Lana took a long sip of her hot chocolate, and sighed with contentment. It was a blessing to be home alone for once. She could indulge in one of her deeply personal pleasures: soft-beat music in the ears, the latest novel of her favorite science-fiction author in hand, some snacks, and legs stretched under the large kotatsu table of the tatami room.

Despite all the renovation work done by the Honda couple over the years, including double-layered windows and insulated walls, there was no helping the cold drafts, nor the lack of central heating. A kotatsu, the Japanese answer to humid and cold winters, was a blessing: a thick heavy blanket covered the table frame, and a table top was placed over it. The electric heater installed underside was the perfect solution for cold feet and legs.

Humming happily, Lana stretched her arms, and reclined on her back to rest on the straw mats. Honda was away until the next day to an aikido seminar, and Yuki wouldn't be home for a solid two hours. The homemade lasagna she had baked for the two of them was ready to be put into the oven.

If experience had taught her anything, Yuki would be in excellent mood after dinner, maybe even willing to let her be in charge, like she sometimes did now, especially when it was only the two of them. Obviously, their incredible night in August had left some traces. Another extra proof of affection and trust from her companion.

Lana sighed with anticipation; it was going to be a perfect evening. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. The delicious warmth provided by the kotatsu made her drowsy. Hmm, this cocoon is just perfect... how about a nap? He wouldn't know.

Staring at the wooden ceiling, she grinned. Her love for afternoon naps was one thing among many habits that irked Honda to no end that he couldn't drop. He wouldn't actually scold her, but his constant brooding seemed to be always present whenever she'd take one. Her pregnancy was her blanket excuse that made him step back, but still, he couldn't come to terms with it. Well, what else you would expect, my dear. You keep me busy at night, I need to catch up to that sleep at some point. Maybe one day she'd have the nerves to tell him that to his face. Maybe.

Lana chuckled at her train of thought. The man was such a grizzly in more ways than one. A real bear. But no teddy bear, no sir! An impossible and ridiculous picture of Honda morphing into Paddington Bear on her futon popped up in her mind. This time she laughed aloud, and buried her face in her hands, embarrassed by her childish thoughts.

"I'd love to hear the joke that made you turn crimson like that."

Lana shrieked, and sat up in a jolt to face a smirking Nakazawa standing in the doorway of the tatami room. Her shock turned into embarrassment, and then utter annoyance. So much for a nice and restful afternoon.

"Uh. Did you ring the entrance bell, Nakazawa sama? I didn't hear anything."

The elder man walked leisurely inside the room to sit down on the other side of the kotatsu. He had obviously no intent to leave her alone. "No, I didn't. I brought some fruit baskets and other end-of-year gifts to Yuki and wanted to put them in the kitchen. As always, I receive way too many of those from our clients. I didn't expect to see you, though." He helped himself with some of her snacks, casting a pointed glare challenging her to protest.

Having slightly recovered from her surprise, Lana replied with a glare of her own. "Well, I was enjoying a moment for myself."

"And here I am, barging in, and bothering you to no end, I'm sure," he grinned. "Although, I'm glad to see you much less tense around me than you used to. For the sake of our future collaboration, it wouldn't do for you to be perpetually on the verge of knocking my teeth out. Oh yes, I see that look on enough people around me. Although, it's refreshing to see it on such a pretty face, and knowing that you would actually be able to do it," he said, with a dangerous gleam on his eye.

Lana let out a long breath, followed by a low chuckle. Oddly enough, all her usual tension evaporated. That's the way to play with this man.

"Hmm, all right, I'll confess that thought crossed my mind a couple of times. But like I told you last summer, my orders are clear. So fear not, as long as you behave, you will not be the victim of any senseless act of violence from my part," she replied with a half-cocked grin.

"What a relief! I guess I know whom to thank for this, unfortunately. So, now that we are non-threatening acquaintances, tell me, what kind of forbidden thought crossed your mind and made you blush like a young maiden? Of course, if it includes my daughter, you'd better keep it to yourself."

Lana couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. "Oh no no no! You don't get any access to that, Nakazawa sama. Nobody does. But fear not, Yuki sama wasn't in the picture. This time," she added with a wicked smile.

Nakazawa let out a chuckle of his own. "You are shameless and totally irreverent. We're going to do just fine, you and me, and I can't wait to see the bloody battlefields you'll leave behind you." He chewed a few more snacks. "So, tell me, how is your friend Gabriella doing these days? I hope you've told her she should plan to resign so that she may join us as quickly as possible?"

Lana rolled her eyes, and put her elbows on the table. "Nakazawa sama..." she began, and had to take a deep breath before she'd start barking. "Gabriella is doing great. She is busy planning her wedding. As a matter of fact, she and Yamamoto san are now in Italy to celebrate Christmas and New Year with her family. All of them will fly back together during the first week of January for the celebrations. We are all very excited for her."

"Hmm, weddings... yes, a joyful moment, when it doesn't end up tearing you apart with all the schemes and resentment bubbling to the surface. Oh, I'll make sure to send the newlyweds a nice gift." Lana threw him a doubtful look. "Of course, you and I agree that she could do so much better than a motorbike dealer, right? That young man seemed nice and all, but let's be honest, she's out of his league by a long shot. She deserves much more than that, and I hope her parents will point it out."

That ass! Lana struggled to find her words, but it was impossible to keep her indignation fully at bay. "What are you talking about? This is... this is so inappropriate! Who are you to judge him? Who cares what he does? They love each other, they are perfect together, that's all that matters. I've never seen her so happy!" she said, her voice raising an octave.

The old man laughed out loud. "Really, Martin san? You, a champion of love and lovebirds? I thought you read quarterly reports for dinner, not dopey romance stories for teenagers. Oh yes, they are cute together," he grimaced, "but please don't insult my intelligence, and pretend you don't think she should have aimed higher, better, for someone who would treat her like she deserves, and give her space to shine and grow."

"I'm sorry, but no! For normal, healthy people, there are no aims, no calculations. If you're lucky, you meet the right person, they love you back, and you decide to spend your life together. That's all. And thanks to that, yes, you shine and grow. Yamamoto san will treat her like a queen, he already does. It has nothing to do with your social status or bank account!"

"How simple! How simple-minded! I'm disappointed in you. Anyway, looking at you and the situation you've put yourself in, you'll forgive me if I call you hypocrite. Don't preach something that you're unable to follow yourself. Healthy people, uh? What does this say about you?"

A powerful blush turned her cheeks crimson, but it was out of anger, not embarrassment. "Let's not go there, Nakazawa sama. I will never talk about this with you, end of discussion," she said icely. "And I fail to see why you should care for Gabriella's personal life, even less for her love life."

Yuki's father shrugged, and attempted to put on an innocent face. "Well, can't an old man fall in love at first sight? If you pretend you believe in those things, why would you reject that idea?"

"Oh, it was infatuation at first sight, I'll give you that. But love?" She gave him a meaningful look. "Please, don't press on. Leave my friend alone."

Nakazawa made a clicking, non-commentical sound, and then his eyes fell on her book. "Is that French?"

She blinked, taken by surprise by his change of topics. "Ah yes, it is. A science-fiction novel."

"So, you read novels in French, not in Italian?"

"It depends. On the genre, the author."

"And in English, or Japanese?"

"Japanese is too hard to simply sit and relax. English is not enough emotionally charged for me. It's a technical language, my work language. I use it with some friends occasionally, or movies of course. But I don't invest it for reading fiction."

"Hmm, fascinating," Nakazawa remarked. "It's simply another world, from my perspective, given that all that I read and watch is in Japanese. But your mother tongue is...?"

Lana winced at the expression that was universal. "My first language is Italian. Second is French. The rest came afterwards."

"Speaking of mothers..." This time, Lana tensed and had to bury herself in her mug of chocolate to hide her composure. "Yuki told me you are all going to Nikko for New Year. You are going to meet the Queen Mother, are you ready for this?"

Lana blinked again, at the same time relieved he wasn't talking about that person, but also annoyed he would bring the topic of Honda's mother on the table. "I guess it is not going to be very... pleasant, but we will manage."

Nakazawa's hearty laugh boomed in the room. "Not very pleasant? Are those two really sending you to the execution grounds without any warning? Do you know who she is? A cold-hearted schemer! A first-class manipulator! A heartless woman who will shred her son into pieces -- doing the right thing, for once. Ha! Only for that, it's been my pleasure to refrain from calling her, to inform her of that little 'surprise' that you bring with you. Just to know that he's walking into a pit of lava that will explode onto his face."

All feelings of appeasement fled, and anger washed again over Lana. "This is extremely cruel and heartless of you to wish this, Nakazawa sama," she said, voice barely in check. "We are all quite aware of the problems that my condition raises. But I want to believe that we can solve the issue constructively."

"Pah! Don't be delusional. There is no 'constructive' solution. You and this child are a threat. I've made my peace, we've found a way that may or may not work out, but it's not going away. Even with your amazing proposal to my daughter -- oh yes, I am aware of it. Completely foolish of you, but amazing nonetheless. But from her perspective, it won't solve anything. No, Martin san, you don't know what you are facing in Nikko, trust me."

Nakazawa fell silent, as he collected his thoughts. "Honda Natsuko san... born Takeshita... a powerful and respected lineage going back almost 1000 years. The Witch of the East, if you ask me. At some point, there were plans to marry us, although she's ten years older than me. I thank the gods everyday that my father had still some sense left at the time, and decided against it. I'm pretty sure I would have ended up dead, like her worthless husband. I'd be willing to bet that she was the one who got rid of that useless drunkard. That, or I would have killed her within one week of our marriage. Anyway."

He leaned again across the table. "Between you and me, she was one of the main reasons I couldn't stand the idea of marrying my beautiful, smart, delicate, stubborn, infuriating daughter to that... that... argh!" He shook his head, aggravated. "And I was right! How she treated her later on, I will never forgive it! But at the time, that fool Inoue had to intervene... and of course my wife couldn't see the problem, and was so happy. And it didn't help Yuki lost all manners of common sense and found the idea of marrying him acceptable, go figure why! Women! I can't understand the whole bunch of you!"

The elder man grumbled something Lana couldn't catch. "Bah, you'll see what I mean soon enough. Hmm, I need something stronger than tea. I'm going to fetch that bottle of special shochu that Honda hides away and never offers me, that will teach him a thing or two."

Speechless, Lana watched him leave the room. With a heavy sigh, her head plopped down on her folded arms on the table, and she closed her eyes. What a freaking mess. We're going to a minefield, a war zone... oh gosh, I really didn't need this... Dark thoughts filled her mind, and she struggled not to cry.

"Here we go! I have to give it to him, for someone so clammed up and constantly on edge, the fool has excellent taste... in spirits and other good things in life," Nakazawa smirked, putting a 1.8 liter bottle on the table, along with a small glass. This time, he sat down on Lana's left side. "I don't have to offer you one..."

Lana shook her head, barely hiding her exasperation at his antics, and served him. The old man raised his glass, and drank it in one quick shot. "Ah, much better. Now, Lana san, it's time we have a little private conversation, you and I. Let's face it. Nikko will be your downfall. That hag will throw you out, and her son will have no other choice to cast you away. He is an imbecile, but he will obey the head of his clan if he hopes to retain a tenth of anything out of it. I don't know what they hope to achieve by bringing you there, but that's the reality."

Lana froze on her spot at his threatening words spoken suavely, as if he were discussing the weather. Their arms brushed. To her shock, she found she couldn't move, or even speak. "You shouldn't be afraid, my dear. My job proposal will still stand. And if you may not return here, you will always find my door, my personal door, open."

To her dismay and mounting anguish, she still couldn't find in herself to move away, or even scream at his face. His hand reached out, his bony fingers traced her cheek and jawline, before moving to her chest to graze her breasts.

"Gabriella is pretty and all, but you... I will be ecstatic to welcome you, you lovely, fiery woman. See for myself what this fuss is all about, why these two are willing to face fire and thunder to keep you in their bed. You must be such a pleasure to taste, I don't want to wait... Can you keep this between us, hmm? I promise, you will forget all about them, all about him!"

Lana's heart exploded in fear, and tears ran freely on her face. What's going on! Why can't I move? Why can't I push him away? I don't want this! I don't want him! Pig! Monster! Help! Someone help me!

But she could only watch and feel how the old man brought down her thick woolen tights and panties, and pulled up her one-piece dress to expose her bra. His hands roamed over her body, her large belly, as he hummed with pleasure. He pushed her on her back and opened her legs wide, exposing her to his gaze and fingers, leaving her helpless.

"Oh, look at this, a light-golden bush. Tell me, Lana, is it true? Do you really taste like honey?"

And to her extreme horror, the old man's face began to shapeshift in front of her very eyes. A long tongue darted from his mouth, showing pointed teeth, and black and red fur covered his face. Orange eyes burned with unspeakable evil. With a flash of insight, she recognized what had been until now a faceless threat. Nogitsune!

Face splitting into a wild and awfully toothy smile, the wicked fox leaned down and bit harshly her inner thigh. Pain shot from her leg, but again, she remained mute. His inhuman and raspy tongue swept the bleeding wound. He licked the blood from his lips, smacking them with gusto, before plunging into her pussy, invading her, touching new places deep inside.

Searing pain, guilt, shame, terror and -- to her dismay -- intense pleasure exploded all together in her, and she screamed out loud in a mix of climax and agony, finally able to produce sound again.

Her own scream woke her up, and she tressaulted. Chin covered with drool, she looked around her, disoriented, her heart beating wildly. She was all alone. A nightmare! Another fucking nightmare! With a sob of relief, she wiped her face with shaking hands.

"Martin san! Are you all right?" Lana stifled a shriek of surprise. A puzzled Nakazawa was at the door, a bottle in hand, watching her with concern written all over his face. But the scene was too similar to her nightmare for comfort. Shaking from head to toes, Lana stood up and recoiled to put more distance between them.

"Ah... no... yes... I'm sorry... I fell asleep and had an awful dream..." Her voice was barely audible and quivered. She didn't want him to see her like that.

To her surprise, he didn't laugh at her, or even smirk. A cloud of sadness passed over his face, as he placed the bottle on the table, and knelt down at a respectable distance from her.

"I see. I remember my wife experienced something similar. During each of her pregnancies. Very vivid dreams, often quite disturbing, graphic in nature. They would leave her queasy for days. At first, I would make fun of her, but I quickly realized some were almost traumatic. According to her doctors, it is common, unfortunately."

He poured a glass of shochu, and handed it to her. "Here, have one. Oh, don't look at me like that. This is one of the best. It will relax you and soothe your nerves. It won't make much difference for that little kitten of yours." Her hand still shaking, Lana took the glass, and gulped it down with a grimace. Shochu is so awful, how can they get drunk on that?

Nakazawa grinned at her reaction. "Let me guess, you are more a whiskey person, or maybe... how is it called... grappa?"

Lana chuckled softly, the lingering memories of her nightmare thankfully fading away. He was not that beast. Like so often now, her brain had mixed up all her fears and anxieties, nothing more. "Guilty as charged."

Nakazawa raised another glass. "After the little one is born, I'll bring you to the fanciest Italian restaurant in town, and you'll show me which ones are the best."

Lana stared at him, acknowledging his efforts to make things as easy and normal as they could be between them. Honda won't be pleased if I get too cozy with him. But he's also the one insisting that we keep cool heads now. On top of it...

She nodded curtly and mirrored his gesture. "Hear, hear. I'll be happy to." She took a deep breath. "Nakazawa sama, given that you have learnt about my proposal to Yuki sama..." Easy now. This is a big jump. "If we go through with it... but actually, even if we don't..." She cleared her throat. "You realize what me treating Yuki sama as the second mother of my child means as far as you are concerned?"

The CEO of Nakazawa Holdings frowned. "Now, wait a second, you must be joking..."

"No, Nakazawa sama. All of this. I'm doing all of this because this child needs a family. Now, this is not going to make everyone excited and happy, but I sincerely hope... no, I pray that at some point, in the future, you will treat this child as your grandchild. Regardless of the legal situation. Regardless of our own relationship, or the difficulties you have with others in this household. Offering this child safety and protection is my only goal in life now. Please, help me achieve it." And with those words, she bowed her head to her folded hands on the ground, and remained prostrated.

A lengthy silence filled the room. "Martin san, look at me," Nakazawa finally said, his voice much gruffer than usually. "This... this is shocking. Again, I'm not sure if this reflects how brilliant you are, or that you are a blind fool. Indeed, not everyone will be happy by what you are asking of me. And for this reason only, I should immediately accept," he snorted, before sobering down.

"But this is not the time for levity. I will consider it, I promise. This needs to be discussed also with the two of them. Not today, but yes, before the child's birth. Right now, the only vow I can make is that I will never hurt your child. I am many things, but a monster I am not."

Lana briefly closed her eyes, repressing a shudder as nightmare and reality painfully collided once again. "Thank you very much for considering it, and for your words," she said, bowing deeply. "I will breach the subject with everyone involved."

"Good. All right, I'll take my leave now. If I wait until Yuki is back, she'll ask me to stay over dinner. And I've got the feeling neither of you would be really pleased by that." Lana failed to repress her smirk, and simply quirked an eyebrow. There was nothing appropriate to reply, but also no point lying.

The perspicacious CEO snickered, and raised his hands. "Ah, well. That's what I get for seeing right through people, I guess. Have a pleasant evening, Martin san."

Grinning, Lana bowed. "Likewise, Nakazawa sama. Thank you for bringing us all those sweets and presents."