I do not own anything.


Chapter Two-Promises Made

Just as the unexpected had brought them together it had now brought Akira and Tae face to face with the former's parents. The same parents who'd apparently gotten off work early and come home to find their son making out with a strange woman. Their shock couldn't be called out nor could what came next.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu regained their ability to speak a barrage of questions, and threats, followed. It was chaos with the two of them asking question after question while glancing and even glaring in Tae's direction. She really didn't blame them as they did come home and find her making out with their son. For all she knew they heard the last thing she said to him which naturally would have sent any parent into a meltdown upon hearing. Akira did his best to answer their questions, that was when he could actually hear them. It was sheer chaos from which the couple knew escape was growing dimmer and dimmer by the second.

Just barely out of the corner of Akira's eye did he spot his animal companion from the stairwell. The expression on his face told him he'd caught sight of his parents' car and had come to warn him. Needless to say, he was too late. Morgana apologized to his partner with fear evident in his eyes as he watched the family argument unfold. Akira merely shook his head before turning back to his folks in an attempt to calm them down. From his place on the stairwell Morgana was torn between fleeing back up to Akira's room and staying downstairs to watch events unfold. Neither option seemed all that appealing, but door number one was growing more attractive as he spotted the looks the parents were giving Tae. It seemed the Kurusus were torn between telling her to get out and demanding an explanation from her.

After what seemed like an eternity, someone finally arouse to break the shouting match. "Enough!" As a result of his career Kunihiro Kurusu knew a thing or two about how to break up fights and quiet-down rowdy crowds. That said, there was a difference between quieting down a board room then it was his family. Especially with his emotions running higher than a plane. He was angry and confused, but he managed to push both emotions aside enough for him to clearly look at his son and the mysterious woman he was making out with. To her credit, she stood her ground under his piercing gaze. "Everyone, table, now, including you, whoever the hell you are."

The raincoats of the Kurusus joined Tae's. Even if the shouting had stopped the tension remained, in fact, it seemed to have increased since it now had a vacuum to grow in. As Tae sat beside her boyfriend, his hand still tightly gripping hers', she felt like she was in open water. Either that, or she was standing atop a mountain before two massive beings who held her future in their hands. Tae had somewhat been in this situation before, but a medical board was nothing compared to the parents of her boyfriend. Her underage boyfriend. Who had wisely chosen to skip over her existence when telling the two of them of his adventures in Tokyo.

Sitting almost directly across from them Tae could finally get a closer look at the parents of her boyfriend. She had to admit, looking at them in the flesh she could see where many of Akira's physical and psychology features and quirks came from.

Kunihiro Kurusu very much resembled his son from the tall and lanky build and dark hair, albeit his wasn't curly like his son's. Their faces were quite alike, he truly looked like the perfect picture of Akira aged twenty years or so with a well-trimmed mustache and forming goatee. Unlike his son's wild and unruly black locks Kunihiro's hair was more slicked back and combed giving him a regal and professional look as one would have expected. The man was an architect and part of his job was planning and being able to sell his designs to potential buyers so he had to make sure he looked presentable. Without his jacket he looked remarkably similar to Akira dressed in just his button-up shirt and his necktie, which hung in a loose knot around his neck. As she'd been told many times a pristine silver watch hung tightly around his left wrist which he rubbed while giving passing glances at Tae. His light gray eyes directly contrasted to Akira's dark gray, a trait she couldn't help but pool over.

Beside him, Azumi Kurusu continuously glanced back and forth between her son and his newly revealed girlfriend. Her hands lay flat across the smooth wooden table, fingers flexing and unflexing as a clear indicator of her anxiety. Periodically, her nails would sink into the wood as she looked hard in Tae's direction. Though a different color than Akira's, Tae could tell the dark hues of her beloved came from this woman staring at her. Her dark blue orbs were like search lights taking in every detail on Tae's body. After countless examinations of patients, karma had finally decided to put her in their shoes and let her feel the unease she'd inflicted on others. She didn't like the feeling, one bit.

Tae was able to tell Akira's hair had come from her, as did his hips. Though a somewhat petite woman standing at only five-foot six her body was well toned and defined as one would have expected of a gym instructor. It was easy to see this woman was in perfect health and worked diligently to maintain her physique. Tae could respect that. Differing from her husband and son's her hair was a series of beautiful cinnamon-colored curls that had endured the rainstorm outside and even came out looking quite attractive. Akira told her at work she kept her hair tied up in a ponytail, and even then, she attracted quite a bit of attention from her students and even fellow instructors. She could now see why Akira was a handsome man for his age, part of it clearly came from his mother who was something of a beauty herself.

It was just a shame that beauty was rapidly becoming a front for a growing sense of suspicion and even malice aimed solely at Tae. The punk rock doctor knew if she said one wrong word the dance teacher would be on her in ways worse than her husband who was visibly steaming at his son. By reflex, she gripped her boyfriend's hand tighter.

Kunihiro ran a frustrated hand over his forehead, a habit Akira told her he always did when trying to sort out his emotions. Placing his hands flatly together he finally turned to his son, his attention directed solely on him. "Okay…when we asked you why if you were doing well at school, you told us the truth. You showed us report cards and we didn't receive any angry calls or letters from Shujin. We asked Sojiro if you were staying out of trouble, and he told us you were doing just fine. When we asked what was the deal with this Phantom Thief business, you came clean, and we believed you despite the absurdity of it all. We asked you…if you'd…met anyone…while in Tokyo…you told us you didn't." Rivaling the speed of lightning Kunihiro snapped to Tae. The woman didn't flinch. "Who is she because she sure as hell isn't from around here. Or at least I don't believe she is."

"You're…right." Began the youngest of the four making sure to choose his words carefully. "Like I said, we…she's from Tokyo, she was my-"

"Doctor." Answered the blue-haired woman. There was no way in hell she was going to let Akira take the brunt of this all by himself, she'd be damned before that happened. This day was bound to come sooner or later, she knew it when she and Akira decided to give a relationship between them a try. The time had arrived and all she could do was give it her all. "Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu, I can…assume Akira told you about his…activities as a Phantom Thief?"

"Activities? You mean that my son has been breaking and entering? Putting his life on the line in ridiculous stupid stunts?" Challenged Kunihiro.

"With all due respect, Mr. Kurusu, they were far from stupid." It was instinctive, her defense of her boyfriend came hot and harsh, harsher than she'd intended. Still, after seeing with her own eyes Tae refused to allow anyone, even his own parents, to belittle the risks and sacrifices Akira had taken to save those in need. "He helped countless people, including me. In fact, without him I can honestly tell you I…I…without him, a lot of people would be worse off than they are now."

"Your involvement with our son, explain that." Contrasting her husband's highly emotional and booming voice Azumi's was silent and cold. The two men who she loved more than life itself shuddered as they recognized that voice well. Tae herself knew it meant the matriarch of the Kurusu family was truly going to be her greatest challenge.

Removing her hand from Akira's grasp, much to his disappointment, she placed both hands on the table. "Akira…needed medication so he and his friends could carry out their actions as the Phantom Thieves, I run a medical clinic in Tokyo. It wasn't too far from where he was staying with Sojiro Sakura in spite of my…reputation, he paid me a visit and we came to an agreement."

"Reputation?" Kunihiro whispered looking furiously at the woman whom his son had given himself to.

"What sort of agreement?" Snapped Azumi narrowing her eyes at Tae.

Akira and Tae looked to each other then back to the married pair. Nerve-wrecking didn't even begin to describe the whole situation, it felt like they were about to crumble away into dust any second. His hand immediately shot to hers as show of support. Tae couldn't have been more grateful for it.

Sucking in a breath, she looked to the two. "I…almost three years ago, I was blacklisted in the medical community due to an…incident." Talking about the incident with her colleagues had been a breeze, especially since there was now undeniable proof she was innocence. Somehow, she felt that wouldn't fly with Akira's parents. "At the university I worked at there was a medical trial that went bad, due to my speaking out against it I was made the scapegoat and fired from my job. My…former superior-"

"Blacklisted her, made the entire mess sound like it was her fault when it wasn't." Though controlled there was an edge in Akira's voice, one that attracted the attention of his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Kurusu's eyes went slightly wide seeing the look of controlled rage in their boy's eyes as he recalled the memory. "His name was Shoichi Oyamada, he used his position to pull strings to make sure she couldn't find work anywhere else while covering up the fact the patient that supposedly died during the trial actually survived."

"He used you as a scapegoat." Deduced Kunihiro looking at the blue-haired woman with renewed interest. If spoken from her lips he might have had a tougher time believing it, but hearing the words come from his son coupled with that look in his eyes had been the push they needed. He sat back in his seat, a deep frown eventually covering his face. In the architecture world he'd heard of faulty designs and such costing people either money, prestige or in the worst-case scenario life. When that happened people were rarely open to the idea of taking responsibly for their faults thus blaming them on others. That's what happened to an old friend of his who was forced to retire from the world of office design. "Where does Akira come into this?"

"Though most major hospitals refused to touch me I still had a few connections who hadn't lost faith in me. Thanks to them I was able to set up a small medical clinic in Yongen-Jaya." Based on the flash of recognition in their eyes Tae deduced the pair knew of the area. Odds were, they were rapidly trying to place where her clinic was located and if they'd heard of it. "It's called the Takemi Medical Clinic and it was there I sold my private band of prescriptions and medications."

"So you were a back alley doctor." Azumi cut in looking to her son. Worry was evident in her eyes; it quickly turned into suspicion when her gaze flickered back to Tae. "From what you've told me, the medical world had all but washed its hands of you so and odds were your clinic was fairly out of the way."

"It was. As a result of the incident, I earned a nickname, 'the Plague'." All things considered, she should have kept quiet. Instead of doing that she chuckled at the thought of saying her old nickname out loud. Akira tensed in his seat while his parents looked to her with renewed scrutiny. She didn't blame them. "With a name like that floating around you can imagine I got…few visitors, or at least less than you'd expect your average clinic to get. Still, I made enough to get by."

Kunihiro turned to his son. "Akira,"

"I just knew her by her nickname." If Tae was going to throw caution to the wind then so was he. "Listen, I knew in order for me and my friends to continue being Phantom Thieves we were going to need medical supplies and such in case of-"

"More like when." Interrupted the older man.

"Yeah, you got me there." Laughed the teen despite his father's glare only growing harsher. "Well, anyways, I went to Tae's clinic,"

"Completely disregarding the rumors about me." Sighed the brown-eyed woman.

"And I…we…made a deal with each other." He trailed off feeling sweat beginning to collect on his brow. Briefly looking to his right, he found Tae in the same boat. She knew as well as he did that this part of their relationship was really going set his parents off.

"You had been blacklisted by the medical community and forced into a back-alley existence." Azumi Kurusu declared glaring at Tae before turning to her son. "And you need medicine. What kind of agreement did you two make? Akira, what did you offer this woman?"

"To be her guinea pig." Squeaked the teenage male.

"WHAT?!" Screamed both parents so loud even the neighbors must have heard them

Akira threw up his hands in a half-hearted attempt to calm his parents. "While running her clinic Tae was developing a cure for a disease, the same disease they tried to cure at her previous job. I offered myself to her to serve in clinical trials and in exchange she sold me the medication I needed for my team."

Both of his father's hands came down hard on the table. "You allowed this woman to experiment on you?! Akira, were you out of your damn mind?!"

"I knew we needed medication, and I sure as hell couldn't go to a normal hospital!" Shouted back the teen. "I knew the risks, I knew I had to take a chance!"

"Akira! Kunihiro!" Shouted the matriarch of the family silencing the two men. Tae's original hypothesis proved correct, this woman truly was the fiercest member of the Kurusu family. Her hands spread out along the table once more and her back straightened. Her dark blue eyes sunk into Tae like sharpened hooks. "Ms. Takemi, I'm going to ask you for the honest truth, what. Did. You. Do. To. My. Son?"

Fear rose up her spine and almost took complete hold of her. "The clinical trials were non-lethal." That was the first thing she had to get out of the way. A fraction of the unease in both parents' eyes receded; Tae pressed onward. "At best, he merely fainted afterwards I put him on a medical bed. From time to time he woke up a little light-headed and noxious, but that was it. You have my word, I made sure that what I administered to him wasn't going to be fatal or leave him crippled in pain."

"If you want to take me to the hospital for a checkup, I'm all for it." Offered her boyfriend.

"Akira, please." Kunihiro groaned. "We're already stressed out enough, and this isn't the sort of thing to joke about! Did you know what this woman was giving you?!"

"After the first trial, I had an idea." Admitted the black-haired teenager looking into his father then mother's eyes. "I knew what the potential cost would be, but I decided to take a chance. I trusted Tae, and I still do. The disease she was working to cure was called Crawford-Ende and if I hadn't offered myself to her she never would have found a cure for it. She never would have-"

"I wouldn't be sitting here before you as a doctor." Tae cut off. God, what the hell did I do to end up with a guy this stupidly dedicated and bold? A part of her wanted to reach out and hug him, but that would be too embarrassing, not to mention they still had some convincing to do. "In spite of how much I tried to push him away, Akira kept coming back and eventually I…told him what happened."

"How did you do it?" Azumi questioned turning to her son. "Accusations like the one she was stuck with aren't disproved easily, if anything, it sounded like you needed a direct confession from this Oyamada person."

"She did, and that's what I gave her." Answered the gray-eyed boy with a small smile.

The parents' attention was drawn to the feline addition to their family. Apparently, Morgana had chosen to stick around and watch events unfold. Seeing as things had deescalated he decided to make himself known. In a single bound he was atop the table and brushed up against Tae's hand. In the commotion the doctor had forgotten to greet her boyfriend's always-present fur-covered companion. Truth be told, she'd even grown to miss the blue-eyed cat and its strange almost human-like antics. Across from her, Kunihiro and Azumi relaxed somewhat seeing their newly adopted cat cuddling up to their son's girlfriend.

"Akira, about that," Began his father. "When you cleared Ms. Takemi's name you…didn't do anything illegal, did you?"

"No, no, trust me. I…well, it's hard to explain. Me and my friends took care of him and got him to confess to what had happened." Spoke the teen half-hoping his father wouldn't press him further.

Kunihiro looked ready to press the topic only to be cut off by a hand on his shoulder courtesy of his wife. Realizing that discussion would come at another time he let her take the floor. "Alright then, we've heard the buildup, now I believe we're entitled to how you two…became a couple. Can we at least get an unabridged version of that tale?"

Akira's gut lurched and a blush colored his cheeks. Spotting it, his mother laughed. Internally, Tae smiled a little, Azumi Kurusu had quite the charming laugh; it was near complete opposite of the cold expression she'd worn since this sit down began. Just as she began to speak Akira took the mic for himself.

"Well, it was sorta…during the trials we talked and got to know each other better. I sorta just…I…realized I…liked her. Even if she was at least ten years older than me." Feeling bold, he looked to his father. "Didn't you say that happened from time to time, you get to talking with someone and things like age and race tend to fall by the wayside."

Instead of angry Kunihiro looked embarrassed at having his own advice thrown back in his face. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was faintly aware his well-meaning advice to his son might be used to get him a girlfriend or something, but this wasn't quite how he pictured it. "Well, yes, that's a good way to form a friendship, but I…Akira, I knew one day you'd meet a girl but I thought she'd be-"

"Kuni!" Jabbed the brunette.

"You gave her that look too!" Fired back her husband throwing up his arms similar to how Akira had done further proving they were father and son. "Besides, can you blame me for being worried! She's…she's, um, pardon me, Ms. Takemi, but exactly how old are you?"

"Twenty-eight." She respectfully answered.

"Eleven years his senior, can you blame me for panicking?" Defended the older male.

"No, no I can't." Sighed Azumi. "Please, continue on, how did you two decide to get together? I know there must have been some…reservations about going forward."

"There were." Tae shot first looking away with a crimson tint beginning to form on her pale cheeks. Catching sight of it, Akira couldn't help but smirk. "Right after I…finalized things with my university co-workers he sorta…confessed to me. I was thrown off to say the least."

"But you didn't refuse him." Azumi pressed leaning forward.

"Believe me, Mrs. Kurusu, I…I wanted to, I tried to. Heh, I thought some of the medication I've given him must have had an effect on his mind and came up with theory after theory until I was forced to accept the truth."

"She'd infected me with the love bug." Laughed the black-haired teenager sitting back in his head.

In great contrast to their previous attitudes, the married pair laughed at their son's proclamation, and Tae's blushing yet reserved reaction.

"Once I…realized how serious he was I told him I needed some time and tried to think of a way to refuse him. Surprise-I couldn't." Smiling, she reached out and gently stroked her boyfriend's cheek as she must have done nearly a thousand times before. Whenever nervous or fidgety she found physical contact seemed to do the trick in calming him down. "No matter how many times I went over it in my head, how hard I tried to visualize turning him down…I just couldn't do it. In fact, the thought of breaking his heart…made my heart break too. After a few days of nearly tearing my hair out I decided to…take the plunge."

The married duo looked to Akira who slowly nodded his head in confirmation. Seemingly quelled by the tale Kunihiro and Azumi fell back a little in their seats, the tension visibly leaving their bodies.

"I'm assuming you two…kept the relationship private?" Inquired Kunihiro looking at his son.

"Oh yeah, actually it was kind of fun, wasn't it?" Answered the boy smirking at his girlfriend.

Giggling, the goth doctor rolled her eyes. "Mr. Kurusu, we made sure we weren't spotted, at least not by anyone who could have rated out on either of us."

"That's good to know, but I must ask you, when Akira needed to…disappear, what did you do?"

As usual, it was Azumi that delivered the hard and direct questions.

Visibly flinching Tae looked down due to a mixture of pain and unease. Just when it seemed they were in the home clear the Kurusu family patriarch threw up another roadblock for them to pass. Akira began to speak but Tae squeezed his hand silencing him. "He stayed with me, in my apartment."

Odds were they were expecting it, but that didn't make the vocal confirmation easier to hear. Tae had little to no idea what sort of opinion the Kurusus had formed regarding her, but now she'd stuck them with the image of their son sharing a bed with her. And possibly sleeping with her. She'd practically set off all the parental alarm bells.

Azumi glanced at Akira while her husband proceeded to gap in open shock. Neither need to think hard about what had happened between them when Akira needed to "disappear", especially since it was apparently after they'd became a couple. The gray-eyed teen had enough good sense to blush and try to look away. On the edge of the table Morgana was at an impasse between laughing at his embarrassment and attempting to rescue him. A quick glance to the masters of the house told him that last idea might do more harm than good.

Kunihiro recovered first, surprisingly. "Did…did anyone else find out? Based on what you told us Akira, you built up a decent-sized group of friends and associates, some of whom I believe we may need to know more about."

"In regards to us, only one other person knew-Sojiro." Answered his son.

Rather unexpectedly, or not, the older male face-palmed while muttering something under his breath. Akira winced realizing because of this his surrogate father was more than likely going to be getting an angry phone call from his old friend. He made a mental note that he'd have to make it up to the café owner, and possibly Futaba too if his dad ended up calling at the wrong time. Still, compared to the consequences of lying to his face Akira would have liked to believe he'd made the right choice.

Thunder clapped outside signaling a somewhat unease and extended period of silence at the table. Once more, the silent tension seemed more suffocating than the noise-filled mayhem that had started off this weird first meeting between Tae and the full Kurusu family. Where things went next, she had no idea and that frightened her. Evidently, Akira as well since he couldn't stop glancing between his parents trying to gauge their emotions and anticipate their next actions.

Just as she'd been the one to inadvertently create it, Azumi Kurusu ended the silence. "Kunihiro, take Akira up to your study, there are some things I'd like to discuss with Ms. Takemi."

Her words cut deep sending a wave of fear down the spines of her son and his girlfriend. Their eyes locked then turned in unison to Azumi's. The dance instructor's sharp glare told her son there would be no arguing, then it softened promising him she wouldn't wrangle up his girlfriend too much.

Wordlessly, Kunihiro headed for the frig and fished out three cans of soda before motioning for his son to follow him up the stairs. Two steps up and he turned back to face his girlfriend. The smiles they shot each other were encouraging and hopeful, in that a promise to stay strong for the sake of the other.


Thankfully, Akira hadn't been too wild as a kid growing up. At times curiosity got the best of him leading him to sneak into his father's private office, often to comedic results and only a few negatives. As he grew older he found his father welcoming him into his study, partially in hopes of regaling Akira with tells of his building projects to inspire him into following the same path as him.

For Kunihiro, the road to architecture had began with building model cars and planes, a trait the younger Kurusu admittedly possessed and still dabbled in every now and then. Those childhood models adorned the window still and shelves adding a humanizing feel to the otherwise adult-oriented and standard room that had been made the architect's private office. Standing back directly across from the doorway and hung on the walls were a series of paintings drawn up by none other than Akira's grandmother herself. Every time he saw them his lips couldn't help but tick upward in a smile at the thought of his dear granny's artwork. At various points he'd toyed with the idea of introducing her to Yusuke and watching the friendship blossom between them.

His father immediately took his seat behind his black metal desk while Akira seated himself in the lounge chair directly across from him. Before he'd sat down Kunihiro had already finished downing half of his first can and was probably a minute's away from moving onto his second.

"Sorry." Akira said meeting his father's eyes. Beside him the evening rain continued pelting the window yet there was no thunder.

"Akira, I'm…"

"I know you're mad, I can see it on your face."

"Can you blame me?! I mean, I knew you were going to bring home a girlfriend one day, hell, me and your mom were betting on it and-"

"Who won?" He fired off immediately in honest curiosity.

His father merely stared at him. "Come on, did you think either of us planned on you bringing home a doctor with a sketchy reputation who also happened to be ten years older than you?" There was a beat. "For the record I was banking on you and Tomiko getting together. She's got a thing for you, or at least she always looked like she did to me."

A near exhausted sigh escaped the teenager's lips. "Maybe…if things had been…different that could have happened but…"

"Another lifetime." Affirmed the older Kurusu with surprising dignity and grace. Another one of his predictions and hopes for his son shot down, but not without something new and great rising in its place. "To answer your…original question, I'm…Akira, I…wish you could have just told us. That said, I can understand why you…felt you had to keep Tae a secret from us."

"How would you have handled it if I told you right off the bat?"

"That's a good question, and the fact I can't give you a definite answer partially lends to your point." Kunihiro admitted with s heavy sigh. "Besides, it's not like I can blame you, it seems to run in the family."

For the first time, Akira was surprised by his father. "Huh?"

Kunihiro smiled at his son's confusion. Usually it was his wife that dropped the bombshells but every once in a while, he managed to surprise them. Looking out the rain-soaked window a sad smile graced his face as he began his tale. "You remember growing up how I told you your mom and I had to struggle a little for our relationship to work? Well, believe it or not, but Azumi's parents weren't too keen on their daughter marrying a guy like me. I wasn't always the so-called picture of success I am now."

"But you were still a pretty decent guy, or at least that's what mom always told me." Akira said looking confused.

"Well, sometimes decency isn't enough for some people. Your mom's parents thought Azumi could do better than the son of a lowly clock shop owner and his painter wife. They were already eyeing someone else as her potential boyfriend and possible husband."

That honestly came across as a shock to the ex-Persona user, but quickly enough the shock melted into a daring smile. "Mom said hell no and chose you over that other guy, didn't she?"

Further proving the blood relation between them Kunihiro mirrored his son's grin. He always did get a little excited recalling the story. "Admittedly, I wasn't much back then, a bumbling kid always keep his head glowed to paper and pen instead of people. In spite of that your mother found me attractive for whatever reason and made it her life's mission to keep my attention on her. After a while, I realized instead of plastic and metal there was something far more interesting to gawk at-her."

"So does that mean you-"

"Another time, Akira." Cut off the father causing his son to pout. "Anyway, I wasn't exactly high on the bachelors list, and admittedly even I didn't think I'd achieve my dream of becoming an engineer airplane designer. I spent too much drawing up the insides of buildings and public landscape."

"It got you a nice house, decent salary, and me and mom." Akira spoke.

Kunihiro smiled at his boy. "That all came after Azumi kicked my ass into gear telling me to do what I loved. I had to work my ass off for her parents to so much consider letting me date her, and don't even get me started with I brought up marriage. All in all, I guess what I'm trying to say is…I can understand at least a little where you're coming from. After hearing her story and seeing the way you look at her I can tell it's the exact same as when you stepped in to save that woman. I was proud of you for what you did."

He'd been told those words two times before, but it was the third time, when told by his father in person did he really believe them.

"There are… a lot of things I thought you'd do and planned for, but like your mother, you just did your own thing. I subtly nudged you towards becoming an architect or builder like me, but instead you come back from Tokyo talking about becoming a public defender and politics." A proud smile grew over the face of the professional building planner. "Even if it wasn't what I expected, you seemed to have found your calling in life, and it's helping people. It just so happened along the way you helped and fell in love with a…very eye-catching woman."

"What kind of girl did you think I was going to end up with?" Pressed the younger of the pair.

"Honestly, I didn't know, all I wanted was for someone who'd make you happy the way your mother does for me." Finishing off his first can Kunihiro leaned back in his seat. "I won't lie to you, Ms. Takemi is far from what I expected from you, and that's putting it lightly…but I saw the way you looked at her. Like I said, it seems love struggles run in the family."

"She's a mature woman." He offered.

"With a career I understand she's just now putting back together, and you're a young man who's already going to have a rocky road to a future."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Responded Akira looking determined. "If I have to choose between a smooth glide and fighting uphill, I'll go with the latter. It's always easy to stand by and do nothing instead of putting your feet down and going your own way."

A lively laugh left Kunihiro's lips as he popped open his second can. "And that's how I know attempting to break you two up is only going to backfire on me. Once you get that look in your eyes, you're dead-set."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," the adult smiled. "It just means me and Azumi raised one tough as hell son, just promise me as a man you'll treat that woman right."

"I will." Akira stated looking at his father with a bit of child-like smile. "I…uh, as far as treating women I care about I've had a good example for the last seventeen years."

The soda cans came down and both the Kurusu males stood up and embraced each other. Outside a tiny break began to form in the clouds from which light began to shine through.


Tae was somewhat grateful Morgana had chosen to remain behind with her instead of going with Akira. Though she and the cat weren't quite as close Akira was it still showed her support as warranting of her relationship with Akira. In fact, from time to time she could have sworn in the absence of her boyfriend the blue-eyed feline seemed to almost watch over her just as it was doing now.

Azumi had brewed them a each a cup of tea while they sat down for a woman-to-woman talk.

"For the record, I don't hate you." She started.

Tae kept her expression calm and collected as she took her first sip. "With all due respect, you did a damn good job of terrifying me."

Hearing that, Azumi shrugged. "When you become a mother, you'll understand, besides." Placing her cup down Tae took note of the deep shiver that ran through the female Kurusu. "Akira's already been hurt once, and as his mother I refuse to allow anything like that to happen to him again."

In the look the brunette shot her Tae felt her own body shiver. Much like Akira, Azumi Kurusu was able to sharpen her eyes into a pair of razor blades that could tear into anyone stupid enough to incur her wrath. Where as Akira had usually used his gaze as a protector now she was seeing the Kurusu glare used by a far deadlier user, a mother protecting her child. Digging through her mental library Tae recalled a few times she'd seen her mother giving those death glares out to those who turned their wickedness towards her family. She shivered remembering the coldness in which she'd directed to those people; now she knew how they felt.

"Mrs. Kurusu, believe me when I say this, I will never hurt Akira in any way. You have my word." Spoke the blue-haired doctor bowing her head in a show of open humility.

Azumi regarded the woman before him with sharp eyes that slowly softened as she reached out and placed a hand on Tae's. With her permission she rose up allowing the doctor's brown eyes to meet dancer's dark blue. "Alright then, tell me what it is then. What was it about my son that made you risk the reputation he worked so hard to restore for you that you'd put it all at risk for him? When he confessed to you did you feel you owed to him to try and love him back?"

It didn't take degree in psychology to know where this was going. While she may have told her story, Tae knew Azumi still carried her suspicions. As she said, as a mother she was going to do everything in her power to protect Akira, even if that meant breaking up the two of them.

"Like I said, when he confessed his feelings to me I was…dazed, and sorta scared out of my mind." She began placing both hands on her mug. "The truth is, even before that evening down by the river I'd been…having feelings for Akira. You learn a lot about a person when you're seeing him every other day and treating injuries that seemingly pop up out of nowhere. In fact, that's how I discovered he was a Phantom Thief, when he would show up at my clinic looking like he'd just fought a pack of gorillas I started to put all the pieces together until they all just…fit."

"What was your reaction then?" Questioned the mother.

"…Amazement…and a bit of horror that my guinea-I mean assistant was risking his life every night trying to right the wrongs of others. I…honestly, I wondered what had the world come to that it took someone like him to stand up for those that had no voices, people like…me." Unashamed, Tae allowed a crimson blush to color her cheeks as she looked to Azumi. "While running my clinic I'd been harassed before and was able to handle it myself, but when Akira started coming over every time someone would attempt to start trouble with me he was there, sort of like my-"

"Knight in shining armor?" Giggled Azumi.

"Exactly." Smiled back the doctor. "Even when my old boss came by he stood between him and me, calling me a great doctor when he ordered me to shut my clinic down." Her grip on the light green cup grew tighter as she recalled the next sequence of events that followed. "When Oyamada told me the patient I'd been developing my drug for had died I just…lost all the life in me. I was ready to give up, but then Akira was there, telling me to stand up and keep going. This wasn't the first time he'd done that."

"What do you mean?"

"One evening, a girl and her father came by my clinic. No one else had been able to treat her and the father had heard of my practice by word of mouth. I tried to turn them away."

"Not very doctor-like of you, Ms. Takemi." Azumi jabbed.

Tae let it go as she knew at the time she more than deserved it. "I'd…to be honest Mrs. Kurusu, I'd lost my way. While running my clinic I cared more about developing my drug then doing my job as a doctor. I thought I'd lost any right to call myself a doctor after what happened. Still, Akira happened to be there that day and told the father I could treat his daughter. That afternoon instead of getting work done, I helped heal sick little girl." A humorous laugh fell from the Plague's lips. "After that, I started to get an increase in patients. Word of my good deed had spread and suddenly I went from having a handful of patients to…I was becoming a town doctor you could say, all because of Akira."

After a sip Azumi stared at her son's girlfriend with razor-sharp eyes. "I take it that wasn't what you wanted? Let me take a shot, you cared more about developing this drug and curing this disease than attempting to move on with your life and start anew?"

"Yes." Agreed Tae with a downcast frown. "I…I'd resigned myself to being the Plague, a source of discomfort and shame, but your son came along and the next thing I knew I was practicing medicine on people who wanted my help. Some who needed it because they had nowhere else to go. Oyamada wasn't too happy about that to the point he pressured my suppliers and backers into cutting ties with me. For a minute, it looked like I was all out of allies, then Akira told me I still had him. I never told him this, but when he said that I felt so happy inside, but angry at myself because it felt like I'd wasted his time for nothing."

"I see," Azumi stated leaving Tae wondering what was running through her mind. Somewhat uncomfortably, she found she and Akira shared that ability to mask their thoughts well. Truly, from what she'd seen a great deal of Akira's more eye-raising traits had come from his mother. "So basically, when all hope seemed lost at times, he was always there for you, a light in the darkness you could say."

Seeing her slow-forming smile Tae answered with one of her own. "Yes, Mrs. Kurusu, he stuck with me through thick and thin, reminding me of the person I used to be…and maybe still was. You could say he was my…light-bringer."

Placing her mug down, Azumi smiled softly. "That's why we named him Akira, because he lit up our world, and we wanted him to light up the worlds of others."

"He certainly lit up mine." Admitted the redeemed doctor. "Slowly, over the course of the clinical trials I fell for him and didn't realize it until after he'd confessed to me. It scared me realizing I was having romantic feelings for a minor, one I'd…be very hands-on with."

"And by that you mean whenever Akira was knocked out you'd…examine his body, didn't you?" Accused Azumi crossing her arms with a wicked smile forming on her lips.

"Mrs. Kurusu, I-"

"Oh, come on! I'm a dance teacher, Kunihiro and I had to conceive Akira somehow!" Her words caused a fiery blush to consume the blue-haired woman's cheeks. Azumi threw her head to side in naked laughter. "Your feelings for Akira were gradually growing and I'm sure you had him take off his shirt a time or two, perhaps not even for medical purposes but just so you could gawk at my son's body. You know, that could easily be called pedophilia or a sexual harassment."

"Y-Yes ma'am, I know." Tae instinctively shut her eyes and braced herself for whatever was to follow.

"Did you…take things to that level before or after you and Akira became involved?"

Pecking out of one eye she saw Azumi sitting before her with her arms crossed and eyes stern. As if called forth by the invisible power she possessed Tae raised her head to meet her eyes. "Before we became a couple. I…had temptations, but restrained myself until after we confessed our feelings to each other. I was honestly over the moon to learn my feelings for him were mutual because I was-"

"Scared of him rejecting you and calling you creepy?"

"Pretty much, I lost some sleep over it."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of." She said taking another sip of her tea. "Every person fears that when they aren't sure what the object of their affections is thinking. Akira's father feared I found him weird and standoffish when we first met…and I was frightened he'd find models and the like more appealing than me. When you learn they really care about you, it's a great feeling, isn't it?"

"Yes," she laughed with the brunette. "It is. No offense, but you're handling this better than I would have thought."

"Oh, trust me, normally I'd be giving you a much tougher time, but I saw the way Akira looked at you and protected you. Since he got back he's been…withdrawn, even from us." Azumi spoke with a ring of sadness in his voice. "But even if it was going up against us, he was livelier and more animated then we'd seen him in months. Just like how he illuminated your life I believe you do the same for him. Everyone needs someone, or that's what I always believe, and you're his someone, even if there's about ten years separating you two."

"You're alright with your son dating a grown woman?" Pressed the goth doctor.

"I'm alright with my son dating a woman who I know will love him for who he is and stick with him." Reaching forward the dancer took hold of the doctor's hand. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say I've found that woman, Tae, don't break my trust by hurting my little Akira."

"I promise." Tae stated placing her other hand atop of Azumi's.

No sooner had the two women made the agreement did they hear the sound of footsteps. Turning their heads, they saw Akira and Kunihiro slowly making their way down. The two males peeked outward to see if the girls were finished, a wave from Azumi told them they were and they began to fully walk down. Akira looked to his mother who smiled and nodded before he moved his attention back to Tae. Without a word he shamelessly swept up his girlfriend in his arms in full view of his parents.

"Look at that, the rain stopped and the sun came out." Noted Kunihiro stepping up to the window. "Akira, why don't you take Ms. Takemi down to the beach? This is her first time visiting Meguro, isn't it?"

Glee broke out on the faces of the high-schooler and his doctor lover. Arm-in-arm and with Morgana occupied on the couch they watched as the pair dressed themselves then bolted out the door into the evening sunshine.

"Seriously, a doctor, and a punk-rock doctor at that?" Azumi laughed.

"He could have done crazier, like a teacher for instance." Kunihiro offered kissing his wife atop the head. "I'm just glad our son's got his spark of life back."

"True, true." Stated Azumi stated before her face turned to one of puzzlement. "But it does make me wonder, what else hasn't Akira told us about his stay in Tokyo?"

"Azumi," groaned her husband. "One heart attack at a time please."

By his place on the couch Morgana snickered.


"Well, isn't that cliché." Laughed Tae.

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, it's pretty fitting."

Rainbows, while they both preferred fireworks it was hard to deny there was a certain charm and awe in watching the multi-colored arc stretching across the sky. Seeing it after what had been an afternoon of tension and heartfelt confessions certainly added to their appeal. Hand-in-hand the surprise couple walked and walked along the waterfront towards the beach. The worry of someone recognizing Akira had been pushed to the side, and even if someone did he felt a surging confidence that would allow him to take on anyone who called out to him or his girlfriend. Said girlfriend's head rested peacefully on his shoulder.

Gradually metal and wood turned into wet and soft sand as the duo finally reached their destination. Luckily for them the beach was sparsely populated by people after the evening rain shower making the mood just right. Together, they turned their gazes to the orange-tinted seat beyond them.

"You know, rainbows and fireworks were never really my thing, but that all changed thanks to you, my dear little guinea pig." Giggled the doctor engraving the scene before her into her mind. Stretching outward into near infinity lay a beautiful and clear sea died the colors of flame by an evening sun descending southward. Connecting the pure water to the darkening sky was a bridge of seven wondrous colors.

"Then I'm glad I could teach you to enjoy the simple pleasures in life." Sounded Akira enjoying the feel of her body against his. "Too many crazy things can happen in life for you to let the little things slip by."

"Hey, those crazy things aren't so bad," Lightly jabbing him she laughed. "This was one crazy day, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Really? You seemed awfully scared for most of it." Spoke her boyfriend with an air of playfulness in his voice.

"Like I told you that evening back in December, sometimes the fear's good, and sometimes a little chance can never hurt anyone. I certainly got lucky being called out here and meeting you at that convenience store." Turning in his arms she looked up at the man who'd changed her life for the better and stolen her heart. Glorious light reflected off the dog-tags that hung proudly around his neck. "I love you."

Coiling his arms around her waist he whispered, "I love you too." After the tension-filled last couple of hours he readily accepted her kiss. It may not have been the privacy of her home but it would do. Bathed in the light of the autumn sunset Tae couldn't have looked more stunning in Akira's opinion. He wished this moment could last forever.

"It's going to be dark soon." She said when they broke apart and glanced back out at the sea. It was true, in less than half an hour or so darkness would blanket the town and surrounding land. Tae didn't really care all that much since her one and only light-source was right beside her.

"Yeah, if you want, I could walk you back to your hotel." He offered.

"Would your parents be okay with that?"

He winked at her. "So long as I text them and assure them it's only going to be a drop-off and not something else."

Tae couldn't help but chuckle then reach out to kiss his cheek. "You're a daring kid, you know that?"

"If I wasn't would you have fallen for me?"

"No, and rather fortunately or not, I like the daring type, and so do you apparently." Giggled the doctor.

A lone wave came close to their feet before Akira chose to speak again. "Tae?"

"Hm?"

"Would you…be okay with coming back to Meguro in a few weeks? There's a chance my parents might not be out of the house but-hmp!"

Smirking against his lips Tae cupped his face while forcing his mouth open. He responded to her actions by pulling her closer against him. "So long as you're here my little guinea pig, of course."

A chilly wind blew inward from the sun bringing a slight shiver to the beach-goers save for the Fool and his doctor. As their lips greedily pressed against one another a fiery aura seemed to spring forth and engulf the pair shielding them from the autumn wind. They broke away with smiles plastered over their red faces then they turned back to the beautiful sunset by the sea. In time darkness would cover the sky, but until then they'd enjoy what time they had together.

And when the darkness came they'd find each other in it as they'd done before.


Alrighty, that was my first stab at writing a possible interpretation of Akira's parents and them meeting his potential girlfriend, in one of the most compromising positions possible. Of all the girls I feel Tae would be amongst the most striking given her appearance and mannerisms, but she'd be on her best behavior regarding meeting her boyfriend's parents who'd probably be more than a little on-guard around her for a variety of reasons.

It's another part of my headcanon that Akira's mom is a dance teacher or some sort of gymnast making all the acrobatic moves he pulls off something he learned from her. Also, she's an Almighty Mom who's quite protective of him, especially after the incident with Shido. She's going to grill any girl her son brings home with her husband following after her but still trusting his son to find the right one on his own.

This little story was based around the transition of autumn so I think I'll do a follow-up story some time in winter, then another in spring, and a last one in the summer all following their relationship.

Until next time readers!