"Are you excited about the ceremony?"

Tohru smiled, turning back from the koi pond to look over at Akito. The two of them were both sitting on the deck outside Akito and Shigure's living room, looking over the family head's private garden.

"I am! We weren't sure if we were going to be able to make it back at first, since we're trying to be so very careful with our vacation time right now, but I didn't end up needing to take any time off at all! And Kyo just exchanged his classes today for his coworker's two weeks from tomorrow, so he didn't end up needing to use any, either." She sighed happily, glad with how everything had worked out. "After Ayame and Mine offered to handle the clothes, I really couldn't refuse. It was like everything was lining up so we could do this," she said with a soft smile downwards.

Then Tohru's head snapped up and she looked over at Akito. "And thanks to you covering our travel expenses, of course! I still can't believe you want to pay them as much as you do, you really don't have to. It wouldn't hurt us to pay for ourselves, at least once in a while."

Akito smiled. That was so like Tohru, trying to do everything herself. "I've told you, I want to pay them. I'm happy to pay them. Paying them means you're able to travel in comfort, and you don't have to worry. Especially right now," she added significantly. "You know that I'd be happy to help out with more of the wedding, if you'd let me."

Tohru shook her head. "No, you've already been far too generous as it is! Just the clothing alone is far too much, we couldn't let you cover anything more than you have."

Akito shook her head, looking back over the koi pond. "I owe Kyo far more apologies than words can ever convey, and you far more gratitude. There really...aren't that many ways I can try to express them."

Tohru smiled, reaching out and touching Akito's hand. "The fact that you even want to is more than enough for me. But really, what you already do is so incredibly generous, so much more than we could ever repay!"

Akito knew that was Tohru's way of closing the subject, and she let out a quiet laugh. For all that Tohru was so gentle, she could be surprisingly firm when she wanted to be. Akito had already tried and failed, repeatedly, to convince Tohru and Kyo to accept Sohma money to pay for their wedding; they had politely but firmly refused. Kyo was of the private opinion he'd rather go straight to the municipal building than take any of the family's money, and Tohru could understand that; while she and Akito were friends, the relationship between the family head and Kyo were at best 'distantly cordial.'

So Akito had contented herself with what she could do. Tohru had wanted a traditional wedding, and that meant traditional wedding clothes. Often those were family heirlooms, but neither Tohru nor Kyo really had family who could pass them down, or who would actually want to. Rentals were an option, but so impersonal. In the end, Akito had swallowed her distaste and reached out to Ayame; he and Mine would handle the work, Akito would pay for the materials.

All of the materials.

"When are you getting your furisode?"

Tohru brightened. "This afternoon! After you and I are done here and Kyo is done with his class, we'll be meeting Hana-chan, Uo-chan, and Yuki for lunch, then going to Ayame's for fittings. I'm very excited to see what they have for us to wear, I've never gotten to wear one before!"

Her excitement was obvious, and Akito chuckled. "Well, I hope you find you enjoy wearing it as much as you imagine you will. They can be difficult to walk in, if you're not used to them, so make sure you take small, careful steps."

Akito could all too well imagine Tohru in a formal kimono, faceplanting onto the concrete.

"It seems so strange, that you, Yuki, and Kyo are all adults now. How recently you were just high schoolers," Akito continued softly. "I hope...that adulthood is kind to you all. You deserve it, all of you."

Almost no relationship existed these days between Akito and Yuki, by mutual agreement. There had been too much done, too much said, that couldn't be erased. Yuki never spoke of her, not even in conversation with Shigure, and Akito never tried to push. If she'd gotten what she'd deserved, then none of them would ever talk to her. She tried to atone by removing herself from any function where the former Zodiacs might be present, but she'd already come away with far more than she actually deserved.

Tohru looked over at Akito, understanding, or at least guessing, what was running through Akito's head. "Well, hopefully we all have a long time left to experience it, but I think adulthood looks pretty wonderful so far! It helps, coming into it with so much help from so many people."

She wondered whether Akito would have enjoyed attending her own Coming of Age Day Ceremony, if things had been different then. When Akito had turned twenty, she'd already long been in the role of Sohma family head, even if other people stepped in to handle any necessary legalities. And of course, back then she had still been presenting as a man. Would she have wanted to wear a formal furisode, with her hair and makeup done up? Been part of the crowd, listening at the ceremony and posing for pictures?

Tohru wasn't about to ask; there was no way, no matter what Akito's answer was, that it wouldn't somehow cause pain.

They could have talked for much much longer, but at that moment, Shigure came out onto the deck. "I hate to interrupt such a lovely pair of ladies, but Tohru, didn't you say you needed to leave at eleven?"

Tohru blinked at him, then glanced at her phone to see that it was actually five after. "Oh no, I need to go! Thank you, Shigure, I hadn't even noticed!"

He smiled and took her hand, lifting her easily to her feet. "Of course, Tohru, we'd hate for you to be late! And I'd especially hate to hear what dear Hana-chan would say, if she even suspected it to be on our account."

Strangely enough, Hanajima and Akito had managed to remain friendly following their first meeting back at the hospital; even with Tohru living hundreds of miles away, Shigure hadn't been able to free himself from Hanajima and her cryptic pronouncements.

Having her friends with his wife was far more intimidating than friends with his lodger.

Shigure helped Akito to her feet next, and she gave Tohru a hug. "Thank you for visiting, Tohru. I know you're very busy this weekend, I hope you have fun with your afternoon."

"Yes, be sure you say hello to all your former Kaibara High fellows, and of course to Aaya," Shigure said with a grin. "I know Aaya has been deeply excited to dress you all, so make sure you're properly appreciative, hmm?"

Tohru giggled, nodding her head. "Oh, we certainly will! On all of those things. And it was no trouble, Akito, I always love to come visit! Thank you for having me."

And it had been lovely, seeing Akito and Shigure. But as Tohru made her way back across the estate to the dojo, she couldn't help but smile, imaging what was likely waiting for her there.


Kyo had enjoyed himself during that morning's class. He had initially been disappointed when he realized he was late for the first class, but having the chance to sit and talk to Tohru had done wonders for both his mood and his focus. While he would have preferred to ride the momentum from his conversation with Tohru straight into a talk with Kazuma, he couldn't be disappointed to have a chance to participate in a karate class, either.

He was relieved not to see Hatsuharu today, though. Saturday mornings were a day the younger Sohma often attended, but apparently he was spending more and more of his weekend time at the shop where Rin worked now. Kyo wasn't clear on all the details, but in spite of her attitude Rin had managed to get herself some fans and some of those fans could be handsy. While Kyo couldn't understand what would possess anyone to make a move on Rin of all people, he could understand Haru's behavior.

And while it would have been nice to see his cousin, he did not want to talk to Kazuma with anyone else hanging around.

Once class was over and the post-class milling around was wrapping up, Kazuma looked over at Kyo and smiled. "I'm going to head back over to the house and make some tea; why don't you go ahead and shower, and I'll see you when you're done?"

Kyo had nodded. "Sounds good!"


Kyo was a little surprised to feel butterflies in his stomach as he made his way back to the house, showered, dressed, and slightly chilled. He'd felt so confident earlier, so ready, but all of a sudden, he felt tongue-tied.

He knew it was dumb. Hadn't he himself already said that nothing would be changing, not where it counted? Kazuma was his dad, period. No matter what. Already done, already confirmed. All Kyo was doing was asking him to make it official. To make a legally binding contract that would affect them for the rest of their lives. No biggie.

Nope, not working. Even if he knew all of that to be true, Kyo couldn't help but feel this was a very, very big deal, and his stomach was reacting accordingly.

How long would it take for him to talk to Kazuma about something important without feeling like he might throw up?

In the entryway, Kyo kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat. Then he headed into the house, finding Kazuma, as expected, at the living room table.

Kazuma looked at Kyo over his cup of tea and gestured for him to sit down. "I'm glad you wanted to spend some time together this morning, Kyo, especially with your busy afternoon. It was nice to see you both last night, but I definitely prefer it when you arrive earlier in the day."

Kyo grinned as he took his place opposite Kazuma. "What, you don't like staying up past your bedtime, having almost no time to talk and then being tired the next day?"

"I was not tired today," Kazuma chided gently. "I still woke up when I always do, and I was still on time for class." While not exactly intended as a barb, it still struck home and Kyo blushed. He could see from the way Kazuma was looking at him that he was trying to feel Kyo out, trying to guess what he wanted. Kazuma had always been obnoxiously talented at reading him.

Kyo hoped that his butterflies were less obvious than they felt.

Still, Kazuma's comment was as good an opening as any. It was already 10:40; if he wanted the chance to talk to Kazuma now, in private, then now was as good as it was probably going to get.

"So...I bet you're wondering why I was late for class this morning."

"Missed class, but yes. I am rather curious."

Kyo blushed again and glanced down. "Yeah, well, it was actually just gonna be me being late, but Tohru was up when I got back and we ended up talking."

"Talking." Kazuma's face was straight and his tone was as placid as ever, but Kyo immediately turned about ten shades redder.

"Yes! Talking! With words. Like people do when they have important things on their mind!" Damn, didn't Kazuma know him better than that?

Kazuma couldn't help but laugh at Kyo's red-faced embarrassment. There might have been the tiniest amount of skepticism in Kazuma's comment, but he hadn't meant to judge, whatever 'talking' might actually mean. There was a reason Tohru and Kyo had the room off the dojo courtyard, after all.

But he was even more curious now.

"So you got caught up on your run...?"

Kyo took a breath, calming himself back down. Damn nerves; they were making him as jumpy as a middle schooler!

"Yeah." Kyo took another deep breath, then leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees as he debated how to best go about this. Kazuma simply watched him, giving him time. He was always great about that, giving Kyo time.

"Last night I woke up, sometime late. I had that dream again, the one from the night...before Mom."

Kazuma's face immediately clouded over. He knew very well the dream Kyo was talking about; how many times over the years had he held Kyo in his arms, listening to the tired and angry little boy cry about how unfair it was? How much he hated everything? And then later, when Kyo was too grown to hold, too old to actually comfort or to even talk to about his dreams, how many times had Kazuma listened from the hallway to his angry tears and bitter reflections?

He had seen the hurt. So much of it, over and over again. Seen what one man's cruel words could do to a child, a child that man should have been there to protect.

"Have you had that dream...recently? Before last night?"

Kyo shook his head. "Not for ages. It's been a long time since I even let myself think about it; I hate to let any what he says take up too much space in my head." Kyo's voice was understandably bitter. "I don't like to think about him at all, if I don't have to."

"A wise decision. Dwelling too much on something so negative will only hurt you, in the end."

Kyo nodded. "But...yeah. I hadn't had that dream in ages, maybe even more than a year. I don't know for sure, but it's been a long time. And I hadn't been thinking about him much either, not exactly, so it was...rough. Seeing him like that. Hearing him."

Kyo was looking down again, and Kazuma reached across the table to touch Kyo's arm.

"Kyo, I know you don't need me to say this, but everything Katashi ever said about you is the baseless belief of a small, sad man. He couldn't see what a wonderful thing he had in you, and for that I pity him. But that pity doesn't extend to forgiveness, or even the slightest bit of understanding." Though Kazuma's expression never changed, there was a glint of steel in his eyes; he could forgive a lot of things, but there were some things that were simply unforgivable.

And Kyo did know that, all of that. But hearing Kazuma say it felt pretty damn good, and he managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know. Took me way too long to figure out, but I know it now. I wish I coulda saved myself all the time I spent stressing about it, but...you can't change the past, right?"

"Right," Kazuma agreed softly.

Kyo sighed, and steepled his fingers together. "So, yeah. I had that dream last night...and it sucked. It always sucked, so yeah, it sucked again. I wish I could forget it." He was looking at the table now, his eyes narrowed as he watched the scene in his head. "Forget hearing what he said to her, what he called her. Every word he said about me."

Kazuma was giving him that sympathetic look again; he could feel it, even without looking. And Kyo appreciated it, but he didn't need sympathy.

Not anymore.

"After I woke up this morning, when I was on my run, I was thinking about it. A lot. And I was thinking how much it sucked, to have that dream again after all this time. But then I got to thinking...that maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was like...I dunno, an omen or something. Maybe even a blessing," he said with an ironic chuckle.

"A blessing?" Kazuma's expression was curious again. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

Kyo was still looking at the table. "Katashi said...all the time...that I wasn't his son. He said a lot of other crap too, but he'd always say that. He said it that night, one of the last things he ever screamed at Mom. 'Don't you dare call that creature my son,' he said, and 'that thing is not my son.' Thing. Creature. Monster. Abomination. It. All kinds of shit along those lines. But not his son. Never." Kyo's voice was bitter, but it was a satisfying bitterness. He didn't care anymore; he didn't need to care. He wasn't going to let any of those words hurt him, ever again.

He took another breath and looked up at Kazuma. "He's right. Not about much, but he was right about that. That I'm not his son. That I've never been his son, and I'm never gonna be his son, either. He never cared about me, not like he shoulda. He never even tried." The bitterness was gone now, replaced by resignation that was in turn transitioning to something different, something far more confident.

"You did." Kyo reached across the table, taking Kazuma's hand. "You're the one who took care of me, not him. You're the one who protected me. I didn't need him, and I'll never need him, because I've got you."

Kazuma was smiling as well, holding Kyo's hand in his own. "Kyo-"

Kyo shook his head. "Please let me finish, ok? I've been psyching myself up for a while, and I don't want to chicken out now."

Kazuma's smile had grown to be practically beaming, but he nodded. "Go on."

"Alright." Another breath. "You've always been my dad; you, not him. And dreaming about him was kinda ironic, because I've been thinking a lot about my birthday. About turning twenty, and what it means. How it means that he can't do anything to me, any more. He doesn't have any control over me, he can't stop me from doing anything." He smiled hopefully, looking across the table. "He can't stop me..." Breath... "From asking you to adopt me."

Kazuma let out a deep, slow breath of his own, as he squeezed Kyo's hand. Then he stood up, and to Kyo's great surprise he turned and walked right out of the room.

Kyo was bewildered; he'd expected a reaction from Kazuma, but not that one. Not a hug, not a word, not anything?

But he didn't have to wonder long. It was almost no time at all before Kazuma returned, a large manila envelope in his hands. As he sat back down at the table, this time right beside Kyo, he slid out the contents for Kyo to read: 'Formal Request for Adult Adoption.'

It looked very similar to the form he'd been given at work, but with a few key differences. There was the word 'adult,' of course, but also the fact that nearly the entire form had been filled in, everything completed in Kazuma's precise penmanship. Kyo's name. Kazuma's name. All of their information, complete and detailed. All that was missing was Kyo's own signature, the dates, and the information to be filled out by the court.

Kyo's eyes were teary when he finished reading, and he looked over to see tears in Kazuma's eyes as well. For a moment, neither of them could talk; they both sat there, smiling at each other. Then Kyo started laughing, and Kazuma joined in.

"Guess it wasn't that big a surprise, huh?" Kyo said, wiping at his eyes, when he could finally speak. "You planned better than I did, I didn't even think about getting the paperwork started!"

Kazuma chuckled, dabbing at his own eyes. "A benefit of age: more experience dealing with the realities of bureaucracy, and therefore more appreciation for advance planning."

The two of them were both smiling so widely that their faces hurt, and after a moment Kyo practically threw himself into Kazuma's arms. Even though he'd strongly hoped Kazuma would agree, to know that he was already thinking the same thing...it was the best feeling in the world!

Kazuma held Kyo close. "I'm so very, very happy, Kyo. I've been thinking about these for years now, and only concern about outside interference has kept me from saying anything before now." He chuckled, shaking his head. "If you hadn't beat me to it, I was planning to mention the idea to you sometime either today or tomorrow. I'd originally wanted to talk about it on your birthday, but the late hour just didn't seem appropriate."

"Yeah, none of us would have been able to sleep after this," Kyo said, sitting up and smiling. "Glad I could finally beat you to something!"

Kazuma laughed again, reaching out and ruffling Kyo's hair. "You had better get used to it; I'm sure there will be many more moments like that in the future." He sighed, then smiled at Kyo, a much softer, gentler smile. "You've been my son since you were five years old, Kyo. Since the first time you set foot in this house. And you'll always be my son, long after both of us are dead and gone. My son, who I'm incredibly proud of."

Kyo could feel his eyes tearing up again, but he didn't care. All he could feel right now was exhilaration, coupled with nearly overwhelming joy. While it didn't quite rival how he'd felt when Tohru had accepted his proposal, it was pretty darn close; out of everyone alive, there was no one he loved even a fraction as much as he loved the two of them. And now, it was going to be official. First for Kazuma, and then for Tohru.

He did have a family; people who loved him, who supported him. Unconditionally. And he always would.

From a pocket of his robe, Kazuma produced a pen and handed it to Kyo, who turned to the paper with a smile. In a proud, confidant hand, he signed his name below Kazuma's, noting with a chuckle 'adoptee's name after adoption.'

"Well, that part should be easy, at least."

Kazuma smiled. "All of it is easy. Every single part."

"Oh, so you've adopted someone before?" Kyo asked, grinning. And Kazuma shook his head, still smiling

"No, but I've been a father, for a very long time. Making it official...will be incredibly satisfying."

Kyo smiled, setting down the pen. Then they both looked at the form for a long moment, before Kyo said, "So...now what?"

"Now," said Kazuma, sliding the paperwork back into the manila envelope, "I will wait very impatiently until Tuesday when the courthouse is open, and I will see this filed. And then, we wait. I don't believe there's much, if anything that you'll need to do, or me, for that matter. As you already pointed out, you don't have to worry about any name change, so hopefully this is relatively straightforward."

Kyo liked the sound of that.

"I'm so proud of you, Kyo, in everything you've accomplished so far. And it makes me so very happy," Kazuma said, his voice slightly choked with emotion, "that I get to be here to see it."

Once again, the two of them embraced, and Kyo's own voice was a bit rough when he responded. "I'm only here because of you, Dad. Just you being there for me...it's the best birthday gift I could ever ask for!"

At that moment, they heard the front door slide open, and Tohru's voice called out "I'm back!"

Kazuma and Kyo looked at each other, each of them seeing their own happy, teary-eyed face reflected in the other. And they both knew, with amusement, exactly what Tohru would do when she saw them.

"In the living room, Tohru," Kyo called out, his voice catching slightly.


Tohru knew as soon as she heard Kyo's voice, but the sight of the two of them, sitting side by side, tears in their eyes and radiant smiles on their faces, confirmed it. Her own eyes immediately welled up with tears and she clasped her hands, looking back and forth from Kyo to Kazuma.

"I'm so happy right now, for both of you! How absolutely, incredibly perfect!"

Kyo laughed, a short, choked up laugh, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her down into a hug. "Yeah. It's pretty damn perfect, isn't it? All of it."

"It really is!"

Kazuma felt like his heart couldn't be any fuller as he sat there, watching his son. Kyo's face was alive with happiness, his smile even brighter than his hair. His eyes were teary, but they were happy tears, and the eyes themselves were shining as they looked at Tohru, sharing her excitement with his own.

For so long, all he had wanted was to see Kyo happy. To see him move forward, strong and assured. He had hoped, but hardly dared believe. Prayed, but feared.

He gave thanks every morning for everything that had happened to bring Kyo to here. For Kazuma to have the privilege to watch him, to see him continue to grow and advance. No longer the fearful child, no longer the despairing teen, afraid to be happy, afraid to let anyone close. Now, he was free to be who he wanted, to be a man who wasn't afraid to cry.

Or to love.

Kazuma smiled at the two of them, then rose to his feet. "As dearly as I would love to continue to sit with the two of you, I believe you have lunch plans, don't you? You'd better get ready to go," he said with a significant look towards Kyo.

And Kyo sighed, knowing Kazuma was right. It seemed a bit of a joke, having to go out to have lunch with Uotani, Hanajima, and Yuki after this, especially since the ultimate destination was a clothing fitting with Ayame, but he wasn't going to complain. He'd gotten what he wanted.

Everything else was just gravy.