Hidden Secrets

Chapter 83

As always, to avoid arousing suspicion, Usagi rode in Taiki's car. It was obvious that he was noticeably tense, but his wife had many questions burning in her mind that she didn't want to keep to herself.

"Could you please tell me, what kind of house are we driving to? And why did Seiya specifically ask about the cellar?" she opened the conversation.

Taiki kept his gaze fixed on the traffic. "I'm not sure if you really want to know all of that," he tried to dodge, but Usagi wasn't easily put off. "Taiki, no more secrets. That's what we promised each other after the wedding. I need to learn to navigate this still very unfamiliar world. So, what is that cellar, and what kind of 'toy' did Yaten mean?"

Her husband didn't seem particularly thrilled, but still tried to answer her questions. "As you know, Yaten is responsible for gathering information... Well, occasionally, some information isn't so easy to obtain, and so he's set up in this cellar to assist with that if necessary."

Usagi began to ponder, then after a while, it seemed a lightbulb went off in her mind. "You mean, assist with pain?"

"Yes, among other things. I try to avoid that place as much as possible. The less you know about its methods, the better. It's best to stay as far away as possible from that large metal door."

The blonde's lips curled as she absorbed this information. "Perhaps Yaten and Makoto could show me a few self-defense techniques. I mean, there have been more than a few times when I could have used something like that."

The traffic light ahead turned red, and Taiki came to a shocked stop. "Serena, that's out of the question! You're pregnant and need to take it easy. How could you even think of such things? Have you talked to Seiya about this? I'm very sure he wouldn't approve of this idea either."

"No, but I've been thinking about it for a while... and after seeing what Shingo learned from Suna, I thought a few basics wouldn't hurt," Usagi started another attempt to convince Taiki of her idea.

"We can discuss that again when the little ones are born, but before that, I refuse. I know exactly how Yaten trains, and such training is definitely not without risks. You can ask your brother about his first days with Suna. I think their teaching methods are very similar."

"And if we ask Yaten if he has something else for defense for me?"

"Serena, if it makes you feel better, I can put pepper spray in your handbag. But anything else from Yaten's 'poison cabinet' is definitely not suitable for pregnant women," Taiki replied with a tone of annoyance in his voice, which was completely new to Usagi.

But she couldn't deny her interest in this forbidden cellar. Just Seiya's reaction to the idea of moving into this house made her curious. And this casual mention of a poison cabinet made her even more intrigued. However, she decided to let the topic rest for now.

The houses of Tokyo's streets passed by, and gradually they reached one of the outskirts. An idyllic front yard followed the next, and the small single-family houses looked very inviting.

"How exactly did Kunzite die back then? I mean, are you really sure he's dead? After all, Minako was also declared dead and then suddenly stood in front of me," Usagi said uncertainly.

"I honestly don't know exactly. When all that happened, I was on a study trip. I only heard that there was a shootout and Kunzite apparently bled to death in Yaten's arms. That threw him off for quite a while; Yaten was only 16 at the time. Kunzite was like a father to him, albeit much stricter in his methods of upbringing," Taiki explained. He paused briefly, and a faint smile played on his lips. "How many times had Yaten cursed and wished him to hell when he had to do the dirty work again, and he had more than enough of that for Yaten. Nevertheless, Yaten had taken a liking to him and carried out his apprenticeship with him, which was really impressive. He absorbed almost all methods of information retrieval, and gradually he also gained more recognition from Kunzite and Father... and then the misfortune."