Chapter Six: Prepare for Separation

I sighed for the umpteenth time as I trudged through the gates to Hikarizaka High. I could nearly feel my skin tingling at the anticipated lack of contact that Rie and I would have to go through.

I absently checked in at the main office before making my usual trek to the Chorus Club room. I'd barely made it through the door before Rie latched onto my arm. "H-Hello, darling."

"Hello, love." I knew what she was doing; she was pouring out as much love and affection that she could before our self-imposed 'drought'. "Are you ready for this?"

"N-No," she replied, her voice already trembling. "But we made a promise, and I'm not going to back out."

"Me neither," I said, then cleared my throat of some tightness that had just formed.

Nobody had any new tunes to introduce, so we listened as the groups and soloists rotated through their existing songs while Rie and I gave critiques and suggestions. I noticed, however, that I felt…numb throughout the whole thing, as though my body was going through the motions but someone else was in control.

"Tomoya, are you okay?" she asked as one group handed off the microphones to the next.

I sighed heavily as I gave her hand a squeeze. "I will be, after the perpetrator is found."

"Yeah."

The next group was busy calibrating the mikes when a call came over the PA system: "Okazaki Tomoya, please report to the main office; you have a guest waiting. Okazaki Tomoya, please report to the main office; a guest is waiting. Thank you."

My brow furrowed as I tried to think of who it could be; I hadn't invited anyone to the school, after all.

"Did you ask someone to come here?" my girl asked, simultaneously echoing and interrupting my musings.

"Not that I can think of," I replied. "Only one way to find out who it is, though." I reluctantly released her and headed for the door. "I'll be right back; this shouldn't take long."

"Hurry back," she said with a smile and a finger-wave, which I giddily returned; what an angel she was.

I floated back to the main office and entered to find… "Hashimoto-san?"

"Ah, Okazaki-san!" the representative from GGI greeted with a bow. "It's good to see you again!"

I quickly slapped together my best professional demeanor as I bowed. "It's a pleasure to see you again as well, sir." As I straightened I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Himura appeared to be watching me with a surprised expression. "What brings you here today?"

I noticed a slight falter to his smile before he spoke again; I wouldn't have noticed had I not been looking for it, or something like it. "I do apologize for surprising you like this, but I wanted to see where you work."

"Where I work?" I had a feeling that there were other reasons as well, but since he seemed to be using discretion then I would as well. "Well… Is he cleared for entry, Himura?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Of course," she replied, and something about the look in her eye told me that she'd be asking about my purple-and-silver-haired acquaintance later.

"Then if you would follow me, please," I said to my unexpected guest. I led him out of the office and along my usual route, eventually stopping in front of the Chorus Club room door; I could still hear singing from inside. "Let's wait until the current song is finished."

"Certainly," he replied. A moment later he chuckled, drawing my attention. "I…don't know how this is going to sound, but I'm grateful that you agreed to my proposition before your Angels went public; it'd be difficult to get the general public to believe that the two of you suddenly broke up after being established."

I took a moment to mull over his words. "I think I understand." I then noticed that the song had ended so I reached out for the door and-

"Actually, one moment please," he said with a raised hand. "Before I see the rest of your club, I'd like to meet with you and your Angels. Would we have enough time for that?"

A quick glance at my watch told me that we could do it, with considerations. "We can, but I'd need you to keep in mind that club officially ends in about forty-five minutes."

"Oh, it wouldn't take long," he chuckled. "So, may I?"

I briefly studied his expression before replying. "Certainly; just give me a minute, please." He inclined his head in assent so I entered the club room and quickly found Rie. "Could you get the other Angels and meet me in the hallway? I'm not sure why, but Hashimoto-san's here."

"He is? Hashimoto-san?" she said with a blink of surprise. "Um, sure; I'll go get them."

"I'll wait out in the hall with him," I told her and, matching actions to words, headed back into the hall. "They should be out shortly," I informed my smiling guest.

"Wonderful."

A couple of minutes later the girls emerged from the club room. "What is it, Chief?" Reiko asked the moment she saw me; she must have noticed Hashimoto a moment later because she stopped with a blink. "Oh. Hey."

"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted with a bow. "I hope you'll forgive the intrusion, but I really wanted to speak with you and your manager."

Five pairs of eyes looked to me, causing me to feel a little self-conscious. "Shall we go to the library?"

Like the day prior, the girls talked amongst themselves as we made our way down the hall. "Okazaki-san…" Hashimoto said loudly enough for only me to hear as we walked side-by-side. "I'm not sure how to ask this, but…" He glanced over his shoulder. "Do I make them nervous?"

"I don't think so," I replied, glancing over my shoulder as well. "They might still be in a little bit of awe due to your position. Like me, they weren't expecting you today; they're probably anxious about what you're here for."

"In light of your likely conversation yesterday, that would make sense," he noted, and I could hear compassion in his tone. "I'll keep any further thoughts on the matter to myself, then."

I didn't see a need to reply, so I simply nodded as we arrived at the doors to the library. Like the day prior, we claimed a table and took our seats.

Hashimoto, however, opted to stand. "First, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to meet with me," he said with an incline of his head. Then, he surprised us all with a deep bow. "On behalf of 'Go! Go! Idols!' I thank you all for assisting us in this delicate matter. That you are all willing to abstain from intimate relationships – however temporarily – for our sake is not lost on us and will not be forgotten."

We all blinked at each other before Rie quickly rose to bow as well. "I think I can speak for the others when I say that we're glad to help."

"Again, thank you," he said as he rose from his bow and looked at Rie and me specifically. "I understand that the next few weeks will be particularly difficult for the two of you, and I promise that we will work as quickly as we can to find the perpetrator. We have already contacted law enforcement, and they have been supplied with your modified contract, as well as those from prior victims."

"Gotta question, H-Man," Reiko said with her hand raised.

"Of course," Hashimoto replied with a smile tinged with amusement. "What is it?"

She waved a hand at us. "Will the chief and the boss be getting anything special for keeping their hands off each other while you're doing your Detective Conan thingy?"

"R-Reiko!" my girl squeaked as she covered her rapidly-reddening face with her hands.

Any further reactions were drowned out by Hashimoto's laughter. "A fair question!" He quickly regained his composure before continuing. "Truth be told, I have talked with my supervisors about some form of…special compensation for your cooperation, but to specifically answer your question: yes."

"Cool." My baritone gave an approving nod. "I'm good, then."

"I had not thought of fielding any questions until Miss…Hattori, was it?" A thumbs-up from her allowed him to continue. "Right, until Miss Hattori asked, but if any of you have any questions of your own then please feel free to ask."

No one had any further questions, so we headed back down the hall to the club room. I opened the door and gestured to Hashimoto to enter ahead of us. "No, no," he said with a shake of his head. "After you, please; this is your home, after all."

I blinked at his words. I'd never thought of it that way, but what he said made sense; like his fellow employees at 'Go! Go! Idols!' were his family, the Chorus Club was mine. Maybe I needed to spend more time getting to know each of them? "Thank you," I acknowledged politely before leading the way into the club room.

No one seemed to notice the slightly-graying middle-aged man in the room as they continued to work on their songs. A stray thought came to mind, and I leaned over to my guest as the Angels sang one of their tunes. "I didn't think of this until just now, but do Rie and I need to cut things off immediately?"

Hashimoto's mouth pursed for a moment before he replied. "You have a performance on Saturday, right?"

It took me a moment to recall my calendar for the month. "Yeah, in the evening. Wait, are you thinking that Friday should be our last day, then?"

"That's what I was thinking, yes," he confirmed. "I want you two to have as much time together before this starts, and your Angels will be officially visible on Saturday, so…" He shrugged with an apologetic expression.

"No, that makes sense," I replied with a lift of my hand, though I still felt a gnawing in the pit of my stomach as I looked back to my girl's group. "I appreciate it. Well, she and I will just have to make the most of the next few days, won't we?"

I didn't hear a reply from him, but I did feel a pressure on my shoulder, and I looked over again to see him with what appeared to be a sympathetic smile.

"Take it easy, Boss T!" Yukio said in farewell as he and the other Lords left the club room, leaving just me, Rie and the other Angels, and Hashimoto; I noticed that Kotomi was on Hanzo's arm as they left; when had she arrived? In any case, I exchanged a friendly wave with her while feeling that slight bout of jealously that I still experienced every so often in spite of my current relationship. I then turned to my guest. "Well, should I see you to the train station?"

"No, that's all right," he replied with a chuckle and a wave of his hand. "I'm sure you want to spend as much time with Nishina-san as possible; we can walk together until I have to split off to head to the station."

I nodded as I saw the merit in his plan. "I appreciate that; thank you."

"How long did it take you to get here?" Rie asked as I locked the door to the club room. "We're pretty far from Tokyo."

"True," he acknowledged. "It takes me about an hour total, but I live between here and GGI so it won't take as long to get home."

"Oh, good," Rie said with a bright smile as she took my arm. "I'd hate to think you'd miss out on your family because of us."

"You don't have to worry about that, dear," he chuckled as we started down the hallway toward the exit.

As we descended the stairs, we came across a pleasant surprise. "Hey Okazaki," a semi-familiar voice with silver hair called out.

"Hey, Sakagami," I greeted as we reached the landing upon which she stood.

"Heading home for the day?"

"Yes, we are," I replied while sharing smiles with those with me.

The student body president eyeballed the small crowd before speaking again. "So…I guess this would be a bad time to talk to you about your training, then."

"Training?" Rie piped up, and I felt a tug on my arm. "Tomoya? You never said anything about Sakagami-san and training."

I mentally smacked myself; with all the drama as of late, I'd forgotten about my conversation with the former fighter. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to catch both Rie and Sakagami with my apology. "We've had a bit of a situation come up, and my request to you slipped my mind."

"Th-That's okay," Sakagami replied with a light blush, and I figured my 'business-speak' was the reason why. "Stuff happens."

I looked over at the rest of the group. "Would you all mind if Rie and I talked with Sakagami-san here for just a minute? I talked with her about teaching me how to fight, so I'd like to briefly follow up on that, if you'll allow it."

"I have no problem with it," Hashimoto said, much to my surprise; the rest of the Angels wordlessly shook their heads, their wide-eyed gazes locked on their president.

I chuckled at the sight before indicating the top of the stairs from which we had come. "Why did you want me with you?" Rie asked as we ascended. "Isn't this between you and Sakagami-san?"

"It is," I acknowledged, "but since I will be talking with another woman, I thought it best if you were present."

"For what it's worth, I agree," Sakagami said, surprising me. I glanced over my shoulder to meet her slightly blushing gaze. "I'll explain when we get up there."

I nodded but said nothing as we reached the landing. "So…why don't you go ahead and tell us what you meant, and then we'll discuss my training."

Sakagami nodded once, but instead of addressing me she turned to my girlfriend. "Nishina, I need to apologize to you for something."

I felt Rie take a step back. "Wh-What could you possibly need to apologize to me for, senpai?"

"I'm not your senpai," the silver-haired girl chuckled. "We're in the same grade, remember?" Her expression grew serious right before she averted her gaze to the floor. "I want to apologize to you; without thinking, I asked your man on a date shortly after he had told me that the two of you were a thing."

"You what?" Rie squeaked while glancing anxiously up at me.

"Yeah, I was pretty stupid," the student body president admitted with an awkward chuckle; I noticed that she still couldn't meet our gaze. "See, your man's pretty hot 'cause of the way he talks, and I kinda lost my head. I'm really sorry about that."

Rie looked up at me again, and I could tell that she didn't know what to make of the situation. Not that I blamed her. "Do you want me to apologize, too?" I asked…just to err on the side of caution.

"No, No," she quickly replied with a giggle and a shake of her head; while I was starting to get used to the pleasant fragrance of her hair, it could still be somewhat intoxicating at times. "If I understand the situation correctly, then you didn't do anything wrong."

"No, it was all me," Sakagami said, finally lifting her eyes.

I smiled as Rie took a deep breath and met the other girl's gaze. "I forgive you, Sakagami-san, but I m-must insist that you c-control yourself around my boyfriend."

"Will do," she replied with a solemn expression while holding her hand up as though taking an oath. "I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Yeah…" Rie murmured, her eyes becoming unfocused. I knew exactly what she was thinking about because I was having to fight the same kind of thoughts; after Friday, we would not able to hold each other for a while. Perhaps a long while. She blinked out of her reverie. "Anyway, thank you for your consideration."

Sakagami nodded once before shifting her gaze to me. "Does this mean that we won't be able to train?"

"I-" I looked to Rie, who simply looked back. Then I smiled as an idea came to mind. "Sakagami-san: would you be interested in being a bodyguard for the Angels of Japan?"

Rie gave me a puzzled look. "Tomoya?"

"This would actually work out well," I said, trying to contain my enthusiasm as I looked to my girl. "I could focus on managing without worrying about your safety, and she could make some money on the occasional weekend."

"Hold on," Sakagami cut in. "You want me to…protect one of your groups? For money?"

"Just on the weekends," I reiterated. "And I'd have to talk with Hashimoto-san, of course; I certainly couldn't afford someone of your caliber. Not at present, at least."

She studied me with an expression that I couldn't quite discern. "I-I'd love to help if I could," she finally replied. "I'll need to meet him, of course."

"Of course," I echoed. "As far as my training…?" I pushed my lips to the side as I reconsidered my idea. "Let's put it on the back burner for now. Would that be okay?"

"Sure," Sakagami replied with a nod. "You've got stuff to sort out. Nishina, is it okay if I give your man my number? I mean, so we could talk about his training later? I could give it to you, too, if that would make you feel better."

"That…should be fine," my girl replied, and I noticed that she squeezed my arm ever so slightly. "And I can give you mine. That is, if you'd like."

"Sounds cool," our new friend agreed with another nod, so I retrieved a notepad from one of my jacket pockets and we exchanged contact information. "When's your first concert?"

"On Saturday," Rie said. "It starts at five-thirty PM."

"I'll give you a call to get more info," Sakagami replied while gesturing toward us with the paper I'd just given her. "In the meantime, we shouldn't keep your boss waiting."

I almost explained that Hashimoto wasn't my boss but my contact, but figured that it wasn't worth correcting her at that time; she was partly right, after all. We headed back down the stairs, where the others were busy chatting. "Hashimoto-san?"

He laughed at something that Reiko had said before directing his attention to me. "Are you ready to go?"

"We are," I replied with a nod, then gestured to the silver-haired girl with us. "But I was hoping to introduce you to Sakagami-san here. If your company would be willing, I have every good reason to believe that she would be excellent security for the Angels."

"Indeed?" He cradled his chin with a thumb and forefinger before snapping his fingers. "Ah, aren't you the one I read about in the news about a year ago? You had to clear some delinquents from your school grounds, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, sir," she growled, then sighed with an expression of regret. "Sorry, but I'm not exactly proud of it."

"I believe I understand," he replied with what sounded like a tone of sympathy. "I am not fond of violence myself, but I've come to understand that it is sometimes necessary in order to protect the vulnerable among us." He fixed a knowing gaze on her. "Would you agree with my assessment, Sakagami-san?"

She blinked in surprise before a smile began to spread. "Yeah….Er, I mean…yes, sir."

He smiled affably. "Please, call me 'Hashimoto-san'." He shifted his gaze to me. "I'll talk with my higher-ups and see what they have to say; while we have contracted third parties in the past to protect our valuable artists, we usually have our own security take care of this." He looked back to the silver-haired girl. "But if what I have read about you is accurate, then I think that you alone would be enough. If…you're interested, of course," he quickly amended.

"Perhaps she could talk to her parents while you talk with whoever you need to talk to, and then we can go from there?" I suggested. "It'd streamline the process, unless there's something I'm missing here."

"No, that sounds perfect," Hashimoto replied. "So, Sakagami-san: would you be interested?"

It was interesting to watch my new friend's face cycle through a myriad of emotions; from what little I knew of her I figured that her desire to break free of her old self was conflicting with her desire to protect others. I felt too much compassion toward the girl to chuckle, though it was tempting.

Finally, she briefly studied me before responding. "I'd love to; just give me a couple of days to talk to my parents about it."

"Fair enough," Hashimoto agreed while exchanging a nod with me. He then reached into his jacket and pulled out a card. "Call me at that number once you've decided. It's too close for you to work this Saturday's show, but if we can sort this out soon enough we could have you suited up and guarding the Angels at their next performance the Saturday after."

"Sounds good," Sakagami replied as she studied the card. She then bowed to the GGI rep. "Thanks for the opportunity, Hashimoto-san; I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"I look forward to your call," he replied with a bow before heading back down the stairs.

I gave her a smile and a nod before heading down myself, only to jump in surprise as she grabbed my arm. "Hey, Okazaki."

"Yes?" I said, turning back to face her again.

Her gaze flicked downward before meeting my gaze again. "Thanks. For giving me this chance, I mean."

I smiled at her awkward expression. "I'm just glad I could help. I hope things work out for you; I think you'd be good for the girls. The other girls, I mean."

She smiled softly at me before seeming to catch herself. "Well, I'll talk to my parents and get back to your boss, then," she declared with a nod.

I held up a hand. "Just so you know: Hashimoto-san is not my boss. He's my contact with Go! Go! Idols!," I told her. "I'm what you would consider a contractor. I just thought I should let you know to avoid potential confusion in the future."

"S-Sure thing," she replied while gazing intently at me, and I realized that I might want to adjust my vocabulary around her. "Catch you later."

"Have a pleasant day, Sakagami-san," I said in farewell, then winced at my choice of words.

I was halfway down the stairs when I heard, "Call me 'Tomoyo', okay?"

I looked over my shoulder to see her watching me with a light blush, and I sighed thoughtfully. "Let's…keep it professional for the time being; even though you're a great person and all, we simply don't know each other well enough just yet."

"'Just yet'…" she repeated, her eyes briefly losing focus. Then she returned her gaze to me. "Okay, Okazaki; we'll do it your way."

I caught myself wondering about her choice of words as I finished descending the stairs, where everyone waited for me at the bottom.

"I heard about Sakagami-san when she gave her speech regarding the sakura that line the path to your school," Hashimoto explained to the rest of us, gesturing over his shoulder as we headed away from the school grounds. "I was curious, so I did a little research and eventually found out about her prior…vigilante activities."

"Vigilante?" Rie gasped. "I never know about that! And you didn't report her to the police?"

"This was long after the fact, and part of my information came from police records," he clarified. "None of her alleged victims filed any kind of report, leading me to believe that they weren't the type who would want the attention."

Based on her fight with the delinquents, I had a pretty good idea what he meant. "She was basically beating up criminals."

"Exactly," he chuckled as we approached an intersection. "Ah, here's where we part ways." He stopped and bowed to us. "Have a pleasant evening, all of you."

"To you as well," Rie replied as we returned his bow. "Please say 'hi' to your family for me."

The GGI rep smiled broadly before addressing me. "She's a keeper, Okazaki; we'll make sure you aren't apart for long." With that, he bowed once more before turning to head down the main road toward the train station.

"He's such a nice man," Rie sighed as we watched him depart. "I think we're lucky to be working with him."

"He's pretty badass," Reiko agreed, eliciting smiles from the rest of us. "Well, see you tomorrow, guys."

Everyone started to split up to head their own separate ways, but a glance from Rie had me stopping one Angel in particular. "Hey, Amane; may I speak with you for a minute?"

The girl in question headed back toward us as Rie and I walked up to her. "What's up, Nii-san?"

I glanced back to Rie's smiling face before speaking again. "I'd…like to visit your family if I could: I've not had a chance to get to know the rest of the Angels – or the members of Yukio's group, for that matter – and since you've just experienced a loss, I'd like to express my condolences in person to the rest of your family. Would that be all right?"

She bit her lip, and I could see tears starting to form, causing me to wonder if I'd made a mistake. "I'd love that," she replied huskily. "I'd just need to check with my mom and dad. I know you've talked with them over the phone before, but this would be...different."

"No, I completely understand," I said gently. "If possible, I'd love to visit on Monday, but take whatever time you need."

"I'll call you later," she replied while dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry, that took me by surprise."

"Don't worry about it," I told her reassuringly. "I'm sorry if I've rubbed a sore wound."

"You're fine," she said, reaching out to give my arm a squeeze. "Thanks for caring, Nii-san." She shifted her gaze to my girl. "See you tomorrow night?"

I knew about my girl's plan to visit her friend, so the question didn't surprise me. "Five-o-clock, on the nosey," she said with a giggle, making my heart flutter.

Farewells completed, Rie and I headed arm-in-arm toward her home. "Have you told your parents about our situation?" I asked, realizing that we hadn't discussed the matter with them.

"Not yet," she replied. "I thought we should tell them together at dinner tonight."

I nodded my approval as we passed through the gate in front of her house. "I hadn't thought of that, but that's a good idea."

She didn't reply, but I saw her blush lightly as she unlocked and opened the front door to her home. "Mom?" she called as we exchanged our footwear. "I'm home!" There was no answer, so she called out again as we headed into the living room. "Oh! She left a note!" she exclaimed as she picked up a small sheet of paper from the coffee table. "It looks like she went to the store and took Ritsu with her to help carry stuff. Well, shall I make us some tea?"

As she headed to the kitchen, I settled into a plush, high-backed chair and looked around. I'd been to the Nishina residence many times since Rie and I had started dating, but since her mom or her brother were usually there, I'd never had the chance to look…around…

My eyes widened as I realized that I was alone in the house…with my girlfriend. Had she thought of it as well? I sat back in the chair and crossed my arms as well as my legs; I knew it had to be due to my sudden bout of nerves but my elevated foot started to 'bounce', seemingly on its own.

A few minutes later my girl returned with two steaming mugs on a tray. "Here you go," she said as she placed one of the mugs on the table. "Why don't you move to the sofa; I'd like us to be a little closer together while we drink."

I pressed my lips together as I regarded the sofa, and my arms tightened around me; when would Mom Nishina be getting home? Without a word, I rose from the chair and made my way over to settle into the equally-plush couch. To distract myself from my self-awareness I picked up my mug and took a sip. "Aaah, that hits the spot," I grunted gratefully, and I could actually feel my prior anxiety dissipating under the effects of the steaming beverage.

She said nothing but giggled quietly before taking a sip from her own mug.

"So, are you and the others ready for Saturday?" I asked, trying to make conversation. "You nervous about your first performance at all?"

"Not really… Well, maybe a little," she admitted with a giggle; I wanted to float away on it, but it would have been rude to not hear the rest of her answer. "I can't speak for the others, but I think we've performed enough times that I'm getting used to it. It does seem like the others feel the same way, though."

"That's good," I replied before taking another sip of my tea.

"Tomoya?" I looked over to find her placing her mug back on the table. "Before my family gets home, could we…could we kiss?"

My prior anxiety returned, but she wasn't suggesting anything…well, suggestive, and frankly, I'd been wanting to kiss her pretty much from the moment I arrived on her school grounds, so… "I'd love to," I replied with a smile as I put my own mug down as well.

She darted her gaze downward as I scooted closer to her and took her hands in mine, and I enjoyed the way her hair smoothly slid down to obscure her face; I didn't like the fact that it obscured her perfect face, of course, but I liked seeing how silky smooth it was. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair so I did, causing her to twitch at the unexpected touch; she didn't pull away from it, though, as I repeatedly ran my fingers through her soft, inviting lengths. I then slid my hand under her chin and tilted it up just enough so I could lean down and touch her lips with mine.

I heard her draw in a deep breath as she pressed her lips further into mine, and I enjoyed the scent of her shampoo, and I felt one of her hands slide up my chest, eventually making its way over my shoulder and to the back of my head at the same time I felt her tongue press insistently against my lips, and I opened my mouth to allow us to briefly explore each others' mouths…

My eyes opened in surprise as she deepened the kiss even further, pushing me back slightly as she slid into my lap, releasing my hand to wrap both arms around my shoulders and draw me to her. "Tomoya…" she breathed in a husky voice that I'd never heard before, and we gazed into each others' eyes and I felt that same connection that I felt when our eyes had met at the picnic so long ago, and she darted forward, plunging her tongue into my mouth again.

I felt like I was floating, and it was simply natural for me to carefully lean toward her, gently but insistently pushing her on her back onto the couch as she pulled me along by my necktie, our mouths still locked together. Once there, though, I had to release her mouth to place gentle kisses on her cheeks, which I noticed were much warmer than usual. I didn't want her to get bored, so I made my way down to the hollow of her throat to kiss her there several times, eliciting several gasps from her before moving over to the side of her neck.

"Tomoya…" I heard her gasp as she slid a hand to my butt to give it a squeeze. "M-My love…n-now, please…"

I knew exactly what she wanted, and her hot, breathy moan in my ear as I pressed my hips into her confirmed it so I smoothed my hand down the side of her body, appreciating every curve, the swell of her hip, before bringing it up under her skirt to reach her-

"OH MY GOD!" I yelled as I threw myself off of her, landing on my butt on the floor; thankfully I landed on an area rug in front of the couch. "Oh my god…"

"Tomoya?" I looked up to find Rie propped up on her elbows and looking at me with half-lidded eyes and a flushed complexion. "What's wrong…oh, no…"

"I'm so sorry!" I cried as the full weight of what I was about to do crashed onto me. "I'm so sorry!"

"Tomoya!" she cried as she scooted off the couch herself to kneel before me. "It's okay! It's not your fault! I wanted it, too!"

She reached out to lay a hand on my face, but I wasn't sure that it wouldn't flip my proverbial switch again. "Wait! D-Don't touch me!" I scrambled to my feet and ran to the kitchen. Finding the sink, I stuck my head under the faucet and turned on the cold water full blast. "BLAAAUUUUUUGH!"

"Tomoya!" I heard Rie cry out yet again, and I opened my eyes long enough to see her at the kitchen entrance, her hands clasped together. "What are you doing?!"

"C-Cooling off…" I replied as evenly as I could as I shut off the water. "May I have a t-towel?"

She nodded once before hurrying to a drawer to pull out a towel, which she gave to me.

I threw the towel over the top of my head to start rubbing, then I noticed that she had a second one in her hand. "I think one will be plenty, thank you."

"It's not for me," she said, and I noticed that she was trembling. A moment later she turned and slammed the towel onto the counter next to the sink, gathered the lengths of her hair in one hand, stuck her head under the faucet and, just as I had done earlier, turned the cold water on. "BLUUUBBBB!"

"Rie!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "What are you doing?!"

She turned the faucet off and grabbed the towel as she straightened, and a moment later was drying her head as well. "I…n-needed to c-cool off, t-too," she admitted while shivering slightly.

"I'm really sorry about that," I said, finished my drying job. "I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"Me neither," she said, taking a step closer to look me in the eye. "We agreed that we wouldn't have sex until we're married, and we both almost broke that agreement. So I'm sorry, too."

I sighed as I studied her shivering form. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Not as much as you are," she countered. "I was ready to give in, but you're the one who stopped us. Thank you."

I averted my gaze, my typical awkwardness at receiving praise kicking in. "I hope…that I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Not at all…" she breathed. "You were amazing; that's why I was ready to give in."

I looked back to see her with an impish grin, and I chuckled along with her giggle. "I guess it makes sense that we would do this; it's like we're trying to make up for the all the time that we won't be able to touch each other "

"That's true," she agreed with an awkward smile.

I studied her for a moment, my thoughts turning to something more…serious. "Do you think that we could behave ourselves enough to hug?"

"I think so," she replied with another giggle. "But I can't promise that I won't squeeze your butt again."

I laughed aloud as I took the girl of my dreams into my arms, and we held each other tightly…at least until she pinched my butt.

"Ah, Tomoya!" Dad Nishina greeted as he entered the living room, having returned home from work.

"Welcome home, sir," I greeted in return as I scrambled to my feet from the chair in which I'd been sitting. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," he replied as he set about to switching his footwear.

I felt a twinge in my stomach. "Sir? I'd…like to talk with you before dinner, if that's possible."

He glanced up at me with a look of surprise. "Sounds serious, son; is everything okay?"

"…I don't know," I answered honestly.

He studied me a moment longer before returning his attention to his shoes. "Let me get settled in and talk with my kids and then we can chat in my study."

"Thank you, sir." I watched as he left the room, and a couple of minutes later I smiled as I heard his happy voice, along with those of his family. I'd really come to love the Nishina family; Mom and Dad were stern but fair, and Ritsu was probably the best little brother an older sibling could have, even if he did suffer from a bit of 'middle-schooler syndrome'. That they had all accepted me as Rie's beloved brought tears to my eyes every time I thought about it.

A few minutes later, Dad returned to the living room and gestured to a nearby hallway with a warm smile. "Come on, son; let's talk."

As I followed him down the short hallway I took the chance to dry my eyes with the back of my hand while swallowing a lump of anxiety. We entered the study and he grunted as he plopped down into his favorite chair. "Have a seat! Tell me what's on your mind."

I studied his smiling face before guilt drove me to my knees and my forehead to the thin carpeting of the room. "I need to apologize to you for something."

"Mmm…" I could feel his eyes on me, pushing my head further into the floor. "Based on your posture, may I assume that you're apologizing for the same thing my daughter apologized for just a few minutes ago?"

My chest tightened, and I looked up to see an understanding smile. "S-Sir?"

"She told me that the two of you nearly had sex on our living room couch," he said matter-of-factly, his smile still in place. "Is that true?"

I made sure to give my nose a proper mashing into the floor, but not enough to dirty his fine carpet. "I take all the blame for this, sir."

A soft chuckle. "Raise your head, son." Once I met his gaze again he shook his head ever so slightly. "No, son. No, you don't, because she won't let you." He reached over to pat the back of the chair next to him. "Have a seat."

I forced myself to my feet and made my way over to plop into the proffered seat. "I'm really sorry about that, Dad."

"Well," he started with a light chuckle, "Rie tells me that you were the one who stopped the two of you before you went too far, so I commend you for your self-control."

"Thank you," I managed to reply. "I just wish that I would have stopped us sooner."

"I appreciate that," he replied with a clap to my shoulder. "I forgive you, but only for your sake; both of you feel appropriately terrible about it, so I don't think I could punish you more than you've already punished yourselves."

I chuckled, finally feeling my spirits lift. "This may be moot at this point, but if Rie and I come here and no one's home, we'll go to a park or something."

"Sounds good." I felt another clap to my shoulder and looked over to Dad smiling fondly at me. "You're a good man, Tomoya; thank you for being in my daughter's life."

"You're welcome," I replied while trying to swallow another lump. "She's such an amazing, sweet girl who's easy to love."

"Mm." he withdrew his hand, and I became puzzled by the solemn expression that took away his smile. "You've been so good to her; much better than her mother and I have been. Or, used to be."

"Sir?"

He sighed heavily before rubbing his face vigorously with both hands. "I'm sure you know that she used to play the violin."

"Yeah, and then she was in some kind of accident that damaged the nerves in her right hand or something like that," I said.

He looked over at me with surprise. "You don't know the nature of the accident?"

I blinked, realizing that the subject had never really come up, other than when Amane had told me about it. "Uh, no; she never told me, and I guess I never thought it appropriate to ask."

He grunted in acknowledgment. "You know, Sachi and I really loved Rie." A blink. "I mean, we still do, but I'm referring to events from the past."

"I think I understand."

A grateful smile flickered across his face before he continued. "When we discovered her skill with the violin we were ecstatic; if she could cultivate her skill then her future was secured. Unfortunately, along the way we forgot about 'Rie' because we were so focused on 'the violinist'." He looked away with a scoff. "I wish I could get those years back; I swear my wife and I would have done right by her."

"For what it's worth; I believe that you wanted the best for her," I told him while thinking of my own history and some of the elements that I was grateful to have restored.

He sighed heavily. "I still remember what you did for my little girl at the Founder's Festival. In fact, I am still grateful to you for it. I'm also a bit ashamed of my thinking; Rie had been reduced to what she could do, rather than who she is." He sighed again. "I shudder to think how we'd be if you hadn't helped her and her friends the way you did," he admitted. "Would we still be treating her as a cast-off?"

"I don't think you're that kind of man," I asserted. "I think you would have caught yourself." I reached out to rest my hand on his shoulder for a change. "For what it's worth, I think you're a great man."

He looked at my hand on his shoulder before shifting his gaze to my face. "Thank you, son." He gave me a lopsided grin. "For what it's worth, I think you're a great man as well."

We chuckled at our mutual expressions of admiration before shifting into small talk, which lasted until Mom called us for dinner.

"Thank you again for dinner," I said with a bow as I stood on the Nishina's front porch. "Mom, your cooking was delicious as always."

"'As always'?" she echoed. "Well! I must be losing my touch!"

I shared a friendly laugh with them before Rie stepped up to take my arm. "Mom, Dad; I'm going to see Tomoya to the gate, if that's okay."

Mom gave us an adoring smile. "Just don't be too long, sweetie; he has a ways to walk, after all."

"I haven't forgotten." She then blushed lightly. "And I promise to behave myself."

My face nearly erupted at her words, but my vocal cords had paralyzed, preventing me from saying anything. Perhaps that was for the best.

"That's been dealt with, so there's no need to bring it up again," Dad said with a knowing look. He then gave me a wink. "Have a good evening, son."

"You too, Dad," I replied before allowing Rie to lead me to the gate bordering their property. "Are you okay? You seemed out-of-sorts during dinner."

"That's because I was out-of-sorts," she admitted with a giggle, eliciting a smile from me. "I think I'm still kinda fuzzy from our…extracurricular activities."

I couldn't help but laugh at her choice of words. "Do you think your biology teacher would give you extra credit if you wrote a report?"

Her mouth dropped open with a look of disbelief, though it was tinged with humor. "You're terrible!" she giggled with a light push to my chest; then, her expression turned impish. "But I could probably write a report on the durability of your gluteus maximus or something like that."

It was my jaw's turn to drop. "You're not serious, right?" She only giggled, which worried me further. "Rie? You're kidding, right?"

She simply giggled again before giving me a squeeze, which I gladly returned.