"You know," said the man with skin the colour of warm cinnamon, wryly, "this is the second time that you have called me over for a drink, but there is no sign of any alcohol whatsoever." Kazuhiko looked up at his best friend of twelve years as he entered the office and stood up at his desk, with a sigh. They had met when Rishu had transferred into his middle school, a seemingly quiet young boy, the girls had thought him shy and nervous. But when they had crowded around him, offering to help this attractive youth with dark treacle eyes and warm toned skin, he had caught Kazuhiko looking over at him and slyly winked. Not long after this, Kazuhiko had come to realise that this innocent boy was not shy nor softly spoken, but a blunt, arrogant teenager, who did not mince words when not putting on his act for the girls. In fact, Rishu proved himself to be a magnet for trouble and Kazuhiko really felt he should probably stay away from this type of person, but having been raised in the strict restraint of his family that demanded near perfection of face, he found Rishu refreshing. It also helped that Rishu was not born and bred in these circles and cared nothing of traditions, not even ones his own family demanded of him. Due to that, they were currently estranged. Kazuhiko opened a small door within the display cabinet to one side of his office and with drew two crystal tumblers and a bottle of liqueur. He poured the clear liquid into the bottoms of the two glasses then handed one over to Rishu. "Not saki?" Rishu teased, as he took the offered spirit. "Such sacrilege." "What my mother doesn't know," Kazuhiko said, dryly, "will not hurt her." The two men tapped the glasses together, before tasting the burning liquid with relish. "So what do I owe the honour?" Rishu asked, as he sat back in the leather chair. "Ah, you are keeping this one company in his misery," Kazuhiko replied and pulled a document off of his desk and waved it in front of Rishu's vision. "Your divorce came through," Rishu stated as he glanced over the document. "That was fairly quick. Did she take you for every last penny in the end?" Kazuhiko tossed back the last of the liqueur and debated pouring another, but decided to refrain. "Esme took only what she bought into the marriage," Kazuhiko admitted, placing the empty glass upon his desk. "There was a prenuptial signed before the wedding... but Esme added on a few last minute conditions via her lawyer when it came to the divorce." "Oh?" Rishu raised a styled eyebrow and tilted his head in question. "Kou..." Kazuhiko began, bitterly. A wave of frustration swept across his usually calm features. Rishu leaned forward, straightening his spine as he asked; "Don't tell me that she wanted custody in the end?" Kazuhiko shook his head. "I have full custody of Kou," he replied. "However, her conditions were along the lines of not wanting him to ever know her, meet with her or ask anything of her." He had been shocked when he had heard these terms. There had been a discussion regarding compensation towards Kou's care in exchange for the silence, but Kazuhiko didn't want Esme's money, he had just wanted their son to know his mother in time. Rishu cursed beneath his breath. Despite the difficulties he had experience with his mother, he couldn't imagine not ever being able to know her and speak with her. She had raised him well, had been a good parent, just that his views differed with that of his parents and they struggled to accept that. "Maybe... maybe it's a good thing. Better than growing up aware that you are hated by the woman that gave birth to you." "I just... I'm struggling to associate the Esme that I married with the Esme who would reject her own child! It's like they are two different people." Granted that it had been an arranged marriage and they had not married for love, but... Rishu watched as Kazuhiko ran a hand through his blond hair in frustration and sighed inwardly. He could see that the man was not taking this well, yet at the same time, he couldn't help but feel glad. Since the time that Kazuhiko finished university to now, Rishu had not seen the true Kazuhiko, just the mask of a man bound by obligation. Now, that mask was beginning to crack. "You don't want to hear this," Rishu said, swirling the remains of the liquid in his glass. "But I never liked Esme." "What do you mean?" Kazuhiko paused, leaning against his desk. "She was boring," Rishu replied, bluntly. "She acted like a perfect little wife, a perfect hostess, she only ever spoke about the workings of the Fumiko household. I kept wanting to grab her by the shoulders, shake her and demand; 'do you have no life of your own!'" Kazuhiko was startled for a moment, before beginning to chuckle. He had to admit, there were occasions that Esme might as well have been one of the ornaments in his mother's collection. A lovely one, admittedly, no one could claim Esme was not beautiful, but she lacked a personal presence at times, especially when he was the focus. That had changed a little while she was pregnant with Kou, she had been surrounded by well wishers, hoping she would produce a healthy heir. She had blossomed, she had looked happy, but obviously that had not lasted. "In fact," Rishu continued. "When you told me that she threw a tantrum and a vase at you for refusing to have Kou adopted out, I thought you were joking!" "I wish I had been," Kazuhiko groaned, recalling that day. He had never seen his passive wife like that before, so loud and emotional, not even in his embrace during the night. He had tried to please her, but it was increasingly difficult when she had usually lain there like a sacrifice to his needs. He had felt useless, felt that it was his own fault that she felt little passion beneath his touches. And he had felt guilty that he was unable to reach his own climax within her body... unless he recalled two darkening verdant eyes and the cries of a forbidden night. It was small wonder it took over three years for her to conceive Kou. She had spurned him after that, but he told himself that she was just worrying for their child, ignoring the fact that he actually felt relief that he did not need to perform marital duties. "I thought she was in shock, but I still never imagined she would completely turn her back on him, just because he happened to be an Omega!" "She is a fool," Rishu snapped. He was a Beta, his parents were both Betas as was his sister, whose first born was an Alpha, while her second child was a Beta, but no one in the family treated the children differently because of their gender. Of course, his family was just a common, working family, not wealthy nor elite. He admitted to himself that there was plenty of discrimination towards Omegas, the uniqueness was more than the difference of how fertile they were compared to others, but they were still human. "And if there is more to her than an empty vase," Rishu added, "then she will come to regret the decisions she has made." He stood up and grasped Kazuhiko upon the shoulder offering his strength as he added; "but I think you will have to face fact that it is unlikely. She won't be coming back here and she won't become the mother you wanted for your son." "I cared for her," Kazuhiko told his friend as he felt the waves of emotions that he had been holding back for son long rise to the surface like an untameable storm. He pressed his fingers to his eyes as if doing so could stop the tears from leaking from them. "I did care for her." She had been his good wife for almost four years, how could he have not had some feelings for her in that time? "I know," Rishu replied, pulling Kazuhiko into his comforting embrace. "But you did not love her. Perhaps now you will be able to find someone that you can love."