A/N: To explain. Occationally, there will be chapters to expound upon something from Nao's POV, since this is the sequel to Yours to Hold and all. Untraditional? Sure, but Ima do it anyways, cause I think you guys might enjoy what you get to see. These chapters will usually be shorter than the others and fall in behind chapters where something involving Nao happens, but isn't seen by Cande for obvious reasons. So, without further ado, the first special chapter!

P.S. Nao has gotten even less polite since you guys last saw her... don't say I didn't warn you!

Nao

What do you get when you combine an idiot, an asshole, an idiot’s father, an idiot’s almost-girlfriend, and the almost-girlfriend’s single, desperate mother?

A dinner party from hell.

Oh, and don’t forget me, the biggest idiot of them all seeing as I somehow ended up attending.

“Oh, Harou-kun, who knew you were so… charming. I knew you were handsome, but this is just topping on the cake! What a catch you would be!”

If I had the choice between death, and listening to yet another “Oh, Harou-kun” line followed by a giggle, I’d probably choose the first. Unsurprisingly, my feelings seemed to be mirrored on Ren’s face as he stared at them with annoyance. Next to him, her blonde hair pulled to the back in a single, neat bun, said desperate mother’s daughter was looking at the scene with something akin to disgust. As Harou offered the woman a polite smile in response, the blonde shot me an apologetic look, as if that could push down the sick feeling that appeared at the sight of her mother hanging off of his arm.

“Yes, well, my parents did attempt to teach me something of manners,” he replied slowly. “Although, if you ask them, I slept through the lessons.”

“Funny, too!” she replied, that bubbly giggle of hers hitting the air once again. “Oh, if I’d known this, I would have asked to have dinner with you a long time ago!”

I coughed, nearly choking on the drink I’d begun to take.

Without hesitation, Ren slapped me on the back, earning himself a glower.

“Thanks,” I snapped, shoving his arm away.

He offered me that smug smirk he seemed so fond of.

“No problem. Afterall, we can’t be the only ones forced to endure this torture,” he replied cheerily. “You have to live till the end.”

“Ren!”

He rolled his eyes, shooting his almost-girlfriend a challenging expression.

“Meiko,” he replied, mimicking her reproachful tone.

She narrowed her hazel eyes and leaned forward, grabbing him by the tie and pulling his head down so that it was inches from her face.

“Don’t be an ass. She might be… her, but she’s my mother. I’ll beat manners into you if I have to.”

His smug smile faltered slightly, then slid into an amused one, as if her words hadn’t caused him to become extremely tense.

“Oh? You’re smart enough to teach me manners? I was under the impression that a pig could do a bet-”

I didn’t bother to muffle my amused snicker as Meiko slammed her fist into Ren’s gut. Across the table, in his seat next on the opposite side of Harou than Meiko’s mother, Ren’s father visibly winced. I had to wonder what exactly gave the man the impression that setting up an arranged marriage between those two would end up with any other result than their neighbors phoning the police with domestic violence reports at least two times a day. I’d be surprised if one of them, most likely Ren, wasn’t dead before the end of the first year.

I couldn’t really bring myself to hate that possibility. Perhaps that’s why I’d taken a liking to Meiko after Ren had introduced us at the beginning of dinner. I’d only come after his excessive begging and whining over the matter. I’ll admit that I had been rather curious about the girl who had given him nice, hand shaped bruise on his face after their first date.

“Oh, the kids get along so well, don’t they, Harou-kun?”

I glanced at Meiko’s mother with surprise. How someone could be that stupid, I’ll never know. To his credit, my uncle, the bastard known as Harou, looked distinctly unsettled by all of this. I’d been shocked if he hadn’t, my uncle wasn’t known for being comfortable in informal settings. His idea of a dinner party had probably included discussion about the weather, dainty napkins, and false compliments.

Well, he’d gotten the false compliments, but that was about it.

“... exceedingly.”

I scowled in his direction. Couldn’t he at least tell the truth about a matter as trivial as this? No, of course not. He made a practice of doing the opposite.

Seeming to pick up on my expression, Harou’s eyes flickered in my direction. When they met my gaze, he stiffened, his hand clenching around the napkin he’d raised to his lips.

“We should have dinners like this more often,” she continued, seemingly unaware if his change of mood. “Oh, perhaps sometimes it could just be us… ....well, and your darling daughter of course!”

I tensed, shooting the woman the dirtiest look I could manage. At the same time, I pushed away from the table and stood, changing my dirty look into the most polite one I could make without feeling any more sick to my stomach than I already did.

“If you’ll excuse me, as much as I love watching two grown-ups act less dignified than sex-deprived teenagers, I have school work to do.”

Interestingly enough, Harou’s face flushed an angry shade of red, Meiko’s mother paled, and Ren’s father looked like he was fighting the urge to laugh. Ren didn’t make any such attempt, bursting out laughing then and there. Meiko hit him upside the head and began scolding him as I stepped around my chair and started for the door.

“Nao!”

Ignoring the angry voice behind me, I pulled the sliding door open and took a deep breath. It was only then I turned my head to offer him the sickly sweet smile I found myself giving him quite often anymore.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take my work over to Takashi’s house. That way you can do whatever you wish without having to worry who knows, because we all know how concerned you are with public appearances, Otou-san,” I retorted, the last part of my words coming out more similar to a sneer than the polite tone I’d begun with.

So, perhaps I’d been acting a bit more bitchy recently than usual. No one, except Arai, had ever accused me of being a nice person. I also had no intentions of attempting a nicer attitude towards that bastard anytime soon, so for now, I tended just to leave things as they were.

Such as how after I finished speaking, I stepped through the door and slid it shut behind me. Without any further ado, I headed for my room to get my things. Much to my surprise, I’d barely made it half-way down the hall before the diningroom door slid back open, then slammed shut.

“Nao.”

I kept walking. I heard a muttered curse hit the air behind me as I turned the corner. A moment later Harou came around the corner as well, landing a hand on my shoulder to make me stop walking. Without even attempting to pretend politeness, I turned and gave him an impatient expression.

“What is it?”

“This has to stop,” he replied, his expression carefully blank.

I snorted, he could at least make an effort to look apologetic if he was going to expect me to listen.

“What a wonderful way to ask someone’s forgiveness,” I snapped. “I feel powerless to continue being pissed. Oh, wait, I lied. Runs in the family, I guess.”

His even expression cracked just the smallest bit and his firm hold on my shoulder loosened. In response, I jerked away from him and started down the hall once again.

“You should probably get back to your dinner.”

“Nao,” he began again, following me despite my words. “This is ridiculous. I didn’t raise you to act like this. I doubt that your mother want-”

I stopped dead and spun to face him.

“What my mother would or wouldn’t want,” I hissed. “Is of none of your concern. Also, you didn’t raise me. My father, my real father, Morioka Takuma, raised me, and he taught me to do as I think is right. At the moment, I think it’s right to treat you like the bastard I think you are. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

For what wasn’t the first time in the last few months, my uncle was left with nothing to say. Taking that as a job well done, I turned my back and started down the hall once again. Perhaps he’d get the idea this time.

I wanted nothing to do with him.