Author's Note: This story takes place during the Culture Fest arc in Fruits Basket: Another


"What do you think, Haru; black, or purple?"

Hatsuharu paused, looking up from his shirt buttons to study the two dresses Rin was holding up for his inspection. She'd worn both of them before, and both of them were similar: short, simple, and hot. There was no question she'd turn heads in either of them, the same way she'd turn heads in literally anything, but Haru's answer was prompt.

"Black. Let's match, so we can show 'em all how adorably in step we are."

Rin snorted, but she was smiling as slid into the little black minidress. "Somehow, I don't think a bunch of random high schoolers will care all that much."

"Hey, you never know. High schoolers are a weird bunch."

She wasn't about to argue, and moved to finish with her hair and makeup as Haru finished getting dressed. Then he joined her at the vanity mirror, giving himself a critical once-over and running his hands through his hair before giving himself a pleased smile that made Rin laugh and Haru chuckle in turn.

"What, you're allowed to preen and I'm not?" he teased, giving her a smile. "Personally, I think I look damn good. Hell, I even look respectable!"

"I'm not preening, Haru," Rin said severely, earning her a raised eyebrow from her husband that actually caused her to blush, then reach out and smack his side. "Fine, I am, but only a little bit. Not nearly as much as you."

He laughed again, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling at her neck. "Hey, I'm not criticizing. If anyone deserves a chance to preen, it's you. You know how much I love showing you off."

Rin gave him an amused look, their eyes meeting in the mirror. "To high schoolers?"

"To anyone," he said cheerfully. "So why not high schoolers?" She didn't have an answer for that, so he smiled and continued, "Now, how do I look? Is this conservative enough, you think?"

In Rin's mind, Haru's outfit was almost depressingly conservative, at least for him; a simple pair of black jeans, and a white button down with the top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. He had his usual accessories on, but the outfit itself was...surprisingly basic.

As though he could hear her thoughts, he reminded her, "I don't wanna draw too much attention. Today's about the kids, after all, right?"

"Right," Rin agreed, and she smiled, running her hand down the front of Haru's shirt. "I think you look fine, Haru; a little boring and straight-laced, but fine."

"Perfect. Boring and straight-laced was exactly what I was going for," he said grinning at her. "Now, you ready?"

She nodded, and his grin widened. "Alright, let's go!"


"Well, this brings back memories," Haru commented as the two of them joined the throng making its way into Kaibara High. "I can't believe this is the first time I'm actually coming back here."

"Please don't jinx it," Rin said looking at him. "This is the longest we've gone without being called into a school office in years, and I, for one, am grateful for that."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I am, too," Haru said. "I've kinda wondered if it's Hajime and Mutsuki's influence. Sora's said Hajime's been helping her study this year, too."

Rin shrugged. "Maybe, and I know. It's been very nice of him, considering how busy he has to be this year." She glanced over at her husband, the tiniest hint of a furrow appearing on her forehead. "Do you think we're doing the right thing, dropping in on them on so unexpectedly?"

Haru raised a brow, then looked up at the giant arch they were passing under. "It's the Culture Fest, Rin. It's open to the public, which we are. And beyond that, we are parents of children attending this fine institution. Of course we're doing the right thing."

She gave him an annoyed look. "That's not what I meant, and you know it, Haru."

"Hey, no one asked us not to come."


The passage of time and the span of distance could and did often change and weaken friendships, but over twenty years, five hundred miles, the birth of children and the evolution and advancement of careers had done nothing to hurt the friendship between Tohru and Rin. They still talked regularly, both via text and over the phone; whenever Tohru and Kyo were in Tokyo, the two couples would always try to get together. If Haru was busy with work then Kyo would usually bow out, but the two women would still get together to sit, and talk, and catch up on life. Tohru had been one of Rin's dearest friends for what felt like forever now, and there was almost nothing she wouldn't do for her.

Which was why when Rin and Tohru had been having one of their phone chats and Tohru had let slip the fact that Hajime hadn't invited them to his final Culture Fest, Rin hadn't needed Tohru to spell it out to know just how hurt she was. Rin, in her blunt way, had asked why Tohru and Kyo didn't just ask Hajime about it, but Tohru had handwaved the suggestion, babbling something about children growing up and her trying to respect Hajime's wishes and besides, it wasn't a good time for them to travel right now anyway, and reasons, reasons, reasons.

Rin wasn't fooled. She knew it had to hurt Tohru deeply not to be invited, even though she also knew that Hajime hadn't explicitly invited them to any of the events he'd ever had since starting high school. Personally Rin found it rather strange, considering how close that family had always been and the fact that one of Hajime's alleged primary reason for going to Kaibara High had been to follow in his parents' footsteps, but she wasn't going to meddle.

Not in that area anyway.

Haru had found out from Yuki that Mutsuki had also been weirdly tight-lipped about the Culture Fest, which was even more surprising. Like Tohru and Kyo, Yuki and Machi had decided to take that to mean Mutsuki would prefer them not attend this year, so they weren't.

But Haru and Rin had a pair of first-years, and Sora had been enthusiastic when she brought home a flyer for the Culture Fest.

"Sora thinks Maman and Papan would enjoy it! Especially Sora's class's haunted house!"

Haru and Rin had neither confirmed nor denied anything; Haru's schedule could be unpredictable, and Rin wasn't sure if she'd want to go without him. Then once they knew he could make it, they decided to keep it quiet. Rin was looking forward to seeing her own children's class displays, of course, but more than that, she was looking forward to doing a little something for her friend. It might not be the same for Tohru as being there herself, but if Rin could take some pictures and tell her about Hajime's class, it would hopefully still be something special.

And it would be awkward if Hajime caught wind of her plan and flat-out asked them not to come.

Haru's calmly assured denial was enough to ease her concerns, though, and while she was grateful to Hajime for helping Sora, her loyalty would always be first to Tohru, not Tohru's children, and in a conflict-of-interest Tohru herself would always win. Haru was right; they had every bit as much a right to be here as anyone else.


As they entered the staging area where visitors exchanged their shoes for slippers, Rin couldn't help but notice with amusement the many curious and interested glances coming her husband's way. Haru was as serenely oblivious as ever, but Rin was highly aware of the nudges and whispers being exchanged by other guests, and the surreptitious photos being taken.

In the sixteen years since the twins had been born, Haru had pulled way back from the frantic pace he'd kept in his heyday as a model during the few years prior. Back then, Haru had been a national icon, and his face had graced everything from magazines to billboards to television spots. But when the kids had arrived, he'd lowered his profile significantly and while he was still modelling, it was on a much smaller scale. He'd still be recognized sometimes; often, even, especially by people around their own age who recognized him from his peak. But the large crowds and paparazzi were a thing of the past, and neither of them missed it at all.

Still...school functions were exactly the type of event where they were likely to encounter people who'd recognize him, and Rin never failed to be amused by the gobsmacked expressions of the other parents as they glanced at Haru, then double-took as they figured out who he was.

At least the kids were used to it.

And Haru was used to it, too, so used to it that it didn't even register as he straightened up and looked at his grinning wife. "What's that look for?"

She shook her head and gave him that same Cheshire Cat grin. "Nothing. So...where do we want to start?"

Haru tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, Riku's 1-A, Sora's 1-D, and they'll both be third floor. Mutsuki's 2-C, second floor, and Hajime's 3-A, first floor. We are on the first floor now..." he began, "but I think we oughtta got up and see the kids, first."


"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Sawa said, looking at her friends Amane and Mito as she frantically tried to bundle herself into her magical girl costume for her shift in 1-A's costume rental shop. She felt genuinely terrible; while she knew that patrolling with the Student Council was an important and expected part of her duties, meeting up with Shiki, Chizuru, and Rio was not, and she'd allowed herself to get so distracted that she'd ended up late for her already shortened shift.

But neither of her friends seemed upset with her, at least not at the moment.

"Don't worry about it, Sawa," Mito said with a smile. "Those of us here have been able to manage just fine so far."

"But we'll be really glad to have your help," Amane admitted. "Just in the last hour, we've really had business start to pick up; there've even been a bunch of parents stopping in, wanting to try things on!"

Mito made a wry face. "I can't decide if I want my parents to stop in when I'm working or not. Dad was talking about us all taking a family picture in costume, and while I know it's our class's booth, I don't know if I'm ready for the sight of Dad in a kimono."

As the three girls emerged from the dressing area, Riku, who'd been leaning against a wall keeping an eye on the room and the other costumed students, gave Mito a curious look. "What'd be weird about that?"

All three of them blinked at him, and he clarified. "Your dad in a kimono. It's just clothes, right?"

Mito was flustered. "Yes, it is, but it's just...my dad only ever wears Western-style clothes. You know, normal adult clothes? The idea of him wearing a costume, and especially me wearing one at the same time...it's a little embarrassing, you know?"

Riku was giving her a thoughtful look, and Amane laughed. "Don't you ever get embarrassed by things your parents do, Riku?"

"Yeah, Riku, don't you?"

The four students looked to the doorway, and all three of the girls' eyes widened at the sight of the pair who'd just entered the room. Sawa almost couldn't believe it; the woman in particular was quite possibly the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. Long black hair, deep brown eyes, a face and figure that that most women would die for. And the man with her...

There was no question in Sawa's mind that the two of them were Sohmas. There was no other explanation, not with faces like that. And the man's hair was so very much like Riku's, the same strange black-and-white coloration that Riku had always said with a straight face was natural. If it was natural, then...

Mito and Amane were still staring, but Sawa managed to croak out a question as she looked from the couple's amused expressions to Riku, who'd straightened up slightly and was looking at them with a face that wasn't really all that different than his usual but might have been surprised.

"Riku...do you have a brother?"

At that, Haru finally laughed. He and Rin were used to this, too; although Haru would be turning forty later that month and Rin was already forty-two, time, so far, had been very, very kind to them.

Without giving Riku a chance to say anything, Haru crossed the room, followed by Rin, and gave Sawa a smile. "Nope. He and his sister were more than enough, we decided we were gonna call it good with them."

Sawa, Mito, and Amane tried to process the logical conclusion from that statement and failed. There was no way, absolutely no way-

"You guys never said you were coming," Riku finally said, looking at his parents in surprise, and they both shrugged.

"That's because I didn't know until a couple days ago," Haru said easily. "And even then, it wasn't a done deal until today."

Riku could believe that; his father's work schedule had always been a little on the spontaneous side. "Yeah, well...you could've said something this morning."

"We thought we'd surprise you," Rin said with a smile. "Did it work?"

The look he gave her was more than enough answer, and they both laughed, then looked around the room.

"So, what exactly are you guys doing here, anyway? Costumed pictures?"

Amane finally found her voice and beamed at the two of them. "Costume rentals, actually! You can chose any costumes from our selection, and then you decide how long you want to rent it for, based on this," she said, gesturing to the rental rates chart. "We also have makeup available, and we'll also take pictures, if you want, for a small extra cost."

Haru was grinning at Rin as Amane spoke. "Costumes, eh? What do you say, Rin?"

Rin's voice was dry. "I say go ahead and knock yourself out; this is more your thing than mine."

"But don't you think it'd be so much fun to do together? Dress up, take a photo, commemorative Riku's first Culture Fest..."

Riku had edged away slightly and was trying not to look at his parents, but he was literally the only person in the room who wasn't. All of his classmates and even their current customers were all watching the handsome couple, and it was that scrutiny that finally convinced Rin to cave.

"Fine, we can take a picture together. But just a picture, then back to our normal clothes, got it?" She said, giving him a stern look, and Haru smiled.

"Got it. Now, what to choose," he said thoughtfully. Turning to Sawa, Mito, and Amane, he asked seriously, "What would you recommend for my wife and I? Preferably nothing too complicated, we do have other classes to visit today," he said with a smile.

For some reason, that smile was enough to completely frazzle Sawa, and once more she found herself reduced to gaping. Seriously, just was it about these Sohmas that made them so...like that? She still couldn't quite get herself to believe it, but she was starting to suspect that this incredibly beautiful pair were none other than Riku and Sora's parents, which seemed flat-out impossible given that they looked like they could easily be in their late twenties. Maybe a very, very early surprise pregnancy?

Amane and Mito had a better grasp on themselves, though, and they took the question very seriously, looking at Haru and Rin before checking their current inventory.

"Maybe kimono?" Amane suggested, pulling out a couple from the rack to show Haru and Rin. "We have this beautiful dark red one that would look lovely with your hair, Ma'am," she said, looking shyly at Rin.

Rin reached out and touched the wine-red fabric, then smiled. "Yes...I think that'll be perfect. Haru?" she asked, and her husband nodded.

"Perfect." Taking the outfits from the girls, they each stepped into the small changing areas and soon emerged, fully dressed.

Mito's eyes widened at the perfectly tied obis. "You didn't need any help at all!"

Haru chuckled, glancing at his own knot and quickly checking Rin's. "When you get to be our age and've had as much experience with this kinda clothes as we have, it gets to be pretty easy."

All three girls were tempted to ask about said age, but all of them held their tongues. Then Haru asked, "So, who do we ask about taking a picture?"

"Me," their classmate Susumu said, holding up a camera. "You can just stand in front of there," he said, gesturing nervously to a hanging backdrop of a cherry trees along a river.

As they moved to stand in front of it, Haru glanced at it and chuckled, then looked at Rin. "Man, this brings back memories. Remember Yuki, Honda, and Kyo's class's last Culture Fest? Though your outfit then-" he began, then broke off abruptly at the sharp elbow Rin drove into his ribs.

"Smile, Haru," she said pleasantly, and as he rubbed his side he gave her a smile, then pulled her close.

"You're lucky I like you. Most people wouldn't be able to get away with that," he murmured, his voice low, and Rin simply smirked at him. Then they both looked at the camera, and both of them flashed their most dazzling smiles.

Susumu was feeling a bit intimidated, but both of them were complimentary of the picture he'd taken, which he then sent to an email Haru gave him. And Haru and Rin were just turning to head back to the changing room when one of the other customers, a woman somewhere around their age, suddenly spoke up.

She was blushing, and her entire face was red. But her expression was also hopeful, and there was an eager look in her eye as she asked, "Excuse me, sir, but are you...did she just say...are you actually Haru?"

Haru and Rin exchanged an amused look, then Haru gave the woman a little bow. "In the flesh. Great day to be at Kaibara High's Culture Fest, don't you think?"

The woman's eyes rounded, and she was clearly trying to rein in her excitement as she gave him an excited nod. "Yes! Yes, it certainly is," she said, beaming at him. Then she looked at Rin before looking back at Haru, hesitating before building up her courage. "I don't mean to intrude on your time...Mr. Haru, but if it's not too much of an imposition, could I, maybe...get a picture of you?"

It wasn't as common these days as it used to be, but it still happened regularly, and often without the person asking. So Haru could appreciate the woman's manners, and he was feeling pretty generous as a consequence. "Sure! And I'll do you one better, even," he said, smiling at her. "You've got a kimono, too; let's take one together, you, me, and my wife. How about it?"

Rin almost burst out laughing, the woman was so wildly excited.

"If you're sure-that is, I really don't mean to intrude-but of course, that would be so wonderful!"

Haru and Rin promptly pulled the woman along with them back in front of the backdrop, and the woman gave Susumu her phone to take the picture. Then they once more posed, Haru and Rin on either side of Haru's fan, who was practically quivering with excitement.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Haru, really," she gushed when they were done, "and you too, Mrs...Haru," she said awkwardly, eliciting another amused smile from Rin.

"No problem...?" Haru asked, and the woman quickly responded,

"Aoi! Aoi Watanabe."

"No problem, Aoi. It's always nice to meet a fan as polite as you," Haru said. "You enjoy the rest of your day now, ok?"

"You too!" she said, then it was her turn to have her actual picture taken, and time for Haru and Rin to change back into their normal clothes.

Once that was done, it was time for them to move on.

"Well, thank you very much, 1-A," Haru said, smiling at them all. "This was a top-notch experience. Thanks especially for your help...?" This time, he looked at the three girls, who all found themselves blushing once more under his stare.

"Amane Tanaka!"

"Mito Hayashi."

"Sawa Mitoma."

Haru had nodded along with the first two names, but at Sawa's, he and Rin both suddenly turned their attention sharply to Sawa's face, and she felt herself fighting the urge not to cringe away.

"Sawa Mitoma, eh?" Haru said after a moment, looking at her thoughtfully. "Well, it's good to finally put a face to the name," he said at last, then smiled at her. "Keep up the good work, Mitoma."

"Yes, keep up the good work, all of you," Rin said, pulling her eyes from Sawa to look around the room. They finally alit on her son, who'd been doing his best to distance himself while they were there, and she couldn't help but smirk at the minimal-to-others-but-very-obvious-to-them shifts in Riku's body language that said just how embarrassed he was.

Perhaps next year, Riku would be one who'd be asking his parents not to come.

"We're leaving now, Riku," she said, and he gave a short nod. "We'll see you later."

Haru pulled a couple of bills out of his wallet and passed them to Sawa. "This oughtta take care of it. Have a good one!"

The two of them left the classroom, leaving everyone staring after them. Then they all exhaled, and Mito, Amane, and Sawa turned to Riku, who was still looking stoically away from the door.

"Riku," Amane finally asked, "those people? Just now? Were they actually-"

"-My parents, yes," Riku said shortly. "Sora must've said something, I didn't know they planned on coming."

So...they were Riku's parents. Sawa had known they had to be, but still!

"Hey, Mitoma? Wanna bring that over here?" Their classmate Nori, currently in charge of the cash box, waved at her, and she suddenly remembered the money in her hand.

"Yes, of course! Sorry," she said, hurrying over. And as she opened her hand to give Nori the bills, the two of them both gaped.

"Twenty thousand yen?" They looked up and stared at each other, then Sawa whirled to look at Riku. "Riku, your parents just left us twenty thousand yen! Should we go after them?"

"Don't," Riku said curtly. "If Dad left it, he meant to."

"But we can't-"

Riku shrugged. "Chase him down and try if you want, they won't take it back."

The students all exchanged a bewildered look, then finally Nori tucked the money into the cash box.

The first day of the Culture Fest was definitely off to an excellent start.


"Ok...here's 1-B...there's 1-C...that was me, back in the day," Haru said, smiling slightly as he looked at the classroom for 1-C. "Me, and Momiji, and Machi too, actually," he said, remembering.

"That's right...she was in your class the whole time, wasn't she?" Rin said, glancing thoughtfully at the sign as they passed by 1-C.

"Yup. Not that I knew her that well, back when we were up here."

They continued down the hall, through the crowd and past the students advertising for other classes and club booths. But soon enough they were at the door to 1-D, looking up at the signs hanging from the hallway ceiling just outside the classroom.

"Sound," Haru read, "Will eat away at your senses. Hmm." He looked curiously at his wife. "Didn't Sora say her class was doing a haunted house?"

"That's right," Rin said, reading the signs herself. "Honestly, though, I think this sounds much more interesting than the usual classic horror-style."

Haru was nodding. "Yeah, we'll have to see how it holds up-"

"MAMAN? PAPAN?"

Sora's voice provided the tiniest hint of notice before Sora was suddenly flying into Haru's arms, the force of her leap nearly knocking him backwards. "You came! Sora hoped you would, but you never said!" She exclaimed, looking from Haru to Rin in an almost accusatory manner before breaking into her usual bright smile. "But you're here now, and that's all that matters. Have you come to see the haunted house?"

"Sure have, baby girl," Haru said, smiling as he set her down.

"You look very...interesting, Sora," Rin said, looking at her daughter's eyepatch and blood-stained lab coat with a smile. "But you'll need to tell us a little about what we're getting into."

Sora glanced up at the signs, then beamed at her parents. "It's an acoustic haunted house!"

Rin's brow furrowed. "Acoustic?"

"Yes!" Sora said happily. "It's the sounds...of terror!" She said, drawing her sleeve up over her face and laughing maniacally, then dropping her sleeve to explain, "Listen carefully, so you don't miss anything, ok? Sora will be waiting for you outside, you'll have to tell her all about it! I know how much you love haunted houses, Maman," she said happily, looking at Rin, and Rin smiled before giving her daughter a hug.

"Sure do, Sora."

"We'll give you a full report," Haru said, winking at Sora before he and Rin headed in.


When they came out again, Rin was even paler than normal, and when Sora bounced over, Rin only managed to give her a somewhat shaky smile.

"You all did a great job," Haru said, smiling at Sora. "So good that I think your mom's gonna need to sit down for a little bit before we do much else," he said, giving Rin a chuckle.

The look Rin gave him in return was venomous enough to eat through metal, but she pulled off a vaguely pleasant look for Sora. "Haru's right, Sora. That was...very creative, and very well done," she said with a mild shudder. "You and your classmates did a wonderful job."

Sora bounced excitedly. "Yay, Sora is so happy you liked it! But Maman should take all the time she needs to collect herself," Sora said seriously. "Would you like to sit on the fainting bench?"

"Fainting...bench?" Rin asked, her voice faint and almost afraid to ask.

"Yes! So many people have already needed to sit down after they leave that we got a bench, just so everyone could pass out more comfortably. Wasn't that thoughtful of Sora's class?" Their daughter looked so proud of herself that both Haru and Rin had to laugh, and after that laugh, Rin felt well enough to stand all the way back up.

"While I'm sure it's a very nice bench, Sora, I think I'll manage. We've still got other things to see while we're here, after all," Rin said with a smile.

"Oh?" Sora swiveled her head from Rin to Haru. "Have Maman and Papan stopped in to see Rikkun yet?"

"Sure did, baby girl," Haru said with a smile. "And we got our picture taken. But we figured we'd also stop in and see Mutsuki and Hajime's classes, while we're here."

Sora tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, Sora saw Hajime and Mutsuki on Student Council patrol earlier, but they might be back in their classrooms! And if not, then Sora knows just what Maman and Papan should see instead," she said with a big grin. "On the first floor? Find the 'School History Exhibit.' Then later, you can tell Sora allllllll about what you think!"

Haru and Rin were both a little surprised by that recommendation, but they both nodded. Then with final hugs for Sora, the two of them were off again, this time for the staircase and the second floor.

As they walked down the hall, one of Sora's classmates poked her head out into the hallway and looked after them, then stared at Sora with wide eyes. "Sora...were those your parents?"

Sora nodded brightly. "Yes! That was Sora's Maman and Papan!"

"They just paid twenty thousand yen for their tickets! Do you think it was a mistake?"

Sora blinked, then laughed. "Papan is so generous, to Sora's class as well as Sora herself! So no...no mistake," she said, shaking her head. "It's just something nice for the cash box!"


As Haru and Rin made their way down the stairs and into the second-floor hallway, Rin was aware of more people recognizing Haru, and more covert photos being taken. She was torn between amusement and annoyance at this point; it was nice that people were leaving them alone, which definitely hadn't used to be the case, but it was still too bad they couldn't even roam the halls of a high school culture festival without Haru being noticed.

Then again, he was the one who never wore hats, so it was really all on him.

At the door to 2-C's noodle bar, they asked after Mutsuki, and were told he wasn't there, but was expected for his shift in another forty-five minutes. Figuring he was likely still patrolling and that, if so, Hajime was no doubt with him, the two of them decided to head down to the first floor and check out the 'School History Exhibit' Sora had told them about.

Neither one of them was expecting quite what they found. A question to a passing student got them heading in the right direction, and as they approached the exhibit, they could hear the loud voices of excited girls telling people to step up and enjoy reading about one of the many storied families who had chosen to send their students to Kaibara High.

"Clearly, it's a testament to this storied institution, and Kaibara High should be proud of its legacy!"

Being taller than most of the crowd, Haru was able to see before Rin. His first instinct was to stare, and his second, mere moments later, was to burst out laughing, which earned him a confused look from Rin. It was also enough to silence the voice they'd just heard, and the crowd suddenly parted as the owner, a somewhat intense looking young lady with a deep scowl on her face, came arrowing through the crowd.

"Who's laughing? If there's one thing I won't tolerate, it's-"

She broke off as she saw Haru, his eyes still running over the strangely censored photos of himself and his cousins. For a moment she simply stared at him, then her eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together.

"Hatsuharu Sohma?" she asked, and Haru broke off his laughter to look at her in surprise, as did Rin.

"Yes, definitely Hatsuharu Sohma," the girl repeated, her face lit up with wonder. "Class of XXXX? Same as Momiji Sohma, one year behind Yuki and Kyo Sohma, two before Kisa Sohma, four before Hiro Sohma? Father of our very own current students Riku and Sora Sohma? It's an absolute privilege!" She swept him a low bow, and Haru and Rin both found themselves feeling uncomfortably exposed. While there hadn't been a huge crowd at the 'school history exhibit' initially, the halls were crowded, and the girl's dramatic speech had attracted more attention.

And Haru had never used his actual name professionally, only 'Haru.'

Suddenly aware of the number of people observing, Haru figured the best thing to do was acknowledge and move on. "You're certainly very informed, Miss...?"

"Kageyama!" She said, beaming at him. "Ruriko Kageyama. My mother went to school with you, perhaps you remember her? Motoko Minegawa? She was a particular admirer of your cousin Yuki!"

Suddenly the girl's navy-blue hair rang a bell, and Haru remembered that same somewhat creepy intensity in another girl, the president of Yuki's weird fan club back in high school.

She had a daughter here now? And a daughter who was like this?

He suddenly felt concerned for his kids.

With the crowd parted, Rin could see the display now, and her eyes widened incredulously at the sight of the board covered in slightly censored pictures of Yuki, Kyo, Haru, Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro. Tohru was in a few of them, too, along with Yuki and Kyo, and even...

"Goddamnit, what the hell?" She couldn't help herself, looking at one of the pictures of Haru and recognizing herself easily, even with the black bar over her eyes. It was pretty hard not to, considering her look was pretty distinctive...and she doubted there was anyone else who looked like her that Haru might have been making out with amidst the trees in the school courtyard.

Who had taken that?

That whole section of the display was honestly disturbing, 'Finding true love at Kaibara High.' Besides the picture of herself and Haru, there was one of Tohru and Kyo, one of Kisa and Hiro, and one of Yuki and Machi. In the first place, Rin had never gone here for school, and in the second place, just where had this girl gotten those pictures? And why?

Rin suddenly realized Ruriko was beaming at her, and she turned her incredulous gaze from the photos to the girl.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Ruriko asked, her expression proud. "I'm sure as someone who also fell in love with a Sohma, you can appreciate the sentiments we all feel that led us to make this display. Loving all Soh-" she broke off, clearing her throat, "Loving Kaibara High as we do, it seemed only right to acknowledge the storied history of the venerable Sohma family with this institution."

Rin wasn't quite sure how to react. She immediately bristled at being lumped in with this girl and whoever else 'we' entailed, and she was wary just what Sohma this girl was talking about loving. To her knowledge, none of the four Kaibara High students was dating anyone, but that didn't mean this girl couldn't be making someone's life very difficult.

And Rin wasn't about to own up to being an original Sohma herself, not when it might mean getting her own place on this weird Sohma wall of fame.

Rin was spared having to answer by the sudden arrival of a somewhat nasal, incredibly pompous voice. "Alright, people, please remember this is a hallway and we need to ensure free and easy passage for all! Ruriko, if you can't do a better job directing your visitors, then-"

The speaker, a glasses-wearing man of middling height, suddenly appeared through the crowd, and the moment he saw Haru he stopped talking. To Rin's surprise, Haru himself suddenly broke into a grin, one of a rather diabolical nature.

"Well, hey there, Ex-president Takei," Haru said cheerfully. "I heard you were a teacher here these days, I guess that rumor's true."

Sensei Takei drew himself up to his full, still-much-shorter-than-Haru height and tried to look down his nose at Haru. "You heard correctly, Hatsuharu Sohma. I'm surprised to see you here; I wouldn't have expected a person as busy as you to make time to come to our little school festival."

Haru shrugged. "Well, you know what they say, Sensei Takei; you gotta make time for the important things in life, right?" Without giving Sensei Takei a chance to respond, Haru looked at Rin with a smirk. "You've gotta remember Sensei Takei, right Rin? He's the one who had a beef with my hair, back on my first day of high school."

Rin's eyes instantly widened in recognition, and Sensei Takei turned crimson. She then narrowed her eyes, studying him, then looked innocently up at her husband. "Have you heard of Riku having any issues, Haru?"

"Riku Sohma's hair is on file as being completely hereditary," Sensei Takei barked almost fearfully. "The school is aware that certain...less-common hair colors are nevertheless naturally occurring in the Sohma family, and there is no need for any further follow-up!"

"Good, because that was annoying as hell. Then again, the current Student Council president is a lot less of an ass than the one back then, so I doubt he'd need as much convincing even if there wasn't a record," Haru said with a smirk that made Sensei Takei bristle yet again. But before he could say anything else, Haru continued, "But I'm glad to hear things have gotten saner...mostly."

He was looking at the 'School History' exhibit once again, but this time he was almost chuckling. And looking at Ruriko, he asked her, "Do you mind if I take some pictures of this? I think some of my relatives will be very interested in seeing the results of your hard work."

Beaming, Ruriko gestured for him to go ahead, and he took some shots of the display, in wide scale and in close up. Then he slipped his phone back into his pocket and smiled at both Ruriko and Sensei Takei. "Well, we have more of the festival to see, so we'll just leave you to it. Nice seeing you again, Ex-president Takei," he added with a smile as he and Rin departed.

As they walked away, Rin leaned close and murmured, "So that's the guy you showed your dick, huh?"

"Yup. Don't worry, though, it was just that one time."

Rin rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "He was the one into Yuki, wasn't he?"

"Yup. I always kinda wondered if he ever tried to make Yuki prove his natural hair color after that..."


A quick check in 3-A told them that Hajime wasn't around, but he was due to start his shift within the next fifteen minutes.

"Well, guess that proves that Mutsuki and Hajime were doing their Student Council patrolling together," Haru commented as the two of them leaned against the wall outside of 3-A and decided what to do while they waited. "Yuki always had to do that crap when he was on the council, too. Glad I never had to deal with that shit, I doubt I would've had the patience."

Rin agreed. "Yes, especially with them having to go from patrolling to their own classes afterwards. Student Council always sounded like a stupid amount of work on top of everything else. But I suppose it's not surprising that Mutsuki's involved...or Hajime either," she said, after a moment.

Haru chuckled. "Yeah, Hajime's weirdly responsible, isn't he? You can tell he's Kyo's kid by looking at him, but I'da never guessed Kyo'd have a kid grow up to be Student Council president. Pretty sure that's allllllll Honda." He suddenly straightened up, an idea occurring to him. "You know, maybe we oughtta check the Student Council office. If they've been patrolling, and patrolling is anything now like what it was back when I was in school, they were probably taking notes and stuff, so they might be stopping by there before they head to their classes. We could catch them and say hi before we just appear in their classrooms; Hajime in particular might appreciate the notice," he said with a chuckle.

Rin could agree with the wisdom of that plan, and she nodded. While she wasn't about to back down and just leave without seeing him when they'd come all this way, she did know that Hajime tended to get flustered when he was thrown into unexpected situations, and her and Haru turning up in his classroom was bound to be unexpected, Culture Fest or no Culture Fest.

"That sounds like a good plan, Haru. Do you remember where the Student Council office is?"

He nodded. "Third floor, but away from the classrooms. It might actually be cordoned off, now that I think of it," he said thoughtfully, and Rin gave him a grin of her own.

"So?"

"So...I'm just saying," he said, returning the grin. Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs, continuing on past the second floor and up to the third, then heading down the hall away from the classrooms and rounding the corner to another hallway. As he'd suspected, there was a large sign in the middle of the hallway announcing that this hall was out of bounds; as they'd already silently agreed, they ignored it.

"There it is, the Student Council office," Haru said, pointing. "We can knock, and if they're there, great. If not, we can just head back down; both of them'll be turning up in their classes any time now, anyway."

But they were spared having to knock. As Haru and Rin approached the office, the door opened and Hajime and Mutsuki emerged, Mutsuki in the process of adjusting his tie and Hajime straightening his shirt. Both of them jumped when they saw Haru and Rin, and for a moment even Mutsuki's legendary composure was ruffled.

He recovered the fastest, though. "Uncle Haru, Aunt Rin! We had no idea you two were coming today, what an unexpected treat! But you know, I'm pretty sure there's a sign at the end of this hall saying this way is off-limits," he said, giving them a playful finger waggle.

Haru shrugged in mock defeat. "Well, you caught us, Mr. Vice President. But in our defense, we had a pretty good reason. We were trying to find some missing Sohmas, and the Student Council office seemed a pretty good place to look."

"We weren't missing, we were working," Hajime said, his voice gruff and weirdly reminiscent of Kyo's when he was annoyed. "We've been patrolling, and we had to make sure everything was set up for the next team to take over."

"We know, Hajime," Rin said, honestly a little surprised at his defensiveness. "That's why we wanted to see if you were there, that's all. It occurred to us you might not have wanted us to just appear in your classrooms without notice if we had another option, so we figured we'd check if you were there, that's all. We didn't touch anything besides the floor, if that's what you're worried about," she said, glancing at the off-limits sign as they passed it.

Hajime was still fussing with his shirt, but he sighed at that. "No, I'm not worried about that, Aunt Rin. And sorry," he said, glancing down. "You guys just surprised me, that's all. Riku and Sora never mentioned you were coming."

"Well, they didn't know either," Haru said as they all started down the hall to the stairs. "I only knew for sure-sure this morning, and I wasn't gonna mention it until I was sure. So it ended up that we just...turned up."

Hajime snorted, but Mutsuki was smiling. "Well, it's nice to see you both! Have you had a chance to see much of the festival?"

"Sora and Riku's classes...and we also checked out that 'School History exhibit,'" Haru said, his mouth twitching in spite of his attempted to keep a straight face. At that, Mutsuki started laughing, while Hajime actually groaned and looked down. "And don't worry, Hajime, I made sure to take plenty of pictures to send your parents."

Hajime groaned again, this time passing his hand over his face. "I swear, Uncle Haru, Ruriko is basically harmless."

"Is she the girl from that opening ceremony video Riku took?"

That time, Hajime literally swore, and Mutsuki actually laughed. "Good memory, Uncle Haru! That's her, yes, the president of the Sohma Fan Club."

Now it was Rin's turn to twitch. "The what now?"

Hajime sighed and mumbled something under his breath, while Mutsuki continued to beam. "Oh, it's exactly what it sounds like. Basically it's a group of students who admire all of us Sohmas. It started when Hajime was a first year, but then I came along, so they expanded it, and now that the twins are here..." he shrugged, then gave Rin and Haru a grin. "I guess we're all just too charismatic for our own good!"

Considering Hajime at that moment looked somewhat like a storm cloud, there were perhaps limits to that charisma. And Rin couldn't decide if Mutsuki's explanation actually relieved her mind or made her feelings about that strange stalker-esque Sohma display worse.

If nothing else, she'd always trusted Hajime's judgement. If he felt that Ruriko was nothing to worry about, and her kids had never mentioned any concerns...then she'd accept that.


Haru and Rin accompanied Mutsuki to 2-C's homeroom, where he slipped on a waist apron and cheerfully told them he'd been banned from coming within ten feet of the cooking setup, unless he was picking up orders. Considering what they knew about Mutsuki's cooking ability, they could very well believe that, and they were happy to know that he was only bringing them their food, not trying to make it.

When they were done eating, they went down to 3-A, and Hajime somewhat awkwardly helped them get set up to play the games of chance his class was running. He seemed so uncomfortable that Rin once again found herself questioning whether it had been right to surprise him, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

Haru turned out to be singularly bad at the games, and his surprise at that fact was almost as hilarious as the actual failures. Things got even better when Rin stepped up and actually won most of the games, her good fortune earning her her choice from the prize pool.

But in the end, she'd declined the prize, instead asking for something else.

"Hajime, will you please just smile and look like you're enjoying yourself for at least one picture? I want to send it to Tohru, and it would be a lot better if you didn't look like you were at the dentist."

In the end, Hajime got himself together enough for Rin to get her pictures, and he even thanked them for coming with good grace.

And after that...it was time to go.


"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?"

They were back in their condo, curled up together on the couch. Rin had sent Tohru the pictures she'd taken, and was reading Tohru's surprised and grateful responses with a smile; even via text, she could imagine just how wide Tohru's smile had to be just then.

But at Haru's question, she set down her phone, and looked over at him. "Yes...in general, I think it was fun. Sora was certainly happy to see us," she said, thinking about her daughter's enthusiasm. "But I'm pretty sure we embarrassed Riku."

Haru shrugged. "Eh, that's the problem with twins. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other. Yeah, we might've embarrassed him, but I'm glad we stopped by. It was nice to finally meet Sawa Mitoma, after...everything," he said, his voice a little quiet.

Rin nodded. "I wasn't thrilled to learn the kids had befriended her, not at first. But it sounds like things haven't been the easiest for her, and things that happened back then were in no way her fault," she said with a sigh. The kids hadn't shared too many details, but Rin was adept at reading between the lines and from the sound of it, Sawa's home life was hardly something to appreciate.

Rin only wished it was a little harder to sympathize.

Haru was nodding. "At least she seems to get along well with her classmates, from what we saw...and then, she's got all the Sohma kids, too," he said with a smile.

"Yes, she does," Rin said softly, tilting her head against Haru's shoulder and watching as he opened his phone and pulled up the picture they'd had taken in Riku's classroom. For all that she hadn't been thrilled at the time, Rin was glad they'd done it; the red kimono looked even better on her in the picture than it had in person, and Haru looked as devastatingly handsome as ever.

Haru was smiling, one thumb gently running over the two of them on the screen, and the other hand wrapped around Rin. "You know, we should see if we still have the picture we took at Yuki, Honda and Kyo's last Culture Fest. It'd be kinda cool to compare them side by side and see how well we've actually held up since then. But just looking at this, it's almost criminal how hot we still are, especially you."

Rin was thinking something similar, but it was nice to hear him say it, too. "We really are, aren't we?"

He nodded, then laughed, thinking of their arrival in Riku's class. "Do you think Riku actually told them we're his parents? Or do you think they finally came to accept it on their own?"

Rin chuckled and slid over into Haru's lap. "I'm not sure. They were certainly struggling, though."

"Good. I like to see a little struggle on that score," Haru said with satisfaction. "Not that I've got any issues with either of us being forty, mind you," he said, nuzzling at her. "But it's nice to keep people guessing."

"Well, it's good for you to keep them guessing about something," Rin said teasingly. "I don't think I've seen so many people take notice of you in a good decade."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you saying I've lost my game?"

"I'm saying you've been under the radar for a while, which is what we both wanted. Can you imagine what life would have been like for the kids if you'd kept on as you were?"

Haru sighed, holding her close. "Yeah, you've got a point. Though clearly, the weird stalking behavior isn't limited to me. How about that Ruriko, huh?"

Rin made a face. "I didn't care for her at all. Sora seemed to think it was a joke, but I can't imagine Riku is as happy about it. I certainly wasn't," she said, frowning as she thought of the picture of herself and Haru making out.

"That reminds me, I need to send Kyo those pictures I took," Haru said, returning his attention to his phone. "I'd hate for him to miss out on seeing that display, or knowing it exists. Bummer that he's at work right now, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see them when he's done."

Somehow, Rin doubted that 'thrilled' was going to describe Kyo's mood when he saw them, and she found herself wondering whether Kyo and Tohru were aware their son had once had his entirely own fan club. That was another thing she doubted, because she couldn't imagine Hajime saying anything about it, or either Tohru or Kyo being happy to know it, considering what Rin had heard about Yuki's fan club, back in the day.

Though thinking of Hajime made her think of something else.

"Were you expecting Hajime and Mutsuki to go all 'Student Council' on us today? I knew they'd be surprised to see us, but when we first found them, they were..." she trailed off, frowning. What exactly had they been?

"Defensive," Haru said thoughtfully, leaning back on the couch. "Hajime was, at least, almost aggressively so. He's so calm and collected most of the time, but sometimes it's all too obvious he's Kyo's son."

Rin nodded in agreement, but continued to frown. "Mutsuki didn't seem defensive, did he? Definitely surprised, but defensive?"

Haru was replaying the encounter in his mind, his brow furrowing even further as he considered. "It's hard to tell with Mutsuki sometimes, he plays so much for laughs. And he's always been better at taking things in stride than Hajime; I don't think I've ever seen Mutsuki get flustered in the kid's whole life. Where he gets that, I've got no idea, since it's definitely not Yuki or Machi, but..." He wrapped both of his arms around Rin's waist and considered. "No, I think he was defensive, too. Off his game, at the very least, and he had to scramble to recover after first seeing us."

"I wonder if Hajime was asleep," Rin mused. "Tohru mentioned she's been worried about him not getting enough rest lately, he's been pushing himself very hard studying for his entrance exams and I can only imagine how much they must have been working getting ready for the Culture Fest."

"It's possible," Haru said slowly. "He's always had a knack for falling asleep at random times and places if he's tired, so maybe that's it. I wouldn't put it past Mutsuki to cover for him, either, if they were supposed to be doing something else."

"It would definitely explain why Hajime's shirt was so rumpled when they came out," Rin said, and Haru nodded, that same thoughtful expression on his face.

"Yeah, that's one explanation," he said, and with how he said it, Rin looked at him curiously.

"Do you have another?"

He was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah. Him sleeping makes the most sense, and would account for him being grouchy afterwards, too. That kid sleeps like Honda, but he's got his dad's grumpy attitude when he wakes up."

"I thought Kyo was an easy riser," Rin commented, and Haru smirked.

"Oh, he is. I don't mean his attitude when he wakes up, I mean in general."

They both laughed at that, then Haru leaned up and pressed his nose against Rin's.

"So...are you happy we went?"

She thought about that for a moment, then smiled, thinking of Tohru's happy texts. "I am. It really made Tohru happy, and I'm glad I was able to do that for her. And," she continued, thinking about Sora's excited face when she saw them, "I'm glad we went for our own sakes, too."

"Yeah," Haru said, smiling at her. "It was nice to go back to high school, just to visit."

Rin nodded, then suddenly started chuckling. And Haru raised a brow, finally asking when she didn't explain, "Ok, what's so funny?"

"Oh, just thinking about that guy, your former Student Council president. He was kind of scared of you, wasn't he?" she asked, giving him a teasing smile. Haru laughed, understanding, then shook his head.

"Scared of me? I doubt it. Intimidated by me? Probably."

"Intimidated of you, huh?" she asked, and he nodded.

"For sure. I mean...the guy's seen my dick, Rin."

"So have I," she reminded him, "And I can't say I'm particularly intimidated."

"I sure as hell hope not."

"And what do you hope I am?" Rin asked, bringing a hand up to stroke his cheek, and Haru grinned.

"How about...impressed?"

"Hmm...you know, I can't actually remember."

"You can't, huh?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to try to jog your memory, then."

And as Haru's mouth covered hers and Rin melted into him, she found herself thinking once again just how happy she was, for a multitude of reasons. Forty or not, embarrassed kids or not, awkward encounters or not...life was good.