~Chapter Forty Nine~

Eye to Eye

We live and we learn
To take one step at a time.
There's no need to rush.
It's like learning to fly,
Or falling in love…

~One Step At A Time, by Jordin Sparks

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

"It is only September, but I believe the next several months will fly by for you."

When I grimaced into his chest at the mention of all of these changes, Hiro chuckled quietly and kissed the wrinkle above my eyes, smoothing it with his fingers. "You, Samantha, are a very smart and caring young woman. It will not be quite as worrisome as you might think." He smirked. "Besides, I think it will be infinitely more stressful when you're worrying about wedding kimonos, caterers, color schemes, and temples within the next few months."

Blankly, I stared at the man who helped raise me into who I became, a girl with dirty wings that dusted off her feathers and learned to fly again with the help of her family and friends. His words did not make sense! Too many riddles and hidden meanings! What the fuck, Dad?

He smiled down at me, an eyebrow raised in amusement, and prodded his finger against my nose –"As I have said to Morinozuka Akira – I, Hitachiin Hiro, give you, my treasured daughter, permission to enter into holy matrimony with Morinozuka Takashi."

Sammy's P.O.V.

Not five hours later, I found myself standing in the foyer of Morinozuka Manor. My parents, dressed in their finest silk, decided to accompany me after practically ordering Ellen to babysit – uh, keep an eye out for – Hikaru and Kaoru. The Twins, knowing that I'd likely be engaged this evening and that neither would be present for this momentous event, pouted the moment that this stern order reached their ears. Ellen, for her part, did not look quite thrilled with the unexpected arrangement, either. You could tell by the furious glares and the muttering beneath her breath, which Hiro and Jun ignored, like always.

As I mused about the happenings back home, I examined the beautifully crafted woodwork of the beams and wandered further into the mansion, hands clasped neatly in front of me. 'Cuz I was resolved to keep fingers, hands, and legs inside the cart at all times! Didn't want to break anything! Not that I would intentionally damage their property! Accidents happened, though, and quite often to clumsy people like me. Sigh…

Although I managed to keep from touching and/or breaking anything of substantial value, I did find that my eyes moved swiftly to and fro, drinking in everything from watercolor paintings, to antique scrolls, to ornately crafted samurai swords. Everything was so cool, too! History might not be what I loved best in school, but I did find it interesting and could recite several interesting facts about characters and battles. I especially loved samurais (Yeah, I Heart Rurouni Kenshin), and swords, of which the Morinozukas had plenty.

While I refrained from getting too close to the weapons, given that I would probably manage to decapitate myself, I did give in to my impulses and reached out to touch the shiniest piece of silver armor ever. My fingers were an inch from Bilbo Baggins' famed Mithril, when –

"Hello, Sammy-chan," Takashi warmly greeted and raised his hand to brush several stray strands of hair near my ear away. He leaned down to kiss my nose when I squeaked out in surprise at his unexpected arrival, blushing not at the intimacy of his display of affection, but the publicity of it; PDA made me nervous.

"Hi, Takashi-kun," I brightly chirped, smile wide enough to create thin wrinkles by my eyes. I reached for his hand out of necessity, rather than habit, seeking something to anchor me as my parents greeted his. We continued holding hands throughout the introduction, which Akira, Karin, Hiro, and Jun immediately seemed to notice. Takashi and I, however, remained completely oblivious and only smiled stupidly at the other.

"Pleasure to meet you," Akira and Karin gently intoned, their voices warm, and bowed to my parents and I. A moment later, when I lifted from my own respectful bow, I noticed that Akira had strongly clapped Hiro on the shoulder, while Karin reached forward to hug Jun gently to her chest. Hugs! Yay!

More pleasantries were exchanged, though I did not pay attention to the political gibberish that Akira and Hiro mentioned, too nervous to listen to the exchange of countless titles and questions of health, family, and business. Idly, I thought Hiro would be disappointed that I did not use my chance to jump in and spout off intelligent conversation about the mentioned topics, making the best first impression that I possibly could in front of this Lord and his Lady. My future with Takashi – or the lack thereof – would pretty much reflect on what I said and how I acted this evening.

Yet I couldn't help it! My mind quickly fizzled out into nothingness the moment that Takashi firmly, almost possessively, touched his hands to my waist. His touch differed from the months before, when it was soft and tentative, filled with his uncertainty. Now, I could feel that Takashi was more confident in and of himself. What Takashi and I did last night – kissing passionately, touching each other like that for the first time, though not having sex yet – only seemed to exponentially increase the already strong magnetism between us.

We walked forward together the moment that the adults seemed to forget about us, and Takashi smiled at another person. This young man was almost identical to Takashi, with his spiked, dark hair and strong build. His eyes were gray, muscles much smaller, and smile wider than I really thought possible for anybody but Mitsukuni, but I instinctively realized that it suited him. He seemed sweet, too, with happy mischief gleaming in his eyes, smile, and – well, his entire demeanor. A real Marauder, Satoshi!

"You are so, so, so cute, Sammy-nee-chan!" Satoshi cheerfully greeted, his hand enthusiastically pumping my own, and smiled widely at the stunned expression that I offered him in return. "My Taki-nii said that you're really cute and all, but I did not really believe him, I guess! You are really pretty, though, with beautiful sky blue eyes, just like Taka-nii said, and – oomph!"

As expected, I could only stare at him, openmouthed in amazement, and wonder how one person could talk and talk and talk that much without needing to stop for breath! It was an amazing feat, to be certain, and something that needed to be added to The Guinness Book of World Records. He did not even really sound winded, either! That changed, however, when Takashi subtly elbowed his younger sibling in the ribcage, sending a very open message of: SHUT UP!

"Ow, Taka-nii…!" Satoshi whined out, his expression scrunched in pain. He playfully reached out and strongly jabbed his elder brother right back. To my amazement, Takashi and Satoshi commenced in what appeared to be a war of glinting eyes, dangerously pointed elbows, and grunts of surprise.

Gasp! Southern Belle Sammy gleefully clapped her hands together, dancing around with her arms spread wide in happiness, and (rather needlessly) announced: Bromance!

Silently, Karin stepped forward to stare at her children, her beautiful brown hair flowing behind her in soft curls. She raised her eyebrows, amused with the strange scene, and pursed her lightly painted lips in thought. Golden eyes were gleaming with mischief, but Takashi, Satoshi, and I missed the implications, too busy to notice. We did not notice the sudden silence from Akira, Hiro, and Jun, all of whom eagerly awaited the impending hilarity to ensue. My attention, for one, was trained to the taller of the two teenagers, my eyes soft with happiness for the sweet relationship shared between Takashi and his little brother, Satoshi.

My heart melted at the glow of affection in their eyes and smiles, hidden subtly from people that did not know them well enough to see or care. Kinda like Hikaru, Kaoru, 'n me…

"My boys," Karin sighed in exasperation, her hands meeting her hips in less than two seconds flat, and mocked disappointedly shaking her head at their silly antics, "are very competitive, as you can see." Giggle after giggle escaped with her next words. "Especially in front of pretty girls…!"

Upon hearing the teasing in her words, Takashi immediately blushed, his ears, neck, and cheeks burning bright red in shocked embarrassment. He groaned quietly, probably thinking to himself that only his mom could do something that embarrassing, and facepalmed. My boyfriend feebly protested, "Okaa-san! You promised!"

"Hush, Takashi," Karin playfully scolded him, her laughter continually burning in the melting gold of her eyes. His mother stepped forward to kiss her two sons – one on the forehead and the other, his cheek – and patted his large hand. "You know I only jest when I like someone." She cheerfully winked at me, to which I smiled shyly in return, and then asked, "Isn't that right, Satoshi?"

Laughing at his mother, Satoshi nodded, smiled brightly at the general chaos of the laughter, and punched his older brother in the shoulder. He nudged his arm, a smile present that lessened the sting of the (pretend) threat in his next words, and joked, "Did I win, then? Beating you means winning your girl, Taka-nii!"

"Not a chance," Takashi muttered and, while staring down at his brother with amusement in his eyes, a pair of large hands moved to squeeze my waist from behind. He leaned down to hug me, perching his chin on my curved shoulder and raising his left eyebrow at his brother, a playful challenge in his eyes. Wanna go?

Glancing back and forth between the two, I finally shrugged at this brotherly display of teasing and turned to face the boy I'd fondly dubbed Mini Takashi. I would not normally do this in front of someone who I did not know well, but I could tell that these brothers were close. So I smirked at him and cheerfully teased, "Ouch! Burn! Better luck next time, Satoshi-san!"

"It's Satoshi-kun!" Mini Takashi protested and immediately jumped to me, all long pointy limbs, cheerful smiles, and wide puppy eyes. He shoved in between me and Takashi, who pouted – er, glowered – at his brother, and loudly whined, "Please, please, please, Sammy-nee-chan!"

"Er…" I stared into his wide gray eyes, which did not require me craning my neck back like it did with Takashi, and frowned sadly at him. If I did not have four Nobles judging everything that I did and said at the moment, I would not mind being all chillax and stuff, but…

My sweet boyfriend gently placed his tan arm against mine, though, reassurance plain in his sweet tempered expression. His parted lips pressed against my ear, a whisper of affection in his deep voice, and Takashi warmly said, "It is fine, Sweetheart."

My boyfriend, I suddenly remembered, warned that while proper, neither of his parents could stand people who pretended to be something else. Unlike other Lords, Akira wanted his heirs to pick and love their wives. He did not want to trap either into a cold and loveless marriage, which would end in misery for all involved. Remembering that, and the advice that I only needed to be myself, like Takashi originally suggested when I called him and worried about how I should act in front of his parents, I relaxed into what Hikaru and Kaoru dubiously called The Commoner Posture.

"Samantha May Steel!" Hiro hissed, his golden eyes wide with horror, and glowered at me, a warning in his normally calm, quiet voice. Jun, however, smiled at me with understanding. Her German, while rusty, whispered roughly off of her tongue and into my ears – "Sie selbst sein."

Be yourself.

I smiled.

My father balked, understanding what I planned to do and that his wife did not mind, but I pretty much ignored his panic in favor of steeling myself. Anxiously, I rocked back and forth, back and forth for a minute, my small boots quietly tapping against the floor. I bounced forward to stare at Satoshi. He gazed straight at me, a cute, strangely hopeful expression in his eyes, before opening his skinny arms. Something clicked into place, like adding puzzle pieces to the incomplete heart in my chest, kinda like that time I walked into the Abandoned Third Music Room.

Freunde, My heart whispered, beating in recognition of the kinship presented by this bright, cheerful, and carefree fourteen year old boy. Somehow, I feel comfortable with him, like Brüder und Schwester. His parents kind of frighten me, though, especially Akira. But I want him – them – to like me. It's amazing how much I want these people to like me! I haven't cared this much since Hikaru, Kaoru, and…

Keeping that in mind, I embraced him around his thin waist, resting my cheek against his since it was within reach, and happily chirped, "Okay, Satoshi-kun, but only because you've been calling me your sister since I stepped foot into this place!"

…Sarah.

"Now that the introductions are complete, I suggest moving to the dining hall," Akira boomed, his eyes meeting mine with the strangest mixture of understanding, gratitude, and confusion deep in the cold fires of his calculating gaze. He seemed to understand that I wanted to appear proper and Prim, though I preferred Katniss, but did not apparently expect if from me, which meant…

Does Akira know that I generally act like a moron?

Southern Belle Sammy snorted. Prob'ly…!

With that issue burning in my mind, I walked, hand in hand, with Takashi. We continued to down the hallway, to the dining hall, and commenced with taking seats, saying prayer, and then tucking in to the wonderfully prepared dishes that a parade of maids and butlers carried in from the nearby kitchens. When Takashi smiled at me, a warm glow to his skin, I relaxed into my velvet seat and started to glance around the table, brave enough to smile at the people that continued to help themselves to dinner. Everyone was calm, friendly, and – above all – generally accepting of me.

Plates were suddenly placed in front of Takashi, then me, and I paled faintly, feeling ill at the familiar sight – and the smell – of the fish and seaweed that graced the fancy silver dinnerware. My smile, which had exploded with happiness, shrank into an annoyed grimace. While Takashi might remember that I couldn't eat the seafood without getting violently sick and then having an allergic reaction to the food in my stomach, I didn't think that his parents were aware of the fact; Hiro and Jun probably would not remember, either. When I did not do it myself, Saia, the Hitachiin's Chef, cooked meals for me. It would look bad if I refused to eat, too. Great…

"Here, Koi," Takashi murmured quietly, suddenly reaching over and deftly shifting the seafood to his plate with chopsticks in his hand. He moved the offensive food further down his plate in case my sensitive allergies started to act up. I, in turn, smiled shyly at him in surprise – and in thanks.

A smile warmed her face upon catching this interaction, before Karin turned to me and eyed the nearly empty plate in front of me. "You do not like seafood, Samantha-chan?" Karin asked, her voice low but not in anger. She seemed only curious, her sweetly honeyed stare turned to me expectantly, waiting for my response.

Automatically, I blurted out the first thought that came to mind – which, I should add, is never a good idea in my case – and loudly exclaimed, "Sammy-chan!" Please Insert Facepalm Here. XP

"Er, I beg your pardon?" Karin asked, clearly startled at the sound of this unexpected outburst, and stared at me as if I might suddenly start running up and down the dinner table, screaming about the End of the World. Or The World Ends. Whichever was clever!

Blushing, I silently cursed the nonexistent filter from my mind to mouth and smiled at her in what I prayed to be a sweet way and not the I'm-going-to-murder-you-in-your-sleep kind of way. I coughed to hide the sudden desire to laugh hysterically and politely requested, "Please, I prefer to be called Sammy, and I would really like it if you'd refer to me as Sammy-chan, instead…"

Golden eyes gleamed with unbridled happiness and, oddly enough, mischief. "Of course," Karin exclaimed her understanding, hands moving quickly to pass me a plate containing several pieces of roast chicken. She smiled sweetly at me. "Here! You need meat to remain healthy enough to bare strong children for my son."

Silence; then, Akira snorted into his glass of wine. My parents choked down their respective mouthfuls of salmon, the fish catching in their throats and making it hard to breathe, though Jun recovered quickly enough to smile happily at Karin. Satoshi, who retained his ability to breathe, snickered gleefully at our supposed misfortune. Takashi and I merely blinked, however, first at each other and then at his mother. We were altogether unsurprised by her words, figuring that the conversation would turn to us conceiving and having children before the night ended. My boyfriend dryly warned that his mother loved the thought of having grandchildren. As consequence, Karin would likely bug me until I'd given her two or three. Or twelve…

"You're right," I swiftly said, taking the chicken and digging in without further prodding to do so – partially out of desire to freak Hiro out, but mostly to show Takashi that I'd been serious about what I'd said the other night; I wanted children. Takashi, I noticed, smiled at his plate and bumped his leg against mine beneath the table, his presence a continual comfort.

My mother, Jun, clapped her hands together in glee, unable to control herself at the mention of having grandchildren within the year. She smiled wickedly at Karin, who grinned mischievously back, already planning the wedding in their heads, and immediately gushed, "Oh, Sammy-chan! I cannot wait until the wedding, and the honeymoon, and the birth, and –"

Holy Scheiẞe! I sweatdropped and smiled nervously, feeling rather uneasy. Does Mom really expect to be there for all of that stuff? The wedding of her only daughter and the birth of her grandchildren, I totally understand, but the honeymoon…? Not exactly rated PG, Mom! No Parental Guidance needed!

"Excuse me," Hiro interrupted in the next breath, his voice quiet though firm, and smiled almost hesitantly at me, a question burning in his golden eyes. He wet his lips, somewhat anxious that I would not take well to his question and balk at the idea. "Have you and Takashi-san considered attending college before having children, Sammy-chan?"

"Yes, Otou-san, but I do want to have children someday," I proclaimed, heartfelt emotions in my eyes and voice, a sign of how seriously I considered his question. Feeling warm inside, I moved the forkful of carrots into my open mouth and chewed slowly, taking my time in answering him again. After some thought, I added, "Takashi-kun will need heirs, though, right?"

Everyone stared at me strangely. "…..."

"Was it something I said?" I stupidly asked them, brushing fingers under my nose in search of what might have caused their peculiar expressions and prolonged bout of stunned silence. "Do I have carrots stuck in my nostrils again?" Cue Dramatic Sigh. "Whenever I eat carrots, I somehow manage to find 'em up my nose!"

My father sighed, bowing his head in defeat, too embarrassed to speak. My mother, who found this particular event funny yesterday, twitched in horror and darkly muttered beneath her breath that it was too much to ask for her insane daughter to act normally in front of her future father-in-law and her mother-in-law. Unperturbed, I smiled sweetly at everyone, a carrot cheerfully hanging from the fork in one palm, and waved the other like the Queen of England. Cheers!

"Like Frosty the Snowman!" Satoshi loudly exclaimed, his gray eyes wide with excitement, and commenced with bouncing up and down in his chair. He could not seem to stay seated because of his sudden hyperactivity, though, and fell off without further ado. Blinked at us. Smiled.

Owlishly, I blinked back at the fallen teenager, staring down at him in a mixture of gentle amusement and disbelief. (I know, I know – Pot and Kettle!) "What kind of twisted children's movieshave you seen recently, Satoshi-kun?" I dryly asked, admittedly thinking of Disney's Frozen.

Dramatic Pause. "Just Saw VII," Satoshi bluntly responded without inflection, tilting his head to the side when a manic grin claimed his lips, lighting his silver eyes with demonic glee. Dun, dun, dun!

Nervously, I sweatdropped and attempted to laugh off his (crazy, insane, and just really fucking weird) response. Of course! Because Saw is totally considered appropriate and tame enough for sweet, innocent children to watch! Freakin' bloodthirsty ninja…

Takashi only sighed.

Unexpectedly, Lord Morinozuka began chuckling quietly at the strange scene painted by the two youngest members of the Morinozuka Clan and the only daughter of the Hitachiin Family. What bothered everybody – but, above all else, Takashi– was that ol' Akira could not appear to stop the odd bout of laughter, either! Silver eyes seemed to glisten with tears of genuine laughter, which made his wife and two sons now stare at him with concern. Akira, I surmised, didn't normally act like this in front of others, least of all his guests.

"Are you well, Love?" Karin asked with concern. When her husband did not respond, however, Karin scowled darkly and kicked him under the table, much to the stunned amusement of Hiro and Jun. Me? Well, I was much too busy staring at the crazy man to think much of his wife. Absently, however, I noted that Karin acted just like Mitsukuni…

"Sorry," Akira cleared his throat when his wife glared daggers at him, threatening to kick him with her pointy heels again, and hastily explained, fearing for his Family Jewels – "I could not help but see a connection of sorts between Satoshi, Mitsukuni, and Sammy-chan." He snorted and lowly muttered, "Apparently, Takashi is a glutton for punishment…"

Joining Karin in her disgust, Hiro glowered at the other man and switched to Overprotective Dad Mode. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jun interrupted him with her darkest glare, making her husband swiftly cower away. "I like to think that Takashi is a very smart man! He did convince my sweet and beautiful and kind daughter to consider his proposal of marriage, after all!" Jun boasted, with her thin nose in the air, arms and feet crossed daintily at the wrists and ankles.

Stumped, I stared directly at her, thinking her quite deranged for spouting such bullshit when I clearly did not qualify for any of the aforementioned adjectives. Expression deadpan, I turned to Hiro and, thinking nothing of speaking in English, I bluntly asked, "Did Mom fall off the bandwagon and into the sake again?"

Hiro said nothing. What made his smile widen, however, was when half of the table burst into loud chuckles. Hiro, Karin, and Satoshi could not hold it in and all cheerfully burst into laughter at my expense. Takashi, like his father, only quietly chuckled; it was a smirk of amusement that made it clear how funny it must have been to the quietest of the family. Apparently, I realized with growing horror, the Morinozuka Clan could speak – or at least understand – English. Please, God! I silently begged. Kill…me…now!

Glaring at me with twitching eyebrows, Jun patted her red hair (temper, temper, temper) back down and sweetly asked, "What was that again, Sammy-chan? I remember you mentioning something last week about wanting You-Know-Who to visit, but I cannot seem to recall answering you yet…"

Knowing her to be bluffing, I decided to drop my cards and cheekily grinned at her. I playfully tossed another roll in the air, letting it fall back into my palms without much trouble, and loudly laughed, "What're you talking about? Lord Voldemort doesn't need permission to visit! He'll just drop by whenever it pleases him, Miss Potter!"

A flower in the desert, Satoshi perked right up, eagerly basking in the sudden change in our conversation. He seemed to greatly enjoy making references, which I found interesting given that Takashi could not understand half of what I said. As if to prove me right, Satoshi decided to bounce in his seat again and, without falling from it this time, proclaimed, "I love Harry Potter!"

"Sorry, Satoshi-kun, but Harry is taken," I responded sadly, before patting his hand in what I believed to be a very sweet and consoling fashion. Stared soulfully into his gray eyes, prepared him for the inevitable heartbreak, and explained, "Ginny would be pretty pissed if you're planning to steal Harry away and have your way with him."

He did not, thankfully, take offense at my somewhat strange insinuations; instead, Satoshi rolled his eyes in amusement and quickly returned, "Speaking of having your way with somebody, Taka-nii-san here really wants to slither down into your Chamber of Secrets!"

My boyfriend, though wholly unfamiliar with what we were speaking about without him, sensed the depth of this innuendo all the same. A dark glare was immediately leveled at his brother, and Takashi crossed his arms over a very – yummy – puffed out chest. He lowered his voice and growled, "Apologize this instant, Satoshi!"

Meanwhile, I'd been staring at his brother with amazement, and not the least bit of offense. My mouth eventually returned to its original position, though, instead of capturing flies like it was a moment ago. So I smiled wickedly at him, like the Venus Fly Trap I'd just portrayed, and then purred, "Too late for that warning, Satoshi-kun."

Ears an unnatural shade of red, Takashi sputtered, "Sweetheart! I believe that was –" When Hiro glared darkly at him for his use of the past tense, however, Takashi blanched in sudden fear and backpedaled. He coughed, sweating profusely beneath the hard stare of Daddy Dearest, and hastily revised, "– er, is – definitely is – not public information, Sammy-chan!"

My father narrowed his topaz eyes in thought, ignoring the waves of amused laughter that rushed in from Jun, Karin, Satoshi, and myself. He turned to face Akira with his strictest frown set in place and assertively declared, "With that said, Lord Morinozuka, I believe it is best to start planning the wedding – as soon as possible, too, if this is an accurate indication of their feelings."

From his place at the head of the table, Akira eyed the steady hand that Takashi placed atop my right thigh – about three or so inches from where said Chamber of Secrets was on my person – and then dryly agreed, "Our children do seem eager enough to consummate their relationship, Lord Hitachiin."

Immediately, Takashi and I stopped laughing, too busy now staring anywhere but at each other to do so. I hesitantly glanced at him, only to accidentally meet his eyes, and then blushed much brighter than a recently picked strawberry. Takashi blushed, too, his ears, nose, and neck dark red in color. We swiftly whirled around to stare in the opposite directions again which, of course, only made Jun, Karin, and Satoshi laugh harder. Awkward!

"Well," Akira began, before wiping his mouth with the napkin that his wife passed to him and pushing his chair back with his free hand. His smile, though not warm in the least, did not make me nervous. His next statement, however, did that and much more – "Let us move to my office to finalize the Contract of Arranged Marriage."

"Of course," Hiro readily agreed with his suggestion and moved to stand, his dark hair falling attractively into golden eyes. He smiled at his beautiful wife, Jun, and leaned down to gently touch his lips to her cheek, feeling her giggle into the kiss. My eyes softened at their display, wishing that I could have that someday soon.

While the Lord of the Morinozuka Clan did not seem as affectionate, Akira did glance at his wife and take her hand in his, gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. She smiled at him, eyes glowing warmly with affection, and sweetly whispered, "I love you." And Akira smiled back.

Attempting to be funny, but failing miserably, Satoshi mimed sticking his finger down his throat and dropped from his chair to the floor – again. Tongue lolling out, eyes crossed in amusement, Mini Takashi (im)maturely wailed, "Mind Bleach! I need it…!"

"Go to bed, Satoshi," Akira and Karin said and, scarily enough, without looking away or at their son. When Satoshi whined out in protest of this punishment, however, Karin glared darkly at him, tossed several rolls at his head, and loudly barked, "NOW!" Just like Mitsukuni…

With his Parental Units thusly distracted, Takashi glanced at me and insistently pulled at the hand that I'd placed in his not two minutes ago. I swiftly turned to face him, expression lifted in curiosity, but smiled in understanding when I noticed him pointedly staring at the beautiful glass doors that appeared to lead into a really pretty and well kept garden. Takashi quietly wandered into the hallway and to the closed doors, waiting for me. My eyes wide with hope, I followed him, tiptoeing through the halls since I wasn't all badass and ninja, like some people. CoughTakashicough.

"Well," I finally said, breath fogging the cold night air as my arms moved to brush against his, seeking warmth. It had taken too long to successfully navigate our way to the center of the vast gardens because Karin, his mother, recently changed its layout. "That could have been much, much worse…"

"How so…?" Takashi grumbled out from between his teeth, pausing to feed – blink, blink – a chicken. My boyfriend, annoyed with his brother for making that crude joke, crossed his arms over a nicely muscled chest and swiftly ranted, "It was a right disaster from what I could tell!"

Grinning widely at what I realized to be his equivalent to pouting, I said, "It was nothing short of the truth, though, right?" My hands slowly reached out to pet the fluffy feathers of the chicken, before I turned around at the insistent whining of a very cute Tanuki – Piyo and Pome, Takashi quietly introduced his pets.

"Well, I…uh…" Takashi stuttered through his surprise, blushing in embarrassment at having been forced to speak of his (not so) secret, and to his girlfriend, too. He softly cleared his throat, his face as serious as could be, and then quietly admitted, "…Yes."

Scratching Pome beneath his furry chin and listening to the sound of his soft, happy grumbles, I giggled softly. Takashi sighed out of frustration, though, and I turned to face him, my eyebrows raised in confusion. "What's the problem, then?" I asked him.

"My Ototo did not have to pull that nonsense in front of Okaa-san," Takashi grumbled beneath his breath, letting it fan against my nose. His cheeks were still red, but his eyes were now soft with happiness instead of sharp with fury; though both left about two minutes past, Piyo and Pome had calmed him considerably.

Knowing that Takashi needed to be reassured still, I leaned into his hold, permitting his hands to slide along my green dress and rest against my rear. "She didn't seem too terribly bothered by it," I softly pointed out in retrospect. In fact, Karin seemed downright ecstatic! Weird…

"No, I suppose not, but Okaa-san is only going to take this debacle as encouragement. She will likely beg for grandchildren every other day…" Takashi sighed, his voice low because his face was now safely resting against me – eyes closed, lips parted, and his nose on my warm collar bone.

Smiling, I gently lifted his handsome face to mine, pulling his chin upward, and kissed his soft lips. "We'll just have to get to working on it, huh?" I huskily whispered into his open mouth, letting him taste the promise written in my words.

My boyfriend hummed in agreement, kissing back with teeth and tongue, his hands firmly on my rear. Mine slipped to his shirt and crawled upward, slowly and gently caressing his skin with ten hesitant fingers. We pulled back within mere moments and stared at each other, his large hands wrapped around mine. I leaned forward, planning to kiss him again, but Takashi sighed softly, running his hands through his hair, and then backed off – five feet suddenly between us. Ouch.

"Takashi-kun…?" I nervously asked, afraid that I'd upset him somehow by being so very unladylike and forward about having children. My heart practically stopped, however, when Takashi reached into his suit jacket, his hands slowly retrieving a gray velvet box. Think I'm gonna pass out!

Deep breath. "Lady Samantha May Steel Hitachiin," Takashi murmured, slowly kneeling before me and holding out a ring of gold, diamonds, and sapphire flowers – specially, I would learn in later years, crafted only for me. "May I claim the honor of becoming your cherished husband? May I refer to you as my cherished wife?"

"Yes, Lord Morinozuka Takashi," I whispered through the hot tears of happiness, kissing him so soundly and smiling against his lips because I could feel his heartbeat beneath mine, "but only on one condition…"

"What would that be, Koi?" Takashi whispered.

"I keep my motorcycle!"

He laughed. "No."

"Damn…"

***Author's Note***

Woohoo~! Super Long Chapter Update! Why is it in all caps? 'Cuz I'm awesome! You're awesome! WE'RE ALL AWESOME! :D

THANKS for all of the REVIEWS! I am so glad that this story is still going strong and that you've all enjoyed the ride. We are almost 3/4 done with the story, though, and only have about 26 chapters to go. Although that may seem to be quite the amount, I have the rest of the story mapped out and plan to update more often, especially this Summer. I am in my senior year of college and plan to actually take this Summer off from work, for once. I think I deserve it! ;)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this lighthearted take on their proposal. I figured that Takashi and Sammy would be all sweet, and then - BOOM! Sammy ruined it with her big ol' mouth. LOL Do you all remember that motorcycle? Yeah, Takashi hates it! XD It will show up again next chapter, though. Hint, hint.

QUESTION: Do you remember her phone call to her friend? S/he is visiting next chapter! NEW CHARACTER! YAY!

P.S. Update between...uh...640 and 645 reviews! Sound good? ;D