Onward to chapter 2! I hope you guys like it. Also hey this is gonna be an odd story. Not gonna lie….yeah it's gonna be a long story. And it's not always going to be fun, but it will be fun for the most part! Some weird moments, family awkwardness, some servant cosplay/role-play stuff. You know what I'm getting at. I hope you guys like...also kind of figured something weird out.

The name of the story "Growing Pains."

let's see

Osamu is a stay at home dad/psychiatrist

Sachiko is a white collar working mom (restaurants)

Akira troublemaker son who is smarter than he looks

Eiko (who you will be introduced to soon. So if you haven't read Winter Troubles she makes her appearance here) is a star student and athlete.

Morgana is the smart ass and mischievous little brother type character

and Ryuji is the dumb-ass best friend.

I unintentionally turned them into the Seavers from the show "Growing Pains", without realizing it…..WTF?!

ENJOY!

Chapter 2

"I hate this," muttered Morgana from inside his carrier. "Why the hell can't I ride in your bag like I usually do? This is demeaning!"

"Settle down," whispered Akira as he and his family walked through the train station. "It's the only way I could get you on the train. Granted it'll cost me an extra ticket to get you a seat, but it won't be for long. We'll be in Tokyo in a few hours, and you can have full run of the apartment when we get there. I'll even buy you something special for dinner."

"Do you mean it?!" Morgana began moving so violently that Akira could barely hold onto the cat. "If that's the case I want some fatty tuna! It's been months since I had some and I think I've earned it after letting you sister use me like a doll while in the car."

"Yes you have," chuckled Akira as the remembered what Eiko had subjected the cat too.

Ever since he'd come home Akira's sister, Eiko had taken to treating the cat like he was a doll. While Eiko had avoided dressing the cat in clothes, she had bought Morgana a rather impressive set of what she called "dress collars," as well as a series of ribbons and scarves she occasionally dressed him in. While Morgana wasn't fond of her dressing him up, Akira had found it hilarious, but spared the cat further humiliation by not letting the others know about his alternate outfits, and made up for it by spoiling the cat as often as he could.

"So, fatty tuna," inquired Morgana as the bell on Eiko's farewell collar jingled quietly.

"If we can find a place that's open, yes." Akira pulled a cat treat from the small bag he had in his pocket and tossed a couple into the crate. "So long as you behave yourself until we're in Sojiro's car."

"Sounds like a plan," confirmed Morgana through a mouthful of cat treats.

"Talking to the cat again big brother?"

Shifting his focus, Akira turned his head to see a face, not too dissimilar to his own, but more round with softer features. The owner was only a couple inches shorter than him, with longer hair and a much more pronounced musculature. Like most students at her school, Eiko was dressed in a dark blue skirt, with a white dress shirt and tie, and her hair was pulled up into a tight bun while her school bag slung over her shoulder in a Ryuji type fashion.

Of every person he'd left behind, Eiko was the one Akira had missed the most.

Even though she was three years younger than him, Eiko had been the one person outside of his friends, and most importantly, Sadayo, with which Akira had the most solid bond. They'd been inseparable as kids, despite the age gap, and she'd always been his best friend up until he'd been sent away. Unlike his parents, Eiko had maintained at least some amount of contact with him but not as much he was used to. She'd always been more popular than him, and he knew she was being scouted for academics as well as her talent on the swim team, so Akira had chalked up their lack of communication to her not wanting to ruin her prospects, and he couldn't blame her. He'd been lucky enough to get the recommendations for his partial grants for college thanks to a few sympathetic teachers, but Eiko had options and still had high school to get through so it was only natural she'd distance herself from him.

Regardless of their rift, Akira still did his best to talk to her every day to see if she'd needed help or if she was doing okay. However, like most people their age, she was back late from some club or team event and after dinner could barely muster the strength to even talk to him. Even on those rare occasions, he could get her to hang out with him, Akira felt a similar discomfort to the one he'd had when he and Sadayo had told their friends about their relationship. So after another failed sibling outing, he stopped asking all together and retreated into his thoughts and his phone.

But with him finally leaving, Akira couldn't avoid her or his parents and figured one last attempt was worth a shot and with a smirk nodded at his sister's inquiry.

"Yeah," he chuckled looking down at an annoyed Morgana, "I don't think he likes the new collar very much."

"It's not the collar I hate," mumbled the cat as he curled up into a ball, "it's the color."

Unaware of the cat's complaints, Eiko gave her brother a sheepish smile and said, "I just figured he'd need to impress a cute girl when you get back to Tokyo. He's a pretty handsome cat, so he needs something to compliment his looks."

"I've coughed up hairballs that...oy!"

Akira gave the carrier a quick twitch as a signal to shut the cat up, and after several small curses, the cat finally grew quiet while the former thief said, "I don't know about that, but I'm sure if he could understand you he'd appreciate the gesture."

Morgana gave a small huff that sounded more like a retch as Eiko said, "Make sure you give him some water soon, I think his throat's dry."

"I'll give him some once we get on the train," answered Akira while he and his sister approached the ticket counter where his parents were paying for his passage despite his previous protests.

"I'm going to miss you." Eiko set her bag down on the ground and blocked her brother's view of his parents; a feeling of regret seemed to pour out of her. "I know, I've been a bit cold toward you for a while, and I'm sorry, but you're still my brother and my best friend, despite my being a bit of a bitch for the past year."

"You haven't been a bitch," chuckled Akira, a bit uncomfortable with using that word to describe his sister. "You're grown up, and getting your own life is part of it."

"That's true," replied the young girl looking suddenly downtrodden. "No matter how much you try and keep things the same, you can't stop change."

"No, you can't." Akira tried to give her his best smile and felt a small pain in his chest. "But for the record, you're my best friend in addition to Ryuji. I'm not going to leave you behind just because he and I hang out more."

"I know." Eiko's attitude seemed to perk up at this bit of obvious news. "And since we're still best friends your dumb ass better remember to call me."

"Well you know that's going to be a two-way street," Akira joked giving her a gentle punch on the shoulder. "I'm not going to be able to come to any of your events, so I'm going to need you to keep me posted on how well you're doing."

"Why can't you check the school website like a normal person," groaned Eiko as she saw their parent's approaching. "Or better yet, have these two psychos tell you all about it. They're going to be at enough of them so why can't you ask them?"

"Ask us what?" Sachiko was looking rather distraught at her daughter's attitude and sighed. "Eiko, please stand up straight, you're going to give yourself back problems, and you know what happens when you have back problems."

"I'll be fine," grumbled Eiko at her mother's pestering. "I haven't had any back issues for a long time, and I got a clean bill of health from my medical exam."

Despite his sister's protest, Akira couldn't help but notice how Eiko straightened up just a bit after her mother complained about his sister's posture.

"Sachiko, will you stop fretting over them," Osamu groaned as he watched his wife fuss over their children.

"Like you're one to talk," snipped Sachiko as she made sure Morgana was secure in his carrier. "If I remember right, you were up until almost two making sure the trains were going to be leaving on time."

"That's not the point!" Osamu's face burned a bright red at his wife's jest. "The point is that he has a train to get on and Eiko keeps up with her training regimens so quit fretting, or you're going to stress them out even more not to mention you're going to stress yourself out, and my wrist can't handle giving you a neck rub right now."

"Smooth Dad." Eiko stepped away from her mother and over to her father. "So much for getting lucky later, eh?"

"Eiko!" Osamu gave his daughter a gentle smack on the head which made her giggle. "What the hell kind of a question is that to ask your father?!"

"It's called a joke, Dad!" Eiko rubbed the slowly forming lump on the back of her head and groaned. "God, it's not like it's a secret that you guys do stuff like that. If you didn't, he and I wouldn't exist."

"What is wrong with this family," sighed Osamu as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear your mother and I did not raise you two to ask questions like that of people, let alone your parents."

"That's true," agreed Akira as he took his train ticket from his mother, "but you did raise us to be honest and curious, so maybe it's just karma coming back to bite you in the ass?"

"Says the guy who spent a year sneaking around Tokyo and getting into trouble." Sachiko gave her son another hard pinch on the cheek. "I swear if you get into any more trouble like that your Father and I will disown you for sure!"

"We'ax 'om," grunted Akira as his mom pulled on his cheek.

"I will not until you promise me you won't get into any more trouble."

"Ah 'om ish," answered Akira and finally, his mother let go of his cheek. He felt like his cheek had swollen and rubbed his cheek. "Damn, that's getting old."

"But it's effective," chuckled Sachiko as she gave his good cheek a small pat. "And watch your language, young man.

"It's the last time I'm going to let you do that," muttered Akira as he took a look at his phone. "Jeez, it's already that late?"

"What are you talking about 'late'? It's not even four; you still got time. Also," Eiko looked at her brother with a raised eyebrow, "where the hell did you learn that word? You never said it until you came back from Tokyo. Is that some sort of Phan..."

"Eiko!" Sachiko raised a finger to her lips; silencing her daughter. "You know that as part of the court agreement that we and anyone else involved are not supposed to speak about that, at least not in public."

"Yeah, yeah." Eiko rubbed the welt from where her father had hit and growled. "Still kind of find it stupid that we can't talk about stuff like that. I'm pretty sure someone's already leaked it to the public, hell from what I heard a few people were talking about some interview some Shogi player gave in his defense."

"How'd they hear about that?" This was the first time Akira had heard anyone mention anything about Hifumi's interview from back when he had been incarcerated.

"I heard about it from some people at school who were in Tokyo at the time you were locked up. They heard some rumors about some kid from Shujin that got locked up, and they just started making assumptions." Eiko gave her brother a nervous shrug and shook her head. "Assholes need to learn how to get their facts straight before running off at the mouth."

"Well, they weren't wrong," Akira said with a sag of his shoulders. "I mean it was me the interview was about, and I'm pretty sure my name got dragged into it, so they had some of their facts straight." Akira shook his head and looked around, glad to see he didn't see anyone familiar. "Thank god for that court agreement sweeping everything under the rug. I don't even want to think what would have happened if everyone knew the truth."

"Not to mention all that hard work your friends did to help get you out," Osamu chuckled as he cleaned his glasses. "You better make sure you pay them back as soon as you can for risking their necks."

"I know," chuckled Akira after feeling his phone vibrate. When he saw Sojiro's number, and the time he coughed nervously and said, "It's almost time for me to board. You guys want to walk me to the platform?

All of the Kurusus grew silent but nodded all the same, and their small procession made its way toward the platform, on what Akira hoped was the same train Sadayo had taken back six months ago. When they reached the door, he turned around and hugged each member of his family.

"You take care of yourself," whispered Osamu as he clapped his son on the back. "And you two make sure you talk things through and don't do anything stupid."

"I'll keep that in mind," chuckled Akira before moving onto his mother. Her short but powerful arms squeezed him tightly against her small, plump frame and Akira felt all the air leave his body.

"Mom, I can't breathe."

"Good," giggled Sachiko as she relaxed her arms. "Then I can keep you home for a bit longer."

"I gotta go some time, Mom." Akira felt his heart grow heavy when he felt the beginnings of her tears on his shirt. "Mom, don't do that, please."

"Sachiko," Osamu stepped forward and carefully removed his wife's arms from her son. "I know it's hard, but he has to go. He'll be back soon."

"Yeah," Akira gave his mom a small kiss on her forehead, "I'll be back in a few months for summer break with plenty of surprises."

"You're damn right you will." Sachiko sniffed as she wiped her eyes. "You better bring back that surprise you promised, or I'll kick your ass."

"You're going to do that regardless," snorted Eiko as she took her turn, shaking her brother as she hugged him. "Tell everyone 'hi' for me."

"I will." Akira gave his sister a gentle pat on the back before shaking her in turn. "Don't grow up too much on me."

"No promises," laughed Eiko as they separated. Reaching into her pocket, she removed a small slip of paper, her face flushed red with embarrassment as she as asked, "Umm, can you maybe look for these items in Akihabara for me? I've found them online but the shipping is outrageous, and if you can pick these up and mail them back to me, I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

Opening up the paper, Akira saw a list concerning several albums and magazines involving a series of idols that his sister had a particular fondness written in his sister's tidy scrawl. Smiling, Akira nodded and said, "I'm sure Futaba can help me find some of these. She's got a nose for this kind of stuff."

"Thanks." Eiko hesitated for a moment, before finally throwing her arms around her brother's neck and pulled him into another tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you, big brother."

"I'll be back before you know it, little sister." Giving her one more pat, the two separated and Akira could see his mother was crying in full force. Finding it difficult to resist, Akira gave his parents one more strong hug before picking Morgana and his bag up off the ground and boarded the train. Grabbing his seat, he looked out the window and waved at them, all of them waving back as the train signaled its departure.

As the train pulled out, he heard his family shout muffled words at him and smiled at them before the train sped off toward the city.

Settling into his seat, Akira opened up his phone and saw that Sojiro had messaged him saying that he may be a few minutes late. Sending back a reply, Akira stared out the window as the sea passed him by; his thoughts on what was waiting for him when he got back to Tokyo. He'd already told Sojiro where he needed to go back in February, and Akira couldn't wait to get there.

Despite the apartment being his new home, it would only be the fourth time he'd been to Tokyo since he'd left. Even with the shared knowledge between Sojiro and the rest of the Phantoms of his and Sadayo's relationship, things hadn't improved much

While Akira had spent all of his visits to the apartment, he and Sadayo hadn't been able to spend many evenings out during these respites. The new principal had taken a liking to Sadayo and had been giving her projects that his girlfriend attacked with an anxious fervor. Akira didn't mind as it gave him a chance to get used to the apartment and by the end of his first visit, he was well acquainted with their home and the building.

Several of the neighbors knew him by sight within a few days, and he'd even learned a some of their names, and as Sadayo had been at her old building, Akira soon become well-liked thanks to him occasionally helped out the neighbors with problems. He'd even, on occasion, helped with keeping an eye on a couple of kids if their parents were running late. Even the kindly old landlady asked him for help and dropped off the occasional baked treat for him and Sadayo as she did with her other favorite tenants.

Akira had a suspicion that the landlady knew about their age gap but she never said anything about it. The old woman was forgiving so long as people were respectful to one another and the other tenants kept their apartments clean and paid their bills on time. The first time they'd met, it came as a considerable relief to Akira when the woman smiled at him and commented to Sadayo how cute he was and that the teacher had better be careful or the landlady would marry him herself. This comment had Sadayo blushing furiously and pushing Akira out the building's front door while the young man laughed at his girlfriend's embarrassment.

Smiling to himself at the memory, Akira looked into Morgana's carrier to see if the cat needed anything only to find him on his back with his paws crossed over his chest, snoring quietly. Shaking his head, Akira pulled his laptop out, plugged into his headphones and allowed himself to be swallowed up by a movie as the train sped along.

Finally, after three hours and at least four stops, the train finally pulled into a familiar station and doing his best not to wake Mona, Akira exited the train to find an orange haired girl and a surly looking man waiting for him.

"AKIRA," shouted Futaba as she rushed forward, nearly tackling him as she hugged her surrogate big brother.

"What the hell," shouted Mona as the carrier was nearly knocked out of Akira's hand. "Did we crash!?"

"Sorry, Mona," answered the shorter girl as she finished her bone-breaking hug. Pulling back, Futaba brushed her hair out of her face and spun for Akira showing off her new high-school uniform. "Looks pretty good on me don't ya think?"

"You look great," chuckled Akira as he patted Futaba gently on her head. "Congratulations."

"Well, it wasn't that difficult." Futaba chuckled as she took Mona's carrier and began petting the cat through the gaps in the door. "I mean, once I got used to having to go every day, school became a breeze. There was even talk of me getting moved ahead a year, but I said no for Kana's sake. I figured it'd make things easier for her, but also because I didn't want to get bullied again."

"That hasn't been happening has it?" Akira had been worried about Futaba starting school ever since she said she wanted to go back. Even though she'd overcome her fear of crowds and the outdoors, her mannerisms and lack of social skills had been something the group worried over constantly. Even with Sadayo looking out for her, the chance Futaba might get harassed out of earshot from the teachers was always a possibility.

"Not really," hummed the girl as she gingerly kicked up her feet as they walked. "Sadayo-san's pretty good about making sure I'm okay, and the new principal has been cracking down on the teachers for what happened in regards to the old regime. So, the school's almost unrecognizable and the friends I made there have been supportive, though Sojiro has been making sure I go see a therapist Doc Takemi recommended."

"Is it helping?" Futaba's words were welcomed news to Akira and based on her tone; he knew that whoever was helping Futaba had to be a calm and patient person.

"Kind of." Futaba gently spun with the carrier making Mona yowl in fear. "Sorry, kitty. I've got some treats in the car for you to make up for it."

"Good," answered Morgana sounding as if he was about to vomit. "But how can a therapist be 'kind of' helping you? I thought they either did or didn't."

"I just started going to see him," huffed the girl as she poked the cat gently on the nose through the bars of the crate. "I've only had four sessions, but he seems nice so far, and Sojiro waits in the front office to make sure I'm safe. Though the doctor keeps telling him, that he's a little too overprotective."

"I resent that," chuckled the older man as he blew out a huge puff of smoke. "With what I'm paying that guy, you'd think he'd be a bit more respectful to a concerned father given everything you've been through."

"I appreciate you doing it though," Futaba said happily, just as her stomach began growling. "I'd appreciate you even more if we could hurry this up and get some food in me."

"We still have to drop him off, Futaba," replied Sojiro with a nod at Akira. "So settle down, or you can go home and cook for yourself."

"Works for me." Futaba lifted the cat carrier up and gently sang, "Would like to try some of my new recipes, Morgana?"

"Not after the last time," whimpered the cat as he backed deeper into the mobile cage. "I had stomach problems for a week after you fed me that strange fish concoction."

"Hoo boy," chuckled Sojiro as Futaba and Morgana began quietly arguing over the girl's cooking skills, "they're going to be at it for awhile."

"Yeah they are," grinned Akira before sticking his hand out to his former guardian. "Thanks for coming to get me, Sojiro."

"Don't worry about it kid." Sojiro clasped Akira's hand and squeezed it. "It's good to have you home."

Akira grinned and returned the squeeze before falling into step with Sojiro as they followed Futaba who had taken to spinning slowly as she walked.

"So she's doing okay," inquired the older teen as the exited the platform.

"She's doing incredible," sighed Sojiro with satisfaction. "She's acing her classes, not that I'm surprised. She's just like her mother and has a few friends outside of you guys which is good for her. No to mention that Kawakami-san is doing me a favor by at least keeping an extra eye on her when she can, though with how busy she is lately I'm surprised she's able to do that much."

"Yeah," Akira took a deep breath and stared ahead at a smiling Futaba and felt a swell of pride that his girlfriend had been able to do as much as she could for his other little sister. "She certainly defies expectations."

"Especially when it comes to falling for some pain in the ass like you," teased Sojiro as they exited the station and headed toward the parking structure.

"Gee, thanks," replied Akira with another roll of his eyes. "You know at least I've been able to hold onto someone. When was the last time you went on a date, old man?"

"My love life is none of your concern," huffed Sojiro as they headed toward the car.

"It's been over a year," said Futaba rather loudly after before sticking her tongue out at a glaring Sojiro.

"You know what," snipped Sojiro as he opened the trunk of the car, "you two can walk to the apartment if that's how you're going to treat me. I don't have to drive you two anywhere, nor do I have to feed you."

"If you want us to walk, then why did you open the trunk," teased Futaba as she headed for the front seat.

"Force of habit," countered Sojiro though there was a hint of a waver in his voice.

"Sure there was, Dad," chuckled Futaba while Akira loaded his bag into the car.

"You two are just lucky I have a soft heart," Sojiro said with all the commitment of an elementary school actor. When both teens began laughing, he flicked Akira on the forehead and grumbled, "Just shut up and get in the car already. I've wasted enough of my day waiting for you."

The streets for once were reasonably free of traffic, though it being Tokyo during post rush hour there were still the occasional congested spots. As they drove, Sojiro began catching Akira up on what was going on in regards to the shop.

According to Sojiro, LeBlanc had seen an increase in business thanks to the rumors that it was somehow connected to the Phantom Thieves. Not to mention the fact that since Haru had started working there, several younger men had been going to the shop more frequently, which made Sojiro both irked and happy. He was delighted because the cafe had been busier than it ever had been, which gave Sojiro a steadier stream of cash to support Futaba. The irked was because a few of the young men had begun spending a little too much time in the cafe than he would have liked, talking to Futaba and Haru.

"I can take care of myself, Sojiro," grumbled Futaba as they came to a red light. She knew how annoyed he'd been lately, and was getting tired of it. "Not to mention that I go home with you every night and Haru has her driver-slash-bodyguard who can kick all their asses without batting an eye. Seriously, that lady is like some sick cross between Wonder Woman and the Major."

"Do you have any idea what she's talking about," asked Sojiro while looking at Akira through the rear-view mirror.

"They're two powerful female superheroes," chuckled Akira as they drove by the arcade and made a mental note to call Shinya when he got the chance.

"Ah," Sojiro nodded and stamped out his cigarette. "Well, that makes sense given your hobbies. Just make sure it isn't anything like those pictures I saw you and Yusuke 'researching'."

"It was research," answered Futaba practically shouting. "Some girls from his school asked him to draw stuff like that and..."

"And what the hell are you doing even knowing where to find those kinds of pictures," countered Sojiro as they turned onto a practically empty street.

"It's called the internet, Sojiro." Futaba huffed as she stared out the window. "Most of the time you don't even need to look for it. If you're on a message board, people will find a way to bring it to you."

"I don't care how you found it," snorted Sojiro before pointing his thumb back at Akira. "It's bad enough his mother and father called me and chewed me out because I knew about him moving in with Kawakami, I don't need the school getting on my ass about you bringing inappropriate materials to class."

"My parents called you," asked Akira, both amused and frightened at what Sojiro would do to him.

"They called me the moment they got home after dropping you off," Sojiro growled as he lit up another cigarette. "Last time you father and I got into an argument like that was when I got drunk and...well...I'd rather not say."

"What'd you do," snickered Futaba as they finally came to the garage of Akira's new apartment, "hit on Sachiko-san or something?"

"No!" Sojiro gave Futaba a shocked look and shook his head. "What the hell is it with you lately, Futaba?"

"Hormones," offered up Akira as he waited for Sojiro to park.

"Is it hormones that lead you to…," Sojiro gestured at the garage, indicating Akira's decision to move-in with his former teacher."Because if that's what it was, I'll always have room for you when the hormones wear off."

"I already have a backup plan, but I appreciate the offer," laughed Akira as he stepped out of the car and waited for Sojiro to open the trunk.

"Well the offer stands," grunted the older man as he walked around back and let Akira retrieve his bags. "I like her, but even so, things happen, and if they end on a bad note, I'll help you out."

"Thanks, Sojiro." Akira retook the man's hand and squeezed it. "I mean it. If you need me and if I have the time I'll help out, just like the old days."

"Your life is going to be busy enough as it is," grinned Sojiro. "But I appreciate the gesture. Just take care of yourself and be sure to visit the shop. We may be busier, but I miss having you idiots around, that goes for you as well Mona."

"Thanks," grumbled the cat as he scratched his ear. "Akira can we please head upstairs now? I'm getting cramped."

"Zip it, Kitty," hissed Futaba after Sojiro and Akira broke their shake. "This important bonding time between master and apprentice."

"I don't know about us being master and apprentice," laughed Sojiro as he rubbed the back of his head. "That honor goes to his mother. But, I can't deny he's improved given how good his coffee and curry were the last time he visited."

"I've gotten even better," smirked Akira with a wink at Futaba. "Mom's been teaching me some of her tricks."

"Then invite us over soon," squeaked Futaba at the prospect of another home-cooked meal made by Akira and Sadayo. "You and Sadayo-san make some interesting stuff, and I wanna see if she's gotten better at cooking too."

"I'll talk to her about it," chuckled Akira as he rubbed Futaba's hair. "Just give us a bit to get settled."

"Settled, right," snickered Futaba with a lecherous grin. "Just make sure you clean the furniture before we..."

"Futaba!" Sojiro gave Futaba a gentle bop on the head, cutting the girl off. "Will you cut it out and act like you have some manners. Your mother and I raised you better than that."

"Oh like you're any better," snipped Futaba. "I heard you talking to him about how many girls you used to date. You're an even bigger perv than me."

"That's not the point," coughed Sojiro with a small blush. "Besides, you know I've stopped doing things like that."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you gloat about it when you get the chance." Futaba stuck her tongue out at her adoptive father and crossed her arms. "Can't blame me for being an occasional perv when my dad is one almost daily. I've seen your internet history," she added before Sojiro could contradict her. "Given how many times you've asked me for help with malware, I had no choice, and even I've never heard of some of the things you watch."

"Just….get in the car." Sojiro's face was now so red that he could do little more than nod at Akira before slamming his door shut.

"Is his computer really that bad," asked Akira as Futaba grinned triumphantly.

"Oh yeah," chuckled the hacker as she turned back to her surrogate brother. "But he has been working on not being so much of a pig lately. Still, I find it hard to resist mocking him about it."

"I can understand the temptation." Akira gave Futaba a quick smile before opening his arms.

She walked into them willingly and squeezed him tightly and tried in vain to lift him off the ground as she grunted, "Welcome home, Akira!"

"It's good to be back," he laughed as she let go of him, his ribs felt like they were about ready to cave in after that hug. Upon regaining his freedom, Akira gave her one last pat on the head and pointed at the car. "You might want to get in there before he leaves you behind."

"Yeah," hummed Futaba as she gave Akira a wink. "I'd hate to interrupt your homecoming, emphasis on the…"

"Futaba! Let's go," roared Sojiro from the driver's side.

"Fine," shouted back the small girl before one final hug. "I'll talk to you soon, Akira! Tell Sadayo-san I said 'hi.'"

Akira said he would and waved them off before walking into the elevator. Their apartment was on the fourth floor, but Akira had to stop by the landlord's office beforehand since Sadayo only had the only key and she'd said the landlady was supposed to have the spare made before he arrived.

When the elevator dinged for the first floor, Akira heard Mona mumble something about needing to pee, and the human whispered, "It'll only be a few more minutes, and then you can destroy the apartment as much as you want."

"I also demand sushi later."

Akira rolled his eyes and rapped his knuckles against the old woman's door and heard her voice from the other side.

"One moment, one moment." There was a slight creak of the voice, almost like a squeaky hinge, but it was inviting, and when he saw her Akira felt his heart warm at the sight of her smile.

Hosokawa Fujiko was an older woman nearing her mid-seventies but was quite lively. She owned several buildings throughout the city and despite her advanced age rarely had the attitude most people associated with older people. In fact, if Akira had to place a personality on her, she reminded him and Sadayo of Akane most of all. She was blunt, like many octogenarians, but there was always the air that she cared about you and her trust in others and genuine concern for her tenants made those who lived in her buildings work hard to never betray her confidence. Which meant that if she smiled at you, it usually said you had nothing to be afraid of.

"Akira-kun!" The old woman extended her hand, taking his and bowing. "Well, now I thought you wouldn't be in until the fourth."

"It is the fourth, Fujiko-san." Like his father, Fujiko had a slight tendency to forget essential dates, and he chuckled when he saw her rub her eyes and check the calendar on the wall before checking her watch.

"By heavens it is," sighed the old woman as she shook her head. "My apologies dear, the date slipped my mind, and I forgot to have your key made. I can take you up however and let you get settled in if you'd like, Sadayo-san should be home. Or I can watch your kitty and bag if you'd prefer to go out for a while."

"Oh, well if it's not too much of a bother can you let me in," asked Akira politely. "I hadn't planned on going out, and if you can let me in, that would be most helpful."

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience dear," sighed the woman as she got on a pair of worn slippers and an old robe. While the woman wasn't in horrible shape, the size of the robe made it looked like she had a slight hunch to her back. After locking up, she looked into the cage and smiled at the cat saying, "This must be Morgana."

Akira looked down at the small cage and chuckled at the woman's comment.

"Yeah, this is Morgana. He's a bit cranky right now, but he'll be fine once we get upstairs. Oh, that reminds me," Akira reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope that held the check he'd filled out for Morgana. "The deposit for him."

"Such a responsible young man." Fujiko took the envelope and gingerly placed it in her robe's pocket. "Although given your past visits I shouldn't be surprised. I could tell Sadayo-chan was a good tenant the moment I interviewed her and with how helpful you've been I knew I made a good choice in renting to her."

"She appreciates it," Akira remembered when he first visited the apartment and Fujiko had come to drop something off for Sadayo. The old woman had been taken aback at first when she saw Akira lounging on the carpet in the middle of the living room, but she'd adjusted quickly enough and raised little fuss.

"I'm sure she does." Fujiko winked at him just as the doors to the elevator opened. "You two are such an adorable couple; I'd be a fool to separate the two of you."

"We both appreciate it," chuckled Akira nervously. Despite her old body, somewhat forgetful manner, and salt and pepper hair, Fujiko was more aware than most people gave her credit.

"Just make sure you two don't get into any shouting matches and keep Morgana under control. If you do that, we'll have no problems."

There wasn't a threat behind her words, but Akira wasn't foolish enough to test her patience.

"Keep talking about me like I'm some common stray and I'll..."

Akira shook the cage slightly again, quieting the cat.

When they reached the door to apartment four-one-one-four, Fujiko let him in and laughed when Akira let Morgana out, the cat immediately running around the apartment making noises of jubilation at being freed.

"He'll quiet down," said Akira reassuringly. "He's just tired of being cooped up for most of the afternoon."

"As long as he doesn't bother the neighbors I have no problem with him." Fujiko gave Akira a gentle pat on the arm and called out, "Kawakami-san? It's me Fujiko-san!"

There was no response, and the woman gave Akira a perplexed look.

"That's odd; usually she's home by this time on Saturdays. Have you heard from her today?"

"Not since this morning." Akira was well aware of Sadayo's rules about texting her during work, and after they had their morning conversation, he hadn't heard anything from her since. It was unusual, but not unheard of for her to do that so Akira hadn't worried about it. "She's probably busy at work. The new principal has been giving her a bit more responsibility recently so she may have gotten caught up in something."

"Good for her!" Fujiko visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she's making some progress with her career. Please tell her that I expect her for tea sometime this week. She's had to cancel on me twice the past few months, and my other guests are a bit worried."

"I'll remind her," smiled Akira with a small bow. "Thank you for letting me in."

"You're most welcome." Fujiko returned the bow and smiled up at him. "I'll bring the key by tomorrow around noon. If you aren't home, I'll put it in your mailbox. Have a good night, dear and get some rest. You, young people, need it these days."

Wishing her a good night, Akira sighed and stepped into the apartment. His first stop was the closet where he deposited his shoes and then his jackets from his bag. Shutting the closet door, Akira took a few deep breaths to calm himself. The feeling that he'd be waking up and not having to leave in the morning was settling in, and Akira could feel his hands shake with both excitement and nervousness and he didn't know whether to laugh or run out the front door.

Rubbing his eyes, Akira picked up his bag and headed into the living room where Morgana was getting acquainted with his new cat tower. Akira had ordered it the last time he was in town, and he and Sadayo had spent an afternoon putting it together, complete with the occasional swearing at one another and sullen looks.

"This is awesome," mewed Morgana excited from the top part that functioned as a makeshift apartment Akira and Sadayo had furnished with a blanket, small pillow, and a water dish. "I have my room now!"

"Yeah you do," Akira reached up and scratched the cat's ears before picking him up.

"Hey!" Mona fidgeted in Akira's arms and turned digging his claws into his friend's shoulders. "You know I don't like being picked up without warning!"

"Sorry about that, Mona," hissed Akira as he felt the needle points sink into his skin. "I have something else I want to show you, something I think you'll love."

Akira took the cat into the kitchen and placed him on the floor in front of two dishes with two large containers on top of each, one filled with high-end dry cat food and the other with a water filter.

"What's this?" Mona stepped forward and sniffed at the bowl for food and jumped when he saw it beep and drop a small amount of food.

"I get to feed myself," Mona excitedly looking between Akira and the bowl, almost drooling.

"Sometimes," chuckled Akira patting the cats head as he ate. "It drops a small amount each time, but if you abuse it, we're going to shut it off and go back to feeding you ourselves."

"I'll do my best," belched Mona after devouring the food. "Thanks for getting me this stuff."

"Just be good." Akira scratched Mona's cheek and chuckled when he heard the cat's purr. "That's the best way you can show your appreciation. I was fine with feeding you myself, but Sadayo wanted you to have something nice, so don't cause her any trouble and be sure to show her your appreciation."

"I won't and I will." Mona hopped up onto the counter and scratched his ear. "Thief's honor. I'll make sure to repay my debt to her."

"I'll hold you to it," sighed Akira as he stared around the room; taking in their belongings.

While the apartment couldn't hold a candle to his parent's house, it was a great deal more significant than the one Sadayo had moved out of.

Even though her original one was tiny, Sadayo preferred to call her old apartment cozy, Akira had noticed it was barely larger than his room at Leblanc. The kitchen and living room were primarily the same room leaving Sadayo with hardly any room for furniture. While there was a small love seat that she'd used to do work on, there wasn't much else save for a little television stand, a tv, standing lamp, and kotatsu where they'd eaten their dinner and a couple of small bookshelves. The bathroom was thankfully fully equipped, but that left barely any room for her bedroom that had comprised of a futon, dresser, and a small closet.

Akira hadn't disliked the apartment given Sadayo's economic situation. It wasn't in a horrible location and was reasonably priced, but the moment Akira saw her new building, he'd felt many of his worries dissipate.

Sadayo had been tight-lipped about the new apartment, so much so that she'd handled nearly everything herself and hadn't let their friends over until Akira had at least spent a whole visit there alone with her.

The love seat still occupied the living room, but there was now also a full-sized couch Sadayo had gotten second-hand and cleaned herself. The kotatsu was there as well since there wasn't a dining room, and all group gatherings took place there. But even without a dining room, there was a small table with two chairs in the kitchen next to the window that looked over the cityscape that he and Sadayo ate their meals. Like the couch, most of the furniture in the apartment was second-hand. Sadayo had scoured the newspapers for ads and thrift shops for the furniture and cleaned every piece herself, and Akira had spent his entire first visit doing every bit of housework for her to show his appreciation.

The only belongings in the apartment that weren't second hand were the flat screen television in the living room, the appliances, and their bed.

True to his word, Akira hadn't stayed the night at the old apartment, so he'd never had to sleep on her old futon, and he was glad. During one his first visit to the apartment, he and Makoto had dropped it off at a disposal site, and Akira was amazed that Sadayo could still walk with how lumpy it was and made sure to give her a massage once he got back to the apartment, followed shortly by them breaking in their new bed

While lost in his thoughts of that afternoon they spent in bed, Akira was brought back to reality by the sudden ringing of the house phone. Both he and Morgana stared out at the small side table that held the house phone and stared back at each other. Neither of them knew what to do until the voicemail clicked on and Akira heard Sadayo's tired voice.

"Hey, it's me. I'm sorry I haven't' talked to you since this morning. I've been swamped and if you're there can you..."

"I'm here," Akira said, relieved that she was okay.

"Oh thank god," she sighed in celebration. "I am so sorry I've been quiet all day. I forgot my charger at home, and since most of the teachers changed to the latest model, so none of them have the old charging ports, and I haven't been able to get to a phone until now..."

"Slow down," laughed Akira as he heard begin to breathe hard. "It's okay, I was a bit worried, but I'm glad to hear you're safe. It sounds like you've had a hell of a day."

"You have no idea." Sadayo hadn't sounded this tired since she was a maid and Akira wished he could reach into the phone and pull her home. "Between finalizing all my lessons for the next several months and suddenly getting dumped with planning this welcome party for the new gym teacher for tonight, I won't be home until late."

"Oh," Akira was grateful that the phone was so close to the couch as he felt his knees suddenly go weak. They'd planned on her being home and them having a night in, eating take-out but those plans had just gone up in flames.

"I'm sorry," she groaned as the sounds of shouting people filled the receiver. "I got saddled with this first thing this morning, and all that was available was a karaoke bar, and I'm standing in the lobby right now using their phone. It's a little embarrassing."

"You haven't had anything to drink yet have you," chuckled Akira as he settled on the couch. "If you do, just make sure you limit yourself. We don't want you undressing in front of your co-workers."

"Stop," laughed Sadayo as she remembered the last time they had the rest of the Phantoms over. She and Makoto had a few too many which meant Akira and Yusuke had to stop Sadayo and Makoto from taking off removing some of their clothes to avoid overheating. "You know that was just a one-time thing, and I've been good since then."

"I know you have." Akira could still remember the look on her face the morning after. She'd been so embarrassed that she'd started limiting herself to only three drinks from then on and had followed through since. "If you do drink tonight, do I need to come and get you?"

"I'm not drinking," she answered as someone called for her. Sadayo shouted back that she'd be joining them momentarily before returning her attention to her boyfriend. "I'm going to try and get out of here as soon as possible. There's not much in the fridge, I was planning on going shopping this afternoon despite our take-out plan, but as I just told you..."

"It's fine." Akira was still disappointed, but there wasn't much he could do by complaining. "I'll figure something out. I'll probably just order something in like we planned since Fujiko-san forgot to get my key made this morning and finish putting away what's in my bag."

"Does he like them?"

Akira knew precisely what she was referring to and couldn't help but smile. Sadayo had been obsessing over the cat's reaction to his food containers and cat house, and Akira found it insanely cute.

"He's completely enthralled," replied the teen as he watched Morgana begin creating a nest with the blanket.

"Damn right I am!" Morgana popped his head out of his house and grinned as much as he could in his cat body. "Tell her thanks for me and make sure if you order sushi to get me some fatty tuna!"

"I'm so glad," sighed Sadayo as a voice came from the other end asking her if she could hurry up. "I'm sorry," she apologized before turning her attention back to Akira. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll try to be back soon, can you try and stay up for me? I want to see you."

"I'll try," coughed Akira as he rubbed some sleep from his eyes. "It's been a long day, and I'm not going anywhere so there's a good chance I'll stay up."

"That's all I ask."

Akira could hear the smile in her voice, and he wished that she was sitting on the couch next to him. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it was a damn sight better than the one from LeBlanc's attic. Akira remembered the first time they'd made out on it, thankful that they didn't have to contort into awkward positions for once, which made the experience that much more enjoyable.

"Are you still there, Aki-kun?"

"I'm here," he said with a small yawn. "I just remembered the first time we made out on the couch."

"Okay," chuckled Sadayo and he could tell he caught her interest. "I hate to leave you with your fantasies, but I do have to go, but we can experiment with that when I get home. I love you Aki-kun."

The last three words were so quiet that Akira could barely make them out.

"I love you too, Becky."

Sadayo giggled at his words and quietly said goodbye before hanging up.

When the phone clicked, Akira set it back on the charger and sighed as he looked out over the empty apartment before picking up the phone again and placed an order for some Chinese delivery. While he waited, Akira got to work on putting away the rest of his clothing.

Since he'd sent most of the belongings ahead of time, Sadayo had taken to putting most of them away for him. Clothing, books, and other things littered the house, even the books he'd sent to her dotted the house, reminding him of his parents home.

Smiling, he opened the closet, and true to her word, Sadayo had set aside half of it for him. While his side was mostly empty, save for a couple of shirts and pants he'd sent ahead, Akira noticed her wardrobe and couldn't resist snooping.

On top of several variations of her baggy yellow and white shirt and jean skirt, Akira found tee-shirts, slacks, jeans, and a few new dresses to go with the one she'd bought during their vacation. As he adjusted the clothes to make sure he hadn't weighted the rod down too much, Akira saw a flash of black, red, white, and blue. Flipping through the clothes, He chuckled when he found Sadayo's old maid outfit and a few new bits of lingerie she'd bought over the past several months.

He'd only seen her in the lingerie once each time. The red was a more traditional style without all the frills of the blue she'd worn over their vacation, and the white was something called a sleepwear dress, and as much as he loved the blue, there was something about the way the white clung to her body that he found difficult to resist.

"Yo, Akira!"

The teen was pulled from the image of him running his hands up Sadayo's chest and left the bedroom and found Morgana sitting next to the front door.

"What is it," asked Akira disgruntled.

"Someone's at the door." Morgana placed a paw on the door just as someone knocked. "I think it's the food; I'm smelling something delicious on the other side."

There was another knock, and Akira replied that he was coming. Pulling his wallet out, Akira opened the door and was greeted by a young woman carrying a large bag of food.

"Hello, sir. Are you Kurusu, Akira?"

"I am." Akira couldn't help but notice the girl was around his age and had a very pretty smile.

"Great." She pulled out a receipt and began reading off the order and when she finished asked, "Is that your correct order?"

"Yes, it is."

"Excellent, that'll be thirty-five hundred yen please."

After accepting the money, she returned his change, gave him that same pretty smile before thanking him and heading off.

"She was pretty," chuckled Morgana as they headed into the living room.

"If you say so." Akira was beginning to feel a bit annoyed at the cat's commentary.

"What crawled up your butt," Mona asked as he began chewing on some of the roasted chicken Akira had ordered. "It's not a crime to think someone's pretty if that's what's bugging you."

"Just finish eating your food," snorted Akira as he began devouring some noodles.

"Fine," huffed Mona after swallowing an unusually large piece of chicken. "I wasn't saying you were gonna invite her in you know. I know you wouldn't do that to Sadayo."

"Thanks," Akira sighed and set his chopsticks down and looked around the living room and felt a small wave of loneliness wash over him. Shaking his head, he looked at Mona and asked if the cat was finished.

"Yeah, I overate earlier," belched the cat. "Are you? You didn't eat that much."

"I'll be fine," sighed Akira as he stood up and began cleaning. After putting everything away and cleaning up his small mess, Akira headed into the bedroom, climbed into bed, and turned on a movie. Try as he might, Akira felt his eyes begin to grow heavy and within minutes fell into an uneasy sleep.