Warning: Rated M for implied same sex intercourse. Why do I have to be this specific?

Chapter 22:

"It's a shame, really." Michael revelled. "She could have been great." While his puzzled audience were trying to comprehend who he was talking about, his eyes rested on the detective. "A legend even." He indicated."Your mother. But she wanted to get married and have you."

"She is a legend." Ran argued.

"Japanese legend." He corrected. "She could have been the world's." Michael pointed out the potential Yukiko once possessed. At the time, she was the first Japanese to acquire a major role in Hollywood's blockbuster.

"Are you saying that I ruined my mother's career?" Shinichi turned defensive. He may not be born, had Yukiko continued acting.

"Of course not." Michael denied the allegation. "It was you and your father."

"Dad. Why aren't you saying anything?" Shinichi complained. The man did somewhat insulted the both of them.

"He's right." Yusaku agreed despite the implied mockery."Your mother could have won the Oscar."

"Really?" Shinichi inquired.

"Now, we'll never know." He stated sarcastically.

"Well, not right away but at one point in her career. Yes, very likely." Yusaku analyzed and commented to Michael. His wife had some of the most powerful forces of Hollywood backing, some might even say unprecedented. "Your mother is very fond of her."

"For more reason than one." Gin mumbled.

"What are you implying?" Shinichi asked.

"He thinks that my mother is having an affair with your mother." Michael explained.

"What?" The detective exclaimed.

"I can understand the logic, but I'll have to disagree." Yusaku answered. He would have figured it out.

"What logic? It's illogical to say the least." He rejected. To his dismay the man just gave a sympathetic smile.

"Oh ho ho. You don't know." Gin laughed, then shouted, obviously enjoying himself. "Vermouth! Your son here doesn't know you sleep with women."

Back in the kitchen, Yukiko tried to appease her friend, placing a hand on her knee as they were sitting sideways at the kitchen table."This'll come out wrong. But I understand if you want to kill him."

Vermouth sighed, putting down her hand from the bridge of her nose. "We'll talk later."

"That'll be best." She immediately agreed.

/

"What?" Gin cheekily said to a very annoyed Vermouth pretending as if he had a legitimate reason for yelling across the room. "I remembered you said something about not hiding anything from him."

"Oddly enough." She feigned pondering. "That question never came up."

"Seriously?" It had been years since anything even remotely caught him off guard.

Vermouth gave a reassuring with a hint of apologetic squeeze on Michael's shoulder. "Yes."

"Remember Chianty?" Gin continued tauting.

"You don't say?" Akai asked to be sure. "Wait a minute. Why would she want you dead?"

"Obviously. She wasn't the only one." Gin replied all too cheerful.

"You mean you." Vermouth retorted smirking.

"That she knows of." He responded.

"You have to admit it was entertaining." Vermouth argued her point.

Gin would like very much to reject her argument, but he couldn't help relishing a few memories. "True."

"Then let it go." Vermouth concluded eyeing both Gin and Michael while the spectators slowly recovered from their shock. "The both of you."

Reluctantly, the mentioned two glared at each other one final time though they left the subject alone.

"Almost forgot." Michael pulled out a parcel of sorts from his briefcase on the floor. "I thought you'd like to have it once again."

"Thank you, Michael." Vermouth sighed, holding her gift in one hand. Her thump trailed along the taping. Suddenly, she bursted into laughter. "You'll never get a life, won't you?"

"Well, you get Gin so no thank you." This may be best described as the anti sugar coating technique.

In contrast to somebody sour face, Vermouth's smile never left her face. "I may not be a great example."

"Can I open it? Please." Kate seemed to be more than curious with her arm outstretched.

Her begging did not go to waste."I don't see why not." The parcel was then handed to Michael and placed on the table with great care.

Her tiny hands grabbed the cardboard edge, but her twinkling eyes turned dark as the parcel refused to budge. "It's heavy." She concluded, her left hand stretched outward to Gin with open palm waiting.

"What?" Gin grunted.

"I need something to cut the tape." She explained.

"Or you could help." And her brother not to kindly add.

"Last time, I touched that thing. Your mother sold my car." Gin complained.

"It's not like now you have much to worry about anyway." Michael disputed.

Gin frown, but his hand reached down and pulled a knife out of his ankle holster. The blade was flipped a full circle in thin air so that the handle was facing her.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Ran voiced her thought in return Michael put his index finger on the lips. Everything was too surreal.

Kate's nose scrunched holding up the knife to Gin's eye level. "You do know it smells."

"Then don't sniff it." He smirked. Thick skin knew no bound.

She glowered though her hand fluently worked the blade without much trouble. As the parcel opened, Michael warned. "Be careful."

With all her tiny might, she slowly got the tightly bubble wrapped out. "Talking about gift. I know what I want for my birthday."

"Oh? What is it?" Vermouth inquired. She didn't think her daughter would have made up her mind this fast. It was months till her birthday.

She answered as her hand was unwrapping the bubble. "I want a brother." She shrugged. "You know. Someone I can boss around."

"You do boss me around." Michael argued.

"Two weeks a year!" She disputed while getting the insolence tape off her hand.

"You did say that she could ask for anything." Gin commented, looking as smug as one can possibly be.

"Of course." Vermouth confirmed with a little twisted while suppressing the urge to wrap her hands around a certain someone's neck and squeezed till … let's not go there. "She's just not gonna get everything."

She then turned to her daughter. "If you want someone to play with, wait 8 months?" A thought occurred, she turned to Akemi. "Or were you further along?"

"What?" Akai exclaimed as Akemi wished for a hole to crawl into.

"You really have to ruin it for me, don't you?" Gin commented sarcastically.

"You started it."

"Ah! Yes, congratulation." Shinichi and Yusaku immediately reacted. The pregnant Akemi didn't escape the father and son's deductive minds.

"What are you talking about?" The to be father took Akemi's took his wife's hand into his own and asked. "Is it true?"

And she nodded. That was all he needed. "Are you sure? How long?" It seemed like at this moment complex sentences were out of Akai's ability.

"Four weeks." She blushed.

"Sis, congratulation." Shiho said then focused on Akai. "Brother in law, please tell me how your neighbors know before you. Maybe later on. In private."

His soul vaporized from his body as the sound of Shiho's tone. "Yes, ma'am."

Gin took out his wallet and placed on the table some papers in front of Akai. Naturally, he confusedly picked up. "What's this dry cleaning bill?"

"Do you want to do the honor or I'll do?" Gin just looked at Akemi making her shrink further into the couch.

"What's he talking about?" Akai asked his wife.

"I kind of…puked on him." If Akemi blushed any further, she would boiled.

"Oh." Akai uttered a single word then continued flipping through the papers. Dry cleaning bill, hospital bills…he paused at a particular one. "What's this cheque?" It had already been filled in with the exception of the signature.

"Emotional damage, of course." Gin exaggerated trauma.

Vermouth sighed. "Just ignored him, please."

She turned to Gin. "I can't believe you brought her to the same hospital. Don't you know the nurses hate you?"

"I am not driving extra miles smelling like vomit." Gin growled.

"What happened exactly? With the nurses?" Her trip to the hospital was laced with sympathetic hospital workers from nurses to doctors. Not that she minded.

"I did nothing wrong." Gin commented a little too loudly.

"Oh, I'm sure." Vermouth mocked. "It was just a glorious debate on how all babies are ugly and filthy after a very sympathetic reassurance. I believed your exact words were:'That wasn't so bad, was it?'"

"I am right." Gin retorted.

"My advice to you, Akai kun." Vermouth said. "Don't say that."

"Right." He felt much better then. At least, he couldn't be any worse.

"So where is the baby?" Kate asked caught the entire league of adult dumbfounded. "Why do I have to wait?"

"Inside my belly, dear." She really shouldn't have said so.

"How did it get in? Did you eat it?"

"Why don't you ask Akai? He put it in there." Vermouth answered, mischief glinted her eyes.

"Vermouth." Akai called out. "I hate you."

"Yes, you do."

"Can I talk to you? In private?" Shinichi walked up to Vermouth as Kate finally pulled the last bubble wrapped off.

"It's a golden statue." She exclaimed, holding it with both hands. "Is it real gold?"

"Believe me. It's worth more than gold." Michael commented.

"It looks real." Ran's expression slowly transformed into shock. "It can't be real, can it?"

"Vermouth?" Shinchi reminded her. She seemed to be lost in the moment.

"Oh, sure." She was snapped out of her thought.

/

Shinichi leant on the back of a chair at the kitchen table as Vermouth stood opposite with her back to the counter. "Do you by any chance possess a spare used handkerchief?"

Her face fell. "You didn't?"

He meekly nodded. "I placed it somewhere I failed to locate."

"In simple words, you want me to help you lie to her." Vermouth chalked down the current picture to him as she turned around and pulled herself a glass of water.

"Technically, it wasn't a lie." He argued putting up an invisible wall between him and Vermouth with his hands. "It'll still be from you."

"You do realize I am more fond of her than you?" Vermouth replied with her back still turned.

"Yes, but it would make her very happy." He hoped in vain that she would agree. Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass, knocking on a solid surface. His eyes moved sideways just in time for his hands to catch the rolling ware. Water trickled down the counter top. With much confusion, he looked up to find her face contorted. "Vermouth?"

Snapping out of it, Vermouth caught his eyes with a weak smile and a silent finger on her lips. Sweats glistered her skin.