"Hey, what's that suitcase for?" Akane asked, looking at the open bag from her spot in her boyfriend's bed. She was just waking up as he was getting ready for work.
"Oh, I forget to tell you." Kogami called from his bathroom. "I'm going to visit my family this weekend. My grandparents are organizing a family reunion."
She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "How long are you supposed to be gone?"
"It's only for a couple of days." He answered, coming in the room with a towel around his waist.
Akane looked up at him, obviously upset.
"What's with that face? It's just a family reunion."
"It's just... We've been dating for almost three years now, and I still haven't met your family."
Kogami emerged from his closet with a fresh suit on a hanger. "Tsunemori, we've talked about this. No one knows that I have a girlfriend yet, and I'm not ready to tell them."
"Are you really that ashamed of me?" She asked, giving him a hurt look.
The Inspector put his suit down over a chair and sat next to her on his bed. "No, that's not it at all."
"Then why aren't you ready to tell them? It's been long enough, and you've met my parents."
"I met your parents because they surprised us when they came to visit while you were in school."
"So you're saying that you wouldn't have met them if you could have avoided that confrontation?" She glared.
"No. What I am saying is that I would have much preferred it with me at least wearing a pair of pants and having flowers to give your mother."
Akane remained glaring at her lover, obviously unsatisfied with his answer.
"Tsunemori." He turned to face her fully. "Do you want to go with me to Kanagawa this weekend?"
"Are you going to tell your family about us?" She folded her arms.
"I think we should ease them in to it." He suggested. "I'll tell them while we're there, though. I promise."
Akane looked at him, thinking about it for a few moments. "Yes, I want to go."
He gave her a soft smile and brushed her cheek. "Okay. It's settled then. You will get to finally meet my family."
So that is why they now found themselves in his car, on their way to his grandparents' home in Kanagawa. She was surprised when they started driving next to the shore.
"Is this the right way?"
"Yeah." He nodded, smirking to himself. "Trust me, I pretty much grew up in this place."
"This is where you grew up?"
"No. There." He pointed down at a huge house that was right on the shore. It was fancy and expensive looking, the sunlight hitting it just right to make it look like a sparkling gem.
"Woah!" She gasped.
Kogami glanced over to his girlfriend and smiled. She looked like a facinated child, seeing an amusement park for the first time.
"Careful, or your face may freeze like that."
Akane closed her mouth and blushed, embarrassed by her actions.
He parked his car in front of the mansion and walked around to her side and opened the door.
"I can't believe that this is where you grew up."
"My grandfather is a businessman." Kogami explained.
"Oh." She stared up at the house again.
"Oi, Tsunemori!" Another car had pulled in next to Kogami's. It was his cousin Tohru that emerged from the vehicle.
"Hey, Tohru-kun." She smiled.
"What are you doing here?"
"Kogami-san invited me. I hope I'm not going to intrude."
"You kidding?" Tohru smirked. "You're gonna make things a lot more interesting if you ask me."
The three of them walked to the front door of the house, and a holo appeared in front of them.
"Welcome. Identify yourself, please."
"Yo!" Tohru growled. "You know who I am, you shit. Let us through."
Kogami shook his head at his cousin as the holo disappeared and the door unlocked for them.
When they walked into the foyer, Akane had to keep herself from gaping like a child. It was a huge house with an open floor plan.
There was a group of men in the living area, talking and sipping on alcoholic beverages as they waited for dinner to be served. The women were all in the kitchen, having a good time cooking together and gossiping about the latest things going on in their lives.
"Shinya! Tohru!" One of the older men broke through the circle of men and started to approach the three of them. "And I see you have brought a guest. How do you do? I am Kogami Akira. Welcome to my home."
"Hello." Akane bowed to the man out of respect. "I am Tsunemori Akane. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, sir. Your grandson speaks highly of you."
"I'm sure he does." The man chuckled. "He's in the will, after all."
"Ah, c'mon, Ojiisan." Tohru groaned. "Of course I'm in the will. I'm your favorite grandson."
"And we care about more than just the money." Kogami added on, shooting a glare at his cousin.
"So will you be joining us for the weekend, Akane-chan?" The old man asked, leading Akane away from his grandsons.
"If you don't mind." She smiled.
"O-oi!" Kogami called, and started to go after them.
"Oh, Shinya is here!" A voice from the kitchen called. "Come in here and say hello!"
He looked down at his feet and sighed. "Coming, mother."
Tohru went off in the same direction as Akane and his grandfather, while Kogami was forced to go and greet the women of his family.
"Oh, look at you!" One of his aunts squealed. "It's been ages, Shinya-kun! Look at how tall you are!"
"He's an Inspector for the Criminal Investications Department of the Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau." His mother bragged.
"That's a mouth full, don't you think?" One of his cousins laughed.
"Mother just likes using my full title because it makes me sound more professional than I am." Kogami joked.
"So have you found yourself a girlfriend, yet?" His grandmother asked.
"You know, Shinya. If you don't hurry up and find one, my Tohru will be the one married before you." His aunt sang.
"He's even brought a girl." His grandmother said, nodding over to Akane and Tohru in the midst of the men on the other side of the house.
"What? No, Tsunemori is just his-"
A timer went off, interrupting Kogami.
"Go and get everyone while we finish setting the table. Dinner is almost ready." His mother said, shooing him out of the kitchen.
A few minutes later, everyone was sitting at the table having a fun time eating together.
"So, Akane-chan. How did you and my Tohru meet?"
"We've been classmates since middle school." The young woman answered.
"Yeah. Tsunemori was class rep." Tohru said with a mouth full of food. "We hardly talked to each other until we started college."
"Such an unlikely pair." His aunt said. "My Tohru has always been so lively that he was always getting scolded by his teachers. I hope he's not caused you any trouble as well."
"Oh, not at all." Akane smiled. "He's always been nice to me."
"That's good. It takes a strong woman to be a good wife to someone that is as lively as he is."
There was a loud snap and everyone turned their heads to look at Kogami, who had broken his chopsticks in mid-bite.
"Shinya?" Akane looked at him confused.
"Kogami Shinya!" His mother snapped at him. "Those were your grandmother's special chopsticks!"
"S-sorry." He said, standing up. "I'm going to go and get some more."
"Your hand is bleeding." Akane said, starting to get up after him.
"I'll take care of it." He snapped and quickly walked away in to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry about that, dear." Kogami's mother apologized. "That was so out of character for him."
They continued on with dinner, teasing Kogami over what they thought was clumsiness when he returned. No one had realized that it was jealousy over the way everyone kept making remarks about Akane being Tohru's girlfriend.
When they were finished eating, everyone had scattered to go and do various things. The women were cleaning up the kitchen, and Kogami's grandfather and uncles went outside to go and enjoy some fresh air. His cousins had all gone to another room to watch a movie, except for Tohru, who was sitting next to Akane at the dining table.
The Inspector glared at his cousin from his spot at the kitchen's bar, watching every single move with a close eye as he interacted with Akane. He took a sip of a drink he had poured himself, never looking away.
"Aren't they adorable together?" One of his cousins giggled to her mother as they worked.
"Yes, they are in love." The woman sighed, dreamily.
Kogami started to choke on his drink at her words. No way in hell was Tohru in love with her, because that was HIS woman.
"Oi, Tsunemori." Tohru said, grabbing the attention of the evesdroppers. "Do you think you could help me with my thesis? I'm having a hard time writing it, and since you're good at those kinds of stuff, I thought you could help me out. I need to pass this class or I'm afraid I'm going to be stuck in something lame like drone manufacturing."
"Sure." Akane smiled. "I will get my tablet and show you mine as a reference while we work on yours."
"Such a sweet girl." Kogami's mother suddenly appeared next to him. "You need to find one like that."
Kogami scowled and finished off his drink. "Don't need to."
"But Shinya, you're not getting any younger." His mother reminded him. "You should be giving me grandchildren, but you're always so wrapped up in work, I am beginning to think that it's never going to happen."
"Tomoyo, can you help me with this?" Kogami's grandmother called.
"Oh, yes. Coming."
His mother walked away, and Kogami poured himself another drink.
"Find someone like that?" He smirked to himself. "I don't need to when I already have her."
Later on that night, Akane had been shown to a room where she would be staying with one of Kogami's cousins. It was almost midnight, and she still was unable to sleep. She couldn't decide if it was because it was the first time in a while that she and Kogami had not shared a bed, or if it was just because she was in a new place.
Her phone vibrated suddenly, and she reached over to look at it.
-Are you up?
Akane smiled to herself. He wasn't able to sleep with out her, either.
-Yes.
-Meet me downstairs.
Akane quickly got up and put on a pair of sweats, careful not to wake her roommate. She quietly slipped out of the room and went down stairs.
"You up for a walk?"
"Sure." She smiled.
Once they got out of the house, he grabbed her hand and they walked down a path to the beach that was downhill from where they were.
"I never pegged you for someone who likes taking long walks on the beach, Kogami-san." Akane snickered.
"Ha ha." He rolled his eyes. "I have something I want to show you, Tsunemori."
He lead her down the shore where there was a small drop off. Kogami went down first, then helped her down. Akane was surprised to see a small cave in the side of the mountain.
"My grandfather showed me this place when I was a little kid. He told me that this could be my secret place to get away from my family when I came to visit."
"Why would you need a secret place."
"Honestly..." Kogami rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "My older cousins liked to push me around. I'm the oldest boy, so they would try to dress me up in girl clothes and things like that. I was such a crybaby back then. It's so lame."
"I don't think it's lame. I think that's cute." Akane smiled, getting a slight blush from her lover.
"Come on." He said, taking her hand and leading her inside the cave. He shined the light ahead of them as they went, careful not to trip on any rocks or debris that had gathered over time.
"I would come down here to read." He explained as they made their way to the back of the cave. There was a dusty blanket and an old-fashioned lantern on the ground. Kogami gave Akane his flashlight and picked up the lantern and lit it with his lighter.
He put it back in its place and took the flashlight back from Akane and turned it off. She admired the way he looked in the dim light of the lantern as they sat down on the blanket together.
She let her eyes wonder around the small space, smiling at the thought of a young Kogami Shinya curled up with a good book as a means to be alone in the midst of the business of his family's gatherings.
Kogami pulled her near him and held her, burring his face in her hair and inhaling her scent.
"Do you have any clue how much I have been wanting to do this all day?"
Akane's cheeks heated up at his words. He was always so gentle with her when they were alone. It made her feel safe and protected.
He lifted her chin and brought his lips down to capture hers. He pulled back and smiled.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled herself up to kiss him more. He nipped her bottom lip, getting her to open her mouth so he could wrestle his tongue with hers.
They pulled apart after a few moments for air.
"We can't do anything more out here." He told her. "I don't want you to catch a cold."
She poked out her bottom lip, obviously not thrilled with his words.
"I mean it, Tsunemori."
"Fine." She sighed and turned around so she could sit in his lap and let him hold her.
They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company.
They had not realized that they had fallen asleep until Kogami had opened his eyes and saw that the lantern had gone out.
He shook Akane's shoulder, stirring her awake so that they could go back to the house.
"It's 3 AM." He yawned as he turned the flashlight on so they could get out of the cave. Akane drowsily followed him, still partially asleep.
"O-oi, Tsunemori." He said, stopping. "Let me carry you on my back."
"Huh?" She rubbed her eyes, making him turn even more red because of how small and cute she looked as she woke up.
"Just get on. It will be faster that way." He said, getting down so she could reach.
Once they had returned to the mansion, Kogami put Akane back on the ground and identified himself with the holo at the door so that they could sneak back in.
"Do you want to come up to my room?" He asked as they made their way to the stairs. "It's just me in there, you know."
"Oh, admit it." Akane smirked. "You have problems sleeping when I'm not there."
"I know for a fact that you have the same issue." He smirked back.
"Who's to say that you're going to let me sleep anyway?"
"You got me there." He said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the direction of his room. "But who's to say that all I really want is to have you next to me while I sleep?"
Akane grinned and let him lead her to his room, the possibility of being caught didn't even matter at this point.
All joking aside, they hated being apart. It was already hard enough trying to conceal their relationship from his family, so they didn't take this chance to be together lightly.
As soon as they were in his room, he locked the door and pushed her on his bed.
He gave her a smirk.
"So no sleeping, after all?"
"Yeah, right."