The next morning, the Sohmas were once again eating breakfast when Sachiko looked at her parents and said "By the way, the guy I've been seeing? We've decided to go steady, now."
Kyo raised a brow. "The guy you've been seeing every Friday and Saturday for over a month? What the hell'd you call what you were doing before?"
"Testing things out," Sachiko said, grinning at him. "I wanted to make sure we were on the same page this time; it sucked to invest so much time in a relationship just to have the guy decide he wanted stuff I wasn't gonna give."
"Well, that's very mature of you, sweetheart," Tohru said with a smile. "And I'm glad you two have talked things through. Does this mean you're going to tell us his name, finally?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.
Sachiko shook her head, grinning. "Not yet, no, but it'll be soon, I promise."
"I'm starting to think there's something fishy about this kid, that you're being so secretive about him," Kyo said, looking across the table with a slight frown. "He is a kid, right?" he asked, his expression suddenly darkening, and Sachiko nodded.
"Yeah, he is. He goes to high school with me, it's not like he's twenty. Or thirteen," she said, making a face before grinning. "And I'm just having fun, that's all! If I told you two everything right away, then what would we have to talk about later on, hmm?" she asked, looking at them. "Maybe I've decided I want to draw out the suspense," she said teasingly.
Kyo shook his head as he stood up. "You really overestimate how invested your mom and I are in your dating life, Sachi."
"Speak for yourself, please!" Tohru immediately protested before beaming at Sachiko. "I'm always happy to hear anything you want to share, sweetheart, on whatever timeline you want. And your father is happy you want to keep him so involved in your life, too, even if he sometimes grumbles about it," she said, looking affectionately over at Kyo as he rinsed his dishes.
"I'm just saying, Hajime didn't tell us about Mutsuki for a year and half; Katsu kept Asuka under wraps for four months, Yuri for almost three, and didn't tell us about Mariko until they'd been together nearly half a year. So yeah, I'm glad you wanna keep us in the loop, Sachi," he said, smiling over at her, "but the loop could stretch out a little further, too."
"So...when we're ready to start paying for the wedding?" she teased, and Kyo snorted.
"Just so long as you're not speeding up that wedding on my account. You've got plenty of time before you're worrying about stuff like that, Sachi."
"I dunno, Daddy, I am gonna be seventeen in four more months. I've heard seventeen is a good age to make lifelong commitments," she teased, and he snorted again.
"How about you make a lifelong commitment to what university diploma'll be hanging on your wall?"
Sachiko sighed dramatically, then looked at Tohru. "Daddy was a romantic once, right?"
Tohru giggled. "He's still a romantic, I promise. Though he's not wrong about you having plenty of time, Sachiko, so you and your...boyfriend," she said, smiling, "just enjoy being young for now. And if you decide to take your father at his word and wait to tell him anything else until a few months have passed..." she shrugged. "Then I guess you and I will just have to make our own loop, won't we?"
Sachiko grinned as she collected Tohru's dishes and stacked them with her own. "I mean, that's always an option, too, but I really think Daddy's gonna wanna stay in this one, no matter what he says."
When Sachiko and Takashi told their friends the next day, they were all happy for them, as well as surprised at Takashi's plan.
"Really, Takashi?" Shota asked, leaning across the aisle to stare at him more closely. "You want to tell Sensei Sohma already?"
Takashi nodded. "Well, yeah. It's not like he's just anyone, Shota; we see him almost every day, I'm in his class on Saturdays...I think it'd be weirder if I didn't say anything. How'd I even be supposed to act?"
"Like normal, maybe?" Shota asked.
"Unless you guys're planning to bring some PDA to the tatami, though if you are, please don't," Emi said, grinning. "Remember that the rest of us still have to be around you both."
Sachiko pretended to pout. "What, you don't think it'd liven things up a bit? Or are you just jealous that your boyfriend's over at the soccer field right now?"
At the words 'your boyfriend' Takashi smiled a little smugly, and Shota promptly reached across the aisle and punched his arm.
"What the hell's that for?"
"For being annoying."
"How'm I being annoying?"
"You're way too smug."
As Takashi rubbed his arm, Kaede leaned up over the seat back. "So you're really going to talk to Sensei Sohma yourself, Takashi? You're not nervous at all?"
Takashi shrugged, looking maybe a hair more nonchalant than he felt. "I just...wanna let him know he can trust me, that's all."
"And he's not gonna be alone," Sachiko pointed out. "I'm gonna be right there with him," she added, giving Takashi a smile and provoking a groan from Shota.
"Are you two gonna be making googly eyes at each other all the time now?" Shota asked, and Takashi rolled his eyes.
"We aren't making googly eyes, Shota."
"Maybe not yet, but you're thinking about it."
"Don't be afraid of romance, Shota," Sachiko said cheerfully, and Shota chuckled.
"I'm not afraid of it...but that doesn't mean I want to have to watch it too much, either. Not unless I'm involved, anyway."
"Sorry, but you're not my type," Sachiko teased, and Shota looked from Takashi to himself.
"Are you sure? Takashi and I are a lot alike, you know," he said, grinning. "Obviously I'm taken, so it's all academic, anyway, but-"
"Totally sure. You're not Takashi, duh, though I can break it down more for you, if you want..."
It was even harder for Takashi not to look smug, after that.
Classes went about the same as they always did, with one burst of excitement: when Sachiko misjudged a block while sparring with Takashi, resulting in him landing a kick that sent her flying. He was practically falling over himself apologizing as he gave her his hand to help her up, but although she was wincing slightly, she brushed him off.
"Don't worry about it, Taka, it was my bad. I'll just have to do better next time," she said, staggering to her feet.
"Good attitude, Sachiko," Sensei Matsuda said as she got up. "But why don't you take a couple minutes, that was a pretty heavy hit."
"Thanks, Sensei, but I'm good, I promise," Sachiko said, rubbing her tailbone. "Pretty sure that was match anyway," she said, giving Takashi a rueful smile.
"Yeah, it was, but I still want you to wait out the next rotation just to be safe."
"Yes, Sensei," Sachiko said, then sighed as she stepped back to watch the next groups of fighters take their places. She hated sitting out...even if Sensei maybe had a point.
During the next break, Takashi came to her side. "Seriously, Sachi, I'm really sorry," he said, giving her a worried look. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard."
"Hey, I already said don't worry about it, ok? It's not the first time you've sent me flying, I'm sure it won't be the last, and it's definitely not the last time I'll go flying at all," she said, looking up and giving him a little smile. "Hazard of the profession, right?"
He still looked concerned, and she sighed before resting her hand on his arm. "I'm gonna tell you this once, Takashi Sakamoto. You start second guessing yourself, worrying about me, or pulling your punches, and we're gonna have a shit-ton of problems, very quickly. I'm gonna get hurt, just like you're gonna get hurt," she said, quietly but firmly. "And if you can't deal with that, then this," she said, gesturing between the two of them, "isn't gonna work."
There was no trace of humor in either her face or her voice, and her expression was deadly serious as she looked at Takashi. He stared back, then after a moment he nodded.
"I can deal with it, ok? I'll deal with it."
"Good," she said, starting to smile before her face clouded over once more. "And don't think I won't be able to tell, either," she added sternly before smiling once more. "That was a good kick, Taka, and a bad block. But don't worry," Sachiko continued, her grin becoming downright wicked. "Next time, I'll get you back."
"Have a good night, guys! Good luck!"
"Good luck, Takashi!"
"You'll have to tell us what happens tomorrow, ok?"
With a few final admonitions their friends were on their way, and Takashi leaned heavily against the wall beside Sachiko.
"Why does everyone make it sound like this is a totally crazy idea? It's not, right?" he asked, giving her a worried look. "Like, Sensei's not gonna think I'm...unhinged or something, is he?"
Sachiko giggled at him. "No, he's not. Yeah, it's not common for boyfriends to announce themselves to their girlfriends' fathers, especially not so early, but you're right about our circumstances being weird, so," she shrugged. "It's fine, and I'm sure he'll be fine about it, too."
"Ok," he said, exhaling, then looked at her. "Talking about fine, how're you feeling, after earlier? That's not me worrying about you," he stressed quickly, "not exactly. Just...that was a damn solid kick," he admitted, looking somewhere between smug and embarrassed, "and you hit the floor hard."
"Oh I know," Sachiko said, grimacing dramatically. "I was there, remember?" she teased, then softened slightly at his expression. "I'm fine, Taka. Yeah, my ass and back are probably gonna be sore tomorrow, and yeah, I might have the imprint of your foot on my chest," she teased, "but I've dealt with way worse. And it'll be good motivation to be more on top of my blocks next time."
"What'll be good motivation?"
As Kyo rounded the corner from the locker rooms to the hall, Takashi momentarily tensed, then relaxed. Beside him, Sachiko straightened up, greeting her father with a smile. "Hi Daddy! And my aching self, that's what. Taka kicked me so hard during Sensei Matsuda's class I almost ended up in Sensei Yamada's," she said, sighing dramatically, then grinned. "For some reason, he feels guilty about it," sticking her tongue out playfully at Takashi, "and I was just telling him not to."
Kyo glanced from Sachiko to Takashi and back. "You ok, Sachi?"
"Yeah, I am. Sore, but I already took some painkillers. And it was my bad, it was a fair kick."
"Well, it happens to all of us," Kyo said, smiling ruefully. "Try not to beat yourself up, Takashi, she's tougher than she looks," he said with a smile at his daughter.
"I know, Sensei," Takashi said, looking a little relieved. "It was still a really hard hit, though."
"Good. You guys're dans, you were sparring, you oughtta be making hard hits. I'd be disappointed if it wasn't," Kyo said, shifting his bag, then looked at Sachi. "You ready to go, Sachi?"
"Ready," Sachiko said, scooping up her own bag. "Do you mind if Taka walks with us, Daddy? He stayed late to talk to me," she said, giving Takashi a glance, and Kyo shook his head.
"Nah, that's fine."
The three of them started out of the dojo and across the courtyard, and Kyo looked over at Takashi. "So what're you up to these days, Takashi? I know you're here most days-"
"-Every day," Sachiko corrected with a grin.
"-every day," Kyo amended. "Your class busy with last-minute Culture Fest prep, too?"
"Yes, Sensei," Takashi said promptly, earning a mildly smothered laugh from Sachiko that made Takashi shift self-consciously. "We're doing a shaved ice stand, so there's not a lot we've had to do, other than build the booth and source the tools."
"That's gotta be handy. I remember our high school Culture Fests; the only year we didn't end up needing the entire prep period was the first. Then again, my class was pretty full of over-confident idiots who apparently all had a ton of free time," Kyo said wryly.
"What'd you do for your second-year Culture Fest, Sensei?" Takashi asked innocently, and Sachiko didn't even try to hide her laughter that time, earning her an exasperated look from her father.
"A play," Kyo said, a little brusquely, "And before you ask, yeah, I was in it; no, I won't say what it was; and no, I won't say what I was. But rehearsals were a huge time sink, I can tell you that. It was a good thing I was only going to the dojo three days a week, then, otherwise I probably would've had to cut back."
"Only three days a week?" That startled Takashi, and he looked at Kyo in surprise. "How come so little, Sensei?"
"'Cause I had a lot of other stuff going on," Kyo said after a brief pause. "School, mostly, and some other stuff. I wasn't living in the dojo then, either, so I had to commute for my classes."
Takashi considered for a minute, then nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. My class actually put in for the lottery for the plays," he said, making a face. "But I was glad we didn't get one, 'cause...yeah," he said, chuckling. "I didn't wanna have to skip karate."
"You sound like Sachi," Kyo said. "When Tohru asked what she hoped her class would do, she basically said she didn't care, as long as she didn't have to miss too much karate."
"Well, it's true!" Sachiko protested. "I mean, I know some people really get into the Culture Fest, and good for them, but some of us have other things going on, you know? And I don't wanna give up too much of my life for something I'm only doing 'cause I have to. Not all of us are school spirit types," she added, "And that's ok."
"What, you're not angling for Miss Nigeyashi High?" Kyo deadpanned. "I never knew."
Sachiko rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, and Takashi grinned as he watched them. Then he hesitated, giving Sachiko a nonchalant nudge and jerking his head to indicate the rapidly approaching village of Hibe.
Sachiko understood, and promptly took Kyo's arm. "So Daddy, there was something I wanted to mention to you, today."
"Yeah? Well, mention away, kiddo."
"Remember what we were talking about at breakfast yesterday?"
"At breakfast yesterday," Kyo repeated thoughtfully. "Let's see, we talked about the Culture Fest, and that exam you've got Wednesday, and how your mom wants some help with clearing out that dead shrub-" He broke off suddenly, his brow furrowing, then he looked from Sachiko to Takashi and back to Sachiko.
"...Takashi?" Kyo half-said, half-asked, and Takashi warily asked,
"Yes, Sensei?"
"No, I mean..." Kyo trailed off, glancing at Takashi before looking back at Sachiko. "Is it Takashi?" he asked, that time teetering almost into demand territory.
Sachiko was grinning. "Got it in one, Daddy, good job!"
Kyo looked over Sachiko's head to Takashi, who met his gaze with just a tiny hint of nerves. "So...you're Sachi's new boyfriend, then?"
"Yes, Sensei," Takashi admitted, and Sachiko giggled.
"We're not in the dojo right now, Taka, you can actually say more than that!"
Takashi squirmed slightly; even though he'd been the one who'd wanted to talk to Kyo, it turned out that thinking about it and doing it were two surprisingly different things, especially with Kyo currently staring at him with an expression that Takashi had no idea how to read.
And when Kyo didn't say anything after a moment, Takashi decided he himself probably should. "Yeah, Sensei, I am," he said, a little less 'dojo-voiced.' "And I figured I should maybe...say so, just so you didn't see anything, or hear anything, and think I was afraid to tell you myself."
Takashi had held Kyo's gaze the entire time, and Kyo regarded him thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. "Well...you know what she's like, Takashi. If you're willing to put up with that-"
"Daddy!" Sachiko protested in mock-offense, "Are you suggesting I'm anything other than a total prize?"
"In the first place, Sachi, you're a person, not a prize," Kyo said, patting her arm and giving her an affectionate look. "In the second place, we all know you're a little shit half the time, so don't try to pretend."
There was a choked coughing sound from Takashi, and Sachiko turned to see him looking away and covering his mouth.
"Taka," she said sternly, "Are you laughing?"
"Would I laugh?" he asked, his voice weak and choked up, and Sachiko gave him a shove.
"I can't believe you agree with him!"
"Why wouldn't I agree with him? He's right!"
"So? You're my boyfriend, Takashi, that means you're supposed to blindly adore me, or at least say you do."
"Since when?"
"Since always? It's in the rules!"
"There aren't any, and you're only saying that 'cause you know he's right!"
"Are you saying I'm a little shit?"
"Not all the time, but yeah, you kinda are."
"Wow, ok," Sachiko said, shaking her head and staring back at Kyo and saying very seriously. "If we break up over this, Daddy, it'll be your fault."
"Pretty sure you guys're gonna be just fine, Sachi," Kyo said, unable to keep a straight face. "And Takashi," he said, looking back over at him and causing Takashi to immediately straighten up and stop laughing, "I appreciate you wanting to say something. You didn't have to," he stressed, "but I appreciate it."
Takashi's smile was one of pure relief. "Yeah, well...I just wanted you to know, Sensei."
They'd reached the bus station, and they all stopped briefly at the edge of the platform.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Sachi," Takashi said, smiling at her and making only the tiniest awkward glance at Kyo. "And I'll probably see you tomorrow too, Sensei," he added.
"Probably," Kyo agreed. "Night, Takashi."
"Night, Taka," Sachiko said, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Night," Takashi said, then turned to board the waiting bus. For a moment Kyo and Sachiko stood there and watched the bus, then Sachiko looked brightly at Kyo.
"So...home?"
"Home," Kyo agreed, and the two of them started off again.
They were silent at first, then Kyo said, "So...Takashi, huh?"
"Mmm-hmm," Sachiko said, smiling over at him. "Does that surprise you?"
"Kinda, yeah," Kyo admitted. "But at the same time..." he looked thoughtfully over at her. "He ask you, or'd you ask him?"
"Wow, Daddy, are you actually asking about my dating life?" Sachiko teased, and Kyo promptly flushed.
"Hey, you're the one who just introduced me to your boyfriend, Sachi, pretty sure you opened this door all on your own."
"Well, that was Taka's idea, Daddy," she corrected him, "So it's not quite the same thing."
"Yeah, well, close enough. So, did you ask him, or'd he ask you?"
"He asked me, but I said yeah, so..." she shrugged, then looked at him. "Does that bother you?"
He gave her a confused look. "Him asking you?"
"Him asking me, me dating him...anything about it, at all?"
Kyo was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah, it doesn't. I like Takashi, he's a good kid. A really good kid," he said, thinking about the way Takashi hadn't looked away when he'd told Kyo he hadn't wanted to seem afraid. "Yeah, I only know him from the dojo, but it's only ever been good stuff there, and you guys've obviously been friends a long time. It's not like he can say he didn't know what he was signing up for, with you," he said, giving her a grin.
Once more Sachiko sighed dramatically. "Wow. My boyfriend and my father, the two men who're supposed to think I'm perfect, and you're both saying stuff like this. I see how it is."
"See, that's another thing I like about him," Kyo said, his eyes twinkling.
"What, that he also called me a little shit?"
"No, that he agreed with me. So yeah...I like him," Kyo said, grinning at her. "He's a good kid, he actually knows you, and you for sure've got stuff in common, so as long as he treats you right-"
"-Of course he's gonna treat me right! Be serious, Daddy!"
"I am serious, Sachi, and you never know. I'm not saying he's like that, and for his sake as well as yours I hope he isn't, but there're some guys out there who're very different behind closed doors."
Kyo's face reflected the seriousness in his tone, and it was Sachiko's turn to be quiet. But then she smiled, once more taking Kyo's arm.
"Thanks for always looking out for me, Daddy."
He gave her a smile. "I'm always gonna look out for you, Sachi. Always have, always will, and that's never gonna change."
Sachiko let out a contented sigh, then grinned at Kyo. "And just for the record, you don't have to worry about any closed door, not for a while, anyway. We did just become official, after all."
Kyo groaned. "Do you say stuff like this around your friends, too, or am I just lucky?"
"I mean, you are lucky...but yeah, I say stuff like this around my friends. And Takashi," she teased.
"Sachiko-"
"-he thinks it's embarrassing and wishes I'd stop."
"Smart kid," Kyo said, then studied her. "You're not gonna stop, are you?"
"Nope. He knows what he signed up for when he wanted to date me."
"That's true," Kyo agreed. "A little shit."
"But you still love me!"
"Yeah," Kyo agreed, smiling as he hugged her close. "I sure do."
