Later that afternoon, Takashi was waiting at the bus station when Sachiko arrived in Nigeyashi

"You figured out where you wanna eat yet?" he asked after the initial, slightly awkward greetings were over, and Sachiko grinned at him.

"What, you didn't plan that out for us? You know I don't usually care where I go, as long as there's food, Takashi," she said, looking at him mischievously.

"Donburi it is, then," he said promptly, provoking a laugh.

"Oh come on, Taka, aren't you gonna get at least a little flustered? You're supposed to stammer and be awkward that I'm changing things up on you!"

"How's it changing things up when you always pull shit like this? You think I didn't guess you'd say something like that?" he asked with a grin. "Besides, you're not the only one who doesn't care too much. If you actually wanna go somewhere we can, but if not..." he shrugged. "Then let's get donburi."

"Donburi sounds good," Sachiko agreed. "We need a lot of energy for tonight, after all, or at least I do," she said, and Takashi chuckled.

"We still bowling again?"

"Yeah, we're still bowling. Unless you're afraid of me beating you."

"How many games did you win the last couple times we did this?"

"And today that changes, just watch!"

They boarded their bus and set off once more, Sachiko grinning as she studied Takashi. He hadn't seemed all that nervous yesterday, but today, he seemed his usual confident self. It was amazing, what that one successful date had done.

She was glad; while she probably would have been understanding if he'd been anxious, that wasn't really Takashi. He'd never been anxious before, not with her.

And she was also glad he wasn't holding back on the teasing.

"You're pretty cocky for someone who's lost five games outta seven."

"I'm not cocky, I'm confident. Positive thinking is a powerful thing, Taka!"

"Yeah? Then I guess you oughtta try being more positive, Sachi, 'cause your track record sucks."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You know, I was surprised when you said you'd never been out on a date, but I can totally see it now."

He looked at her in surprise. "Huh? Why?"

"'Cause you just told the girl you're out with that she sucks! That's just not done, Taka," Sachiko told him with a mock-sigh.

"No, not that, and I never said you sucked, just your bowling." he said. But that wasn't what he meant. "Why'd that surprise you, that I hadn't been on a date?" Takashi asked, looking at her curiously.

Sachiko blinked, then looked away and shrugged. "Well, 'cause...it was surprising, that's all. Does there have to be a reason?"

"I mean, yeah? Stuff is usually surprising for a reason."

She supposed that made sense. "You just never seemed like the type who'd have trouble getting dates, that's all."

Sachiko was still looking away from him, and Takashi frowned slightly as he turned that over in his mind. Then he looked back at her.

"Well, like I said, I never tried, so..."

"Yeah, you didn't," she agreed, then took a breath before turning back with her usual grin. "And it's obvious, 'cause you don't tell a date that she sucks!"

"I didn't say you sucked! But you do suck at bowling, or I wouldn't beat you so easily."

"Careful, Takashi, unless you want me to decide I'm actually in the mood for karaoke now, instead."

"Why, because you're too afraid you'll lose at bowling again? I didn't think you were the kind of girl who had to rig challenges, Sachi."

She stuck her tongue out. "And what kinda girl did you think I was?"

He paused for a second, looking at her, then grinned.

"The kind who sucks at bowling."


They got their donburi, and bowled. After that both of them agreed they needed some more energy, so they went out and got parfaits, animatedly discussing the pros and cons of something sweeter ("It's already a dessert, Sachi, it's made with ice cream! I can put cookies in it if I want to, it doesn't change anything.") versus 'healthier' ("Ice cream is dairy, and dairy and fruit are both healthy! You could almost argue this is a healthy snack, as long as you don't get ridiculous by putting in cookies." "How much ice cream do you have under that fruit?" "It's plain vanilla, it's healthy!"). And after parfaits they were both full, so they just...walked.

The sun was long down by then, and the two of them made their way along under the light of streetlamps and business signs. And as they walked they rehashed their bowling ("you still cheat, and one day, I'm gonna properly and fairly beat you,"), talked about the upcoming week at school ("You ready for the English test yet, Sachi? I feel pretty good, but I'll probably be spending most of tomorrow studying,"), the Culture Fest ("I get that it's important, Taka, but it's just...does it have to take so much time? I'm not crazy about anything my class's talked about yet, but at least it doesn't sound like anything that'll take the whole five weeks prepping for,") and, of course, karate.

"That was a great match you had with Omura this morning, Sachi," Takashi said as they slowly walked along. "You really had him off his game, it was pretty funny to watch."

"I know," Sachiko said, giggling at the memory. "He gets flustered so easily, and then starts getting sloppy. I think it's cause he's so young," she said loftily, and Takashi grinned.

"What, fourteen?"

"You don't think fourteen is young?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Not for a dan, no. Didn't you just barely make the age cutoff when we tested, Sachi? Pretty sure our test was like...the very first weekend after your birthday."

"I know, it was really lucky, wasn't it?" she asked, grinning at him, and he studied her for a second before smiling knowingly.

"Sensei Sohma helps schedule the tests, doesn't he?"

Sachiko gave him a virtuous look. "You know as well as me there's rank tests every quarter, as long as there's at least one candidate. There're always tests in March, Taka!"

"But not always that late, right after a certain karatekas' birthday. Your dad totally rigged the test date so you didn't have to wait, didn't he?"

"You saying I didn't deserve my rank, Taka?" Sachiko protested, pretending to be offended, and Takashi grinned.

"I'm saying, Kaede missed the June test by three weeks, so she had to wait until September. And I'm pretty sure I remember you trying to console her by reminding her that it didn't matter if she had to wait a little longer, she knew she was good enough and'd get it as soon as she could."

"And? I was right, wasn't I?"

"It would've killed you if I'd been promoted ahead of you, wouldn't it've?" he asked, grinning.

"Would not! I wasn't a child, Taka," she protested, and he kept grinning at her. Then finally she laughed.

"Ok, yeah, it would've pissed me off, considering we always advanced together, and I may have mentioned to Daddy months ahead of the fact that I hoped the dan test that quarter was after my birthday so I didn't have to wait. That doesn't mean he actually did anything, the tests are always the first half of the month, and my birthday's the eleventh! That's in the first half."

"It must be nice, having a dad who can pull strings for you," he teased, and Sachiko stuck her tongue out at him.

"You know Daddy'd never make things easy for me where it mattered, not where karate's concerned. He wants me to work hard and earn everything myself, almost as much as I do," she said, her voice shifting from playful to serious over the course of her statement.

It was true, every word of it. She knew that Kyo was proud of her; she sometimes felt he rejoiced more in her tournament placements than she did. The day he'd first tied on her black belt had been almost as emotional for him as her, as had the day he'd pinned on her second bar. But it had never been about the ranks, or the placements for their own sake; she knew he'd be just as proud of her if she'd been Katsuro, tripping over her own feet and dropping out less than a year after starting. It was effort that mattered; hard work, focus, dedication, and doing her absolute best.

Kyo had grown up in a dojo, and been around karatekas his entire life. He knew the life, and he knew that Sachiko wanted it, too. As a woman, especially a smaller one, she would likely always have to be proving herself; there was no way Kyo would let her walk into that world without doing his damnedest to make sure she was ready, and that meant holding nothing back and making sure no one else ever held back, either.

She would always be grateful, for that.

They were quiet for a moment after that, then Takashi spoke too, his voice almost as serious as hers.

"Well...you have, Sachi. You do," he corrected. "I mean, you're in the dojo almost every day, for hours, and you're a demon. You did just score third out of the entire general youth division," he said, referring to the previous month's summer festival tournament. "Meaning you beat...all the rest of us," he admitted, grimacing.

Sachiko sighed, then smiled. "I did, didn't I?" She might not have won, but third was still incredibly respectable, especially considering how many participants there'd been.

"Yeah. You're a badass, and yeah, some of that's natural ability, and yeah, I do think your dad gives you a little edge," Takashi said, giving her a smile. "But you're the one who puts in the work, Sachi, and it shows. You're...pretty amazing."

"I am?" she asked, smiling a little self-consciously, and he nodded.

"Yeah. Like...really amazing."

The look she gave him in response to that was a sweet, earnest smile.

"I think you're pretty amazing, too."

"You do?" he asked, and she nodded, then hesitated. Then she squared her shoulders, giving him a smile as she offered him her hand.

"Yeah."


The next Friday they went out again, and the Saturday, too. Then the next weekend as well. Holding hands became easy and natural, so much so that it was only their friends' comments that reminded them that they were keeping their dating on the down-low and stopped them on the way to the dojo.

Five weeks after their first date, when Sachiko had sweetly but firmly turned down yet another date request in the hallway at school, Miki asked her if she was just taking break .

'After all, it's been ages since you've actually agreed to let anyone take you out, Sachi!'

And Sachiko had mulled it over, quite a bit; while her school friends didn't usually cross paths with her dojo friends, there were enough other students at Nigeyashi High who attended the dojo that she'd just...never mentioned Takashi to them. And it wasn't only that; as much as she usually enjoyed talking dating with her friends, things just felt...different, when that date was also her friend. Takashi had put himself out there, asking her out in the first place; it didn't seem right to talk about him as if he was 'just' another boy.

But Miki's comment had made her realize that as far as her friends, and pretty much everyone, knew, she was available. And maybe she technically was, because all they were doing was going on dates. It wasn't like they'd talked about making it more serious.


"Taka, what do you think we are, these days?"

It was the Saturday afternoon after Miki's comment, and they'd been walking through one of Nigeyashi's parks, looking at the autumn foliage...and agreeing that they really weren't the type of people who properly appreciated autumn foliage. Sachiko had teased Takashi about suggesting such a stereotypical date, he'd fired back that she was the one who'd thought it sounded 'nice,' they'd both speculated about what kinds of sightseeing actually would appeal to them...and somehow, it had managed to be fun.

In spite of their lack of appreciation for the scenery, they'd both been laughing, and Sachiko had been happy to walk along and hold his hand while admitting she'd never understood why people got so excited over plants. Tohru and Katsuro both adored this kind of thing and Mutsuki was actually going to school for it, but she'd never really been into it herself, and it had felt validating to hear Takashi felt the same.

Even if it seemed borderline blasphemous.

The question came almost totally unprovoked; one moment, she was thinking how lucky she was to be walking with a guy who found what they were doing as silly as she did, and the next...she couldn't help but ask what they were doing.

The question definitely caught Takashi off-guard at first. "Eh? What do you mean, Sachi?"

"Well, I mean...we've been out how many times now?" she asked, and she saw a flicker of understanding in Takashi's eyes. "I think it's a pretty valid question!"

He took a breath, then smiled at her. "Well, you're the one with all the dating experience, so I guess...you tell me?"

That comment made her roll her eyes and she shoved him. "You seriously gonna play the 'inexperience' card, Takashi? And when you put it that way-"

"How, 'honestly?'"

"That way," she repeated, ignoring the interruption, "You make me sound..." she trailed off, frowning, and he grinned.

"Like you? It's not like you haven't dated before, Sachi, and it's not exactly a secret."

"Yeah, but it doesn't sound romantic when you say things like that," she protested, and he gave her a somewhat awkward smile.

"You want me to say something romantic?"

She could feel herself blushing ever so slightly, but held her head high. "I mean...I think it's a fair ask, at this point."

His smile got wider. "So, like, if I asked if you wanted to go steady, then...?"

Sachiko grinned back. "I'd say that was pretty romantic, yeah."

"Well...how about it, then?" he asked, a tiny, almost imperceptible hint of nerves mixed in among the nonchalant bravado.

She stared at him, then laughed. "How about it, then?" she mimicked. "Did you actually listen to yourself just now?"

Now he was squirming. "Hey, I'm trying, ok? Maybe if you didn't have such stupidly high expectations-"

"Since when do I have high expectations? 'How about it, then,' is never gonna count as romantic, Taka, not in any universe, ever. Try again; you're a smart guy, I've got faith in you," she said, smirking.

Takashi mumbled something about semantics and assholes, and Sachiko raised a brow before sweetly asking. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend, ok? Is that romantic enough for you?" he asked, and Sachiko beamed at him.

"See? That wasn't hard at all, was it?" she asked, her eyes shining, and after a moment he grinned back.

"So...yeah, then?" He asked, and she nodded. "Cool," he said, beaming at her, then paused. "Um, so...what's that mean, exactly? Or change, I guess."

Sachiko stared at him, then burst out giggling. "Seriously, Taka?"

"Well, it's not like there's a fucking manual, Sachi!" he exclaimed, only to see the wicked grin cross Sachiko's face and immediately burst out "That's not what I meant and you know it! Seriously, your mind goes to the gutter as fast as any guy I know, and that's saying something," he said, now actually blushing.

"I'm gonna let that one go," she said innocently, earning a surprised look from Takashi before adding, "though you maybe oughtta look up something called 'the Kama Sutra' and tell me if you still agree."

Takashi groaned. "How is that 'letting it go?'"

"You want me to not let it go?" she asked, looking and sounding like such the picture of innocence that it was downright deceptive, but Takashi wasn't fooled.

"So anyway, no, I don't all know what it means to be 'steady,' other than not dating anyone else," he said, completely ignoring her question and earning another giggle. "What do you think it all means?" he asked, looking at her.

"Well, that, obviously," she agreed. "No dating other people. Using 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend,'" she said, looking at him teasingly. "Being...open about our relationship," she said, giving him a smile. "So telling people, or at least not hiding it."

Takashi was grinning about that, but then he exhaled. "So...guess that means we've gotta tell your dad, huh?"

Sachiko wasn't expecting that, and she looked at him in surprise. "We?"

He returned the surprise. "Well...yeah? I mean, I don't wanna seem like I'm hiding from him or anything, wouldn't it be better that way? I see him almost every day, Sachi," he said, shifting uncomfortably, "and if he's got any problem with it-"

"You know Daddy likes you, right Taka?" she asked, though her eyes were shining. Even though she guessed at least part of it was because of Takashi's inexperience, no guy she'd ever dated had ever voluntarily asked to meet her parents, and definitely not so early.

Then again, she'd never dated a guy who actually knew her parents before, either, so this was uncharted territory all around...and she could maybe see Takashi's point.

"Yeah, I do, or at least, I always hoped he did," Takashi said, smiling before turning more serious. "And I wanna keep it that way." He paused, then hesitated. "If that seems like too much-"

"Oh no, I don't think it's too much," Sachiko said, her grin now a mile wide as she imagined her father's reaction. "If you're serious, then I think...that could be fun," she said.

"Fun?" Takashi asked, suddenly wary, and Sachiko grinned.

"I mean, this is the first time Daddy's ever known anyone I dated, Taka, and he's a bad actor," she said, grinning. "So if you're serious, then you're gonna get to see his actual reaction. Or I could just tell him, and then you could talk to him, or I could tell him and you could just go on as you have been, or we could just not tell him and break the news by making out in the dojo..."

She was having way too much fun with this, and Takashi responded with a groan.

"Can you just be serious for like...a minute, Sachi? I'm good with whatever you want, I just...wanna be respectful of Sensei, that's all," he said, his own voice serious. And after a moment, she responded in kind.

"Honestly, truly, seriously, I don't think you've gotta worry, Taka. Daddy's always kept his distance when I've dated, and I doubt that'd change 'cause it's you. If anything, me dating you'll probably make him happy, since he knows you and oughtta trust you." She considered for a moment, then grinned. "How about this; I tell my parents I've got a boyfriend again, which is true, 'cause I do. But not who. Then, on Monday...can you stay and take a later bus?"

Takashi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I probably can."

"Then how about we talk to Daddy then, after class? And after that, we can be officially official."

Takashi took a deep breath. "Yeah, that sounds good. Let's do that."

"Alright," Sachiko agreed, then grinned at him. "So..."

"So?"

"So, we're a couple now," she said, squeezing his hand. "Like, an actual couple."

"Oh. Yeah," he said, grinning back. "I guess we are, huh?"

"Mmm-hmm," she said, studying him, then asked, "so are you gonna kiss me then, or what?"

He promptly turned redder than she'd ever seen him, and she burst out laughing. "I mean, you don't have to, not if you don't wanna, but I figured...it seems like a good time, doesn't it?" she teased.

Takashi did his best to recover. "Well, yeah, but just 'cause we're dating doesn't mean we have to, and it's not like we talked about it or anything, and I don't wanna assume-"

He was talking rapidly, stammering slightly and tripping over his words. Meanwhile, Sachiko was openly giggling at him, and after a little bit he just gave up.

"You really suck sometimes, you know that, Sachi?" he asked. But as he spoke, he yanked her hand, pulling her over to him, leaned down, and kissed her.

It wasn't a particularly great kiss, or particularly exciting one, all on its own. As kisses went it was incredibly chaste, and it was obvious Takashi was both new to kissing and nervous to boot. But all things considered...it was nice.

She was aware of Takashi's apprehensive look as they separated, and she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile...before punching him right in the gut.

He saw the moment she'd started to move and contracted his abs enough to not really be hurt, but he was still indignant as he demanded, "What?"

"You don't tell a girl she sucks right when you're kissing her, especially for the first time! God, Takashi, since when are you such an asshole?"

"Since when are you?" he demanded, rubbing his stomach. "You don't laugh at a guy when he's trying to explain himself! Sorry I'm not the kind of guy who's just gonna go off and kiss you without your permission, I guess," he grumbled, and Sachiko raised a brow.

"What do you call what you just did?"

"You told me to!"

"No, I asked if you were gonna, and said it seemed like a good time. I never told you to, or said you could, Mister Gentleman."

Takashi opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, then flushed, and Sachiko couldn't take it anymore.

"Geez, Taka, how often are we gonna go through something like this? You're right, I wanted you to and basically told you to," she said, grinning at him. "I'm sorry I laughed, ok? You were just so...weirdly panicked; it was funny, ok?"

"Yeah, well, I bet you were 'weirdly panicked' when you had your first kiss, too," he said, a little self-consciously, and Sachiko giggled, then smiled.

"I guess that was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

He nodded, looking off to the side.

"Well, that explains a lot-"

His eyes flared. "What does that mean?"

She smiled up at him, this time with almost no trace of innocence. "It means I'm looking forward to helping you practice."

And as his concern faded away, replaced by grinning eagerness, Sachiko had to admit there was definitely something to be said for dating a friend.