Heritage was an intriguing subject. The minute details often persevered through generations after generations, and even the most random facts could be traced back to an ancestor. Biologically, it might have been a method to ensure that one's unique genes do not get lost in the rapid course of time, but somehow, I was not convinced that the similar applied in this situation.

I had no idea that there was a kotatsu in a French house. Even before my initial surprise at how one's penchant for a certain furniture was inherited, I was shocked again by the striking similarity of the two's personality.

"My daughter!" She cried dramatically as she flung her arms around me. Wasn't she supposed to be frail? I was nearly choking in her tight grip.

"Mother, my daughter is dying!" Tamaki Senpai displayed his equally histrionic tendencies.

"Ara? She is your daughter?" Anne Sophie tilted her head questioningly. "Then you are on your honeymoon with your daughter? Where is your wife?"

I had absolutely no desire to answer her question.

"Ah, mother, I am like her father to her. Um, so……" Tamaki Senpai hesitated.

"You married someone like your daughter, yes?" His mother brightly offered.

"Yes, ahaha!"

Both the son and his mother laughed brightly. I was amazed at Anne's abilities to understand her son's speech. Somehow, both of them shared an understanding that surpassed the perimeter of my comprehension.

"It has been almost a year since you last visited me." Anne whispered wistfully. "How rapidly everything happened!"

"Indeed, mother." Tamaki Senpai whispered.

I was sweating profusely in the atmosphere, terrified at the sudden changes in the mood. Five seconds ago, the room was lively with conversation, and then now, it was suddenly silent. Was it every parent's nature to have sudden mood swings?

"And to think that you two would bring me a beautiful grandchild! My goodness, am I becoming a grandmother already?" She flourished her arms, then noticed that we were blushing. "So, when are you due?"

I hastily shook my head. "Ah, sorry, um, mother. I am not even pregnant."

"Ara? I thought you two were married for a year already!"

"Yes." I was beginning to wonder whether she is aware that most married couples have plans regarding their children.

"Ho? Indeed……" Anne Sophie was silent for a moment, eyeing both of us.

"Ah. There's a piano in the living room!" I tried to divert the topic. "Tamaki Senpai, did you learn how to play the piano from your mother?"

Anne's eyes widened for a moment, her lips twitching minutely. Tamaki Senpai smiled wistfully at the piano.

"Yes……I have played that piano when I was young. It hasn't grown old at all, mother."

"I went to extensive measures to ensure that, Tamaki." Anne smiled. "After all, there are myriad memories in the piano. Remember the time, Tamaki, when you were three? You were on the piano, and it seemed to you, the toilet was a tad too far……"

Tamaki Senpai's face turned into a rather interesting shade of puce.

"I do believe there are still stains on the lid, Tamaki." She giggled.

"Mother! Haruhi………!" Tamaki Senpai choked.

"That is indeed typical of Tamaki Senpai," I observed. Tamaki Senpai's mouth was moving in a silent retort, but he was too shocked for intelligent speech.

Anne Sophie glanced at me quizzically.

Suddenly, a huge golden dog dived at Tamaki Senpai, shaking out of his reverie. He shrieked, and succumbed to the dog's weight.

"Now, now, Hachibee. You are energetic today." Anne commented dryly. "Ah, Tamaki? Why don't you take Hachibee on a walk? He knows the road around here, so you won't get lost."

Tamaki Senpai complied, or more precisely, got dragged out of the door by the dog. Both of us silently sipped tea.

"Haruhi, was it?" Anne Sophie finally opened her mouth. I was indeed surprised at her health. Even though she was supposedly frail, her lifestyle was lively.

"Yes, mother?"

"Hmm, so you do not hesitate to call me 'mother', Haruhi." She smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"I noticed you were calling my son 'Tamaki Senpai' throughout our meeting," she commented. "Why not Tamaki? Why not 'dear'? Why 'Senpai'?"

I was lost for words. I had never thought of a reason behind why I still addressed him as Senpai.

"I guess I knew him as 'Senpai' for three years, and then was married for a year, so I am not used to calling him my husband yet."

"A plausible reason," she tilted her head, "but not adequate. Oh, by the way, you can call me Anne."

She sipped her tea. "One's emotions can be shown through even the minutest of details, Haruhi. A fleeting glance, a trace of a smile, and even how they address each other……And what I found peculiar was that even after a year of marriage, there seems to be an……odd formality between you two, even though you do not notice it."

"Well, mo-Anne," I saw her nod briefly, "we have been living apart since our marriage."

Anne Sophie suddenly dropped her teacup. It landed silently on the carpeted floor, and tea was seeping through the fiber. However, she seemed to be unaware of that.

"What?" Her voice cracked. "How—why didn't Tamaki tell me?"

"He didn't?" I have heard that Tamaki Senpai was contacting his mother for a year, and it was surprising that he failed to mention such a crucial fact.

"So you two have never……?" She gesticulated wildly, causing me to blush.

"No, never."

"Why?" Her piercing gaze was enough to make me uncomfortable. "Are you having doubts about the marriage?"

"No!" I proclaimed.

"Then why?" She continued to interrogate me, unfazed by my reactions.

"M-my education……" I mumbled, already aware that it was not an adequate answer. My face was uncomfortably hot. "I don't know………"

"It's okay, Haruhi. If you do not want to, then you do not need to. However, I am merely curious, though." Anne showed similar reactions to that of Tamaki Senpai. I decided to tell her of my experience, for I hoped that she would resolve my situation. My head was aching, and I seemed to have a light fever.

"I had this dream…… I was inside a room, and a voice told me that I was afraid." As I elaborated on my haunting experience, Anne's expression changed into that of realization.

"Am I afraid, Anne?" My voice was shaking out of control. "I study hard, but I do not know what to do when my friends are fighting. Tamaki does, and that is why I admire him. And now, I don't even know my own emotions! What should I do? Am I really afraid?"

I found myself sobbing. Anne suddenly rushed forward, and then hugged me. Her grip was surprisingly tight.

"I-I'm sorry that I am crying, Anne. I am causing you discomfort………" I murmured, hiccupping.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi. I should not have pried so much." She patted me gently for a moment, and then cleaned up the spilled tea. I hastily wiped my tears.

"But then again, I must ask……how was your proposal?"

As I elaborated on my experience, she smiled gently.

"Typical of Tamaki, indeed. And your experience enlightens me, too."

She gracefully stood up, and then walked to the windowsill. I could not see her expressions. The sun was slowly setting, the afternoon sky shadowed by waves of red.

"When I chose to love Yuzuru, I knew the consequences of my decision." She was gazing outside the window. "And I still follow my decisions today. I have never wavered from my faith that my decision was a right one to make."

"Of course, it is natural to feel terrified. You might think, 'what if something goes wrong'? I did, too." She turned her gaze at me gently. I was staring into the blue eyes that Tamaki Senpai inherited. "However, just remember that you chose to marry Tamaki that day, and believe that your decision was a right one to make."

I suddenly realized that my reflection in my dreams had been correct. Even though I had fears, I should not linger on those initial emotions, because I had chosen to marry him on that fateful day of March in my free will. The remnant, the echo of my decision was my ring.

"Yes, you did notice that we shared the identical ring?" Anne Sophie commented brightly. "Remember, if you again feel the uncertainty, the fears regarding your marriage, gaze into the ring."

It was a symbol of his emotions, a promise that he will cherish me as much as he did to his mother.

"Someday, I would be allowed to visit my husband, too. The hope and the visits of my son is enough to elongate my certainty." She whispered.

"I am not afraid," I repeated the sentence that I said in my dreams. Only this time, however, it was uttered with absolute certainty.

"Tamaki would be coming soon," I murmured. Anne smiled at the change of how I addressed him. "I'd better not show my tears."

"It's okay for you to show your weakness to your love, Haruhi" Anne smiled. "I am sure Tamaki wants you to do that, too. Being too independent would be a pain, to both you and others who love you."

"Well……but that won't be me, would it?" I smiled at her. "I want to remain strong, and remain as a person that he would love."

Anne was silent for a moment. Then, she smiled, tilting her head in the exact manner that Tamaki did. "I am sure, Haruhi, that he would love you always."

Heritage indeed is an intriguing subject, I thought as I gazed at Anne Sophie, smiling beautifully as her son in the setting sun.

Tamaki came back a few minutes later, initially shocking me that he had already bonded with the dog.

"It's a graceful animal, mother." He commented dreamily.

We had dinner peacefully on the pretense that nothing had happened. Tamaki was blissfully oblivious to the slight winks that Anne was giving me. As I watched the two conversing brightly, I felt contentment.

"Ah! Look at the time already!" Anne exclaimed, "It's almost eleven, my goodness. You two should go to bed!"

"Eh? Mother, we are not children……" Tamaki Senpai exclaimed.

"None of this!" Anne flourished, and grinned. "The bedroom is in the second floor, and I have prepared separate beds, in case you two feel uncomfortable."

We were half forced upstairs, and sat silently on the floor. The door closed ominously behind us. Did I imagine hearing her low chuckle as she closed the door?

"Haruhi," Tamaki managed after a few minutes, "How did you feel about my mother?"

I was silent for a while, contemplating on my experiences.

"What can I say? She is indeed your mother."

"Eh? What does that imply?"

"Well, she is considerate and beautiful," I ignored his blush, "and she knows my feelings well. Her insight is amazing."

"What did you two talk about when I was gone?" Tamaki managed to say it casually. However, I had the feeling that he was itching to inquire me.

"Oh, this and that."

"This and that?" he spluttered. "What kind of answer is that? Haruhi!"

"I am going to take a shower, Tamaki," I ignored him. He was silent for a moment, slowly absorbing my words and their meanings.

"You……called me Tamaki."

"Yes, Tamaki."

"Um……" He was gazing at me, lost for words.

"That decision was included in 'this and that'."

He remained silent when I was taking the shower. As I tried to find clothes to change into, I noticed a nightgown hanging next to the mirror. I gratefully wore it on my undergarments, and winced immediately. I felt a sharp jab on my back.

A small note fell out.

You do not need to thank me, daughter! It is a garment that I had for a long time. I am certain that it will fit you better than me. –Anne Sophie.

P.S. The Hitachiin brothers recommended this one, by the way.

I sighed. When did Hikaru and Kaoru manage to meddle in even our honeymoon? From the very beginning, probably.

I stepped outside. Tamaki had already finished his shower in the other bathroom, and was staring without focus. I cleared my throat. He jumped, and then gazed at me, and then was silent again. Did he lose his ability to speak?

"Ah, Haruhi…Um, you are dazzling."

Quite cliché, but I decided to ignore his literary limits.

"Umm, Haruhi, could I ask you something?" Suoh Tamaki hesitated.

"Yes?"

"What exactly made you abandon the suffix 'Senpai'?"

I sighed. He was inquisitive as always.

"Tamaki……I was afraid when you first asked me to marry you. Yet I agreed to." His eyes widened. "I do not know why, but an impulse, a certainty made me. Maybe they call that love."

Memories of that eventful day sparkled within my thoughts. Even after a year, every detail was clear and in focus.

"I still had my doubts and fears, though. The fear was quite similar to my fear of lightening. That was the real reason behind the delaying of the honeymoon. I was afraid that I would completely lose the 'Fujioka Haruhi' within me."

"Haruhi, I am sorry if I forced-"

"At first, I did not know why my fears escalated when you were close to me and when you touched me. I did not know that it was a fear of deepening our marriage life."

"But your mother convinced me, Tamaki."

"What did she say?"

"Tamaki, you were born as a result of true love. Your mother told me that. Even though she was initially fearful of the consequences, she nevertheless chose to remain faithful to her love. That had placated my fears."

"How do you feel about me? What do you feel?" he hesitated. I smiled. He was like a child sometimes.

"Oh, I doubt that any language could express that."

I turned off the lights. Thankfully, the darkness hid my blush.

"Suoh Haruhi……" Tamaki whispered in the darkness. That was my new identity. No matter how uncertain I felt, the new name would follow my life.

Trust.

I looked into his eyes, and saw his mother's commitment.

Trust.

Moonlight entered silently through the room, and I saw my husband's smiling face reflected silver within the light.

He kissed my lips, slowly lowering his kiss towards my neck. I gasped, and then looked into his eyes, where his navy pupils were silently absorbing the moonlight.

"Suoh Haruhi………"

The next chapter would be the end of the honeymoon.

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