Best Defense

Something happened?

"Mom, I love you."

I lay curled up in my mother's arms like a child in her room. We just talked about the last thing that got me away from him. I apologize and yes, what else can I say but I'm sorry.

His presence is the greatest gift of my life. Not like my real mother who let me live with other people. We were playing the longest game of hide-and-seek I've ever played. He hid and pretended to be dead, then suddenly appeared around me. What a mess!

"I'm sorry, Panda." my mother muttered softly. "It doesn't matter if you're not ready to meet him, just don't hold a grudge because it'll hurt yourself."

I'm silent. I don't want to say anything to respond to his words. My mother was right, it's just that I haven't been able to accept what that woman has done to me. I don't even want to call her Mom.

"Did you hear me, sweetie?" ask my mom again.

"No. I was imagining sushi, mom." I said. Sushi may not be something worth tucking into this chat. But I'm hungry.

I don't want to discuss the matter of my biological mother, at least for now, after I hear her cruel and hurtful words. I've been happy to have a mother who took care of me since childhood and I don't need that woman's presence. Enough of my mom and my brother that I've known all along, there's no need for anything extra.

"Sweetie,"

"I want sushi." I was forced to plead with a tone that he would not be able to refuse. Ibuki's attitude never changed for me, even though I was married and even had two children, she still treated me as her sweet little Panda.

Am I happy? Well, on a couple of occasions... Yeah, I'm happy.

My mother kissed my head and one of her hands rubbed my face. "Okay, let's go for sushi." the grunt gave up.

Instantly my smile broadened, kissing her cheek once. "Liebe dich, mama." I said in German. My mom would be so happy if my brother and I said that to her. He said it reminded him of his hometown. "I'll take Mia."

He laughed as I got off the bed and straight out of the room. "Mia!" I called out to him as I looked up my head at the door of his room from under the stairs.

"The!" reply shouted. Before long his face appeared from behind the door and he came straight for me. "What's up?" he was tired with messy hair. One hand grazed the fries from the dining table while his eyes looked at the cell phone. Don't expect anything more from Mia. He would not be willing to give up that appearance all his life.

"Mom and I are going to a Japanese restaurant, are you coming?"

Mia shook her head quickly. "I have to go to the tavern this afternoon" he said with a mouthful of potatoes, unwilling to take his eyes off his cell phone.

Then I accidentally saw Sora come out of my sister's room, which is now her room as well. His stomach is starting to look swollen. Since Edward declared her pregnancy, that day Sora changed status in our house. She's part of the family now and the plan is they'll get married after Sora gives birth.

"Sister-in-law!" I called out to him while waving my hand. She smiled shyly, still shy about her new status. "Prepare, we'll go with mom."

"Where?" ask without a sound. Only his mouth moved.

"Outbond." I joked back, and Sora frowned while Mia shook her head while watching Sora.

"Ed is in big trouble" Mia told me.

"Mia," I said, before her sharp mouth cornered our future sister-in-law. "Don't!" I spoke while looking hard at him.

Mia shrugged her shoulders and I was thankful she didn't say anything more. I took a few steps closer to him, peering at his phone. My eyes glared at Jason, "Oh, God..." Now I regret my move.

"What?"

I inhaled and exhaled many times before speaking. "You'd better ask her to marry you, or I'll beat her up." I said firmly, looking solemnly into her eyes.

As fast as lightning, I reached for his phone and called Jason. Mia wants to take that phone back from me. "Shut up!" I muttered sharply, and he gave up. The first one passed, there was no answer, a few seconds later Jason's voice sounded cheerful on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, love!"

"It's me, Franda." I replied in a cold tone, then without further ado I immediately conveyed my purpose of calling her before she could say anything. "Jason, listen... I know you're a close friend of my husband's and I also know you're in touch with my sister. But, I need to tell you, stay away from my sister if you're just going to mess around. I don't want to say this, but... I don't like the way you approach my sister."

Jason was silent for a while while I looked at Mia who was looking at me in frustration. "Franda, I don't know what happened there, but I never messed with your sister. I love her and I mean it." said Jason, sounding earnest. Too bad I can't see his expression.

"Okay, we'll see you later." I turned off the phone and threw Mia's phone into her lap. "You better listen to what I said. You're not young anymore, Mia. You're not a teenager looking for your identity, you're almost 30! Please, do something that makes your life better." I said, Then I went to the kitchen, but my steps stopped when I heard my phone ringing.

I turned to grab the phone from the couch table in the living room and found Ben's name. My eyebrows are wrinkled, Ben is with Nino and he never called me before as long as he was with his father. "Yes, Ben?"

"Mom, please help. daddy was faint" she said in tears, and sounded terrified, which frightened me.

"What's going on, Ben? Why did daddy faint? Is anyone there?" manya panic.

"I don't know, mom. Nobody's here. Please come and help him, I'm so scared..." The panic grew when I heard my son's desperate voice. Why isn't anyone there?

With trembling hands I tried to calm myself down, before calming Ben down. "Ben, listen. calm yourself down, baby, mommy is coming. Take a deep breath and release, daddy's gonna be fine." I looked at Mia. "I have to go to Nino's apartment, come along." I said as I pulled her, ignoring her bewildered face.

Before leaving the house I approached my mother. "Mom, something happened to Nino and I have to go. I'll explain." I kissed her cheek at a glance and went straight out of the house and into the car. "Black to Nino's apartment."

I re-attached the phone to the ear while the car started to go. "Ben, mommy's on her way there. Can you tell mommy what's going on?" I asked quietly and gently while my hands trembled.

Ben sniffles. "I don't know, mom. We were playing and he suddenly fainted."

"Are you nearby?"

"Yes, I'm next to him."

"Okay, stay there and..." Mia snatched the phone from my trembling hand and spoke to Ben.

"Ben, it's me, Aunt Mia. Can you see if your daddy's still breathing? Point your hand at her nose, "Silent for a moment as Ben does what Mia says. "Have?... Good, now do you feel the air coming out of there?"

I couldn't hear what Ben said, but the look on Mia's face said something bad had happened. "What's up, Mia?" manya.

Mia pointed her palm at me, asking me to be quiet. "Ben, keep calm.we'll be there any minute."

For almost fifteen minutes the journey was filled with panic and fear. I never imagined something bad would happen to my ex-husband and all this time he looked fine. Is he sick? If not, then why did he faint while playing with his son? Nino is not the one who will miss her eating schedule, she lived a healthy life, even too healthy when she was married to me.

I was so late in my fear. Mia kept trying to calm Ben down while one of her hands held my hand firmly until our car stopped in the apartment lobby. And at the same time I saw a woman I would never forget, half running into the apartment building. Jennys.

To be honest I didn't want to go down, but then my mind remembered my son. He's there with Nino, and he needs me. Without thinking any longer, I pitched my legs after the woman.

He looked surprised when he saw me arrive in front of the elevator that was still closed. I glanced at Mia who was still talking to Ben, she had yet to realize who the woman beside me was. No sound was heard other than Mia's voice as long as we were in front of the elevator until we arrived in front of the Nino apartment unit. The same unit, next to mine that is currently empty.

"Ben!" I hurried over to my son who was sitting trembling and crying beside his father who was lying weak. His phone is still in his ear. I grabbed Ben's body and took him to the living room, while Black and Mia checked on Nino.

"It's okay, honey. I'm here, he'll be fine."