. Augh, bad thoughts! Rei sighed as he followed after the other two into the restaurant. He pressed a hand to his temple as he offhandedly told the person waiting at the door that they needed a table for three. Naira looked up at him in concern and he quickly dropped his hand, smiling kindly.

"Just remembered some schedules I need to go over. Don't worry about it love, let's go sit down?" He placed a hand on her back and steered her to follow after their server, who brought them over to a table and set three menus down on the table before them.

Yusuke had not been paying mutch ateention, but he had deffinetly not expected Rei to take his hand. His heart skipped a beat slightly, as he looked up at the other for a moment. He gave a warm smile, walking with him. It was nice, no words needed for the moment. He noticed though however, when they got inside and Rei seemed to be off for a moment. It must have been odd, being with the two of them like this. Yusuke was aware they were close in age. Did that bug Rei? Did he think that Yusuke was to young? He hoped not. It was true he was younger than Rei, and still in highschool, but he was eighteen. He was mature for his age and such.

Age shouldn't matter if one was in love...but he still wasn't sure of how Rei even felt about him. This was getting more and more complicated. He was not about to give up though. The three of them were shown to a table. At first he slightly hesitated. He figured that the female with them would desire to sit next to Rei. He would not make it even more awkward, or pressure Rei. He took a seat across the table, glancing out the window for a moment at the world outside. He wondered what would happen now, that the three of them were stuck at a table together. How would Rei take it? Or the female? He hoped she would learn that he cared about Rei, and he wanted him happy. Taking a breath, his expression lightened a bit as to not give any negative feelings away to this already awkward situation.

Realizing that the two males she was with were going to be awkward no matter what, Naira decided to take the seat right next to Yusuke. Much to Rei's surprise. She could see the surprise that flickered through his eyes as he sat across from the two. She smiled sweetly and then picked up her menu, eyes appearing to scan the names and descriptions of the food though she already knew what she was going to order.

She wasn't being very fair to her Papa by treating his friend so coldly. Rei didn't deserve that from her when he'd been nothing but kind and understanding. Though he could be frustrating sometimes, he did explain himself to her when she demanded it of him.

After she was sure Rei had decided what he was going to get, Naira turned her head to face Yusuke, brushing her bangs out of her face as she blinked at him, examining him.

"So how did you meet my Papa, Mr. Yusuke?"

Yusuke tensed only a fraction as the seat next to him was soon occupied. He had not been expecting that, though he did not say anything about it. She had a right to sit where she wanted to, and he had no right to stop her. He glanced at the menue, thinking over a bit, before she spoke up. How did he and Rei meet? That was an easy question, "we met at a cafe in town...I was there for a friend of mine, and well..." He remembered it clearly, he had been there for Hatori, then he had met Rei and Ari. He remembered how rather blunt and flirty he had been then. Now he was like this. It was kind of funny and ironic, a soft and warm smile setting over his face at the memory. He realized this, and turned a bit red, looking down to hide it and cleared his throat. Great way to begin, make a total goof of yourself. He metally kicked himself, though he could not stop the warm feeling within his heart.

The smile that appeared on the older teen's face had Naira curious about just what had happened at their first meeting. It was a fond smile. Not one that could be faked so easily. It was sweet.

"Hm..." She set the menu down and clasped her hands together in her lap. "You must really like Papa, huh?" She asked softly, not expecting an answer. As if to show that it was a rhetorical question, she turned her attention away from him to glance across the table at Rei, who was watching the two of them. "He's not always the easiest person to get along with." she continued, smiling to show Rei that she didn't mean it in a harsh way. "And he's stupid and doesn't know how to talk to people. And he can be a jerk when he's in a mood. And he gets sick a lot because he doesn't know how to take care of himself."

Her hands were unclasped and she pulled at the ends of her braids. "And he braids hair better than I do. And he looks prettier than a lot of girls." The exasperated expression on Rei's face was amusing to Naira and she paused in her tirade to giggle. "But he's a good Papa. He's dedicated. And careful. And loving." Her tone became nostalgic as she continued speaking. "He's willing to let you paint his nails all manner of sparkly colors, and to go clothes shopping, and eat your first attempts at cooking, and he'll finish it all no matter how bad it tastes." She paused. "But most of all..." She turned her attention back to Yusuke, meeting his eyes, her smile gone and expression serious. "Most of all, I love Rei. He's my precious person."

Across from the two, Rei was silent through Naira's rambling, wondering what she was trying to get at. Of course what she said was embarrassing, he didn't need anyone else finding out about how he doted on her, but he didn't raise a protest until the end. Naira had concentrated fully on Yusuke, and Rei took that opportunity to reach across the table and pull softly on the closest braid he could reach.

"What are you doing darling?" his words were soft. "What are you doing you silly girl?"

Naira pulled Rei's hand away from her hair and pushed it back to him with a huff. "I need to make sure he understands." She glanced at Yusuke from the corner of her eyes. "If he's going to be a part of your life...he needs to understand that you're a big part of mine too. I can't let someone love you without knowing that I love you the most."

Yusuke listened slowly to the female's words. They were sweet, but he also knew the other meaning behind them. She was deffinetly not fully ok with him and it showed. She barley even knew him though, and even though he found it slightly rude, he kept that thought to himself. When she spoke, the words pulsed through Yusuke's mind. He froze, his heart seeming to catch in his chest. That word again..love... The way she said what she said sounded if she ment that Yusuke would never be able to love Rei as much as her. Truth was, she had no way of knowing that.

None of them did. It was a selfish comment, and rude to both Rei and Yusuke. But he knew what she wanted, a reaction. She wanted to see how he would handle it, how he would respond. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. When he opened them, he turned his eyes to her directly. "I do know Rei is an incredible guy....even if we have not known eachother for an extream amount of time...every moment has been precious to me" he says in a calm collected voice. "I also understand that there is a lot of history and damage there...there is with me as well, and I am not trying to hurt him...I would rather choose to take that pain if it would spare someone that I care about.." He brushed a bit of his hair back behind an ear.

"I am not trying to get between the two of you or replace you...I think it is very special to have someone you care about so much, someone who has a special irreplacable spot within your heart. I hope you two always have that bond, and are able to have happy times together." His look turned a bit serious after a moment, "but I would be lying if I said I did not care about Rei deeply...I am willing to try and do whatever it takes to prove that every single day if I must, and to make him happy" he took a breath. "Even if nothing ends up happening, all I want is his happines...to see him smile and not hurting." He was concious his hands had lightly clenched, he was shaking slightly, but he forced himself to be still. He refused to look away from the female.

She wanted her answer. She wanted honesty, well right now he was pouring his heart out to both. Better to put it all out on the table now. "I want what is best for him...even if it is not me" with that he slowly stood. "Excuse me for a moment..." he turned away, heading to the bathroom. As soon as the door closed behind him, his body began shaking and his eyes closed tightly to push away the feelings that were surfacing. Now was not the time or place. He moved to the wall, slowly sliding down it. He pulled his legs close, folding his arms on his knees. His eyes closed, his face burrying within his arms.