A/N: Companion piece to "Family," so I suggest reading that first.

Standard disclaimers apply.

067: Snow

Mrs. Kamiya is thoroughly humiliated, and she intends to tell her daughter that.

"Amaya, we can't just leave our guests downstairs," Mr. Kamiya says in a low voice as they walk up the stairs to their daughter's room.

She ignores her husband and all but throws the door open, her narrowed eyes searching for Kaoru and that hoodlum of a boyfriend of hers (she can't think about him being her fiancé).

But the room is empty, she notices from one glance through. She sees snow falling from the window and she wonders when it started and whether she should end the party early so everyone downstairs could safely get home – that would be a brilliant excuse to end this disaster of an evening.

Mr. Kamiya shuts the door behind him and goes to stand by her side to watch the snowfall.

She follows his gaze and looks out the window and is horrified to see Kaoru jumping off the side of the house, quickly followed by Kenshin. What the hell do they think they're doing?

Kaoru crouches onto the ground (Mrs. Kamiya is horrified) and makes a ball of snow and chucks it at an unsuspecting Kenshin.

She sees her laughing freely at his expression and she wonders when the last time she ever laughed with her daughter like that.

They start a snowball fight and Mrs. Kamiya can't help but roll her eyes at their childish antics. Kaoru is twenty-four years old! She shouldn't be doing this! It must be that penniless loser – he's changing her.

But it's not like Kaoru is unhappy. In fact, she looks like she's having the best time just throwing and being hit by condensed frozen water. And then they're both laughing with the lightheartedness of children when Kenshin grabs Kaoru by the waist and begins spinning and dancing in the falling snow.

And then it changes; they come to a stop, still full of smiles and laughs, and all of that fades when they stare into each other's eyes. He glances down at their lacing hands and looks back into her eyes, and Mrs. Kamiya can't help but feel as if she's intruding on a private moment.

When they kiss, Mrs. Kamiya involuntarily emits a sigh as if she's watching an extremely romantic movie.

Mr. Kamiya gently nudges Mrs. Kamiya. "Do you remember when we were younger? We would sneak out of those stuffy parties just so we could be alone together?"

She smiles at the memories. Turning her head to look at her husband, she can still see that energetic, handsome twenty-year-old. "I remember," she whispers.

Mr. Kamiya smiles lovingly at her before turning his head to look at his daughter and her fiancé, and Mrs. Kamiya does the same. They have stopped kissing and their foreheads rested together for a few moments before Kaoru throws her head back with a laugh at something he had said, ending the sweet, intimate moment.

Kenshin laughs and pulls her hand, leading her to his car so they can drive away.

Mr. Kamiya leaves Mrs. Kamiya's side and goes to exit the bedroom when she asks, "Where are you going?" Her voice sounds odd in her ears, emotional.

"I'm going to send our guests home – the snow is going to be dangerous. Also, I'm going to check my schedule to see what time this week I can meet my daughter and her fiancé for lunch. I'm assuming you're going to want to do the same?"

Mrs. Kamiya looks at where her daughter and Kenshin stood in the snow, the spot seemingly sacred all of a sudden. Does that happen normally?

"I know I'm free this week save for a brunch on Thursday, but I can cancel it."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it - either way you should tell me your thoughts in a review :)

MissGoalie