A/N: I decided to upload 28 and 29 simultaneously as an apology for the long wait. Be warned that it's short though but it's a pivotal point in the story.

Now, enough ramblings. On with the chapter!

Chapter 29: Me and the Broken Wall

"F-F-Fired?" Miyu stuttered, too shocked to even form a complete sentence.

"Explain yourself, Dad!" Kanata yelled as he loomed from his seat, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Calm down, Kanata," Hosho said, warning clear in his voice. "You're scaring your son," he said, directing the brunet to the child beside him.

True enough, Ruu was already tearing, about to wail at any minute.

Before Kanata could reach out to calm the child, he was beaten to it by two aged arms.

"There there, Ruu-kun," the head butler Kouzuki said as he cradled the child in his arms. "Master Hosho, might I suggest we discuss this inside," he said.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Are you finally calm, Kanata?" Hosho said, while eyeing the pacing brunet. The younger Saionji stopped and turned towards him aggressively.

The two have secluded themselves in the Saionji library – away from prying eyes and ears from the rest of the staff.

"I'm still waiting for an explanation, Dad," the brunet started. He then turned to look spitefully at his father.

"You finally came back from years of travelling - acting as if you hadn't even left for years, then after a few days, you're suddenly making some hasty organizational changes!" Kanata said, his arms gesturing to emphasize his point.

"I need a good explanation as to why you're suddenly firing her," Kanata said, every word layered with threat. "Because as far as I know, she has done nothing to deserve this."

"You're right, Kanata," Hosho started, cutting the tirade of the younger. "She has done nothing to bad to deserve a dismissal," he explained. "She has been a model employee that does beyond what is expected from her."

To Kanata's surprise, Hosho flashed him a warm, sincere smile. "I can understand why you're upset. I am, after all, firing the girl that you like," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"So help me understand, Dad," Kanata said, exhausted from all the emotional drama his father is putting him through.

Hosho had to bite his lip from laughing. "He didn't deny the 'girl you like' bit," he thought to himself.

"I'm firing her as our maid, son," he started. "But that doesn't mean that I'm banishing her from our lives," the elder Saionji explained.

Kanata blinked at this – a silent plea for Hosho to continue.

"I've seen how much good of an influence she has on you," Hosho started. "And I want her to stick around – permanently if possible," he continued, as he stood and stared outside the window – his back towards the young man. "But don't you think that keeping her here as a maid is too limiting for her?" he continued, turning to see the brunet's face.

As expected, Kanata's eyes widened, realization slowly dawning on to him.

"It's like we're trapping her in her tower," Hosho continued. "For as long as she is known as the Saionji maid, that's all she will ever be."

"From what I've seen, the child enjoys being of service to people. So as long as she sees that we need her, she will put her dreams on hold to serve us."

Kanata knew that it's true. It was obvious that the young woman had dreams. She had done well in America when given the freedom she deserved.

And yet, she came back to him.

Out of obligation? Want? Or Need? He could never say.

He was too busy being happy to even think about her reason.

Seeing the conflicting thoughts in his son's mind, Hosho continued. "I want her to spread her wings – to be Miyu rather than the maid. I want to give this fantastic child a chance to grow into something she wants to be, and not just as the beloved maid of our house."

The young man remained silent at this – contemplating on the wise words his father just said.

Seeing his son still so deep in thought, Hosho couldn't help but place a comforting hand on the former's shoulder. "This doesn't mean you'll have to say good bye to her. Like I said, I'm not kicking her out of the house." She'll probably still live here with us since Kouzuki is still here," he continued. "The only difference is that you can't go ordering her around anymore."

The brunet absentmindedly nodded his head.

Seeing as he's not really fond of this gloomy side of his son, Hosho decided to ruffle his feathers a little.

"So you better stop making her do all the kinky stuff with her. I mean, I know that you have a maid fetish, but rather than taking advantage of your power over her, you might want to let her have a say with how you guys do the dee-"

"SHUT UP, OLD MAN!" Kanata yelled as he punched the elder Saionji right on the cheek, a blush clear on his face. "AND WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

Hosho laid sprawled down the floor, his eyes swirling from the pain. "T-That w-was a nice hit, my boy," he praised.

"I'm out of here!" Kanata yelled, as he turned towards the door.

"Kanata," Hosho suddenly said, making the brunet stop from turning the knob.

"From now on, Miyu will be just like any other girl, do you understand?" the elder Saionji said with all seriousness in his voice.

"I get it, Dad," Kanata assured him, before leaving the room.

Hosho couldn't help but massage his goatee, out of habit. "It's all in your hands, son."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Do you understand, Miyu?" the head butler Kouzuki said, as he sat beside his beloved granddaughter.

The blonde nodded slowly.

"I understand his intentions, Grandpa. I just... can't believe it," she replied, as she absentmindedly stroke the child in her arms.

"What am I going to do from now on?" she asked, as she looked him with eyes full of question.

"For starters, I think you should go to school with me," a familiar voice startled both Kouzukis - their young master standing by their doorway.

"Papa!" Ruu greeted. Kanata sighed to himself. He was beyond relieved that the child easily forgot his earlier temper.

The blonde blinked at the suggestion of their new companion before paling considerably, "I-I don't think I can afford your tuition fee, young maste-"

"You don't have to call me that anymore," Kanata said, as he rubbed the nonexistent itch on his neck. He was too far away for the three to see the blush creeping on his face.

"O-oh," Miyu stuttered, a red hue also creeping up her own cheeks. "Hmm... how about... Kanata...kun?" the girl tested. All occupants in the room flinched at the sound. It just didn't sound natural coming from her.

"We'll work on that later," the brunet mumbled, before he neared the three.

"There's a scholarship program," he continued. "You just have to take a test and a one-on-one interview. If all goes well, you can enrol in our school for the next semester," he said, as sat down in the chair opposite the there.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," the elder Kouzuki replied, encouraging his young granddaughter. "There's no harm in trying, Miyu."

The blonde ex-maid could only nod at that. Truthfully, she was worried that she wouldn't be smart enough to be accepted. They might have been tutored during their service to the Saionji house, but it was still different from the type of lessons a formal education would give you.

"I'll help you review if you want," the brunet suddenly said, as if reading her thoughts from her face.

Miyu blinked at the young man, his words slowly registering to her. A brilliant smile was slowly creeping up her face.

Kanata couldn't help but blush at the look his ex-maid is giving him. He cleared his throat before continuing, "It would be better if you knew where we already are in school. The test would be easier for you."

The blonde leaned more towards him, her smile radiating too brightly. "I would appreciate that very much, Mast- er... Kanata... kun!" Miyu said, confusion replacing her enthusiasm.

The brunet sighed. "Just Kanata would be fine," he assured the hesitant blonde.

Out of the blue, the blonde butler appeared behind the couch. "You've already kissed him, hugged him, and share custody of a kid with him. The least you could do is call him by his given name!" Seiya said, teasing the two.

To add to the two's embarrassment, the elder Saionji conveniently entered the room and their conversation right at this moment.

"I didn't know that!" Hosho said, as he nudged the seething brunet. "Are you sure nothing really went between you two while I was away? There's not much evidence against your maid fetish, my boy!"

"OLD MAN!" Kanata yelled as he stood to chase after the retreating elder. Not before turning towards the blonde butler behind the couch, "Yaboshi..." he said menacingly, the obvious of greater pain to come. Seiya paled before running after the master of the house.

Before Kanata could inflict some serious damage, a voice suddenly broke his murderous rage.

"Thank you," the blonde woman said in front of him. Locking eyes, she couldn't help but say it with more sincerity. "Thank you, Kanata," she said as she flashed him her smiles.

His name never sounded sweeter.

- Chapter 29 End –

A/N: So... here's Chapter 29. I'm not completely happy with how this turned out since I kinda rushed it a bit. It's short and fast, but it's necessary to move forward with the story. I needed this to set up how wanted my general direction to go moving forward.

So... just so we're clear, Hosho broke down the whole master-maid wall between the two. That's the reason why he fired Miyu. He ships KanataxMiyu. Hehehe. :) And look at Kanata making a move... our awkward boy is growing up!

Love it? Hate it? Getting tired of it?

Let me know. :)