After Shota and Kaede returned with the snacks, they'd played two more games, with the mood more or less the same as it had been before. After that it was time to part ways; everyone except Sachiko had things they normally did on Saturdays, and as fun as it had been to hang out, all good things had to end eventually.

Sachiko had enthusiastically thanked her friends as they walked her back to the bus stop, outwardly acting like her normal playful self. But she had been almost hyperaware of Takashi the entire time, noticing all the times he was looking at her...as well as the times he wasn't.

He'd asked her out. He'd actually asked her out, intentionally, for an actual, real, date. And to be honest...she didn't know quite what to think about that.

She'd be lying if she said she'd never thought about what it would be like, dating one of the guys from the dojo. All of the points Emi had made that morning were valid; she'd almost always gotten along with the other teens at the dojo, and most of them respected her a great deal as a karateka. Her biggest problem with dating guys from school had always been due to a disconnect between her appearance and her interests; guys tended to see her and think she was a sweet, cute thing, and while she'd be the first to argue that she was, those same guys often had a problem accepting that sweet, cute thing was also an aggressively competitive martial artist. Only two of the guys she'd dated in the past two years had been completely ok with her karate practice; some guys had been directly threatened by it, others had been unable to handle the teasing from their friends. There had been jealousy, of course, and that infuriating classic 'it's not very girly.'

Guys from the dojo knew her first and foremost as a karateka. They knew how important karate was to her, and she couldn't imagine they'd suddenly have a problem with it if they were to suddenly start dating. Yes, she'd dealt with more than one bruised ego from male karatekas in her time; it was inevitable, being a girl in a male-dominated sphere. But at the level she and her friends were all at, things were, and had been, almost entirely respectful.

It would have been easier, in many ways, to date a guy from the dojo. But karate was also a brotherhood, and girl or no, Sachiko was a part of that. She had always been proud of the fact that she was taken seriously there; yes, she was smaller than all of the guys at this point, but that didn't mean any of them held back with her. She'd earned the right to be considered more than 'just' a girl, and she had no intention of forfeiting it.

She'd always admired her parents' relationship, and she wanted something like it for herself. Kyo had always been passionate about karate, she knew, and he'd wanted this future since before he'd ever even thought it was possible. Tohru, meanwhile, was almost hopelessly ignorant about karate, but she had always supported Kyo. Sachiko knew it wasn't actually necessary for couples to share interests, even major ones, to be happy and in love.

But there still had to be respect, and Sachiko definitely wondered, at some of her lower points, just how different things might have been for her parents if Tohru was the karateka. Would Kyo have been as supportive, if it was his wife who was going to the dojo every day instead of him?

She had only ever teased the idea of dating one of the dojo guys; it had never gotten even close to a serious consideration. And even then...she'd never once thought that guy might be Takashi.


Sachiko stared out the window as the bus made its way back to Hibe, watching the scenery pass by without actually taking note of any of it. She was too busy thinking about Takashi, his request, and what that request actually meant.

He was one of her best friends, she'd admit that in a heartbeat. She liked him immensely; they'd always gotten along, excepting their somewhat rough start, and he'd always been there for her. Out of literally everyone else in the dojo, he'd been with her the longest; they'd started together and gotten promoted together, not once, in eleven years, having been in different classes. He was good; she'd be the first to admit that, and he knew and appreciated that she was good, too.

But that was karate. Beyond that, they always had fun together, though it had always been part of a group. She liked talking to him, and joking with him. He never took himself too seriously, or her, either, and could go toe to toe with her on insults. He was nice, a supportive and good friend, and she'd always been able to be herself around him without judgement.

Did any of that mean she wanted to date him, though?

Sachiko's brow furrowed thoughtfully as she tried to detach herself from Takashi, the lifelong friend and fellow karateka, and focus instead on Takashi, the teenage boy. He was objectively attractive, she had to admit. He wasn't as tall as her father or brothers, but he was still on the taller side, and well built. He had a great smile, a great laugh, and a great voice. She didn't doubt many of the second-year girls would be happy to date him, given the opportunity.

And, she realized as she continued to mull it all over, that actually included her. She certainly didn't object to dating him, and she knew for a fact that if she didn't know him well she'd have accepted the date in a heartbeat. It was only because she knew him well that she was hesitating...so shouldn't that be an answer all its own? Didn't he deserve the same chance she'd give to almost anyone, at least one date just to see how things went?

Except...

Sachiko sighed as she leaned her head against the window. Suppose she said 'yes,' and they tried dating, and it didn't work out? Would they stop being friends? Would things get weird between them? Would them dating just to start with make things weird for everyone else? Their little group had been friends for eleven years, after all, and she hated the idea of making things awkward or even ruining them, even if the five of them weren't nearly a close as, say, Katsuro's high school friend group had been.

Though at the thought of her brother, Sachiko suddenly straightened up. Maybe that was it, she thought, brightening. There weren't many people she could discuss this with; she respected Takashi and his privacy too much to discuss this with any of their mutual friends, or even her school friends. She certainly wasn't going to talk about this with her parents. But Katsuro...

He was detached from the situation, rational, and she whole-heartedly trusted him to be honest with her. That, and he'd been in almost the exact same situation, once.

Nodding to herself, Sachiko pulled out her phone and sent a text message:

'Hey Katsu, are you free to talk at all tonight or tomorrow? LMK.'

Katsuro was pretty busy these days, she knew, but hopefully he'd have some time at some point. And then, maybe, she'd have a better idea of what she should do.


She'd arrived in Hibe and was almost home when her phone pinged, and she looked at it hopefully.

'I've got a little time if right now works, otherwise maybe tomorrow afternoon around five?'

Sachiko grinned, and promptly hit the 'call' button.

"Katsu, hi! I'll be quick, but thanks for talking."

"No problem, Sachiko," came the pleasant voice of her brother. "What's going on?"

Sachiko took a deep breath. "So...I was actually hoping to talk to you about Asuka, if that's ok."

"Asuka?" She could hear the surprise in Katsuro's voice, and she couldn't blame him; Asuka had been his first girlfriend, who he'd dated from his second year of middle school until they'd broken up during their first year of high school four years prior.

"Why?" he asked, and Sachiko sighed.

"I was just wondering...you two were friends first, when you started dating; did you worry at all, when you did, about things being...weird?"

Katsuro was quiet for a moment before he answered. "Yes, we were. I probably thought about it way too much, honestly; I'd been wanting to ask her out for a while before I finally did, and even then Asuka actually kind of asked me first," he said, a touch of humor in his voice. "But it helped, that Kiyoshi and Honoka in our friend group had already started dating, and that hadn't actually changed things up too much. I was most worried that I'd ask and she'd say no and it'd be weird, but obviously when she brought it up first I didn't have to worry about that anymore," he said, that time with amusement.

Sachiko considered that thoughtfully. "Did you worry about what it would do to your friendship, or your friend group, if you guys didn't work out?"

"Yes, a lot. Part of why I...liked her...at all was because of what good friends we were; we had a lot in common and really enjoyed talking to each other. The idea of us dating, breaking up, and not having that any more..." he trailed off, then sighed. "It sucked, honestly."

"But you decided to try, why?"

"Because I liked her. She was cute, and fun, and funny, and sweet, and she just...made me feel happy. Especially when I knew she felt the same, I figured...I might as well try, right?"

She was silent again, thinking that over. "When you guys broke up, did you...wish you hadn't? Dated her, that is?"

Katsuro sighed. "If you mean did I like breaking up, then no, not at all. Even though it was mutual and we both agreed it was for the best...it sucked. A lot. But I don't regret dating her, no. We both enjoyed it, for a time, and yes it didn't work out, but we were also fourteen when we started dating. The odds were never really in our favor."

"Did it make things weird between you guys after you broke up, or with the rest of your friends?"

Another little silence. "Well, things were awkward between us at first, for sure. It was like...we had to learn how to behave around each other all over again. But in our case, that was temporary; after some time had passed, everything felt pretty much the same as it ever had. It helped that Asuka and I were on the same page about breaking up and neither one of us were dramatic; I think if one of us had been blindsided, it would have been a lot harder."

"So...you don't regret it, then?"

"No. Things didn't work out between us, but even now we're still friends," he said. "The important thing is to go into a situation like that as maturely as possible and be committed to being considerate. If you do decide to date someone from a friend group, make sure you guys are respectful of the rest of your friends, whether you two are getting along or fighting. Keep PDA elsewhere, keep fighting elsewhere, never make your mutual friends feel like they have to choose sides between you, and you'll probably be fine." There was another pause, then Katsuro asked, "Who is it?"

"Right now, a secret," Sachiko said, grinning. "I asked him to give me time to think it over."

"Well, remember Sachi, you don't have to date him, just because he asked you. If he is a friend, it'd probably be a lot easier on him if you let him down easily rather than said yes out of pity or guilt."

"Come on, Katsu, you've gotta know me better than that," Sachiko said, rolling her eyes. "I know I don't gotta say yes, I'm just...I'm not sure," she admitted. "I like him, but I never thought of him in that way before, you know?"

"You also don't have to be in love with someone to date them," Katsuro reminded her. "That's what dating is for, to figure that stuff out." He paused for a moment, then suddenly asked. "Weren't you actually already dating someone?"

"Was, yes, but we broke up," Sachiko said airily. "But don't worry about it, it was mutual and I'm fine."

"Mmm." Katsuro made a thoughtful noise. "Well, I can only speak for me, Sachi, but I've always preferred dating people I already knew and liked. The few times I went out with random people were almost impossibly awkward," he said, and Sachiko grinned as she visualized the blush she was sure currently covered her brother's face. "But when it was someone I knew and liked already, it was easier to relax, have fun, and be myself."

They were both quiet, then Katsuro said, "Was there anything else? I need to get going."

"Nope, nothing else. But thanks for the advice, Katsu, this was helpful," she said, smiling.

"Glad to hear it. Whatever you decide to do, just be nice about it. If you decline, don't ever bring it up around him or any of your other friends. Everyone has their pride, and respecting that can go a long way to keeping a friendship."

"Thanks, Katsu," she repeated. "Have a good weekend!"

"You too, Sachi."


Sachiko had reached home while talking to Katsuro, but rather than head to the house had slowly walked around the yard as the two of them spoke. When the call ended she was on the far side of the Sohma family's two acres, back by the small stand of fruit trees that had always been referred to as 'the orchard.' And as she stood under the trees, her expression was thoughtful.

Talking to Katsuro had been enlightening, and encouraging. His group of friends had been close since first grade; they'd all been in the same grade in school together, and all of them were musicians. Compared to how much time they'd all spent together, Sachiko and her dojo friends were practically strangers. But Katsuro had still been willing to try dating Asuka, and he said he'd do it again, even though they'd ultimately broken up.

Sachiko stared thoughtfully at her phone, thinking about what Katsuro had said. She didn't know if it was meant as a censure of her dating history or not, his comment about preferring to date friends, but she had to admit she knew a fair amount of couples who had started as friends. Her parents were one, she knew; so were Uncle Yuki and Aunt Machi, so were Grandpa and Kunimitsu, so were Uncle Hiro and Aunt Kisa, so were Uncle Momiji and Uncle Hans, and so were...

Once again Sachiko chewed thoughtfully on her lip, then she sent another text message.

'Can you talk just now?'

Within a minute, she had a response.

'Sure! Is everything ok?'

Once more, Sachiko hit the 'call' button and smiled as she raised her phone.

"What, I can't call and talk to my favorite brother without there being something wrong?"

"As much as I love still being your favorite brother, can you blame me for wondering? It's been a hot minute since we've talked, especially out of the blue."

Sachiko grinned at the sound of Mutsuki's teasing voice; though they weren't legally married, Hajime and Mutsuki had been wearing each other's rings for four years now and been together for seven. Even before they'd started dating, Mutsuki had been one of Sachiko's favorite people, and afterwards...

Even if she mostly said it to annoy Hajime and Katsuro, the sentiment was still there.

"But fine, nothing's wrong. What's up, in that case?" Mutsuki asked, "And is this call a secret?"

She knew what he meant by that, and she shook her head. "Nah, Hajime can know. Is he there?"

"In the other room making dinner. Do you want him, too?"

"Right now I'd rather just talk to you."

"Ok then," Mutsuki said easily. "About what?"

"I wanna pick your brain about dating," she said, and Mutsuki made a thoughtful noise.

"Ok, shoot."

"How'd you decide to go out with Hajime?"

There was silence for a moment, then Mutsuki's voice came with undisguised amusement. "Why?"

"Humor me, Mutsuki?" she wheedled. "You guys'd known each other forever-"

"We did video chat on the day I was born, that's true," Mutsuki agreed.

"And you were friends. Your parents were friends. You went to the same school. You lived together."

"All true, yes," Mutsuki agreed in the same companionable way.

"So...how'd you decide to ask him out? Weren't you scared at all that he'd say no, and things would be...weird? Or that he'd accept, but you'd break up and...complicate stuff?"

There was another silence, and she wondered what Mutsuki was thinking just then. One of the reasons the two of them had always gotten along so well was their similar personalities; both of them could be honest and open to the point of excess, and Sachiko had always loved their frank conversations. But even Mutsuki could have things he wanted to keep private, and she knew when it came to Hajime and Mutsuki there were a couple extra layers of complexity, given that Hajime hadn't even accepted he was gay prior to the start of their relationship.

"Can you actually give me a minute, Sachi?" Mutsuki asked. "I want to talk to Hajime, first."

"Sure, take your time."

Sachiko wove her way between the trees as she waited, wondering exactly what Mutsuki was asking and what Hajime would say. She loved her oldest brother dearly, but he could definitely be...well, uptight, for lack of a better word.

And she wasn't in the least bit surprised to next hear Hajime's voice.

"What's going on, Sachi?"

"Hi to you too," she teased. "I wanted Mutsuki's advice, that's all," she said. "I promise, I'm not prying, Hajime. You know if I was, I'd admit it," she teased, and she could practically feel Hajime rolling his eyes at her.

"Advice that involves our dating history?"

"It's a weird world, isn't it?" she asked cheerfully, then sighed in the face of Hajime's almost stony silence. "Yes, ok? And if it's so weird for you, then fine; you can put me on speakerphone and listen too, I really don't mind. I promise I'm not being nosy, and if you guys don't wanna tell me that's fine, but it's just...I really wanna hear from Mutsuki. And maybe you too, even," she admitted in a somewhat small voice.

There was another silence, then she heard Hajime's gruff "Fine."

A moment later, Mutsuki was back. "You're on speaker, Sachi. What was the question, again?"

Sachiko took a deep breath. "Mutsuki, how'd you decide to ask Hajime out in the first place? Weren't you afraid he'd say no, and things would be weird between you? Or that he'd accept, but you guys would maybe break up, and either way, you'd be stuck with that weirdness 'cause of how close our families are? And Hajime...same question, I guess, except about accepting?"

Mutsuki was the one who answered first, his voice surprisingly serious. "Well, in my case, I loved him, Sachiko. I'd been pretty confident I loved him for a long time, and living together had both cemented that and made me pretty confident he loved me back, or was at least very interested in me. An advantage of knowing someone their entire life: you really know them, and can read them pretty well. And I'd pretty much always known I was into guys and girls both, so I didn't have to grapple with that angle to much. If anything," Mutsuki said with a chuckle, "I maybe didn't think enough about the possibility of him saying no, breaking up, or 'things being weird.' I've always been a very optimistic person, after all, and like I said...I was pretty sure he loved me back."

There was another pause, then Mutsuki chuckled again. "Also, it wasn't so much 'asked him out' as 'asked what he'd say if I kissed him,' so there's also that."

Sachiko's eyes rounded and she stared at the phone. "Hajime, you agreed to let him kiss you, just like that?"

"No, not 'just like that'" Hajime barked. "It was a lot more complicated than that...emotionally," he said stiffly.

"Well, fine. So, he asked if he could kiss you, you clearly said yes, at some point-"

"-Well, more that he didn't say 'no,'" Mutsuki said.

"But you must've thought about the whole dating-a-friend thing at some point, Hajime, you think everything to death. Were you worried, at all, about if things went weird?"

Hajime let out a little snort of laughter. "You mean besides the part where I was gay but still fighting it, while also having no idea Mutsuki actually liked guys? Yes, I was worried, about all of it," he admitted gruffly.

"But you still...agreed," Sachiko said.

"Yes, I did. Because he was so confident," Hajime said, his voice softening slightly, and Sachiko could guess he was looking affectionately at Mutsuki. "And as annoying as he was about it, he was right," he continued. "I did love him, too. Loved him, and had for a long time, even if I'd been fighting it. So when he put that all out there, I just...went for it, I guess."

"Though we also kept our relationship a secret for a year and half, which kept the potential for weirdness severely limited," Mutsuki said cheerfully.

Sachiko mulled that over for a bit. "So you two knew you loved each other before you actually started dating, dating just made it 'official.'"

"Yep!"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Hmm," Sachiko said thoughtfully, and after a moment Mutsuki asked, his voice gentle,

"What's going on, Sachi?"

She sighed. "I'm trying to decide if I should go on a date with my friend."

"Your friend?" Hajime asked, and she could hear the frown in his voice. "What happened to Rei?"

"We broke up, he's gone," she said firmly.

"Are you sure you want to date anyone right now? It's fine to be single too, you know, and who knows, maybe it'd be good for you to take a breather for a little while."

"It's fine, Hajime, and please don't lecture me. It's not like I'm planning to get married tomorrow or anything, I just wanna enjoy myself a bit, that's all. And then maybe get married later on," she added teasingly.

"I'm just saying, you're sixteen, Sachi. Don't feel like you have to be in a relationship, or dating, or anything, unless it's something you actually want."

"Yes, Daddy," she said virtuously, earning her a snort from her brother.

"So are you trying to decide whether you should ask out your friend, Sachi?" Mutsuki asked, and once more Sachiko shook her head.

"No, he asked me. I asked him if I could think about it, though."

"Ok," said Mutsuki. "First question: do you like him?"

"Duh! He's one of my best friends, of course I like him. But I never thought about him as someone to date," she said.

"Are you attracted to him?"

"Mutsuki," Hajime groaned, and Mutsuki tutted at him.

"I can go back to the other room if it'll help, Hajime."

"And give her god-knows-what sort of advice without me knowing? Absolutely not."

"Fine. Then kindly shut up, ok?" Mutsuki's voice was so sweet and affectionate that Sachiko burst out laughing, and she heard Hajime grumbling in the background. But he didn't say anything else when Mutsuki repeated, "Are you attracted to him?"

Strangely enough, Sachiko felt herself blushing, and she hesitated before answering. "He's cute enough," she finally admitted, feeling a touch awkward.

"Why didn't you say 'no' right away when he asked you?"

"Well, 'cause I didn't wanna make things awkward! He asked me, and I thought I owed him a real answer, one I actually, really thought about."

"Why didn't you say 'yes' right away?"

Sachiko thought. "'Cause I never thought about it before, and I didn't wanna make things awkward there, either. We're friends, and we have some of the same other friends, and I just...I dunno. I've never dated anyone I was actually friends with before," she admitted, her voice a little small.

"Is it Takashi, Sachi?" Hajime suddenly asked, and Sachiko's eyes flared.

"Why'd you think him?" Sachiko promptly demanded, just as Mutsuki asked,

"Was that the one with the black hair, or the brown?"

"Black," Hajime said, and Mutsuki made a thoughtful noise.

"Yes, I could see it-"

"Hajime!" Sachiko practically exploded, "Why'd you guess Takashi?"

"Am I right?" Hajime asked, and Sachiko was silent for a moment before grudging admitting,

"Yeah, it's Takashi, and you're not allowed to say a word to anyone, ok? Especially not Daddy."

"Don't worry, Sachi, our lips are sealed," Mutsuki said cheerfully.

"Now," Sachiko repeated, "Why'd you guess Takashi? Both of you?"

Hajime's response was very matter-of-fact. "Well, if it's a guy friend who you're close enough to consider a 'best' friend and would consider even remotely parallel to Mutsuki and I's relationship, odds are it's someone from the dojo and specifically Takashi or Shota. And Takashi..." he hesitated, and Sachiko demanded,

"What?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's liked you for a while, based on seeing you guys during the summer festival."

"Definitely," agreed Mutsuki, "at least as of this past festival. Now, the other one-"

"Shota," supplied Hajime,

"-Could have just been more subtle in his interest, but yes, I agree, I'd have guessed Takashi, too."

Sachiko was staring blankly at the phone. Obviously Takashi liked her, if he was going to ask her out. But he'd liked her for a while? And been obvious enough that her brother and Mutsuki had picked up on it?

"I never noticed," she said at last, her voice quiet.

"Well, he might not have exactly known himself, Sachi," Hajime pointed out. "Or he might've been in denial too, who knows."

"Denial?" Sachiko immediately protested. "What'd he have to be in denial for? There's nothing wrong with liking me, lots of guys like me!"

"Geez, would you relax, Sachi? For starters, how about the fact that during the summer festival you were dating Rei?"

Oh yeah, Rei.

"And then there's the friend thing. Maybe he'd worried about messing that up, too. Just because one guy hesitated to ask you out doesn't mean you're a troll or anything," Hajime said, "Just that he's thinking things through."

And after thinking about it...Sachiko could see that. There's no way Takashi would have ever said anything when she was in another relationship, he wasn't that kind of guy. And he wasn't the kind of guy who just dated willy-nilly, either...unlike her, if she was being honest.

He'd liked her, for a while. And he'd worked his way up to asking her out, which he had, almost the moment he knew she was free.

A grin was spreading across Sachiko's face when Hajime asked,

"You still there, Sachi?"

"Yeah, I'm here, just thinking," she said.

"Dinner's just about ready, do you think you've got enough to figure out what you're going to do?"

"Yeah, I think I do. Thanks, both of you!"

"Anytime, Sachi!" Mutsuki said cheerfully.

"No problem, Sachi. Say hi to Mom and Dad," Hajime said.

"I will, bye!"

And as she slipped her phone back into her pocket and finally turned towards the house, Sachiko was still grinning, from ear to ear.