Chapter 15B: The Plan

The morning after Midori and Hana had revealed the Legacy Protocol for following the Biblical mandate of God in Genesis 1:24 to “reproduce each according to its kind,” to continue the genetically engineered hybrid human line of these three children, with Emiko, as their mitochondrial Eve, through the use of her eggs.

The house was quiet in a way it had not been for years.

Not peaceful.

Changed.

Rainwater still clung to the branches beyond the kitchen window. The table had been cleared of the previous night’s cups and discharge papers, but Emiko could not look at it without remembering Midori bent over its edge, struggling for air.

Now Midori sat there with a blanket around her shoulders, fully healed and mildly offended by everyone’s insistence that she rest.

“I am not fragile,” she said.

“No one said you were,” Hana replied.

“You have said it six times since breakfast.”

“I said you should sit down.”

“That is the same thing.”

Across the table, Kaito looked up from a slim black folder.

“It is not.”

Midori narrowed her eyes at him.

Kaito did not react. He turned one more page, then closed the folder.

“All right,” he said. “We need to talk.”

The room settled.

Emiko sat beside Midori. Hana sat across from them, already watching Kaito with the attentive expression she wore whenever she expected him to explain something important.

Kaito set the folder in the center of the table.

“This is not about last night,” he said. “Not exactly.”

Emiko looked at the folder “Then what is it about?”

“The next ten years.”

Hana let out a slow breath.

Midori smiled faintly. “Finally.”

Emiko looked from one child to the next.

“You both knew this was coming.”

“We knew we would need a plan,” Hana replied.

“We have needed one for a while,” Midori added.

Kaito’s gaze rested on Emiko. “Now you know enough to help make it.”

That struck her harder than it should have.

Not to approve it.

Not to tolerate it.

To help make it.

Kaito started things moving by saying, “Since all of you fine ladies have given me your submission, I intend to mark all of you as my women and my very own. I will do this by putting my collar on each of you. It’s a gold, serpentine choker. To the general public. It will simply look like a fine piece of jewelry.

“Moving on, Emiko, I want you to call a laser salon. I want an appointment for all three of you to have all hair below your necks lasered off: permanently.”

Hana held up her hand and looking at her sister wives proposed, “Since we are all supposed to be on somewhat equal footing, I think that in this case, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If we are to be denuded, so should you, our hunky husband. None of us would like getting a hair caught in the back of our throats either. You get denuded with us.”

All three giggled. Emiko blushed bright pink and agreed wholeheartedly.

“What the hell do you know about that?”

“Boys aren’t the only ones that talk.”

Kaito shook his head smiling and replied, “Well ... it is my job to keep my women happy, so, I’m man enough to oblige. I’ll do it. Make that appointment for four.”

He then pulled out a clothier’s measuring tape and measured each of his wives’ neck circumferences. “I’m having your collars overnighted so they will be here sometime tomorrow.”

Kaito looked at the three of them before he continued.

“There is one thing we need to settle clearly. The three of us are still Mom’s children. Marriage does not erase that, and it does not erase her authority as our parent.”

Emiko’s expression changed slightly, but she said nothing.

“If one of us breaks the law or seriously violates the family’s trust, Mom has the right to correct us. If she believes one of us needs discipline, she will tell me, and we will deal with it together. That is not because she needs my permission to be our mother. It is because she and I are now responsible for this household together.”

Kaito’s eyes moved briefly to Emiko, then returned to the others.

“And if I ever refuse to respect her authority in that role, then I have no right to expect any of you to respect my authority in mine.”

The room stayed quiet.

“Outside that matter,” he continued, “I will direct the household’s daily operations. Logistics, security, property, schedules, and the work required to keep everything moving will be mine to organize.”

He placed his hand on the financial folder.

“Mom and I will make the final decisions about our financial planning. But none of us will be shut out of the discussion. We all bring different strengths, and all of us will have the opportunity to examine the numbers, challenge assumptions, and suggest better options.”

Hana nodded slowly. “So responsibility is divided, but nobody is ignored.”

“Exactly,” Kaito said. “Authority is not the same thing as silencing people.”

Emiko looked at Hana and Midori. “Have you girls thought about contraception and the sleeping arrangements?”

Hana nodded. “We made the appointment yesterday. We need the shot within ten days. Tomorrow is day eight.”

Emiko’s eyes moved between them. “And you?”

“We wanted to wait until we were all married first,” Midori said.

Emiko gave a small nod. “All right.”

Hana looked directly at her. “What about you? Are you going to try to get pregnant right away?”

“Yes,” Emiko said. “My clock is ticking.”

Emiko added, “Besides. Kaito, I am yours. You now own me. If you want me pregnant soon, I won’t get contraceptives. I also understand and accept that becoming pregnant without a legal husband will, in all likelihood, destroy my relationship with my parents.