A/N: Today marks my 4th Anniversary on Fanfic!

I’m very proud to have come so far with 20+ stories and more than 10 completed stories here!

I’m happy to have done the themes I’ve done so far and explored. Each story I wrote came with a perspective that I wanted to share, a view I wanted to show and I feel I accomplished that with each story I’ve written.

I also want to throw in a quick thank you to the many reviewers that took the time to review for me. It was thanks to your reviews that motivated me to continue posting my stories and hopefully you’ll all continue to support me.

My Anniversary this year will not go unmarked without just a huge mass update, but a WHOLE new list of Thrill I wish to bring to all of you.

On my Profile, you’ll be able to vote for two stories to join the regular line-up of releases. Like the first time I did this, the first chapter of all the stories are released for the pleasure of your viewing and reading so do take it to account along with the summary when you vote for your favorite two. If you don’t have a fanfic account, you may vote via review on the stories of your choice and let me warn you, I’m only tallying people who don’t have account via review so if you do have a account on fanfic and vote through review, I won’t count it because I will ASSUME you’ve voted on my profile already.

So Please, Read, Review and vote on ‘One Step At A Time’, ‘Frozen’, ‘Black Wings’ or ‘More Than Meets The Eyes’.

Other than that, read the mass release of stories, vote for your favorite two new stories and review for me. :D

More Than Meets The Eyes

Rated: M

Summary: When multiple problems can be solved with one solution, it may be the best way to go... unless there's more than meets the eye.

Chapter I: In Need Of A Mother

Syuusuke sighed as he awoke to the usual mess and clutter around the house. It had been like this for the last three days because his father had just fired the latest maid for incompetence.

‘It never changed when Sho-san was busy… the busier he got the dirtier the house got. Then all the maids hired were always quitting or fired for one reason or another… most were for sexual harassment on Sho, then Incompetence, then speed, then everything else amaid could get fired for. You name it he’s fired them for it… so that accounts for the hundreds of takeout we have on the counters, the magazine lying all over the coffee table the clothes that haven’t been laundered in three days, the empty fridge save for a bottle of juice and a pack of beer and the dust that accumulated in three days over the TV and other miscellaneous objects.

I could try my hand in it but I’ve gotten tired of cleaning up only to find it the same after I came back from work. So I did what I could and knew would stay clean… my own room.

Besides, if the longest maid we had lasted for two weeks and four days, I wonder how long a wife would last. I only wonder because that’s my mission. To find my father Sho, a wife… my mission impossible’

“Sho-san! Get up!” Syuusuke knocked on his father’s door at the same time as he brushed his teeth.

“Hn…” The man said flinging the door open with mussed hair and half-opened eyes. Despite his look, he always got up when Syuusuke told him too. Actually his father was a Seiyu a voice actor for anime sand novels that were broadcasted on the radio and later sold as a CD drama. The funny thing was although he was good-looking and had a nice voice, he liked to hide behind the scenes and if possible, never publish his face. He used the excuse of wanting his fans to imagine him rather than see him and even went as far as using a stage name of just “Aki” as cover.

“Ready?” Syuusuke asked his father when he had finished dressing for work and grabbed his things.

“Aa…” Sho said sliding on his beanie, aviator glasses and jacket. He always stayed anonymous wherever he went and used different voices all the time so fans and people would never be able to distinguish him; a “gift” to save his life according to his father.

They did they’re usual as Syuusuke took out as much of the trash as he could, dropped it off by the garbage and they both made their way to the local café to have breakfast together.

“Ohayo Yoshida-san!, Syuusuke-kun!” The owner’s wife greeted them as usual. “Shall I get you two the usual?”

“Aa!” Syuusuke said settling in his usual spot next to his father at a secluded corner.

“Damn…” Sho cursed as he saw the owner’s wife heading specially towards them while having the other waitresses serve others.

“What’s the matter dad? Don’t want her to ask if you’ve found someone yet?” Syuusuke asked with a slight chuckle.

“Shut it Syuusuke!” Sho warned as he braced himself.

“There you two are!” She said warmly as she placed their food in front of them and straightened with a beaming face towards Sho. “You really should find a nice wife to take care of the both of you even if Syuusuke is twenty!” She chided Sho.

“I believe we’ve already talked about my desire NOT to marry already Kanagawa-san.” Sho said as politely as he could manage.

“So get a move on it! I’m sure there’s a couple girls I know looking to marry!”

“Thanks but no thanks,” Sho said with finality as he turned to eat and ignored the frown on the woman’s face.

Syuusuke watched her finally give up and walk away while they ate in silence again. Seriously, Syuusuke wasn’t really Sho’s child, but no one else but Sho and he knew that. He had lost his siblings and parents to a car accident as they were headed to the airport to go on vacation. He had stayed behind with Sho, a friend of his father’s, sick with the flu. After hearing about the accident, Sho officially adopted him and they moved closer to Sho’s workplace a school so they could be closer to everywhere they needed to be. That was ten years ago… and ever since he could remember after that, Sho had never brought home a potential girlfriend or even seemed like he was dating. Syuusuke felt a bit guilty that it could’ve been his fault that his father never dated or even thought about marriage… but he hadn’t though to move out because he felt his father would be quite lonely without him and the pigsty, that he actually cleaned but become a black hole of garbage if he left.

After breakfast and paying the bill, Syuusuke split off from his father who headed to work and he headed to the bookstore where he worked. Walking in he greeted Oishi-san, the owner of the bookstore and headed to the back to put his things away and put his name tag on.

“Ne Yoshida, you should date one of those girls that come everyday in out corner café to stare at you.” Oishi said with a smile. “They do help business by buying our books and such.”

“But if I date one of them then the rest would stop coming right Oishi-kaichou?” Syuusuke said with a small smile, “ resulting in bigger losses right?”

“I- I suppose so.” Oishi said taken a back after getting another view on it. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am… besides, I’m more in need of a mother than a girlfriend at the moment.”

“Really?” Oishi asked.

Syuusuke merely nodded and headed out of the back to take the load of books near the door to shelf the merchandise.

“Morning Sagara-san!” Fuji greeted the manager of the café. Oishi-san may own the whole thing but he needed someone to watch one side of it and Sagara-san was just the one.

“Morning Yoshida… did you see the new cute girls I’ve hired?”

“I did, they introduced themselves to me yesterday… but where are the guys to balance it out?” Fuji questioned.

“Well I already have Akutagawa, Ootori, Shishido, and-“

“And?” Fuji questioned.

“I’ll find a fourth to have four girls and four boys ne!” Sagara said with a grin.

“With your criteria it may be hard… and Akutagawa loves to sleep too.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Sagara said with a smile. “It attracts his fans here just to see him.”

“Good luck then,” Syuusuke said with a slight smile before heading on his way to do his duties again.

Sagara-san was just as picky as his father… every time a potentially good woman came along he always found some sort of fault in her… whether it’s her figure, her looks, her attitude, her behavior or god knows what else she could think of… he’s already listed girls Fuji suggested under the seven sins and everything else…

‘so hard to please…’ Fuji thought with a slight sigh.

xXx

VA studio

“You’re CD drama sold like crazy among the ladies!” the executive director said following Sho to the recording room in happiness. “We’re having to print more and more copies, did I mention a new anime was coming out and the producers have asked that you sing the opening AND voice for the main guy?”

“Depends on the contract.” Sho merely said with a yawn as he took a seat and people walked by with his script to memorize and coffee.

“You should at least meet your fans Aki! It’s been what eleven years since you debuted and it’s not like you’re ugly!” The producer gushed on and on.

“They’ll like me for my talent, not my looks.” Sho merely said. “ besides, I don’t wish for people to stalk me.”

xXx

Elsewhere

“Ojou-sama, Ouji-sama, please be careful!”

“Aa!” The lady answered as she got out with her bag and pulled on the teen’s hand. “Come on Ryoma!”

Yes, it may seem weird to be running but that’s exactly what Takeuchi Ryoma was in the middle of doing with his cousin who was more mother than cousin. The only difference was, she was running as if hell was chasing after her heels and he was walking while being pulled crazily along. He had agreed to go with her and even cut his hair, dyed it brown and wore hazel contacts to pull off the different person look.

Normally he wasn’t one to engage in silliness like this but Asuka was his like his mother through and through. His parents had been killed in a car accident on their way home from the airport where they have just flown in from France and he was handed to his rich grandfather to be taken cared of. Of course no one had time to care for him so Asuka, at the age of fourteen and also living with their grandfather took over. She had a father and stepmother but they traveled a lot and so she preferred to stay with their grandfather who was usually only nose-deep in business at home and not other place. Together, they filled the void of loneliness with each other as they both grew up with the stubborn Takeuchi ways.

Running away though, had to do with the current situation. Their grandfather, Takeuchi Takahiro, one of the richest and influential guys in Japan had decided to engage her off to a powerful family whose son’s had please him to the point of giving Asuka away. BUT, if you asked Ryoma, It wasn’t just that. He had overheard the maids talking about how the Takahashi family produced nothing but males who were notable for different things… his grandfather produced only two girls; Rinko, his mother, and Ayaka, Asuka’s mother.

This wouldn’t have been too big of a problem If Ryoma would just accept the fortune and been the heir but he vehemently refused and told his grandfather he had no wish to be a business man but something more ordinary. That was why he turned to Asuka… which caused this runaway.

“I’m sorry for dragging you along Ryoma…” Asuka said with a sigh.

“Isn’t it for the both of us?” Ryoma questioned with a sigh as a smirk made its way across his face despite him trying to look serious.

“I guess.” Asuka smiled brushing her now brown hair back as she looked around. They had taken what little money Asuka had set aside only because their grandfather pushed the date forward t engage her off. They didn’t have time to pull out a lot of money without causing suspicion… so now they were….

Almost penniless and truth be told, didn’t have enough to rent out a place.

“I’ll go look for a job,” Ryoma volunteered. “You stay here and find out if you can work out a place to stay for tonight, I’ll meet you in this spot at seven tonight okay?”

“All right!” Asuka reluctantly agreed knowing it was the only way to survive. But take this little bit to find something to eat.”

“Okay… be back Asu.”

“Aa…” Asuka agreed watching Ryoma cross the street and leave. There was no turning back now…. Not after they got this far.

xXx

Yoshida apartment

Sho yawned as he walked towards the door to his apartment. His job was done early for the day and he wanted to sleep.

“It’s been a while Sho…”

Sho glanced up to see beautiful hazel eyes and long brown hair framing the perfect oval shape of her face and pout lips. He recognized her immediately ads his ex… who he hadn’t seen for a year or so now…

“Mikiko… what are you doing here?” Sho asked leaning against his door as his gaze dragged from her perfect heels to her shapely legs and up her flat stomach to her plump breast.

“Here,”

Sho gaze shifted as a little boy gazed up at him in as much wonderment as he himself was slowly transitioning into.

“What the-“

“He’s yours, have a blood test and everything if you don’t trust me but I’m getting married and I can’t have him hindering me.”

“What? Wait the hell up!”

xXx

Ryoma

Ryoma sighed as he exited the third place he tried to get hired at only to be turned away when they found out he was still seventeen. Hungry now, Ryoma noted it was lunchtime and walked into the bookstore when he noticed that there was a café within it as well. Walking to the café side he leaned against the counter looking at the menu in hopes of finding something fulfilling yet not too expensive.

“Hey waiter!”

Ryoma ignored the commotions behind him and kept looking.

“Waiter!” The lady called again and Ryoma was almost irritated enough to tell the damnable waiters to do their jobs… yet he kept quiet and walked towards the counter to order.

“Waiter!” Ryoma felt a hand touch him and he turned to see a pretty girl with pouted lips. “I was calling for you.”

“I’m sorry but I’m not-“ Ryoma started the noted that he was dressed in black as most of the waiter’s were except he didn’t have the dark blue apron and nametag.

“Is there a problem?” An older good-looking man asked looking at the lady and Ryoma.

“Yes, I was calling for this waiter when-“

The man nodded and looked at Ryoma only to analyze him thoroughly while ignoring the woman completely. “I’m sorry, “ He said anyway to her. “He’s still in training; it’s his first day at work so he doesn’t know! Shishido, take care of this lady right here!” The man said while pulling Ryoma to the back.

Confused, Ryoma willing let him drag him off and even allowed himself to be thoroughly examined once more before asking,” Is there something about me?”

“Yes! You’re hired!” The man said, “I’m Sagara-san your boss!”

“I’m seventeen…” Ryoma informed him.

“As long as you don’t say anything I won’t hold that against you! For today just take orders and look good! God had blessed me now!” the man said with a slightly crazy laugh.

“But-“ Ryoma didn’t argue anymore… he was looking for a job and now he got it so why question his good luck.

xXx

Yoshida Apartment

“I’m back for lunch,” Syuusuke announced as he stepped in to see Sho downing a glass of wine. “Isn’t it a little to early for that?”

“Well I need it.” Sho grumbled out.

Turning his gaze away from his father, it rested on the boy who was playing with magazines by the coffee table. “Who’s this?”

“Shion,” Sho said with a sigh.

“Who’s Shion?” Syuusuke questioned now dropping Lunch on the clean counter.

“The baby who is now your brother.” Sho answered with a slight groan.

“What?” Syuusuke said with widened eyes at the boy who didn’t look a day older than two or three.

“He’s…”

“Mine of course,” Sho said with a sigh.

“I meant he doesn’ t look too old.”

“He’s one,” Sho said bluntly looking at the boy who Syuusuke bent to pick up.

“So…” Syuusuke started, “We don’t have a maid, we don’t have a babysitter, and we don’t have any baby supplies.”

“I’ll figure it out…” Sho merely said going towards the food. “I’m hungry in the meantime.”

“But the baby might get hungry to…”

“I’ll go out and buy some formula in a little bit.”

“Okay…” Syuusuke said and glanced at the beautiful dark eyes looking at him in wonder. “It seems we really need a mommy now Shion.”

The baby cooed and started looking around as a response. There was one thing Syuusuke knew about the whole thing, it was bound to get harder tonight.

A/N: That finishes the intro to this story and it’ll definitely continue if it gets enough reviews. Otherwise, even if you’re not voting for this one, leave a comment about what you think so far.