Chapter Eight:

"We need to talk."

Every hair on the back of Hikaru's neck stood at attention, his heart skipping a few beats in his chest. He thought he was safe, thought Renge's father was still fast asleep and would be for a few more hours. Renge herself slept like a log and, since Hikaru barely slept anymore, he had gotten used to having the house to himself in the dark hours of the night. Her father had been staying with them for a week and, while it had been interesting at best pretending to be her boyfriend, he was glad her father would be heading back to France in the morning.

"Can't sleep, sir?" He asked, continuing to fiddle with the teakettle as if the elder man had not surprised him at all.

"You either, I assume." Hikaru heard the barstool groan as it swiveled, a sure sign that Renge's father wasn't leaving any time soon. He was making himself comfortable.

Damn.

"I don't sleep much anymore." The nightmares are suffocating. But he would never admit to anyone that Kaoru visited him in his dreams or that his brother blamed him for his death.

"I would imagine not. You've been through quite a lot."

Hikaru flinched. "Yes, sir. It hasn't been an easy year."

"And yet you make my daughter so happy."

"I don't think that has much to do with me. She's an infectious personality." Hikaru explained, grimacing slightly as he poured two cups of the green tea he had brewed.

"I don't remember the last time I saw her smile like that. This isn't the typical infatuation that I've seen in her time and time again. This seems real." Her father explained, graciously accepting the second cup of tea when Hikaru offered it.

But it isn't real. This is all a trick. Hikaru leaned his elbow against the counter. "I'm glad she's happy. She deserves to be happy."

"And so do you, son." Hikaru's eyes flickered to those of the elder man. "I get the feeling you're not really letting her into your heart and I think you should. It's obvious you care deeply for her."

"Let her into my heart…" Hikaru chuckled. "Interesting theory."

Xxx The Next Morning xxX

It was quite a few hours after the sun rose that Renge finally graced them with her presence. She was draped in a pink fluffy robe and she yawned deeply. Her arms stretched over her head and her eyes squeezed shut against the morning sun. "You two are up way too early. In fact, I'm up way too early."

"I do have a plane to catch in just a few hours." Her father chuckled lightly, sipping at a fresh cup of coffee and sliding one across the bar to her.

"Thank you, Papa." She smiled, collapsing onto a seat beside him and sipping gingerly at the coffee. "I can't believe it's been a week already."

"It's high time I head back to my own home. Your mother gets lonely." He explained, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't think you will be very lonely."

Renge blushed deeply. "Papa."

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Her eyes snapped up to Hikaru, taking note to how tense his voice sounded as he spoke to her. It was clear that he was nervous about something. "Sure?" Slowly she pulled herself from the stool, clutching her coffee tightly in her hands.

Hikaru led her from the kitchen and onto the back porch where just nights before they had sat in calm silence together admiring the fireflies.

"Are you okay?" She asked, placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder after the door had closed behind them.

"Yeah. I… your father and I talked last night." He spoke, brushing his fingers through his tousled hair.

"Did he say something mean? If he did I'm very sorry." She was nervously nibbling at her bottom lip.

"No… He just put some ideas into my head."

"Good ideas?" She asked, anxiety spreading through her.

Hikaru nodded. "I was thinking it might be time for me to go home."

"Home." She breathed, the implication of that word hung heavy over them. Home meant he no longer wanted to stay with her. Home meant returning to the last place Kaoru had been before getting into the car. Home meant facing his demons. "I put too much pressure on you… didn't I?" She asked, looking down at her feet. She should have known better than to ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend for a week.

"No! Jesus, no." He huffed. "It's not that at all. I just, well, I don't think I should stay here anymore."

"Why?" She lifted her large hazel eyes to his; they were filled with a sadness and worry he hadn't seen there since the day she found him at Kaoru's grave.

"Because I want to ask you out, okay?!" He practically yelled, clenching his fists together at his side.

Her eyes went wide, her lips forming a delicate 'o' as she watched the muscles in his shoulders tense in anticipation. "Like on a date?"

"Don't act so surprised." He practically growled. "You can say no."

"I don't want to say no." She smiled lightly. "I'd like to go out on a date with you, Hikaru."

"Yeah well… how does tomorrow sound?" His features were stained blood red.

"Tomorrow sounds amazing."

Neither was aware of the knowing eyes that watched them through the kitchen window. "Maybe not so much of a trick after all." Her father chuckled, returning to his seat at the table.


Author's / Notes:

So these chapters are going to start to bounce around a little bit. The next one will be their first date but since this story is supposed to encompass about five years, I want to start getting into the future a bit more. These chapters I felt were necessary to see how Renge and Hikaru actually came to get along since their personalities are so different.

I hope you're still enjoying!

All my love.

Kaasuten