Akira had to admit he'd completely misjudged his brother's fiance. The omega was clearly meek by choice, not by habit. Right now, all traces of the timid, shy fellow from lunchtime were gone. The man in front of him was shaking with quiet anger, eyes blazing with defiance, back straight and shoulders squared even in the face of Akira's overwhelming height and manner.

"And what do you know about my happiness?" Yoru asked him, a humorless smile spreading across his face. "You keep your definition of it to yourself. I've smiled enough times when I'm actually broken inside to realize that happiness isn't what makes you smile. And it's perfectly fine by me if your brother cannot make me happy - I didn't ask that of him, nor he of me."

"And you think you can spend your entire life in an unhappy marriage?"

"Trust me, my standards for what makes me happy are unbelievably low. Kei would have to work to make our marriage an unhappy one."

"We'll see. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'll consider myself warned."

Without excusing himself, Yoru swept past him and stomped away. So aggravated was he that as he turned right towards the towards the living room, he failed to notice Kei hiding behind the corner on the left. Once his footsteps had faded away, however, Kei barreled down the short corridor towards his brother.

"Oh, it's you," Akira said, turning. "I don't know if your future wife is really wise or really stupid - GAH!"

Akira's whole body shuddered with the impact of Kei's punch. His back hit the wall hard. He'd barely pulled his hand away from his split lip when Kei punched him again, this time landing the blow on his nose.

"Where do you get off on sabotaging my life!" Kei shouted, grabbing Akira by the the throat. "Why! Why did you have to say all that!"

"Because I have a conscience!" Akira shouted back. "Where do you get off dragging an innocent person into this sort of life! You, who knows how miserable it is!"

"You have everything you wished for! I gave up everything so you could! Don't you see? If I don't get married, if I don't have children, the group's responsibility falls on you!"

"Then marry someone from the inside! Why the hell would you involve a civilian! He can speak swollen words now because he hasn't seen the dark side of things. You think he'll be able to take it when he sees our debtors begging for mercy at your feet? You think he'll be able to take it when our boys get killed right before him? If you have kids, and one of our enemies hurts them - you think he'll stand by you then?"

*

"What the hell is wrong with you two!"

Ayako fumed at her two sons, who were sulking on opposite ends of the couch. "Poor Yoru went home so upset - what the hell happened!"

"Akira had a nice talk with him," Kei responded sarcastically. "The usual. Mafia life is shit, stay away from the mafia, flotsam and jetsam -"

"You're taking too much advantage of the freedom we've given you," Ayako growled at her younger son. "You cannot keep your freedom and keep everyone away from Kei."

"I'm surprised how nobody sees anything wrong with trapping a civilian in our world," Akira responded dryly. "Kei can easily marry someone from another yakuza family."

"Yoru is Kei's choice. I'm not taking that away from him. And you, Kei! Haven't I told you to control your anger?"

Kei glared at Akira, who defiantly glared back. "If my engagement breaks because of him, I'll do worse," he spat.

"Are you crazy? Think about the example you're setting for the kids!"

"Oh, they certainly won't know what happened. Akira has to be able to speak to tell them anything."

"Goodness, both of you are incorrigible," Ayako groaned, clutching her forehead in aggravation. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to control herself, she shot Akira a tired look. "I'm not saying you don't have a point," she acknowledged. "I understand the practical risks too. But I don't think isolating Kei is the solution."

"That is not what I -" Akira began.

"Kei's grown up friendless and shunned, just like you," Ayako said, slumping into the opposite couch. "Just because he doesn't say anything doesn't mean he is not resentful." She smiled at Kei's startled expression. "Of course I noticed. But Akira, you have Yui and the children. Kei's alone. Don't you see that you're isolating him by scaring away every prospective marriage partner?"

"Of course he doesn't," Kei grumbled. "Spoiled man-child cannot see anything beyond what he wants."

"You shut up," his mother snapped. "You're calling your brother a child, but don't forget how I found you two wrestling on the floor like a pair of teenagers."

"So there," Akira added, immaturely.

"Listen, you two. I am your mother. I want both of you to be happy. That is why I allowed Akira to bring Yui into this family even though she's from a rival group. And that is why I am bringing Yoru into this family too. Kei has sacrificed a lot, and I've watched him suffer enough - for your sake, Akira. So you would be happier."

"I didn't ask him to," came the surly response.

"But he still did, you ungrateful child!" Ayako exploded. "Not once did he complain or blame you! But he deserves to be happy too, and I will make that happen - even if I have to sacrifice someone else's happiness along the way."

With a bang of his fists that rattled the coffee table, Kei stood up and shot everyone in the room a furious glare. "If you guys are so confident that I cannot be a good husband, you shouldn't have tried to get me married," he snarled. "And you -" he rounded on Akira - "you stay the hell out of my way. If you mess this up for me, I swear to God I will ruin you. You'll woe the day you were born."

"Kei!" Ayako admonished, but the man had already stormed out.

*

"I'm kind of glad that I'm the one asking it this time - are you okay?"

Kei glanced at Yoru, who was smiling at him with concerned inquiry in his eyes. Last night's fight kept playing over and over in his head again, robbing him of sleep and making it difficult to drive. Clearly, it was showing enough on his face to worry Yoru. "I'm fine," Kei lied, forcing a smile. "Just tired. But you...what's got you so excited?"

Yoru took the bait. "The invitation cards came so quickly," he said. "Is it your mafia influence? Don't answer that, I don't care. It just made the fact that I'm getting married so concrete."

"I don't know how to feel about that. Why is a sheet of paper more convincing than that ring on your finger?"

"I don't know, they both are." Yoru unconsciously fiddled with his ringed finger. "But still, I hadn't expected such a day to come. I actually get to go tell my friends "Hey, I'm getting married, please come to my wedding." It feels awesome."

"Why is this unexpected?" Kei asked. "Suitors should be lining up for you."

"Oh, dear God," Yoru mumbled, thoroughly flattered. "Well, it's my scent, you see."

Kei remained innocently unaware of the effect his words were having on Yoru. "But you smell nice," he said.

"As long as I don't get my heat, yes," Yoru said, turning the car's air-conditioning vents towards himself to cool his burning face. "When I'm in heat, well...hmm. Maybe I should have told you about that before we finalized the wedding...."

"We're here." Kei stopped the car in front of the Golden Waterfront and glowered at its brand new doors. "Yikes. The last time I came here, I ended up naked on the highway."

"Hey, I made sure to cover the important stuff," Yoru protested as he undid his seat belt.

"Right. That underwear was so tight I'm sure people could see each individual cell in my balls."

The bar had not yet opened, so both of them went in through the side entrance. The repairmen had done an excellent job - the bar looked even grander now, with a bigger and more stylish bar. The staff was preparing for opening. The moment Yoru and Kei entered the space, they all froze - eyeing both of them with open hostility.

A pang of unease went through Kei. Maybe this wasn't going to end well.

Yoru, on the other hand, seemed to have developed tunnel vision and went straight to the bar. There was a new bartender there now, seemingly an apprentice. He gaped at Yoru for a few seconds before calling to Masha, who had been meticulously arranging a range of alcohols according to their color.

She turned, and the first person her eyes landed on was Kei. Shooting him a well-deserved glare of loathing, she turned her gaze to Yoru - but her eyes didn't soften. Yoru flinched.

"Um. Hi," he said nervously, his previous energy evaporating.

"What do you want?" Masha asked, coldly.

"I...I'm getting...m-married," Yoru said, growing smaller with every word. "I came to i-invite...you..."

Yoru trailed off as the harsh anger on Masha's face intensified to explosive rage. Masha snatched the invitation from Yoru's trembling hands and carelessly tore the envelope open, her mouth twisting at the names on the card. "You're marrying him?" she hissed, pointing at Kei. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Yoru didn't say a word, but he hid his left hand with his right. Kei made to go to him, but stopped. What help could he be? He should have expected something like this to happen.

"You soulless monster," Masha continued. "How dare you walk in here after agreeing to marry that man. Hara died because of him."

"Hara was new!" Yoru protested. "He didn't even know Kei, why would he stop-"

"Oh, so it's Kei now, is it? You have no conscience whatsoever, do you? How can you just waltz into this place, expecting us to share your happiness - if this bastard even knows how to give you any - after causing us such misery?"

"But Masha, it wasn't my fault. it was Ito who -"

"Ito's been making our lives miserable since the day you stopped coming," Masha snapped. "You're his favorite employee and he treats you like garbage - what do you think he's been doing to the rest of us then, huh? Because of you, revenue has dropped, and we haven't been paid! Everyday, Ito randomly picks one of us to beat black and blue! We've been working continuously for twenty-five hours!"

"If you'd just -"

"And yet you have the gall to invite me to your wedding? With him? You might as well shack up with that snake Ito!"

Yoru turned green. Kei finally unfroze and moved towards him, but Masha held out her arm. "You stay where you are!" she yelled. "You're the one who started all this - how dare you set foot in this place again! Stay right there!"

Turning back to Yoru, who was unable to look away from her out of sheer disbelief at her words, she ripped the invitation to pieces, envelope and all, and flung the shreds in his face. "You are a stupid, selfish gold-digger who'll abandon everyone to ally himself with the strongest man around," she told him. "You should be getting married in the sewers - that's all you deserve. Now get out - and don't you ever show your face here again."

Yoru wouldn't move. He just stood there, clutching his left hand to his chest and crying openly. A flash of regret appeared on Masha's face, but it was gone faster than it had come. She opened her mouth again.

"That's enough," Kei said quietly, grabbing Yoru by the shoulders. "We'll leave. Come on, Yoru."

The omega offered no resistance as Kei guided him out of the bar. Without a word, Kei helped him into the passenger seat, climbed into the car and drove off.

Yoru wouldn't stop crying. Kei felt horrible about it, but didn't say anything to comfort him. What right did he have? He should have expected Masha's reaction. But even if he had, it would have changed nothing - he couldn't exactly dissuade Yoru from inviting his friends to his own wedding. What Kei couldn't accept was that those friends had rejected Yoru because of him - exactly as Akira had predicted.

The unhappy silence in the car remained until Kei pulled up in front of Yoru's house. The Omega sniffed, swallowed the rest of his tears and wiped his eyes before turning to Kei. "Thanks for the ride," he said, trying and failing to smile.

Kei's heart seemed to crack. Of its own volition, his hand reached for Yoru's face. The omega closed his eyes, waiting.

More tears overflowed from Yoru's eyes, and Kei ripped his hand away.

"Take care," he said shortly, turning to face the road and planting both hands firmly on the steering wheel.

Yoru's shoulders slumped even lower than they already were. "You too," he said, sounding very disappointed, and climbed out of the car.

Kei drove home with a heavy heart. He'd thought he was prepared for this. He had thought he'd be able to explain his guilt away. He'd thought that being Yoru's savior would give him enough moral high ground to keep his conscience satisfied.

"Shit!" He exploded, striking his hands against the wheel. He was a complete and utter idiot for rushing into this marriage without a second thought just because the other party was an omega. He wanted to kick himself for every time he'd silenced his misgivings with an "I'll manage somehow." As if it was that easy to live with the tag of yakuza.

Well, if yakuza was all the world would see him as, yakuza he would be. Pulling up Nakamura's number on the dashboard screen, he made the call.

Nakamura picked up immediately. "Good evening, boss," he greeted.

"Prepare our boys," Kei ordered, cracking his neck. "We're going to war."