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

~Phone conversations~

~*~Review Response~*~

~Jamie - Okay so Kimiko's been getting a little mushy yes…but I don't think she's getting dependant on Hiroshi so much as she's confused by what she's learned she is and she knows he'll be there for her.

~Marcy213 - I never really thought about entering this in any sort of contest…it's a thought. Maybe when it's done. Thanks for the idea.

~Cortney - I think there'll be more action soon. Hmmm…I'm the authoress I should know shouldn't I? Ah well. We'll see how far this chapter gets. If it goes far enough there should be some action.

~Meg-chan - God I hope I never get writers' block on this story. That would be so bad…

~Draco - Well, I can't promise you spectacular fight scenes and large pyrotechnic shows, but I can for sure say this story won't be 50 chapters of nothing. I promise. Did you like the pictures?

~Rhapsody - And now, more story for your reading enjoyment.

~D-chan - I admit, it is really hard to keep all the kids straight. I have trouble with the twins myself.

~RekkaShinen1 - Thank you very much. I appreciate the e-mail too. I hope you continue to read for the remainder of the story however long that happens to be.

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Tasuki looked over his friend. Kouji stood in front of the mirror. His hair was, for once combed back nicely, though it looked like it wouldn't last long. He wore a dark blue knit top that matched his hair. There were three buttons at the top of the shirt, but only two were done. His black slacks and shoes completed his look.

"You don't look half bad Kouji." Tasuki fixed the collar of Kouji's shirt.

"Is it normal to feel as nervous as I am now?"

"Well, you are about to go on a date with a woman whose 'late' husband was a god and one of her children happens to have the power to blow you up should you upset her mother…I'd say that grounds to worry."

"Oh thanks. How comforting." Kouji scoffed.

"Who said I was trying to be comforting?" Tasuki smirked. "But you really shouldn't. You were always good with women. I think you and Tora would be good for each other. Have you talked to Kano much about this?"

"No. Should I?"

"Maybe a little wouldn't hurt. I mean…he's probably still coping with Kanako's death…"

Kouji sighed. "I suppose you're right." After Tasuki tweaked a few other things on Kouji's clothes, he left to find his son.

Kano was lying on his stomach in bed, immersed in a history book Akane gave him.

"Kano?"

"Huh?" He barely looked up.

"Tora will be here soon. Are you alright?"

He looked up from the book. "Should I not be?"

"Well…I wasn't really sure what you'd think of me attempting to date Kimiko's mother. I suppose I should have asked you first."

Kano sat up. "Dad…it's your life. I can't tell you what to do and what not to do."

"But this is going to effect you too."

"I know. But…it'll be good for you. You haven't had much time to yourself lately…actually ever…I was always such a demanding brat."

"You're not a brat, Kano."

"Yes, I am. It's about time you had some fun and didn't have to deal with me for a while."

Kouji wasn't sure of what to say for a bit. "You're totally sure this doesn't bother you?"

Kano shifted on the bed so he was sitting against the headboard. He went back to reading. "Yeah. Whatever. Have a good time."

"Well, since I know that's about the most positive answer I'll get outta you, I guess I'll settle for that." Kouji rested his hand on his son's shoulder.

Kano looked up at Kouji and smiled.

Akane watched them from the hallway. She had a basket of laundry under her arm. She smiled. Kouji and Kano seemed to have gotten closer since they came to her world.

She heard someone knock at the door. Assuming it was Tora, she was going to go get it when the phone rang. She went to her room, put the basket down and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

~Akane? Hi. It's me.~

"Hey Kimiko. What's up?"

~Is my mom there yet?~

"I think she just got here."

~Is Kano there?~

"Yeah. Wanna talk to him?"

~Yeah. So weird to see my mom dating…I think I broke my hand…~

"What happened?" Akane stared at the phone questioningly, not that Kimiko could tell or anything.

~I'll tell you on your way to give Kano the phone.~

"Okay." Akane walked down the hall, phone in hand and waved to Kouji when they passed in the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Earlier at Kimiko's house…

Kimiko combed back her mother's hair and started French braiding it.

"Kimiko?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you really alright with me going out?"

Kimiko finished off the braid. "Of course I am. Kouji's really cool and nice. I think it would be good for you two to go out."

"I know you miss your father…"

A part of Kimiko wanted to scream out 'He's not dead! He's a god! I've seen him and I hate him!' but she kept quiet and smiled. "Mom…it's okay. Really."

"Thank you Kimi-chan." Tora stood up and hugged Kimiko.

"Go have fun. Do…whatever it is that adults do on dates."

"Alright…if you say so." Tora sighed. "I don't feel right about not telling Akira…"

"Akira's not your daddy. You don't have to tell him everything. He'll just tell you not to go."

"What if he's right? What if this is a bad idea?"

"What if he's wrong? You gonna blow it because Akira's kinda mad? Come on. Go out and have fun. I'll take care of him."

Tora stared at Kimiko. "Oh…you're right. I'll be back later then."

"Stay out all night if you feel like it." Kimiko giggled and hugged her mother.

"I don't know about that…" Tora laughed.

They left Tora's room and headed downstairs. "Have fun Mom. Don't keep Kouji waiting any longer."

"Thank you Kimiko." Tora left as Akira came onto the house through the back door.

"Where's Mom going?"

Kimiko stayed quiet until she saw her mother's car pull away. "On a date."

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused." Kimiko smiled and went to the freezer for some ice cream.

"Did you just say Mom went on a date?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Why wasn't I told?"

"I told Mom not to tell you 'cause I knew you were gonna get all pissed off about it."

"I don't want Mom dating."

"Why? Afraid she'll have fun?"

Akira frowned. "No! I don't want anyone replacing Dad!"

It was Kimiko's turn to frown. Again, there was an overwhelming urge inside her to tell him the truth about their father. "That's what you're worried about? Mom would never let that happen!"

"How do you know? Who knows what one guy could do?"

Kimiko clenched her fist. "Do you have that little faith in Mom? She can take care of herself!"

"I'm just trying to look out for her!"

Now Kimiko got really mad. She stood still for a second, then hauled off and punched him in the face. He stumbled backwards a few steps. He blinked in surprise.

"Shut up Akira! Just shut up!" She pointed at him. "Mom doesn't need you to look out for her! She has sacrificed everything for us since Dad died! She's never thought of herself! It's always been us before her! She deserves some time for herself now! It's not like you even know Kouji! You don't even give anyone a chance! So get off your damn high horse and let Mom live for once!"

Her appetite for ice cream gone, she grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, slammed in shut and stormed up to her room. She left her brother confused and holding his jaw in the kitchen.

She went into her room and locked it. Kimiko covered her hand with the ice pack. 'Hard headed idiot…I think I busted my hand.' She winced and looked over at her phone. Kimiko found the headset for her phone. She slipped in on and started dialing Hiroshi's number with her unhurt hand. Half way through the number, she stopped and hung up. She dialed the next number that came to mind.

~Hello?~

"Akane? Hi. It's me."

~Hey Kimiko. What's up?~

"Is my mom there yet?"

~I think she just got here.~

"Is Kano there?"

~Yeah. Wanna talk to him?~

"Yeah. So weird to see my mom dating…I think I broke my hand…" She shook out her hand.

~What happened?~

"I'll tell you on your way to give Kano the phone." She relaxed on her bed.

~Okay.~

Kimiko told Akane about her argument with Akira and how she nearly knocked him out. She heard her friend laugh.

~You go, Kimiko!~

"Felt good to finally whack him good. Too bad I think I broke a few fingers on his jaw."

~I'm sure you could fix that really easily. If you can survive a knife wound to the stomach, this shouldn't be too bad.~

Kimiko laughed. "Shut up! Can I talk to Kano now?"

~Sure.~ There was a moment of silence before Kano came on.

~Hi Kimiko.~

"Hey. Kouji out of the house?"

~Yeah. I heard your mom downstairs. I think they're on their way to…wherever they're going tonight.~

"Think it'll work?"

~I'm hoping. You?~

"Me too. My mom had a pretty big smile on her face when she left."

~Hey, did you like hurt yourself or something? I heard Akane say something about that time you stabbed or whatever.~

"Well, it's not quite a knife wound, but I almost broke my hand on Akira's jaw." She flexed her fingers.

~Dare I ask why your fist happened to connect with your brother's jaw?~

"Akane can tell you later." Kimiko giggled. "So did your dad have a 'Are you sure you're okay with me doing this' talk?"

~A small one. That's it.~

"You're not the talk-y type are you?"

~Gee, what ever gave you that idea?~

She could just picture him sighing and rolling his eyes. "But seriously, are you okay with it?"

~Well, I wasn't but I got over it.~

"Hmmm…could Akane have had something to do with that?"

~Shut up!~

Kimiko laughed.

~You're enjoying this, aren't you?~

"Of course I am!"

~You're weird.~

"Whatever." She smirked.

~Hey! I'm supposed to say that!~

They both laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kouji opened the door for Tora and walked into the restaurant after her. After being seated, they ordered some drinks and talked.

"So how's Kano with this?"

"He's fine with it. I was a little surprised. Your kids?"

"Well…Kimiko practically shoved me out the door." Kouji smiled. "We didn't tell Akira. Well, Kimiko will probably tell him some time tonight."

"You didn't tell him? Why?"

"Kimiko didn't think it would be a good idea. Akira would prefer it if my life revolved around him forever."

"Well…there's no arguing with Kimiko." Kouji smirked.

"Ah…you know her so well already." She smiled and sipped her drink. "It would be nice if Akira would agree to meet you."

"He's going to have to learn. You can't indulge him forever."

"Too true…but I don't want to hurt him…"

"Everyone gets bumped and bruised along the way. If you're afraid of getting hurt, you'll never get anywhere."

Tora let out a deep sigh. "Something I don't think I ever learned…" She looked up at him. "How did it happen?"

"What?"

"How did your wife die?"

Kouji thought for a moment. He never thought of Kanako as his wife. She hadn't been around enough for him to ask her. But then again…it would be too difficult to explain the truth to her so he'd just pretend Kanako had been his wife. After all, he had loved her as if she had been his wife even if she wasn't. "Well…Kanako had one other son…from a previous marriage and was bringing Kano to meet his half brother…Kano wasn't too big on the idea but he went anyway. While they were going to meet the other boy, they got mugged…Kano was knocked out. Kanako was stabbed and died soon afterwards…"

It wasn't really the whole truth but could he say 'Kanako kidnapped and brainwashed Kano in order to be a family of some kind and her other son planned on killing Kano but instead Kanako did the motherly thing to do and sacrificed herself to save Kano'?

Like anyone would believe that.

Sometimes he barely believed it.

What else could he say?

'Oh and by the way, your husband? He's not really dead. You just think he's dead. He's actually a god in another world that I happen to worship and Kimiko inherited his power and immortality'? Sure he could say that. He had to make up a lot of stuff here.

"I'm sorry…did the police catch the person who stabbed her?"

"Yes. He's awaiting trial now. Tasuki and Kei thought it would be a good idea if Kano and I stayed here for a few weeks to relax a bit. And your husband? What happened to him?"

"He was on his was home from work I think…happened a while ago…and I was in such shock…it was kind of late and as he was passing through an intersection, a drunk driver went through a red light and hit his car…the other driver actually died in the crash…the doctors said it was a miracle Rei survived as long as he had, but deep down we both knew he was going to die. He pretty much stayed alive long enough to say good bye to the kids and then he died. Kimiko cried for days after Rei died…not to say I didn't…" She blinked back her tears. "Shoot…even after 4 years I still can't talk about it without getting upset."

Kouji took her hand in his. "You should be upset. He was your husband, the father of your children. You never stop missing the ones you loved. Eventually you'll move on, but you never forget."

"You're wise beyond your years Kouji. You really are. I hope Akira agrees to meet you some time before you have to go back home, but I think we'd need a lot of luck and divine intervention for that to happen."

Kouji felt a smile play across his lips. "You never know Tora. Divine intervention can happen. Maybe we will get lucky." He knew how possible it really was.

She smiled. "Always have to think positive I suppose."

~*~*~*~*~

Akane folded the last of her clean clothes and closed her drawer. She left her room and turned off the light. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red got into her parents' room that she knew was her father's hair. She walked down the hall and stood in the doorway.

"Daddy?"

He put down the book he just picked up. "Yeah?"

"Gotta minute?"

"Always, Akane." He sat on the bed and offered her a seat next to him.

She sat down and hugged him. "Thank you."

"For…what?" He was a little confused but returned his daughter's hug.

"For letting me be with Kano. I know this must be hard for you…"

He sighed. "You have no idea. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"I know. But Kano's not like the other ones. He's different."

"I know. That's why I'm not getting in your way. I want you to be happy and I can see Kano makes you happy…"

"You're the best Daddy." Her hug tightened for a moment then she let go.

"You'll understand me a lot more when you have kids."

"When? Try if."

"Please tell me you're not just saying that to make me feel better…" He gave her a pleading look.

She just smiled and left the room. He sighed. "I never thought raising a daughter would be this nerve racking…"

"Everything about raising kids is never racking, honey." Kei smiled and shook her head as she entered their room.

"Good thing there's only one of her."

"Yeah. But we did pretty good with her."

"Yeah…I guess so."

"Ready to be a grandfather?" Kei smirked.

"Don't even joke about that." Tasuki glared at her.

Kei laughed. "Anyway…how do you think Kouji and Tora are doing?"

"Considering they've been out for like 4 hours, I'd say quite well."

"I suppose you're right." Kei wrapped her arms around Tasuki's shoulders.

He curled his fingers around hers.

"You're still worried…"

"About Akane, yes. About Kouji, yeah. My daughter and my friend…romance can hurt."

Kei tugged on his hair again. "They can take care of themselves. You don't need any more gray hairs."

"That's enough outta you."

She giggled. He smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tora pulled up to Kei and Tasuki's home, her night out with Kouji finally coming to an end. They sat quietly in the car for a moment. Tora looked over at him.

"I had a nice time. I'm glad Kimiko forced me out of the house."

"So am I." He smiled.

"Good night, Kouji. And thank you."

He watched her for a moment. She watched him.

Neither one of them was exactly sure of how to end the night.

Kouji carefully leaned towards her. She felt drawn to him. He tentatively brushed his lips against hers. When she didn't move away, he deepened his kiss just a bit.

The kiss felt like it lasted a long time even though it was only a few seconds. Kouji pulled back and looked into Tora's eyes. "Good night." He whispered. "Drive safe."

She nodded as he got out of the car. She took a deep breath. Her head spun. She felt a little nauseous, but in a good way. She could remember the last time anyone made her feel like that. Yes, Rei made her feel like that, but not in such an intense way.

She pulled away after she saw Kouji go inside. The drive home was long and quiet. The radio helped, but she still would have preferred someone there.

When she arrived home, she found Akira sitting on the couch with an ice pack on the side of his face.

"Akira? What happened?" She hurried over to him to look at his face.

"Kimiko punched me…" He looked at the floor. "Did you have a good time?"

"Well yes I did…but why did Kimiko punch you?" She saw a faint trace of black and blue on his cheek. She wondered how bad it would be in the morning.. "She's so grounded…"

"No don't…I deserved it…" He looked up at her. "I'm glad you had a good time."

Tora looked confused. "You're not mad? You're not going to tell me to stay away from Kouji?"

"I'm kinda mad…but I'm not going to say break up with him…you…you should have some fun…"

Tora smiled. "Thank you Akira." She hugged him. "Kouji really is very nice. I hope you'll agree to meet him."

"Not yet…Just not yet…" He rubbed his jaw.

She kissed the side of his head. "Good night, sweetie."

"'Night Mom." He hugged his mother and turned back to the TV as she went upstairs to check on Kimiko.

Kimiko was putting a loose braid in her hair as she got ready for bed.

"Kimiko? I'm home."

Kimiko turned to her door. "Mom! How was your date?" She looked happy.

"It was great. So which hand did you use to slug your brother?" Tora came into Kimiko's room and grabbed her daughter's hands.

Her left hand was still a little red. She blushed. "Oops…am I in trouble?"

"I was going to ground you, but Akira said not to. You're lucky." She tapped Kimiko on the head. "Don't do it again though."

Kimiko nodded. "Yes Mom…" She suddenly smirked. "Did he kiss you?"

Tora blushed. "Kimiko!"

"I'm just asking!" She giggled.

"You are terrible!"

"Good night Mom."

"Good night, Kimiko." Tora smiled and let Kimiko finish getting ready for bed.

Kimiko walked to her window and opened it. She looked up at the stars. "I was right, wasn't I Daddy? You brought Kouji here for Mom. Tell Akira, please? I don't want to have to hit him again. And tell Mom you're still out there, okay?" She took a deep breath and closed her window again.

When she turned back to her bed, a bright red feather was lying on her pillow. She picked it up and slipped it into her diary as a bookmark. "Thank you Daddy."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay, so not a whole lot of action here either, except for Kimiko nearly knocking her brother out. But, everyone starts school next time! Will Reizo pop up and cause havoc in Akane's school? Well, my secret until next time!

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~