Prequel: Daring Dog Daichi (OHSHC)

9. 'Tis The Season

It was Christmas Eve actually, not Christmas Day.

Still, most families had already bunkered down in their homes with all the relatives they'd be spending the holidays with. Of course, Yukio was preoccupied with business, so he hadn't planned on flying out to see his family until that very night by way of the Akiyama family private jet.

The flight was relatively short, but Daichi hated every second of it. He was dressed up in a suit and sat still for hours, listening to his father prattle on about the various business calls they would have to make while visiting. Even on vacation, he couldn't have fun.

When they arrived at the mansion, the servant held open the door for Yukio and Daichi.  As soon as they got out, Daichi saw all of his extended family waiting at the steps of the mansion. 

He saw his mother. 

God, it took everything in him not to run into her warm arms and break down in front of everyone here. Truthfully, he would have in front of his aunts and uncles and cousins, but not in front of his father. That would surely lose him any potential fun on this trip.

Yukio led him up to meet the others. He greeted them all politely and formally as a good businessman was trained to do. The distaste was still obvious in his eyes, especially when he saw Daichi's mom.

He gave her a curt nod. "Suyin, hello."

She didn't say anything back. Her eyes were on her son just behind that man. She rushed to meet him, and Daichi was glad she was the one to initiate. He couldn't be to blame then for how they were hugging tightly.

"I missed you, son," she whispered. "It's been too long."

"I missed you too, Mom."

At some point, Daichi had to let go. The rest of the family wanted to say hi to Yukio's only son. After awhile, they all meandered inside. The adults were chatting at the bar, drinks between them as it was almost dinner. Daichi and his two cousins that were his age were in charge of watching the four younger ones. 

"How was the flight, cousin?" Daichi's cousin Kaname asked. They were sitting in arm chairs as the little ones all eight or under were running around the room playing and having the time of their lives.

"Come on, Yume," another asked. He looked the exact same as Kaname -- same brown hair, same brown eyes, and the same stupid looks on their faces. "Isn't it obvious? Uncle Yukio bored him beyond death again."

Daichi snorted, bringing his legs up underneath him in the big plush chair. No one in the family really liked Yukio, but he was the successful one so they all respected him at least. None of them besides Suyin knew what he did to his own son.

"You know, Father still wants that position from him when he's gone," Kaname said. "If you hand it over to him, then we inherit it once the're both dead and gone."

"I would if I could," Daichi responded. "But he's determined to give the business to me." 

"What's so bad about that?" Daichi looked over and saw his eldest cousin Itsuki join them in a chair nearby. He had just finished high school this last year and was already enrolled in medical school. "He has a good business. You'd be well-off if you took it."

"Don't you know, Itsuki?" Kaname and Yume said together with big grins. "Daichi wants to be a football player!"

"You can't play the game if you're too busy running it," Yume said, poking Daichi. "Isn't that right?"

"Although, you did get to play with the national team," Kaname noted. "Japan would be lucky to have you."

"But Uncle's business would be left to one of us trained people," Itsuki said in a mocking tone. He really didn't like Yukio. He had no respect for his brother, Itsuki's father, and thought he could barely hold his position as a branch manager. "I see, it is quite a predicament. Have you spoken to someone about it?"

Daichi shook his head. His father had forbidden him from talking about business to anyone that wasn't in his company. Then he thought again... Kyoya knew.

"I saw that," Yume exclaimed, leaning over the arm of Daichi's chair. "You broke Uncle's rule!"

"Who is it?" he and Kaname teased. "Is it a counselor? A teammate? Oh, oh, a girlfriend?!"

Itsuki yanked them back down to their seats, so Daichi could speak. "It's a boy in my class that tutors me. He's my... my friend." Is that what they were? Well, friends didn't usually kiss and hold hands, but his nosy cousins didn't need to know that. "Kyoya Ootori."

"Woah, YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH AN OOTORI BOY?!" the twins shouted.

Paranoid, Daichi was quick to hush them. "Keep it down, would you? Father doesn't like him. He thinks he's the reason I'm failing."

"For a self-proclaimed genius, Uncle isn't that bright," Kaname muttered.

"That's enough, Kaname," Itsuki told him. Not that he didn't agree wholeheartedly.

"But none of us in the Akiyama family are very smart," Yume argued. "I mean, you are, Itsuki, but you're the outlier here."

That was right. Yume and Kaname had dreams of becoming a famous classical music duo. Yume played piano, and Kaname played violin. Together, they were amazing, but they only things they were good at memorizing and understanding were chords and sheet music. The young ones were too little to tell how smart they could be; but Daichi's ten-year-old cousin wanted to join the military in duty to his country. It was all he ever thought about. Daichi wanted to be a football player. He had a natural talent and enjoyed it with all his heart. He couldn't let that passion go to waste.

"I understand," Itsuki said finally. "But we have to respect Uncle's wishes. If Daichi inherits the company, then maybe he could sign it over. Until then, you have to be prepared to shoulder the responsibility, cousin."

After that first day, they didn't talk business anymore. They caught up like old friends, played together, and wrestled in the grass like any child is prone to do. Only, when time was called, these boys had to go back inside and dress up in their suits, forget all their fun, and go back to business as usual. Business always came first.