From Pauper to Prince

by DatHeetJoella

When Prince Nagisa hears that he is arranged to marry Prince Haruka of Iwatobi, he is more than a little upset. In order to take his mind off things, his tutor Rei decides to take him to the town near the palace, where they meet a poor boy with a heart of gold. Little did they know that this meeting would change their lives forever. -MakoHaru ReiGisa

6. Reunions, Reunions

A/N: I wanted to post this chapter on Makoto's birthday (November 17th) but unfortunately I was not able to get the proofreading done before then because again, this chapter is massive. So I'm a couple of days late, but let's all just pretend that I did make it on time; Happy (belated) birthday, Makoto!

Next to that, I must say that I'm not completely satisfied with certain scenes in this chapter, but unfortunately I didn't know how to alter them in a way that did make me satisfied and the scenes are vital in the flow of the story so I can't just cut them either. Despite me saying this, I hope you won't notice which scenes I'm talking about so that it's just something that I as the author worry about and not something that's glaringly obvious in the chapter itself. Although the best course of action would be that I didn't mention it at all, but I can't help but be a little defensive about it beforehand because I do notice it myself, I just don't necessarily know how to improve it.

Anyway, I don't think I have much else to say unless I'm forgetting something again (which ultimately always happens) but I hope you enjoy!

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It was well into the afternoon by the time they were riding over the cobblestone path that led to the town Makoto lived in. The way here had felt much shorter than the journey to Iwatobi had felt, even though he had spent the majority of both trips asleep. He concluded that that was most likely because of Haruka's presence; time just seemed to pass without his awareness when he was talking with Haruka and even when Haruka was just by his side.

He had intended to speak some more with Haruka during the evening and that sentiment was shared, because Haruka asked him more about himself and his family as soon as they had left. So Makoto had eagerly started to talk about his parents and Ran and Ren, for even if the simple lives they all led were probably nothing impressive to Haruka, he was still proud of his family and their accomplishments. Haruka had meant to listen attentively; he had asked about them with genuine interest rather than out of politeness, but he started to nod off pretty quickly, unable to fight against sleep. It didn't take long until Makoto could feel his head against his shoulder, his heavy eyelids having fluttered shut as his breathing found a slow, soft rhythm. It wasn't odd that he was tired since he hadn't slept much since last night, but Makoto still found it incredibly cute. He had brushed his hair out of his face before he covered them both with the quilt that Haruka had brought in order to keep them warm. Then he had allowed himself to be lulled to sleep by the lumps of the road as well, a content smile on his face as he leaned his head against Haruka's.

It wasn't until after the short stop they had to make to eat the breakfast that they had brought and were back onto the carriage that their conversation from the evening before continued. They had all agreed that they would go back to Makoto's family today and would go to Nagisa's parents at the palace the next day, so they were well-rested and presentable again. And although Makoto was really glad that he finally got to see his family again, there was a tiny part of him that was hesitant; he knew he had hurt them a lot by leaving abruptly and seeing them would be a real affirmation of the pain he had inflicted. But most of all, he was excited to wrap them in his arms again, to hold them close and tell them that everything was alright and that he was so sorry for what he had done.

He seemingly wasn't the only one who was a bit nervous; the closer they came to the town, the more jittery Haruka became, twiddling with his thumbs and smoothing over his clothing. It was weird to think about: a crown prince was nervous to meet a couple of low commoners. But they weren't just any commoners, they were Makoto's family, the people he loved and cherished. Makoto completely understood why he was nervous, because he would have been nervous too if he were in his shoes - even though he had already met Haruka's parents, he was pretty sure he would still be nervous if he met them again right now even despite their differences in status - but he found it so adorable and endearing that it made his heart melt with fondness. But he knew that there was no need for him to be nervous at all, because once the initial shock was over after they told his family about everything, he was sure that they would love Haruka. So he put a reassuring hand on Haruka's fumbling ones and when he looked up at him, he smiled tenderly which made Haruka smile appreciatively in return.

They came to a halt at the stables right outside the town. Because of the market there were a lot of people passing through the large main street, so it wouldn't be very smart to try to drive their two carriages through the dense crowd. The distance to Makoto's house wasn't very far so having to walk wouldn't be too much of a problem, or so he thought; after all, he wasn't sure what the others considered to be far and only Rei had ever been to his house before, but since he also ran errands his idea of 'far' may be off as well. But the others didn't find it to be troublesome so with Kisumi, Rei and Sousuke carrying their luggage, they began their walk towards Makoto's home.

Makoto led the way with Haruka beside him, trailing behind them were Nagisa and Sousuke, the former bombarding the latter with questions - enthusiastically asked, reluctantly answered - about his career as a guard and aspiration to become a knight, followed by Kisumi and Rei who were catching up about each other's personal experiences these past few days.

As they strolled around, Makoto was greeted by some merchants and random bypassers and he naturally returned their greeting with a smile or a wave of his hand. Since he didn't want Haruka to feel weird about it, whenever someone called out to him he would explain to him who they were and how he knew them: from one of the many errands he ran, or because he would occasionally make small-talk with them at their stall, or even because they recognised him as the friendly musician who was often playing at the town's square.

Hearing about all of this was strange to Haruka, for even if he knew that Makoto was a commoner and therefore part of a vast community and it was reasonable for him to know many folk, it was something he had never really thought about before. It was then that he realised that despite feeling so close to Makoto, he knew next to nothing about him aside from the things that he had told him. Despite knowing what commoners generally were, he didn't really know anything about them; about their lives, their experiences, the things that brought them joy and grief on a day to day basis. It was a world that he had never really ventured in before even though he had visited towns and villages throughout Iwatobi in the past, because he had always seen them through a prince's eye. Even though he knew that there was poverty and famine among many people all over the world, he didn't understand what that was like because he had never and would never experience it himself - although he could imagine how much pain and worry there was, he could never truly understand it without having gone through it himself.

In an extremely odd way, that made him jealous. Jealous because there would always be parts of Makoto that he didn't understand, while there were so many others who did share the same experiences and could therefore relate to Makoto's past and feelings - of course, he was very grateful that he never had to go through the hardships that Makoto had to face, but it saddened him to know that no matter how hard he tried, he could never fully comprehend these things that were so impactful in his life. He was jealous not only because these folk understood those parts of Makoto better than he ever would, but also because some got to see him grow up, were with him since he was a child as he fought his way through life yet despite it all always wore a smile on his face and was filled with gratitude for the things he did have. It made him even more aware of the privileges he had; while Makoto had done everything he could to make things better for himself and his family during the most dire of times, he had been at the palace moping about his duties and never realising how lucky he was to never have had to endure the things that were the reality of so many others. Rather than stating that he was jealous of their experiences, Haruka supposed it was more truthful to say that he was upset that Makoto and so many others had gone through these things.

The bitter and sorrowful thoughts that were coursing through Haruka's head didn't go unnoticed by Makoto and he grabbed Haruka's hand, squeezing it softly to make Haruka look up at him. When he did he smiled gently, trying to wordlessly tell him that whatever it was he was worrying about, it wasn't necessary. Even if their pasts had been spent with such distance between them, both literally and figuratively, that didn't have to mean anything for the future as long as they wouldn't let it. That conveyed sentiment made Haruka smile softly as well, knowing that he was right. It was useless to dwell on the past since they couldn't change it anyway. Those efforts were more wisely spent on the future.

Besides the few exchanged greetings and explanations, the way up to Makoto's house was spent in relative silence since their minds were both preoccupied with their own worries and nerves; Makoto was afraid of the confrontation with his family's pain, while Haruka was incredibly anxious to meet the people who were so important to Makoto, the people who shaped him to be the wonderful individual he was today. But despite their nerves, they were mostly glad and relieved that Makoto got to be reunited with his family after spending more time apart from them than he ever had before.

At last they were standing in front of a small house right next to a shop with a sign that read 'Blacksmith Tachibana' hanging from the stones. It was a generic name for a shop, but it told exactly what one needed to know. Seeing the sign was a relief to Haruka, because it confirmed that up until this point, Makoto had not lied to him yet - not that he had expected otherwise.

"Do you want us to stay here?" Haruka inquired, understanding if Makoto wanted to have his privacy when reuniting with his family.

"No, it's alright," Makoto said with a smile, knowing that even if his family would be overwhelmed by his return and didn't know that he brought along some people, they wouldn't want anyone to feel unwelcome in their home since they most certainly were not.

"I'll wait outside," Sousuke mumbled as he leaned against the frontage of the house. Besides his introduction, this was the first thing he had said to Makoto since meeting last night.

"Are you sure?" Makoto questioned in bewilderment, furrowing his eyebrows, "You can come in too."

"Yeah."

"Alright," he muttered, not wanting to force him to come inside either, "If you change your mind then you're always welcome."

Sousuke responded with nothing more than a slight nod of his head and a small grunt, so Makoto got the message that he didn't want to discuss it any further. Since he didn't want to prolong this awkward interaction, he told himself to focus on the situation at hand. Finally, after five long days, he would see his parents and siblings again.

With a deep breath, he opened the door to their small but cosy house and called out, "Mom?"

At the counter of the small kitchenette stood his mother, who had looked up at the sound of the door creaking open and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw her oldest son walking through the threshold.

"Makoto!"

Within a split second her arms were around his neck as she began to cry tears of relief, burying her head in Makoto's shoulder and she leaned heavily onto him. He could easily support her weight without them both toppling over and he naturally hugged her back. He hadn't been this glad to hold his mother since he was a child and he tightened his arms around her, sighing deeply because he was finally with her again for the first time in forever. Unconsciously he lifted her small form off the floor as he held her against himself, feeling so good and so bad at the same time. The last thing a child ever wanted was to see their mother cry, let alone be the reason of her tears and the knowledge that this was most likely not the first time she had cried since he left so abruptly made him feel even worse. But he was so glad that she didn't have to worry anymore.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she sobbed, pulling back to cup his face in her hands as tears ran down her cheeks, "We were so worried! You were suddenly gone and there was nothing but this note and this man came and-"

Makoto cut off her rambling by pressing her against himself again, cradling the back of her head as he spoke, "I'm so, so sorry." It wasn't that he had wanted to interrupt her, but he couldn't bear to see and hear her cry any longer. Even if he didn't regret agreeing to this plan because he never would have met Haruka otherwise, he did regret that he left without telling his family. He had already been so worried about them and he knew what was going on, so the fact that they didn't even know why he had left and could have been expecting the worst was like a dagger right between his ribs. But he was the one who planted it there himself. "I'm so sorry, I promise I'll explain everything."

It was then that Makoto's father entered the room through the door that connected their house to the shop. He had probably been startled by hearing his wife's sudden yell, and when his eyes fell on her small figure wrapped up in the arms of their son, he gasped. "Makoto!"

Immediately he went over to them and joined their embrace, tightening his arms around them as stray tears began to leak out of his eyes as well. In response Makoto removed his hand from his mother's head to hug his father back.

"Dad," he sighed as he tried to hold back his own tears, not minding the scent of soot and sweat that came from his father - and that were probably staining his borrowed clothing in the process, but that was about the last thing that was on his mind right then.

"I'm so glad you're home, son," his father confessed, his voice clearing conveying that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, "We were so worried!"

"I know, and I'm so incredibly sorry," Makoto apologised, feeling his heart bleed with immense guilt because of how upset he had made his parents, "But I promise I'll explain everything."

His mother sniffed deeply as she attempted to regain her composure, pulling back slightly so she could look at her son's handsome face once more, naturally making her husband loosen his embrace too. Makoto offered her a small smile as he raised his hands to her face to wipe her tears away. It was then that she saw something and immediately her relief turned back into motherly worry as she gently yet swiftly grabbed his left wrist and held his hand in front of her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked with concern lacing her voice.

For a moment his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Makoto failed to understand what she was talking about, but when he looked down and saw the wound that lingered on his forefinger, everything made sense.

"Oh, it's just a cut," he brushed off with a shrug because it honestly wasn't that big of a deal, but his mother had a different opinion.

"Just a cut? From what?"

"From a knife?" he said dumbly, but then he elaborated, knowing that was not the answer she wanted to hear, "I accidentally cut myself when we were cooking."

"Cooking?" she questioned in disbelief, not even regarding that he had spoken in plural.

At that Makoto chuckled sheepishly. "It's a long story," he replied, smiling awkwardly at her.

"Speaking of which," his mother continued as if he hadn't said anything, studying his body, "Have you gained weight?"

That made Makoto chuckle once more, but this time it was out of joy. "I think I've gained about three kilos these past few days," he joked, not knowing if it was true or not but hoping that it was.

"And what are these clothes?" she wondered, grasping at the fabric with her hands.

"They're borrowed."

"Borrowed? From who?"

"Um, Dear?"

Before Makoto had the chance to answer, his father spoke up, wanting to gather his wife's attention. At the sound of his voice she looked up at him and followed his line of vision to the door, or rather, the four boys who were standing somewhat uncomfortably at the doorstep.

"Who are all these boys?" she asked, it being the umpteenth question that had left her lips in the four minutes that Makoto had been inside. And with every question, it seemed like she was even more lost on what was going on, the bits of information that she had slipping through her fingers like water. Then, she saw a familiar face among the strangers. "You!"

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Tachibana," Rei greeted awkwardly, stiffly nodding his head at her.

"You-" Makoto's mother stumbled, turning back to her son before she continued, "He came the morning you were gone and we asked him about you but he wouldn't tell us anything! He just gave us a large sum of money, said you were alright and then he left."

"I know. He promised me he would."

"You do know him," she concluded, suggesting that she'd had doubts about Rei's claims before, "so why didn't he tell us anything?"

"He couldn't. Look, I'm really sorry but it's a long story and before I can tell you, I need to introduce you to everyone," Makoto explained in what he hoped to be a reassuring manner, "Are Ran and Ren here?"

"No, they're still at school," his father informed him and Makoto nodded in understanding, not knowing exactly what time it was nor what time they usually returned because they were always here by the time he came home for dinner.

"Then I'll tell them when they're home," Makoto said, deciding that he didn't want to keep his parents in the dark any longer and he turned back to the door opening where the others were waiting. He beckoned them all inside and he took a step back so he was standing next to Haruka. "Mom, Dad, this is Haru," he introduced as he gestured to Haruka. Realising that wasn't an adequate introduction since it wasn't all that they needed to know, he elaborated, "He is the crown prince of Iwatobi."

Frowns immediately formed on their faces and they looked from Makoto to Haruka, like they simply weren't believing their ears and were waiting for Makoto to laugh and say that he was just joking. But Makoto didn't, because he had stated the truth.

"My name is Haruka Nanase," Haruka confirmed, his nerves clearly shining through in his trembling voice, and he bowed at them. "It is an honour to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana."

The jaws of both parents dropped simultaneously at this declaration, like Haruka was about the last person they had ever expected Makoto to bring back home - which, honestly, wasn't far from the truth. They gasped as they were completely at loss for words, because they didn't know the proper etiquette to greet members of a royal family, let alone how to be a host to them and this whole situation had rendered them completely speechless.

"N-No, it's an honour to meet you, Your Highness," Mr. Tachibana awkwardly stuttered, bowing deeply at Haruka and not coming back up because he didn't know what else he was supposed to do. His wife was still too baffled to give a coherent response of some sort.

"Oh no, please raise your head, Sir," Haruka blurted as he held up his palms, not knowing what else to do either.

"It's an honour to welcome you into our home, Your Highness," Mr. Tachibana continued when he straightened his back, "We don't have much to offer you, but-"

"Oh no," Haruka repeated as he dismissively waved his hands. It was most likely not the first time he had been treated like this, but the response of Makoto's father was just a little overwhelming to him especially since the nerves of their meeting were entirely mutual. "Please, don't treat me any differently than you would treat any other guest," he requested as he bowed to them again.

His parents still looked hesitant, so Makoto cut in, "Really, it's fine," he assured them and he put his hand on Haruka's shoulder to silently ease him too, "Haru is just a normal boy." When Haruka eyed him sceptically, he said, "Well, not normal, but-"

"But what?" Haruka interrupted as he bit his lip to repress a smile.

Makoto looked like he was torn between what he should say, because how did you tell your parents that the crown prince of a neighbouring kingdom was the most amazing and wonderful person you had ever met and that being around him was the easiest and most comfortable thing in the world? When Haruka snorted at his inner turmoil, he realised that he didn't actually want an answer and was just teasing him. "Haru! You know what I mean!"

Haruka chuckled softly at Makoto's exclamation, and only when Mrs. Tachibana spoke did they both realise that they weren't alone.

"It is very nice to meet you, Your Highness," she greeted as she bowed at him as well.

"You don't have to call me that," Haruka stressed, not wanting there to be a formal distance between him and Makoto's parents, "It's very nice to meet you too."

"Then, 'Haruka'?" she asked and Haruka nodded in acceptance.

Remembering that there were still others who needed an introduction, Makoto nodded to Nagisa who then took a step forward as well. "This is Nagisa," Makoto said as he motioned to the boy in question, "He's the prince of… well, of Sano."

The initial shock that had dwindled after meeting Haruka was back with even more intensity at the notion that there were not only one, but two princes standing in their modest house, and this surprised Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana even more. But before the same uncomfortable interaction could repeat itself, Nagisa spoke up.

"It's nice to meet you, Makoto's parents," he grinned as he bowed, "Just 'Nagisa' is fine too."

"It's very nice to meet you too, Nagisa," Mrs. Tachibana chuckled at his bubbly demeanour and strange yet accurate way of addressing her and her husband.

"Then, um," Makoto muttered as he looked behind them, "You've met Rei."

Makoto stepped to the side to give Rei some space, who walked further into the room and deeply bowed to Makoto's parents as well. "I'm Rei Ryugazaki, Nagisa's tutor. I'm incredibly sorry about our first meeting, but I hope that we can start anew. It's pleasant to make you acquainted."

"Of course; the pleasure is ours," Mr. Tachibana replied on both of their behalf, knowing that his wife was still upset about the first time they met this man.

Feeling that it was his turn now, Kisumi walked forward and introduced himself before Makoto had the chance to. "It's very nice to meet you," he said with a charming smile, "I'm Kisumi Shigino, a servant of the royal family. Nagisa's family," he clarified when he realised that his words could hold a different meaning considering Haruka's presence.

Mrs. Tachibana returned his greeting before she started, "Why don't you all take a seat while I make us all some tea. I believe you've still got a lot of explaining to do." Although she had said it in a mockingly serious manner, Makoto knew that she did want to hear the truth as soon as possible because she had been sick with worry while he was gone. "Makoto, go get some more chairs, will you?"

But before Makoto had the chance to respond, his father spoke up, "Wait. Haruka, did you come here all by yourself?"

"No, I brought a guard," Haruka stated, pointing towards the open door, "He's outside."

"He can come inside too," Mrs. Tachibana muttered with a mild scowl, almost as if she thought it was scandalous that the guard had to wait outside in the summer's heat.

"I told him that, but he insisted on waiting outside," Makoto defended, not wanting his mother to think that Haruka was someone who treated his staff like that when Haruka was actually nothing but kind and compassionate towards his servants.

"But he can't stay outside all day, he'll get a sunstroke!"

She walked over to the door and looked outside, finding Sousuke's figure nonchalantly perched up against the wall.

"Are you Haruka's guard?"

Surprised by this sudden addressal in an unfamiliar voice, Sousuke looked down to where the sound had been coming from and was met with a small lady. "Yes?"

Mrs. Tachibana smiled up at him. "I'm Makoto's mother," she said to clarify her presence, "What's your name?"

"Sousuke Yamazaki."

"Sousuke, why don't you come inside too?"

"No, that's alright," Sousuke brushed off, but Mrs. Tachibana wasn't having any of it.

"You can't possibly stay out here in the heat all day, you'll get a sunstroke!" she exclaimed with genuine worry in her tone, "And besides that, you look exhausted. You don't want to get sick, do you?"

"No?" he questioned, not knowing why she was so concerned about him when she literally met him three seconds ago.

"So why don't you come inside and have some tea?"

Insistence was masked in her kind and light voice, telling him that there was no room for argument. Why he was intimidated by a lady half his size was a mystery, but it was most likely the motherly and authoritative way of speaking that made him unable to refuse her offer. So with a muttered "Yes ma'am," he entered the house, and Mrs. Tachibana closed the door behind him. She probably reminded him of his own mother, or so Makoto presumed.

After confirming that this was really everyone, Mrs. Tachibana went to make some tea while Makoto and his father fetched chairs from all around the house so everyone could sit down. At last, they were all seated with steaming cups of tea and Makoto began to tell the story to his parents - and Sousuke, who also had absolutely no clue what had happened nor what they were even doing here because he had been off duty yesterday, but feeling too exhausted to care about it either way.

He started at the catalyst: how he had been playing guitar at the town's square on a day like any other about a week and a half ago - it did raise the question from his otherwise ever-patient mother as to what that had to do with his sudden disappearance in the middle of the night, and he assured her that he would get there, but that he needed to tell things from the beginning or it wouldn't make any sense in the long run. He described his first meeting with Nagisa and Rei, after which Nagisa chimed in with the reason why he was in town in the first place; the marriage that had been arranged between the two princes and that a couple of days later, Makoto had given him advice. Makoto's parents were incredibly relieved to find out that the money their son made that week was not earned by him dabbling in shady or unruly business but rather because of the generosity and sympathy of Prince Nagisa - so in actuality, it was just a return of the taxes they paid.

Then Nagisa said that he had run away the night before his departure and why he did what he had done, which brought Rei to explain that he searched all around and suspected him to find refuge at Makoto's house, but when that turned out not to be the case he proposed this plan to Makoto: to go to Iwatobi and pretend he was Prince Nagisa. His parents were quite mortified to hear that the reason Makoto agreed was the reward, feeling ashamed that their finances were discussed with five complete strangers but Rei assured them that they should see it as him accepting a job he was offered, regardless how strange of a job it may have been. Ultimately, they were grateful that their son was willing to do something so dangerous for the sake of their family, but they were still upset with parental concern - which made Makoto apologise once more, but he admitted to them that he had absolutely no regrets for agreeing to this before he cut himself off, not wanting to get ahead of the chronological order of events.

He told his parents how rushed the preparations had been with only a short period of time to spare before the carriage left. Although he had ventured in a completely different world, he had been so stressed about the whole ordeal that he barely registered anything while he bathed and got dressed in Kisumi's clothing, that were small enough on him to cause discomfort. The journey to Iwatobi had been a blur for the most part, and it wasn't until he arrived in Iwatobi that evening that he was truly baffled by the differences in the social hierarchy.

But he hadn't had much time to be astonished before he got to meet King and Queen Nanase and most importantly, Prince Haruka. He had been so unbelievably afraid to blow his cover immediately and the general response of the king and queen made him even more nervous - although it had almost made him nauseous at the time, he was able to see the humour in it now and he chuckled as he recalled it. Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana had laughed as well when Haruka explained that the reason his parents had acted so weird towards Makoto was not because they had suspicions that he was an imposter, but merely because they had all been expecting to meet a small and dainty princess, which was about the opposite of who Makoto actually turned out to be.

Then Makoto described the days he had spent with Haruka; how they had swum and cooked together, that Haruka had made a painting of him, how they had danced even though Makoto was clumsy and didn't know how to dance, the walks they had taken through the beautiful gardens. He did leave out some of the details - the longing gazes, the lingering touches, and oh, the kisses - because he felt that they were too intimate and personal to share with everyone here, and he could tell that Haruka appreciated that as well. Although he therefore had not verbally expressed the feelings for Haruka that gradually blossomed in his heart, he didn't have to say it for his parents to understand; the enamoured smile that stretched his lips as he remembered the wonderful time together with Haruka and the fond gaze that Haruka's eyes held when he looked at Makoto told them all they needed to know.

With a snort of amusement he told them about how much he had struggled trying not to expose himself, and that he had ultimately ruined it for himself by running away when Haruka called him by the wrong name - again, he hadn't told them what had happened before that, but it was pretty easy to guess what that was. After that he gave a quick rundown of how the guards had escorted him to the dungeon and the night he spent there together with Kisumi, only to discover that the reason for that had not been because Haruka found out, but because Rei had arrived with Nagisa.

The details of the conversation he'd had with Haruka were left out once more because he considered it to be something private that should only stay between Haruka and him. So instead, he just gave a quick conclusion that once he had explained the situation to Haruka they had made up and that after listening to the adventures of Rei and Nagisa, they had decided to come here as swiftly as they could.

Upon request Nagisa and Rei told them what had happened while Nagisa had run away and what Rei had done to find him. The story was so anticlimactic that it made Makoto's parents laugh and even Sousuke snorted; after all, one would think that the quest to find a runaway prince would be much more complicated than asking a few merchants if they had seen anyone who fit the description and following the directions they gave, like Nagisa left a trail of breadcrumbs behind him as he made his way through the towns. But that wasn't so strange, considering Nagisa was definitely someone who stood out from the crowd, with his bright blond hair and his colourful and expensive-looking clothing, but mostly because of the general innocence and cluelessness he emitted, a little frightened yet excited to discover the world outside of the palace walls. It wasn't odd that bystanders caught on to the fact that contrary to them, he had not been tainted by famine and poverty.

But even if it was amusing, Rei was so incredibly relieved that it had been as easy as it was, otherwise they wouldn't be here right now and things could have taken a major turn for the worse.

"So," Mr. Tachibana started once everyone had finished speaking, "What are you going to do now?"

"Tomorrow Haru is going to talk with Nagisa's parents," Makoto said, "He's going to try to make them cancel the marriage and arrange for Nagisa to be allowed to be with Rei instead."

"And after that?" his father questioned and Makoto knew him well enough to know what he truly meant with that. What about you and Haruka?

At that Makoto couldn't do anything but shrug. "We don't know. For now we can only see how things go and hope we'll figure something out," he muttered and he had never sounded so uncertain before.

"We will," Haruka cut in, his clear voice startling everyone, "We will figure something out."

"Haru…" Makoto sighed at the determination in Haruka's voice and he smiled softly, knowing that he was just as willing to do everything within his might to make things work as Haruka was.

Their moment was interrupted by loud, bellowing laughter. Makoto looked over to his father who was apparently having a grand time and although he had no idea what he had found so amusing, it was good to finally hear his hearty laughter again.

"All of this is really something that could only happen to you, Makoto," Mr. Tachibana explained as he giggled - it was obvious who Makoto inherited the giggles from, Haruka thought with a smile. "Even as a child you always found yourself in the strangest situations, so something like this happening to you really shouldn't have been a surprise to be honest."

"Well, I can't help it either," Makoto claimed in moderate defense, since it wasn't like he went out of his way to get caught up into things like this, but he supposed it was just part of being an errand boy and street musician, wandering around town for a good portion of the day; you were bound to run into some trouble at one point or another. But he was grateful for all of it, because every single event had led up to this current situation, and he definitely wouldn't have wanted to miss out on it.

"Either way," Mrs. Tachibana brushed off, not wanting them to get lost in a trip down memory lane while there were still matters that required addressing, "You're all going to need a place to stay until tomorrow. You're all welcome to stay here but I'm not sure if we have enough room to-"

"No, it's alright, ma'am," Rei assured, "Thank you for the kind offer and your hospitality, but we will stay at an inn until then."

"Alright," she replied, accepting only because she knew that they didn't have the space and resources to accommodate five guests, "But you're all invited to stay for dinner."

"Oh, you don't have to-" Haruka started but was ultimately cut off by Mrs. Tachibana.

"I insist," she said in that way that couldn't be defied, "It's the least I can do to thank you for taking care of Makoto these past few days."

"That's really not necessary, I don't want us to be a burden or-"

"Nonsense!" she sternly yet kindly interrupted him again, leaving no room for argument, "I know I'm not a chef so the food will most likely not be as good as you're all used to, but it's a token of gratitude and I won't take 'no' for an answer." The smirk that stretched her lips was an amused one but showed that although she had said it in a joking manner, she did mean every word.

"Thank you for your generosity, Mrs. Tachibana," Kisumi grinned, "I gladly accept!"

Following Kisumi's example, the others muttered their expressions of gratitude as well. Mrs. Tachibana only smiled and nodded in response before she hummed as she pondered. "Is there anything that any of you can't eat?" Everyone shook their head in response, and her smile widened, "Alright, that's easy then."

"What do you need for dinner?" Makoto asked, wanting to ease her burden of having to cook for so many folk, "We'll go get it."

"Oh, that's alright, I can go get everything myself," Mrs. Tachibana objected, but Makoto pressed on - if he had inherited his giggles from his father, then he had inherited that tone that just couldn't be argued with from his mother.

"No really, we'll get it," he said, "We'll drop by the inn first so they can drop off their stuff and make sure they actually have a place to stay for the evening before they run out of rooms. Besides, that way I can show them around town too."

"Alright," she complied because her son's reasoning made sense, "But you better come back once you get everything!" she added and even if she couldn't repress her chuckles, Makoto knew that she was being serious and that made him feel a pang of guilt in his stomach again.

"I will, I promise," Makoto vowed, and his mother's smile softened with genuine appreciation.

"Do you want me to make a list?" Rei proposed and Makoto merely shook his head.

"I'll remember it."

Once Mrs. Tachibana had told them everything she needed for dinner, she got up to grab the money for aforementioned things but Haruka and Nagisa had stopped her and offered to pay for the groceries instead. She and her husband had refused at first, too proud to accept their pity and help, but they were not the only ones who had mastered the art of insistence; Haruka had claimed it to be their token of gratitude towards the kindness and hospitality of their hosts, after which Nagisa had jokingly said that they shouldn't defy their princely authority. It took a lot of convincing, but when they just got up and Haruka grabbed ahold of Makoto's arm to drag him out with them, Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana finally complied - for then, at least. Makoto had purposely tried his best to stay out of any financial discussions and would probably continue to do so in the future.

At last they left the house with baskets to put the groceries in and began to make their way towards the inn.

"Are you really sure I shouldn't have made a list?" Rei questioned in oncoming concern, afraid that they might forget something vital.

Makoto hummed in assurance and confirmation. "There's no need for that, I've memorised everything."

"That's amazing, being able to remember so much stuff!" Nagisa thought and Makoto giggled in response.

"Well, it's not like I had any other choice in the past; my mother can't write so it wasn't like she would be able to make a list, and I wouldn't be able to read it anyway," Makoto explained with a shrug, "So what I used to do as a child and had to get some things was make up a song in my head to help me remember what I had to buy, where to get it and how much it approximately cost, so I wouldn't be swindled by merchants who thought they could earn some more by selling their wares to an ignorant kid - not that anyone here would do that since they all know my family and me, but you never know."

"That's really impressive!" Kisumi exclaimed in fascination and the others nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, but it's not like I was able to memorise this much when I was little; I only had to get a few things back then and it wasn't like I never forgot anything. But if I did then I would just go back to get it or my mother would go get it instead. As I got older I was able to remember more and more so that's why I can remember everything now - and rarely forget anything as well."

"That's really clever; music and melodies are a great stimulus to train the memory. I'm surprised a young child was able to come up with such an ingenious method," Rei uttered, the serious analysis making Makoto laugh.

"It's not like I actually thought about it that way, I just found it easier; I would sing the song I came up with over and over under my breath so I wouldn't forget and wouldn't get distracted on my way to the shops or stalls."

"It's still amazing," Haruka murmured with a small smile. And absolutely adorable.

Haruka's smile brought a rush of fondness surging through Makoto's heart, but he didn't have much time to enjoy the warmth that was always present when he looked at Haruka because Nagisa's voice pulled him out of the thoughts he got so easily lost in lately.

"Do you still sing songs to remember things?" he wondered in admiration.

"Sometimes," Makoto admitted sheepishly, "but now I know where everything is and how much things normally cost so I don't have to mumble that to remember. I don't usually need it, but sometimes I just do it unconsciously; it's a habit I can't seem to shake."

"That's so cute!" Kisumi cooed, "Do you have a song in mind right now?"

At that question Makoto's cheeks flushed. "I… I don't."

"You do! Come on, sing it!"

While Kisumi and Nagisa began to chant "sing it", Makoto looked over at Haruka for help but instead of the support he was seeking, he saw a glimmer of excitement in Haruka's eyes that told him that he wanted to hear it too.

A sigh left his lips because he knew he wouldn't be getting Haruka's aid, and although he usually wanted to comply with Haruka's wishes, he was a little too ashamed to actually do this. "What? No! That's too embarras-"

"Makoto!"

That loud yell of his name in a familiar, enraged voice startled Makoto and he abruptly shut his mouth. When he turned around to see where it had come from, he felt the front of his borrowed garments being tightly grasped as he was tugged slightly forward. This action took him even more by surprise and his mouth fell open when he stared down into fierce red eyes that were widened in anger.

"Rin!"

"Where the hell have you been?!" Rin barked as he held onto Makoto's clothing even tighter and Makoto could feel his breath fanning against his face because of his proximity, "Do you have any idea how worried your mother-"

"Yamazaki," Haruka commanded loudly, and Sousuke did what Haruka told him to and grabbed onto Rin's shoulder with the intention of making him lose his grip on Makoto.

"Don't touch me!" Rin yelped as he leaned back to avoid Sousuke's hand but unfortunately for him, Sousuke was much faster and much stronger than him. Despite this, he still didn't let go of Makoto as his eyes drifted from Sousuke to Haruka and back to Sousuke. "Let go!"

Sousuke merely smirked at Rin's protest, clearly not impressed. "You've got quite the temper, don't you?" he taunted and his words made Rin blush profusely - whether it was out of embarrassment or because of the dark timbre of Sousuke's voice, Makoto honestly couldn't tell. "Why don't you let go of him first?"

"Stay out of it! This is none of your business!" Rin snarled in response to Sousuke's calm, almost mocking suggestion.

"Actually, it is," Haruka interrupted, his tone cold and full of venom.

Rin frowned before he sceptically raised his eyebrow. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Haruka Nanase," Haruka said as he crossed his arms, "Prince of Iwatobi." Although he usually wasn't one to flaunt his status or title, Makoto could tell he was doing it now with the sole purpose of making Rin feel inferior because he was annoyed by his cocky attitude. If Kisumi already irked Haruka, then Rin was really getting on his nerves.

"Pff, yeah right," Rin scoffed in disbelief, but then he took a proper look at Haruka and realised what type of situation they were currently in, and when everyone stayed quiet and Makoto only gave him a sheepish grin, it dawned upon him that Haruka had told him the truth. "No way!"

"Haru, Sousuke, it's fine," Makoto assured in an attempt to make sure the situation didn't escalate any further, "I know him."

Haruka let out a little huff of frustration before he turned to Sousuke again and gestured with his head for him to let Rin go, so he did.

"Rin, could you please let go of me now?" Makoto requested and his words made Rin, who was still perplexed, snap out of it and he finally released the cloth he was holding. "Thanks."

"Damn, Makoto, what the hell happened?"

He chuckled awkwardly, "It's a long story. Let's just say that I got an impromptu offer for a job in Iwatobi."

Rin opened his mouth to respond, but was ultimately cut off before he could say anything.

"Rin!" a feminine voice yelled, and a short girl that shared similar features with Rin stalked up to them, "What are you doing, running out on patrons like that in the middle of a-" She abruptly stopped her sentence and her eyes widened when she saw him. "Makoto!" She pushed Rin aside and wrapped her arms around Makoto's neck to hug him tightly.

"Gou," Makoto greeted as he bent down to return her embrace. He definitely preferred Gou's reaction to seeing him again over Rin's and he lightly pat her back in a friendly manner.

When she pulled herself out of Makoto's arms again, she turned back to Rin who she had just roughly shoved aside. "Well, what are you standing there around for? Go back inside and continue helping the patrons!"

Rin clicked his tongue in annoyance, but since he knew he had no other choice, he did as Gou had demanded him to and began to walk away bitterly. "This isn't over!" he called over his shoulder as he pointed an accusing finger at Sousuke, Haruka, but mainly at Makoto.

Once Rin was gone, Gou peered up at Makoto again and the irritation melted off her face immediately. "Sorry about my brother, you know how explosive he can be."

"Yeah, we noticed," Sousuke snickered, his words full of amusement at the scene Rin had made.

At the sound of his voice Gou's eyes met his figure and a spark of interest lit up in them as she ran her gaze over Sousuke's muscular frame, but then she realised what she was doing and shook her head to get herself to focus. She looked back at Makoto and beamed, "Makoto, you're back! We were all so worried, I'm really glad you're alright!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Makoto apologised sincerely, because he felt really bad for making her concerned about him when, to be quite honest, she and Rin had never even crossed his mind while he was gone. But that wasn't the most pressing thing that was on his mind right then. "Rin said something about my mother…?"

"Yeah," Gou affirmed, the smile that had been on her face turning into a slightly pained one, "She came to the shop the morning you were gone, all panicked and upset with that note you left. She asked us to read it because she just couldn't believe what Ran and Ren had told her, and then she asked us if we knew anything or if we were the ones who wrote the note. When we told her that we didn't know anything and hadn't spoken to you in a while, she just broke down crying."

"I see," Makoto sighed and his stomach twisted with guilt at Gou's words. Although this much was to be expected, hearing Gou confirm it aloud made it feel a million times worse because he now knew for sure that his mother had been completely distraught at his disappearance. He was going to have to give her another big hug when they came home, wanting to do everything in his might to comfort her and make it up to her even a little bit. "I'm really sorry, Gou."

"It's fine, I'm just glad you're okay. Besides, I'm not the one you should be apologising to."

"I know, I already went home and explained everything to her and my dad," Makoto assured her and she smiled approvingly at him. For some reason, Gou had this authoritative air around her that made him feel guilty and bad if he defied her. She probably knew this, because she always seemed to be able to work it to her advantage.

"I'm glad. She was really worried about you, Makoto. We all were - even if Rin won't admit it. As soon as your mother said you were gone he went out and searched all around town for you."

"Really?" Makoto questioned in surprise, feeling both touched that Rin cared that much and bad for worrying him as well. He knew Rin was a lot more sensitive and emotional than liked to let on, but it still baffled him that he had been able to evoke such concern out of him. Though admittedly, he would have done the same if it was Rin who suddenly vanished in the middle of the night. "I suppose I should apologise to him too, then."

"Oh, he'll manage," Gou joked as she waved dismissively with her hand, and then she asked the question that had been playing through her mind since the moment she saw him, "Are these your friends? I've never seen them around here before."

"Yeah, they live outside of town," Makoto said to simplify his answer, not wanting to go into too much detail about everyone's places of residence because that would surely elicit more questions that he didn't exactly have the time nor liberty to answer right then and there.

"I see. It's nice to meet you all. I'm Gou, and that was my brother Rin," she introduced herself and Rin to the boys in front of her, smiling sweetly as she did.

Everyone returned her greeting and introduced themselves in response - Makoto was amused to hear that contrary to earlier with Rin, Haruka now solely introduced himself as 'Haru'.

"How did you all meet?" Gou asked out of curiosity because Makoto's vagueness from before didn't satisfy her completely, "Was it during your job out of town?"

"Sort of," Makoto sheepishly shrugged, "Look, it's kind of a long story…" It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Gou, but they were in the middle of the street and this was not exactly the ideal situation to relay the events of the past two weeks again. "We don't really have time right now to-"

"I get it," Gou said in understanding, holding up her hand to halt him and assure him that it was fine. "I should probably head back to the shop as well."

"I'll drop by soon to catch up on everything, alright?"

"Thanks, I'm sure Rin will appreciate that," she commented, but her tone indicated that she appreciated it as well. "Well then, see you, Makoto!"

"Bye, Gou!"

Gou turned around and made her leave, but not without looking back over her shoulder and waving at the group of boys before she disappeared into the crowd.

"Sorry about that, guys," Makoto apologised when they resumed their journey to the local inn. Although it had been an awkward encounter and he felt bad that the first time the others met Rin had to be when he was angry and mildly aggressive, he had to admit he was sort of glad for Rin's diversion from the topic they were discussing earlier.

"It's alright," Haruka muttered, but his voice betrayed that he was a little unsettled by what had happened - specifically, the hug that Gou had given Makoto, or so it seemed. But Makoto reasoned that that wasn't so weird, since Haruka was most likely not used to people greeting each other in such an informal way. He made a mental note to give Haruka a big hug later as well. "Where do you know them from?"

"My parents are friends with their mother," Makoto provided, but before he could continue, Nagisa cut in.

"Only with their mother?" he questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

Makoto nodded, smiling sadly at Nagisa's confusion. "Their father passed away when they were younger."

"Oh… sorry."

"It's alright, you couldn't know that."

"What happened to him?" Sousuke asked, and it honestly surprised Makoto since Sousuke hadn't shown any particular interest in their conversations before and had never actively participated either. It made Makoto wonder if the interest he had seen in Rin's eyes - although it had been unsuccessfully masked with fury - earlier was somewhat mutual, but he decided not to comment on it because it would be denied anyway.

"He was a fisherman, drowned during a storm; they used to live in a different kingdom and moved here after he passed away for a fresh start," Makoto said, "Their mother opened up a tailor's shop and Rin and Gou both work there as well."

"They're tailors? That's strange, I've never seen them before," Nagisa mentioned, thinking back at all the tailors his family had ever hired but Rin and Gou's faces were not among them and hadn't been familiar either.

"I think that's because your family probably hires different tailors; expensive tailors who work exclusively for the wealthy and noble. They mainly work for the common folk like me."

"Oh, I see," Nagisa nodded in understanding, "So they make your clothing too?"

"Actually, no," Makoto chuckled as he shook his head, noticing that his words were easy to interpret that way when that was not what he had actually meant, "My mom makes our clothing herself."

"Really, she can do that?" Nagisa wondered in genuine awe because it sounded like something very difficult and impressive.

"Hmm. In fact, she helps out at the tailor's shop every so often," Makoto revealed, a small sense of pride settling into his heart. His mother may be illiterate, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart or talented.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"Are you close with them?" Haruka then inquired, his sincere interest tinged with a tiny dash of jealousy, "With Gou and Rin?"

"Not really," Makoto said honestly, "They're nice but we're all pretty busy with our own lives. They used to go to school during the day and now they're always occupied with their tailoring jobs. I do run into them every now and then and sometimes when I'm around and not running an errand or something, I'll stop by the shop to say 'hi', but that's mostly it. I suppose they're the closest things to friends I have besides you, but none of us are really in the position to actually spend much time together. But I think you can relate to that, right?"

Haruka nodded in confirmation, and despite all of the major differences in their lives, they still shared similar experiences in some aspects. Although it saddened him to know that Makoto barely had any free time and that he had been constantly working for pretty much all of his life, it also felt good that this was a part of him that he actually understood. Even if the circumstances were completely different, it was still something they had in common and could therefore understand in each other. That made him happy, for even if their lives had been so incredibly contrasting, there were more similarities than initially seemed.

"Are they twins?" Rei asked and Makoto shook his head in response.

"Rin is about a year and a half older than Gou."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Kisumi's question confused Makoto and he frowned, but when he pondered about it for a second what he had meant dawned upon him. "I'm a few months older than Rin."

Another round of questions was asked as they made their way towards the inn. It didn't take much longer until they arrived at their destination and Makoto came to a halt in front of the entrance, naturally making the rest of them stop as well.

"I'll go inside to book us some rooms," Kisumi offered as he got closer to the door, "I'll put them in my name to avoid raising suspicion."

"Maybe you could go take a nap," Makoto suggested good-naturedly, considering the fatigue that was clear in Kisumi's eyes despite him putting on a bubbly demeanour, "You must be exhausted after last night. You too, Sousuke."

Before Sousuke could respond, Kisumi said, "I am pretty tired, so maybe I should. Is that alright?"

"Of course! We'll manage by ourselves so don't worry about it. We'll come pick you up before dinner."

"That's alright, we can find the way back to your house ourselves," Kisumi claimed and he smirked, "My memory is also pretty good, especially when it comes to directions. So what time are we expected to be there?"

"Alright," Makoto easily agreed, not seeing why he shouldn't, "Around six, I think?"

"Alright," Kisumi echoed, finally giving Sousuke the opportunity to speak his mind too.

"I can't," he objected, nodding his head at Haruka, "I'm his guard. I can't do my job if I'm sleeping."

"Well, you can't do your job either if you pass out from exhaustion," Makoto argued, crossing his arms in stubbornness, "It's not good for your health, and it's not like you would even be able to do your job properly when you're so tired."

"Still…"

"I'll protect him," Makoto vowed solemnly, meaning those words with all of his heart, "I won't let anything happen to him, I promise."

This was not something that he was promising Sousuke, but himself. Regardless of any guards, Makoto would do everything he could to protect Haruka from harm or hurt not because he was a prince, but because he was Haruka. Because he was his world. He'd rather die than let something happen to him, would keep him safe even if it would kill him. It was an oath that was impossible to break, for the moment those words left his lips, they scorched themselves onto his very soul.

"Makoto…" Haruka whispered, his voice trembling with emotion, like he could feel the flame of determination that ignited in Makoto scorching his own flesh, the fire behind words that were so simple yet held so much significance. There were many who had vowed to protect him, knights and guards alike, and yet those words had never meant as much as they did now. They caressed his skin and brought warmth to his chest only to nestle themselves in the walls of his heart, to be felt forevermore.

Although he had always been the one who was protected, he knew that he would do everything within his might to protect Makoto as well, using whatever means necessary to keep him out of harm's way.

Despite witnessing the exchanging of vows that were partially unspoken yet filled the bubble around Haruka and Makoto, Sousuke still didn't look very convinced. But when he saw the fierce dedication that was burning in Makoto's eyes, he sighed in defeat. "Fine," he gave in as he rolled his eyes at their sappiness, deciding that he cared more for sleep than arguing at that moment, "Just don't tell your parents," he told Haruka in his own defense.

"Of course not," Haruka stated, not needing Sousuke to tell him something that was so obvious.

"Well then," Kisumi said in conclusion with an amicable smile, "See you later!"

"Have a nice nap," Nagisa responded, and Makoto and Rei muttered similar wishes.

Once Kisumi and Sousuke had disappeared into the inn with all of their luggage, Makoto turned back to the others. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Haruka agreed, seemingly cheered up now that they had parted ways with his two least favourite members of their party - for then, at least.

The four of them continued to walk through the bustling town. Fortunately they didn't have to walk much further for the inn was pretty close to the most lively part of the main street where the market was held every Wednesday and Saturday.

While they were browsing through the wares and Makoto stopped at a stall that sold fresh fruits and vegetables, Haruka marvelled at the prices of the wares.

"Everything is much cheaper than in Iwatobi," he uttered, his soft voice drowned out by the rumble of the crowd so only his companions could hear him. "Four silver coins for a bag of apples? In Iwatobi you pay at least twice as much."

"Really?" Makoto questioned in disbelief, to which Haruka nodded, "That's so expensive! I already find four silver coins expensive enough as it is."

"Things are more expensive in Iwatobi," Rei remarked, adjusting his spectacles in habit, "But that is because the wages are generally higher in Iwatobi and therefore the income per household is higher as well. So while the prices are higher in Iwatobi, the wares that are sold are still much more affordable than here in Sano because the value of money is different."

"Oh," Makoto mumbled, "I didn't know that, but I guess that makes sense."

"Me neither," Haruka said, "I mean, I knew that there was a difference in wealth between our kingdoms but I didn't know it was this significant."

Although he had never really given it a second thought before, it actually did make sense when he thought about it; Makoto had told him how poor his family was even though there were two - often three - working people in his family of five. He knew Makoto was a hard worker and surely that meant that his parents were no slackers either, and yet they still didn't make a proper living. That could either mean that everything was incredibly expensive, that the wages were low, or, as turned out to be the case, a combination of both.

Once Makoto had gotten all the vegetables and fruits his mother had requested, they continued to stroll through the town. Nagisa kept getting distracted by all the sights and scents that came from the goods that numerous merchants were selling and wandered off, so Rei had no choice but to trail after him to ensure that he wouldn't get lost. Makoto didn't really mind it, because that meant that he got to be alone with Haruka - although 'alone' was not exactly the correct word, considering the dozens upon dozens of townsfolk around them. One shared look of green and blue told Makoto that Haruka shared this sentiment entirely.

Another stop was made at the stall of a farmer who sold eggs and milk and the likes of that. Makoto selected the best eggs that he could find, mentally comparing them to the eggs they had at the palace of Iwatobi, when Haruka and he had cooked and baked together. It was odd to think that had only been three days since then when it felt like so long ago.

"This is part of the cooking-process that we missed out on last time," Haruka said, proving that their minds were on the same page.

"That's true, so now we're completing the experience," Makoto joked in return as he handed the man behind the stall the amount he owed him.

"We're doing things a little out of order, though."

"We are, but I suppose that kind of fits us, doesn't it?" After all, it wasn't the first thing they were doing out of order; declaring their affection for each other without Haruka even knowing his real name, for example. "I can't believe that was only three days ago."

"I know," Haruka sighed in reminiscence, "It feels like a lifetime has passed since then."

A warm smile stretched Makoto's lips at the knowledge that Haruka felt the same about it. "I suppose that's because a lifetime's worth of events have taken place in those three days."

"Yeah," Haruka murmured, a tiny smile blooming on his face as well and with his free hand he lightly grabbed ahold of Makoto's arm to prevent them from getting separated in the crowd - and because he simply wanted to hold on to him.

Now that his secret was out and all of his cards were lying on the table for Haruka to see, the memory of their little cooking adventure was tinged with awkwardness and humour when he looked back on it. It was pretty amusing how silly everything had been, the lengths he had gone through to hide his real identity and how, even though it was so obvious, Haruka hadn't noticed a thing.

"Haru," Makoto called to get his attention, "Do you remember before we started cooking, I told you that I would gather the ingredients if you read the instructions?"

"Hm," Haruka hummed in confirmation, encouraging him to go on.

"I did that so you wouldn't notice that I couldn't read, because I thought that as long as you told me what to do, I couldn't mess up," Makoto chuckled, "But then, when I had to get the flour, I had no idea which bag was the right one and when I saw that all the bags had words on them, I panicked. I thought that I had ruled out the possibility of you finding out that I'm illiterate by getting ingredients, but that kind of backfired and I was so scared that I would get the wrong bag, because I had no idea how you would respond if I came back with a bag that said something completely different. Eventually I was left with two bags and I was so relieved when you said that we also needed baking soda, because that ended my torment. It felt like I was in there for a solid ten minutes."

"In actuality, it was more like ten seconds," Haruka snorted, amusement playing at his lips, "I don't know how I would have responded either if you came back with something else, because I didn't expect a thing at the time. I just thought you were taking a little while because you overlooked all of the bags because you're tall."

"If only that had been the case, then everything would have been so much easier," Makoto giggled. It felt like those ten seconds he spent in the pantry had taken ten years off his lifespan.

"But wait…" Haruka muttered because something suddenly hit him, "You did say something while you were in there, right?"

"'You're a clever man, Makoto. Use your head,'" Makoto recited, laughing lightly, "That's what Rei told me after he taught me some basic etiquette right before we left, and while I was struggling to get the right bag, my mumbling-habit got the better of me."

"I knew it wasn't just my imagination, but I didn't want to press in case it actually was," Haruka said, thinking back at the time he was certain he had heard him speak and he was glad that he had been right after all. "Honestly, that was the only thing I found strange that evening, but it wasn't nearly enough to make me suspicious or anything."

"Well, I couldn't just repeat what I had said or otherwise I would blow my cover immediately, so I just said the first thing I could come up with," Makoto explained for he'd had to do everything he could to prevent accidentally revealing his true identity back then while he now wanted to be completely honest about himself and clear up every lie gradually, "Now that we're on the topic, I also wanted to cut the vegetables because I had never touched a fish in my life and I had no clue how to prepare them, and again, I couldn't read the instructions so vegetables were definitely a safer bet for me."

"I see, so it wasn't because you don't like the smell of raw fish?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I really don't like the smell of raw fish," he added, remembering the scent and he scrunched up his nose. He could almost smell it again just by recalling it. "But I don't like the smell of onions either so scents were not the main reason for my decision, like I mentioned before."

"Still not convinced, huh?" Haruka teased, bringing another smile to Makoto's face like his words were always able to do. Makoto bit his lip and shook his head, to which Haruka replied, "You will be someday."

"Is that a challenge?"

"The duty of my life," he claimed, but then he couldn't hold back his laughter either, "In all seriousness, I didn't think twice about your motive behind wanting to cut the vegetables because like I said, I was just glad I didn't have to chop the onions."

"I guess me being illiterate worked out quite well for us both," Makoto commented, smiling softly and Haruka nodded in agreement and mirrored his expression. His own words made Makoto remember something else as well and he started, "Also, when you asked me what other hobbies I had, I panicked because I didn't really have anything else I could do that wouldn't blow my cover, so instead I said the first thing that came to mind since not having another hobby wouldn't have sounded very believable."

"So that's why you didn't want me to show you the library," Haruka sighed and although he was smiling, there was a bit of dejection in his tone. At first this puzzled Makoto, but then he recalled what he had said to Haruka back then.

"Still, I meant what I said," he swore, making sure his words were filled with sincerity because he was telling the truth, "Even if I would have been able to read, I still would have said that."

That made Haruka's smile soften and for a second he leaned his head against Makoto's arm in the illusion that someone had bumped into him, but Makoto knew it was a gesture of affection that told him that the feelings that had been verbally expressed at the time were entirely mutual.

"Even if I can't read, saying that I like to read wasn't entirely a lie, though," Makoto continued, and Haruka looked up at him in wonder, wanting him to explain what he meant, so he did, "You know I have two little siblings, right?"

Haruka nodded. "Ran and Ren," he provided, showing Makoto that he had cared enough to remember their names and that made Makoto feel oddly warm inside.

"Yes," he affirmed with a fond smile, "They're much younger than me, about eight years, and when we were little our parents would always tell us bedtime stories before we went to sleep. But because they both can't read, we didn't have any books so every night they would make up a story themselves. We would give our suggestions of what we wanted to happen or how we wanted it to end, and our parents would change the story accordingly. I always loved those stories and when I got to a certain age, I began to tell Ran and Ren stories myself as well. So the thought of hearing all the stories that other people, people I don't even know, came up with sounds really appealing and it's something I've always dreamed of. Having access to the imagination of others sounds amazing and there are countless of stories out there waiting to be explored yet they're still out of my reach. I think that the reason 'reading' was the first thing that came to mind when you asked me what other hobbies I have was that, while I was pretending to be a prince, I could pretend to be the person I always dreamed to be and that person would be able to read."

"Do you want me to teach you?" Haruka offered, a genuine desire to make Makoto's dreams come true lighting up in his endlessly blue eyes. "How to read and write?"

"Eh?" Makoto mumbled, startled by the question even if it was an obvious offer after what he had told him. He had been so lost in thought that he didn't even realise what his words could imply. "Oh, you don't have to do that! I've already tried to teach myself in the past with Ran and Ren's schoolbooks but it was too difficult, so I guess I'm too dumb to learn it."

"You're not dumb," Haruka stated clearly, not wanting Makoto to think so lowly of himself. "So don't say you are."

Makoto couldn't help but smile at Haruka's defensiveness, that he wouldn't allow anyone to insult him, not even he himself. To Makoto it didn't feel like he was insulting himself, but rather that he was pointing out the obvious truth, but because he knew that this would bring on a discussion that he could never win, he decided not to argue it. "Still, I wouldn't want to bother you with it. And you've already taught me so many things, like how to dance and swim, and you've already offered to teach me so much more. I really don't want to be a burden to you."

"You're not a burden; you could never be a burden." Haruka's beautiful eyes were shining with determination and adoration and his voice was so full of certainty that Makoto couldn't do anything but believe every word he spoke. Their eye-contact remained as if Haruka was trying to ensure that Makoto would brand those words into his mind so he would never doubt it again, and Makoto's smile softened in affection. "Besides, you've taught me a lot of things too…" Haruka trailed off as he averted his gaze, a cute blush dusting his cheeks. But before Makoto could ask what he meant, he quickly continued, "This is something you want, right?"

Because he had promised to never lie again, Makoto knew he should stop beating around the bush and therefore he told him the truth. "Yes."

"Then I'm going to teach you, whether you like it or not," Haruka declared decisively, and although his words had been somewhat teasing, Makoto knew that once Haruka had his mind set on something, he would do it.

Although his avoidance of the subject might have suggested otherwise, Makoto did really appreciate Haruka's care and heartfelt words, and he simply couldn't stop smiling as he looked at him. "Thank you, Haru."

In response Haruka smiled as well, lightly bumping into Makoto's arm again in a silent answer. "So, what's next?"

---

They continued to walk through the street, stopping at some stalls to buy things for dinner before moving on to the next item on Makoto's mental list. While they were talking about anything and everything, Makoto kept remembering more things that he had told Haruka back in Iwatobi that were false or not entirely true, so he told him the things he couldn't recall yesterday. He had felt so bad about lying to Haruka and it had been hard to keep track of his own words when he was with Haruka because it felt so natural, the conversations that were held otherwise would have had no place for lies at all, so it was incredibly relieving to finally come clean about many of them. Although he had been a little afraid that with every lie he admitted, Haruka's affection for him would shrink until there was ultimately nothing left, in reality the opposite happened; with every truthful detail he told about himself, Haruka's smile widened with fondness.

Their conversation was occasionally interrupted when an acquainted merchant called out to Makoto and asked him who the boy beside him was. For convenience and security's sake, he introduced Haruka to everyone as 'Haru', a friend of his who lived outside of town and was over to visit him. Fortunately Haruka played along without missing a beat, so there were no awkward moments of hesitation that could raise any questions or suspicion.

Eventually they saw the backs of Rei and Nagisa standing in front of a baker's stall. Thankfully their somewhat flamboyant appearances stood out from the crowd, otherwise finding them could have been a lot harder; Makoto could truly understand how easy it had been for Rei to track Nagisa down because they contrasted clearly with the rest of the townsfolk. They walked up to them and Makoto opened his mouth to call out to them, but before he could say anything, Nagisa spoke up first.

"Which of these do you think would be best, Rei?" he wondered as he let his eyes roam over dozens of pastries, "Which ones should we get?"

"You want to get some?" Rei asked in bewilderment, frowning down at his prince.

"For dessert! Since Makoto's mom is cooking for us, it's good if we get the dessert, right?"

"You should have asked her first! Perhaps Mrs. Tachibana has already planned something for dessert or is there something else going on, so you cannot just bring it over without asking! Perhaps she will take it as an insult, as if you find her to be too incompetent to provide for dessert herself, or like you are expecting her cooking to be bad so you brought something yourself."

"You're overthinking it, Rei," Nagisa brushed off, "See it as our token of gratitude that she'll be cooking for us, and an apology for kidnapping her son."

"You're just saying that because you want to eat it yourself, aren't you?" Rei questioned sceptically, "Besides, I didn't kidnap Makoto, he came along out of his own free will."

"Um, guys…?" Makoto mumbled, the sound of his voice making Rei and Nagisa turn around abruptly.

"Makoto, Prince Haruka, we hadn't noticed you were behind us," Rei stammered, feeling a little embarrassed since he didn't know for how long they had been standing there and therefore how much of their conversation they had heard.

"It's good that you're here, Makoto," Nagisa exclaimed, turning to him with excitement and a glint of mischief twinkling in his magenta eyes, "Would your mom be offended if we brought dessert?"

"Not at all," Makoto said with a gentle smile, "If anything, I'm sure she would appreciate the gesture and your thoughtfulness."

"See!" Nagisa retorted, glad that Rei had been wrong and he was right, "Now, which ones should we get…"

"How many people will be at dinner?" Rei inquired, sighing in defeat.

After a split second of pondering, Makoto muttered, "Ten."

"Ten, huh?" Nagisa mumbled, "Perhaps it's better if we get a cake then. Two cakes. I want a strawberry one, and the other…"

"Nagisa, you can't just decide that on your own! What if someone is allergic to strawberries, or doesn't like-"

"I know!" Nagisa cut Rei off, not wanting to hear another one of his lectures when he had already thought about that. "That's why we're getting two different cakes so everyone can choose which one they want. Now, for the second cake…"

"Chocolate cake," Haruka disrupted Nagisa's contemplation, clearly making it sound like there was no room for argument and Makoto's heart fluttered inside his chest. He had told him the reason why he wanted them to make chocolate cake back in Iwatobi and that it had been just as good as he'd always imagined, if not even better than that and although Haruka wasn't that fond of it himself, he wanted Makoto to experience that again. Even if his ways of expressing himself may have strayed from the norm, Haruka was so kind and sweet and with every little gesture of consideration Makoto grew to adore him more and more.

"Yes, chocolate cake!" Nagisa agreed enthusiastically, "Nice, Haru."

"Well then, hurry up and buy them so we can continue," Rei chided, pinching the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance at Nagisa always getting his way.

"Yes, yes," Nagisa muttered, having grown immune to Rei's attempts at hurrying him and therefore blatantly ignoring him, "Mr. baker, can I get…"

While Nagisa was ordering, Makoto turned back to Haruka and murmured, "Thank you, Haru."

Haruka didn't say anything in response, just smiled warmly while he softly rubbed his fingers over Makoto's arm.

Once Nagisa got the cakes he wanted, they turned around and made their way back to Makoto's house.

There were no more interruptions by strangers on the way back; the air was mostly filled with Nagisa's meaningless chattering and some short responses here and there. It wasn't until they were almost back at the blacksmith's that Makoto's name was yelled yet again. But this time it wasn't by an enraged Rin nor a friendly neighbour, but two children who called out simultaneously.

"Makoto!"

Immediately Makoto crouched and put the basket he was holding beside him on the ground as the smaller bodies of his siblings crashed into him.

"Ran, Ren!" he exclaimed as two sets of arms wrapped around his neck and he wound his own arms around them, holding them against himself. "I missed you so much!"

"We missed you too," Ran said as she buried her head in her brother's shoulder, "Where were you?"

Before Makoto had the chance to answer, Ren spoke as well. "Why did you leave?" he asked, his voice thick with tears that would soon be shed, "I thought you'd never come back home."

"Ren, Ran," Makoto sighed, "I'm so sorry. I'll tell you everything soon."

"Don't leave us," Ren pleaded as warm tears welled up in his large brown eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

Seeing his little brother so upset broke Makoto's heart and he pressed his head against his chest to soothe him. "I would never leave you," Makoto assured and although it was technically a lie since he knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to go to Iwatobi, it wasn't a lie the moment he uttered those words. Because he couldn't imagine a life without his siblings, and he couldn't even begin to understand what he had been thinking at the time. He knew it was desperation that dictated his actions, but witnessing the sheer pain he had put his family through made him question if it had been worth it in the first place if things would have developed differently than how they had now. So he was so immensely glad that things had turned out the way they did, that he was able to hold Ran and Ren and his parents again, and that he was able to introduce them to Haruka on top of that.

"I knew you wouldn't," Ran declared solemnly, clearly trying to hold back her own sobs by putting on a tough façade, "I knew you would come back to us. Because you love us."

"I do," Makoto giggled as he tried to repress his own tears as well, "I love you so much." To strengthen his words he pressed a kiss to both of their heads and tightened his arms around their bodies.

While Ren was still sobbing into Makoto's chest, Ran pulled back and her teal eyes found the three boys that were standing around them, watching the scene unfold. "Who are they?" she wondered as she gazed up at them and was met with some awkward smiles in return.

Having almost forgotten that his siblings hadn't been at the introduction, Makoto averted his eyes from Ren to look at Ran instead. "Let's go home first, alright? I'll tell you everything then."

"Okay," Ran easily agreed, and she removed herself from her brother's embrace entirely so they could go home.

Since Ren was still crying, Makoto lifted him with one arm as he stood back up. Immediately Ren wrapped his legs around his waist and in response Makoto raised his other hand to wipe the tears that had stained his cheeks away. When he remembered that he had been carrying a basket filled with groceries before, he looked back down in time to see Haruka grab it with his free hand and he offered Makoto an understanding smile, which made Makoto smile back at him in appreciation.

With Ren in his arms, Makoto continued to lead the way home - which wasn't far considering they had only been about twenty meters away from the front door when they saw each other again.

Ran opened the door and ran inside to greet her mother, after which the rest of them poured in as well, putting the baskets they were carrying down on the table.

"Welcome home," Mrs. Tachibana muttered as she hugged and kissed her daughter. When she let go she looked back up and said, "Welcome home to you too," in addressing to all of them, but then her smile turned into a somewhat concerned frown. "Where are the others? Kisumi and Sousuke?"

"They're taking a nap at the inn," Makoto informed, wanting to soothe her worries before they could develop, "They were up all night so they were exhausted, but they'll be back before dinner."

"I see," she mumbled as she nodded in understanding.

Ren, who had since stopped crying, gestured for Makoto to let him go so he could greet his mother as well.

"So, who are they?" Ran asked when she turned back to Makoto and company.

Makoto chuckled at her impatience; although it was very reasonable for her to be impatient since she had been left in the dark for days filled with worry and concern, but Makoto knew her well enough to know that she would have been just as impatient in any other situation. "This is Haru, this is Nagisa, and this is Rei," Makoto said as he gestured to each of them.

In response they all introduced themselves to Ran and Ren, who had since turned his attention back to the matter at hand. But since Haruka, Nagisa, and Rei had only given their first names, Makoto knew that that didn't tell his siblings very much, so he elaborated on their part.

"Haru is the prince of Iwatobi," he revealed like he was letting them in on a big secret, knowing just how excited this information would make his siblings, "And Nagisa is Prince Nagisa."

The twins gasped in unison. "Really?" When they all nodded in confirmation, Ran and Ren gasped again, "Wow!"

Another chuckle escaped Makoto's lips at how easily convinced his siblings were and how elated they seemed to be at the knowledge that there were two princes in their house. "Why don't you go say 'hi' to Dad and when you come back, I'll tell you everything. Alright?"

"Okay!" they answered simultaneously and they left the room and went to the workshop.

Now Ran and Ren were gone, Makoto turned to his mother to fulfill the mental promise he had made to himself. He hugged her again like he always did when he came home yet with a lot more emotion and intensity than usual and she laughed lightly as she returned his tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're home," she whispered into his chest as the last remnants of concern seeped out of her in the form of a small sigh, feeling completely at ease now that she finally had her son back into her arms where he belonged.

"Me too," Makoto replied softly, "I'm glad to be home."

When she pulled back to look at her son, he leaned down and pressed a long kiss against her cheek, making her laugh again. In response she cupped his face and caressed his skin, and Makoto could read all the thoughts that were coursing through her head in her bright eyes. Although his actions had hurt her deeply, there was nothing left of the sliver of anger that had accompanied the worry because it had been cast aside to make place for absolute forgiveness and thankfulness. And Makoto vowed that he would do everything he could to make sure she never had to feel like that again, that there was only contentment and happiness filling his mother at the thought of him.

Silence was only present for a short while after they broke apart before Nagisa tactlessly interrupted it.

"We brought cake!"

Startled by this sudden outburst, Mrs. Tachibana's eyebrows were raised in surprise and Rei interpreted this reaction as offense. "We thought it would be our token of gratitude to you, Mrs. Tachibana," he quickly excused out of shame, "We hope that's alright; my deepest apologies if it is not."

At those hurried words Mrs. Tachibana chuckled again. "Of course that's alright. Thank you for your kindness; I'm sure Ran and Ren will be very happy with that. And so are we."

Nagisa whispered, "Told you so," to Rei, who sputtered in response.

Ignoring the interaction between them, Haruka spoke up. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Tachibana?"

Again she looked to be surprised, and soon an appreciative smile lit up her face. "Thank you, Haruka. If you don't mind, I could use some assistance with dinner. You have a lot to live up to after that story I heard," she joked, referring to the cooking anecdote she had been told earlier.

His mother's words left Makoto bewildered, because she wasn't one to accept the help of others so easily and it made him wonder if she had an ulterior motive. Completely unaware of this, Haruka simply nodded in response, not knowing what to say to that and again, Rei seemed to be incredibly embarrassed.

"Please forgive my manners, is there anything I can assist you with as well?"

"And I?" Nagisa chimed in.

"That's alright," Mrs. Tachibana kindly brushed off, "There is only so much room at the counter so we would just be getting in each other's way. Just Haruka's help will do." Then she looked at her oldest son. "I believe you still have to explain things to the twins, so if you all don't mind entertaining them for a while, then we'll be fine over here."

Although her words definitely made sense, Makoto could feel that something was still off. It wasn't something that he wanted to go into right now, so he simply seated himself at the table again and gestured for Rei and Nagisa to do the same.

"How much did everything cost?" Mrs. Tachibana wondered as she began to unload the baskets and put the wares onto the counter.

"Nothing."

Haruka's obvious lie made Mrs. Tachibana eye him sceptically. "So everything was free?"

In response Haruka nodded, keeping his face straight in a way that showed that he wasn't going to change his answer. If he didn't tell her how much everything cost, then she couldn't repay him either and she knew that that was the reason behind his lies. Her eyes kept staring into his, like she was waiting for him to back down but Haruka didn't waver and simply stared back.

Then a gentle smile broke through her serious expression. "I see. Well, thank you, Haruka."

Haruka only nodded again, though Makoto could see a tiny smile blossoming in his eyes that didn't quite make its way to his lips.

While the twins came back and sat down at the table as well, Haruka helped Mrs. Tachibana unload the baskets and waited for further instructions of what she wanted him to do.

The first question the twins had was if Rei was a prince too, and they were a little disappointed to find out that that was unfortunately not the case. Makoto informed them that instead of a prince, Rei was the man who had come to their house the morning after he left considering they were at school at the time and had therefore never seen or met him before.

"But he'll be a prince soon," Nagisa whispered to the twins and he winked at them, making them both burst out in giggles while Rei's face turned as red as the apples Mrs. Tachibana took out of one basket.

Soon enough the questions they had were all about Makoto's departure and the reason these strange men were in their house now, so Makoto knew it was better to tell them the story and answer any lingering questions afterwards - or, knowing the inquisitiveness of his siblings, in the middle of the story.

Makoto began to tell Ran and Ren a heavily diluted version of the events that had taken place during the past couple of weeks; excluding the dangers and risks, the thoughts of never returning, and the intimacy that grew between Haruka and him.

At first Haruka was listening along to the story he had heard multiple times already, the soft tone of Makoto's beautiful voice filling up the air and sounding like music to his ears. But soon his drifting mind was brought back to attention when Mrs. Tachibana called his name.

Upon hearing her voice, Haruka looked up to meet her eyes and he saw a gentle smile stretching her face in what appeared to be her default expression.

"You see, Haruka," she started, keeping her tone low so only he could hear what she was saying, "I actually wanted to talk with you alone for a little while."

Those words startled Haruka and he could feel nerves beginning to coil in his stomach again, not knowing what she wanted to discuss with him and what to expect. When Mrs. Tachibana noticed him stiffen up, her smile transformed into an understanding and reassuring one. For some odd reason, it did make him feel more at ease.

"All of this must have been a surprise for you too," she said softly, indicating that that was what she wanted to talk about. "To suddenly find out that the boy with whom you were supposed to get married was not actually who you thought he was."

It was obvious that she was saying this in order to open up the topic for discussion when it had only been skimmed over before, curious as to what exactly had been going on between him and her son and how he regarded him. Haruka didn't blame her; it was only natural that she was interested in her son and anything that concerned him, but unfortunately Haruka was not exactly skilled at verbally expressing the unfamiliar feelings that had been overtaking his mind and heart since a couple of days ago. And even if he were, it was still a little awkward to open up to a woman he had met just an hour or three ago, for he didn't even open up to people he had known his entire life.

But this wasn't just anyone; this was Makoto's mother and the last thing he wanted was for her to think badly of him.

After a short pause to ponder over his words and choose the right ones, he said, "It was a surprise. A big one."

"And yet you are still here now."

Her expression was kind, just like her tone was as she spoke. Rather than being accusing or interrogating, the atmosphere she was going for was more like she was subtly fishing for the things she wanted to hear and although he understood what she was doing, it made him a little uncomfortable and he averted his eyes to focus on what he was doing instead. But he told himself to not run away from this confrontation because it was potentially one that decided his future relationship with Makoto and his family and therefore he had to give them a good impression of him. When he looked back up at Mrs. Tachibana's friendly and patient face it was like he suddenly saw parts of Makoto in her; the droopy eyes, the upturned nose, the calm and gentle demeanour. It was obvious that mother and son would share some similar features, but it somehow made him feel some familiarity that made it easier to speak his mind as well.

"Because it didn't change anything," he murmured softly and his heart beat faster as he recalled the days spent back at home with Makoto by his side. Knowing that she would continue to pry until he had given her a satisfying answer, he decided to elaborate himself, "Of course, I was upset, really upset, but he apologised and explained the circumstances and I… I realised that nothing had changed. I mean, the situation and the future I envisioned changed, but it didn't change the way I feel about him."

"So you chose to forgive him for all of his lies?"

Haruka nodded. "He promised he would never lie to me again, so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I see," she said, appearing to be pleased with his answer. Like she was glad that there was genuine devotion and forgiveness in whatever it was that was going on between him and her son. "I was surprised to hear that he was able to keep up his act for that long, although I would be lying if I said that he never lied to me before."

Haruka frowned as bits of dread and doubt began to fill him. Besides the whole façade he had put on before, Haruka had gotten the impression than Makoto was an otherwise honest man so the fact that his mother now claimed this to be false made him feel anxious. Afraid that the friendly and warm person who he had come to adore was nothing more than a skillful liar and he had still fallen for a delusion.

Those worries were gone as quickly as they had come when Mrs. Tachibana noticed his apprehensiveness and she explained what she meant with a sorrowful smile, "For instance… he would say that he wasn't hungry and give his food to Ran and Ren, but you could just hear his stomach rumbling. Or he would say that his shoes weren't too small and didn't hurt his feet, but his toes were practically ripping through the fabric. He lies about things like that."

The frown immediately fell from Haruka's face and made place for heartache. He felt so bad for even allowing the negative thoughts about Makoto to enter his mind in the first place. Although he sometimes lied to his family, it wasn't for himself but for them, because he didn't want to be a burden to them and prioritised their comfort over his own. Because he was kind and humble and selfless and he didn't deserve to suffer, didn't deserve all the hardships he had gone through while there were so many others who were ungrateful and selfish and yet got everything handed to them on a silver platter. People like him.

So Haruka made up his mind. He would make sure that Makoto would never have to go through anything like that again.

"I know Makoto promised he would never lie to you again," Mrs. Tachibana uttered, her serious tone pulling him from his thoughts, "But he might lie to you about something like that in the future. He just doesn't want anyone to worry about him and I think that brushing off concerns may have become a bit of a habit for him. So, please forgive him if he does or says something like that."

"Of course!" Haruka blurted, not wanting her to think he wouldn't understand if something like that happened. Ideally, he wanted Makoto to be open and honest with him regarding everything but he understood that he was used to always keeping up his demeanour for the sake of his family and sometimes wouldn't admit to certain things that could cause for them to worry. He knew that opening up was a journey and he hoped to provide the comfort and safety Makoto needed to completely lay himself bare. Although he wouldn't tolerate a meaningless lie coming from his lips again, he knew he wouldn't just cut ties with him because of this, because of his selflessness and the emotional scars that years of hunger and worry had embedded on his heart. He would support him like an unbreakable pillar, be the boulder he could lean on, the ever-present rock that would give him all the strength he needed to heal and so much more than that. That was what Haruka aspired to be for Makoto, until he was able to tear down the walls he built around himself to protect those he loved, and long after that as well.

Her smile widened in appreciation for even if his thoughts remained unvoiced, they were conveyed all the same. "Speaking of which," she continued in a significantly lighter tone, "It must have been strange and difficult to get used to the fact that his name is "Makoto" and not "Nagisa", right?"

"It was a little strange at first," Haruka confirmed, "But it wasn't as difficult as I expected."

Although Makoto had been "Nagisa" in his head at first, the moment Makoto told him his real name it was as if something clicked, like something was finally right in his mind even if it had never felt off before. But Haruka reasoned that was because "Makoto" fit him so much more than "Nagisa" did.

Before Mrs. Tachibana could ask him any more questions, Haruka decided to ask her something in return. "It must have been strange for you too," he said, and when Mrs. Tachibana looked at him with raised eyebrows, he clarified, "That Makoto was suddenly gone that morning."

"It sure was," Mrs. Tachibana sighed, shaking her head as she thought back to that dreadful day, "The only thing that we found to be a bit odd before that were the earnings he brought home last week, but that wasn't nearly enough to prepare us for him suddenly leaving like that. All we had that explained his disappearance was the note he left, telling us that he got an impromptu job offer for which he would be gone for an undetermined amount of time, that we shouldn't be worried about him and that a man would come soon to give us his payment. So we were obviously very concerned, because it's not like Makoto to leave without telling us and because we knew he couldn't have written the note himself, we thought something bad might have happened to him. That he might have gotten himself involved with some unruly, illegal business before and was paying the price for it now." She snorted as she recalled it. "Turns out he did actually get himself involved with some illegal business, but this was about the last thing I expected!"

"I can imagine," Haruka mumbled, feeling both bad that Makoto's family had to go through those days full of terror and anxiety while he was having fun with Makoto, and relieved to know that Makoto's family cared so much for him. While Makoto missed out on a lot of things during his childhood, love wasn't one of those things. "I'm sorry he made you worry, but he thought he was doing the right thing."

"I know he thought that and I really appreciate what he risked for us, but the least he could have done was told us before he left!"

"If he told you, would you have allowed him to go?"

"…No," she admitted sheepishly and Haruka couldn't stop himself from snorting as well. "But even if I was really concerned and upset and am still a little mad at him for leaving, I'm glad that he did it."

Haruka frowned in confusion at those words, because he couldn't imagine what her reasoning behind that was. The only benefit she had from all of this was the payment they had received for Makoto's actions, but was that really enough to take away days worth of worry and uncertainty?

As if she had read his mind, Mrs. Tachibana smiled at him again before she stated, "Otherwise he never would have met you, Haruka."

It felt like she was staring right through him when she had said that, for even if it was obvious that Makoto and he had feelings for each other that went beyond friendship, it was odd to hear her say something like that when he hadn't verbally specified what those feelings were, at least not to her. But that was not the only way her words hit her, because it implied that she was glad that the two of them had found each other, that she approved of whatever could happen after this. That made him happy and relieved, but he couldn't help the remnants of nerves and fear that lingered in his stomach.

"Are you okay with it?" he asked just to be sure, because it wasn't common for two people at opposite ends of the social hierarchy to be together and Makoto and Haruka couldn't be further apart from each other in that sense. To him, the fact that they had even found each other, that they had crossed the distance between them against all odds meant that the bond they shared held a meaning deeper than any social construct and the prospect of that bond only growing stronger and deeper in the future made his heart ache in all the right ways. But just because he felt this way didn't mean that she necessarily felt like that as well and a part of him was desperate for her approval.

Fortunately, her smile only widened before she said, "Of course. It doesn't matter who you are, as long as you make him happy."

That reassurance made a soft smile of joy and gratitude bloom on Haruka's lips. He thought that all that mattered was that two people made each other happy, that they enjoyed spending time together and cared for one another wholeheartedly, and not what society defined them by. And he was so glad to hear that Makoto's mother agreed with that; surely that meant that the rest of Makoto's family shared similar views and wouldn't stand in the way of their happiness solely based on their identities - not that that was much of a surprise because Makoto's parents seemed like very down-to-earth people who hadn't cared about his status or title at all after the initial shock had dwindled and just saw him for the person he was, but the confirmation still brought him alleviation.

If only his own parents felt that way too.

---

They continued to make dinner while Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei humoured the twins by answering any questions that had lingered after they told them what had happened. Some of the more personal questions that were asked by either Ran or Ren brought them a scolding from their brother, mortification from Rei, and an excited answer from Nagisa. Going off the bits and pieces he could gather from their conversation, Haruka was glad that he wasn't a part of it. Although he was used to being asked questions he didn't want to answer, they were never asked by two insistent and curious children and he wasn't sure how he would have survived that; even if Mrs. Tachibana asked him some personal things too, she asked them in a much more subtle and less pressing way, so it was much easier to answer them than a question from the twins would have been. They still asked Makoto questions about him, but he answered them in a way that was both satisfying but not too revealing and in-detail, so he was glad to have Makoto speaking on his behalf. After all, Makoto had known the twins since their birth and knew just how to handle them, while he didn't and the last thing he wanted was to get on Ran and Ren's bad side; he knew just how much Makoto loved them so he definitely wanted to be liked by them and to get their approval, as odd as that might sound.

At last they were all done with dinner and Ran and Ren set the table while Makoto and his father moved another table from the workshop to their house so everyone could eat comfortably. Mrs. Tachibana served dinner while they all seated themselves at the tables.

"Wow!" Ren gushed, his eyes widening in amazement, "There's so much food!"

"Of course," Mrs. Tachibana said with a gentle smile, "Makoto is back home and we have guests over, so tonight we're having a special celebration dinner."

"You really didn't have to do this for us, ma'am," Rei excused awkwardly, feeling like they had burdened her with their presence.

"Nonsense!" she cut him off, "It's nothing I didn't want to do for you all. If anything, thank Haruka for helping out, otherwise the food wouldn't have been done yet. Now, I'm sure it's not as good as you're all used to, but I hope you can enjoy it even a little."

"I'm sure we will," Nagisa said with an eager smile and he grabbed his cutlery to dig in but Rei stopped him before he could take a bite. "What?"

"You have to wait!"

"On what?" he questioned in confusion, but then he realised something was missing, or rather, someone was missing. Two someones. "Where are Kisumi and Sousuke?"

"I don't know," Makoto muttered as he peered at the clock that hung above the counter, "They should have been here by now; I told them to come at six so they'd be in time for dinner. Maybe I just should have picked them up like I suggested, what if they're lost? I'll go look for them now."

Makoto got up and when he opened the door to make his leave, he was startled when he was met with Kisumi's face right in front of his.

"Kisumi! You scared me," he said with a sigh, lifting his hand to his chest in an attempt to calm down his frantically thumping heart, and he took a step back so he and Sousuke could come inside.

"Sorry we're late!" Kisumi apologised as he walked past Makoto, dragging Sousuke in after him.

"It's alright." Makoto went back to his chair and sat down again while Kisumi and Sousuke washed their hands before they sat down as well. Now they were all here, they could finally start eating before the food got cold and all of his mother's and Haruka's effort went to waste. "What took you so long, though? I thought you said you could find your way back here with no help."

"Well I can find my way back here just fine," Kisumi claimed as he gestured at himself, and then he pointed an accusing finger at Sousuke, "but he on the other hand." He sighed in exasperation. "We were walking back here just fine, I take my eyes off of him for one second and he's disappeared. Gone. Lost in the crowd. I had to look all around for him, and he's lucky he's so tall so he stands out above most folk, otherwise I'm not sure if we would even be here right now. When I found him I made sure to physically drag him here so he couldn't wander off on his own again."

"Sorry," Sousuke mumbled with a hint of embarrassment and he stared down at his plate, avoiding everyone's gaze. It was amusing to think that a man who was training to be a knight, who was big and strong and seemed so intimidating had such a terrible sense of direction. In hindsight, Makoto was very glad that they chose to let Kisumi lead the way back to Sano, otherwise they probably would have gotten terribly lost and they might not have even been here right now.

"Well, all that matters is that you found your way back safely and that you're here now," Mrs. Tachibana thought, not wanting them to dwell on it any longer since it couldn't be helped either way. She smiled reassuringly at Sousuke, trying to put him at ease and prevent him from feeling too guilty about it. "Now, shall we eat?"

---

Dinner was very different from how it had been these past couple of days for Makoto. Not only the food - which was now a far less deluxe and a lot simpler yet tasted like home and love - but mainly the ambience in that hung in the small room was incredibly contrasting to the ones Makoto had experienced in Iwatobi. The first dinner there had been stiff, awkward and out of place and the meals he had with Haruka alone were calm and tender yet still so exciting and full of warmth and comfort. But now there was the familiarity of his family and his environment, the liveliness of conversation that he was so used to but for once it didn't serve to make the meal they were having less meager - and the fact that he didn't have to pay too much attention to his manners and the proper etiquette was also wonderful. He had missed the comfort of eating dinner with his parents and siblings and how normal it was to sit here at the table in the house in which he was born, in the town where he grew up, in the kingdom he spent his everyday life.

Though it was far from normal now, because he was not only joined by his family but by his friends as well - and his more-than-friend. But that wasn't a bad thing at all, because even if it wasn't like how it usually was, it was like a mixture of his favourite elements of all the meals he'd ever had; the taste of home with the added flavours of companionship and adoration.

And fortunately, he wasn't the only one who experienced this: the atmosphere was amicable and the conversation was friendly, and even Haruka was smiling softly and commenting here and there, still shooting him the occasional look of affection that his eyes had also held during previous meals they shared with each other. Makoto had been afraid that he would feel uncomfortable, not only because of the unfamiliar place and people, but also the different customs and complete lack of protocol were things that he wasn't used to at all; Makoto felt uncomfortable in Iwatobi at first too, so he could definitely understand it if Haruka felt that way about his home and Sano in general. Even if he wanted Haruka to be comfortable here and feel a little at home as well, he knew that it wasn't odd for him to feel the exact opposite. So he was pleasantly surprised to see that even if Haruka didn't seem to be as open as he was when they were alone, he wasn't completely shutting himself out due to discomfort either.

Once all their plates had been cleared, Mrs. Tachibana served the cakes that Nagisa and Rei had brought and if dinner hadn't been great enough for the twins already, dessert made the evening absolutely mind-blowing and completely unforgettable. It wasn't mentioned to them before so it would be a surprise, and they were so excited that it made Makoto's heart burn with fondness and pain - fondness because he was so glad he got to see them happily enjoying this treat, and pain because this was something that was so simple and yet made them immensely happy because they never got it otherwise because it was an unnecessary luxury they couldn't afford, and it made Makoto feel bad that he couldn't give them this usually, not even every once in a while.

He tried to push those thoughts away for now, because tonight they would just enjoy the dinner and company of their guests, savouring every bite and every second.

Since having cake for dessert - and having dessert at all - was such a rare and unusual occasion, Ran and Ren couldn't decide if they wanted a slice of the strawberry cake or the chocolate cake, not wanting to miss out on the taste of either. To spoil them, Mrs. Tachibana cut them a thin slice of both so they didn't have to choose and could enjoy it to the fullest. It seemed like Makoto's mother was feeling the same way he did and therefore chose to let them indulge themselves and be a little greedy for once, since she usually couldn't spoil them like she wished she could do. And indulging they did; soon the corners of their mouths were stained with frosting and chocolate as they merrily chewed on their treat.

Makoto obviously chose for a piece of the chocolate cake since Haruka had gone and picked it especially for him, but he had to admit he was curious to know how the strawberry one tasted as well. It wasn't just something new to the twins after all, because it was still a luxury to him as well despite having experienced the food that the chefs in Iwatobi made for the royal family, since it hadn't been frequent enough for him to get used to it already so tonight felt a little special to him too. Like his mind had been read, a fork soon entered his field of vision and he unconsciously opened his mouth to accept the bite, the flavour of strawberry and sugary frosting strong on his tongue as he chewed. When his eyes followed the line of the offering arm he was met with a soft smile on a small mouth and ocean blue eyes staring through his soul; although he wasn't a fan of sweet things in general, Haruka had purposely picked the sweet strawberry cake so Makoto could have a taste of it too and Makoto's heart practically turned to sugar and melted inside his chest.

To return the favour, Makoto cut off a piece of his chocolate slice with the side of his fork and offered it so Haruka could try this cake as well. Without a word Haruka accepted the gesture before chewing thoughtfully, and it wasn't until Makoto could hear the muted chuckles coming from around the table that he realised what they had just done like it was second nature, completely forgetting that they weren't alone. It was a little embarrassing, but it was just so easy to forget that other people even existed when he looked at Haruka; like he was the biggest star glowing brightly just for him, blinding him by outshining all others. Fortunately, no one decided to comment on it so Haruka and Makoto were spared from any more shame.

When they had all eaten their fill, Mrs. Tachibana put all the plates on the counter and made another round of tea. Haruka had offered to help her out with the dishes, after which the other guests chimed in with proposals of assistance as well but Mrs. Tachibana whisked them all away and told them that she and her husband would do the dishes later.

The conversation continued over cups of steaming tea and it wasn't until the sun was starting to sink below the horizon that it ended with Rei announcing that the time had come for them to take their leave; it was getting late and it would be best if they went to bed so they could get a good night's rest because they would definitely need it tomorrow, especially since none of them had slept well these past few days. They all agreed because his words made sense. Both parties said goodbye to each other along with expressions of gratitude and wishes of good fortune in the future. Nagisa jokingly said that it wasn't a farewell and that he would be back for dinner tomorrow, to which Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana simply replied that he, and everyone else, would always be welcome in their home.

Makoto offered to walk them back to the inn and no one objected because his intention behind it was as clear as water. Kisumi led the way back - keeping a close eye on Sousuke so he wouldn't wander off on his own again - and the others walked beside him, save for Haruka and Makoto who trailed a little behind. A comfortable silence settled between them as they exchanged the occasional yet meaningful look, not needing any words to fill up the air to convey the affections and the longing that burned inside their chests for one another.

When they arrived at the inn, Makoto knew that the time had come for them to part ways and the mere thought of it made inexplicable emptiness coil in his stomach. Even though he would surely see Haruka - and Nagisa, Rei, and Sousuke - again soon, it still felt odd in a way that he failed to understand.

"Well then," he started awkwardly to open up the conversation, "I suppose this is it." The moment those words left his lips, he regretted them. It wasn't like he would never see them again, so why was he acting like he was? In an attempt to come back to what he actually wanted to tell them, he decided to cut to the chase right away. "Good luck tomorrow, I hope everything will work out. I'll definitely be thinking of you, I'm not sure if that will help out but-"

"Wait," Nagisa interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at Makoto's words, "You're not coming with us tomorrow?"

"Of course not," Makoto responded in bewilderment, frowning as well because he didn't understand the misconception on Nagisa's end, "It would hardly be appropriate for me to come. Besides, I have to work tomorrow anyway."

"You have to work tomorrow? But tomorrow is a Sunday!" Nagisa objected but Makoto only shrugged in response. He had always been under the impression that Sunday was the day off of work for the common folk, but apparently he had been wrong. Still, the notion of Makoto having to work tomorrow confused Nagisa greatly. "But I thought that the payment Rei gave you…"

Nagisa didn't finish his sentence in fear of looking even dumber than he already was right then because Makoto simply shook his head in response.

"The payment Rei gave us was enough for us to never have to worry again," Makoto explained patiently for he knew it wasn't Nagisa's fault he was ignorant on the matter, "So we'll have a backup in case something happens, like if we don't make enough money one day but we still need to get food, or if someone suddenly gets sick and we need medicine, but it's not enough for us to live off of so we can't just stop working." Nagisa's confusion gave Makoto the impression that he didn't fully realise how expensive it was to live, so Makoto elaborated, "You can't live off of savings, because it's not just food we have to pay for, there's also taxes, the mortgage, water and electricity, Ran and Ren's school and the school supplies, the materials for the shop, fabric and, if anything breaks, tools or furniture and… so much more," he ended sheepishly when he noticed he was rambling.

"Oh… right."

"We'll come back tomorrow," Haruka suddenly said as if Nagisa had never interrupted Makoto in the first place - Nagisa didn't know if he spoke because he wanted to save him from more embarrassment or for another reason, but he appreciated Haruka's diversion all the same. "I don't know how much time it will take, but we'll come back as soon as we have an answer from King and Queen Hazuki."

"Thank you, Haru," Makoto murmured in acknowledgement, glad about that prospect because he was dying to know whether or not the plans would go through the way they discussed them and if Nagisa and Rei were allowed to be together at last - and perhaps a little because he wanted to see Haruka as soon as possible again too. "I really appreciate that."

"I don't think I'll come back along tomorrow," Kisumi chimed in, disrupting the connecting gaze that Haruka and Makoto had been captured in with a somewhat awkward smile. "They'll probably put me right back to work tomorrow so…"

Makoto understood what he was trying to say and he turned to Kisumi, knowing that even if this wasn't his goodbye to the others, it was to Kisumi. "Thank you for everything, Kisumi," Makoto thanked sincerely as he hugged him in a gesture of gratitude and friendship, "We never could have done this without you and I'll always be grateful to you. Thank you so much."

Kisumi laughed at Makoto's sentimental words and he pulled back, "Why are you thanking me like I'm going to die?"

"Oh, that wasn't my intention!" Makoto frantically waved his hands in front of his body in dismissal and defense. "I just am really grateful to you. I really appreciate all that you did for us, what you did for me specifically. I'll never forget what you said to me."

Those words made Kisumi smirk and he whispered, "Told you everything would be alright," under his breath and he winked at Makoto, but then he raised his voice and said, "Still, you're making it sound like you'll never see me again. Believe me, you won't get rid of me this easily. After all, am I not invited to the wedding?" Before Haruka had the chance to mutter 'no', he quickly followed his teasing up with, "Besides, I think you still got something that belongs to me."

When Makoto saw him running his eyes over his body, he looked down as well and that was when he realised he was still wearing Kisumi's suit. "Right! I'm sorry, I completely forgot!" It was almost as if he had gotten used to taking constricted breaths and being unable to move his arms properly. "I'll wash them and return them soon, and the boots-"

"Keep the boots," Kisumi cut in, "They don't fit me anyway, and I actually did buy them for you; you can keep the clothes too but that would be a waste since they don't really fit you anyway."

"Thanks," Makoto chuckled, not finding it a loss that he had to give Kisumi's clothing back. On the contrary, he was rather relieved that he wouldn't have to wear such tight garments again in the future; even if he had been used to wearing boots that were too small, his mother always purposefully made his clothes a size or two bigger so he would grow into them and could still fit into them by the time she made new ones - although she was not always prepared enough for his sudden growth spurts, his own clothing would still fit much better than Kisumi's had.

"That reminds me!" Rei suddenly said, smacking his hand with his fist in recollection, "Your garments are still at the palace. I'll make sure to return them to you tomorrow."

"Thanks," Makoto repeated, snorting lightly at the memory of his arrival at the palace earlier that week in his sleeping wear.

"Well then," Kisumi concluded with his charming smile, "Goodnight, Makoto. See you later!" Without waiting for a response, he made his way to the door, dragging Rei and Nagisa in after him, who quickly muttered their own expressions of departure and wishes of goodnight but were drowned out by Kisumi mumbling, "Come on, let the lovebirds have a moment alone."

Those words made a fierce blush dust Makoto's cheeks and Haruka averted his eyes, staring pointedly at his feet and he didn't look up until Sousuke had reluctantly left as well and the door to the inn closed behind him.

When their eyes met, a bashful smile stretched Makoto's face because he wasn't quite sure what to say to Haruka. Usually his eyes would just convey what he felt without him having to find the right words to express himself with, but now he felt the need to actually say something aloud.

Apparently Haruka felt the same way, because he seemed to be deep in thought before he softly murmured, "Thank you." When Makoto raised his eyebrows in a questioning look, he clarified, "For today." For showing me your home, for letting me meet your family, for being open and honest with me.

Makoto's smile softened in understanding, warmth surging through his heart. "Thank you, too," he chuckled lightly in gratitude for his trust, but then his voice turned a little more serious to make sure his words sounded as earnest as he intended them to be. "Good luck tomorrow, Haru. Thank you for wanting to do this for them."

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it happen, but I'll try my best."

Haruka's words had been shy and somewhat nervous but there was still a sliver of determination hidden in them. "I know you will," Makoto replied confidently, making a tiny smile bloom on Haruka's lips, "I'm sorry there's not much I can do to help, but I'll definitely keep hoping and thinking about you tomorrow." He wrapped his arms around Haruka's shoulders and pressed his lithe body against his in the promise he had made to himself earlier that day.

Naturally Haruka's arms wound themselves around Makoto's back as he buried his face into Makoto's chest, holding him tightly and he sighed in contentment. "Just your support is enough," he whispered almost inaudibly, but Makoto had heard him anyway, had felt the words resonating through their embrace and he couldn't stop himself from placing the tiniest of kisses against Haruka's temple in response.

They stood there for a while, holding each other close as time ticked by because neither of them wanted to be the first one to let go, wanting to hold on for as long as the other would allow it. Being inside the other's arms just felt so comfortable and right and it would be foolish of them to break away prematurely, when the other still had more warmth and affection to offer. When they realised that the other was thinking the same, they both chuckled a little at how much their hearts were on the same page. Even though they wouldn't have had any complaints to stay in this position for hours on end and would have enjoyed every second of it, they knew that wasn't wisest thing they could do and that they were unfortunately going to have to pull away at some point soon.

With one deep breath Haruka tightened his arms once more and squeezed Makoto lightly as he nuzzled his face into Makoto's chest before he straightened his back and neck, yet keeping his arms locked around Makoto.

Their gazes met and Makoto could see the same joy and fondness twinkling in those breathtakingly blue eyes that he felt inside every fiber of his being and he smiled down at Haruka in adoration. "Goodnight, Haru," Makoto sighed, his voice barely above a whisper, yet his grip on Haruka remained as well.

A sweet smile appeared on Haruka's face and he got up on his toes before he pressed a kiss against Makoto's cheek on the same place he had a few days before. Yet this time, it wasn't small and fleeting; it lingered so Makoto could truly feel it, so that even after they parted ways, he could feel it imprinted in his skin.

When Haruka pulled back, he didn't flee from embarrassment like he had the first time his lips met Makoto's cheek. Instead, he smiled at Makoto again before getting back onto his feet. "Goodnight, Makoto."

With reluctance they let each other go and Haruka stepped towards the door of the inn, grabbing the handle of the door. Before he pushed it open, he turned back and waved at Makoto, who waved back and his adoring smile never wavered, even as he saw Haruka disappearing into the inn and the large door falling shut behind him.

He raised his hand and touched the spot Haruka had kissed, smiling to himself as he stared at the door Haruka had just gone through before he turned around. With a heavy yet happy heart, Makoto began to walk back to his house.

Haruka really was too cute for his own good.

---

A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

One thing I want to mention, though, is that I always tried to update on or around the birthdays of the main four boys; I have been able to keep this up until now and posted around the birthdays of Haruka, Nagisa, and now Makoto, but I can already say beforehand that I won't have the next chapter out on Rei's birthday (December 14th.) Although I have already started chapter 7 I'm only about 5k in right now and I know I won't have it done before then; I used to have the advantage that I already had the next chapter done by the time I posted one, but because I did want to update around Makoto's birthday, I now lost that headstart. This will mean that it will take me even longer to get the next chapters out and I hope you understand that, but I promise I'll still do my best to get the entire fic out as soon as I can.

As always, you can find me on Tumblr or Twitter DatHeetJoella if you have any questions or comments or you simply want to talk with me.

Thank you again, I wish you a lovely day and I hope to see you again at the next chapter!