Chapter 19

Laughter. Horrible echoing high pitched laughter. 

Kenji's skull throbbed. His last memory was being knocked out by his kidnappers. Something ruffled as he sat up. Was that a yukata? What the hell? 

"Nice to see you're awake, Ken-chan." The voice was high and annoying and definitely the source of the laughter. Strangely, Kenji felt it reminded him of his son.

Kenji stiffened before turning his head.

Draped in a luxurious silk yukata, long white hair spilling over his shoulders, and a face so agelessly pretty it was almost insulting. Kenji's most hated uncle, Uncle Haruto. The darn man never aged.

Haruto grinned, eyes gleaming with something that made Kenji's headache worse. Amusement? Cruelty? Complete insanity? Probably all three. Plus, He had something bigger to worry about. Where was Rei?

"You always were a heavy sleeper, Ken-chan. I had time to reshape my nails while waiting for you to wake up." He lifted a perfectly manicured hand, admiring the obnoxious talons.

Kenji exhaled slowly. "Where am I?"

Haruto gasped, horrified. "You don't recognize my summer home?"

Kenji looked around. The estate seemed to be in the outskirts and the room was overlooking a beautiful garden. He leveled his uncle with a stare. "I've never been here in my life." He then sat up, albeit painfully and looked at his uncle directly. "Where is my son? What did you do to him? I swear if you touched him–"

Haruto beamed. "No need to get so riled up, Ken-chan! Your adorable little son is right here!" He shifted his chabudai to reveal a sleeping blonde on his lap. 

Kenji's jaw ticked. "You–" But he refrained from talking, resigning to frequently glancing at his son and then his uncle. Now that Kenji thought of it, Rei's lighter hair color made him look abysmally identical to his uncle. 

His uncle waved a hand, trying to get his attention. "Ken-chan?" The real question is—did you miss me?" Kenji threw a judging look. How could he ask such a stupid question?

Haruto leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm as his fingers tapped lazily against his cheek. "Ken-chan, you wound me. I expected a grander reunion! Instead, all I get is that sour look. Not even a 'Wow, Uncle Haruto, you look younger than ever!'" He sighed dramatically. "So ungrateful."

Kenji ignored him, gaze locked on his son. Rei was out cold, his face buried against Haruto's stomach, hair a mess, and breathing slow and even. Kenji's uncle was so unpredictable that he couldn't afford to take his eyes off Rei. 

Haruto followed his line of sight and smiled. "He really does look like me, doesn't he?" He stroked Rei's head with disturbing fondness. "Blonde, beautiful, perfect in every way… I was beginning to think the Kurozawa bloodline had gotten ugly, but look at this masterpiece."

Kenji's teeth ground together. "Don't touch him."

Haruto gasped, scandalized. "But he's my grand-nephew! Who knew you had such a lovely little boy, Ken-chan? I would've stolen him sooner had I known."

Kenji clenched his fists. "How do you even know he's mine?"

Haruto's grin sharpened. "Well, I came back to the country… And you know the family rules, I can't come to the house, but I really wanted to catch up to my beloved Ken-chan. So I hired some investigators…" his eyes glinted.

 "But… Ken-chan…. I heard something interesting from some of the family businesses. You know, the weapon manufacturing one your aunt used to manage – by the way, I'm managing it now. She's dead , died just yesterday– and they were reporting you were requiring the 'goods' less and less? " Rei stirred. 

" I know it's against the rules to go to the house to meet you, but there's nothing saying I can't kidnap you to meet you." He chuckled before frowning completely, his face devoid of every emotion now. "Kenji. What are you doing? What's up with the reduction in kills?"

Kenji hiccuped out of fear.

"Don't tell me you're being a wimp now…" Haruto slapped his forehead. "I told brother not to let you marry a damn Caster woman! Those people are too soft-hearted and spoiled! Now Look! You are busy tearing down the family business to play house with little Reika."

Kenji's stomach twisted. "Leave Reika out of this."

"There you go again! Reika this, Reika that! You've not changed even though it's been over a decade." Haruto pouted. "I should have beat you harder if you were going to turn out this way…" He smirked, returning to his playful nature.

Kenji stayed silent.

Haruto's smirk widened. "By the way… Do you hear from any of them… your brother, your father?" Kenji tensed a little bit. "I thought the tradition just meant we stay away from the main house and manage the parts we're given or live our life, but I didn't realize that I would hear from anyone too." He tilted his head, studying Rei. "It's exceedingly lonely…Ken-chan."

"I don't." Kenji replied. A trail of sweat dripped down his forehead. He hopped his uncle didn't know about that one too.

"You must be enjoying, Kenji. You've got your wife and sons…" He trailed a finger along Rei's cheek, watching Kenji's reaction like a scientist observing a caged animal. "If you've got one son this pretty, I wonder how the others turned out." His gaze flicked back to Kenji, sly. "Or— Was my informer mistaken and you only have the one?"

Kenji wasn't about to hand over that information. He crossed his arms, expression cold. "Why do you care?"

Haruto feigned an innocent blink. "Me? Care? Oh, Ken-chan, don't make me out to be some monster. I simply love my family!" He pressed a hand to his chest, mock-wounded. "Really, I do. That's why I kidnapped you. Now no issues will happen because nobody will know we're meeting!"

Kenji didn't rise to the bait. " Excuse me, Uncle, but we should be leaving now." Kenji already made to stand.

A groggy noise came from Haruto's lap. Rei stirred, brows furrowing as he tried to bury his face into the silk of Haruto's yukata.

Kenji tensed. "Rei?"

Haruto, still smirking, nudged the boy's cheek with a sharp nail. "Wakey, wakey, little prince."

Rei let out an incoherent grumble before cracking open one bleary blue eye. "Hnn… five more minutes…Mom." His voice was thick with sleep, barely registering his surroundings before his gaze landed on Haruto's face.

Then—

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

Rei kicked out violently, flailing off his uncle's lap so hard that he smacked into the chabudai, nearly flipping it over. Tea sloshed and a porcelain cup wobbled dangerously.

Haruto cackled, utterly delighted, while Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose.

Rei, tangled in his own yukata, scrambled backwards on all fours. "WHO—WHAT—WHERE—WHAT THE HELL?!" His panicked gaze darted between Haruto and Kenji. "Dad?! Where are we?! Who is that?!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Haruto like he was looking at an actual demon.

Haruto gasped theatrically, pressing a hand to his chest. "Oh, my poor, dear grand-nephew, you wound me!"

Rei's expression twitched. "G…Grand-Nephew?!" He turned to Kenji. "Dad, what is he talking about?"

Kenji exhaled sharply. "Rei. That is your great-uncle. My uncle."

Rei blinked. He blinked again. He stared at his uncle's pretty, smug face, his white hair, his glinting, mischievous eyes. Then—

"Oh, hell no." Rei pointed an even more aggressive finger at him. "No way. No way I'm related to him!"

Haruto tilted his head, amused. "Oh, but you are, my dear little prince. You are an exact copy of me, even."

Rei's blood ran cold. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Haruto propped his chin on his palm, smile widening. "Oh, Ken-chan, you never told me you had such an entertaining child." He turned back to Rei. "Say, little prince, how do you feel about connecting with your lovely great-uncle?"

Rei hesitated, glancing warily at his father.As he sat there, still tangled in his yukata, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his gaze wandered around his current prison—current luxurious prison. 

Rich, lacquered wood! Delicate golden embroidery on the sliding doors! Faint scent of expensive and premium incense curling through the air! Rei's eyes snapped back to his uncle's sitting place. The details on the absurdly high-quality silk of the cushions and the chabudai's ornate craftsmanship were also delicate and detailed. 

 Then his head snapped back to Kenji, incredulous.

"Wait, wait, wait—Dad," he said slowly, pointing at the lavish surroundings. "You're telling me I've had a rich great-uncle this whole time and you never introduced us?"

Kenji, already massaging his temples, groaned. "Rei—"

Rei gasped dramatically, looking back at his uncle with wide, shiny eyes. "Uncle! Do you know how I've been living?! How they've seized all my luxuries?! My wardrobe? My credit cards? My imported skincare collection?! " He clutched his chest like he was about to faint. 

Haruto's face lit up with pure amusement. "Oh? Seized, you say?" He turned to Kenji with a mock gasp. "Ken-chan, I'm appalled! You mean to tell me you created such a refined, high-class child and then stripped him of his rightful luxuries? What kind of tyrant have you become?"

Kenji scoffed. This uncle of his had been a favorite of the families' clients and because of that was spoiled rotten by Kenji's own father.

 Haruto was fully invested in Rei's suffering. "Oh, my dear little prince, what horrors you must have endured." He reached over and patted Rei's cheek with a look of exaggerated pity. "Tell me, what did the peasants force you to wear?"

Rei shuddered, looking off into the distance like a war veteran recalling a battlefield. "Sweatpants."

Haruto gasped. "No!"

Rei nodded solemnly. "And hoodies."

Haruto clutched his chest in mock devastation. "Oh, Ken-chan, you absolute brute!" He was enjoying this drama. 

Rei grabbed Haruto's hands dramatically. "But you will help me, right? You're my uncle—family! Surely, you can spare a poor, innocent boy a little luxury? Some designer wear? A car? Maybe a black card?" His voice turned pleading. "Come on, I'm suffering here." 

Haruto stood up slowly, stretching his arms with a smug grin plastered across his face. Rei, still caught up in his theatrics, didn't even notice the dangerous glint in his great uncle's eyes as he leaned toward Kenji.

"I've decided," Haruto purred, his voice dropping an octave. "I think I'll keep Rei here for a while. He's such good company. Too good, in fact. And Ken-chan, well..." He turned toward Kenji, eyes gleaming with mischief. "I think it's time for you to go home. Don't you?"

Kenji's face tightened, muscles coiling in tension. His hand instinctively reached to defend his neck, but Haruto was already one step ahead. Before Kenji could even react, Haruto's fist landed with a sickening thud on Kenji's temple.

Kenji crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold before he even had the chance to make a sound.