Disclaimer: I don't own the original FY characters; I own Kei, Taki, Lily, Jason, their kids and any other person who isn't a FY character.

Thoughts

Memories

~*~Review Response~*~

~Rhapsody - Glad the pics came through okay and that you liked them.

~Jamie - You are so obsessed with Hiroshi! ^_^

~Cat - This chapter I swear is the confession chapter! If not, there's a nice section of drywall in my living room for me to put my head through. And I know I haven't done much with Nakago lately in terms of present time Nakago, but as I get closer to the end, goodness only knows when that'll be, he'll come back and everyone will see what his final fate is.

I'm glad none of you are annoyed with me over the length of the story. And here's the confession chapter!

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Akane opened her eyes slowly, half expecting to be in an inn somewhere in Konan in the past. She sat up quickly when she realized she was in her own bed nestled in her midnight blue sheets and blankets with moons and stars everywhere. "I am home…" She kicked off the blankets and ran down the hall to the guest room. The door was open just enough for her to see inside. Kouji slept soundly on the one of the twin beds and Kano was just starting to wake up on the other bed. 'That wasn't a dream…' She remembered dinner with the bandits.

"Is it morning already?" Kano's soft yet deep voice came out of the room. He didn't want to wake his father.

"Yeah." Akane pushed open the door gently. "Sleep well?"

"Uh…yeah…" He didn't want to say anything about his conversation with her father last night. He got out of bed and rubbed his eyes. "Took me a little while to get used to the bed."

"You could have gotten me up."

"I didn't wanna wake you. You said you were tired." They headed downstairs together.

"Oh, okay…"

"Akane?"

"Yeah?"

"What's a mall?"

Akane laughed. "Well…let's see here…it's a big building with a bunch of over priced stores where people will pay anything for stuff that they think will make them look good."

"Why would they do that?" Kano gave her a confused look.

"Umm…I dunno…because a commercial told them to I guess." She shrugged.

Kano opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, as if giving up.

"What? You looked like you were gonna say something."

Akane sat in one of the living room chairs while Kano stretched out on the sofa. "You're world makes absolutely no sense to me."

She smiled and patted his leg. "Well, let me tell you something. I've lived here for 17 years. It doesn't make any sense to me either. It doesn't make any sense to anyone and the sooner you come to grips with it, the better."

He gave her an odd look. It was strange advice, but good advice nonetheless. "Tell me why we're going to the…mall…"

"You and Kouji need clothes. If you're going to be here for 4 weeks, you can't walk around in my dad's clothes the whole time."

"Oh. Okay. How long will it take?"

"Anywhere from 'not long' to 'forever'. Depends on if we can find stuff you like and that fits."

"I see…" Kano sighed.

"Oh, it won't be so bad. Shopping alone sucks, but shopping with friends is fun." She smiled. She flipped on the TV. "We'll watch TV until my mom gets up and starts breakfast."

"Why don't you make something?"

"I can't cook for crap. Remember?" She glared at him, quite unhappy that she had to remind him.

"Oh…yeah…" Kano swallowed hard when she glared at him. "I forgot. Sorry."

"You'd better be…" She muttered.

"I am!" Kano pleaded with her.

"I'll forgive you this time. But you better not forget again." After finding something to watch, she put the remote down.

"I promise!"

They sat there and watched TV for about half an hour before all the adults got up. When Tasuki, Kei and Kouji came down, Akane and Kano were nodding off in front of the TV. They let the kids sleep until breakfast was ready.

The smell of food a few minutes later woke them up. They all sat around the table and started eating. Kano and Akane sat next to each other. Kouji sat on Kano's other side. Then Tasuki and then Kei sat between Tasuki and Kei.

"Mom, where are we going to shop for Kano and Kouji?" She asked in between mouthfuls of food.

"Chew Akane. We're going to the mall on 5th and Orchard."

"Okay. Think they'll find something?"

"Akane, there's more than 50 stores with men's clothing. If they don't, we'll have found the world's pickiest people." Tasuki rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay." Akane held her hands up in surrender. "No need to get snippy, Daddy."

Kouji still couldn't get over his best friend being a father. Akane calling him Daddy made him want to burst out laughing, but he controlled himself.

Akane finished breakfast before anyone else. Kouji and Kano were a little stunned by how fast she could eat.

"What? I've been in Konan how long now? I missed Mom's cooking!" She blushed.

Kei smiled. "You actually missed my cooking? Maybe next time you tell me you're sick of it I should remind you of this."

Akane let out an exasperated sigh when the guys laughed. "Mother…"

"Go get changed."

"Want help cleaning up?" Akane was about to take her plates.

"It's fine. Go." Kei shooed her upstairs.

Tasuki and Kano were the next ones to finish and they went upstairs to find something for Kano to wear. Kouji and Kei were the last ones in the kitchen. Kouji twirled his fork in his fingers.

"What's wrong with you? Don't like my cooking?" Kei took all the dishes around the table.

"What? No, it's not that. You're cooking's great."

"Then what's the matter with you?"

"You're not the woman I remember finding by the river bank however long ago that was…" He finished the rest of his food.

"And you're not the man that dragged me into a bandit camp against my will. Time changes everyone." She shrugged.

"I never did say I was sorry for that." He picked up his own plate and took it to the sink where she was.

"It's alright. You didn't know who I was…you probably just figured I was some lost girl." She took Kouji's plate. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know. So how long did it take you and Tasuki to actually admit you loved each other?" He leaned against the counter.

"How long? God…forever. Why? Does this have to do with Akane and Kano?"

"Yeah. I was just wondering if Akane and Kano were ever gonna tell each other…"

"It's sad, isn't it? They should just tell each other. They remind me of Tasuki and myself so much it's scary." Kei put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.

"It is, isn't it?" Kouji sighed. "Never thought Kano'd fall in love with anyone, let alone my best friend's daughter from the miko's world."

"I never thought there'd be a boy Tasuki would let near Akane."

"Why is he so protective of her?" They headed upstairs.

"Because she's his only child, I'd assume." She shrugged.

"Good enough reason, I suppose."

"Kouji, tell me something."

"I can try."

"Do you like Kimiko's mother?"

"What?" Kouji was surprised by the sudden question. He stopped in the middle of the steps.

"Kouji, I saw the way you reacted when you met Tora yesterday. I was only in the other room."

"Ah well…" Kouji scratched his head. "She's beautiful. She seems really nice. She's strong. I mean, she's been raising two kids on her own for a few years now. Believe me, I can see why Suzaku would live here for so long with her…"

"I think that's sweet."

"Yeah…sure." Kouji rolled his eyes.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Akane and Tasuki were waiting outside the guest room for Kano. Tasuki wore khakis and a red polo like shirt. Akane wore a knee length denim skirt with short slits up the sides and a white t-shirt. Kano came out of the room in black jeans and a forest green t-shirt.

He pulled at the shirt a little. "It doesn't really fit right…"

"Why do you think we're going shopping? You can put up with it for a couple hours." Akane patted him on the back.

"I guess…" Kano grumbled and went down stairs with Akane while the adult finished getting ready.

They sat on the couch together. Akane liked the way Kano looked in real world clothes and couldn't stop staring at him.

"What?" He asked after he noticed her staring at him.

"N…nothing." She blushed and turned away.

"No. What?"

"I said it was nothing." She desperately wanted to kiss him, but there was no telling when her parents would come back down.

"Come on. What's bothering you?"

She realized he wasn't gonna stop asking her. "Oh…screw it." Before he could ask her what she meant, she grabbed his collar and kissed him deeply.

He was, to say the least, surprised, but kissed back quickly. She broke the kiss abruptly, her breath somewhat shallow. She blushed deeper and moved from the couch to the chair.

"What was that for?" He gave her a confused look.

"What was what for?" Their parents suddenly came down stairs.

"Nothing!" Both kids answered quickly.

"Let's go!" Akane got up quickly and ran for the door.

Kei and Tasuki cast glances at each other, but quickly let it go.

It wasn't a long trip to the mall. Once inside, Kano and Kouji were slightly awe-struck by the size of the mall. Akane wanted to take Kano to one of her favorite stores. Kei reached into her purse for her wallet to give Akane a credit card.

"I didn't forget it, did I?" She couldn't find it.

"Nah, I got it." Akane grinned and waved the small black wallet. "Which one can I take?"

"Akane!" Kei looked annoyed.

"Sorry!" She handed the wallet back to her mother.

Kei handed her one of the credit cards. "Don't go through my purse." She said warningly.

"Okay! I said I was sorry."

Kei rolled her eyes. Kouji snickered. "She probably gets that from Tasuki."

"Shut up!" Tasuki muttered.

Akane smiled and she and Kano headed into a very popular store for teenagers.

"Come on! Let's try this one!"

"Whatever." Kano knew he had no choice but to follow her.

"What size pants are you wearing?"

"I dunno…" He tried to look for the label on the pants. "Looks like…32…"

"Are those tight?" She grabbed the waistband to see how much room there was.

"Hey! Watch it!" He readjusted the waist. "They're kinda tight…"

'Maybe we should get that size then. Tight is good.' She quickly shook the thought from her head and started looking for slightly bigger pants and shirts.

Within 45 minutes, Kano was half buried in clothes of every style and color for him to try.

"Go in the fitting room, try some stuff and come out here so I can see it."

He rolled his eyes and went into the small room. He came out in every combination of dress pants, shirts, jeans and t-shirts Akane could come up with. "Do we have to do this? I feel like a moron…"

"Just a few more. They all look so good!" She smiled at him.

He sighed. 'I'm a love sick puppy…that's what I am…' "Okay…" And with that, he went back in the changing room. "Exactly how many outfits are we buying?"

"Whatever you need for 4 weeks." Another voice came from the other side of the door.

"Hiroshi?" Kano put on another shirt and stepped out. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure Akane doesn't make you look like an idiot."

"Hiroshi!" Akane elbowed her younger cousin.

"Ow!" He rubbed his side.

Kimiko laughed. She came with Hiroshi. "Don't kill each other now."

Kano sighed. "I don't believe this."

"Well, what do ya know? Akane has a decent taste in guys' fashion." Hiroshi nodded in approval when he saw most of the clothes Akane found.

"I hate you." Akane growled at him. She turned to Kimiko. "So what brings you guys here other that approving of what I find?"

"My mom said I could get my ears pierced again. So she brought me here and I dragged Hiroshi along for support."

"That'll look so pretty! Putting two earrings in each ear is the only way to go." Akane had one hole in each ear and a 2nd hole in her left ear just to be a little different.

"I know! It's about time she let me do this!"

Hiroshi and Kano rolled their eyes.

"Okay, so we found some stupid clothes for me. Can we pay and go?" Kano changed back into Tasuki clothes.

"Well, somebody doesn't like shopping…" Kimiko crossed her arms.

"He's a guy. Why should he?" Hiroshi retorted.

"Some guys don't mind shopping." Kimiko shot back.

Kano and Akane went to pay for the clothes while Kimiko and Hiroshi had a mini argument that ended when Hiroshi gave in to Kimiko, said he was sorry and kissed her. All the outfits, bight clothes and underwear filled up about six bags. Kano took four and Akane took the other two.

"Well, everything done in a relatively short time." Akane smiled proudly. "Let's go to the boutique."

The small group left the upper level and headed to the jewelry store.

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Kei wandered through some aisles of women's clothes. She didn't have much interest in following the guys around while they looked for clothes. She found a rack of dresses she like and went to grab for one at the same time another woman grabbed the same one. She looked up quickly in surprise.

"Oh! Hi, Tora!" She let go of the dress.

"Kei! I'm so sorry!" She laughed, embarrassed.

"No. It's okay." She smiled. "So what are you doing here today?"

"Kimiko nagged me into letting her have her ears pierced a second time, so she and Hiroshi are wandering around somewhere down stairs. You?"

"Well, Tasuki and Kouji are off somewhere in the men's section while Akane took Kano shopping somewhere."

"Why do they need clothes? Did the airline lose their baggage?"

"Uh…yeah. Matter of fact, all of it." She nodded nervously, thankful Tora unknowingly gave her an excuse for the shopping trip. "Kouji's gonna pay us back later, but for now we're letting them buy 4 weeks worth of clothes."

"Shame isn't it, how they don't care about people's property?"

"Oh, I know." Kei absently looked a dress over. "But there's really nothing you can do, you know?"

"Too true."

"Wanna come with me to see how the boys are doing?"

"Sure. As long as Kimiko is busy, I'm just wandering around here."

"Let's go then." The two women headed down to the men's section. "So Tora, what do you think of Kouji?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were pretty mad at Kimiko yesterday, not that I blame you, we did keep her out a long time which I am sorry for, but you lost the anger pretty fast once you met Kouji." She said with a grin.

"Kei, you are just as bad as Kimiko!" She laughed. "She asked me if I had a crush on him yesterday."

"Well, do you?" She stopped walking for a moment.

"Well, I don't know! He's one of the most gorgeous men I've ever seen, but I don't know much about him…"

"He's a really good guy if that's what you're worried about." They started walking again.

"It's not that…I suppose I'm trying to come up with excuses. I'm not sure I'm ready to go out again."

Kei looked at her sympathetically. "I understand. I think he would too though. He did just lose the woman he loved and had a son with. You don't necessarily have to go out either."

"Maybe you're right." She ran her fingers through her short deep violet hair. "I just hope Akira doesn't find out…"

"Would he not be accepting if you tried again?"

"Not at all…I actually did try dating again after Rei died and Akira did everything in his power to stop me. I couldn't hurt Akira, so I told the man I had to go."

"I suppose it's understandable. He doesn't want anyone to replace his father."

"Yes…though I wonder if he thinks about himself too much."

They reached the spot where Tasuki and Kouji were looking for clothes. Kei greeted her husband with a kiss on the cheek. "How's it going?"

"We found some stuff. Kouji's trying on a couple more things." He nodded to Tora. "Hey Tora."

"Hi Tasuki." She smiled.

Kouji came out of the dressing room in casual men's clothes. He looked good. Tora couldn't help but smile. Kouji smiled when he saw Tora too.

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Kimiko winced as the earrings went in. She looked in a mirror. "Ah! Pretty!" She stood up and gave Hiroshi a quick kiss. "Thanks for coming with."

"Sure…" He blushed.

Kano glanced up from some plain studs. "Not bad, Kimiko."

"Wanna get your ear pierced?" Akane noticed how he was looking at the guys' earrings.

"I dunno. I've been thinking about it. Probably be safer to do it here than at home…"

"Come on! It doesn't hurt that much." Akane grabbed his hand. "It'll look cool!"

Kano looked to Hiroshi, but he just shrugged. "Fine…you win. Just one though."

"Okay! Okay!" Akane handed the credit card to the cashier and pushed Kano into the chair.

The piercing lady took out one of the ear guns and started cleaning it. "So which one you want, kid?"

"Left." He picked out a plain stud. While Kano got his ear pierced, Akane picked out some earrings for him to wear later.

He got out of the chair and went over to Akane. "How's it look?"

"Very cool." She grinned. "Like any of these?" She showed his some of the earrings.

"Nice." He noticed a pair of earrings he liked. "This one's better. Do they have just one?"

Akane glanced around. "Nope. Just the pair. I'll take one."

"What are you gonna do with a mismatched earring?"

"I have one extra hole." She brushed back her hair and showed her left ear with two holes and right ear with one. "See?"

"Okay." He shrugged and let Akane buy the earrings.

"I can't believe she talked you into it." Hiroshi shook his head. "Akane could get you to do anything…"

"And you're saying you wouldn't do anything for Kimiko?" Kano gave him a sly grin.

"Oh shut up!" Hiroshi blew his hair from his face in disgust.

"What? Afraid of the truth?"

"Didn't I say shut up?"

"Sorry…your highness…" Kano laughed when Hiroshi's eyes bugged out.

"Don't call me that!"

"What are you two doing?" Kimiko noticed how Hiroshi looked really unhappy.

"I'm bugging him, what else?" Kano laughed.

Akane picked up the bags she'd been carrying before. "Let's go find out parents. We're done here."

They all nodded and headed back to the store where Kei said they'd mostly be. Akane found her parents at the checkout. They were finishing up buying Kouji some clothes. Kouji and Tora were off to the side talking.

Kimiko saw her mother. "Hi Mommy. How's it look?" She pushed her hair back.

"It looks fine. Will you stop nagging me now?"

"Okay." Kimiko grinned.

Kouji immediately noticed Kano's ear. "What did you do?"

"Got my ear pieced. What's it look like?" Kano grumbled.

"Did you just decide to do that?"

"No. I asked you last year. You said you were gonna make me wait. I've waited long enough."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Fine. I guess you're old enough."

Kei glanced at Akane. "Did you put that on my credit card?"

"Yes…I'll pay you back, okay? I don't have cash with me."

"There's a change." Tasuki teased Akane.

"Daddy!" Akane poked her father.

"Are we finished now? I wanna sit." Kano sighed.

"You don't do well shopping do you?" Hiroshi looked at Kano.

"Do you?"

"I've gotten used to it." He shrugged.

"Okay, okay! Let's go. I could use some lunch now." Akane heard her stomach growl.

"Alright. We should go now." Kei nodded.

Kouji smiled. "Nice seeing you again Tora."

"You too." Tora smiled back. "Kimiko, Hiroshi, let's go."

"Okay." They nodded and went with Tora.

The remaining people picked up the bags scattered around the floor and left the mall.

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A couple of days past before Kei and Tasuki convinced Kouji to go and sign Kano up for a couple of weeks of school. Kano and Kouji were adjusting well to modern life. It was Akane's job to help Kano learn the basics so he wouldn't be completely clueless when he went.

It was Friday evening when Akane and Kano were left alone in the house while the adults went to registration. They both decided to change into pajamas since they'd be more comfortable. Akane had on a tank top and pants while Kano wore a t-shirt and pants. They sat across from each other on the floor of Akane's room with a bunch of books in between them. Akane was showing Kano some pretty complicated Algebra. He was getting it pretty fast.

She looked over his paper and frowned.

"What? Did I do it wrong?"

"No…it's completely right. You're better at math than I am." She shook her head. "There's no point in teaching you math. You already seem to understand it."

"I do?"

"Yeah. It took me two weeks to understand this. You've got it already."

"Well…if I already understand it, can we talk tonight instead?" He closed the math book.

"About what?" She looked up at him confused. "Is something wrong?"

He stood up and pulled her up. He sat her on the bed. "Well…sorta…"

She looked worried. "What is it? Did I do something?"

"What? No!" He shook his head quickly. "It's not you. It's me. I've been lying to you…"

"Huh?"

"Do you remember before we left for the capital? You asked me if there was anything going on between us…if there was an 'us'…"

"Maybe…" She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Akane…" His voice was a mixture of sadness and annoyance. "Please…"

"Okay…okay…I do remember. You said you weren't sure but you knew there was something…" She shifted on the mattress so she wasn't facing him.

"Well…I lied…I was sure then, I'm still sure…I was just scared to tell you how I felt." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

She gasped softly as he kissed her neck lightly. "Are you still scared?"

"No." His voice was soft. He made her face him. "You're like no one I've ever met before. I don't know what I'd do with out you… I love you Akane. I always have. I always will."

She looked into his clear, emerald eyes, looking for any hint of bluff. She found none. "I love you too Kano." She whispered and pressed herself into his arms. "I love you." She could barely find her voice. It all seemed so surreal. The room was silent except for the sound of their breathing.

Kano kissed her for all he was worth, holding nothing back now that he told her his true feelings. She kissed back with equal fervor. He pushed her back onto the pillows as her fingers tangled themselves in his hair. Her hair spread out around her head. Kano smoothed it out with one hand while he supported himself with the other.

As they kissed passionately, Akane ran through her conversation with Kouji in her head. 'Well, Kouji was right. Kano loves me and I love him. Dad knows best…wait! Oh jeez! Daddy! He'll kill us both if he finds out about this!' "Wait Kano!"

He gently nipped at her jaw line. "What's wrong?"

"My father! He's gonna go ballistic!" She made a feeble attempt to move away from him, but his kisses felt to good. She didn't have the will power to break away from him.

"No, he won't." Kano murmured in between kisses.

"Of course he will! He goes ballistic with any guy I like, or in this case, love!" She gave him a lopsided smile. "But anyway, he hates them all!"

Kano let her go. He smiled and sighed. "Your dad doesn't hate me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I already talked to him about it. He's…he's the one that gave me the courage to tell you how I feel." He brushed the hair from her confused, amber eyes.

"What? Daddy? Really?" She couldn't picture her father actually approving of anyone. "What did you say to him?"

He paused for a moment and lightly kissed her again. "That I love you more than anything. That I'd do anything for you. That I'd die before I let anything happen to you…."

Akane looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Oh Kano…I don't know what to say…"

He kissed her deeply. "Then don't say anything."

She smiled and nodded. A few tears fell from her eyes. Kano wiped them away quickly. He embraced her again, but this time from the back. He gently kissed the exposed skin of her back and shoulder occasionally while they laid silently in the bed. Akane fell asleep in Kano's arms with her back pressed to his chest. He soon nodded off as well, arms wrapped around the girl he loved.

A couple hours later, Kouji, Kei and Tasuki came home. They found the house a little too quiet.

Kei went upstairs to look in Akane's room for the teens. She smiled when she saw them sleeping. They looked adorable. She went to the top of the stairs. "Found them." She called softly to the men.

They came up stairs and Kei waved them to Akane's room. Tasuki sighed when he saw his daughter. He wasn't totally sure of what to do.

"I'm gonna get the camera." Kei went to her room.

"Come on. You'll wake 'em up." Kouji didn't feel like having Kano yell at him.

"Some how I doubt it…" Tasuki smiled.

Kei took a picture of the sleeping couple. Tasuki was right. They shifted a little, but didn't come close to waking up. It seemed like Akane just nestled deeper into Kano's arms and he held on tighter.

"I guess there's only one thing to say…" Tasuki leaned on the doorway. He finally found the words he was looking for.

"What's that? 'Kano better get his hands off my daughter before I kill him'?" Kei looked up at Tasuki. Kouji snickered.

"Nah…I can't do anything about their feelings. What I was gonna say is…It's about damn time…"

Kouji and Kei smiled. They headed down the hall and Kei closed the door a bit. It was about damn time.

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La dee da…Well, there's the confession and my living room drywall is safe. I don't have to put my head through it. Hee hee. Are ya happy now? Full of sappy goodness! Now Kano gets to face the horrors of school. If you guys had to pick a sport Kano would be good at, what would it be? He's gotta have something to do for the two weeks he's in school besides homework.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~