Beyond a Thief's Power Version 2 (Mature, for Ages 18+)

Episode 19

Conflicted Hearts

~August 26, 2007 ~

It was nighttime in the Kujo residence. Hyosuke was watching and dancing to the Multi-Star Clover concert on the large flat screen television screen in the living room behind the chiffon white couch. The girls group was featured in South Korea and it would be their final concert there before their flight to Japan the next day. The purple-haired Kujo brother was a fan to them as Hiro Sarashina of the Black Foxes was to Nao. Hyosuke never shared his love for MSC towards the members of the alliance, except his family members and Miyuki.

His visage was full of joy and his fan-like smile was on for a full view. He moved in sync to the dancing, but admired one member in particular.

Manjuki's the best as always! He thought. His eyes shone with glimmer. It'd be perfect if I could go meet her in person at a fan meeting.

Hyosuke radiated a light a devoted fan had. No. He was Manjuki's number one fan, more than being Multi-Star Clover's, and was having the most wonderful time of his life.

Miyuki, on the other hand, was crouched down and feeding the cat, whose name was Hisaka, near the enormous house's kitchen. She shared the same surname as the silver-haired magician, with dark gray fur but had shadow gray eyes. Quite a lovely sight, the cat was. While Hisaka was quiet and obedient toward the other members of the household, she was cold around Hyosuke; albeit, she did not mind how he was concentrating on the live concert. Hyosuke himself was almost like an idol with his ability to match the moves from his favorite idol, and he was not a bother to Hisaka.

The sound of the door being unlocked was heard by Miyuki, Hisaka, and Hyosuke, whose training as a thief and security specialist developed his keen senses, but they weren't as strong as the other two had. They could hear the door opening; four sets of feet coming into the house, taking off their shoes, the door being shut and locked, as well as the footsteps arriving in the living room.

Taiga and Nao stepped into the living area with the Kujo brothers' parents, who brought their walnut brown luggage cases in with them with smiles on their faces.

"Hyosuke, we're home!" Mrs. Kujo announced. She let go of her luggage's handle and placed the palms of her hands and her fingers together.

Hyosuke stopped dancing to the MSC concert and gave a quick glance at his mother. Obviously, he was not pleased with his family members coming home. "Mom, you guys came back at a bad time! The last Multi-Star Clover concert in South Korea is on!" He turned his head back towards the TV, but did not dance.

Mrs. Kujo frowned unhappily and her shoulders fell. "Oh, dear. I've upset my baby."

Without moving his head, Mr. Kujo's eyes moved to his right. He smiled in a strained manner. "Don't be so sad, Honey. Hyosuke's love for his favorite idol group doesn't match how much we mean to him. As he said, we came at a bad time. We should give him time to watch the rest of the concert and have dinner together afterward."

Taiga folded his arms. "Dad, Mom. You two shouldn't baby him so much. Hyo's a grown man. However, being one doesn't excuse his rude behavior."

"Even so," Mrs. Kujo pouted. "He's still the youngest and we're trying to make up for not being here for several years."

"That's right," Mr. Kujo smiled with his eyes closed. "If we had been home sooner, we wouldn't feel guilty for missing you two grow up."

Taiga's face displayed a downcast look while his head lowered. "It's... not your fault. We've been fine this whole time without you two, so don't worry about the past."