champagnekiss

Sano Emma always had a big fat crush on Ryuuguji Ken, whom everyone around her knew and her brother said, and others also said it was mutual. Draken's behavior although cold at times, and sure he didn't get jealous like any other guy but he did look out for her and paid attention more to her. Or so she thought.

Those thoughts were crushed the moment Kudou Tata entered all of their lives officially. They only knew her through Baji and Mitsuya's respective stories about how she's a witch, and an egoist but at the same time, she was compassionate towards everyone she liked. She was confusing for Emma, bizarre.

Even more so when she was the one turning Draken's world upside down. From the moment they met, a shade of pink, a color that never existed on his face before was apparent on his cheek. He asked out her number immediately. Draken was enthusiastic, he wasn't indifferent at all and that was weird.

Draken then chased Tata relentlessly, calling her stupid pet names, showing up at her doorstep, picking her up from school, those cheesy flowers he brought for her, not only on special occasions, he brought them every day. The things Emma wished he did for her but he didn't because others said he was oblivious. Yet here he was, doing all the things people said that he wasn't capable of doing.

Emma did numerous things to make Draken jealous and her brother just said, he wasn't that type of guy. But when Tata not even trying to make him jealous, he got all hot and crazy about it. The reaction Emma wanted him to give.

So did her brother lie to her? Were all the things people said to her all lies? They said Draken was dense as a rock, so why was he here asking Tata out?

Emma saw that, saw them kissing on Zephyr before he came in for another Toman's meeting, announcing his future wife had become his. It was big, it was so out of Draken's character, but he did it anyway with a big fucking grin on his face.

What was it about Kudou Tata that made Ryuuguji Ken fall for her exactly? Was it her face? Did that mean Draken was the same after all as all the other guys whose mouths went agape when she greeted them? Emma refused to believe it.

Though she did admit, that Tata was very pretty, her strut of the walk was always confident, she had an aura that pulled people in yet she was untouchable at the same time. All Emma could say was she was very attractive. But wasn't she at least attractive too, she was cute right? And pretty, Hina said that the first time they met and other people too.

Despite her pretty appearance, Emma found Tata a bit of an egoist. Baji and Mitsuya were right, she was selfish and very prideful. Tata was stubborn, she didn't take a no for an answer, was very prideful, and wasn't afraid to be direct with Draken.

Tata wasn't sweet, her words were mean and sharp like a knife, and she was very sarcastic. Emma's total opposite. In her opinion, Tata was shallow. Yet then why did Draken go through all those troubles to be with her? Emma didn't get it, was Tata's look that blinding? Was it because Tata didn't shy away from flirting with Draken out in the open? But then again, Draken was the one who made a move first.

Emma couldn't help but seethe a little envy at her. Tata was rich, she was born into a family with a bunch of lookers, she got the model strut, and from head to toe, her things were covered in price tags Emma wouldn't dream off to buy. Did she have to take the guy she loved too? Life wasn't fair, that was Emma's thought.

Emma started to resent her a little bit when she heard all those arguments she was having with Draken. So what her brother and her hanging around Draken a little bit more, in the end, she was the one with the girlfriend status that Draken refused to let go of.

Tata already won, just take it and Draken didn't even bat an eye on her anymore besides those old moves they said when Draken was having a crush on her. They already proved it to be a lie right? After all, Draken went crazy for Tata from the moment they met.

It was hard for Emma to understand why did Tata want to ruin Emma's dream that she was living on? But don't worry, the resentment definitely was reciprocated by Tata this time.

“He loves you, you know”

Emma said straight at the bat when they were left alone, this was the first time Tata and her exchange something besides an awkward hi. It took a lot of courage on her part, especially when Tata was known for her scary words.

“And? It's none of your business”

Tata answered curtly, playing with her nails.

“Look, Draken just won me a teddy bear for my birthday and he had a photo of us hanging on his wall. But you are the one hanging on the frame beside his bedside, your photos are the ones he carried around in his wallet. He surprised you with not only one thing but many things, he dedicated a day for you Tata san”

Emma thought she cleared things up, but in actual reality, she was setting off the ticking time bomb who was ready to explode at any time.

“Emma, I don't know if it's because of your brother or society but you are normal and dumb. So take good care of your looks, that's your only chance”

Tata said in a very sudden manner, this time looking at Emma right into her eyes.

“Excuse me?”

Emma was offended, of course, she called her dumb and normal. Yes, Tata was insanely attractive but that didn't separate her from a normal human.

“You want to know why Draken isn't with you right now? Because you lack these things”

Emma went silent, she may get her answer for the first time in forever but Tata was beyond pissed at this predicament.

“My grandmother always says I'm very lucky because I have wit, I have insight and I have my extraordinary face, all the things a woman should have. But lately, I was thinking she was wrong because then why would a woman like me have to compete for my boyfriend's presence with someone who only has looks and kindness people say, but I prefer to call it stupidity”

Tata said it one go before preparing to leave straight from the door before she knew she would punch Emma's face. But Emma still didn't get it, didn't they just talk about her relationship with Draken, how did they get here? It went over her head, and she didn't even get the answers she wanted.

“That didn't explain anything, I'm just saying you should cherish Draken more”

Emma explained and Tata's face went into disbelief.

“Cherish him more?”

Tata took a deep breath and resisted the sudden urge to punch a wall right now or maybe Emma's face.

“Look, Emma, I don't care. I guess what I'm saying is I don't care if Draken got me better things or if I'm his main thing. You know when you explained it, you sounded like you are his side chick, y'know? And I don't want that”

Emma wanted to protest but Tata's eyes were glaring, like burning holes through her head. Emma was a little bit frightened by Tata right now, she would admit.

“I don't want Draken to get you even anything in the first place or your picture on his wall, you want to know why? Because I'm his girlfriend, I should be the only girl hanging there and he spends time with. The only one without any comparison, Emma. If you don't get it I don't know what will get through that thick skull”

Then Tata walked past her, leaving very confused and scared Emma behind who still didn't get what she meant. Or maybe she just didn't want to get it?

it just a lookalike

“Kakucho gak capek apa lo ngintilin orang yang udah nikah, bahagia punya anak?”

Ucap Sanzu kesal masih melihat rekannya si nomor tiga Bonten yang masih memantau dari kaca tanpa ekspresi berubah, wanita impiannya menyusuri kota dengan dua gadis kecil di masing-masing genggamannya dan suami jangkungnya di samping mereka dengan tawa bahagia.

“Gue gak bisa lihat lo kayak gini, lo kan bisa bunuh Draken aja. Bos udah gak peduli lagi sama teman lamanya kan?”

Sahut Ran dan bohong saja kalau pikiran itu tidak pernah terlintas di benak Kakucho. Namun di malam itu Tata sudah jelas menolaknya dan pergi memilih Draken untuk selamanya. Kakucho harus menguatkan dirinya dan berkata ini cukup, ketika dia melihat Tata yang tampak bahagia walau suka sedikit kewalahan kadang-kadang.

Seingat Kakucho dia tidak pernah ingin menjadi seorang Ibu dan kalau tebakan Kakucho benar dia lebih ingin belanja sekarang. Walau Tata sangat egois seperti itu, Kakucho masih menginginkan dirinya yang menggantikan Draken disana.

“Atau lo bisa gunain uang kita yang melimpah daripada pakai untuk nyewa orang ngintilin Tata, sedekah ke sugar baby aja. Kasihan gaada duit, Tata mah banyak duitnya tuh terus juga ada preman pribadinya”

Lanjut Rindou meracau yang langsung di balas oleh teriakan Kokonoi, yang sebenarnya tidak ada bedanya dari mereka.

“Sedekah mah ke anak yatim anjinggg”

“Kata orang yang sugar babynya semua di permak sampai jadi kakaknya Inui, saran bagus tuh cho kalo lo mau yang mirip Tata permakin aja”

Sahut Sanzu lagi, membuat yang lainnya tertawa. Walau Kakucho tidak setuju dengan perkataan yang mereka katakan, namun mereka benar mungkin walau dia tidak akan bisa melupakan Tata, dia setidaknya bisa berusaha. Lebih baik mencoba daripada tidak pernah bukan?

Tahun-tahun berlalu dan dua gadis kecil di genggaman Tata sudah berubah menjadi dua gadis dewasa dengan adik remaja laki-laki dan yang satunya lagi berdiri di depan Tata sedang pusing setelah baru saja setahun memasuki kuliah.

“Maaaaa, aku masih gak tahu mau jadi apaan di masa depan, apa drop out aja ya?”

Keluh Summer yang masih saja tidak tahu tujuan hidupnya sedangkan Robin, adik kembarnya sudah bekerja untuk melanjuti usaha Ayahnya dan Om Seishu.

“Mau jadi model? Mama dulu waktu seumuran kamu waktu gabutnya itu, dan mama kan punya banyak koneksi. Atau kamu mau jadi aktris? Mama bisa ajarin kamu jalannya, kalau urusan wajah mah tenang aja kamu kan anak mama, pasti cantik”

Ucap Tata masih dengan nada percaya diri yang lebih bisa disebut sombong, dia sudah memasuki kepala empat sekarang menyisip kopinya. Summer hanya menggeleng-gelengkan kepalanya. Sebelum tiba-tiba mengajak Tata berbisik, bersembunyi di belakang menu café tersebut.

“Summer apa-apaan sih? Kenapa kita sembunyi di balik menu?”

Bisik-bisik Tata bingung atas kelakuan anaknnya yang langsung dibalas Summer dengan sedikit panik.

“Itu ma temen kelas aku di kuliah, dia cuti dua tahun. Aku biasa aja sih sama dia, yang lain ngehindarin dan mungkin dia ngerasa kita dekat tapi aku ga suka sama dia terlalu rese-“

Bisikan Summer terpotong saat si gadis di depan itu malah memanggil namanya dengan kencang.

“Gue senang banget kita bisa ketemu disini, lo kok gak pernah cerita punya kakak perempuan sih, seumuran gue lagi!”

Sahut si gadis menghampiri mereka, Summer hanya membalas dengan senyum canggung dan Tata sedikit mengernyit melihat penampilan si gadis.

Oke, mungkin warna rambut mereka sama dan dia tidak suka memakai make up tanpa tema untuk sehari-hari apalagi dengan maskara setebal itu tapi bentuk rahang, hidung dan dagu yang mirip sekali dengan miliknya.

Anaknya saja tidak semirip itu? Tapi, tentu menurut Tata wajahnya lebih sempurna, tolong kalian ingat di aini sangat mencintai penampilannya.

“Ah, aku mamanya Summer bukan kakaknya. Kamu jangan terlalu memuji, tante ini sudah tua kok”

Balas Tata tertawa sekarang giliran si gadis yang tercengang.

“Astaga, maaf kalau nggak sopan tadi tante. Eh dia dipanggil Summer di rumah? Gue panggil lo Summer juga ya! By the way kulit tante kencang banget, gaada kerutannya. Beneran kayak umurnya baru 21 deh! Rahasianya apa ya tante?”

Summer hanya menggangguk walau dalam mulutnya dia sudah menggertakkan gigi berharap perempuan di hadapan mereka ini cepat pergi saja.

“Bercanda aja kamu, rahasianya mah gen keturunaan kali ya. Tante tahu muka tante muda tapi wajah di kepala empat ini. Yah paling umur 28 lah. Tante di usia 27 tuh baru wajahnya kayak anak 21 tahun”

Balas Tata biasa saja, Tata suka pujian namun dia tahu betul dirinya tidak mungkin terlihat seperti anak kuliah yang masih muda dan penuh dengan energi, tidak ada salahnya dengan wajah yang menua menurut Tata.

“Eh umur tante udah segitu, mirip umur pacarku dong!”

Tata sedikit tercengang dengan kalimat ini langsung berbalik menghadap Summer yang sepertinya tidak terkejut? Mau bagaimana lagi Tata hanya tertawa canggung seperti anaknya tadi.

“Omong-omong, daritadi tante kepo deh kamu operasi plastic di dokter Tanaka ya?”

Alih-alih menanyakan soal umur pacar si gaadis yang mungkin dua kali lipat umurnya, Tata malah menanyakan hal yang membuatnya lebih penasaran.

“Tante kok tahu? Ini di bayarin pacarku sih tapi aku makin cantik juga. Eh tante, Summer aku ambil orderanku dulu ya itu namaku di panggil!”

Seru si gadis menghilang sebentar ketika namanya dipanggil sang barista. Summer langsung berbalik menatap wajah Ibunya dengan sedikit amarah, apalagi memakai nama baratnya yang tidak diketahui semua orang.

“Mamaaaaaaaa gak ada yang tahu aku dipanggil Summer! Mama bisa usir dia gak sih, mama tau gak dia undang aku ke ulang tahunnya di klub minggu kemarin umur 21 dan aku tuh kan masih 19! Oh iya mama juga harus cerita kok mama tahu dia operasi plastik disana”

Seru Summer cepat dan ingin membuktikkan bahwa Ibunya mungkin membual sedikit tentang wajahnya yang Summer ingat sekali sewaktu kecil ketika Summer bertanya apakah Tuhan itu ada dan di jawab Tata, “Wajah mama ini bukti Tuhan itu nyata sayang”

Tidak ada masalah dengan hal itu, cuma Summer ingin membuktikkan kalau ibunya mungkin mendapat ‘beberapa’ bantuan, karena sudah terlampau terlalu banyak kejadian dimana orang-orang mengira Ibunya adalah saudaranya sedari kecil.

Dan lihat sekarang! Ibunya masih cantik dengan kulit mulus serta wajah yang cerah, mustahil tanpa bantuan bukan yang Ibunya selalu bantah.

“Tanya papamu aja, dia masih ingat kok mukulin dokter itu yang mau pakai wajah mama untuk contoh wajah operasi plastik waktu mama complaint ke dia, mana mama gak dibayar lagi. Wajah mama di ambil dari majalah? Eh, apa bukan papamu ya… Ingetin mama aja bawa kamu pergi minum waktu ulang tahun ke 21”

Balas Tata yang sama sekali tidak nyambung dengan topik pembicaraan mereka sebelumnya selain topik terakhir, membuat Summer semakin kesal saja. Dan siapa yang akan memukul orang untuk Ibunya selain Ayahnya sendiri? Walau Summer akui itu sedikit gila dan ayahnya yang selalu dia lihat selalu punya alasan sebelum marah apalagi main tangan dengan orang lain.

“Bukan itu poinnya maaa, we aren’t close yet she told me all about her crazy plans like 21 shots for tuning 21? Then she told me about how she would be so wasted the time she went home, and how about that gross old man she called boyfriend can’t has his piece. I didn’t need to know that mom!”

Sahut Robin yang masih semangat bercerita dengan jijik, Tata hanya manggut-manggut mendengarkan anaknya dan berpikir mungkin anaknya akan lebih takut lagi mendengarkan cerita kelakuan ayah dan Ibunya waktu masih muda. Ayahnya dengan kelakuan gengnya dan kejadian-kejadian yang hamper membuatnya meninggal.

“21 shots for 21? I did that and it was wild, gak cukup buat mama mabuk sih” Ucap Tata terkekeh. “Hah, tradisi itu ada di jaman mama?” Tanya Robin tidak percaya “Kamu pikir kamu bicara sama siapa ini? I’m the one who invented it!” Tentu saja bukan tapi,mengingat rekor minumnya dia adalah ratunya.

“Setidaknya mama gak mabuk dan ngumumin ke satu klub bakal pulang ke rumah pacarnya, yang menurut rumor kampus mafia ma”

Bisik-bisik Robin dengan ketakutan, tidak tahu kalau geng-gengan ayahnya bisa saja jadi seperti itu kalau mereka tidak berhenti dan pemimpin geng mafia nomor satu di Jepang sekarang? Ketua geng ayahnya dulu!

“Nggg, iya tapi mama waktu itu di jemput, terus di gendong keluar cowok sih padahal mama masih kuat”

Lanjut Tata mengingat-ngingat masa mudanya yang ternyata sudah lebih dari dua dekade lalu.

“Maksudnya Papa?”

“Bukan papamu sih tapi dia ganteng, matanya merah dan super seksi. His arms are super sexy”

Tata memainkan alisnya sebelum tertawa melihat anak perempuannya sedikit jijik dengan deskripsi mantan pacarnya.

“Maksud mama kaya pria itu?”

Tanya Summer menunjuk seseorang di pintu café, saat Tata menoleh orangnya sudah tidak ada dan mereka malah di sambut lagi oleh si gadis yang datang dengan kopinya.

“Tante, ada pameran buku di sana boleh aku curi Summernya sebentar buat bantu aku milih buku kuliah?”

Summer langsung berteriak dalam hati, apa gadis di depan mereka ini kelewat bodoh bukankah list buku yang harus dibeli di berikan tiga bulan lalu dan menolak dengan kencang karena harus berapa kali dia menolak hingga gadis ini sadar Summer sama sekali tidak ingin berteman dengannya. Summer hendak menolak namun anggukan kepala dari Tata lebih cepat.

“Makasih banyak tante, pacarku masih di kamar mandi nanti kesini jangan di curi ya!”

Serunya sebelum melarikan Summer ke pameran buku di seberang jalan. Tata hanya tertawa dan membiarkan anaknya disiksa sedikit, dia sama sekali tidak mengerti jalan pikiran teman anaknya.

Bagaimana mungkin pria seumurannya yang sudah jelas pasti bermata keranjang untuk memacari gadis berumur dua puluh satu tahun mau dengan dirinya?

“Tata?”

Namun Tata bisa saja salah, terutama di kasus ini. Kepalanya langsung menoleh melihat wajah yang tidak pernah di temuinya selama belasan tahun.

“Hai, Kakucho”

Sahut Tata balik seraya pria di depannya mengambil kursi di depannya tempat Summer tadi. Wajahnya tidak banyak berubah selain tambahan kantung mata dan kerutan yang tampak karena penuaan.

“Jadi gimana rasanya usia pacarmu nggak pernah berubah? Pasti seru dan dengar-dengar lo dapat sesuatu ya kemarin ahaha. Sebenarnya gak ada masalah sih, tapia was aja lo deketin anak gua”

Tanya Tata berusaha menutupi kecanggungan mereka namun di akhir dia cukup serius melihat umur kekasih Kakucho sekarang yang sedikit mengkhawatirkannya, namun Kakucho malah membuat suasana semakin canggung dengan tatapannya yang tidak berpindah dari wajahnya.

“Biasa saja dan tidak ada apa-apa”

Balas Kakucho karena entah dia sudah penat dengan berapa banyak gadis yang sudah gonta ganti menemaninya dan walau kata Ran mereka hanya tidak cocok dengannya atau kata Rindou, Kakucho yang tidak berusaha cukup keras udalam hubungannya, padahal dia selalu baik kepada setiap gadis yang menjalani hubungan asmara dengannya.

Walau pada akhirnya semua akan dia kandaskan sendiri. Mungkin dia akan berhenti dan puas ketika suatu hari dia bangun dan dirinya adalah Draken yang melihat Tata setiap hari sebagai pandangan pertamanya.

“Mmm, yang aneh katanya si gadis gua lupa namanya, lo bayarin dia operasi plastik? Bukannya dokter Tanaka tidak boleh pakai foto gua lagi ya karena false advertisements”

Lanjut Tata yah walau masih canggung dia sedikit penasaran, tanpa dia ketahui sudah berapa banyak gadis yang Kakucho minta untuk melakukan prosedur ini dengan entah imbalan apapun yang mereka inginkan.

“Aku ingat, aku yang pukul orang itu”

Tata hanya menjawab dengan simple “Oh” sebelum membenamkan dirinya kali ini pada kopi Summer yang tertinggal karena miliknya sudah habis. Tapi memang benar kata orang, imitasi tidak dapat menyaingi yang asli.

Kakucho sadar dirinya hanya membodohi penglihatannya agar dia dapat berpura-pura semua orang yang dia kencani adalah Tata di benaknya. Gerakan yang berbeda, nada suara, apalagi penampilan semuanya bisa di manipulasi dengan latihan dan uang.

Namun sama saja bohong jika keesokan harinya dia bangun dan menyadari bahwa dia hanya mebuang-buang uangnya saja karena bagaimanapun hanya ada satu Tata di dunia ini yang sudah menjadi milik orang lain.

Sudah berapa banyak gadis keluar masuk tempat tinggalnya yang masih sama dengan kamar tidur yang tidak berubah, dari luar mereka semua mirip sekali dengan penampilan Tata ketika memutuskan hubungan mereka lebih dari dua puluh tahun lalu.

Tata lanjut bercerita tentang anak-anaknya dan keluarganya, kebiaasaan yang Kakucho tahu betul dia ambil ketika dia sedang tidak nyaman. Kakucho hanya tersenyum kecil meresponi cerita Tata, namun mentalnya sedang menyumpahi dirinya yang mau saja ikut saran bodoh Ran.

Kakucho tahu dirinya putus asa untuk mencari pengganti Tata, lebih tepatnya dia tidak ingin mengganti melainkan wanita di depannya ini yang menurutnya masih saja cantik seperti dulu kala dan Kakucho masih saja ternyata menginginkan dirinya menjadi pendamping hidupnya.

Daripada sibuk menyelipkan nama Tata tanpa sadar saat dia bercinta dengan gadis lain yang tampaknya tidak pernah mengungkit hal tersebut karena materi yang dia berikan, dia bisa saja duduk di café ini dengan Tata dan mengantar anak mereka pergi kuliah bukannya membuang waktu untuk mengejar sesuatu yang sudah jelas tidak bisa di raihnya lagi.

Lagi-lagi Kakucho teringat yang satu lagi juga tidak mungkin terwujud, Tata sudah jelas memilih Draken dan bukan dirinya di malam itu.

“Kakucho that night in the back of my mind, I don’t want you to be happier than ever with somebody else, I’m an egoist I think you know that. But as it turns out after years not seeing you, I’m actually glad that you find happiness too”

Ucap Tata tersenyum, namun bukannya merasa senang karena Tata turut senang atas keadaannya Kakucho malah merasa senang untuk setiap alasan yang salah.

Kakucho merasa senang karena Tata masih setidaknya pernah merasa egois tentang dirinya dengan orang lain.

Sedikit mengecewakan Tata mengubah opininya pada topik itu, namun setidaknya memberikan Kakucho keberanian sedikit untuk mengungkapkan apa yang di pikirannya selama ini.

“Tata kalau kamu milih aku waktu itu, atau aku memperjuangkan kamu lebih keras apa kita masih bersama sampai sekarang?”

Tanya Kakucho mengenggam tangan Tata, mengelus punggung tangan wanita yang masih menghantui sisi sebelah tempat tidurnya yang sampai sekarang masih terasa aneh tanpa keberadaannya.

“Kaku aku sudah nikah sama Draken, anakku tiga, aku bahagia dan aku nggak mau ganti satu hal pun-“

Namun saat Tata melihat tatapan Kakucho yang penuh angan-angan, dia hanya menarik nafas dan mungkin tidak ada salahnya mengintip apa yang akan terjadi jika dia memilih jalan lain bukan?

“Mungkin lebih baik kalau aku ketemu kamu duluan dan hidupku lebih normal, aku tahu cara hidup selain berkelahi”

“Mungkin Kaku, mungkin”

Sahut Tata kali ini mengelus balik punggung tangan Kakucho di genggamannya. Walau mereka tahu betul kalau mereka bertemu duluan, semua ini akan beda ceritanya dari awal hingga akhir.

Khususnya Kakucho, tidak ada di kamusnya kata merelakan Tata barang sedetik dari pandangannya.

“Mungkin kita punya keluarga, anak-anak yang mirip kamu berlarian di halaman besar”

Kakucho pertama kali mengeluarkan senyum tulus setelah bertahun-tahun.

“Or maybe they have your red orbs? I always love them, dan pesta barbeque di kebun tiap akhir pekan”

Tata tertawa kecil membayangkan Kakucho mini berkeliaran di rumah mereka, sedangkan Kakucho terdiam sebentar dengan pipi memerah mendengar pujian Tata yang dia tahu sedari dulu.

“Kamu ada di rumah, menyambut aku waktu pulang dengan anak-anak kita”

Kakucho mulai berimajinasi kehidupan sempurna mereka, dimana dia pulang kerja dari pekerjaan normalnya dan Tata yang mencium pipi menyambut kepulangannya dan anak-anak mereka berlari menyambutnya.

“Atau kita tukar-tukaran, aku juga suka bekerja. Kamu juga jago masak, nyiapin makan malam dengan rambutmu di jepit pita dan bando aneh hasil keusilan anak perempuan kita”

Lanjut Tata menyambungkan cerita mereka dan Kakucho bisa melihat dengan jelas dirinya di rumah mereka, foto pernikahan mereka yang besar terpajang di ruang tamu lalu di lorong dinding pintu masuk ada foto mereka dan anak-anak mereka liburan ke suatu tempat dengan ekspresi bahagia. Dan Kakucho sekarang sedang menemani anak-anaknya di rumah menunggu Tata pulang.

“Anak-anak mama pulang!”

Ucap Tata yang langsung di sambut kedua anak mereka berlari menabrak kaki Tata dan dirinya yang mencium pipi Tata lembut.

“Selamat datang kembali sayang”

Ucap Kakucho balik dan Tata akan mencabuti bando dan pita yang terikat di rambutnya sambil terkekh kecil dengan jari manis di tangan kirinya dihiasi cincin pernikahan mereka berdua.

Lalu Kakucho akan memanggil mereka untuk menyantap makan malam di meja dan mengakhiri malamnya seperti malam lainnya, tidur setelah kecupan malam dari Tata di sampingnya.

“Waktu liburan semester kita bisa bawa mereka ke pantai, kamu selalu suka pantai Tata”

Ucap Kakucho yang di sahut balik oleh Tata,

“Lebih baik lagi pantai di luar negeri, aku sama anak-anak tersesat dan mana aku buta arah lagi. Terus tugas kamu nyari aku dan anak-anak, tapi sayangnya yang bisa bahasa negara itu aku”

Balas Tata tertawa renyah membayangkan dirinya yang sampai sekarang masih buta arah dan Kakucho panik mencari mereka, Kakucho bisa melihat ini terjadi karena sangat akurat dengan perilaku dan sifat mereka.

Mereka berbincang cukup lama, bertukar pikiran tentang masa depan yang dapat mereka dapatkan. Namun ada waktu angan-angan harus dihenyikan, khususnya yang tak akan jadi kenyataan.

“Dan mungkin sekarang kita akan disini, rumah kosong setelah mengantar anak-anak kita ke kampus. Sisa kita berdua lagi menjadi penghuni rumah yang tersisa, Tata”

Dan menurut Tata di momen ini mimpi itu harus berhenti.

“Kaku, ini belum terlambat kalau kamu mau punya keluarga. Kamu bisa mulai sekarang tapi tentunya nggak dengan temannya Summer”

Guyon Tata tapi Kakucho tidak bergeming, kenapa Tata tidak mengerti setelah semua ini kalau Kakucho tidak menginginkan yang lain. Yang dia inginkan adalah posisi Draken sekarang!

Dia tidak perlu perempuan umur 20 tahunan ayng dia pakai untuk berpura-pura semirip mungkin menjadi Tata di masa dia meninggalkannya.

Yang dia mau adalah saat ini, momen ini di umur-umur dimana dia seharusnya menua Bersama wanita yang di dambakannya. Bukan memulai suatu keluarga yang tidak di inginkannya kalau bukan di bangun bersama Tata.

“Tapi, Tata aku tidak mau yang lain. Aku cuma mau kamu dan hanya dengan kamu membangun keluarga itu”

Dan sekarang Tata mengerti, selama bertahun-tahun ini, pria yang dudk di seberangnya tidak pernah berhenti mencintainya. Namun hidup memang tidak adil dan Tata tahu, satu bagian dari hati kecilnya akan selalu mencintai Kakucho juga namun itu tidak akan menjadi jawaban yang cukup memuaskan apalagi untuk lelaki yang menunggu dirinya selama dua dekade bukan?

“Kaku, kamu akan selalu punya sekeping bagian di hatiku tapi sayangnya di kehidupan ini kita sudah selesai Kakucho”

Jawab Tata berusaha menatap Kakucho yang menunduk dengan tangannya di dahinya,menutupi bagian atas wajahnya.

“Kalau begitu di kehidupan lain?”

Tanya Kakucho di sela tangisan kecilnya.

“Mungkin”

Jawab tata sekenanya karena dia tidak terlalu percaya dengan reinkarnasi. Kakucho hanya tertawa hambar sedangkan Tata tersenyum pahit masih mengusap punggung tangan yang tidak mengenggam tangannya lagi.

Sayang sekali pemandangan ini di lihat oleh Summer di ujung jalan, yang langsung menghampiri mereka meninggalkan si gadis. Kakucho dan Tata berpamitan di saat Summer mau memasuki café dengan langkah panik, Tata menemuinya di luar.

“Mama itu siapa? Apa-apaan itu tadi?”

Tanya Summer panik sambil mereka berjalan pulang.

“Pacar temanmu dan mantannya mama”

Balas Tata masih santai, dan sekarang mata Summer mebelalak mau keluar.

“Lho, bukannya mama pacaran sama papa dari SMP?”

Summer mengernyitkan keningnya, orang tua nya selalu bilang mereka satu-satunya untuk sama lain.

“Mama selingkuh?”

Tanya Summer dengan panik dan sekarang giliran Tata yang matanya mau keluar.

“Nggak lah, dalam hubungan papa-mama kaya remaja lainnya kita ada masa putus nyambung dan mama ketemu Kakucho di masa-masa putus itu”

Tata berusaha menjelaskan, namun Summer sudah lebih dulu tidak percaya apalagi dengan pandangan yang di lihatnya beberapa saat lalu masih terbakar segar di ingatannya.

“Summer, rahasiakan pertemuan ini dari papamu ya. Papamu nggak perlu tahu sempat ada yang lain selain dia”

Sebut Tata sedikit berbhohong, karena Draken jelas tahu siapa Kakucho mereka bertemu di perkelahian yang menumbangkan Kurokawa Izana malam itu dan Sano Emma yang anak-anaknya kenal sebagai Tante Emma yang mereka sudah takuti kalau ayahnya akan kembali bersamanya ketika meninggal nanti. Summer mengangguk dan Tata mulai bercerita tentang dirinya dan Kakucho tidak dalam detail eksplisit sudah jelas.

“Mama gak akan ninggalin kita kan?”

Tanya Summer dengan mata berkaca-kaca, karena sudah jelas pria ini berbahaya apalagi dengan pekerjaannya namun anehnya dia tidak pernah mengusik mereka dan mencintai ibunya dalam diam?

“Gak mungkin dong sayang, papamu mati duluan kali kalau mama pergi dan kamu kan tahu mama gak mau jadi Ibu tapi karena kalian mama jadi berubah pikiran, anak lain mana bisa”

Tata langsung mendekap anaknya ke dalam pelukannya. Mereka terus diam di posisi itu hingga ponsel Summer berdering tiba-tiba, memaksa Summer untuk mengeceknya. Summer membaca pesan yang dia terima dan seketika mukanya pucat.

“Mamaaaaaaaaaaa, temanku tadi baru aja di putusin sama mantan mama itu”

Keluh Summer menatap Tata dengan muka memelas. Tata terdiam di tempat. Uh oh, apa yang akan terjadi sekarang?

From the moment she could walk, Kudou Tata knew she was pretty. The pretty, pretty type you could say that could turn heads, she knew it well. And pretty girls like her? Are never lonely and that's how it should be. Then why was Draken sitting over there and not on her side? Her damn freaking boyfriend for Godsake!

There was Draken, sitting right there on her side. Not on Tata’s side though, he said he was her boyfriend then why the fuck he have to stand there guarding Emma like a dog? She was of legal age, and Tata couldn’t care less that she was Mikey’s younger sister or whatever. The fact was still he was her boyfriend, not Emma’s.

But what was the difference honestly? Tata may get the title since day one but Emma sure as hell got his time and attention, why the hell would Draken guard her because of Mikey’s request? Two can play that game and Tata was sure as hell she wasn’t going to back down. She was going to make sure Draken learned his lesson very well.

One look at Draken’s face, she knew he was seething with anger by the way he looked. Draken had to restrain himself from punching the second Haitani when Tata pressed her body against him, and the way he was shameless with it as well sneaking around his hand on her hips, grinding against each other.

It wasn’t just Draken who was ready to throw hands that night, there was Kakucho watching in the shadow ready to punch the youngest Haitani after this party was over. Even he did not dare to do that if she didn’t call him first and Rindou dared to do that?

Of course, Rindou was a ploy, he was too clouded by the fact she was hot, and her smarter friends, refuse to incorporate in this shit even Baji knew it was bad news to do this shit. But hey at least he didn’t get punched that night. He did the next day though by two people.

“Go home, wash up”

Draken approached her who was drinking by the bar, but of course, why should she agree to the words of a man who didn’t stand by her side?

“No, because you are forgetting one thing Ken”

Tata said before placing her glass, while Ryuguuji Ken was already pissed and antsy from the way he had to hold back from guys and girls swarming around her and she let them.

“First, I am a pretty girl and second, pretty girls are never lonely, especially me”

Tata pointed at herself and emphasize the last part. Draken was stunned did his girlfriend just say she would search for someone else?

“Oops my bad, those are two things”

Tata giggled before watching Draken leave with a pissed-off look on his face while she continued to sip her gin and tonic. Not a minute passed by since Draken escorted Emma home, another arm slung by her waist wrapping her tight.

“Kakucho, you really waited until Draken went away huh?”

Tata leaned into his touch, resting her head on his chest. Kakucho squeezed his hand on her shoulder. He couldn’t understand it, how could Draken go away with someone when he already got Tata?

If Kakucho was him, there was no way he’d let tata out of sight and sit all alone on this bar. Kakucho would let all of them know that she wasn’t available.

“You are drunk, lets's get you home”

Kakucho said, blushing with how her fingers trailed down his chest. It was suggestive and she had never done that before while she was still in a relationship with Draken.

“You know what, he got to go home with another girl. Why can’t you and I go home together?”

Tata whined and Kakucho knew these words were only slurred when she was drunk. It was tempting but Kakucho didn’t want to take advantage of a drunken woman.

“Tata you are drunk-“

“Not drunk enough to know that I want this”

Tata cut him off with a forceful kiss, Kakucho wanted to retaliate but his will was always weak compared to his desire to have her.

All his resolve just went away just like that, melting under her touches while his face was firing up like a tomato. He kissed her back, screw Draken and all of this bullshit, Kakucho had waited too long and he had been more than patient enough.

Didn’t he deserve his piece after being this patient way too long? Tata was intoxicating and Kakucho let himself be drowned in her again tonight. It was long and passionate, bodies pressed against one another.

Him inside of her, her walls sucking him in while his lips moaned her name and she whined about his name for more and it was driving him crazy, Kakucho wished Tata could be with him like this every day and didn’t wait for his turn anymore.

Tata woke up with headaches and phones buzzing, while there was someone hair nuzzling against her body and an arm wrapped tightly on her waist. Scratches and bite marks littered adorning her body.

She saw the name “Ken” flashing on her phone screen and there were about 99+ missed calls, Tata turned to look to see the man beside her bed and there was Kakucho still off to dreamland.

“Fuck, What am I going to tell Ken?”

Tata cursed immediately taking a deep breath about her next step if it was this way she got no other choice but to be truthful right?

a bad and very late first day

“You need to wake up and go”

Tata said kicking the man on his bed, who had his eyes half-open. Is hair was messy and yikes! Scratches from their session last night were still visible, she wasn’t really proud of it. It was a drunken one-night stand and she wasn’t the type to do a one-night stand.

“Really? Kicking me out after taking advantage of me last night?”

The man opened up his mouth in a teasing tone but still got up buttoning up the buttons of his shirt he picked up from the floor.

“I did not- whatever, just get out of here. I’m already late for my first day at the job”

Tata decided not to deny it, it was useless to explain this to a guy she probably wouldn’t see this guy ever again. Putting her fingers on her temple she just wished this smirking man inside her room to disappear right now.

“It’s my first day back to work too, I transferred for a few months back before returning today-“

Tata didn’t have any time to listen to his bullshit so she cut him off.

“Can we just skip the pleasantries, I won’t see you again anyway. So can I go shower upstairs and you see yourself out…”

She paused for a moment, thinking hard what was this guy's name? The man back seated on her bed laughed instead.

“Wakasa”

The man said, Tata felt like that name rang a bell somewhere but she couldn’t remember but whatever she was already late.

“Soooo Wakasa, please get out and I will have a shower, thank you”

Tata smiled mockingly before throwing Wakasa’s pants on his face and running upstairs getting herself a shower.

Tata ran to the hospital as fast as she could, this was her first day as an intern for surgeon residency. She met Sanzu in the locker room already on his scrub, how could he leave the house alone to the hospital along with Baji.

“Haruchiyo, what the fuck? Why didn’t you wake me up?!”

She screamed while they were rushing down to meet their assigned attendant. Sanzu without looking at her just replied sarcastically before turning into a long conversation while they were running.

“Well I heard you were having a hell of a night last night, don’t wanna wake you up from your bliss”

“Hey and how did Baji- Ugh, whatever I just hope we didn’t get your brother or Izana”

“This hospital is full of inbred, but it wouldn’t be my brother, he’s an attending”

“You are one of the inbred, why did our uni pick this hospital for our residency anyway?”

Tata said it before they stopped in their tracks and meet their attendant standing there. Both Tata and Sanzu immediately groaned, sure it wasn’t Takeomi or Izana but it was the worst third option they could have asked for.

“Hello, I’m your resident for this year. Haitani Ran and you are late for five minutes, interns.”

The man said Tata and Sanzu knew immediately this year was going to be hell. The man went on and on before introducing them around the hospital and before the end he introduced them to the man Tata cursed to never saw ever again just this morning.

“And you must have heard this guy, that has just returned to Boston from New York who had heard singing praises all day long today, Dr. Imaushi Wakasa”

The same man standing there who slept on her bed, there was a visible hickey on his neck that Tata knew all too well from her. Wakasa just wave a hi before his eyes landed on Tata who wanted just to disappear right at this very moment.

“Hey girlie-“

Wakasa said but then it was drowned with the sudden announcement.

“Code blue 4th floor for Dr. Haitani!”

“Ooh there’s my code and now we run kids, move your asses!”

Said Ran getting a headstart to his patient room making his interns catch their breaths catching up to him. This time Tata was saved by the bell, the next time? She didn’t want to think about it.

Now Ran made all of his interns do things for him, and Tata got the running tests in the lab part. Which was annoying because it made her see the man in front of her for the third time today. To boot, they were in an elevator alone just two of them.

“Dr. Imaushi”

Tata greeted him not willingly but apparently even in hospitals there was some seniority code.

“So it’s Dr. Imaushi now? This morning it was Wakasa”

He replied still having the same shit-eating grin he had this morning.

“We should pretend it never happened”

“Which one? The part where you’re sleeping with me or the one where you kicked me out? Because both are fond memories I’d like to hold on”

Wakasa was enjoying the expression Tata made suppressing her anger from the reflection from the elevator.

“There will be no memories. We slept together once and that’s it, you’re my boss, it’s inappropriate and I have a boyfriend”

“That means you took advantage of me and used me for cheating purposes?”

Wakasa turned around even if he said that, his expression still smug didn’t change at all in the morning.

“I meant an on-and-off boyfriend, we broke up last month and I didn’t take advantage of you, you’re not even that hot”

“I didn’t ask for an explanation though and really? I’m hot there is probably a line somewhere for women who want to sleep with me and I know for a fact, I’m even hotter than today that even you got swayed last night, Tata”

Wakasa took a step closer to Tata, she changed her expression maintaining a cold one to face him off.

“I’m not going out with you or sleeping with you ever again”

“Did I ask? Do you perhaps want to go out with me?”

Now his face was inching closer to her and before she knew it, there she was pinned against the wall. His lips pressed against her, kissing her aggressively. His hands tangled on her hair, while her hands were on his neck. Tongues fighting for domination, he turned the position now him on the wall carrying her.

Before they moved forward, they heard the elevator sound signaling they already arrived on her designated floor, she immediately let him go straighten her clothes before the elevator door opened. Then she ran outside the moment it opened.

“Is that a yes?”

Wakasa shouted from the elevator, Tata took a moment to turn back and shouted back at him.

“That’s a no!”

tick, tick... boom!

“You are fucking stupid to get this metal arm”

Patricia said, meeting Squalo's eye while holding Squalo's newly attached metal arm.

“Voi!? It's cool isn't it!”

Squalo protested, while Patricia still stared at him in disbelief. Which part of this was cool? He literally amputated his own arm to copy the previous Sword Master, which he defeated just to have a sword without any blind spots when he can use any arms to fight with his sword before.

“I won't kiss you anymore because of that metal arm”

Patricia smiled teasingly half annoyed because the guy was just a fucking crazed sword head with nothing else running through his mind. Did he think about the consequence further before he got that arm?

“Voi! You can't do that to me!” Squalo panicked, screaming loudly. Received a giggle from Patricia.

“That's why should have to think about it further before you got it, dummy. What if you stabbed me in the back while you were holding me close? I don't want that”

She said her lips forming a pout, even though she knew not even in a million years this guy would kill her. Patricia got him wrapped around her fingers, although Squalo hadn't quite realized that yet.

“You are exaggerating, I wouldn't do that”

Squalo replied and all of the sudden the mood turned serious. He was a bit hurt, she'd think of that when she should have known better than anyone else despite his pride and he wouldn't say it out loud, but he'd kill himself first before he would ever harm her.

“Really, I promise you that”

His tone changed, soothing her and he wasn't as rambunctious as he usually was. Making Patricia a bit nervous, looking up to him, it was rare for him to be like this.

Nevertheless when his arm grabbed her waist closer and his face made his way down to meet her lips. The kiss was gentle unlike his usual rash one, it was different, serving as a symbol of his promise that he intended to keep until the end of the time.

But they were fourteen and things had changed a lot in the span of twelve years. What do you know when you were fourteen anyway?

His hair had grown a lot longer, after a lot of ups and downs but they were at least you could say together, things were great, everything was perfect until she got laid, barren on the hospital bed.

“I won't kill you”

Squalo's voice was raging with anger. Struggling with the hold of his left metal arm on her neck, one wrong move he could slash her neck, killing her. And that was the one last thing Squalo needed to happen.

“Just do it”

Patricia replied, that her eyes were hollow, and her will to live was nonexistent. Her legs got paralyzed three months ago, there was no hope for her ever to walk again.

The Trinisette was supposed to be disbanded 4 years ago, and Arcobaleno's curse was no more lingering on this earth. But it was a lie, a fact Patricia knew first hand.

After all, she got these paralyzed useless legs after trying to run away from the curse and it cost her, her legs because the curse became defective.

“I already made a promise to you that my left hand won't kill you”

Squalo was finally able to remove her tight grip from his left hand, and a breath of relief washed over his body. But it wasn't for long, when she grabbed his left hand, placing it on her neck.

“But you didn't to your right hand”

Squalo was stunned for a few moments. How could she say that? How could she be so selfish and told him to do the one thing he couldn't do, he knew both of them were prideful.

But was it so humiliating to be dependent on him? He knew it was shameful for her who was once very independent to not be able to do any single thing on her own.

“Therefore, kill me with your right hand”

Patricia whispered softly to him, making shudders run through his spine. Squalo almost lost control over his right hand before he snapped back, pulling his hands away from choking her.

“Voi! What the hell?! I won’t do it ever and you’ll live. That’s the end of it!”

Squalo screamed before exiting the hospital room. He needed time to breathe, he almost killed her, he almost did something terrible to her that he couldn’t undo, his hands were still shaking.

Squalo knew he was being an egoist when he asked for it, but without her, he couldn’t function. Squalo was ready to take care of her 24/7 and he meant it.

Squalo was so prideful, that he wouldn’t be able to take back his works, and most important of all, he was and always would be in love with this woman, there were simply no others. At least if Patricia didn’t have the will to live anymore then live for his sake.

Not long after Squalo was gone, came Xanxus. She still hated him, they only stare at each other in silence before she made a request.

“Kill me Xanxus, put me out of this misery”

Xanxus didn’t react his eyes were still focused on her. Took a whole minute before he was finally ready to respond.

“The scum wouldn’t forgive me if you are dead by my hands”

“But the one you like was me, right? With this you finally got the attention you wanted”

Patricia said boldly, this time Xanxus flinched.

“What the hell are you talking about woman?”

His gaze was cold, his tone was murderous. But Patricia instead smiled at him. She hit the jackpot, she was right.

Xanxus did want her for a long time, but seeing her with his trash long-haired friend convince him that he didn't want secondhanded stuff from anyone. Or did he just lie this entire time to fool himself?

“Xanxus if I die by your hands, this was the first time I finally choose you over being killed by the hands of the man that I love. But you will make do”

Xanxus went silent, it was true there was a part of himself that always wished she finally looked him in the eye. Call this a last desperate attempt for her attention, and he had a real shot this time in it. He could be the last memory of her before exiting this world.

”...Trash answers me this, why are you doing this shit?”

“Because I have no purpose anymore in this world, I couldn't do my job, I have to be heavily dependant on Squalo and I don't want that. What if he found someone better and left me? I couldn't even plot an act of revenge to kill him, I got left in the dust and waiting for my dying day to come. So rather than experiencing that, I would appreciate it if you could kill me right now”

Patricia was being irrational, Xanxus knew in a heartbeat that his head-over-heels forever friend wouldn't do that. Squalo would spend every last second of his breath taking care of her.

Despite all the dirty works and shady things they had done, Squalo's feelings for her were pure, he genuinely wanted to be beside her until his dying breath.

“That scum wouldn't do that”

“Do not kid ourselves Xanxus, we all are mafia, we have done a ton of shady shit. To the mafia men especially, having an affair was a normal thing. Look at your father, he never had a child of his own because he couldn't stay with one person long enough to have a kid. And look at you! You only got married reluctantly because he wanted to have grandkids.”

She took a breath before continuing to her long rant.

“Did you ever think of her as the one or at least the last person you have sex with? No, right? Even if you claimed to love me, you soon would be bored anyway when I'm in this state of paralyzing and could do nothing. So what's the guarantee Squalo wouldn't do it when I was nothing but a shell of my former self?!”

Patricia screamed at the top of her lungs. With her statements, she had offended Vongola Nono and his son, the Varia boss. It was worthy of a death sentence indeed.

Xanxus wanted to deny it but she was right, he didn't think of his wife as the last one. She was just someone to make do with, he still thought of her from time to time.

And again Patricia was right, Xanxus would get bored of her quickly if she was in this state. Not too difficult to admit that he was no better than other men. He couldn't say anything to defend himself, because all the things she said were sadly the truth.

“Fine, just don't blame me. Are you sure trash?”

Xanxus asked for the last time when he put the gun on top of her head, she nodded.

“Alright, goodbye scum”

As he was about to fire the gun, an arm swayed his hand away. But too late the bullet was already fired, but instead of her head, it went to shoot her lungs.

The person was Squalo with blood all over his mouth from puking it, he was out of breath running to this room as fast as he could. He did intercept it, but it didn't put her out of danger way.

“VOI MAMMON, DO SOMETHING!”

Squalo screamed calling for Mammon, Patricia was having trouble breathing, and soon she was going to die.

“I don't know-”

“I DON'T CARE, DO SOMETHING OR YOU WILL BE THE ONE WHO'S DEAD, SCUM!”

Mammon was an arcabaleno, he was one of the strongest in the world. But when Squalo looked at him with that crazed murder eyes, he swore he could pee in his pants.

Mammon agreed quickly nodding his head, making an organ illusion just like the one he did back then for Squalo to replace his heart until he got a heart transplant from the battle with Trinisette.

“Patricia is okay for now, and she needed an operation right away. But there was no guarantee she would ever wake up from the coma”

Mammon spoke out, crushing Squalo's heart. Then finally the doctors came, seeing Patricia's critical condition they immediately booked an OR room, scheduling the operation right now.

The rest of the Varia followed them and Mammon had to be there since he was the one providing the illusion. But Squalo was still there standing, staring right at the ceiling with Xanxus standing a few inches away from him.

Squalo took a deep breath, inhale, exhale then he side-eyed glancing at Xanxus. Then he spoke in a cold mannerism and tone he never used to him.

It lacked the warmth, it lacked the devotion. But oddly enough he said it in a calm manner, he didn't yell or anything like he usually did.

“From now on you're my boss, I will follow you and do your order but that's it, Xanxus”

His mechanical sword arm swung to cut his hair short instantly, the same length he had in middle school. Strands of hair fall into the floor.

Just like that the long hair he swore not to cut until Xanxus became a decimo, a symbol of his devotion just shredded like the Squalo's hair on the floor.

Squalo walked past Xanxus who looked like he didn't care even if he was very shocked. Before he completely left the room, Squalo took a look at Xanxus one last time.

“If she died today Xanxus, it's on you”

Then the door went shut, Squalo went to join the rest of the members at the door of the operation room. Leaving Xanxus all alone with his thought, he felt stupid.

Patricia succeeds in manipulating him to give in. How weak he was to give in to such a woman's demand? Now he didn't just almost kill the woman he foolishly had feelings for many years.

He also lost a second in command, and more importantly even if he never said it out loud, a best friend who would stick around for him in thick and thin.

shut up and drive

“Thank you for being my date today, bella”

Dino said to the brunette beside him, always such a gentleman the Cavallone boss was. Unlike someone who screamed “Voi!” at the waiter, Patricia just sighed in relief and also annoyance seeing the man he had been side-eyeing.

He never changed after all these years, it wasn’t like they never saw each other again but their meetings had toned down by a lot because of their jobs one as a Varia second in command and her as a freelance assassin. In fact, this was the first time they met each other’s after New Year well according to her, she didn’t need to know Squalo went to see her one time when she was asleep.

“I was the one who asked you, so it’s me who owes you a thank you”

Patricia answered him with a smile of courtesy.

“No, it’s still me who owes you a thank you, after all, I’m accompanied by the most beautiful woman in the room”

The blonde-haired man flirted a little as he noticed Squalo had made a way to where they were standing.

“Don’t be a Cassanova Cavallone, doesn’t suit you at all”

Patricia teased him back, hand squeezing Dino’s arm a little tighter. It was impossible for her to not notice Squalo stomping his feet towards their position. But alas, she needn’t no distraction today. Patricia tugged Dino’s arm for them to mingle with everybody else.

He found it odd, although he obliged. Dino knew the relationship between the two wasn’t anything less than complicated, in fact even if he obliged he kinda feared for his life as he saw Squalo stare like daggers at him.

Dino wouldn’t dare even in million years to steal her away from Squalo, after he saw all the shits the two of them had done since middle school he definitely wouldn’t dream of it. He even shuddered thinking about the two of them, even though they were in school with a bunch of other mafia kids.

After a while, Patricia and Dino separated, since Dino had to mingle with all of the other mafia bosses and she was getting out of there for ‘fresh air. She knew there was a man following her from behind, Patricia just smirked seeing him trying to do it.

Well, others maybe didn’t notice it but she would after all those years of assassinating people. When they finally reached the garden below the ballroom, he finally approached her.

“Voi, what the hell are you doing being that scum’s date?!”

Squalo said almost too immediately when the two of them were alone, he must have repressed it quite a lot inside the room, must have been hard for a man with a loud mouth.

“Do you have fun stalking me?”

Patricia smiled teasingly, dodging his question. Squalo just touched knowing damn well she wouldn’t answer him.

“If you want to be anyone’s date be Xanxus”

It wasn’t like Squalo wouldn’t be jealous of it, he would rage with jealousy but he had devoted his life towards Xanxus and he knew her better than anyone else. Patricia fancied all the best things in the world, she loved being at the top, and certainly only the word best followed her name.

Squalo also knew Xanxus liked her back in school days. Squalo would repress his emotions even if it killed him if she got all the best things in the world and his boss finally got the dream girl. Although of course, it didn’t translate well to Patricia, which made her seethe a hatred towards Xanxus day by day.

“The Varia boss should have been you”

Patricia evaded the question with a sharp tone. This was actually the reason why Squalo had been pushing Xanxus to her because he thought she liked that title, it was a top spot and she wished the candy in her arms was the one with that title. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Patricia just felt Squalo deserved it more, to her it was his right, he was the one who used to be a candidate for it. Albeit noisy and rough speech of manner Squalo was a good leader and strategist.

She hated the way Xanxus abused his power day by day and certainly, the man she loved didn’t deserve all the shits Xanxus puts him through. It irked her up how could Squalo be so blind and never notice her feelings for him.

“Voi, you knew I could kill you for threatening Varia’s boss”

His tone was sharp, but his hand instead sneaked around her waist as she placed her hands on his shoulder.

“No, you won’t”

She smiled, letting him sway her with dance again. It was just a habit the two of them formed in school days. Instead of dancing inside at the ball, they danced outside in the garden away from the prying eyes just the two of them alone.

“Dino told me you were beaten up pretty badly in the rain ring battle, why didn’t you tell me?”

Patricia asked as her face was buried in his chest. He just tch ed, why would that Cavallone tell her that, it was clearly none of his business. Patricia may say that but she also didn’t tell him about the life-threatening experience she had two months ago, she didn’t have the right to tell him that.

“And you didn’t tell me you were in a critical condition two months ago”

She froze, how did Squalo know that. There was no one she told about it besides her personal doctor who took care of her. Squalo knew the exact date and the exact time Patricia was in mortal danger.

After all, he suddenly coughed up a lot of blood in the middle of a fight, who he was still the winner of. Every time she got into a life-threatening situation his body always did it without showing symptoms.

Patricia of course didn’t know about it. But also Squalo didn’t know how her hand went into a state of small paralyzing either. Every time he was in danger like back in rain ring battle.

“I need to fire my doctor”

“No need to, I visited you that day”

Squalo did do that, rather than a visit it was more like a crazed maniac running through the streets of Italy and banging on her penthouse door numerous times to fall down on his knees when he saw she was still breathing.

He was there the whole night, only leaving at dawn, threatening the doctor that if they told her this he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them and keep him updated until she was well.

“Still a worry wart huh?”

Despite her sayings, she looked up to him and smiled, a genuine one. It was such a tender movement although it didn’t last long since a bunch of assassins jumped out and came to strike them down and of course, them being themselves, notices it even before they moved.

“VOI, hop on my arms, you still know how to do it right?!”

Squalo screamed and Patricia suddenly was in his arms, her knife was ready and his left sword arm was already open.

“How could I? Not even for a single moment!”

The excitement went through her body as the massacre began. He slashed them all down with his swords, and she stabbed them all in one single swift movement. Their bodies worked as one, and close to protect one another from the attack.

“VOI, this is the reason why you attend this shit right? Who sent you?!”

Squalo asked in the middle of his slashing, screams of guts being torn apart were heard in the background.

“CEDEF rent me, they assumed another familia might try to make a surprise attack on Vongola. Varia must had suspect it too, I assume”

Patricia retorted back while pulling out her knife from someone’s heart, moving on to the next one. Blood splatters all around their clothes and faces, it was a while before they finally slew the last one.

When it was over, without a prior warning he kissed her, hard. Squalo could taste the blood smeared on her lips, but he didn’t care. Her hands went from stabbing men and women with a knife instead tangled on his hair, the knife already thrown, stuck on the wall.

His kiss was feverish, fast and rough just the way she remembered them to be and Patricia still didn’t give up easily when his tongue was dominating hers, it should be annoying to Squalo but he loved it.

“Voi, people would get suspicious if we were out this long”

Squalo said between his relentless kisses, still not stopping even if what he said was the opposite.

“Our clothes are literally covered in blood and who cares? They probably assumed I cheated on Dino and sneaked away with you already”

Patricia replied, panting from the kisses. Squalo let out a big shark-like chuckle.

“Your place or my place? But it’s full of those trashes and idiots”

Squalo groaned thinking about his teams, filled with idiots and their annoying laugh seating around Varia’s headquarters.

“Your place is so much closer and we can sneak around on the back like we used to do”

They did hook up a lot during their teenage years, sneaking around on the back, late-night shenanigans, they knew their route all too well. Squalo groaned knowing she was right and he couldn’t hold it that much longer. So here they were opening one of Vongola’s sedans reserved for taking their guests home, lips still interlocking with each other.

“Voi, Varia headquarters!”

Squalo screamed as he opened the door and then slammed it once he was inside, laying Patricia on her back in the backseat. The driver noticing the two of them spoke up, albeit scared.

“Sir, this is reserved for Allegro Familia-“

Then a sword was drawn pretty closely to his neck.

“Shut up and drive”

His tone was menacing, both of them staring the driver down. The driver was ready to shit his pants and just hurried a nod before Squalo slammed the blinds between the front row and the back seat. They said it was supposed to be soundproofed but he was louder than anything in the world.

“Fuck, I want you right here right now”

Squalo rasped while he was on top of hers, staring at her with such lust, one of his hands holding her body while the other one hiking up her dress.

“Then fucking have me”

Patricia pulled his neck harshly, crashing her lips against him forcefully. Her legs tangled up on his back. Squalo knew he was bullshitting himself when he said he would let Xanxus take her, it was just a mere act and pride to his oath that he had broken countless times.

He wouldn’t and didn’t want to share with anyone this exact moment. Her moans, her face writhing in pleasure, the way her insides were going to hold him tight, fuck he wasn’t even in but just the thought of him making him even harder than before, it all belonged to him. Fuck his boss, all of these are reserved for him only.

When they arrived they experience quite a stumble since they seemed to not know how to keep their hands off each other’ before eventually reaching his room, going on hours and hours to make up for the months they didn’t see one another.

They were loud especially because of Squalo, extremely loud then making the rest of Varia’s members in the break room groan. They had seen them making out while stumbling to go to his room from the windows’ gap although not clearly, they certainly didn’t need to know how was the actual sex going on.

“Who did Squalo bring back, I want to say an escort but based on her outfits alone she seemed not shishishi”

Belphegor started the topic with his usual added laugh at the end of the sentence.

“Not to mention her classic cool deadly aura, turns out Squ chan can pick up a girl after all! What do you think boss?”

Lussuria gushed, excited with the details of how the loud second in command could get a hand on a girl. Then turned to Xanxus who was oddly calm, by this time he should have been throwing temper tantrums, but he was still sipping his wine glass too calm for anyone's liking.

“It’s Patricia, he only brought her home no one else”

Lussuria gasped, it was the deadly assassin? She had quite a name in their community but for her to be with Squalo was odd. Everyone started to get worried what if she was sent here to kill him then assassinate the whole Varia down Xanxus finally got irritated and told them to shut up.

If people said Squalo and the rest of Varia had a lot of patience with him. Xanxus wanted to say he did have it too. For example, he knew about their whole things since before, they were damn loud yet he never complained and endure all this relationship that had gone on for years. Wasn’t it fair to say Xanxus was patient and had it a lot?

'and the winner is...'

Her neighbors watched with curious eyes as they saw police surrounding Tata’s house and Naoto was ready to knock on her door with a warrant.

“Mrs. Ryuguji we are here to arrest you and if you don’t come out “

“What is going on here?”

Naoto stopped, turning around to the source of the voice as everyone else. There was the man who they had been searching for this past month, exiting the car with another tall man. Everyone's mouth turned agape, he was alive? Where the hell he had been this past month?

“Mr. Ryuguji, where are you this whole time-“

Naoto again got cut off, this time from the other male he had never seen before from the car.

“Hello detective Tachibana, I’m Hanma Shuuji, Mr. Ryuguji lawyer. I’ll explain everything to you but can I escort you to the side first”

Naoto nodded his head, stepping aside and letting this man explain Draken’s cover story about how he got depressed and was suicidal then spent a month in a mental hospital.

He just got released and he didn’t know any of this before as his mind wasn’t stable until yesterday. Naoto damn knew there was something off but he couldn’t say anything as Hanma provided the record of Draken’s stay and it was real.

Then Tata opened the door, acting a bit surprised to see her husband standing there.

“Ken?”

Draken hugged her in an instant, giving the show of a reunited married couple to their audience, the neighbors. They went ohh ahh ing and were touched by this little reunion.

“You fucking bastard”

Tata whispered, hugging him back. She might say that but her expression was tearful enough to move the neighbors and finally them leaving, giving Tata and Draken their space.

When they went inside Draken immediately pinned her to the wall, tongue ravishing her mouth’s cave. He missed her, he missed her scent, he missed her taste, and miss the sound of her voice moaning his name.

Draken’s hands were ready to slip Tata off her night dress but her hands stopped it before he could do it.

“Before we went anymore further where’s my apology?”

Tata said, and Draken was sure as hell didn’t feel he was in the wrong here but whatever, he would apologize anyway.

“I’m sorry”

He said before crashing his lips against her again for the second time this month. Draken thought he could control himself until they reached their bedroom. But apparently, he couldn’t as he laid her on the kitchen counter, spreading her legs.

Draken couldn’t even have the patience to rip Tata’s panties away, he just moved it to the side before thrusting his tongue down there.

“Do you like my gift?”

Draken asked her in between his lick, referencing to Emma’s situation. He knew the way to win her back was to shatter the reputation of the woman he set Tata up to be jealous of. Draken knew all too well that Tata was vengeful after all.

“Uh, ah, yes I fucking love it, Ken!”

Tata shouted moaning from the tingling sensation his tongue made her feel. She yanked his hair, pushing his tongue deeper inside of her.

“You know you manipulate me to win me back, and you fucking succeed. You finally rise to my level huh?”

Tata said in between her moans, she was deeply impressed with how further Draken was willing to go for her. It was twisted, she realized it and seriously it was a bit too obsessive.

But this plan made Tata finally accept her fate and willingly submit that maybe she couldn’t live without Draken anymore. Which man in the world would do the same thing as he did and to top this? No one would do it.

“Anything to keep you, Tata”

Draken looked up to meet her eyes, then went back to being busy inhaling the scent of her pussy. He would make sure no one would ever touch it again beside him. He increased his pace, her moans got an octave higher and soon cum coated his tongue all over, some of it left on his nose, hair, and chin.

“Promise me you wouldn’t ever leave me again, Tata”

Draken said while huffing and panting like Tata did after she came down from her high. He freed his hard cock from his brief, ready for the main course

“I promise but we would move back to New York right?”

Her legs were still tangling on his shoulder, she used it to push his body closer to her.

“Even better, we would go on two months vacation to Santorini, I already made the preparation”

Draken answered, his face inching closer to hers, one hand on her waist.

“I love you, Ken”

Tata said, her eyes were sparkling. She couldn’t be more attracted to him than right now at this moment.

“I love you too, Tata”

Draken replied as he crashed his lips to hers before he lined her up to take his digits. This was ladies and gentlemen, another new beginning to this sick and twisted fairytale that would end in them dying in each other’s arms.

'the one that got away'

“Can I kill him?”

Kakucho asked Tata after reading something that was delivered in his mail today. The letter wrote about all his organization's dirty deeds that would make him rot in jail forever.

The information Draken acquired from bribing men was all from the right places. And if Kakucho didn’t oblige and kill him, he would give this information to the FBI, exposing him. His choice was only two to let Tata go or not see her again forever.

“You can’t Kaku, I don’t want you to be in jail”

Tata answered sitting beside him, although she wasn’t sad or even shocked she was amused with how smart Draken had become. He backed her into a situation where she would compile to his wishes.

Did he set this up for two years? To stage a perfect crime you need a situation, shreds of evidence, and a perfect getaway, Draken had it all. Well played Ryuguji Ken, well played.

“I can’t let you go for the second time Tata”

Kakucho pleaded, slipping a hand on his waist.

“But you have to, if you don’t Izana would be mad and kill me. Do you want me to be killed?”

Kakucho shook his head, there was no way he could watch her die in his head of organization hands. He loved her, more than life itself. Tata always knew what answer to play Kakucho like a fiddle and this time he fell again into her trap.

“…I thought this was our second chance”

His head was on the crook of her neck, hugging her tight because he knew this was probably the last time he could hold her this tight. He tried to exhale all of her, tried to soak her presence in so that when she left he still have something to remember her by.

“You had your chance Kaku and you blew it by taking the easy way out, and the most pathetic thing was for you, I was okay being another ordinary and boring couple”

Tata’s voice was soothing but her words cut deeper than a knife. Kakucho knew he was the one who screwed it all up, if he didn’t make a rash decision maybe he was already happy with her somewhere else.

They could have a family and a future that would be filled with her in it every single day. He fucking blew his own future, he had no one to blame but himself.

“I love you, Tata”

He whispered to her ear, tears rolling down his face.

“I was too Kaku”

She replied before squeezing him tighter for the last time. Sure she was okay being normal for Kakucho but then if it wasn’t for it, Tata would have never met Draken. The guy who went above and beyond to have her, he was amazing in his own way to make her agree to marry him, a task that no one could complete before.

Draken did disappoint her for some time, but then he surprised her again with a twist she never saw coming. And she knew to pull something like this over her, a guy need to be obsessed and devoted to her.

She admitted her loss this time, after all the things Draken did to win her back how could a girl not fall for it? There was no doubt in her heart anymore that Tata was indeed in love with Ryuguji Ken.

“Let’s see if he would save me tomorrow, goodbye Kaku”

Then she left the penthouse door with absolute certainty that Ryuguji Ken would save her tomorrow and she’d let him this time be her knight in shining armor.

'to stage a perfect fucking crime'

Everyone around Tata knew she was snarky, cunning, manipulative, smart, and calculative, but most importantly she was charming. So charming that everyone glossed over all of her bad traits listed above. She was a nightmare dressed like a daydream and Draken knew that.

He was in love with her more than anyone else, so he let Tata manipulate him in any way she saw fit, anyway she pleased. But he got too comfortable, that he forgot Tata loved men who had the initiative and played her games not prodding along like another lame contestant. Tata would always win but at least he needed to convince her he tried to win.

Before Draken knew it, it was already too late. Draken had become dull in her eyes and she stopped trying to manipulate him by their third year of marriage. To everyone else wasn’t that healthy? She finally stopped trying to control his mind?

But to Draken, it was the worst, when Tata stopped manipulating him then it meant she stopped trying. Sure she still stayed with him, but not for long. If they kept being like this in New York, he would give the two years tops before she left him, chasing a new thrill and fun.

So in a last desperate attempt to save his maariage, Draken made them move to Missouri, albeit her strong resistance they moved there anyway and it began the two-year plan to win Tata back for eternity.

To stage a perfect crime you need a situation, motive, and evidence. Missouri was the perfect place to do that for Draken. There were the Sanos who loved him and wanted him as their in-laws more than anything and lovely neighborhood life who Tata despised, but they loved him.

There was the ex-lover situation Draken knew would become handy and he’d admit never in life Tata was jealous of him. Draken knew if this was back in New York Tata wouldn’t even bat an eye at Emma but with little and nothing to do right here in Missouri? She would have gotten crazy.

And he enjoyed it for the short while there it was, the attention that he longed for, the passion slowly returning to him even for a short period but this wasn’t his whole plan because this was temporary. The background check was now complete.

Moving on to the next step you needed evidence. Like the blood on the floor. It was his blood that he took from his syringe on the pool of blood the police found. Then every marriage problem needs financial trouble, Draken online purchased outfits he knew Tata wouldn’t even wear in her wildest dreams but the police didn’t need to know it.

Keeping it in storage somewhere that soon the police would find. Then made an entire diary, a minimum of 300 pages. You need to create a believable story, Tata and Draken needed to be lovable and magical and it was true, they used to be the perfect couple.

Then you added the bits how the marriage became disoriented, describing how your wife wanted to leave you and had a crazy temper. Added love rivals, from both sides, it added the tension and Tata was until this day had men chasing her, it irked him but oh well.

Did he plan for Tata to see him and Emma in his office, did he ever cheat on Tata? No, he was too in love with her to look at another woman, Draken knew he was a slave to her love and he was fine with it. He did feel a bit sorry for using Emma like that as bait.

Ended the diary with a note, saying your wife looking at you every day with eyes full of hatred, and you were afraid she was going to kill you one of these days, if you went missing please report it after thirty days. Leave this note ‘accidentally’ when you were hanging out with your best friend. He would report it to the police since he was a good man.

There was a slight miscalculation on Draken’s part though, he never added the fact that this way would lead to Tata having an affair with another man. To boot, that man was a freaking rich criminal who would do anything for her.

So he needed the next step, to gather intel that would harm the other man, threatened him with it, making sure Tata had no way but to be back with him. Draken originally planned to be back after three days but because of that affair, he made it to thirty days. Why shouldn’t Tata suffer a bit after making him endure all those marks, all those affairs that she did nothing to cover-up?

Draken needed a place to stay, and a cover story so he set up a contract got a lawyer, and made a plan in advance. He checked himself into a mental hospital, hands all bloody as a sign he tried to kill himself because he was depressed his wife would leave him.

Draken cut himself mere minutes before entering the hospital but they only need to know he was a depressed man who ran here as fast as he realized he wasn’t stable. Then his lawyer would swing by, and make the hospital sign their contract, disclosing Draken’s identity. And that’s how to stage a perfect crime.

“You are joking, right? This was fucking crazy, I heard a lot of fuck up stories, my clients are the definition fucked up but the two of you were…”

Then the man laughed maniacally, Hanma Shuuji the lawyer that had been listening to his own client's stories for this past month was still in disbelief how could this be real.

“You know why I told you right?”

Draken said he wasn’t offended by Hanma’s reaction. The past him would probably think he was fucking crazy too.

“Yes, because I’m obliged to not tell anyone because of my binding legal contract”

Hanma answered after his laughter came down.

“Well, it was time to check me out of this hospital”

Draken got up, ready to leave the room to answer the psychiatrist with how he was already ready to forgive his wife and he needed to be released now since his lawyer just decided to tell him now as he seemed more stable. That his wife was in great danger of going into jail. After all, Draken wanted her to stay, this was just an appeal to win her back. Hanma called him.

“You know the two of you… no one deserves each other more than the two of you and I mean it as a compliment”

Draken smiled and nodded at him, before finally ready to be his wife's savior out of her threatening jail misery.

“I’m sure she killed him, there was a clear power imbalance in that relationship”

One of Naoto’s partners said, Naoto just groaned his case had been sucking the soul out of him.

“We can’t make a murder case without a body, and I think this is suicide”

“Mr. Tachibana, please come here. We found another piece of evidence!”

One of his other juniors shouted, Naoto immediately ran there finding the frivolous spending evidence in the back of this storage room. It was hidden well and his detectives didn’t even find it the second time they scoured this house. Was his team incompetent or does this couple have way too many secrets? Naoto immediately rang Tata’s phone to question her.

“Mrs. Ryuguji this is Detective Tachibana coming from your own house, we tracked your credit card bills and we found some shopping bags full of clothes inside a storage room, untouched”

“Oh, those clothes? I thought Ken bought it for Emma”

Tata answered him nonchalantly and wasn’t even nervous about it.

“Mrs. Ryuguji we knew about your frivolous spending-“

“Detective I’m sorry, but do I look like a girl who wears knock-off clothes? I mean look at this face, I would rather die than wear one”

Tata cut him off, and while Naoto appreciated it, he still couldn’t count her out from lying.

“Mrs. Ryuguji I didn’t mean to offend you, but how do you know it’s knock-off?”

“Search for a high brand collector, they’d know if you didn’t trust my word”

Naoto took a long breath, this couple was exhausting him. Then one of the juniors called, coming in with a purple-haired man on the doorstep.

“Detective Tachibana, there is someone here to see you!”

“I’m sorry Mrs. Ryuguji but I have to cut our conversation now.”

He hang up the phone and walked towards the doorstep to find Ryuguji Ken’s supposed-to-be best friend, Takashi Mitsuya with a book in his hand. This man had given him various testimonies about how Draken’s marriage had completely fallen apart.

“Detective, I think you need to have it”

Boom, the last evidence, the game-changer of this case had been found according to the plan.

'the unattainable tata'

From the very moment Draken laid eyes on her he knew Kudou Tata was out of his league, so he had to work hard to make up for it. And when he finally arrived at her circle that when he realized, she wasn’t just out of her league. Kudou Tata was unattainable, not only to him but to everyone around her.

She had this untouchable aura, that he couldn’t quite explain. She was alluring, everyone got lured into it but not one could touch her without her permission. That was why when he came into her world, Draken realized he was nothing but then she accepted his pursuit.

Out of all the guys in the world that this amazing woman could choose, Tata chose him. A special bond, a fairytale where the princess chose the knight instead of the devastatingly charming prince she could have.

So when did all of these go wrong? The rest of the universe would love to ask that too, especially Tata. As she was once the center of New York high socialite, of course when her husband went missing and she admitted to cheating everyone took an interest in it.

“You were in and out of your boyfriend’s penthouse when your husband went missing. Don’t you have at least a bit of conscience to be concerned about your husband's whereabouts? What if he got murdered? Or maybe are you his murderer?”

The TV presenter asked her, all her life she had been used to the attention so to her this was nothing, just another interview to answer.

“I admitted, I was a douchebag but at least I was upfront with it. Do you know what I consider a murder? When you woke up in the morning then you looked into the mirror and you didn’t recognize yourself anymore, because you changed so much from a man who took your pride, dignity, and everything until you no longer existed. That’s murder”

For the first time, her tone became chilling, seething with anger. The whole room went silent, awkward tension-filled up inside the room.

“Also, I have no reason to murder him as you know I handed him a divorce paper and if I wanted to murder him, why didn’t I do it two months ago? America, you knew me. Kudou Tata was never desperate”

Her tone went back to normal like she didn’t say anything that made everyone in this whole room terrified of her.

“W-what do you want to say to your husband right now? To the camera please”

The TV presenter resumed, never before in her career did she feel such an overwhelming and scary presence. Tata turned to smile at the camera and said this exact specific set of words.

“Ryuguji Ken if you don’t come home, there is going to be a new man of the house soon to replace you. if you catch my drift”

The interview ended right there. Do you want to know the real answer to the first crack of their fairy tale? Let’s see from Tata’s perspective, to her it was when Draken made her move from her glamorous life in Manhattan to mere suburbs in Missouri.

She, an upper-echelon became a mere housewife in the suburbs. No more upper east side, Ryuguji Ken took her everything away but she was willing to try. Why? Because he was her husband damn it!

Draken said the reason was that he wanted to rebuild a facility, to help those kids in the brothel he grew up in to be freed from that. Tata couldn’t care less about it, instead, she was suspicious. Was there someone in it? But turns out it wasn’t the inside she should have been concerned for, it was the outside influence.

There was Emma, according to everyone around her apparently, Draken’s first love. And then it began, she lingered around too much, did she know when to back off? The man already had a wife.

Jealousy was boiling inside of her, yet Draken, her sweet husband who used to adore and put her first always defends her now, saying she was just a childhood friend. The perfect fairytale couple no longer existed, the screaming matches of the regular marriage? Yeah, they became like the one thing they swore not to become.

One morning, Tata take a hard look in the mirror and saw how much he changed her in the span of two years. It mocked her, the reflection haunted her. She became a nobody, she became an average and that was her worst nightmare became a reality.

She became this pathetic, jealous woman who she was never before. Tata was confident, in the past would think that Ryuguji Ken should be grateful she chose him and he had the fucking audacity to cheat on her and anger her?

How ungrateful when she was the one who rise him to her level. Well, it’s game on now. She tried to recapture herself back and there was no best way for it like returning to your ex-lover’s arms?

But for Ryuguji Ken, it was different. At least this one reason was different.

“You know, there was a man who lingered around her way too long. He never back off, he stayed there for fifteen years even when we had already gotten married”

Draken said again to the man in front of him in this all-white room.

“Is he the man who cheats on you, is that why you ran away? To compete for her attention?”

“He is and yes maybe I am, I was always scared she came back to him at one point because he was always there and especially when gifts started to appear at my doorstep every month, then it became weeks, soon it became every day. We always got into huge fights about those gifts.”

Draken said smiling a little bit sad about this recollection of memory.

“Who was his name?”

The man in front of him asked, ready to take a note with a pen in his right hand.

“His name was Kakucho, her high school sweetheart. You know I was always jealous of him, she was with her way before Tata became this wicked and calculating, I think she was genuinely in love with him”

Draken groaned remembering the man with the scar on his face, whom his wife blatantly cheated on him, not hiding it anymore, especially these last two months. In him, probably Tata felt he brought back the fragments of her old self and he did.

She may no longer shop in Manhattan every day but the man brought Manhattan to her when she couldn’t come there. Not before long after the affair started, Tata went back to regaining her old self.

The one problem was, that Draken became invisible in front of her and she shifted all her attention back to Kakucho, she didn’t even have the energy to cover up her affair. Worst of it was, she didn’t care for Draken anymore to lie.

“Then why did it end?”

“He changed way too much for her. Tata had always been frivolous with her spending, and she never did ask Kakucho for it but fuck our society and our mindset that men always had to take care of their women in a material way”

Draken took a deep breath before continuing.

“And that’s what he did, he did some bad shits I don’t know the details of but he got the money, he came from the scraps the only quick way to have money he could think of, was it. Tata loves people's devotion to her. But certainly, she loved her pristine reputation more. Especially back then, she still had so much ahead in front of her. So she broke it off and it broke the man into pieces”

Draken explained and the man wrote it all down on his note.

“In his defense, Tata was difficult to please and to understand”

Draken added his bits, which got written down on the paper.

“You know what’s funny? She said it was because of that but in one of our fights she said this…”

And Draken proceeded to tell him the whole story of one of his many fights with his wife. It was of course because of the gifts appearing on their doorstep every single morning.

“You can’t accept these gifts, I’m your husband and I said no to it!”

Draken screamed, which was a favor she gladly returned.

“Oh, really? Because at least he gave me a piece of Manhattan back. Ken, you ripped me off everything. You made me this useless, another suburban wife. At least Kakucho loves me enough, what you can’t give me!”

“He’s a fucking criminal Tata!”

“At least he had a job and what are you? You moved back here, and after rebuilding the shelter you made you refuse to go back and work alongside Seishu. We wasted a fucking year just so you can be near that younger perky first love you had!”

Then the fight went on, screaming matches like that every day until the gifts didn’t come anymore. Because Kakucho just moved into the penthouse in St Louis.