Ichigo walked up the steps to her apartment when she saw the bubbly Sara Mitsuya walking up the stairs in front of her, poorly juggling her grocery bags in her hands. Ichigo sighed as she shook her head, skipping up the stairs to catch up with her.

"Sara-san, let me help you."

Sara turned around and cheered as Ichigo took some of the bags from her, "Oh, Little Ichi, thank you so so much!"

Ichigo shook her head again before they headed to Sara's apartment, "Sara-san, you need to stop trying to carry all these bags up by yourself. You're going to get hurt one day."

Sara turned and smiled as she took her keys out of her pocket, "But if I don't, then I wouldn't be able to spend time with you."

Ichigo rolled her eyes as she adjusted the bags in her hands, "You don't need to hurt yourself to see me, you know."

"Oh, you're no fun," Sara playfully pouted as she opened the door.

Ichigo shook her head as she walked in and placed the bags on the table. Once she collected the bags from Sara, she started to help her unpack, making sure everything was where it went. Going behind Sara and organizing the food that Sara mindlessly threw in her fridge and in the pantry.

"You know you would be able to find everything if you didn't just shove everything wherever. There's a home for everything," Ichigo stated as she started to clean out the fridge.

"Aye, aye, Captain. I will try my best to make sure everything goes in its special little home," Sara mocked, causing Ichigo to roll her eyes again as she placed the last of the food away.

Once everything was put away, she gathered all the bags and put them in the bag holder, which was just a bigger plastic bag that held the smaller bags.

Sara looked around and smiled as she saw everything was put up. "Oh, thank you so much, Ichi," Sara pulled Ichigo into a huge hug when they heard the pitter patters of tiny feet running down the hall.

"Mama! Ichi-chan!"

Ichigo looked over and smiled as she saw the two younger Mitsuyas run through the door. Sara smiled as she gave them a big hug, looking over thanking the woman that dropped them off.

"Oh, babies, how was school? Tell me all about it!" Sara cheered as she sat down on the floor, pulling the girls into her lap.

Luna giggled as she ran around the house and took off her jacket, putting her bag down before running back and jumping in her mother's lap. "It was so much fun, Mama! I learned how to subtract today!" She then turned to look up at Ichigo, "Ichi-chan do you know how to subtract?"

Ichigo smiled as she sat down next to the girls. "I do; I'm actually a pro at subtracting," she teased as she bopped Luna on the nose.

Luna giggled as she wrinkled her nose, "Oh, that's awesome. That means you can help me with my homework! It's really hard!" She exclaimed happily, bouncing excitedly in her mother's lap.

Sara laughed as she shook her head, running her fingers through her daughter's hair, "Oh Luna, honey, I don't think Ichi will be able to help you. She's probably really busy with her own school work today."

Ichigo lightly smiled as Luna's face dropped, apologizing to her for asking her to help. Ichigo then shook her head as she ruffed up Luna's hair. "Oh, it's okay. I don't have any homework. I'd love to help you," Ichigo laughed as she watched Luna jump in the air and cheer as she went to her bag and took out her folder.

"Oh, Ichi, it's okay, you don't have to help her," Sara told her seriously, not wanting to waste any more of Ichigo's time.

But Ichigo shook her head as she took the folder out of Luna's hand. "It's okay Sara-san, like I told Luna, I don't have any homework today," Ichigo lied. Ichigo actually had her own homework she needed to do tonight, but she didn't want to break Luna's heart, and to be honest, it just gave Ichigo a good excuse to put off her homework a little longer.

"So you see, there are 5 bananas in the tree, but the monkey is really hungry, so he comes over and eats 3 bananas," Ichigo mimicked the motion of eating a banana. Luna nodded excitedly, listening intently to Ichigo as she explained the basics of subtraction.

"So if the hungry monkey eats 3 bananas, how many bananas are left for his friends?" Ichigo looked at Luna, patiently waiting for an answer as she watched Luna count on her fingers.

"Two!" Luna shouted confidently as she held two fingers up.

Ichigo high-fived Luna, "Yeah, that's right! So now the monkey can't eat anymore, or he won't have any more for his friends."

Luna giggled as she wrote the answer on her paper, "That's one fat monkey."

The girls stayed like that for a few more minutes before Luna was done with all of her homework. It was almost 6:30 when Ichigo decided to get ready to leave. She didn't want to intrude on the family more than she already had. "Okay, ladies, I'm heading out."

Sara looked up from her spot on the couch and frowned, "Oh do you have to? Taka's going to come home soon and make dinner. You can stay if you want."

"No, it's okay. I'd be intruding. Plus, I don't want to be a bother," Ichigo told her as she waved her off.

Sara sat up, kneeling on the couch backward. "Stop saying stupid things. You're never a bother or intruder," Sara stood up, walking towards Ichigo. "We love having you around, Ichi. You'll always be welcome here, silly," Sara embraced Ichigo and held on tightly.

Ichigo stood there awkwardly, letting Sara wrap herself around her. Sara didn't know, but she was the only person Ichigo let hold her like that, and Ichigo didn't know why. Maybe it was because Sara was a 30-year-old woman with the innocents equivalent to a 10-year-old, or perhaps because Ichigo didn't want to hurt her feelings. She didn't know. Either way, she let Sara love her the only way Sara knows how. By physical contact. Once they broke apart, Ichigo went to the door, picked up her shoes, and put them on. She stopped just before leaving, "Bye, ladies!" she called out.

A chorus of "see you later!" was returned as she shut the door behind her.

When Ichigo walked into her apartment, she took her shoes off and headed towards the kitchen looking for something to eat when she found some money on the counter with a note on it.

Ate the last ramen cup. Here's money for more. -Kaigo

Ichigo sighed as she leaned against the counter, rereading the note. She didn't feel like shopping now. She had so much homework she had to get done today. Shopping was the last thing she wanted to do. But there she was, grabbing her wallet and heading out the door to the nearest convenience store on her way to pick up a week's worth of instant noodles.

Takashi jogged up the stairs as he headed up towards his apartment. As soon as he entered his place, he was greeted with loud shrieks of joy and welcoming.

"Taka, you're home!" Sara yelled, throwing her arms around Takashi's neck. She pulled him towards her kissing him on each cheek. "I missed you!" She cried as they broke apart.

Takashi chuckled as he hugged her back, "I missed you too, mom in the last," he looked down at his phone, "12 hours I've been gone." They laughed together as they made their way towards the living room where the girls were. As he walked into the room, he heard his sisters call out to him.

"Taka! Taka!"

Takashi chuckled softly as he waved them off, "I'm coming."

He walked over to his sisters, who were sitting on the couch laughing with each other. He sat between the girls as he gave each of them a hug. "How was school?" Takashi asked while he ran a hand through Luna's hair. He smiled as he felt her relax under his gentle touch.

"Great!" Mana cheered. "I played with Ari outside and went to the library," she told him proudly.

He smiled warmly as he nodded his head. He continued running his fingers through Luna's hair as he listened to Mana talk. As usual, he didn't pay much attention but still let her ramble on until she was done. "And what about you, LuLu?" Takashi asked as he playfully tugged on her hair. Luna giggled lightly as she leaned into him.

"It was great. I learned how to subtract today. Ichi said I'm really good at it," Luna told him happily, looking up at him.

Takashi cocked his head to the side, "Ichi? Like Ichigo? What was she doing here?" Takashi asked, confused.

His sister nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! She helped me with my homework."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really now?"

Sara smiled as she walked over and leaned over the couch, wrapping her arms around Mana. "Yeah. Little Ichi helped me carry the groceries up again and then stayed to help Luna do her homework," she beamed, looking over at him.

Takashi hummed softly, "So is this a thing? Ichigo coming over and helping the girls do their homework."

Takashi hoped he didn't sound as jealous as he felt. While he appreciated Ichigo helping out when he wasn't there, he couldn't help but feel as though he was neglecting his family a little. This was his family, not Ichigo's. He should be the one helping his mom put up the groceries and helping the girls do their homework. But instead, he was at school making clothes and then hanging out with his friends riding around. He was starting to feel like he was prioritizing the wrong things.

Sara chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around Takashi's kneck, pulling him closer, "Oh, Taka, are you upset?"

He shook his head as he pressed the back of his head against the crook of her kneck, "No, just... surprised is all. But you know if you need me too, I can start being home a lot more."

Sara tilted his head up as she kissed his forehead, holding him tighter, "Oh, don't be silly, Taka. You're only young once. Enjoy yourself. You know when I was your age I had to grow up too fast. Your father and I had to put school behind us and get a jumpstart on life. I want you to enjoy yourself. I'm sorry I relied too much on you when you were younger, but we're in a better place now. I want you to enjoy being a kid."

Takashi sighed as he got up walking into the kitchen, and started pulling out the fresh ingredients from the fridge. He could tell Ichigo was there too, as everything in the fridge was neat and organized instead of just thrown around. "You shouldn't have to rely on other people to help you out around the house. If you need something, you can just call me, and I'll be here, you know that, mom," he told her as he started to chop the meat up a little more aggressively than normal.

Sara looked over at her son, watching him intently, trying to read him. She sighed as she walked over and wrapped her arms around him, laying her chin on his shoulder as he continued cooking, "Don't think that you have to be here all the time anymore, Taka. The girls are older now. My hours are more manageable. If Little Ichi wants to come over and help out, let her. You don't need to do this on your own anymore, you know. I'm sorry I made you feel like that."

Takashi sighed softly as he stopped cutting and closed his eyes, "It's okay." He mumbled quietly. He knew she was right about the whole thing. But he wanted to stay home with his family. To be the brother and son his girls needed him to be.

It was just hard sometimes, knowing that someone else was doing his job, and it just felt wrong. He doesn't like having to ask someone else for help. It made him feel weak. He shouldn't have to keep having Ichigo pick up his slack. It made him feel useless. Made him feel like a bad brother and son. Which he knew he wasn't.

He loves his sisters and his mother. He would die for them. And if he had to, he'd fight anyone for them. He'd do anything. Because they're the most important people in his life. So to not be needed, it was a foreign concept to him. What if his girls started liking her more. After all, she's a girl. What if Luna and Mana start depending on her more. Or worse, what if they stop depending on him altogether? Takashi's hands balled into fists as he shook his head as if he was fighting away these thoughts. He needed to calm down. Calm his nerves. It's just a feeling. Just a thought. No need to panic.

"Mama, I think Ichi-chan left this?"

A soft voice came from the doorway. Takashi turned around and saw his younger sister walking in, holding up a thick book. It was Ichigo's calculus book. Takashi sighed. They had homework tonight. She was going to need it. He opened his mouth to respond, but his mother spoke up first.

"She did! Thank you, Mana," she beamed. "Oh, Taka, can you run next door and drop it off?"

Takashi frowned as he looked between his mother and the book. "But what about dinner?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to get out of the task, but his mother just shook her head.

"There's really nothing left to cook, and Ichi only lives five houses away. You'll be in and out. Please?" She pleaded.

He sighed but finally agreed. "Okay," he mumbled as he grabbed his shoes and phone and stood up, grabbing his coat as he headed outside.

As he walked over to Ichigo's house, he heard the loud sound of an alarm coming from inside. He frowned as he quickly ran over to the door. What was she doing? He knocked on her front door and waited a moment until he heard the lock click open. There, on the other side of the door, stood Ichigo looking a mix between devastated and angry. Her eyes were wide, and her breathing was heavy, with a cloud of smoke coming out from behind her and the smell of something burning.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened?" He asked, taking in everything happening in front of him.

Ichigo looked at Takashi, then back inside. She slowly shook her head. "I um...I burnt my dinner," she mumbled sadly.

He furrowed his brows as he looked inside and saw the mess inside her kitchen, "What the hell were you trying to cook? It looks and smells awful in here."

"Rice," she muttered again quietly.

He furrowed his brows even more than before. How could she possibly fuck up cooking rice? You literally just put it in water and let it boil. But of course, she did. He didn't have enough words to express what he wanted to say, so instead, he asked, "Do you not know how to make rice?"

That earned him the famous Poison Strawberry glare. "Do you think I'm a fucking idiot!" She yelled angrily before stepping away from him.

He stepped closer, closing the gap, "Well, Little Strawberry, you did just fuck up cooking rice."

Ichigo narrowed her eyes before punching him on his arm, "Oh go fuck yourself, Pretty Boy!"

Takashi laughed as he rubbed his arm. "Hey, now no need to yell," he tried to calm her down. Takashi wanted to say something else, but he decided that he didn't want to end up like the rice, so he kept quiet.

She turned towards him with her lips pursed in anger, "Fuck off."

He took another step forward and leaned against the door frame, watching her with an amused expression. His smirk only grew larger as she glared right back at him. He felt smug, seeing how she couldn't hold her gaze and was getting more and more frustrated.

"I knew I should have just cooked instant ramen," Ichigo sighed as she turned away from him.

Takashi watched as she paced around her kitchen, trying to clean up the mess on her stove. She seemed to be working herself into a frenzy of rage while muttering curses under her breath and slamming her fists onto the counter every once in a while. It was comical, but he wouldn't laugh because he knew it would upset her even more, and he didn't want to get punched again. So instead, he walked over and grabbed a sponge, trying to clean out the burnt rice from the pot.

Ichigo stopped what she was doing and gave him a curious glance, "What are you doing?"

Takashi shrugged his shoulders, "Cleaning."

Ichigo rolled her eyes as she started cleaning the burnt rice off of the stove, "Well, stop. It's not your mess."

Takashi ignored her as he continued to clean up the rice. Once he finished, he threw the now ruined rice in the trash can and turned to face her again. He took her in for a second. Her hair was all messy and slightly sticking to her sweaty skin. She looked tired and angry. He could tell she was mad at herself by the way she stared intensely at her stove. She then opened the cabinet and pulled out a cup of instant ramen.

"That stuff is so bad for you," he deadpanned, causing her to snap her head around at him.

"Fuck off. It's not like I have anything else to eat," Ichigo spat, glaring at him before turning and walking away from him again.

He chuckled softly as he rolled his head back, running his hand through his hair. On the one hand, he could let her eat her cheap noodles and stay in her burnt rice-smelling house. On the other hand, despite being annoyed by her presents within his family, he could invite her over for dinner. After all, he did want to get to know her more, and if his mom found out he left her here to fend for herself, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Come on and eat dinner with me," Takashi smiled innocently at her.

She scoffed at him crossing her arms, "No."

He pouted playfully. "Awe, don't be like that. I'm an excellent cook. I promise I won't poison you," he teased, earning a small huff from her.

Ichigo crossed her arms over her chest and glared harder at him, "What is it?" she asked him.

He smirked, knowing that she was giving in, "Kara miso ramen."

She wanted to tell him to leave, but she felt her stomach growl and not because she wanted to eat her cheap instant ramen in a burnt-smelling apartment. No, it was because she wanted to eat fresh homemade ramen in a place that didn't make her sick, "Fine. Fine! You win, dammit!"

Takashi laughed at her softly, which caused her to blush. She then angrily shook her head, pushed past him, and stomped over to the door. "You coming or what," she called over her shoulder.

Takashi smiled to himself. "Yeah, yeah, come on," he trailed after her.

When they walked back into his apartment, they were greeted by three whiny girls, who were all sitting on their zabutons leaning over the table, trying not to eat their food yet.

"TAKAAAA... where were you? We're so hungry!" Sara whined as she dramatically fell backward, holding her stomach.

Takashi chuckled as he walked over to his mother and sat her up. "You know you could have started eating without me," he teased.

Sara sat up and shook her head, "You know that's not how we do it. If everyone's home, we eat like a family." She then looked over and saw Ichigo standing nervously at the doorway. Sara immediately stood up and walked over to her pulling her into a hug. Ichigo stiffened for a moment before she lightly patted Sara's back. "Oh, Little Ichi, what are you doing here?"

Ichigo blinked a few times before speaking, "Uh well...um Takashi..." she paused as she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling awkward.

"I invited her over for dinner," Takashi announced as he pulled her into the house.

His mother and sisters squealed with excitement as Ichigo awkwardly sat beside Sara. Mana and Luna cheered as Takashi gave her a bowl and chopsticks, telling her how good of a cook Takashi is. Once everyone settled, they thanked Takashi for cooking and started eating.

Ichigo watched and listened as the family talked about their day and laughed at each other's jokes. She watched as Luna and Mana ate out of each other's bowl as if they weren't eating the same meal. She saw Sara lean against Takashi's shoulder as he told her about his day. She sat there, not contributing to the interactions, feeling out of place as she sat with the family.

This was the second time she had eaten with them, but it felt different from the last time. Maybe it was because she had a choice to come this time, or maybe it was because instead of takeout, this was a homemade meal, or perhaps it was because she couldn't have this experience with her own family. She couldn't remember the last time she and her dad sat down for dinner together. He worked nights and was always gone by the time she came home, leaving her money to go across the street and buy dinner at the convenience store.

"Hey, Ichigo, do you not like the food?" Takashi asked as he noticed that Ichigo was staring off into nothing, food still not touched. "If you don't like it, I can make you something else," he offered, causing Ichigo to shake her head and look at the rest of the family before grabbing some noodles.

Takashi watched her as her eyes widened with enjoyment as she took a bite of her noodles. "Thank you, Mitsuya," she told him sincerely. "It's delicious," she brightly commented as she continued to eat.

Takashi smiled proudly as he watched her eat her ramen. He was happy to see that she was enjoying her meal. There was something about getting complemented by other people besides his family that made him feel like he deserved it. Like he was doing something unique or worthwhile.

Even though Takashi knew he was being dumb, he could feel the warmth growing inside of him whenever someone said he was great or excellent. He enjoyed being praised. He could feel the pride that spread throughout his entire body. He loved it when people complimented him on things. It made him feel happy and warm. And for some reason getting a compliment from Ichigo made him feel those things even more.

Maybe it was because she wasn't being sarcastic about it. Maybe because deep down, he had a feeling that she actually meant it. He had known her for two weeks now, and he had never seen her compliment anyone other than Yuzuha. Whatever it may be, he didn't care. He just liked the feeling. So he decided he was going to enjoy this moment. He looked around the table and smiled as the girls talked to each other, making Ichigo laugh. He decided he liked the view. So he chose to focus his attention on his family and Ichigo and their interactions with each other rather than focusing on his inner thoughts.