The Bad, The Bidder, and the Daughter (KBTBB)

Ota: Ten

"Ume!" Yelled Asuka as she jogged over to greet her friend. It had been two years since she met her on that fateful day in the park, they were both fourteen and awaiting high school the next year, where Asuka was studying to pass the scholarship exam. She and Ume had decided upon taking a break at the mall.

"Asuka, I'm glad you could make it. I hope you don't mind, but my cousin Kanato decided to join us."

"More like I was forced," scoffed a boy in a red hoodie. He turned to face Asuka but stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, you must be Kanato. My name is Asuka Kobayashi. You can call me by my first name though," she smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Uh, um, uh," Kanato's faces turned a bright shade of pink as he shook it.

Ume looked at him then back at her still smiling friend, "alright, I change my mind. I'm going home. You two, spend the day together. I have a feeling you'll become great friends."

"Huh? Are you sure?"

Kanato still couldn't muster any coherent sentences but Ume was able to make out 'oh god, please don't leave me.'

"Yeah, I just remembered I've got to bug Uncle Kyohei about something. See you at home, Kanato."

Ume called her limo driver and sped out the mall.

Asuka turned to Kanato, "well, that was unexpected. I suppose we should get to know each other. Wanna go get some ice cream and talk?"

"Yeah, sure," he mumbled.

She giggled, "you're really shy, aren't you?"

In all honesty, he wasn't. In fact, that was one of the antonyms one my use to describe him. Pushy, stubborn, snarky, sarcastic, and egotistical were the most common words people except for his mother would use to describe him at first thought. He had some good qualities, it would be incorrect to assume otherwise, however, he had walls. And they came crashing down the moment he laid eyes on Asuka Kobayashi.

"I'll buy," Kanato told her.

"No way, my treat. You didn't really want to come anyways, right? I'll get us some ice cream as a way of saying thanks for hanging out with me. How does strawberry sound? You seem like a strawberry type of guy."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Asuka giggled, "not at all. I'm a strawberry kind of girl, so I think we'll get along great."

Kanato's face went from a milky pink to a flaming red as he grabbed Asuka's hand, "you know, since the mall is kinda crowded I wouldn't want you to get lost. You've only recently moved here, right? You don't really know the layout that well..."

She gave him a smile and held his hand tighter, "good thinking, Kanato!"

Butterflies filled his stomach.

This was her. This was the girl he intended on marrying. He wouldn't let her slip through his fingers.

If only he knew about her major commitment and romantic issues.

...

ASUKA POV

"So... what's wrong?" I asked as i looked in to the shocked faces of everyone from Eisuke to Sakiko.

I had told everyone what I told Ota like he instructed me to do but I was only met with surprise and some disbelief.

"No... it can't be... I mean, it makes sense, but no..."

Sakiko looked at me with what appeared to be hurt in her eyes, "Hon, is all this... the truth?"

I nodded, still very confused, "yeah, why wouldn't it be? What's going on? Am I missing something here?"

She stepped forward and looked at Ota, "don't worry, my darling, this doesn't change a thing between us."

"Will somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Sakiko gave me a pat on the shoulder and led me to a chair, "Sweetie, call your mother."

"Huh? But-"

"Please," she gave me pleading eyes that I couldn't ignore.

"Okay..."

I pulled out my cellphone and clicked "Mom."

My mom had this really good habit of there not even being more than two rings when I called and she hasn't failed me yet. I put her on speakerphone.

"Asuka! You've called again! You must really miss home. How are things?"

Ota mouthed, 'let me talk to her."

I nodded still extremely confused, "I'm good, hey Mom. Someone wants to talk to you."

"Oh, is it Kyohei?"

Ota took a deep breath as I passed him the phone, "No, Yui. It's me."

"...Ota?! How-what? Why?!"

"Yui, calm down. Asuka is safe, the guys and Sakiko would never harm her."

"...so I see the tabloids were truthful. How's the married life? I'm really enjoying mine, and you shouldn't be speaking to me. You might hurt her."

"No, she suggested it and is completely fine with it. I have no intentions of getting you back."

My eyes widened. Oh. Oh no. Please, if there's a high being of any kind, please tell me what I think is happening really isn't.

"So I'm assuming you know? Does Asuka?"

I gulped, "k-know what?"

Ota gave me a knowing look and placed his hand on my cheek, "I think she's piecing everything together. You're on speaker so you might as well tell her."

I heard sever deep breaths from the other line, "Asuka, my bluebird, I'm sorry I never told you. Ota... he's... Ota Kisaki is your biological father."

And just like that, my world came burning down. Had I been holding a cup, I probably would've dropped it.

My life with my family played over and over. What would this mean for that? What is my life going to become? How did my mother even date Ota Kisaki?

I knew everyone was talking to my father but I couldn't make out any words. Everything become blurry, then suddenly, black.