Kyo yawned and rolled over in bed, his arm automatically reaching out to wrap around Tohru. Then he frowned, even in his half-asleep state, when his arm came up with nothing. Yawning again, he scooted a little closer to Tohru's side of the bed, then finally sat up, blinking sleepily and staring in confusion at the empty pillow.
He was tired, which was rare. Normally, if Kyo woke up, it was time for him to get up; his internal clock was extremely precise. But the absence of Tohru's warm body was enough to wake him, and he was confused.
A glance at the clock told him it was 5:17 am, which at accounted for why he was at least partially awake. Mornings for Kyo started early; he was always up every day around five-thirty, off to take his daily run and do his morning workout. But that was just him, not Tohru. Tohru had tried for exactly four days in the early stages of their relationship, wanting to get up with Kyo and actually share breakfast before he started his day. But the early time had been too much for her and she'd admitted defeat, much to his amusement and her chagrin.
And Kyo hadn't minded. While he loved that she wanted to try, he honestly preferred to have the morning to himself. It was easier to run on an empty stomach, and when Tohru had been awake he'd felt pressured to cut things short to spend more time with her. She couldn't hope to keep pace with him on a run, and she was...distracting when he was working out, to put it mildly. It was much better for her to sleep longer, to be happy and well-rested when she actually woke up, and for the two of them to have breakfast then.
Kyo couldn't even think of the last time she'd been awake before him.
Reaching out, he could feel that her side of the bed was cold. Wherever she was, she hadn't been in bed for some time. What possibly could have woken her up this early?
Concern drove any last trace of tiredness from Kyo's mind, and he looked around the room. There was no sign of Tohru, though he did notice that her robe was gone from its hook. That, at least, was unsurprising; it was January, and even inside the house it was chilly.
Kyo rolled out of bed and stood up, looking around for Tohru. The upstairs bathroom was blessedly empty; no need to worry about her being sick to her stomach, at least. Maybe downstairs?
He quietly padded down the stairs, his footfalls nearly silent. As he reached the bottom, he could see the light spilling out into the not-hall from the kitchen, and he paused.
The kitchen? At this hour?
Silently, Kyo stepped across the not-hall into the kitchen doorway, crossing his arms over his chest and simply watching. Tohru was standing at the stove, her back to him; as far as he could tell, she hadn't even heard him come downstairs. She was humming quietly to herself as she shifted the pan she was holding on the burner; he couldn't tell for sure, but he was pretty sure it was an omelet. Then she set it down, briefly turning her attention to the simmering pot of soup.
She looked so adorable, Kyo thought fondly to himself as he watched her turn her attention back to the omelet. She was wearing her short robe and slippers, and he could see her bare legs peeking out from beneath the robe. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail; surprisingly messy for Tohru, in fact, but it only added to the sweetness of the look.
The only question was, why was she making breakfast in her pajamas at such an hour?
Tohru moved the omelet pan back off the heat and turned off the burner, then stepped over to open the fish oven. Immediately, the room was filled with the delicious scent of marinated salmon, Kyo's favorite breakfast food, and his stomach let out a mighty grumble in response.
So much for being quiet.
Tohru whirled around, surprise all over her face. "Kyo, what are you doing down here? You're supposed to be asleep," she said accusingly.
It was such a ridiculous statement that he could only stare at her at first before laughing. "I'm supposed to be asleep? It's five-thirty in the morning, Tohru, what the hell are you doing out of bed?"
Tohru blinked at him, then glanced at the kitchen clock. He was right; it was five-thirty. "Oh dear, I guess everything ended up taking longer than I planned. It's just so hard to move quickly first thing.!" She tried to smother the traitorous yawn that threatened to bubble up while she spoke, but was only half successful. "I'm sorry, I'd hoped to be done before you woke up."
Kyo grinned, walking up and wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry about how long it took, but you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing down here this early? Your alarm doesn't go off until seven!"
Tohru smiled, cuddling into Kyo's embrace. "Isn't it obvious? I wanted to make you breakfast. It was supposed to be breakfast in bed," she said with a frown at the clock, "but it still could be, if you'd humor me and go back to bed."
He chuckled and nuzzled at her neck. "You know the only way I go back to bed once I'm up is if you're with me, so...?" he drew out the word, giving Tohru a devilish grin, and she returned it with a giggle.
"Kyo, breakfast."
"Can't breakfast wait? Or are you saying you don't want to come back to bed with me?" He'd dropped his hands to her waist and the nuzzling was done, replaced by little kisses along her jawline.
She definitely wasn't saying anything of the sort, as indicated by the pleased noises she was making at his attention. But she also wasn't about to let herself get distracted when there was still food on the stove.
"You know that's not true," she said, freeing herself and stepping back to the stove to take the soup off the heat. And the smile she shot him was apologetic, even though Kyo himself was still grinning. "But I made your favorite breakfast, and I want you to get a chance to eat it while it's hot!"
As Tohru bustled around the kitchen dishing up, Kyo realized she was right. Salmon, miso soup, cucumber and wakame salad, pickles, rice, and omelet; all of his favorite things.
"Damn, Tohru, you really pulled out the stops. What's the occasion?"
Tohru stopped where she was adding the last touches to the dishes, turning to give him an amused look. "Oh Kyo, come on!" And her eyes were laughing, though that laughter quickly turned to surprise when he shook his head at her, confused. Then she was actually laughing, coming over to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a kiss. "It's your birthday, silly!"
...Duh.
Of course. His birthday. And not just any, birthday, either; his twentieth birthday. Today he, finally, was officially a legally recognized adult.
Kyo couldn't believe he'd forgotten. It wasn't like they had specific birthday plans for the day, but it did just so happen that today, a Friday, was the day they were leaving for Tokyo to attend the annual Coming of Age Day celebration the following Monday. They had joked how convenient it was, that Kyo's birthday butted right up into the weekend so they'd actually be able to celebrate a little bit with Kazuma.
Wait a minute...
Kyo looked at Tohru, his face suddenly concerned. "Tohru, we're taking the late train tonight, remember?" Usually when they went to Tokyo, they took the whole day off and left in the morning, to maximize their time in Tokyo. But this trip, they were in full vacation conservation mode. With their wedding coming up in June, neither of them wanted to use any more vacation than was absolutely necessary; they hadn't even gone back to Tokyo for New Year this year. If it was up to Kyo, he honestly would have just as well stayed home and skipped Coming of Age Day entirely.
But Tohru had really wanted to go; she'd always been the sentimental type, and Coming of Age Day was a very big deal to her. It would be nice, to get dressed up and see their friends and classmates again!
And if Tohru really wanted to do it, then Kyo would do it, too.
The ceremony was Monday, but Coming of Age Day was a national holiday so neither of them actually had to worry about missing work. They'd debated travelling on Saturday afternoon so Kyo didn't have to miss his weekend teaching day either, but that would have made the trip incredibly short and rushed. In the end, when Sensei Kenichi had told him to take the day he'd jumped at the chance. They could have left Saturday morning, but the trains were sure to be busy, given how close it still was to New Year. In the end, they'd decided that the best plan was to leave straight away after Tohru got done with work on Friday. Kyo had arranged coverage for his last two classes, so he'd be able to meet her right when she finished, and they could go straight to the train.
But that meant they wouldn't even be getting off the train until ten, and that was pretty much bedtime.
What was she thinking, waking up so early with such a long night ahead of them?
Tohru had thought about that, and she agreed that the timing wasn't the best. Even now, she knew there was a fairly high chance she'd be sleeping, once they were settled in on the bullet train.
But it was a worthy sacrifice.
"I know, Kyo, but I wanted to! It's your birthday, your twentieth birthday," she stressed, smiling at him, "and I wanted to make it special."
She was so sweet, there was nothing Kyo could do other than smile. "You're something else, Tohru. Just having you care makes it special, even without all the rest."
Tohru grinned, giving his kiss another cheek before returning to the counter and the food. "Now...are you going to go back to bed? I've got it on a tray and everything!"
Kyo considered for a moment, then chuckled. "Much as I love that you wanted to, do you mind if we just eat at the table? I don't wanna risk making a mess and getting rice everywhere."
"If that's what you want, then sure. It's your birthday!"
The two of them took their trays to the table and sat down, smiling at each other before tucking into the food. Tohru being Tohru, everything was perfect; better than perfect, even, given how much care she'd put into making every element shine. She'd even given Kyo an extra-large helping of salmon, something he immediately noted and appreciated.
Tohru was a little worried about the timing; she'd actually woken at half-past four, hoping to have everything ready and upstairs before Kyo woke up. Instead, it was almost five forty-five by the time they started eating, and nearly six when they finished up. Noting the accusatory red numbers on the living room tv, Tohru couldn't help but sigh, and she looked at Kyo apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Kyo."
He paused, lowering his bowl. "For what?"
"For timing this so badly. I meant for us to be done by five-thirty; you're missing your run, and it's my fault. I should have paid better attention to the time."
Kyo reached over and squeezed her hand. "Hey, none of that. It was sweet, you getting up and making me breakfast! Better than sweet, even, because I know how hard it is for you to even move so early, never mind cook. I get to run every day, it's something pretty special to have breakfast with you." He gave her a big smile, and she smiled, relieved, in return.
The two of them both carried their dishes into the kitchen, rinsing them and stacking them neatly beside the sink. Then they each looked at each other, and the devilish grin crept back onto Kyo's face. "So...about that going back to bed thing..."
Tohru giggled, looking down through her eyelashes. "You don't want to try to get in a run anyway?"
"Not if I've got something better to do."
"Well..." Tohru smiled, sliding down one shoulder of her robe to reveal the orange strap of what Kyo immediately recognized as his favorite bra. "I was sort of hoping you'd feel that way."
Kyo laughed, taking her into his arms. "Happy birthday to me!"
A little more than an hour and a half later, the two of them were standing at the Hibe bus depot, their packed suitcase in Tohru's hand.
"Ok, so we're sure we've got everything we need in there now, right? I don't need to swing by the house after work?"
Tohru considered Kyo's question, then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure we have everything. It helps that we don't actually have to bring any of the formal clothes ourselves," she added.
Kyo snorted. "If we did, there's definitely no way we'd be going. Have you seen what those clothes cost, Tohru? Don't get me wrong, I know you'll look gorgeous and I can't wait to see you all decked out, but if we had to buy that stuff ourselves there'd be just no way. Hell, if we even actually had to pay to rent it, we'd be pretty screwed, what with the wedding and all."
Tohru could agree with that. While she was excited for the chance to wear a fancy furisode, even the rental prices for such garments were eye-poppingly high. Luckily for them, they had connections who couldn't resist the chance to dress Tohru for an event so special.
Though Kyo could have wished those connections had been less enthusiastic about also dressing him.
"Well, we don't have to, so it's not a problem. And if I think of anything we've forgotten I'll text you, but I'm pretty sure everything we need is in the suitcase. All you need to do is clean up and meet me at the clinic at four-thirty, and we should be good to go!"
"Alright, then." The bus to Nigeyashi pulled up then, and Kyo gave her a kiss before she stepped on. "Have a great day at work, and I'll see you this afternoon."
"Bye, Kyo! Have a great day!"
Kyo was in a thoughtful mood by the time he stopped in to pick Tohru up from work, and Tohru couldn't help but notice. As she said goodbye to her coworkers and the two of them walked out of the building, she smiled at her fiancé, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.
"Has it been a pretty good birthday so far, Kyo?"
He looked over at her with a smile of his own, returning her squeeze affectionately. "Yeah, it's been decent."
All day long at the dojo, Kyo had been subject to a sneaky array of 'gifts' that no one would initially own up to. First thing after his morning training session, he'd gone to get his towel to wipe off and found it wrapped around a bottle of premium sake.
"Damn, Sohma, you couldn't wait until you got home to start taking advantage?"
Later, he opened the door to his practice room to discover a bouquet of lottery scratchers had been tucked into the closed door; by opening it, they all came loose, fluttering out into the hallway like an assortment of garishly colored butterflies.
"Watch yourself, Sohma! You don't need to try every game on your very first day!"
Coming back from a quick stop out for lunch, he discovered a cigar tucked into the top of his dojo bag.
"Wow, Sohma. I'd check with Tohru on that one, she doesn't seem like the kind who'd approve."
Then that afternoon, when he was welcoming his class of Jukkyūs, one of the youngsters innocently brought him a book. "Here, Sensei, I'm supposed to give this to you!"
Kyo took the book, noting with amusement the title: 'Japanese Traffic Regulations and Safe Driving Practices.'
"Thanks, Isamu. Who told you to give this to me?"
The child looked at him, smiling proudly. "Sensei Yamada!"
"Of course. Thanks again, Isamu."
Of the six permanent instructors at the Matsuda Dojo, Kyo was the youngest by nearly seven years. In his earliest days, there had been a few growing pains as his coworkers and even some of his students got used to his youth; though he hadn't flaunted it, Hibe was too small a town for people not to know, hear, or otherwise learn that Tohru and Kyo had moved only days after graduation. And for all that he was tall and well-developed, Kyo had very obviously been a teenager, nearly two years ago when he'd started.
Within the dojo, Kyo had long since proven himself. Just shy of his first-year mark, he'd earned his fourth bar, now ranking, at least for the time being, the same rank as the lowest of the other instructors. He was well-liked by his students, especially the younger ones, and respected by his peers.
He wasn't surprised by the teasing, and he didn't mind it, either. It was a pretty big deal, finally being an adult!
After his Jukkyū class was finished, Kyo walked over to grab a drink of water when one of the children called out to him from the door. "Sensei, there's a paper on the floor!"
Walking over, Kyo picked up the paper, which had been slipped into the room through the door: 'Japanese voter registration form.'
"Thanks, Kei. I'll take care of this."
Chuckling, Kyo took the form and went to set it on the driving manual. They were certainly having fun with this, those coworkers of his.
In a way, he was almost relieved he and Tohru were heading into the city after work. His fellow karateka had made no bones of their intentions to, quote, 'take him out and get him smashed' in celebration of his birthday. Kyo was no teetotaler, but his previous experiences with alcohol had been enough for him to feel that whatever else adulthood brought, it would not change much in terms of drinking.
Though his friends hadn't been dissuaded to learn he'd be out of town; they simply moved the drinking night to the following Saturday.
"Since we can't take you out on your actual birthday, we'll just wait until you have a day to properly sleep it off. Don't want you hung over in front of the kids, right?"
Right, indeed. As if he planned to get hungover; not by a long shot!
After his last class, Kyo headed back to the locker room to change. Once again, he saw that someone had been messing with his dojo bag, and he chuckled. At this point, he didn't even know what was left for them to do, but he wasn't surprised they'd been thorough.
It was another form, this time, and he skimmed the title: 'Formal Request for Adoption.'
He froze, staring at the form. Everything else he'd been given that day was something he expected; something that many people looked forward to about adulthood. How many people went out drinking their first night as a legal adult, or bought themselves lottery tickets? How many people gritted their teeth and set to work getting their driving license, or registered to vote, ready to take up their civic responsibilities? He even knew people who were excited to buy their own cigarettes, as disgusting as Kyo personally found that habit to be.
But this...he hadn't thought about this. He was an adult now, which meant he could enter into contracts on his own. Including adopting a child. Or...
"What's this, Sohma? Are you and Tohru in that much of a rush to expand the family that you're looking to go the legal way?"
A hand clapped on Kyo's shoulder, and he looked up to see the grinning faces of his coworkers Yamada and Maeda. With their appearance, he shook off his initial stunned response to the form and set it down, giving the two a chuckle.
"Haha, very funny. I hope you all've gotten it out of your systems, 'cause I'm about to head out."
Yamada laughed. "Yeah, we know. Don't worry, you've gotten everything. We just didn't want you to miss out on anything, just because you have to spend your birthday on the train instead of out getting properly debauched!"
Kyo couldn't help but roll his eyes at that one as the two older men grinned at each other. "You guys are all heart, aren't you?"
It was Maeda's turn to grin. "Sure are! And don't worry, Sohma; we made sure to clear everything with Tohru, you can even ask her. So next week when we do get to celebrate, you don't have to worry about anything."
"As if I'd trust the two of you!" Now Kyo was grinning again, and the other two laughed.
"Hey, it's gonna be more than just us, you know that."
"I know; still doesn't mean I trust you."
Yamada and Maeda looked at each other, then grinned again before Yamada theatrically threw a hand on his heart. "Our little boy has grown into a man, he knows when to be suspicious!"
Kyo snorted good-naturedly. "If you guys are done, I need to shower."
"Yeah, yeah. Have a great trip, Sohma, and happy birthday!"
Kyo had been thoughtful as he showered and got dressed, and the whole bus trip into Nigeyashi to the OB/GYN clinic where Tohru worked as a receptionist. And he was still thoughtful as they made their way down to the train station and boarded for the first leg of their trip.
Tohru was curious, but she didn't pry. Though Kyo seemed meditative, he didn't seem upset, so whatever it was, she didn't think it was something she needed to worry about. When he wanted to talk about it, if he wanted to talk about it, she'd be right there.
The two of them flowed easily from the train to their connection in Hirosaki, heading onward to Aomori. Then once they got to Aomori, they stopped to grab a pair of supper bento boxes in the station before boarding the last leg of their trip, the bullet train for Tokyo.
Each time they made the trip, they got more confident, more secure in what they were doing. Kyo hadn't been on the train since August, but he still knew where to go, and what to do. And time had made it easier for him to accept the gift of the tickets; every time the two of them went back to Tokyo, Akito insisted on covering all of their travel costs. He'd hated it at first, but he couldn't argue with saving money, or being comfortable.
Especially where Tohru was concerned.
They settled into their seats on the bullet train and ate their bento boxes, making chit-chat about their plans for the next day. Then Tohru yawned, snuggling into her seat.
Kyo smiled at her. "Gonna take a nap?"
She gave him an apologetic look. "I was thinking about it, if you didn't mind."
He shook his head. "Nah, you go ahead. You've been awake for a long time!" He smiled, taking her hand and kissing it. "Thanks for that, again."
Tohru smiled back. "Of course, Kyo, and you're so very welcome."
It didn't take long for Tohru to nod off; her exhaustion and the gentle motion of the train were a potent combination. And Kyo sat, looking out the window, her hand still in his.
Request for Adoption...
