Eighteen months. That was the figure in the back of Tohru's mind, that snowy March day as she and Kyo walked into Mr. Abe's office at the building company headquarters. That was how long it had been, since they first learned of Tohru's inheritance, since they'd first started discussing home buying. Since they'd first talked about moving. Since they'd first started dreaming. Eighteen months of discussion, of searching, of reviewing, of researching. Of waiting. Of second-guessing. Of trying to be patient and failing. Eighteen months to find a new home, from start...to finish.

It was almost hard to breath, Tohru thought as Kyo pulled out her chair and helped her sit, then settled himself down in the chair beside her. As though her lungs had forgotten how to work, or were simply incapable of working because she was much, much too excited.

Somehow, Kyo looked almost normal. It was unfair, really, just how normal he looked right now; not shaking, not trembling. Obviously breathing. Yes, he was grinning from ear to ear, and yes, his voice was definitely enthusiastic as he returned Mr. Abe's greeting, but at least he had a voice; Tohru herself couldn't even manage as much as a squeak right now.

Not yet, anyway.

And she doubted that was going to change any time soon, as Mr. Abe opened the folder lying on the desk in front of him and Tohru and Kyo looked at the documents inside: pictures from the walkthrough they'd gone on with Mr. Abe earlier than morning, their own notes and plans. Their contract. The schedule. Pretty much every piece of documentation from the entire project, all neatly contained in this one nondescript folder.

With two new items: a receipt, and a deed of sale.

Mr. Abe looked from Tohru to Kyo with a bright, beaming smile. "Well...I think this is it, you two. Based on everything we went over this morning, I do believe we're done here. Unless anything has changed?"

They both knew that the question was a formality, but as Tohru and Kyo's eyes met she felt the wildest desire to laugh. Eighteen months...they had made it eighteen months, there was no way she was going to back out now. Especially not now, especially not when they had walked their own halls and looked out of their own windows. When the construction vehicles were all gone, when the workers had left.

When she could see, lying on the desk in front of them, their keys.

But she couldn't say that, not any of it. So she looked back at Kyo, telling him wordlessly to say what she couldn't.

And nothing could have made him happier than doing so.

"No, Mr. Abe...we're good. Really, really good," Kyo said, his eyes flicking from Mr. Abe to Tohru and back with a grin. "Everything looked great, the walkthrough was perfect...pretty sure all we've got left to do is this," he said, trying to look nonchalant and failing as he laid a fat envelope on the desk in front of them. And Mr. Abe beamed, nodding as he looked from Kyo to the envelope.

"I think you're right, Mr. Sohma. Let me just grab Ms. Ikeda and Mr. Yoshida to witness this, then we'll count it and make sure all is in good order."

Mr. Abe pressed a button on his phone and spoke into an intercom; shortly thereafter, two people walked into the room and stood beside the desk with them. Then all five of them watched as Kyo opened the envelope and began to deliberately count out the money.

Tohru felt like she was holding her breath the entire time. It was hard to believe just how much money they were spending, how much money they'd just been carrying around. She was glad Kyo was handling this part; even if she'd had confidence in her counting abilities, she didn't trust herself to stay steady enough to count it in front of people. But Kyo, as always, was marvelous.

After Kyo had counted it out, Mr. Abe did the same. Both of them came up with the same figure, and when Mr. Abe was finished, they were all smiling. Returning the money to the envelope, Mr. Abe set it to the side, then quickly filled out the receipt and passed it over to Tohru and Kyo to review. They both leaned over and read it, making note of every detail; the amount, the date. Time. Project address.

Finding it correct, they smiled at each other once again, then Kyo quickly signed his name, followed by Tohru. Then they passed it back, and Mr. Abe signed it as well before tucking it into the folder with their other documents. And then...

"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Sohma. This deed officially recognizes your ownership of the house and the completion of our business with each other. Here are your keys," Mr. Abe said, smiling as he handed them to Kyo. "If you do discover any issues in the next thirty days, please let us know, but otherwise..."

Tohru finally found her voice, though it was a little broken and quavery. "Thank you so, so much, Mr. Abe, you and your team and everyone! It's been so wonderful working with you, and we're just-" She broke off, looking over at Kyo and beaming.

Kyo grinned back, then nodded at Mr. Abe. "Thanks, Mr. Abe. Tohru's right, we're both really grateful. You've all been great, and we appreciate it all. Really."

They all stood up, bowing to one another, and Mr. Abe smiled. "It's been a pleasure working with you both, and I wish you and your growing family all the best in your new home."

They barely made it out of the building before they were hugging each other, both of them giddy with excitement. Tohru was laughing and crying both, she was so happy, and even Kyo's iron nerves from Mr. Abe's office were gone, replaced by almost trembling excitement.

The drive back into Hibe felt like it took an eternity, but once they turned off the highway and into Hibe proper Tohru reached out to take Kyo's hand, interlacing her fingers with his as they drove down past the bus depot, crossing Main Street and continuing further south for, they both now knew, exactly two-fifths of a mile before turning into a driveway.

Their driveway.

And pulling up in front of a house.

Their house.

Their house, that they owned. That they'd helped design. That they'd had built. That they'd paid for. That finally, after eighteen long months...was theirs.

Their new home.

Tohru took a breath to calm herself as Kyo got out of the car and walked around to help her out. And she knew her hands were shaking yet again as she reached out to take his, a fact made all the more obvious by how rock-steady Kyo's were. But even if his hands were steady, she could see the moisture in his eyes; he might be calmer than her, but she wasn't alone in feeling.

Kyo helped Tohru to her feet, then they both beamed at each other before turning to look at the house, Kyo's arm wrapping around Tohru's shoulders and hers snaking around his waist as they stood side by side. Even though they'd already been here once today, even though they'd seen it all before...this time it was different. This time...it was theirs.

"We did it, Tohru," Kyo said, his voice soft as he leaned his head against hers. "We've got our house."

It took everything Tohru had not to burst into tears right then. "We do! Our house, for our family," she said, her own voice nearly as quiet at his.

They were both quiet for a minute as they stood looking at the house, then Kyo let out a breath before grinning at her. "Well...should we go in and look around?"

As if he ever needed to ask. But she answered anyway, her own smile bright. "Of course!"

Hand in hand, they hurried up the wide concrete pathway from the driveway to the house, stopping in front of the golden oak front door. After much discussion, they'd decided to go with traditional colors on the exterior; the house itself was a light tan color, with golden brown wooden doors and windows and darker wood accents. But coloration was the only thing traditional; a single glance at the outside was enough to hint that Tohru and Kyo's tastes, when given free reign and a few nudges, were surprisingly modern.

Tohru stood at Kyo's side as he unlocked the front door, then started to step forward when it swung open. But he stopped her, and she giggled in response to the grin he gave her as she did so. On the one hand, she knew she shouldn't be surprised anymore...

She was still giggling as Kyo scooped her up into a bridal carry, not in the least bit hampered by her extra pregnancy bulk, and carried her into the house. And once inside, he continued to hold her as he beamed at her.

"Welcome home, Tohru."

She'd stopped giggling and smiled up at him, her eyes shining. "Welcome home, Kyo." Then she took his face in her hands, leaning up as he leaned down into a kiss that left them both tingling. And she kept her hands on his face even after they broke the kiss, holding him close as they both looked at each other with shining eyes.

Eight years, it had been. In just a couple more weeks, it would be eight years since they'd graduated high school, eight years since they'd boarded the train together to leave everything they'd known behind. Eight years since they first set foot in Hibe, nervous and unsure of what to expect but confident they could handle anything, as long as they had each other. Eight years since they'd stood together in front of their little rental house, the first place ever to be truly theirs.

Eight years since he'd picked her up just like this, and carried her inside to see their new home.

So much had changed, in eight years, and yet nothing had changed at the same time. Nothing had changed where it mattered, except to strengthen, and to improve. Being here, in the home they'd dreamed up and made and bought together, was wonderful, but Tohru doubted she could ever feel any more excited than she had that very first day, spinning around in Kyo's arms in the entryway of their rental.

Nor could she imagine ever being more in love. Then, or now, or far into the future, there would never be a time when her heart didn't beat faster at the sight of him, when she couldn't find comfort in his arms. When she didn't look at him and marvel that he had chosen her...and he always would. Together, no matter where they were, would be home.

Always, and forever.

When they had initially started planning their house, neither Kyo nor Tohru had had a huge number of ideas as far as the layout or shape were concerned. They knew what rooms they wanted, and they had ideas about size and general location, but thinks like style or aesthetic were initially not even considered. Then once they started talking to the architect and realized they need to actually make decisions about those things, they'd approached the topic thinking they'd be going with something similar to what they'd always lived in: something traditional. Whether it was the Sohma Dojo, Shigure's old house, or even their little rental here in Hibe, they had always had tatami floors, always had paper doors, always had beams and alcoves...that was all normal.

Of course they'd want that all, still.

But as they got down to the nitty-gritty of design and started to talk with the architect about what they actually liked, they realized that 'traditional' wasn't necessarily the best fit for them. And while it had felt weird and a little intimidating to go with something so new...they were both excited, as well.

Tohru and Kyo were standing in the front entry of their house, which, for the first time ever, was not closed off. Instead, they could take off their shoes and step right up onto the floor of the main living space, which was a light-colored hardwood. Kyo had been unsure about the lack of closed-off entryway, worried it might be a little cold in the winter time especially, but Tohru had loved the idea when the architect had suggested it. Now, instead of being closed off...you'd step inside the house and immediately be able to look around, see, and be seen.

As to Kyo's worries about the temperature, Tohru had had two words for him: floor heating.

From their vantage point by the front door, they could see the entire common living area with its off-white walls. Just in front and to the right of where they were standing was an open area where, soon, they'd be putting a dining table with chairs. Both of them had debated that idea; after years spent primarily sitting at a low table, it felt very...Western to sit on chairs. But they had agreed that they were done with tatami (especially cleaning spilled food off of it), and it wasn't always the easiest for people to sit down and get up from the floor. Chairs would make everything easier, much easier.

Once they got used to them.

As they walked into the house, on their left just across from the dining area was the staircase, leading up to the second floor. And it made Tohru smile to see it, wide open and bright.

As soon as they passed the stairs and dining area, the house opened up to their right into the large living room. This had been the biggest departure from what they'd expected for their house; instead of going small and closed in, they'd gone for big and airy. The living room opened all the way up through the second floor, with large windows dominating the two exterior walls. If they turned to actually face into the living room, the wall opposite them was almost entirely window, while the wall to their right additionally had a sliding door which opened onto a patio area that also could be seen out the window in the dining area. And looking up, they could also see the second floor, including the door to their own room.

The large room was exciting, in the best possible way. Tohru knew that keeping the windows clean was going to be a process, but it would be worth it, to have so much light and such a feel of openness. After years of living in small places, they were both ready to embrace a little more space.

Turning so their backs were to the living room, they could see their new kitchen. And a thrill ran right through Tohru as she took it all it; the light wood finish of the cabinets, the muted shine of her new sink. Allllllll the counter space, and alllllll the storage. The large island, dividing the kitchen from the rest of the living area, where there would be room for her to work on one side, and room for people to sit on the other, once they got some stools.

And the whole thing was open. She could cook, and still talk to people in the living room, or dining room. Talk, and see, and be a part of everything.

A short hallway opened up off of the common area between the kitchen and living areas, with one door to the right, two doors to the left, and one door at the end of the hall. Through the door on the right was their new guest room; neither of them could wait until they actually had a chance to host a guest there. Behind the first door on the left was another, slightly smaller room; this was going to be 'Tohru's space,' where she could work on her own projects, like her sewing or crafting, propagate plants for her garden, or do anything else she wanted when she wanted to be by herself. At first she hadn't seen the point in having her own space; she loved her family, and always loved being around them. But eventually, she had admitted that there would maybe be benefits to having it, especially with two kids running around!

The second door on the left led to the downstairs bathroom, complete with a tub and shower space. But unlike at Shigure's house or their rental, this was not the only shower and tub; for the first time ever, they got to have a full bathroom on the floor they actually slept on!

It was funny, the things that could make a person excited.

Kyo was grinning as they approached the door at the end of the hallway, and Tohru was watching him with eager delight as he put his hand on the knob. She had her room, and he...had his.

The space was large, arguably larger than the living room, even if it didn't reach up to the second floor. But they had wanted that, for an exercise space. This would be Kyo's space, his place to work out and to practice. And eventually, if they were interested, it would also be for the kids.

Kyo had initially rejected Tohru's suggestion of incorporating an actual exercise room into their house. He'd managed ok without one since Hajime was born, and before that he'd made do with something tiny. They'd have a big yard now; he could always just go outside to practice. There was no reason to spend the money to make another big room, not when he could manage just fine with something little.

But Tohru had put her foot down. Hibe was in Aomori prefecture, which had seasons with a capital S. Winters were long, cold, and snowy; even if Kyo wanted to practice outside, there were times that it just wasn't feasible. Beyond that, it wasn't like he could easily bring his punching bag outside, or his weights, or his mats. They had the money, they could easily make the space work.

Ergo, he was going to have it.

And in the end, he'd agreed. But they'd both also agreed that the space would be for anyone, not just Kyo, and the size had been chosen with an eye to multiple people using it at once. Obviously it was too early to say whether Hajime or Baby #2 would be in any way athletic, but if they were, then Tohru and Kyo wanted to make sure they had room for them, too. And Tohru could already imagine Hajime playing with tumbling mats, mimicking Kyo's moves as he punched and kicked.

Kyo walked out into the middle of the exercise room, flexing his toes against the tatami. Here, in this one room, they'd gone with tatami; here, at least, it belonged.

Tohru stood by the door watching him, a fond smile on her face. He looked so happy as he looked around, no doubt envisioning what he planned to do to make the space ready. Personalized. His.

But he didn't linger too long, and was soon walking back to Tohru with a smile. "Ready to head upstairs?"

Tohru nodded, and they left the exercise room. Walking back down the hallway, they passed through the common area and climbed the stairs to the second floor, stepping out into a loft area that overlooked the living room. Neither of them was quite sure what they wanted with this space yet, but that was ok.

They had time.

One of the things that Kyo had always loved about Shigure's old house was the roof. And even now, with the Cat spirit long gone, he still loved high places; still loved looking down on things. When they'd started their house hunt all those months ago, he had wanted a place where he could be up. A roof would be ideal, but a large balcony would work, maybe even a house on a hill...just something where he could feel like he was climbing again. Their rental had a tiny balcony, and he'd made that work for a while, but even that had been lost to him for almost three years now.

When they'd started planning the house, Kyo had almost immediately told the architect he wanted a balcony, and possibly roof access. The architect had been a little confused by the second request, and Tohru had laughed as she explained "My husband really likes being high up."

Armed with that information, the architect had suggested taking that love of heights a step further; why not add some to the interior, as well? Make the living area vaulted, and incorporate interior balconies or lofts? Paired with the large windows, then even in the middle of winter Kyo could look outside and feel like he was high up.

They had both loved the idea, and once Kyo had made sure that Tohru was ok with it, they'd told the architect to go ahead. There had been a few tweaks to the design to make it a bit more child-and-baby safe, but the end result was everything Kyo could have hoped for. From the loft at the top of the stairs he could easily look out the large windows on the far side of the living room, and by following the little hall/balcony to the right he could stand with his back to a set of double doors and look through the windows over the patio. There was even a little built in seating area at the end of the balcony, where he or they could sit and relax and admire the view.

Tohru had followed Kyo and she nestled against his side while he looked down over the living room, his grin a mile wide. And it stayed wide as he looked at her, his arm around her shoulders and holding her close.

"So...do you want to check out our room," she asked him, glancing behind them at the double doors. But he shook his head, giving her one more squeeze before letting go.

"Let's do that last. I wanna finish on a high note," he said, giving her an affectionate look.

"Higher than this?" She asked with a smile, looking from the living area below them to the view through the windows of the patio and the yard beyond.

Kyo nodded. "If you think any part of this is higher than the place I get to be alone with you, Tohru, then you're nuts," he said, kissing her temple affectionately. And Tohru couldn't argue with that as they walked back down the balcony to the hallway that led off it.

This hallway had five doors; three on the left, one on the back right, and one at the very end.

The first and last doors on the left led to bedrooms; like the rest of the house, they had pale wood floors and off-white walls. The last one would be Hajime's, and the other, a little later on, would be for Baby #2. In between them was a bathroom, again with a shower and tub.

The door on the right opened into what had strangely been the most controversial room out of any in the entire house: an additional bedroom. Kyo had initially seen no point in it; even Tohru wasn't completely sure if she actually wanted a third child, and Kyo himself was fully prepared to stop at two. And even if they did have another kid, they could use the guest room, or two of the kids could share.

But Tohru had wanted it, arguing that it would be nice to have even if they didn't end up needing it for a bedroom. It would be nice to have a place for the kids to play, where they could have their toys without them taking over the entire living room.

Kyo had eventually accepted that logic. One of the things both of them were excited about was the reclamation of some actual adult space; with Hajime's room in their rental being so tiny, pretty much all of his toys occupied their little living room. It would be nice, to walk around without always feeling like they were going to trip!

They were both grinning as they opened the door at the end of the hall, walking out onto the large balcony that looked out over the back of the yard. Tohru ran her hand along the white frame of her new clotheslines, and let out a small, happy sigh; how nice would it be, to stand out here and hang up laundry, looking out at their trees and gardens instead of a fence?

Back into the house, and back down the hallway to the balcony and the final room; theirs. Opening the double doors, they stepped into the large bright room, sunlight pouring in through the window and the wood-framed door to their right. Tohru and Kyo both smiled at that door, but it could wait.

On the wall opposite the double doors were two doors. One opened into a large walk-in closet, and the other...

Tohru let out a happy sigh as they walked into their own private bathroom. It had seemed like a ridiculous indulgence, and maybe it was. It was definitely unnecessary, when they already had two other full bathrooms on the house. But ever since the architect had first floated the idea, she'd been in love with it; being able to bathe or shower, to use the toilet, or even just to brush her teeth in the morning without having to walk through the entire house sounded amazing!

With Kyo's encouragement and agreement, they'd gone for it. And Tohru smiled as she looked around at the clean white tile, the his and her sinks. The washing machine. The large glass-walled shower, and her bathtub...

She was looking forward to getting acquainted with that bathtub.

Kyo was grinning at her, and he came up behind her to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're getting turned on by a bathroom, Tohru."

Tohru giggled, leaning back against him and holding onto his arms. "I'm just...really happy, Kyo. Just think of it, no more having to cross the entire house between showering and bed! No more having to carry clothes all the way downstairs!"

"Or worry about forgetting them," Kyo said with a slight grimace before his grin turned mischievous. "Unless it's on purpose, now."

She was giggling again, and those giggles amped up as Kyo nuzzled at her, leaving no question just what might inspire either of them to 'forget' their clothes. And she wasn't upset by any part of that. Both of them were more than ready to have some privacy; right now, the only way to Hajime's room was through their own room, and it had been months since he'd mastered opening the connecting door. Even if he'd mostly gotten bored with wandering into their room all the time, he was still right there.

But soon, Hajime would have his own room, around the corner and down the hall. And they'd have theirs, for them, alone.

And it wasn't just the bedroom and the bathroom, either.

Tohru rubbed her cheek against Kyo's head as he cuddled her. "Are you ready to check out the balcony?"

It was a testament to how much Kyo loved holding Tohru that he had to consider that for even a moment. He loved a lot of things about this house, and he was excited about a lot of things about this house. But this...was definitely near the top of the list.

So after that moment of consideration, he finally let go of her and grinned. "Hell yeah!"

They walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, Kyo promptly crossing to the latticed glass door on the outside wall. Then they both stepped out onto their second balcony, this one much smaller than the one with the clothesline but more than big enough for the two of them to enjoy, either on their own or with a little bit of patio furniture.

Kyo walked up to the railing and rested his hands on it, looking around with a giant grin. After all this time, he finally had his outdoor space, some private outdoor space, outdoor space that looked north to the town. At night, he could stand here and see the lights, just like he'd used to look out at the lights of Tokyo so long ago.

Or...

He looked back at Tohru, that same grin still in place. "Is it ok if I check it out?"

Tohru was still standing in the door to their room, but she smiled as she crossed the balcony to stand beside the railing. "As long as you make sure not to fall."

At the very idea of him falling off of anything Kyo snorted, but he could understand her concern. Reaching up to the edge of the roof, Kyo unlocked a metal box affixed just under the eave and opened it, allowing the neatly folded contents to tumble out to the balcony, unrolling as it went into an unmistakable ladder. Kyo straightened it out, then neatly hooked the top into two latches on the edge of the roof and the bottom into two small latches on the floor.

It was a trifle complicated, and it had been a somewhat extravagant expense. But Tohru had been adamant; they weren't going to leave a permanent ladder lying around anywhere, not when Hajime was fast taking after Kyo in his love of climbing. If Kyo wanted roof access he could have it, but it had to be restricted.

And Kyo was ok with that. Testing out the ladder, he beamed at Tohru, then quickly climbed up and over the edge of the roof and disappeared from view.

She somewhat wished she could go with him. How many hundreds of times, by the time they left Tokyo, had the two of them sat together on Shigure's roof? Since the earliest days they'd known each other, when all she knew was that she wanted to be his friend. Past those early awkward days to the days when they'd sit together and talk, about things serious and not. When he'd come up after her, and encourage her to tell him what was bothering him.

'If you ever do fall in love with someone...I'll be rooting for you.'

He had loved her then, and known it. She...hadn't. Hadn't known, anyway. But hearing him say that...hearing him say he'd support her love of someone else...it had hurt her heart in a way she hadn't thought possible.

So many memories, together on a roof. And maybe there would be more for them, here. Some day.

But there was no way that either of them was ok with Tohru touching a ladder or being on a roof when she was pregnant, especially not this pregnant, so she simply stood on the balcony, looking around at the yard and waiting for him to come down.

She didn't have to wait long.

As Kyo dropped back down onto the balcony, she gave him a smile. "Does it still pass muster?"

Considering the size of his smile, she doubted she actually needed to ask, but it was nice to get the confirmation of his nod. "Yep, still looks great! I wish we coulda actually gone ahead with the flat roof option, but this is a gentle enough slope that even you should be comfortable walking on it...eventually," he stressed, pulling Tohru close and resting his hands on her bump with a smile.

Tohru smiled herself, looking down and patting his hands. "Believe me, I'm not going to be rushing to climb anything for a while, especially not a ladder. You'll just have to break it in for me," she said, "and I'll just make do with everything else!"

They both looked around as she spoke, taking in the view from their little balcony. Of the house, and the yard. Of the road, and Hibe.

It had taken eighteen months...but they were home.