"Are you sure it was smart to just show up like this, Tohru? Tomorrow is the last day of school, you know, so they might actually have plans today."

Tohru and Kyo were standing in the courtyard of Kaibara High, just inside the main school entrance. The bell had just rung, and the two of them were waiting for the appearance of their high school friends Momiji, Hatsuharu, and Kisa, as well as Hiro after he'd gotten out at his middle school. Kyo had been under the impression Tohru had made plans to meet up with the others, but as they'd walked up to the school she'd started talking about how much she was looking forward to surprising them. That's when Kyo had started getting concerned; sometimes surprises could work out, but a lot of times they didn't, especially when there were a lot of moving parts.

Or moving people.

Tohru wasn't the least bit concerned, though, and she dismissed his with a wave of her hand. "Oh, it's going to be fine, Kyo! Hatsuharu knows we were coming today, so I'm sure he would have let me know if either Kisa or Momiji wouldn't be around."

"Assuming he even saw Kisa, or noticed with Momiji. And that's also assuming he didn't just tell them you'd be here, either; you know that guy never remembers when something's a secret." Kyo leaned against the wall and looked around the courtyard, feeling weirdly nostalgic. He hadn't been a 'school spirit' kind of guy, but being back here and looking around made him remember some of the good times they'd had, back when they were kids and life had been...a whole lot harder, honestly.

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine. Though I hope Hatsuharu was feeling alright this morning; I still feel terrible, how late we kept him and Isuzu up last night!" That, and she was also a touch worried about how much champagne Hatsuharu had drunk. Technically she, Kyo, and Hatsuharu were all underage, so the bottle they'd shared last night had felt extremely illicit to Tohru. She'd never drank before last night, not so much as a single cup of sake, so she wasn't surprised when the one glass she'd had had hit her... aggressively. And Hatsuharu had drank at least twice what she did, at least.

"We should have been more responsible."

"Hey, he's old enough to know how to put himself to bed, Tohru. You don't have to worry about Haru, he'll be fine." Kyo was pretty sure he'd be fine, anyway; he'd seen Haru pull more than one all-nighter in his time, and you'd never have been able to tell. Not with alcohol before, but he was pretty sure the effects would be the same either way. "They were happy for us, and they were having fun. We were all having fun. It's ok." He looked over at Tohru's nervous face and stroked her cheek. "Just think about how much fun you're going to have when you see them all."

She smiled, leaning into his touch. "You're right, Kyo."

That wouldn't stop her from fretting longer, at least until she saw Hatsuharu, but it helped to know that he was right!

Students were starting to filter out of the building now, and the two of them started looking for familiar faces. They saw a few students they'd known from their time at the school, and a few waves and 'nice to see yous' were exchanged as they continued to wait for their friends. Finally, they did see one person they knew, but not one Tohru had initially thought about seeing.

"Oh, Machi, hello!" She waved enthusiastically at the younger girl as she walked by, and Machi jumped about a foot before she realized it was Tohru. She hadn't been expecting them, or anyone, really, and Tohru's excited voice startled her clear out of her thoughts.

But she still came over, once she'd gathered herself. "Hello, Tohru, hello, Kyo," she said, giving them each the somewhat hesitant smile she gave people she didn't know well. "I didn't know you two were going to be in town, what brings you here today? To the city, and the school," she added quickly, then frowned and added on again, "if you want to tell me. It's perfectly fine if you don't, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want."

Tohru wanted to wrap Machi up in a big hug. It always made her a little sad, how Machi had always held herself removed from most people; if Tohru had her way, they would have become best friends long ago! Well, if Tohru had had her way and they lived closer together. But she wasn't going to try cross that boundary; she knew that as much as it pained her to take things slowly, she'd still have to wait and work on Machi. The only person Tohru had ever seen her uncoil around was Yuki, and without him here to help lower Machi's defenses, Tohru would just have to remain distant and respectful.

But she still wanted Machi to know that they were friends.

"Oh, it's perfectly fine, Machi! We're here for graduation, actually," Tohru said with a smile. "We just came a couple days early, so we'd have more time to see people. And that's why we're here today, too, we were just waiting for some of Kyo's cousins to get out of school so we could visit with them this afternoon."

Machi nodded. That all made sense; if she'd really thought about it, then she surely would have come to a similar conclusion herself. "Well, that sounds very pleasant. It was very nice of you two to come for graduation, I'm sure your friends will be glad you both made the trip for them."

"We're excited to see you graduate too, Machi! Do you know yet where you're planning to go to university? I remember Yuki saying you were hoping to go for your degree, too."

A shy smile crept across Machi's face, and she hugged her backpack to her chest as she blushed. "Well, I'm...I'm actually going to attend in Kyoto."

Tohru's smile got bigger and she clapped her hands. "You're going to go to the same university as Yuki? I'd hoped that was what you were planning, I'm sure he's going to be so thrilled you're there! It's so much nicer to be able to date when you live near each other," she said, overflowing with the wisdom of a woman a year out of school.

Kyo was mildly amused by the whole thing, though he did feel a little sorry for Machi, who was now cherry-red. "Hey, Tohru, maybe give the poor girl a little breathing room from the theories?"

Tohru blushed herself as she took a good look at Machi, who was crimson and looking down at the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry Machi, I didn't mean to pry or presume, I just..." she trailed off, feeling a little silly and awkward. "I was just excited. I get excited about things a lot."

"She really does," Kyo had to interject, if just to try to help Machi.

"Anyway, I bet you're looking forward to seeing Yuki! He gets in tomorrow, doesn't he?"

Machi hugged the backpack, trying to regain some of her composure. She was fond of Tohru, and she knew she should be happy that Tohru took such an interest in her, but her enthusiasm was a lot more that Machi was generally used to. It took a little bit to process everything, and to figure out how to respond.

But at least one of Tohru's questions was easy to answer. "Yes, he has a couple classes tomorrow, and then he was taking the train. He wasn't sure exactly what time yet; he might not be here until the evening, but he'd hoping he can make it earlier." Machi smiled, squeezing her backpack even tighter, and Tohru didn't have to wonder what had inspired the rosy flush of her cheeks that time.

She and Kyo had been so lucky, able to move away together; how much harder would it have been to be like Yuki and Machi, separated for an entire year?

Just then, they all heard an excited exclamation. "TOHRU!?"

That was Machi's cue, and she started backing away. "It was nice to see you both. I'm sure I'll see you on Saturday at graduation, but...I hope you have a nice time during the rest of your visit!" Then she was scurrying away, eager to avoid the sudden influx of extra Sohmas.

That excited yell was enough to make Tohru, Kyo, and almost all the rest of the school yard take note, so everyone got to see as Momiji came sprinting across the courtyard and scooped Tohru up into a whirling hug. Tohru laughed as her legs flew out from under her, and she clung to Momiji's as she spun him around.

"Hi, Momiji! Are you surprised?"

"Ja, incredibly so! I didn't know you'd even be getting to Tokyo until around now, so I certainly wasn't expecting you to be here! What a wonderful, marvelous surprise!" After one final twirl, Momiji set Tohru down on the ground and beamed at her. "It's so good to see you, Tohru...and you too, Kyo," he added as he stuck his tongue out at his cousin.

Kyo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We both know you're really happy to see her and I'm the extra baggage, you don't have to get all sappy and sentimental on me." But he was smiling, and he reached out and hit Momiji lightly on the shoulder. "It's nice to see you, Momiji."

Momiji pretended to flinch away from the hit, grinning. "Wow. You can't even come back for a nice little visit, to see me graduate, even, without getting violent! You know, Tohru, I had expected you to be a better influence on him!"

Kyo was studying Momiji the whole time they were talking. And something he was noticing this time, something he hadn't been sure about the last couple times they'd seen him, was that Momiji actually looked...happy. Properly happy. Maybe it was just Kyo, but it had seemed for far too long that Momiji had been battling sadness every time he was around Tohru this past year; or if not Tohru, then Tohru and Kyo. And Kyo had hated that, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it. He had his guesses as to why, but Momiji didn't say and Kyo was never going to ask. If Momiji was having trouble getting over Tohru, then Kyo certainly couldn't blame him. It was possible there was something else; Kyo and Momiji had never been close enough to share confidences. But it would take a long time before Kyo would forget Momiji's face when he'd asked Kyo how he'd feel if Tohru fell in love with him, instead.

There had been a time Kyo had been threatened by Momiji, and it had unnerved him. As far as he knew, Tohru had never known, or even suspected, that Momiji had been in love with her. But Kyo had known, and he'd hated the way that knowledge had made him feel. He owed Momiji so much for helping push him to Tohru, for making him realize that her loving him wasn't a fool's hope but a real possibility. Still...this was another man who loved Tohru, and that had been hard to process.

Those insecurities were long gone now, though; a year had been more than enough time for Kyo to grow in confidence, to feel secure in his love for Tohru and hers for him. Even before they'd first come back to Tokyo in the fall, any concerns he'd had about Momiji slipped away. All that remained once those fears were gone was concern, concern for what Momiji was feeling and how long it would take him to move past it.

So Kyo was able to watch Momiji swing Tohru around without any feelings other than mild amusement; he personally felt it was pretty silly, but knew Tohru was probably loving it.

"What, Kyo is being violent? Kyo, I'm completely and utterly shocked." Hatsuharu strolled up as Momiji set Tohru on the ground and gave them all a nod. "Hey guys, glad you were able to stop by. I was worried you'd be having a rough day after last night, Honda," he added with a glance her way.

If Momiji had rabbit ears, they would have been perked up. "What? You got in last night, and you already saw Haru? And Haru, you never said a word to me about it all day?" He huffed, crossing his arms and looking wounded. "I'm not sure who I'm more disappointed in; all of you hanging out, and no one thought to invite me?"

Kyo was looking daggers at Haru for the entirety of that comment, while Tohru was quick to try to soothe Momiji. "Oh, Momiji, I'm sorry! We weren't exactly hanging out, not really. I mean, yes, we were, but it wasn't a planned social gathering. Not really. Kyo just thought I'd like to see Shigure's old house at night again, since we had so many special memories there, and since Isuzu is living there he had to check with her if that was ok, and then Hatusharu was there because Isuzu was there, and so it was just...like that." She broke off, hoping she'd gotten point across and not making it sound too weird. But now that Momiji pointed it out, she did feel a little bad; even if it hadn't been planned that way, he'd still ended up left out.

While Tohru was busy explaining to Momiji, Kyo gave Haru's shoulder a punch not even remotely playful. "Thanks for pointing that out, moron," He murmured, hoping to keep Tohru or Momiji from hearing. "You're gonna make him curious."

"Ow." Haru rubbed his shoulder where he'd been hit and looked at the others. "Ok, point. Guess I didn't think that through all the way."

"No shit. Just try to be more careful, ok?"

"Fine. Dunno what there is left to be careful of, though, since you're gonna be telling everyone anyway."

"Haru..." Kyo's voice had a hint of warning now, and the younger man shrugged.

"Fine. Being careful."

Tohru and Momiji missed pretty much all of that, Kyo noticed with relief as he looked away from Haru. He was pretty sure Tohru had missed it, anyway, and if Momiji had picked anything up he wasn't letting on. Instead, Momiji had dropped the wounded act and was giving Tohru another hug.

"Alright, Tohru, apology accepted. Besides, you're still planning to take time with just me tonight, ja? Ice cream daaaaaaaate!"

Tohru laughed, relieved that Momiji didn't seem too badly hurt. "That's right! And I can't wait, either! I miss our ice cream dates and getting time to just talk; New Year's was so busy we didn't have a chance, did we? But, Momiji," Tohru paused, suddenly conflicted, "Are you sure you want to take the time right now? I know tomorrow's your last day of school, and then Saturday is graduation, so you must have lots of demands on your time right now."

Momiji smiled and shrugged his shoulders "Ja und nein. I have things I could be doing, yes, but I'd rather spend the time with you. As long as you don't have something you had rather be doing, then I am fine."

"Well, it's a date, then!"

Haru, his hands in his pockets, glanced sideways at Kyo and raised an eyebrow. Kyo didn't react, and Haru let out a low whistle. "Damn, I never thought I'd see the day."

Kyo rolled his eyes. "Ok, I'll bite. What day?"

"Tohru's going on a date with another guy, and she accepted it right in front of you. And you're just standing there, all serene and calm. Uncanny."

"It's an ice cream date with Momiji, Haru, it's not exactly like he asked her to elope with him."

"Yeah, I know, but if someone asked my fia-" Hatsuharu didn't get to finish the second syllable before Kyo had him in a headlock and was giving him a noogie. That had been close, unbelievably close that time!

"Damnit, Haru, will you just think before you talk?!"

"Ow...that hurts, Kyo."

"What the hell, I thought you guys were supposed to be mature adults now. But you're still doing stuff like this? Guess maturity is harder to come by than I realized." Haru and Kyo both turned to see Hiro saunter into the courtyard, backpack on his shoulder. He almost succeeded at pulling off the nonchalant look, until you looked closer and realized he was breathing heavily from running all the way from his middle school.

Kyo let go of Haru, and Haru straightened up. "Hey, Hiro, I didn't know you were stopping by. What's the occasion?

"Them," Hiro said, gesturing to Kyo and Tohru. "I ran into Kyo this morning when we were both out running, and he said they'd be here today. So I thought I'd come by, too."

Tohru and Momiji had been chatting and missed the entire exchange between Haru and Kyo. But then Tohru glanced over, and saw Hiro standing there with them, and broke into a huge smile. When had he gotten there?

"Hiro, it's so good to see you! And so nice of you to come all this way to see us, I know it's a bit of a walk from your middle school." Tohru smiled at Hiro, taking him in at the same time. Kyo had certainly been right about his growth; he was taller than her already!

It was hard to believe this was the same little boy.

Hiro smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head, a gesture oddly similar to one of Kyo's. "Yeah, well, I figured it'd be easier for you guys if you could see a bunch of us at once, rather than having to chase everyone down separately. I know how much you always try to see the old..." Hiro paused, realizing there were still a fair amount of students passing by. "Us. You always like to see us."

No one needed Hiro to elaborate on what 'us' meant, and for a moment all five of them were introspectively silent. It had been more than a year now since the last of the Cursed had been freed, but all of them still felt the lingering effects of that possession, even Tohru.

Hiro was right, though; Tohru did like to catch up with as many former Zodiacs as she could, when she could. They were her friends, and her family, for her own sake as well as Kyo's.

After a moment, Tohru broke the silence. "That's right, I do! So it was really, really sweet of you to come here, Hiro, thank you!"

"Not to mention, it's a chance to spend a few extra minutes with Kisa," Momiji teased, his eyes dancing mischievously.

Naturally, Hiro flushed, and his hands clenched momentarily into fists. "Well, and so what if it is? She's my girlfriend, right?" He was crimson, but proud he'd managed to get the words out. It wasn't like it should be hard at this point, since he and Kisa had been dating more than a year, but emotions were tricky to navigate when you were fourteen.

Kyo could relate to Hiro a lot right now. He knew that feeling, the awkward defensiveness. Hiro had been a lot smarter than Kyo himself, though; if Kyo had been as brave as Hiro, how much sooner could he and Tohru have worked things out?

Not that he was complaining about the way things were working out for them now, Kyo thought as he looked over at Tohru. She looked so happy...

Haru looked around the courtyard. "Speaking of Kisa, where is she, anyway? Seems like she's running awfully late today. Did you know if she had anything going on, Hiro?"

"Nothing she said to me." Hiro was looking around now, too, and soon they were all checking around for the wayward Sohma.

"I've seen some other first years," Momiji said thoughtfully, "So I'm sure she must be coming along. Oh, I've got it!" He pounded his fist into his other palm with enough force to make them all jump. "I bet she's on cleaning duty today!"

"Ohhh, that's a good guess." Haru nodded his head, agreeing. "I didn't think to ask her about that when I saw her earlier today."

"Well, it's not like we're in any rush to go anywhere," Kyo commented as he leaned back against the wall. "So as long as we keep our eyes out for her, I'm sure we'll find her eventually. Or else she can always find us."

"Ja," Momiji said with a laugh. "It's not like we blend in that much, especially not with you here again, Kyo."

Since he'd been freed from the Curse, Kyo had become a lot less sensitive about his orange hair. He'd wondered, initially, if the color would fade, or change, as time passed, but so far it seemed to be going strong. He wasn't surprised, exactly, and he found he wasn't disappointed, either. At this point, his hair was as much a part of him as anything else; yes, it was a trifle annoying to have to explain that yes, it was his natural color, but now that he was out in the 'adult world' he'd found people were a lot less intrusive about that. It also helped that his boss was aware he had orange hair before he'd been hired, so he'd never had to have any awkward conversations about 'professionalism.'

But Momiji was right; you couldn't hide that well when your hair was the color of a pumpkin.

Just then, Hiro spotted her, coming out of the building. "Hey, there she is. KISA, OVER HERE!"

Kisa had smiled when she heard Hiro's voice, and swung around to see where he was. Then her gaze landed on the little group by the gate, and her whole face lit up. Her hands flew up to her mouth, and she let out an excited squeal, then raced across the courtyard. Tohru was already running for her, and the two of them met in the middle with a crash.

"TOHRU!"

"KISA!"

"YOU'RE HERE! OHMYGOSH, YOU'RE HERE!"

"I AM, ISN'T IT WONDERFUL?!" And the two of them were gone, lost in their own little lovey-dovey cuddle pile.

The four Sohma guys just watched. They were all pretty used to this by now; even before Tohru and Kyo had moved, Tohru and Kisa would be overwhelmed with affection when they got together. Now that Tohru was so far away and they rarely got to see each other, things got even more intense when they met up. It was so sweet it could make a guy's teeth ache.

"Does anyone else feel a little left out, or is it just me?" Haru wondered aloud, looking over at the two as they swayed back and forth, hugging.

"I know, right?" Momiji sighed and crossed his arms. "It really isn't fair, just how much Kisa gets from Tohru every time. I wish I could get a hug like that!"

Kyo honestly wouldn't put it past Tohru to try to give everyone that kind of hug if she thought she could get away with it, but he wasn't going to give anyone any ideas. Instead, he just chuckled and glanced at Hiro. "They haven't really changed, have they?"

"Nope." It had taken a long time for Hiro to come to terms with Kisa's love for Tohru, and now he was simply resigned; Kisa might love him, but whatever it was she had with Tohru was permanent so he might as well get used to it. And he had, for the most part; his face didn't even twitch any more. "And they probably never will, either."

After a few minutes of squealing and hugging and exclaiming, Tohru and Kisa had gotten enough out of their systems to rejoin the guys. Kisa gave Hiro a kiss on the cheek, blushing a little at being so bold in front of the others, and Hiro smiled as he took her hand. He could put up with sharing with Tohru, once in a while.

Kisa smiled shyly at Kyo. "Hello, Kyo. It's nice to see you, too!"

Kyo smiled back, well aware that even now Kisa was leery of him. He'd been doing his best to work on that, though. When he was younger, it had annoyed him how she'd been so afraid of him, unwilling to acknowledge that his own behavior was the cause. But time, Tohru, and increasing maturity were a wonderful combination, and he always made an effort around Kisa to be extra-nice. The effort seemed to be paying off, too, because she would finally look him in the eyes! "Hey, Kisa. Likewise, it's good to see you. So I guess you're almost done with your first year of high school already, huh."

It felt unnatural, how old all the 'little kids' were getting. Even if it had only been a year since Tohru and Kyo would have been standing here in school uniforms themselves!

Kisa nodded, proud to be able to carry on a conversation with Kyo. "That's right! And I've really enjoyed it. It's a lot of fun, being in high school, and being able to be in clubs, and being in a school with boys!" Hiro's grip on her hand tightened reflexively, and she looked at him with a giggle. "I'm sorry, Hiro, that's not what I meant. You know I don't care about them because they're boys, I just care about them because..." She paused, trying to figure out the best way to phrase it.

Momiji finished it for her. "You care because you don't have to care. Because you don't have to watch where you're walking, or where you're standing. You don't have to always be measuring distance in your mind, or looking at people and questioning whether they'll try to hug you, or even just accidentally bump into you. You can just move freely, among everyone, the same as the rest of them." He smiled around at the group; Haru and Hiro were both nodding, Kisa was smiling, and Kyo was looking thoughtfully up at the sky.

All of them knew exactly what Momiji meant; all of them shared that same sense of relief.

Tohru had been struck by the serious tone in Momiji's voice when he'd been explaining; serious, and sad at the same time. It was so sad it had made her want to hug him, to try and drive away those last little vestiges of sadness that clung to his heart. She didn't know why, exactly, but it seemed to her that out of everyone, Momiji had had the hardest time with the Curse breaking, even though he had never been particularly connected to Akito, or anything else that had been severed with the Curse. If anything, she'd always thought he was one affected more cruelly than the others, with his rejection by his mother. But he'd always seemed so sunny and positive in spite of that, right up until things changed.

That was one of the reasons she was excited to have the time with him tonight; she and Momiji had always been such dear friends, and she hated this feeling that he was suffering. Especially if he was suffering alone and unheard. She wanted to be there for him, to be the shoulder he'd always been for her. If only he'd let her.

After a moment's pause, Kisa smiled gratefully at Momiji "Yes, that's it exactly. All of it. It's just been...a lot." Kisa sighed, then turned back to Kyo. "So yes...it's been a really good year!"

"Well, glad to hear it," Kyo said, looking back down at her with a smile. "I'm glad, that you're liking high school, and getting to have the kind of experience that actually makes you happy."

"Ja, that's right! High school is meant to be a time to have fun, and make lots of good memories. So it's good for you to be able to do that without worry, Kisa!" Momiji seemed back to his energetic self again, but Tohru wasn't totally convinced. Reaching out, she took one of his hands in hers and gave it a squeeze. He glanced back at her, smiling, and returned the squeeze, but then paused.

"Tohru, what is this?" Momiji lifted her hand and opened his, revealing the ring that sparkled like a flame on her finger. And for a moment, Tohru didn't know what to say as the whole group looked, curious what Momiji was talking about.

Kisa was the first one to process what she was seeing, and her hands flew back up to her mouth. "Eeeeeeeeeeeee! Tohru! Is that...is that...are you...are you two..." She was so excited, she couldn't even get the words out.

"Engaged." Momiji to the rescue once again, his voice soft. "You two are engaged, aren't you?" He was just staring at the ring, taking it all in, and Tohru was surprised and confused to hear that same serious sad note. But just for a moment, then it was gone. "You are, aren't you?" He repeated himself, his voice more enthusiastic and excited. "Tohru, Kyo, one of you had better say something, or else we're all going to think you're holding back on us."

Kyo hadn't been confused, not for a moment. And he was kicking himself as he realized that no, Momiji was not over Tohru. Not fully, not completely. Kyo should have figured out a way to break the news to Momiji alone, or for Tohru to break the news to him alone, or something. Not like this, not in front of everyone. Even if no one else knew what Momiji felt, which Kyo genuinely couldn't tell. It didn't matter; he could tell, and that knowledge was a cloud on what should have been an otherwise happy moment. In spite of everything, he didn't want anyone to be hurt because of him.

Tohru was beaming now, and holding the ring out for Kisa and Hiro to see. Hiro was polite, but couldn't see what the big deal was about actually looking at the ring. Kisa, meanwhile, was ecstatic, both about the ring and the engagement in general. She was excitedly pressing Tohru for details, which Tohru was happy to tell.

Kyo accepted the congratulations everyone offered, but he was distracted, watching Momiji. The other man was listening and making comments in response to Tohru's story, but he was...definitely not all there.

"You see it, too?" Haru's voice was soft at Kyo's ear. "He's trying, but it's gotta be hard right now."

Kyo glanced over at Haru, surprised. "You know, too?"

"Yeah. It's pretty hard not to. I think everyone probably knows, other than Honda herself. Not that we'd tell him that."

"Damnit."

"Yeah."

Momiji was aware that Kyo was watching him, but he couldn't bring himself to meet the other man's eyes. He knew Kyo felt sympathy for him, and that was fine. Kyo could afford to be sympathetic, he had everything he wanted. And Momiji was happy for him, that after so long Kyo could be happy. And he was happy for Tohru, that she could be so happy, too. He only had to look at her face, to hear her voice, to know that this is all she had ever wanted. All she'd ever dreamed of.

He was happy for both of them.

But he couldn't show it properly, not right now.

"Well, I have a few things I need to get done this afternoon, so I'd better be running along. But I look forward to our ice cream date tonight, Tohru; shall I pick you up at the dojo? After supper, maybe around 6:30?"

Tohru smiled at him. "That sounds great, Momiji! I'll be waiting for you after supper."

"Alright. Good-bye, everyone, I'll see you later!"

Momiji was smiling as he walked away. There was absolutely no way he was going to let her see him cry.