Saito - Conquest

Life was good for Yuzuki and Rokurou. They knew they were getting closer to the end but they never let it affect them. They were prepared for it, so why be so sullen? It was okay. They had a nice life. They had each other, of course. Their love was as strong as the day they met. Their son was happy and had a successful career. Their grandson was also well on his way to a good life. Dying now would be fine with them.

Hayate took a break from his studies to get to know some of the young ladies of New Lanshire. He made a friend when he approached a little girl walking down the street. He was sitting in the yard, doing his homework when she came by. They had some common interests but Hayate was still a bit unsure of how he felt about her. Girls were a strange breed.

They never understood why he was always painting. It was messy and boring! But Hayate didn't think so. He enjoyed it. He loved making works of art to decorate the house with. His grandmother adored his floral paintings and they did earn the family money sometimes. Girls were just too immature to understand.

Hayate knew his father didn't understand either but he never complained. It kept Hayate busy while he worked, so he didn't get too upset that his father made little to no time for him. He would hug Ryouichi when he came home and go back to painting, giving Ryouichi time to bring in one of his girlfriends.

His latest conquest was the mail woman. He had come to find her odd beauty charming. The way her uniform hugged her body was nice and her blonde hair was a refreshing oddity, given his usual view of red hair next to him in bed. He chatted her up whenever she dropped off the bills and sometimes gave her a rose while she gave him the mail. She was clearly surprised and flattered.

She was a nice woman but she stayed around too much. Most of the women he was with left right after the night of passion but Dagmar did not. She stuck around, letting herself be seen by the other members of the household. As hot as she was, Ryouichi would have to sit her down and break the rules to her.

Hayate grew up to become a money-minded young man. He wanted to be successful and have a decent life, in comparison to his father. Women were nice but not to be treated so loosely. No. He'd find himself a nice young woman to share his wealth with.

Saito - Approval

The Holt sisters were Ryouichi's current favorite playmates. The two of them were both gorgeous but different. Lorelle was the type of girl he could take out on the town and she'd make him dance well into the morning. Eumelia was the girl he could bring home and slink into bed with. He was driven mad by their red hair and dark blue eyes. And he knew for a fact that he drove them mad as well.

Yuzuki wished her son had a bit more respect for women. She really did, despite her silence on the subject. Didn't he want a long-lasting love like the one she shared with her husband? She couldn't bare the thought of waking up next to anyone else. Rokurou had been by her side for eternity, it had seemed. Her son's amorous ways just didn't leave way for true romance. How could he be happy with that?

Hayate didn't really mind what his father did. Or rather, he didn't have much time to. He was a very focused boy and blocked out most of what went on in the house, in an effort to keep to his studies, His mother always preached about working hard to become someone worthy of respect and he wanted to make her proud, wherever she was.

He made his grandparents proud, he knew that. He was a quiet boy who kept to himself mostly, painting or reading. But he always helped out with the chores, taking out the trash and loading the dishwasher. His grandmother boasted of his helpful deeds to her husband and to any neighbors who listened.

Hayate often wished his dad was as proud. After receiving his report card and showing it to his happy grandparents, he rushed into his father's room for his approval. But his father was preoccupied with Karl's mother. "That's nice, Hayate, now go away. Daddy is busy with Miss Holt." Hayate sighed and walked out, his tiny fingers clinging to his A+.

Yuzuki didn't need her son's approval for anything and soon, Hayate would learn that too. Yuzuki entered a cooking contest of her own desire and she won. She was proud and shared her winnings with her husband and Hayate. But Ryouichi would get none of it. He wouldn't even get a piece of the turkey that won.

While at the contest, Yuzuki met up with many of people. One of the people she met ran the art school in town and they got into a conversation about Hayate. The woman agreed to meet with him and see if he had what it took to be a true artist. She observed him for several hours before rising from her seat and giving him a membership to her school. "You'll fit in quite nicely."

Meanwhile, Yuzuki got to know her neighbors a bit more. "Did you hear? The girl in the red house is looking for aliens! Aliens!"

Saito - The Small Things

Not many men would be happy about living with their parents, but Ryouichi was. His parents weren't like most. They weren't overbearing or stuck up. They accepted him and his "flaws". They understood that he was to be a free bird, unable to be held down...unlike his ex-wife. No, she thought she could change him. She thought she could turn him into a loyal, loving husband and father. She was wrong and after having enough, she left Ryouichi to take care of their son, Hayate. Luckily, the moment she left, Rokurou and Yuzuki were planning on moving to a new town and invited their son and grandson to live with them. With Hayate being watched over by his parents, Ryouichi now has time to do what he loves: flirt.

Ryouichi had always gotten along well with his parents. He'd been able to talk to them about anything. So it was no trouble striking up a conversation with his father once they had moved in. His son, however, was less social. Yuzuki tried to cuddle Hayate, wanting to soothe him since he seemed so against the move but he just shoved her. He didn't like physical connection, much.

But Yuzuki knew this, so she tried a different approach. She was more subtle, sitting beside Hayate and asking him about his book. He was less threatened in that way, but still quite shy. He would mumble his answers. Still, at least he was answering at all.

Hayate loved reading but painting was also a love of his. He was only able to draw stick figures and strange looking unicorns but it was a relaxing activity. Still, he wondered if there was something else he was good at. He wondered if there was an activity that was made for him...

While Ryouichi bunkered down and found himself a job as a dishwasher, his father was wasting what little money they had. His father had some sort of midlife crisis and felt the need to befriend as many people as he could, right down to the paper girl. She was a bit scared by this strange old man giving her money but hey...money is money.

Ryouichi distracted himself from his father's frivolous ways in the best way he knew how. He chatted up one of his next door neighbor, Eumelia Holt, when she came by to welcome the family to the neighborhood. She was a beautiful woman. He could just imagine her long red hair entangled in his fingers, sprawled out against the dark outline of his pillows...

Of course, she wasn't the only woman he was interested in. Quite the contrary, actually. Ryouichi had gotten in touch with many of the ladies in New Lanshire. He had quite the selection. He kept in touch with all of them, of course. The internet was a lothario's best friend.

Ryouichi hadn't thought about having another live-in girlfriend ever again. But it wouldn't hurt. His housekeeping skills left much to be desired. The poor boy couldn't even make a bowl of ramen without almost setting the microwave on fire. His mother was beginning to get tired of cooking for him. Perhaps he'd have to find himself a girlfriend who was handy with a stove?

Yuzuki was beginning to tire of cooking for her son. He needed to learn how to fend for himself. She wasn't going to live forever. So, she tended to make foods that didn't require more than one serving, so he would be forced to cook something himself.

Hayate was beginning to branch out and make friends. They were older than him, however but his wise attitude made it okay. He often spoke as if he were ten years older than he was, which really attractive the teenage girls. He also had a keen eye for style, helping them update their looks. One such girl, Meadow Thayer, was pleased with the new hairstyle he'd given her.

Hayate enjoyed school. He enjoyed it more than most children did. He loved learning and wasn't very disappointed when his first report card was less than great. He didn't care. He knew he was still learning, still growing and that was what was important. His cheerfulness impressed everyone, including the bus driver.

With Hayate at school and Ryouichi at work, the older Saito had little to do. Rokurou would sit down on the couch and read, Yuzuki coming soon after to cuddle up to him. She had been quite tired as of late.

Ryouichi's job kept him away most of the day but he was still an excellent father, in Hayate's eyes. Ryouichi helped him with his homework and read to him when he did have free time. It was the small things that counted, after all.

He didn't at all mind when his father wandered off to call Eumelia. She was a nice, pretty woman, after all. His father really seemed to like her. Hayate wasn't that selfish to interrupt him like that.

It was rude to interrupt, anyways.