Down and Dirty

by Jade, Imari

  “She’s sad that she’s not here to witness her younger brothers’ christening,” Damien told her. “But she sends her love and wants me to send pictures of them.”

  “You can’t send them until after the photo shoot,” Harper reminded him. KiNii Publishing and Harper’s New York publishing company had the rights to the first public photos of the twins, followed by a full magazine spread featured in Flowing Magazine, the fashion publication that had done such a beautiful job on Shaundra and the other New York writers when they’d first come to Japan two years ago.

  “Awe, she is going to be so disappointed,” Damien said, putting his phone into his pocket.

  “She’ll get over it,” Harper said to his son.

  “It is business, son,” Goro Niigata said to Damien. “Shaundra and Ichiro will make a fortune and so will our three publications.”

  Cristal agreed with her boss. The Yoshida babies were big news on both sides of the Red Sea. The only person allowed to photograph them at the christening was someone Mr. Niigata trusted not to sell the pictures to the media. Now, the Yoshida family in Kagawa might be disappointed, but Mr. Niigata had sent out advance notice that no photo taking would be allowed. Cristal grimaced. He acted like the twins were his, and she wondered what Shaundra thought about all this. She was sure Ichiro didn’t care and would do whatever Mr. Niigata told him to. To Ichiro and the other members of Aomori, Mr. Niigata was a god.

  “Ooh, there’s a ferry,” Izanagi said excitedly. “Are we going on it?”

  “Yes,” Cristal told him. Izanagi had been very animated since he boarded the van. He’d rewarded her with a pleasant smile when he saw her earlier.

  Hiroyuki had been polite and nodded, but the sullen, sleep-deprived Kioshi just mumbled good morning and frowned at her. Maybe he realized she’d been serious when she told him he’d better be up and ready or she’d pull him out the bed. Cristal smirked. He thought that he being naked would hinder her. It did not. She’d seen naked males before. She stopped smiling and groaned. But she had never seen one so young and untouched as Kioshi. He hadn’t even tried to hide all that hairless pale flesh when she entered his bedroom earlier. For an eighteen-year-old, Kioshi had quite the manly body with muscles in all the right places. He also had a narrow waist and nicely shaped legs. He just stepped from his bed and walked to the bathroom, giving her a delightful view of his eighteen-year-old butt. The sight had made her day. Cristal frowned. Did this make her a cougar since she was nearly nine years older than him? She would have to ask Shaundra later when she saw her. If anyone knew, Shaundra did.

  “Have any of you guys ever been to Shikoku before?” Harper asked the trio.

  “No,” all three answered.

  She guessed he didn’t know Mr. Niigata had been keeping the boys in hiding since they arrived from America. They were allowed to go out separately, but never as a trio, except when being accompanied by their manager to the recording studio or to KiNii.

  “It’s a great place,” Goro told them. I’ll have the driver take you sightseeing before we return to Osaka, but you can’t leave the van.”

  Two of them seemed excited by the announcement. The gloom and doom one behind her didn’t say a word. She hoped he wouldn’t sulk the entire trip. Spoiled as he was, she was sure Mr. Niigata would have a fit if Kioshi didn’t act friendly with the people they were going to meet.

  The driver entered the parking lot and drove onto the ferry.

  Izanagi leaned forward. “I love the water, Miss Cristal. Do you suppose the hotel has a pool?”

  “Yes, it does,” Cristal answered him. “There’s a private one right outside your rooms, and it’s heated so you won’t catch pneumonia.”

  “I have packed your swimwear,” Saburo said to him. “I figured you boys could use some exercise.”

  Izanagi clapped excitedly.

  “I don’t know why you’re so excited,” Kioshi told him. “It’s probably a publicity stunt.”

  “That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun,” Izanagi said. “And you need to stop frowning. It will give you wrinkles.”

  Cristal listened to their conversation. They sounded nothing like Aomori, who were grown by the time she’d met them. She supposed they had been just as cute and obnoxious at eighteen and nineteen as these three. Distraction was still too young to be corrupted by the glitz and glamour of stardom, and still acted like teens. Well, at least two of them did. The third one was a little too mature for his age and needed a paddling to get his attitude in check.

  Masaaki and Saburo chatted as the ferry sailed away from the bank. She thought Masaaki seemed happier these days and not so uptight. She wondered if he was giving the younger Saburo advice on how to handle the trio. Hopefully, he’d tell him about grounding the members if they got out of line. She smirked. Why should she and Aomori be the only ones to suffer? Well, Masaaki couldn’t ground her anymore since she had moved out on her own, but she was sure Mr. Niigata could get at her in other ways like making her Distraction’s publicist. She wondered what she’d done to deserve them.

  ****

  “Why did I think Ichiro lived in a rural little town?” Shaundra asked Dae-Hyun when they entered Kagawa. She discovered Kagawa was a city with a large concentration of company branch offices and the national government branch for Shikoku. They passed the Symbol Tower, a new building located in the Sunport area of the city.

  “We’re not actually in his part of town yet,” Dae-Hyun said. “But it isn’t too far away.”

  Well, maybe his home was on the outskirts of town, like the farmhouse was in a rural area of Osaka.

  “His family is well known here. They run a catering business and a restaurant supply company.”

  She knew most of this already, but there was still so much she bet she didn’t know. She and Ich had been married nearly two years now and she’d only met his siblings. Now she would be under the scrutiny of aunts, uncles, and cousins who were all going to judge her because she was older than him.

  “Is it a big business?” Shaundra asked, trying to take her mind off her worries.

  “Yes, from what I’ve read,” Dae-Hyun answered. Mashuu Yoshida formed the two businesses after Ichiro’s father died and expanded on it after his Yakuza organization was disbanded.”

  “So you’re telling me he runs a legitimate company.”

  “That’s what the newspaper says, but his salespeople are some of the members of the defunct organization.”

  “Hmm,” Shaundra said. “I hope it’s true. I would hate for the boys to never ever again come here. Kagawa seems like a beautiful place.”

  “That is a decision hopefully you will not have to make,” Dae-Hyun told her. He drove into the driveway of the hotel and up to the front door where he turned off the engine. The babies were still asleep in the back seat. “Go in and get the keys,” he told her. “Then we’ll bring the boys up. I’ll come back down for the luggage.”

  Shaundra nodded. The SUV still felt warm and toasty. She opened the door, quickly stepped out, and then closed the door to keep the warmth inside. She hurried into the lobby, got the two keys, and went back out in the cold to help Dae-Hyun get the babies inside.

  Their rooms were located on the top floor with an adjoining door between them. Each room had its own microwave and refrigerator. Shaundra didn’t plan to do any cooking in the two days they’d be there.

  Dae-Hyun helped get the babies out their coats, changed them, and took Raiden while she nursed Ryoto. They swapped up about a half hour later so she could feed Raiden. After the boys went to sleep, Dae-Hyun went down to the restaurant to get them some breakfast.

  ****

  “Wow, look at this place,” Satoshi said as they stepped outside the van at the Yoshida family homestead. The last time he’d been there, the place consisted of just a modest family home on a large acreage of farmland. The crops were gone and in its place were several family homes all surrounding the main family home. He also spotted manicured, snow-covered lawns and shr
ubbery and a huge building out back that looked like an oversize garage.

  “They’ve done a bit of renovating,” Ichiro explained. “Now all my uncles have a home nearby.”

  Ichiro’s father had been the eldest of four brothers. Mashuu hired contractors to build houses to bring his family closer together.

  “The place on the back is a hall for meetings. This is where the celebration will take place,” Ichiro explained. “It has a stage and everything we’ll need to perform.”

  The door to the main house opened and Daichi appeared, dressed in a suit. Satoshi hadn’t seen him dressed like this in a while since he was always in the kitchen cooking at Ichiro’s restaurant. He came down to greet them, shaking everyone’s hands.

  “Wow, look at you guys. Great haircuts.”

  Aomori had gotten new dos before leaving Amsterdam.

  “You guys look great and very masculine.” He clapped Takumijo on the back. “You look like a rock star.”

  Takumijo now had short, dark blond hair with golden highlights.

  Both Yori and Ichiro had kept their hair black, but Yori’s was short and he wore it combed back from his forehead while Ichiro’s long locks had been shorn short, leaving a little bang and parted on the right. And lastly, Satoshi’s hair was shorter too, with his signature bangs, but dyed light brown. They were all striving to look masculine even though they still had very feminine faces.

  Kenshin finally got out the van. He, too, had a new look. He now sported dark brown, spiky hair and was trying to grow a mustache and a goatee for his solo career as a crooner.

  Daichi hugged him and then commented on the peach fuzz on his chin. “You’re going to drive your fans crazy. I approve. You guys no longer look like a bunch of teenagers.”

  True, they all were pushing close to thirty. Their youngest member would turn twenty-six on Christmas Eve, and Yori would turn twenty-seven the day after Valentine’s Day. Where in the hell had the time gone?

  Amaterasu finally stepped out of the van. She yawned.

  “Who is this?” Daichi asked.

  “She’s my girl,” Takumijo answered.

  Daichi hugged her too. “Welcome to our family home. I hope you’re going to love it. It’s not Osaka, but it’s very peaceful.”

  “Arigato,” Amaterasu said, bowing.

  They grabbed their luggage and Daichi took them to where they would be staying. The property had another single family home on the left of the mansion.

  “It’s not as big as the farmhouse, but it has six bedrooms and three baths. You should be comfortable for a couple of days.”

  “It’s going to be fine,” Satoshi told him. “I remember when the four of us used to share one dorm room.”

  “I’ll be staying in the main house with my sisters. We originally were going to get some rooms at the hotel, but Uncle Mashuu and auntie insisted we stay here,” Daichi told them.

  The main house had to have at least six bedrooms too since it was larger than the one they would be staying in. They entered the house and looked around.

  “The kitchen is nice,” Ichiro said after they put their luggage down. “But I don’t think I’ll get a chance to use it.”

  “You’re on holiday,” Daichi told him. “You have to learn to relax and let someone else do the cooking for a change.”

  “But…”

  “No buts,” Daichi said. “I’ve taken care of everything. I’m preparing a salt-free diet for your wife.” He paused. “Where is she anyway?”

  “She’s staying in town at a hotel,” Ichiro said.

  “With Dae-Hyun?” Daichi asked.

  Ichiro nodded. “You know about him?”

  This time, Daichi nodded. “Shaundra brought him along to the rehearsal. I like him, and he’s real good with my nephews.”

  Ichiro frowned. “You’re not supposed to like him. He’s the enemy.”

  “Not mine,” Daichi said. “Yes, I heard all about your first meeting with him. Maybe next time, you’ll think before you react. And he’s not a bad cook either. He’s teaching me some Korean dishes.”

  Satoshi stood by, waiting for all of this to register with Ich.

  “Do you know that Shaundra has moved out and is staying with him?” Ich asked his brother.

  “Yes,” Daichi said. “But he has his own place on the property. I’ve been there. He’s neat and orderly and a gentleman. You don’t have anything to worry about. He’s a good employee.”

  Ichiro didn’t get angry as they all expected. He just looked puzzled. Maybe he was taking the time to think about what Daichi had told him.

  Daichi took them up to their rooms so they could settle in and then he took them over to the main house. The first relative to greet them was Ich’s aunt, Kameyo. She was Mashuu’s wife. Hana and Estuke entered the foyer seemingly very glad to see them.

  “Look at you boys,” Ichiro’s great-aunt Jun said once they made it to the hallway. She was Ich’s grandfather’s baby sister. “You’re not boys anymore.”

  Satoshi remembered how she used to look after and feed them whenever they came for a visit.

  Jun hugged them and ushered them into the dining room. Yori had always been her favorite. “I had Daichi prepare you gyudon. I know it’s your favorite,” she told Yori. Gyudon was a popular beef and onion dish served over rice.

  Yori bowed to the elderly gray-haired woman. “Arigatou. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble at all,” Jun said with a smile. “It does me good to fawn over a handsome young man.”

  Jun’s husband had died a year after Ichiro’s grandmother.

  Yori turned on the charm. “Don’t tell me you aren’t fighting off eligible bachelors all day.”

  Jun giggled like a girl. “Well, there is Mr. Suki down at the fish market, but he’s not as tall and good-looking as you.”

  “But I can’t provide you with fresh fish every day like he can,” Yori told her. He kissed her on the forehead. “You stick with Mr. Suki. He knows a good woman when he sees one.”

  Jun and Kameyo went into the kitchen with Daichi while the others got comfortable in the dining room. Hana and Estuke sat next to Amaterasu to get to know her. Moments later, they all sat down around the table feasting like gods.

  ****

  Damien decided to join Distraction in the pool. Harper, Mr. Niigata, Masaaki, and Saburo went off to do business, leaving Crystal alone in her hotel room. Bored to death, Crystal grabbed her purse and went down to the first floor for a snack.

  “What are you doing here?” someone asked from behind her.

  Cristal spun around and found Shaundra watching her. She squealed. “Shaundra? What are you doing here?”

  “I have a room here,” Shaundra said.

  “Me too. So does Harper, Mr. Niigata, and Damien.” Of all the hotels in the area, she wondered how they’d chosen the same one. “Where are the babies?”

  “In the room napping with Dae-Hyun.”

  “Do you have some free time?” Cristal asked. She was starving for female company.

  “Yes, about an hour. Why?”

  “I’m bored,” Cristal said. “I need someone to talk to.”

  “There’s a restaurant over there,” Shaundra said, pointing. “Let’s get lunch.”

  Cristal followed Shaundra to the restaurant, and then bombarded her with questions after the waitress left to fill their order.

  “Who is Dae-Hyun? Is he really a nanny, or is he just your new eye candy?”

  “Whoa!” Shaundra said. “No, he’s not my new eye candy. I’m a married woman, remember?”

  Cristal pouted and eyed her curiously. “You’re talking to me, remember?”

  Shaundra nodded. “He’s a big, gorgeous Korean and a good man.”

  “Define gorgeous? Prettier than Ichiro?”

  Shaundra shook her head. “No one is prettier than Ichiro. But Dae-Hyun is handsome with the best-looking lips.”

  Both of them chuckled.

 
“You lucky heifer,” Cristal said. “What does Ichiro think of you shacking up with him?”

  “We are not shacking,” Shaundra said. “And Ichiro is concerned.”

  Cristal chuckled wickedly. “I bet he is. I’m surprised he’s not staked out in front of your place every night.”

  “No,” Shaundra said. “But he does call often. Now, enough about me. What have you been up to?”

  “Work,” Cristal explained. “Everyone is preparing for Ichiro’s birthday bash.”

  “I’ve heard about it,” Shaundra said.

  The waitress returned with their sodas and silverware and then left again.

  “What do you mean heard? You haven’t received your invitation yet?”

  “Yes, it came,” Shaundra said. “But I don’t know if I’ll be attending.”

  “What do you mean? Of course you’re attending. You’re his wife. The public is expecting to see you there.” Cristal paused. “You know you can score major brownie points with Aomori fans if you’re there supporting him.”

  “Screw Aomori’s fans,” Shaundra said. “I just thought, under the circumstances, I’d stay away since my argument with Takumijo.”

  “What argument?” Cristal asked. Boy, did she feel out the loop.

  “Takumijo accused me of sleeping with Dae-Hyun. Unkind words were passed, and I haven’t spoken to him since.”

  Cristal picked up her soda. “When did this happen?”

  “Last Sunday,” Shaundra answered. “I stopped over with the kids and he verbally attacked me. I must say it surprised the heck out of me. He wanted me to give him a definite answer to when I’d be moving back into the farmhouse. But the last time I checked, I was a grown woman and I didn’t have to answer to anyone.”

  Cristal stared at her. “Are you serious? Tak got all up in your business?”

  Shaundra nodded. “You’d think Ich was his woman.”

  “Well,” Cristal mumbled.

  “Well, nothing,” Shaundra said. “Ich is my husband, and it’s none of Takumijo’s business. Instead of being mad at me, he should be mad at Ich.”