Welp, here's another chapter. I'm uploading earlier than usual due to certain commitments made tomorrow. Hope you like it!

September 2018

He was tired.

He stared out the window of the plane he was currently in, looking forward to the sun which was beginning to show it's rays behind the thin clouds, in spite of his exhaustion. He had tried to sleep earlier but had only gotten a few hours in before he woke up again and could no longer go back to sleep. He supposed it was due to all the excitement he felt of finally going back to his home country, after a year of his Europe concert tour. While he loved exploring and travelling, a year of constant move had him ready to go home, even for one like him who had always claimed that life is an adventure. He supposed it was due to the fact that it was really tiring to move around a lot, or maybe he had just gotten older and is now experiencing the 'adult blues' stage?

The thought was funny and kinda disturbing at the same time, but a chuckle managed to escape him.

With a thud and a violent rattle he felt all the way to his bones, the plane had successfully completed it's land to Tokyo Haneda Airport. In spite of the quite messy landing, he truly is looking forward to being home, at last.

Along with the other passengers, he carefully navigated the disembarkation ramp and made his way to the arrivals' area, sliding his sunglasses up his hair. He could see families – or possibly friends – waving frantically to the newcomers, and he couldn't help the wistful smile forming on his lips. He had called Shii-chan to tell him of his impending return to Japan after so many years, and though the former dog of the zodiac couldn't come himself to pick him up because of Akito being heavily pregnant, he had promised that he would be sending a 'welcoming brigade' to the airport to do so, in spite of his assurances that it would be okay if he didn't have any.

He didn't have any idea who Shigure had sent to welcome him home, though he was a little bit skeptical. After the curse of the zodiac had broken, the Sohma cousins had started living their own lives in separate, much preferring to experience freedom to its fullest which had long been denied to them when they still had the curse, and only rightfully so. He didn't know if there was anyone who was available to even meet him here or if anyone had even agreed to go pick him up from the airport.

He didn't have time to dwell on it, as a collective yell greeted him:

"Momiji!"

He turned to the direction of the excited yell, his eyes landing on a certain group not too far from his left. They stood out, mainly because each member of the group is attractive (perhaps the understatement of the century,) which had been a singular, collective trait shared by those belonging to the Sohma clan; particularly to the members of the now ex-jyuunishi. It gave the impression that they were separate from the other people around them, since beauty is something that should be admired afar, indeed.

A wide smile formed on his lips, seeing some of his closest cousins – Yuki, Hatsuharu, Kagura, Kisa and even Hiro standing close together, Kagura and Kisa both waving banners, Haru holding what seemed to be fancy balloons in his left hand, Hiro standing with his arms crossed and Yuki smiling at him in welcome.

His heart sank as he soon realized that a familiar face was missing, the woman he had most wanted to see, though he had half-expected that she probably wouldn't be there to welcome him home. The fallout with his hotheaded cousin may have seen to that, though from what he had read from Kisa's letters, she still mostly visits her when she had the time, so it was safe to say that she hadn't cut his family off, something he had never imagined her doing in the first place.

"Ich bin zuhause!" He called out with beginning chagrin. Other people were openly looking at them, surprised to see such an attractive group of young people all in one place. He could see some whispering to each other behind their hands, probably beginning to recognize him, or wondering where the hell did this group of crazy-good-looking people come from at all. "This is a nice surprise!"

The moment he was within their reach, Kagura was the first one to pull him into a bone-crushing hug (she seemed to have retained her super strength from the time she was still the boar of the zodiac, something he remembered his male cousins being dismayed at) ecstatically. "Welcome home, Momiji-chan!" She squealed in delight, her enthusiasm not managing to cover the fact that she was crushing him with her brute strength.

He was panting, wanting to tap out. Even if this wasn't a wrestling match, he should have been tapping out by now anyway. "T-Thanks, Kagura. Can't breathe – " He felt the pressure ease from his ribs the moment she was pried off of him, Haru and Hiro taking pity on him, most probably, telling Kagura to ease up on him.

Yuki merely gave him a side hug, always someone not comfortable with displays of affection and Hiro harrumphed while greeting him with a "Yo, you're finally back", to which he laughed and ruffled his hair. "You've grown up a lot, Hiro-chan." He commented, making Hiro grumble and swat his hand away, telling him to stop calling him that. Haru came next, handing him the balloons he was holding, this time being the one to give him a side hug, and finally, Kisa gave him a full embrace, which he returned enthusiastically. "You've grown to be very pretty, Kisa-chan." He said, making the former tiger of the zodiac blush pleasantly in thanks.

He swept his gaze over them affectionately. It was nice to see them all, truly.

"Thank you for coming guys. Didn't expect to see you here, honestly." He was smiling genuinely. He had truly missed his cousins – being a Sohma normally meant that whenever three or four of the cousins of their generation were gathered in one place, it meant absolute chaos, a thing he had missed. Living a solitary life in a different country had seen to that nostalgia.

"We made time, of course!" Kagura said matter-of-factly. "I mean, who wouldn't want to see Henry in person right?" She teased, elbowing him a little too roughly more than she intended.

He laughed, scratching his head, a tad embarrassed as Haru nodded along. "Fancy name you've given yourself. I can brag about having a world-class violinist as a cousin now." He said in a deadpan tone, though Momiji could see that he was already possibly imagining the possibilities.

He sweat-dropped. "Don't. Elise worked so hard just to keep the Sohma name out of the spotlight. Besides, that stage name isn't that flashy, and I'm not even the one who decided on that name – Elise did." He reasoned out, referring to his manager of German descent, the same one who manages the world-renowned conductors Franz Von Stresemann and Chiaki Shinichi, both of whom were based in Vienna, currently.

"I'll have to get your signature, Momiji-nii!" Kisa exclaimed, laughing as Hiro continued to sulk beside her, a bit jealous of her admiration towards him. "The girls in my class are begging me for it. They even promised to keep quiet."

Yuki must have seen him look around once more, not really expecting to find someone else with them though he couldn't help but look around anyway, and he cut them off. "We have time for that later. For now, let's bring out the surprise."

He perked up at that, looking at them almost a little suspiciously and warily. He had a right to be wary, since Sohma surprises can range from I'm-not-sure-if-this-is-allowed to get-you-in-prison-illegal. This is Yuki he was speaking to though, and he could count on the former rat of the zodiac to be logical and keep the crazier of his cousins in check. "I thought you guys were the surprise already."

Yuki smiled a little more warmly at that. "We are, but we're not the only ones who wanted to see you, you know."

So saying, his cousins parted off to the side, revealing another person hiding from his view. His breath caught in his throat as the first thing he saw were her tears. He recognized her almost immediately, the years he wasn't in Japan not doing justice to his memory of the woman who had saved his family and engraved her presence in their lives, making them realize that there is someone out there who can love them and accept them for what they were – cursed jyuunishi or not.

"Tohru." He breathed, saying her name like it was a silent prayer.

The next thing he knew, he had raised his arms to her, and she was in them, and she was sobbing her heart out.