Kyo enjoyed the chance to catch up with the other advanced students after class. He'd always gotten along with his fellow martial artists, even when he'd struggled with people in general; it had been a lot easier to find common ground when you shared a passion. But for the most part, none of those relationships that held up at a distance; he wasn't going to be calling any of his former classmates to have a chat about their respective lives from Hibe. But here with them now, back at the Sohma dojo, it was nice to have a chance to talk, to hear what they were up to, and to tell them about his new dojo.

Yes, it was nice to catch up. But Kyo didn't want to spend too long hanging out in the practice space, not when he knew that Kazuma had probably gone down to his office and was likely waiting for him. They'd established the habit of having private chats whenever Kyo and Tohru came home to visit, and he doubted Kazuma would think that changed just because Kyo had been able to join a karate class this time. So after spending some time with the other students, Kyo excused himself to shower, change, and find Kazuma.

As he expected, he found his father in his office. "You busy?"

Kazuma gestured for Kyo to join him, and Kyo did, closing the door behind him. Then the two men smiled at each other again, and both went in simultaneously for another hug.

"It really is so good to see you, Kyo. While I'm happy you're so clearly thriving up in Hibe, it's not the same as seeing you here, happy, growing, and getting stronger every day." Kazuma had already looked Kyo over once, but now he did again. Kyo had gotten taller in the past year, which didn't surprise Kazuma at all. And he was still remarkably slim, in spite of being well-muscled. Possibly he'd fill out more once he'd reached his full height, but it was difficult to say; Sohma men tended to run toward the leaner side. His face was maybe a little longer, his jaw a little harder; he was looking more like a man, and less than ever like the boy he used to be. But he still wore his hair the same, and otherwise he still looked the way he had the last time Kazuma had seen him: happy and carefree.

Well, mostly carefree, Kazuma corrected himself. Though Kyo was clearly happy to see him and was grinning at both the praise and the hug, Kazuma could tell that there was something else. He'd always been able to tell when Kyo wanted something, and that hadn't changed just because Kyo had been living away for a year.

So as he finished his once-over, Kazuma smiled and gestured for them both to sit. Kyo dropped down to a kneeling position opposite him and Kazuma looked at him thoughtfully; yes, there was definitely something on Kyo's mind. After giving Kyo a moment to bring it up first, Kazuma finally asked, "Is everything alright, Kyo?"

Kyo didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed at Kazuma's question. He'd made a point not to creep up behind Kazuma at all just to keep his father from thinking he wanted to talk, but that was more out of stubbornness than anything. He had spent so long trying so hard to prove he was a man, that he could handle responsibilities like a man, and that he could be depended on like a man, and it was a little embarrassing to have his old habits from childhood turned around on him. But since he did want to talk about something, having Kazuma bring it up first saved him the trouble starting.

Kind of.

"Yeah, everything is fine. But I do something I wanted to talk to you about." He looked down and scratched his head, trying to figure out the best way to bring it up. Everything he'd thought about saying sounded dumb and childish, which was so far from what he wanted that it wasn't even funny. He was acutely aware of Kazuma looking at him, patiently waiting for him to elaborate, and that fact made him feel even more tongue-tied.

How was it that Kazuma could always sit and look so damn inscrutable all the time?

Kyo rose to his feet and started pacing around instead, and his father continued to watch him. Kazuma's face was still placid, but he was starting to get concerned. Since the Curse had broken and Kyo had gained his freedom from the Sohmas, Kazuma had seen Kyo grow in leaps and bounds as a person. He didn't get worked up about everything, he didn't lose his temper so often, he didn't take every joke or jab personally. He laughed, often. Kazuma had loved seeing the newer, gentler, more mature side of Kyo, the side that wasn't wrapped in prickles and suspicion.

But the Kyo that was pacing around the office right now was definitely acting suspicious.

Kyo had said everything was fine, but was it? Really? There was one possibility that leapt immediately to Kazuma's mind that could explain the Kyo's behavior, and he both rejoiced at the idea and shied away from it. Kyo and Tohru were both so young, after all...but was it possible that Tohru was pregnant?

"Kyo, are you sure everything is alright? You seem very agitated."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry. It's just..." Kyo stopped, absentmindedly pressing one fist into his other open palm. "It's hard to find the words right now. It's important, and I want your opinion, but I also made up my mind already, so I'm not really sure what I'm asking from you." He frowned, staring at his hands; he could tell Kazuma was still waiting for an actual explanation, and he sighed. Why was this so hard? This wasn't even the important conversation, so if he was struggling this badly now, then how the hell was he ever going to make it through that?

Might as well just try. Fixing his attention on a point on the wall, Kyo began, "So, Tohru and I have been living together for a year now, right?"

"Correct." Oh dear...

"And, well, when I asked her to come with me, I meant it. I didn't want to leave her behind, because I couldn't stand the idea of being apart from her. But I didn't want to put too much pressure on her, either, or try to trick her into any kind of really serious commitment without proof."

"Proof?" Kazuma was starting to think his initial guess had been wrong, and he was admittedly relieved. But a new idea had crept into his mind, one that didn't have any ambiguity at all. If this hunch was correct, then he would be positively delighted!

"Yeah, proof. Proof that I could take care of her, that I could support her, that I could be a good man for her. Proof that I deserved her." Kyo still wasn't looking at Kazuma, but his voice was getting stronger and more confident the longer he spoke. "And that I'd be able to keep on doing those things; not just promising them, but doing them. Keep on providing for her and taking care of her. I wanted her to see that I meant it when I said I wanted to be there for her for the rest of our lives."

"And... have you done that, Kyo? Have you proven those things to her, or rather, to yourself?"

"Yeah, I think I have." Kyo's hands were shaking slightly as he looked from the point on the wall to Kazuma, and there was a small, somewhat incredulous smile on his face.

"Dad...I'm going to ask Tohru to marry me."

Kazuma let out a breath, then rose to his feet. Of all the things Kyo could possibly have said, this was definitely the biggest relief, and also the happiest. He was practically beaming as he pulled Kyo against him in another hug.

The fact Kazuma was hugging him was encouraging, but the accompanying silence was unsettling. Honestly, Kyo didn't know what to make of it! He leaned into the hug, but then asked cautiously, "Do you...do you think it's a good idea? Because I respect your opinion, I really do, but I also feel I'm ready for this, now."

Kazuma chuckled as Kyo's voice shifted from hesitancy to assurance over the course of his statement. The unsure boy, wanting someone to tell him the answer, and the man who knew the answer for himself.

"Kyo, I've always trusted you to know your own mind and to make the right choices. And I think that proposing to that excellent young woman is one of the best choices you could ever make if you lived through a hundred lifetimes."

Hearing that Kazuma supported him was a bigger relief than Kyo expected, and he almost laughed from the loss of tension. But he was still smiling, one of the biggest, happiest smiles that Kazuma had ever seen him wear, and that happiness made Kazuma's heart soar. To think that that sad, angry, bitter child would become this man, standing here, looking like this. Kazuma had always known Tohru was special; ever since the day he'd first met her and seen the way Kyo looked at her. But she had kept proving herself to be special, over and over and over again. She had given Kyo his freedom, and his life; she was the source of so much good in his world.

Nothing could make Kazuma happier than to see them take this next step, together.

"Come, sit." This time, Kyo sat down and actually stayed sitting, though he still felt almost giddy from actually saying it. He hadn't said the words out loud, not even to himself; he'd only thought them, over and over again. But hearing him say them to Kazuma, hearing Kazuma say them to him...they sounded so right. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to marry her.

He. Wanted. To. Marry. Her.

Kazuma sat smiling at Kyo, feeling that his own joy had to be only marginally less than his son's. At this moment, he was seeing so much he had hoped for come true before his eyes. But this wasn't his moment, he knew, and he was trying not to be selfish about it. "So... have you decided when you will ask her?"

Kyo looked bashfully down at the floor. "I'm gonna do it while we're here, in the city. I had an idea for the perfect place, and I feel like now is the right time." He smiled, thinking about it, then suddenly looked up and stared piercingly at Kazuma. "Do you really think it's a good idea, Dad? That now is...an ok time?"

Kazuma smiled. "Does it really matter what I think? I thought your mind was made up."

Kyo's expression hardened for a moment and he looked at Kazuma with defensive eyes, but then they softened. "It is. And I'm not going to change it, either. But I'd still like to know what you think...what you really think." He knew he wasn't going to second guess himself, but there was no one whose opinion he respected more than Kazuma. If Kazuma had doubts, then didn't Kyo owe it to him to at least listen?

"Very well then. I think you're a grown man, Kyo; you're nearly twenty years old, and you've lived a life that had had more than its fair share of hardship. You're responsible, you know your own mind, and you have excellent judgement, which I trust implicitly. And I know Tohru; I know she's an exceptional young woman who helped pull you from the jaws of hell." His face softened. "I know you two love each other, very much. And I know I will be extraordinarily happy the day when she becomes my daughter in name as well as in spirit."

Hearing Kazuma spell it out that clearly made Kyo's smile broaden. He had meant it when he said he wasn't going to change his mind; the only thing that had stopped him from proposing to Tohru a year ago was the desire to prove her could support her before binding her to him in any truly lasting way. Now, after their year in Hibe, he felt he loved her more than ever and was confident in his ability to take care of her. Nobody's opinion was going to change his mind now; no one could stop him from asking. And the only one who could change his destiny was Tohru herself.

"I just need her to say yes!"

As Kazuma looked into Kyo's nervous and excited face, he felt the tiniest wave of sadness. This was truly the end for that little boy; there was nothing left of the child after this point. He was proud of the man, and would be proud of the man until the day he died, but he would sometimes miss that little boy who had once needed him. He knew he'd long since stepped aside; that place had been taken by Tohru, who had been needed in ways far different and far stronger than Kazuma. But this...this made it permanent. And while that was something to celebrate, it was also something that deserved, ever so slightly, to be mourned.

"I would be very surprised if she didn't say yes, Kyo," Kazuma said with a smile. "Do you plan to do it sometime after graduation?"

"Actually..." Kyo rubbed his knuckles again, then looked over at Kazuma with a sheepish grin. "I was planning to do it tonight."

"Tonight?" Kazuma's eyebrows arched so high that they almost disappeared into his hairline, then he let out a laugh. "You certainly aren't taking your time anymore, are you?"

Kyo's expression was unrepentant. "Nope. I know I want to ask her, and I know where. I want our friends to hear it, and I want them to hear it from us. In person. So... I'm going to do it tonight."

"In that case, I look forward to seeing you both in the morning."

Leaving Kazuma's office, Kyo felt like he was walking on air. The only trick at this point was going to be playing it cool with Tohru and anyone else around, because he knew that his giant, goofy smile was going to be a dead giveaway to anyone who knew him that something was up. He might smile a lot more than he used to, but definitely not like this!

It was partly for that reason he decided to detour before searching for Tohru. He was pretty confident he'd find her in the kitchen with Hanajima, and he couldn't think of a worse pair to encounter right now; Tohru, because she knew him so well that she'd know something was up, and Hanajima because she was Hanajima and therefore knew everything anyway. He was already uncomfortable seeing her right now, because he didn't trust her not to read his mind and do something sneaky with what she found there. He was pretty sure that Hanajima liked him; she might have even forgiven him for moving away with Tohru. But he wasn't going to gamble on his perfect proposal, not until he'd had a chance to get his game face on.

And he needed to sort something out about the proposal, anyway. Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the time and then sent a text.

'Hey, does tonight work to come by? After dinner, around 6.'

After a moment, his phone buzzed and he read the response.

'Tonight? You said you weren't here until tomorrow.'

Quickly, he shot off another.

'Tohru got the day off so we're here early. If tonight doesn't work we can do tomorrow instead.'

'Tonight's fine, but you'll have to get the ladder yourself.'

'Works for me. We'll be there about 6.'

Tucking his phone back into his pocket, Kyo looked up at the ceiling and let out a slow, controlled breath. It's happening; it's finally happening!

Shaking his head in relief and amazement, Kyo walked out onto the deck and into their room. Sitting down on the floor, he opened his bag and pulled out his extra pair of shoes. Reaching into the left shoe, he pulled out a wadded-up handkerchief, then finally a small flat box. He looked at it for a long moment, then, smiling, slipped it into his pocket.

He was going to ask her to marry him...tonight.

"Oh, and here he is now."

Kyo tried not to twitch at either Hanajima's creepy delivery or the way she'd turned and was staring at him so very deliberately as he walked into the kitchen. He'd mostly gotten used to her weird ways, but she still had that ability to give him the complete creeps, among other things. Now, he felt like she was looking right through him and he tried to act normal.

It was mostly working, he thought, though it seemed like she was staring at him for a lot longer than she should. He simply stared back, doing his best to channel Kazuma and keep his face neutral. Mostly. A little smile was ok, especially when Tohru was smiling at him, too!

After studying Kyo, Hanajima broke into a low, slow smile of her own, catching and holding Kyo's gaze for a long moment. But then she looked away, back to Tohru, and he was able to let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Hey, Hanajima, it's good to see you. Hey, Tohru. Have you two been having a good talk?"

He wasn't surprised to see Tohru elbows deep in food prep alongside Hanajima; Kyo had long since tried and failed to get Tohru to leave work alone when they were travelling, but she just couldn't help herself. It was like the woman had a genetic predisposition to doing chores, and she loved them so much that she couldn't let anyone else so much as sweep a floor without wanting to help.

At least she had fun.

Tohru smiled brightly at him. "Yes, we've been having a great time catching up! I was just telling Hana-chan about your rank promotion, and about Butsu!"

Ah yes, Butsu. Kyo couldn't help but roll his eyes at the mention of their local friendly roving cat, an outdoor cat of unknown origin and owner who had lately taken a more than proprietary interest in Tohru. And hated Kyo, because why wouldn't he? She? It. Tohru was enamored with Butsu, Kyo not nearly so much; having a random grumpy cat decide your backyard was its vacation home was hardly something he wanted to encourage. But Tohru was the one who spent the most time out there, and she liked Butsu, so...that was that.

At least Kyo didn't have to deal with it all of the time.

Tohru knew Kyo's opinions on Butsu, and she giggled at the blatant eye roll. "Did you have a good class? Master Kazuma stopped in a while ago after it was over, and he seemed so happy to see you!"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did; it was great to get to work out here again after so long. And I was right, Master was very surprised!"

"I'll bet he was. Have you two had a chance to talk yet?" Tohru knew all about Kyo and Kazuma's ritual, and had always made it a point to hang back and give them their time.

"Yeah, a little. We'll talk a lot more later, for sure, but we hit some high points." Kyo was unable to suppress the feelings of elation from sweeping over him again, and he could feel Hanajima giving him that piercing look yet again. But Tohru chalked it up to another reason, and she leaned over to give him a kiss.

"I'm sure he was very proud of you on your rank promotion! It's such a big deal, I hope he wasn't too upset you waited to tell him about it."

Kyo was grateful for the excuse, and he returned Tohru's kiss affectionately. "Nah, he was fine with it. If it'd been longer, he might have been more upset, but he could understand why I wanted to wait."

"Because some things cannot be uttered until the perfect moment, in-person. Isn't that right, Kyo?" Hanajima's voice was the same creepy deadpan it always was, but this time Kyo was sure of it; she was definitely, definitely reading his mind. Or whatever it was she did. He didn't want to look at her, worried he'd give something away in his expression. But a darting glance out of the corner of his eye surprised him; she was still smiling, and the smile was...warm. Almost.

That was unexpected, but not unwelcome, and he looked at her straight on as she continued, "It can be hard to wait to share good news, but I think everyone can agree that waiting until we're absolutely sure the time is right makes the news all the sweeter. And all the more joyful."

Kyo let out a slow breath. Hanajima was still smiling at him, and he felt some of his worry lift away. He had been an idiot to think he could keep something like this from her, but seeing and hearing her now...he realized that she, too, was in his corner, and she was rooting for him, too.

And as usual, it all thankfully went right over Tohru's head. "Yes, that's right Hana-chan! Being able to share good news in person is always better than any other method, unless there's no really good chance to do it. But two weeks is nothing, and I'm sure it was much more fun for both you and Master Kazuma to get to talk in person!"

This was getting to be too much for Kyo's nerves; Tohru was a little too much on the mark, even if she didn't know it, and while he was happy to know he had Hanajima's support, he didn't think he could take another hour of her knowing looks. "Yeah, well, anyway; I just wanted to track you down and see what you guys were doing. Looks like you've got everything in hand in here, so do you mind if I go hang out with Dad until supper's ready?"

Tohru smiled. "Of course, that's fine!"

"Good. And I didn't think you had any plans for this evening, but there's someplace I wanted us to go after supper, if you didn't mind. A visit."

"No, I didn't have plans. A visit sounds wonderful, though, who are we going to go see?"

"You'll just have to be wait and see."

"Ooh, but waiting is so hard!"

Yes. Yes, it really was.