In the car...

"Eiji, I love him." When he was reborn in this body, he inherited the memories, the knowledge, the skills and the feelings of the original owner who committed suicide. This was also why he was still soft towards his mom and highly trusted and treasured Eiji.

"That's just you being in heat talking."

"If I was still in heat, I wouldn't be sitting here now."

Silence fell between the two.

"Eiji --"

"Those bruises."

Yukio chuckled. He knew it was a very bad time to laugh but his brother's reaction to the bruises was a strong evidence of his long standing virginity. Yeah, there were so many but it wasn't rare to have marks after some vigorous erotic exercises.

"Why are you laughing? You think that is funny?"

"Sorry, I got these marks because we played so hard." He tried to hold back his laughter lest it totally angered the one beside him.

Eiji's eyes widened and his face turned red. "Idiot."

Yukio let go of his control and laughed hard. Eiji regarded him as non-existent when he was laughing but the former suddenly raised a question.

"He marked you?"

As an Alpha bit an Omega to mark him, he would inject his hormones into the Omega's body. This would mix with the latter's hormones and his natural scent would be changed into a stronger one carrying with it the smell of his domineering Alpha. This was in the concept of an animal's instinctive act to mark its territory by its pheromones in order to ward off any potential rivals or trespassers.

And with that, Eiji could clearly smell that Yukio's scent had changed and Ryuichi's scent was so apparent in it.

Yukio subconsciously touched his nape. "Yes..."

"Were you willing?"

He lowered his head to hide his embarrassment but also the overwhelming happiness of knowing that the man he loved had finally marked him. His heart was beating so fast and his mind was full of thoughts about Ryuichi.

"I don't like him and it seems that he wants to mutilate me and put me 6 feet under the ground. What now?" Eiji sneered, he just wanted to prick on this idiot's love-struck bubble.

Yukio frowned and looked at him. "Learn to like him. You can't keep on fighting your brother-in-law."

Eiji stuck his tongue out upon hearing 'brother-in-law' like he was utterly disgusted with the term.

"Eiji! I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay! For your happiness, okay."

Yukio smiled then turned his eyes back to the road.

Eiji's mind wandered a little.

All these years, Yukio only considered and supported his happiness, health, education and success but never asked for anything in return. He also didn't mind being called a patron, a pet-raising weirdo, a strange elite and many other humiliating names because of him. He even thought more about him than his own situations. He almost never asked for a favor from him.

"We are brothers so I'll take care of you, you take care of me. I'll love you, you must love me, too. You will be the most important person to me, I must be the most important person to you, too."

A 12-year old skinny and pale boy looked at him seriously while saying these words in their first meeting. That was also when he found out that he actually had a half-brother. 

Half-brother, Yukio even preferred the term 'brother'.

"What if I don't want to?"

"You'll want to. I'm a good boy. I'm also smart and I'm rich."

At that time, he really thought it was absurd but because he wanted to study and have a better life together with the people who raised him, he didn't argue further.

But after that day, he was the only one who kept on receiving, Yukio never asked for anything as they grew up. This so-called benefactor of his was already very happy each time he told him about his good grades, his improving health, the competitions he won and up to the businesses he wanted to start with which he was provided with full support again. Yukio never limited nor restricted him. Amid the hardships and challenges, he also never heard him say "Stop. Do something else." or "No, it's risky." Instead, he was always, "Go, you can do it." or "Don't worry, I'm here."

The Yoshida couple erased all traces of his past and made him settle on being an outsider who had just been receiving benefits from Yukio and not related to the family in any other way, of course he accepted it without questions. He knew that it was the best way to protect Yukio as well because if his mom would be viewed on a despicable way and his family's complexities came out in the elite's circle, no one would be more hurt and burdened than Yukio. The latter felt bad for him because of this though and did his best to compensate, even gave more and did more than he already had.

So, this thing about Ryuichi that he was asking now? How could he seriously not do it? He would even swallow his pride and trample on his dignity to court the man for him if he asked for it. Of course, it was the best thing that he didn't.

After that night, Yukio never saw Ryuichi again. More than a month had passed and there was no call nor anything from him. This created a huge ice block inside yukio's heart, cold and piercing. These days, his dreams about have become more and more frequent. But each dream ended in Ryuichi walking away from him. Because of this, he'd always wake up with a very troubled heart causing most of his days to fly in a bad mood.

Rumi, on the other hand kept on calling and checking on him. She was more excited about the wedding preparations and had already taken the initiative to be the exclusive organizer of the event. His estrus also came again but this time, he was prepared. He had enough inhibitors and he just stayed in his bedroom at home.

Ryuichi was sitting in front of his computer in their Osaka branch, immersed in so many thoughts. His hands were clasped just over his nose, seriously calculating the possibilities relative to the report he had received. He was looking at a ten-year data of an illegal ammunition trade.

The door opened and smelling a familiar scent, he raised his head to look at the woman who had entered the room.

"Mom." His brows were still furrowed.

"You have been needlessly away from home for more than a month and you were not particularly communicative these days." The beautiful woman approached him. She hugged her son's head on her chest and laid her chin on top of his head. "What's wrong?"

"I'm okay, mom."

"Hmm, you can say that to the martians."

Ryuichi's lips slightly curled up.

Rumi's eyes went to the computer screen and immediately understood what the data was about, "You investigated them? Why? They are not related to you in any way."

"Have you known this already?"

"Yes, but since they are not doing anything to harm the corporation, I'm not interfering." She moved to sit on the couch meters away from her son's table and tapped the space beside her.

Ryuichi stood up and sat beside his mom. "If this gets out, it will greatly damage the corporation's name. You will lose a lot of businesses."

With a teasing smile, she tilted her head to intently look at the handsome face in front of her. "Hmm, the husband's worried about the wife?"

He stood up and with hands in his trouser's pockets and his back on his mom, he declared his plan, "I want to buy all of their shares."

"Those two?"

"Yes, and I need more."

Rumi frowned, "Why?"

"Countermeasures."

"For? Has this something to do with Yukio?"

"He's looking into buying some of the other directors' shares. I heard that he's already making some moves."

"Why? Even before Genzo completely transfer all the shares to him, he already has the highest percentage. Why does he want more?"

"I think it's not for him. For Eiji." He turned to face his mom.

Rumi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Eiji?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he is gathering power and authority for that man."

"Son, you got this wrong. Yukio and Eiji are not lovers. I can't explain this well, maybe you can blame it on my intuition and mind you, my intuition had done so much for both our business, our family and the corporation. One thing's for sure between them, their bond is strong but they are not lovers."

"Mom, every one is bound to make a mistake."

"No, think this over." She lowered her head and shook it in sorrow. Her son was blinded with jealousy. "I will not stop you in buying those two's shares and cut their ties with the corporation. After you do that, I will transfer my shares to you. I have no need for them since our business needs my focus, too, and I want to concentrate my efforts in helping your dad."

"Thank you, mom."

"But even after that, Yukio will still have more with his dad's shares." She stood up and held his son's hand with both of hers. "Son, you are misunderstanding him. I know what's in there, "She pointed her finger on the center of his chest. "Don't make things so hard for both of you. Don't you think he has already suffered enough for you to add more pain?" She stared at him with a disappointed look.

"To hurt him or not, I haven't fixed on that yet. But there are things that I can't overlook."

"Then why not investigate Eiji instead? If you want, I'll have it done."

"I already did, mom. But Yukio was so efficient on erasing all traces. He completely covered Eiji's past. It's like that man only started existing when he was taken in." He clenched his free fist and Rumi noticed it.

She reached out to his son's other hand and held it, too. "Do you know how selfless this person you're about to marry is? I know you have him tailed but there are still so many things that you don't know yet. First in the list, you don't even know his heart."

"And you know, mom?" Ryuichi looked at his mom with light sarcasm.

"Oh, of course, I do. Don't you know, knowing people's hearts is one of your mom's talents??" She let go of him, shrugged her shoulder and playfully winked.

Finally, Ryuichi laughed. His mom was already close to 50 but still acted like a naughty girl sometimes.

"Let's go out and have something to eat, mom."

"I thought you'd never ask!" She rolled her eyes and marched out of the door hearing her son's lively laughter again.

After their early dinner, Rumi flew back to Tokyo and Ryuichi went back to the office to continue working. So far, their company was steadily advancing and all sources of revenue were performing better than predicted. It was high time that he considered adding more businesses. He was serious in accumulating shares in Quantum Corporation but he also wanted to make their own business grow bigger. He drafted some possible courses to take and one of those was to delve into real estate.

He dialed a number and the man on the other side quickly answered. "Hello."

"Dad."

"Ryuichi. You met your mom?"

"Yes, dad. She is already on her way back to Tokyo."

"So you called because?"

"Dad, I'm planning to expand."

"You can do whatever you want, son. You have been excellently handling our business for years already. But okay, let me help you sort out your thoughts."

"I want to construct low rise apartment buildings complete with facilities amiable to elderly, with its own health center, a huge swimming pool, park with a lake, and a nursery school. Since our current businesses are in the center and lower geographical parts of the country, it would be good to have sources in the south as well. This way, we have a reach all throughout the country."

"What support do you need from us? Just let us know, we'll give you whatever you need."

Ryuichi smiled. His parents' trust on him was truly immeasurable. "Nothing, dad. I just wanted to let you know before I make a move."

"Do as you wish, son. Even if you make a mistake, I'm sure you can handle it."

"Thank you, dad." He then proceeded to give his mom's flight details to his dad. The woman wasn't really good at sending messages nor calling. Sometimes, she would escape from her husband's overly doting ways.

"Then I'll hang up now. I'll pass by your mom's favorite sweets shop before going to the airport."

"Okay. Try not to make her roll her eyes when she sees you, dad." He could hear his dad laughing before hanging up.

After the call, he immediately went back to work. He finished just before midnight and exhausted, he leaned on the headrest of his executive chair and rubbed both his temples. These days, he had been working like crazy just to push the images of a certain someone's smiles, voice, and everything. He missed him so much. His mind, his body and even his soul craved for him. But each time the images ran wild, they would always end up with the last lines and image that ripped his heart.

"Yukio..." The name slipped through his lips and it brought more pain in his chest.

When he went to New York, he concentrated in his studies and other special courses. He wanted to excel and be the best so when he could come back and make that introverted person proud of him. When he was in college, he got into a car accident and went into months of physical rehabilitation. He was still able to graduate with good grades despite being confined in a wheel chair but his rehabilitation lasted for another year after graduation.

After recuperating, he decided to work and gain power and authority in the business world. The person that he aimed to impress was an heir of a big corporation. As an Alpha, his pride couldn't let him be lax with a thought that he was far from the Omega's status. He wanted to become very strong in all aspects and become entirely dependable. For this, he worked so hard and almost had no rest for several years.

It wasn't that he was angry when his parents told him that Yukio and him were betrothed. No, he didn't go berserk because he didn't want to be with Yukio. It just shocked him. It was not in his plan. He knew how badly he hurt the Omega before he left and he wanted to come back and slowly but surely gain his love and trust. He aimed to make up for the past first and prove his worth as a partner. But with the engagement, wasn't it just forcing the other party to submit? He didn't want that. The last thing he wanted to have would just be a complying bride.

Ryuichi looked at his watch, stood up and picked up his coat. He'd drop by a bar first before going home to his unit. Once again, he needed to toast his brain so he could sleep without dreaming tonight.

Another two weeks had passed and both Ryuichi and Yukio diverted their emotional struggles into their respective jobs. 

Aside from work, Ryuichi was also supporting a couple of charity organizations. This value was embedded in him by his mom while growing up. As Rumi always told him, "Sharing is living life to the fullest. Besides, we can't take our possessions to our graves." When his mind was too preoccupied with undesirable thoughts, he would visit one of the orphanages that he was supporting and play with the children. He would bring new toys to them, eat with them and paint with them. Kids particularly liked him a lot, one could say he was a kid magnet. his charisma towards children was irrefutable. When making these less fortunate kids happy, he didn't mind looking so silly, getting so dirty or acting so childlike without any reservations.

Yukio, on the other hand, productively handled all concerns in the corporation. The pressure was high, especially that these days, their competitors were getting more and more aggressive. He worked even when on breaks and still took some tasks home. Genzo, who was observing his son from afar, was no less impressed than the directors who noticed his dedication, willfulness and smart decisions. If emotions were Yukio's weakness, intelligence and resoluteness were his strengths.

Eiji who silently watched him iron problems one by one felt so smug about his brother's effectiveness as a huge organization's leader. No one could even say now that he was once the frail, anti-social young man. Even their business partners softened in front of him. He was not the cool, strict and scary boss. In contrary, he was consistently warm, accommodating, soft-spoken and considerate that people he dealt with didn't have the heart to be rude to him.

Today, both Eiji and Yukio were on a flight to Kyushu. Today was the latter's schedule to check the progress in the property that Eiji bought. While on the plane, Eiji read the reports to him. Both of them had been extremely busy the past weeks that they didn't have time to have a meeting together. Even their moods as they face each other now were on work mode.

"The wall all over the property is done, half a meter thick and ten-foot high, solid concrete. It was designed to withstand an earthquake and other calamities. The treatment facility is halfway done. It will have 2 research laboratories, 10 quarantine rooms, 5 delivery rooms, 10 nurseries complete with medical equipment and other necessities, 5 rehabilitation rooms, and 20 confinement rooms. 10 out of 20 confinement rooms have five 1m x 1m cages for animals that can be confined together in a room. There are also 10 wide recovery areas around the facility. It's good for those that are yet to be released in the wild."

"And the whole landscape?" Yukio's eyes were on the blueprint of the whole property.

"Done. Trees were planted. The river sides were reinforced so that it wouldn't be damaged just in case of flash floods. We also made a lake almost at the end of the property for the free animals there."

"What do you think about this structure?"

"We lack space. With your vision, the space is not enough but we can make do with this for the moment."

"And the budget? I'm sorry, so much had been done and I think the money that I put in wasn't enough."

Eiji ruffled Yukio's hair suddenly disregarding the fact that his brother was being professional at this time. "Silly. Do you think I'm still that poor?"

Yukio smiled and caught the troublesome hand. "But you already spent so much in expediting the purchase of this property and the transfer of the land title. I know you paid several people to do things for you."

"Oh... but isn't that normal? If it was you, you'd pay the whole town." He broke in laughter and Yukio didn't know whether to laugh with him or cry with the hidden mockery in those words.

On their way out of the airport, Yukio asked, "Where are we staying, by the way?" Eiji made all the preparations for this trip, he just went along.

"I bought a house here. you can live in it, too, whenever you are here. It isn't as big as your  family's mansion but it has 3 bedroom with bathrooms, 2 guest rooms, a living room, a kitchen, a common bathroom and a terrace."

Yukio laughed inside at his brother's false humility and rode on it. "Decent enough." He shrugged.

Just as Eiji laughed as his reaction, Yukio's body stiffened. His eyes widened like he was seeing a ghost. His jaw dropped and he was fixed on the spot where he was standing.

Eiji quickly stepped closer to him and grabbed his arm, "Yukio? What's wrong? What's the problem?"

No answer. The one being asked was still in a stunned state. He followed the direction that the other's eyes were fixed on and saw a young man walking meters away from them. They seemed to have alighted from the same plane but because they spent the whole flight having a meeting in the business class, they spared no attention to anybody else.

The young man that Yukio was staring at was just a little taller than the latter. His hair was dark brown which almost looked black, his body was slender but with good proportions, his skin was really fair and when he looked around seemingly looking for someone, Eiji saw that the man had a small but high-bridged nose, slightly full lips and bright green eyes like him. He knew it wasn't good to call a man beautiful but this man in front of him must be an exemption. He was indeed very beautiful and very young. Eiji estimated that this man was just around 20 years old.

While also in a trance looking at the oblivious person in front of them, Eiji heard Yukio finally uttered something. He didn't hear it well so he asked, "What were you saying?"

The other party who still seemed to be immersed in his own world absentmindedly answered.

"Yu-Yukito..."