"Tohru, is there anything I can help you with?"
Tohru smiled, looking back over her shoulder at Kazuma and shaking her head. "No, there really isn't, but thank you for asking, Master Kazuma! I'm actually just about finished, so it should only be a couple more minutes, if that!"
"Besides, you really think we're gonna let you come in here and mess things up?" Kyo grinned over at Kazuma from the counter, where he was laying out the dishes. The two of them had been busily at work preparing lunch, and their efforts were reflected in the delicious smells that had greeted Kazuma as soon as he walked into the house.
Kazuma chuckled, moving away from Tohru and the stove. "You know, I'm really not as terrible as you make me out to be, especially if I have a little skilled supervision."
"Well, no one here's got the time to babysit a grown man who can't even manage to make miso soup," Kyo said, chuckling as well. "How were morning classes?"
"Good, good. Turnout was a little low today, but I'm not surprised, considering it's still New Year's week. That, and the holiday weekend." Kazuma walked over to the kettle to make himself some tea, but Kyo stopped him.
"Nope, I'm taking care of that, too."
Kazuma looked at him in amusement. "Really, Kyo? Not even tea?"
Tohru glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. "Kyo makes really wonderful tea, Master Kazuma, you should let him!"
Kazuma obediently backed away from the kettle. "Far be it for me to intrude on what is clearly a well-rehearsed routine."
Kyo started making the tea, while Tohru finished at the stove and began to dish up. "Master Kazuma, could you please bring over the pickles? And I put the salad in the refrigerator earlier, too."
"Of course, Tohru. Assuming Kyo doesn't object?" Kazuma looked at Kyo, who gave him a snort but was smiling.
"Go get the damn salad."
Once everything was ready, the three of them brought everything out to the table and sat down.
"This really does look wonderful, you two, thank you so much for cooking! I hadn't expected you to be back until later."
Tohru smiled, taking up her soup bowl. "You're welcome, it was no trouble at all! And yes...my Grandpa was going out for lunch with my aunt and uncle today, so we didn't want to stay too long and make them late! It was nice to get the chance to see him, though, even if the visit was short."
"How is he doing?"
"Good! His back is bothering him again, but it doesn't sound like it's anything too serious, thankfully. He's been taking things carefully this winter, which is a relief."
"Well, that all sounds wonderful. I'm glad to hear he's looking well."
The three of them lapsed into silence as they ate, though Kazuma did look over at Kyo when he took his first sip of tea. "Thank you for the tea, Kyo, it is actually quite good. But you still don't drink it yourself?"
"Nope." Kyo shook his head and took a drink from his milk carton. "If I want to eat grass, then I'll just eat grass and save myself the hassle."
"Well, I'm sure Tohru appreciates your efforts on her behalf," Kazuma said with a chuckle.
And Tohru was beaming in response. "Oh, I do! He always does such a good job, and he's so sweet about it!" Ever since they'd moved into their house nearly two years prior, Kyo had made Tohru's tea when he was home. That went for meals of all stripe, as well as if she just wanted a cup. It had taken a little bit of time to work out the proper amounts of everything, but these days he could make it in his sleep.
Kazuma was amused at the descriptor of Kyo as 'sweet,' but he could understand it. "Yes, he's very thoughtful, isn't he?"
"He really is!"
Kyo was grinning now and he waved his chopsticks at the two of them. "Ok, I get it. I'm awesome and you both love me. Moving on?"
He was kind of joking, but he wasn't wrong, either. And honestly...it felt good. Really good.
'That thing is a monster! That creature ruined everything!'
He'd never let himself believe that, ever again.
After lunch was over and the dishes were stacked in the kitchen, Tohru chased Kazuma and Kyo out. "I've got this, don't worry about it! You two go talk."
Kazuma had tried to protest. "Tohru, you already made lunch, can't I at least somehow help with cleanup?"
"You already did by bringing in the dishes, Master Kazuma! It's no trouble at all, really, so you two can go."
Smiling, she pushed them out of the kitchen and closed the door, leaving them standing in the hallway.
Kyo chuckled at Kazuma's expression. "She's small, but she can be really pushy when she wants to be."
"You know I can still hear you right there, Kyo!"
Kyo raised his voice slightly. "Lucky for all of us she's so sweet!"
The three of them laughed, then Kyo and Kazuma moved back across to the living room and sat back down, looking at each other before both of them chuckled.
"You know, it still feels a little bit strange to be banished from part of my own house. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it's the same feeling, every time."
Kyo leaned back on his hands with a grin. "You know how she is; trying to stop her from helping out is like torturing her. As weird as it is, she actually likes doing the dishes."
"Well, far be it for me to interfere, I just wish she'd let me actually help out once in a while. Considering I'm hosting the two of you, I really ought to be doing more."
"It's all good, Dad, really. We don't mind."
Kazuma sighed, then smiled at Kyo. "So, what do you two have going on today?"
"Sounds like we'll be heading up to Rin and Haru's place later today; Haru says Rin's off work at four, so they'll be around after that. Yuki's staying with them, so we're probably just gonna hang out and probably grab dinner. I figured I'd join you for class before that, if you didn't mind," They both knew Kyo asking was more a formality than anything; as if Kazuma would ever mind! "And Tohru is gonna go see Kisa while I'm in class. I think the two of them were gonna go get ice cream or something like that, hopefully they have fun." Kyo personally didn't think ice cream in January sounded all that pleasant, but to each their own.
Kazuma smiled across the table at him. "It sounds like you have a good day planned out. It's so nice, that you're able to get together with your friends like this when you're back in town."
"Yeah, it is, mostly. It gets a little crazy sometimes, especially on a short visit like this one, but it's pretty nice. Especially since it's been so long since we've been back," he added.
"Yes..." Wasn't that the truth.
Kazuma was genuinely happy to see how much Kyo enjoyed being around others these days. As a child and certainly as a young teenager, there had been a constant struggle within Kyo, his natural warmth and friendliness held at bay by his fears and his desire to protect himself. He had both craved companionship and feared it, and while glimpses and glimmers of the friendly Kyo had shone through at various times, the cold, prickly Kyo had dominated.
But now, he had fully opened himself up to friendship, and Kazuma loved it. He loved to hear Kyo talk about his job at the Matsuda Dojo, and the friends he'd there. Kazuma had trusted that Kyo would do well at his job, but he'd also been nervous, knowing what a big step it was for Kyo to take by himself. It had been a relief to hear how quickly he'd settled in, even if there had been some tension in the early days.
And it wasn't just the dojo, either. Kazuma always enjoyed hearing about Kyo and Tohru's life in the little town of Hibe; about their next-door neighbors, who on both sides were well-meaning but rather pushy seniors. About their friendship with the town bakers, and their friendly rivalry over buns. About the monthly town meetings, and what strange things the 'mature' community members tended to think were urgent. About Tohru's job in the nearby small city of Nigeyashi, answering phones at an OB/GYN clinic. About the stray cat who lived part time in their backyard and hated Kyo.
So much of it was small, and arguably unimportant. But in those small details, Kazuma heard happiness, and he heard life. He saw Kyo putting himself out into a community, and being involved. Wanting to be involved. Very few things could make Kazuma happier, even if it did mean he had to share them.
But right now, at least, he had them to himself.
"I suppose you're probably going to be sticking close to Hibe for the next few months, with the wedding approaching."
Kyo sighed, grimacing slightly at the reminder of just how hectic life was about to get. "Pretty much, yeah. Unless there's an emergency or something, I'm not gonna be back myself at all until right before the wedding. There's just no time," He said, shaking his head. "I plan to pick up as many hours at the dojo as Sensei will let me; I'm gonna be taking on some more private lessons pretty soon, so that'll mean busier weekends and evenings."
As an instructor at the dojo, Kyo worked full-time but in non-standard hours; his teaching time ran from the late morning until mid-evening on weekdays, with additional evening classes two nights a week and three classes on Saturdays. But with the assorted expenses related to the wedding, including paying the cost for their friends from Hibe to make it down to Tokyo and attend...there were a lot of new costs coming up, necessitating a little extra cashflow and therefore longer hours.
"I wish you'd let me contribute more, Kyo. You know I'd be thrilled to do so."
Kyo shook his head. "No, Dad, it's already enough that you're letting us have the reception here. It's gonna be absolute chaos, and we're not even gonna be around to help you clean up afterwards."
Kazuma snorted at the very idea of the newlyweds helping clean up; he'd even fight Tohru on that one, if he had to. But then he smiled. "You know it's no trouble, Kyo. I'm beyond honored that you two wanted to have it here, honestly. I know we have the space, but there are certainly places you could have chosen that would be fancier."
"Since when have I been 'fancy?' Or Tohru, either, for that matter. Yeah, some of this stuff is expensive, but that's just because that's what you're gonna deal with when you try to cater a shit-ton of food for that many people. Things don't have to be fancy just to be fancy; we don't want a palace or anything. I don't know what I'd do if I had one," Kyo added with a laugh.
"True. I can't imagine you being comfortable anywhere too formal," Kazuma said, chuckling.
"Seriously. I'm still kinda freaked out by the idea of the ceremony, if I'm honest. There's a lot of stuff to remember."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine. Both of you." And Kazuma couldn't wait to be there to see it.
Kyo sighed again, then shook his head. "Well, no sense in worrying about it now, right? Hopefully we get a chance to practice it a few times before we have to worry about screwing up in front of the shrine master. And in the meantime...there's gonna be work. Lots and lots of work."
A few things were still up in the air about Kyo and Tohru's budget, and they had a few decisions to make in how best to handle them. Right now, part time jobs were almost definitely going to be happening, the only questions were when, what, and for how long.
"Tohru might come back for a weekend some time, I dunno. Especially if she needs to do clothes stuff. She doesn't work weekends, so she's got more flexibility. The next time we'll both be back will probably be for the wedding, though."
The statement hung in the air between them, once again, and Kazuma smiled. Kyo looked somewhere between nervous and excited, the expression oddly boyish and incredibly endearing.
The wedding...
Kazuma felt the strangest urge to cry, even thinking about those words. Just how much of a basket case was he going to be, when the time finally came?
For now, he tried to remain neutral. "Do you know yet how much time you'll be taking for the wedding, or is it still too far out?"
"Maybe? We're for sure taking the week after the wedding for a honeymoon," Kyo said with a grin, and Kazuma chuckled.
"Still leaning towards Kyoto?"
"Unless Tohru changes her mind. I've suggested Hokkaido, but she didn't really like that idea."
"I'm sure Hokkaido is perfectly pleasant, especially so early in June, but I can understand her concerns."
"Yeah. And neither one of us really wants to have to spend all that long getting somewhere, either."
"Fair enough. What about before?"
"Tohru wants to take the whole week off. I don't think I'll be able to do that much, but maybe half of it? Sensei's said not to worry about it, but I want to make sure we're set on everything before being gone that long."
"Sensible. Though I suppose there will be enough to do right before to justify being here early."
Kyo sighed. "Yeah, some. Tohru's mostly handling all that stuff, and I've told her to let me know if there's anything I can take for her. But she agrees that I should stay up in Hibe longer, unless we end up making more than we figured from our part-time jobs. And we'll be fine," he said, stressing the word as he looked at his father.
Kazuma closed his mouth. Kyo could be so stubborn sometimes, and Tohru too. But he could understand it, their desire to stand on their own.
"Do you have that much left to do that can be done ahead of time?"
"Not too much, aside of pay for everything." Kyo said with a smile. "Tohru's clothes, obviously, but we aren't doing those ourselves. Wedding favors, but Tohru is running point on those. I'm sure putting them together will be a thing. We have some stuff to finalize with some of the vendors, too. But otherwise, most of it is just waiting."
Waiting...the hardest part.
"Come on, not even for a little bit? You're not feeling even the tiniest bit nostalgic?"
"Haru, it's January. We'd all freeze our damn asses off!"
"So you're saying the comfort trumps nostalgia."
"Of course it does! Nobody sits on a roof in January, especially not 'just because.'"
"He's right, Haru. Besides, I didn't even sit up on the roof when I lived here; I'm not about to risk frostbite for someone else's memories."
"Wow, Yuki, when did you get to be such a cynical person?"
"I'm not cynical, I'm a realist. And since when are you so obsessed with the roof?"
Hatsuharu shrugged, leaning back on his hands and looking at Yuki and Kyo. The three of them were sitting around the kotatsu in the living room of Haru and Rin's house, formerly Shigure's house, waiting for Tohru and Rin to get back from the grocery store. In spite of all three of them offering to go along, Rin had shut them down; she wanted to have some time with Tohru, without anyone third wheeling them. None of the guys had been spared from the glare that accompanied that statement, not even the somewhat bewildered Yuki.
In the end, they decided it was best to just let the girls go, and take advantage of the chance to talk themselves.
"I'm not obsessed with it; I just think it's cool. I never really thought about sitting up there before Kyo talked about it last year, but it's got a great view and is a great place to sit and think about stuff."
"You 'sit and think about stuff' when it's this damn cold out? Even I had my limits," Kyo said, shaking his head. "Weather like this is what these things were made for," as he tapped the top of the kotatsu, "So just enjoy it, ok?"
Hatsuharu sighed. "When did your heart start to lose its romance, Kyo?"
"For a roof?"
"For the memories of youth. Are you suddenly such a seasoned, worldly old man that you can't look back fondly of those fleeting moments that once brought you joy?"
Kyo was squinting at Haru, trying to figure out where he was going with that, while Yuki tried and failed to hide his smile behind his hand. Haru was simply looking back in his usual stoic way, and finally Kyo just snorted.
"You're such a weirdo, Haru."
"A romantic."
"Whatever you want to call it, it's weird. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were trying to get us up onto the roof so you could kill us or something."
"Maybe I just plan to propose to Yuki," Haru said with a glance at Yuki.
"You're still not my type, Haru," Yuki said dryly, and Kyo rolled his eyes.
"Find your own proposal spot, anyway. Don't steal my ideas."
Haru sighed again, then smiled at Yuki and Kyo. "This is nice. I've missed this."
"What, being a weirdo?"
"Nah, just us, talking. Discussing stuff. Doing things. It's nice," Haru repeated, "though I really wish you would have been willing to try out the roof. It would be a lot easier to see when the girls get back."
Yuki looked at Haru curiously. "Does it matter if we see them right away? They're just getting groceries, and it's not like we're in any hurry for supper."
"No, but it would be nice, wouldn't it? Don't you always feel your heart soar when you first see Machi after she's been away from you?"
"...after a trip to the grocery store? No, not really."
Haru shook his head and tsked at Yuki. "I never would have expected that from you, Yuki. You really have turned into a cynic."
"Still a realist."
"So I suppose you're doing the whole nine yards, huh? Hair, makeup, furisode?" Rin glanced at Tohru as the two of them made their way back down the sidewalk, each of them carrying a bag of groceries. And Tohru nodded, her expression bright.
"That's right! My friends are going to help me with my hair and makeup, of course, because I don't really know what I'm doing with either of those. And Ayame and Mine are loaning us all furisodes! We got to try them on yesterday, and it was so much fun!" She sighed happily, then made a slightly wry face. "Though they are a lot heavier than I realized. And there's so much layering!"
Rin chuckled at that, giving Tohru and amused look. "Yeah, seriously. It's part of why I don't see the appeal; I already have enough packed on," she said, patting her ample chest with one forearm. "Add a stone's worth of padding on top of that and lose the ability to bend at the waist? Hell no."
"Did you go to your Coming of Age Day ceremony last year, Izusu?"
"No," Rin said, shaking her head. "Why would I? Furisodes and stuff like that aren't really my thing, and I wasn't close to anyone from school. If I'd gone, it would have been just me, which would have been pretty pathetic if I'd actually cared. And no offense, but standing around listening to some old farts talk about the 'weight of responsibility' and shit like that doesn't sound like a fun way to spend a morning."
Tohru could understand that, and she laughed. It was true, she couldn't quite picture Isuzu in the traditional women's formal wear; Rin was far too cool and edgy to be so traditional, even in Tohru's imagination. And she could understand too Isuzu not wanting to go alone.
In fact, she was rather annoyed with herself for even bringing the topic up; thinking about it logically, of course Isuzu wouldn't have attended.
Rin wasn't the type to worry much about what other people thought, but she did make a few exceptions. One big one was Tohru, and she could tell by the look on her friend's face that Tohru was upset. Stopping, she gave Tohru a frown. "Hey, you know you don't have to be worried about anything on my account, right? So I think furisodes are constricting and speeches are overblown, big deal. You can still like them and have fun going, don't worry about it. I'm not gonna judge."
Tohru bit her lip. "Well, I just don't want to talk about something that you'd find uncomfortable!"
"Uncomfortable?" Rin scoffed, and started walking again. "Please. I mean, yeah, a furisode itself is uncomfortable, but talking about it? Eh. You're excited, and I'm happy for you, period. Besides, I'm the one who brought it up, remember?"
The two of them reached the little bridge at the entrance to the Sohma land, and began the long climb up the stairs.
Tohru smiled. "I guess you're right."
"I'm a big girl. If I don't want to talk about something, you can sure as hell believe I'll say something."
At that, Tohru couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I'm glad you're so confident!"
Rin shrugged her shoulders. "Just stating some facts. But anyway, you've got everything set for tomorrow? What color did you choose?"
"It was so hard to choose! But in the end, I went with pink."
"Pink...why am I not surprised," Rin said with an amused look at Tohru. "I bet it looks great on you, you were practically born to wear pink."
Tohru beamed a little self-consciously. "I do think it looks very nice! Though we only tried them on alone yesterday, we'll be doing the whole look with hair and makeup for the first time tomorrow."
"I hope you're gonna be taking lots of pictures; I want to see how you look."
"Of course! There's no way we'd go to all this effort and not make sure to record it," Tohru said with another smile.
"Is Kyo going traditional, too? Or is he going the suit route, like Yuki?"
"Oh no, he's going traditional. Actually..." Tohru paused, looking down at the stairs and breaking into a light blush, "he's going to be wearing his montsuki haori hakama. Ayame was making sure it was finished this weekend."
Rin raised her eyebrows, looking over at Tohru. She was well aware of what that meant, and what it was ultimately intended for. "Wow. So I guess tomorrow is the dry run for Kyo, huh? This we'll really have to see."
Tohru really wanted to see it, too. Although she and her friends had finished their fittings well before Kyo was done getting pinned, Ayame had refused to let Tohru into the fitting room, and Kyo had unexpectedly backed Ayame up. Neither of them wanted her to see it until it was done.
And while she could understand that, she really hadn't liked it.
It was funny, how fast her heart raced at the thought of Kyo in the classic black outfit. Obviously, it was appropriate for Coming of Age Day; even if lots of men chose to wear suits, there were sure to be many others in the crowd besides Kyo wearing the montsuki haori hakama. But she wasn't going to be marrying any of them. Seeing Kyo tomorrow would be like looking five months into the future, when he'd be taking her hand not as her fiancé, but her husband.
Tohru hadn't realized she was spacing out, but Rin wasn't going to snap her out of it just yet. A much denser person than Rin would have been able to guess where Tohru's mind had gone, given the look on her face, and Rin allowed her her little daydream. Even if Rin could never understand what Tohru saw in Kyo, he made Tohru happy, and that was what counted.
As long as he continued to make her happy.
Eventually, the two of them reached the top of the stairs, and Tohru returned from her romantic musings. "Much as I loved this house, I do not miss having to go up and down those stairs every day," she commented, looking back with a wince. "My calves are killing me!"
"Yeah, they sure get old really fast, don't they? At least they're good exercise, if nothing else."
The two of them pushed open the front door and walked into the entryway, slipping off their shoes.
"Oy! Guys! We're back, and we're cold, so there'd better be some tea in there waiting for us!"
Tohru looked sideways at Rin, slightly scandalized. "Isuzu, I can make tea! It's no trouble, really!"
"Yeah, well, it's no trouble for them, either," Rin commented, unwinding her scarf and taking off her coat. "We're the ones who went out in the cold, and we're the ones who're gonna make sure their sorry asses get fed, the least they can do is make us some tea."
Once they'd shed their outerwear, Tohru and Rin took the groceries into the kitchen and found Kyo at the counter, mixing up two cups of tea. Smiling, Tohru walked over and gave him a kiss. "Thanks, Kyo, you didn't have to do this!"
"Sure he did," Rin commented, walking up and glancing at the tea cups approvingly. "Because he knew if none of them did, they'd all get their asses kicked," as she turned and glared out at Haru and Yuki, still settled at the kotatsu.
Haru was unperturbed. "Kyo volunteered, so why bother getting up? You could always come sit," he said, scooting over a bit to make some more room on his side of the kotatsu. "It would probably warm you up even more than the tea."
Rin snorted, but did walk over to join him. "You're lucky Kyo's actually a responsible partner."
"Hey, I'm responsible; I responsibly delegated."
She rolled her eyes, then glanced at Yuki. "So...did he behave? Did they behave, for that matter," she asked, glancing into the kitchen at Kyo.
Yuki didn't follow. "Behave?"
"No fighting allowed in the house. I know how single minded these idiots can get when their fists start flying."
"Oh. No, there was no fighting. Though Haru was really aggressive in trying to get us to go out on the roof for a while."
"The roof? Still?" Rin turned and elbowed Haru. "When will you just accept it's the middle of the winter? If you want to hang out up there you can, but you can do it alone."
"But it's so boring by myself. I get lonely..."
Rin snorted, then looked back to the kitchen. "Hey, where's the tea? Tohru, quit distracting him until he's done!"
Tohru and Kyo returned to the kotatsu with the tea, both of them blushing. If Kyo was a tiny bit aggressive in setting a cup down in front of Rin, no one commented.
As Tohru and Kyo sat down at the table and tucked their legs underneath, Tohru found herself once again looking around at a group of familiar, well-loved faces. They weren't quite the same, any of them; they'd all gotten older, and more mature. Filled out more; gotten taller. Gotten more confident.
And all of them were still her friends.
