A/N: Many thanks again for my wonderful reviewers. For general consumption, from now on each chapter will (usually) have two or more sections, each one devoted to one pairing or another or a particular scene.

Please continue to R&R. I love hearing your comments.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from MSGM. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.

For two people, Saturday came quickly.

For Yuuki, it was an afternoon shopping trip with Touko. He had been a little surprised at the phone call he received from his sister's petite soeur. He knew he still owed the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton a date, but things had been so busy for both of them since Valentine's Day that the date had been put on indefinite hold.

Now that school had started again and the various opening ceremonies were out of the way, at least at Hanadera, he had a little bit of time to relax. He knew from Yumi that Touko-chan and the rest of the Yamayurikai still had the Welcome Ceremony scheduled for next Friday, but Hiromi-san seemed to have everything under control. Yumi had even raved about the quality of the Maria-sama medals that had been delivered yesterday. It seemed that not a single one would have to be replaced.

Still, the call from Touko-chan had surprised him just a bit. It should have been he that had called her, but he wasn't going to complain. Any excuse to see the pretty, fiery girl was fine with him. He had elected to wear jeans and a beige sweater and hoped that he was not under-dressed. He was supposed to meet Touko-chan at the M station at one o'clock and they would walk to the shopping district. It was only half past twelve when he took a seat on a bench across from the station entrance and underneath the clock.

At a quarter of he saw Touko come out of the station. He stood up and waved until she noticed him and came over.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long Yuuki-sama," Touko said with a slight bow, her lips set in a thin, hard line, "I appreciate you taking the time to help me with my search for a gift for Yumi-sama."

Oh boy, was he still in trouble or what?

"Ah, um, no Touko-san, I just got here myself . . . and, uh, I wanted to apologize again for having to break our date last time," Yuuki stammered, "I know it's no excuse but Kashiwagi-sempai called with an emergency just as I was leaving the house. If it makes any difference, I've already punched him for causing me to have to break our date."

"Where?" Touko said with very little inflection to her voice.

"Huh?"

"Where did you punch him?" Touko expanded on her question as she put her hands on her hips awaiting his answer.

"Ah, in the chest . . . um, at the Ogasawara estate . . . eh, in front of my sister Yumi . . . um, my older sister?" he scratched the back of his head, not sure how many "where's" there were to answer, but he hoped he'd hit all of the possibilities.

Touko just stared at him for a moment before her lips started quivering and a mischievous spark entered her eyes. She started to giggle and just couldn't stop herself.

"I-I'm sorry Yuuki-san, I saw you sitting over here for the last fifteen minutes and you looked so nervous that I couldn't help but tease you. You are so much like onee-sama. You can't keep your emotions from showing on your face any more than she can. It's just so precious."

Yuuki looked at his feet trying to decide whether to be angry at the teasing or happy that she really didn't hold a grudge against him.

"But tell me," Touko asked, "did you really punch Suguru-sama? I think I would have paid good money to have seen that."

"Yeah, I hit the ass . . .uh, sucker," Yuuki replied, quickly changing his description of his sempai. He didn't want to expose Touko to that kind of language. "It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been a real emergency, but all he needed was some help moving things from his house over to Hanadera. I didn't hit him then, but I let him know that I didn't appreciate him interfering in my life like that."

"Well, it seems as if my cousin, the asshole," she giggled, "lives to interfere in people's lives Yuuki-san. So I won't hold it against you so long as you make it up to me . . . soon."

Yuuki smiled as he looked at his shoes again before glancing at the beautiful girl in front of him through his lashes. "I like a girl that knows what she wants."

With a pretty pink blush, Touko took a hold of his hand started to drag him down the street towards the shopping district. "Then we should get along fine because I know exactly what I want," she said over her shoulder as her blush deepened even as she continued to pull him along.

Yuuki felt the warmth and softness of her hand clasped in his own and felt the blood rushing to his own cheeks. Yeah, he could definitely get into this girl.

They were walking slowly down the sidewalk, occasionally glancing into various jewelry store windows, their hands still together and shy smiles still gracing their lips.

"What is it that you are looking for Touko-san?" Yuuki asked.

"Hmm, what? Oh, you mean for Yumi-sama's gift," she giggled, briefly wondering if he had been asking what she was looking for in a man. "I was thinking about something like a charm bracelet. I could then add various charms that would signify things or events that are important to the two of us. Do you think she would appreciate something like that?"

Yuuki tucked his chin and really thought about it before he answered her. "Knowing Yumi I thing she would adore a charm bracelet, especially if it had charms that meant something to both of you. In case you hadn't figured it out she's a sucker for the emotional stuff."

"That's what I thought as well," Touko giggled. "In that way we are a lot alike. I mean, a girl likes nice dinners and movies with her boyfriend, but we are probably even happier with a quiet evening at home snuggling with him in front of a fire. At least as long as there isn't a TV on showing sports. It's the mood that is important. Not the location."

"Ah, duly noted. I'll try to keep that in mind," he chuckled, "and I'll remind you that you said that sometime you want to go out and I'm out of money."

"Oh, getting sure of yourself are you," Touko smacked him on the shoulder. "Remember as well then that the very last thing you want to do is take us for granted. We need to be constantly told how important we are to you and how you can't live without us."

"Is that what they call 'high maintenance'?"

"Oh no, that's just general maintenance. You don't want to know what high maintenance is," Touko laughed.

Yuuki just sighed. He was learning, but he thought he had a very nice teacher. He squeezed her hand gently and she blushed. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

"Oh, in here," Touko squeaked and pulled him into a tiny jewelry shop. There was a small counter that held a myriad of different pieces of jewelry, from rings to watches. The dark walls were festooned with various items as well, but it was to a small display case in the rear that Touko dragged him.

Inside the case were a few simple, silver charm bracelets surrounded by what looked like dozens of little charms. Other charms were held in what looked a little like a plastic storage cabinet for screws, nuts and bolts. There must have been almost a hundred tiny compartments, each one holding a different charm with a sample taped to the front of each little drawer. Yuuki stepped back as Touko first examined the bracelets and then started looking at all of the available charms.

The proprietor of the little shop came over and offered his assistance, but Touko waved him away with a polite "Thank you very much, but I know what I am looking for." It didn't take anywhere near as long as he thought it might. Within ten minutes she called the proprietor back over and told him what she wanted and he assembled the list of items quickly.

The charm bracelet itself was a woven, oval link bracelet in sterling silver with a lobster clasp. To this she added five charms: a valentine's heart, a tiny train, a small cross, a porcelain red rose, and a charm that showed a hospital. Yuuki wasn't sure what the train and hospital signified, but the other charms were obvious.

Looking at the charms she held in her hand, Touko asked Yuuki a question that he couldn't quite hear, her voice being too soft. When he asked her to repeat the question, she asked him, "Do you know what your plans are after high school yet?"

Yuuki wasn't sure why she was asking this now, but it seemed to be important to her. "I'm going to study business in college and then go for my masters in public healthcare. My dad wanted me to take over the family business but I want to feel like I'm contributing more to society. Yumi will probably take over my dad's company instead. She's always been more interested in his work than I have" He had been looking at some other charms as he said all this, but when he looked up at Touko he could see that she was upset. "Did I say something wrong?"

Touko struggled with herself. She wouldn't jump to conclusions. That's what made all of last year so horrible. And she knew her onee-sama better now. She knew Yumi-sama would never break a confidence. She didn't think Yumi would even tell her family, but she had to make sure.

"Yuuki-san, has Yumi-sama ever told you that my grandfather runs a small, rural hospital in the foothills of the mountains a couple of hours from here by train?" she asked.

"They do?" he exclaimed. "Yumi never said a word! I'd love to see it someday and talk to him if he was willing to meet with me. That Yumi, sometimes I wonder what goes through her head. She's known for two year's now what I wanted to do after college. I'm surprised she never said anything to you about it."

Touko's renewed belief in her onee-sama came out as a series of giggles. "Actually, I'm not surprised at all that she never told me anything about your plans. It's just like her to let us find out on our own. She wouldn't have wanted her knowledge to sway us either way in our thoughts or feelings. It just makes me love her all the more," she said before wiping away the stray tears that had slipped from her eyes.

She turned and headed towards the counter to pay for her items leaving a seriously confused Yuuki in her wake.

Did he really think he could get used to this? Watching as Touko paid for her purchases and had the proprietor add the charms to the bracelet and then gift wrap it for her he decided that, despite the occasional frustrating mysteries, he really could. He caught up with Touko and took her by the hand once again, entwining her fingers with his own. Touko glanced at their joined hands before looking up at him with a smile and a softness in her eyes that had not been there previously. He suddenly felt a warm glow in his heart as he looked into her shining eyes. He really liked the look she gave him. He liked the way she looked at him. He wanted to see more of it.

-oo-

For Hiromi, it was a Saturday dinner with Tsutako's parents . . . finally.

His very first thought as he and Tsutako had begun talking about the impending dinner was whether he should arrive at their door dressed as a girl or as a boy. Tsutako had laughed at him and told him that either was acceptable, but she thought that her parents would actually appreciate seeing him in his female persona.

"After all, how often does someone get to meet and spend time talking with a guy in drag?" she had pointed out with a giggle. Her laughter was infectious as usual.

What to wear was the next stumbling block but he decided that if he had been going as a male he would have worn a suit and tie, therefore he went with a smart, Spring weight business suit with dark blue slacks and a matching jacket paired wtih a pale aquamarine button-down blouse with a scarf collar that he tied in a bow. He finished off the look with a necklace and matching earrings of rough-cut fire opals. When he modeled the outfit for his mother and grandmother both women had been suitably effusive with their praise.

He turned down his mother's offer to drive him to Tsutako's home since the schedule on the internet indicated that the total travel time was only a half hour and the bus stop was near her house just outside Musashino. Tsutako met him at the door with a pleasant kiss on his cheek and compliment's on his attire.

"Mom, Dad, I would like to introduce you to the famous Hiromi Takeda, 'Ace Cross-Dresser' of Lillian Girl's Academy," Tsutako declared as soon as they had entered the living room where her parents had been sitting. Her startling introduction, along with the look of absolute shock on Hiromi's face, was enough to get the evening started off with a round of roaring laughter from both of her parents. It was enough to not only break the ice, but send it to hell for use in making snowballs. Everyone had been nervous before his arrival, but the laughter allowed everyone to relieve their tensions. If it had been practical to kiss Tsutako right then and there he would have. Instead he gave her a smarmy grin which she returned with a slight bow. The evening progressed smoothly from then on.

"Hiromi-kun, I love your outfit. Can you tell me where you bought it?" her mother asked after dinner had been served.

"Ah, it's one of the new Spring collections at my family's stores. I liked the color combinations and it is extremely comfortable," he replied while running a hand along the jacket fabric of his left arm. "And it was surprisingly inexpensive. When I first saw it I thought it would have been over ¥12,500 but it was actually less than ¥9,000."

"You purchased it yourself, with your own money? I would have thought it would be simpler to just have it delivered," Tsutako's father said.

"Well, since the store is only one of six, and a portion of the manager's salary is based on his monthly revenue, it only makes sense to purchase it. That way the manager does not lose out nor does anyone have to make adjustments to the books for the store itself," he explained. It must have been the right answer because her father smiled.

"Speaking for the store manager, I am sure he appreciates your philosophy. I wish I had a few more mid- and senior-level managers like you. Too often they don't think of the consequences their actions have on the rest of the people that work for us," he said, "they are too concerned with what's in it for them rather than what is best for the employees and the company."

"I understand, sir," Hiromi acknowledged with a slight nod. "My family still runs its company very much like a family business, placing the needs of the customers and its employees ahead of corporate profits. We have always believed that if we take care of our two most important sources of revenue, the customers and the employees, then the profits will take care of themselves. Four generations of Takeda's have proven that the philosophy works."

"I like the way you think, boy. Is there any chance . . ."

"Enough, father," Tsutako interrupted him laughing. "Hiromi has his own company to run. You don't need to be making him any job offers. Especially since Lillian still prohibits students from taking outside jobs."

While she may have been laughing at him, her father didn't miss the sincere look of love and gratitude in her eyes. He smiled and gave her a brief nod acknowledging that 'yes', he liked the boy, a lot. He had his approval.

"Enough about business entirely," Tsutako's mother giggled. "What I want to know, Hiromi-kun, is what has given you the most trouble pretending to be a girl at Lillian?"

"Ah, um . . . well . . . would you believe . . . um, forgetting to put the toilet seat down," he stammered while a fierce blush attacked his cheeks.

People could probably hear the laughter from four blocks away.

"Thank you for allowing me to visit your lovely home," Hiromi told them a little over two hours later. It had actually been a wonderful evening with lots of talk and much laughter. "Tsutako is lucky to have such wonderful parents. I see now where she gets her love for life."

"Please visit us again anytime Hiromi-san," her mother said with sincerity, her statement echoed by a nod from Tsutako's father, "I'm dying to talk fashion a bit more, as well as hear more about your time at Lillian. Your plans for the future sound wonderful as well and I hope that we will figure in those plans."

"I would also like your family," and he gave a significant look to Tsutako as she smiled shyly, "to play a major role in my future."

Tsutako's father shook his hand with a firm grip while her mother gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. After taking his leave Tsutako walked him down to the bus stop, her fingers gripped firmly within his own.

"I hope you had a good time Hiromi," she said with a grin, "I know my parents were both very taken with you. You shouldn't have any doubts regarding their feelings now."

"It was wonderful, and you are right. I am very relieved that we could get along so well, although I must say I feel a bit schizophrenic right now."

"Eh, why so?"

"Well," he said giving her a grin and squeezing her hand, "your father was treating me as if I was a guy while your mother treated me much more like a girl. My head is still spinning a bit from the hormonal gymnastics."

Tsutako's bright laugh filled the night. "Well, if that's the worst of the evening, I think we can say that it was an unmitigated success."

"I agree," he chucked, "and I really do like your parents. And I meant what I said before we left, he said, turning towards her. "I would very much like your family, and you in particular, to play a large role in my future," he added. He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a warm, soft kiss on her palm.

"I think I would like that very much as well, Hiromi," she said quietly with a shy smile.

The tender kiss they shared just before the bus arrived was a memorable one.

-oo-

"It's beautiful, isn't it Noriko," Shimako asked her petite soeur and lover in a whisper.

"It is Shimako. Very beautiful," Noriko replied looking not at the statue in front of them but at Shimako herself.

They had heard about the recent donation of a kodama statue to a Buddhist shrine in Tama that had come from a private collection. Although kodama are not a part of Buddhism, this temple had several statues of spirits from Japanese folklore. Shimako had particularly been interested in seeing it. Since it had been only a short bus ride they had made the Sunday trip despite a brief cold snap. A stiff breeze tossed Shimako's dark blonde hair this way and that and she was having trouble keeping it out of her eyes. Noriko stepped behind her and grasped her hair and pulled it back into a pony tail. Since she had nothing to keep it in that manner she simply stood there and held Shimako's hair, marveling at its softness and full texture. She could spend hours running her fingers through those wavy, dark blonde locks.

Shimako briefly turned her head to look at Noriko and gave her a smile that sent a cascade of warmth through the black haired girl.

"Have you had a chance to see the cherry trees here before, Shimako?" Noriko asked.

"Not for years. Why don't we walk over and take a look?"

The two wandered down the stone pathways until they came upon a small grove of cherry trees. The trees surrounded a small clearing that was currently filled with people sitting on blankets and enjoying the sight of the falling the pink petals. The cherry trees surrounded the clearing like a circle of guardians. The two girls walked slowly around the circle as Shimako laid a hand against trunk after trunk in their passing, spending a few moments with each, like she was communing with the spirits within.

"Do they seem happy?" Noriko asked with a grin when they had finished the circuit.

Shimako laughed and her face shown with delight at the audacity of her lover. Noriko just continued to grin and soaked up the bell-like sound of Shimako's laughter. Most of the people in the clearing turned to glance at them; each and every one of them with smiles on their faces at the beautiful sound.

"If I were to guess, then I would say 'yes', they are happy, Noriko. How could they not be in this beautiful place with such devoted monks to care for them and the joyful visitors that come to see them," she chuckled.

Noriko just continued to grin, enjoying the mood and the happiness of her friend, soeur, and love. They could have been standing in a wasteland, but if Shimako were by her side she would be content.

"Then shall we go look at the other statues while we are here?" Noriko asked after a moment. "This is the first time I've been to this particular temple and I would like to see what it has to offer."

Shimako took her hand, clasping her fingers within her own, and smiled.

"Then how about I show you around? I'm sure my friends here won't mind," she giggled as she patted the bole of the cherry tree they stood next to.

Noriko was sure that if the tree had a face it too would have been wearing a smile.

Thank you all for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Take care,