A/N: Sorry for the delay, my loyal readers. I've been having a shitty month so far. Troubles at work and with the boyfriend had killed my desire to write. Everything is mostly fixed now so I finally found the inspiration to get started again. So welcome back and enjoy!

Chapter Three

"Shizuki!" Mizuki's voice could be heard screaming halfway across the baggage claim.

The blond grinned and raced over to meet her. He picked her up, hugging her hard. She laughed as she squeezed him back just as tightly. He barely noticed Julia racing behind him to hug Rio with a squeal of excitement. Mizuki stepped back as soon as he set her down, but she still held his hands.

"I missed you," she said with a bright smile. "I'm glad you came home to visit." She glanced behind him to see Dr. Umeda walking up much more sedately than either Shizuki or Rio had. She waved at him excitedly. "Oh my God, it's so great to see you Umeda-sensei!" She practically tackled Umeda when he drew close enough.

He smiled, hugging her back for a moment after he regained his balance. "It's good to see you too, Mizuki."

"Rio!" Mizuki cried, letting go of Umeda to hug her next. The two girls giggled excitedly as they grasped hands. They were so happy to see each other they were almost jumping up and down. "My mom can't wait to meet you. She's already planning all kinds of things for all of us to do."

Umeda gave Shizuki a horrified look. In his experience girl stuff always meant he ended up involved too. Shizuki ignored him. "Who drove you, Mizuki? I thought Dad was coming."

Mizuki paused in her reunion with Rio to look over at her brother with an exasperated look. "I drove. Dad had an emergency. He had to stay at home. Mom was in the middle of cleaning and starting dinner. So Dad trusted me and Julia with the car to come and get you."

"Amazing. My baby sister driving," Shizuki chuckled. "Sure you didn't hit anything?"

"Yes! And I'm not a baby!" She protested.

"I know." He said, ruffling her hair.

"Hi Shizu!" Julia broke the moment. She hugged the blond hard. "Nice to see you again!"

"Same, Julia. You've grown taller," Shizuki smiled, giving her a brief hug before extracting her from his person.

Julia stood on tip toes to whisper in his ear. "Nice job snagging, Umeda. He's so sexy."

The blond flushed bright red. "Er, thanks, Julia."

"You're welcome. Hi, Dr. Umeda!" She turned her attention to the other man.

"Hey, crazy," he shot back with a smirk. "You have gotten taller. Looks like you're padding your bra though."

Julia look scandalized. "It's not padding! Those are real! And why are you looking at my boobs, you pervert!"

Umeda laughed. "Ok ok. Relax."

Shizuki shoved him. "I think it's time we headed home. We're all tired."

"Ok! Follow me!" Mizuki grinned.

"We have to go get our bags first," Shizuki laughed, grabbing her jacket before she ran off.

"Oh right." She started to turn away again.

"Hold on." Shizuki kept a hold of her jacket. He put out his hand. Mizuki sighed heavily. "I'm driving. It's traffic hour. It'd rather drive since I know this city better."

"Ok," she didn't fight. She handed over the keys. She wasn't to disappointed about it. Now she could sit in the back with her friends and talk.

"Liar," Umeda hissed.

"Ok, so I don't want to listen to her girly music. Shoot me." Shizuki smirked at him.

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The girls chattered happily in the back seat. Shizuki drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of his music. Umeda seemed content to merely stare out the window at the passing scenery. Shizuki was glad to be home. He loved to Japan but California was his home. He'd never moved until college. Even then it hadn't been far. His dad had stayed in Berkeley ever since he got his veterinary degree. His mother had lived in town and worked as a nurse. His dad had met her when he went to the emergency room because of a dog bite. It had been love at first sight, his dad had said. They'd only been together 5 years when she'd died. Shizuki remembered how devastated his dad had been. He'd been to young to really understand yet. For almost 3 years, it had just been Shizuki and his dad. He had hated it when his dad met his stepmom. They'd met when his dad had seen her dance at a festival in Berkeley. He had only meant to compliment her graceful dancing and ended up asking her out. Shizuki had thought his dad was betraying his real mom. He had wanted his real mommy back, not someone pretending to be his mommy. Gradually she'd won him over though. His dad married her and they were happy. It wasn't long before Mizuki showed up. His step mom and dad had almost given up on having children. Mizuki had been such a big surprise. Shizuki had loved her from the moment he met her in the hospital. Shizuki had loved, protected, and doted on her since that moment at the hospital. California was his past and present. Was it in his future too?

He glanced over at Umeda, who caught his eye and smiled. Shizuki smiled back warmly. No worrying about that crap, he reprimanded himself. He'd come home for a chance to forget for a little while. It was de-stress time for him. The future could wait for two weeks.

"It's beautiful here," Umeda remarked.

"Yeah, I love it." Shizuki replied, gazing at the scenery ahead of him. He hoped nothing would ever change around Berkeley. "Welcome to my hometown." Shizuki announced to both Umedas as they finally drove into Berkeley. "We'll be at the house soon."

Umeda took in every detail of the Ashiya house as they pulled into the driveway. The house was a big American country style home. It had a large front porch with a sign out front reading proudly 'Ashiya Animal Hospital.' The windows were big and open to let in the warm breeze. There was a bay window where he assumed the living room must be. There were at least two dormer windows that he could see. He wondered if those were the bedrooms. The house, though big, looked pleasant and welcoming. It was like something out of a stereotypical American dream. He liked it a lot. He could easily picture Shizuki growing up here. He glanced over to see his boyfriend smiling happily as he turned off the car. His blue eyes took in the house with deep fondness. Umeda could tell he was more than happy to be home. They all got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the porch. The front door opened before Shizuki even crossed the porch. Mrs. Ashiya was out the door and to her son in what seemed like half a second.

"Mom," Shizuki smiled warmly as his mother pulled him into a hug.

Umeda watched, feeling a bit uncomfortable. It was so different then how he greeted his parents. He could already sense how close this family was how. How deeply they felt for each other. He knew his family loved him and he loved his family, but they just didn't express it like this. It was kinda weird to him. He didn't have time to contemplate on it any longer though. He heard a man shout and saw a white ball of fluff come flying at him. He reached down and caught the little white dog by the nap of its neck with reflexes that might have put a cat to shame. He raised the dog up to eye level and glared at it with open distaste. The dog probably didn't weigh anymore than 5 pounds. Its white coat was soft and thick. To anyone else, the dog might have been cute. Umeda just really didn't like dogs. The white fur ball whined pathetically, tucking its tail between its legs, as it looked into his piercing amber eyes.

"Oh thank you so much for catching him! He's always trying to get out!" an older man that was clearly Shizuki's father exclaimed with a big smile. Umeda studied the other man for a moment. He could see where Shizuki got some of his distinct features from. The man held out his arms. The doctor dropped the dog into his waiting grasp. The man smoothed down the dog's coat before looking up to ask distractedly. "And who are you?"

"Dad!" Shizuki groaned in embarrassment.

Umeda was unperturbed. "Hokuto Umeda," the doctor supplied easily, brushing dog hair off his hands.

"Umeda…oh!" Mr. Ashiya stared in shock. He scrutinized the doctor thoroughly. The man was much more beautiful in person than the picture had implied that Mizuki had shown him. His hair was an unusual shade of mahogany for a Japanese man. His eyes were the color of dark honey or amber. Those eyes seemed to be looking right through him. He felt like he was being dissected. In fact, he had the disturbing feeling of being intimidated by a man that was probably half his age. Mr. Ashiya couldn't see why Shizuki might like him. He was a strange character.

"Hi Dad," Shizuki said diverting the attention away from Umeda for a moment.

"Hello, son," Mr. Ashiya smiled again in relief. He was only to happy to have a reason to look away from the other man. He pulled his son in a bear hug. "It's good to have you back. I hope you all had a good drive back from the city."

"So the emergency was Sandy again?" Shizuki asked with a chuckle.

Mr. Ashiya shrugged and grinned. "He got into the medicine cabinet and swallowed a bunch of pills."

"Oh, sensei!" Mizuki ended the awkward moment Umeda was feeling from watching as she and the girls walked up. She seemed oblivious to the tension radiating off him.

"I'm not your sensei anymore," Umeda reminded her gently. He was more than thankful to have a reason to look away from the little scene of the happy family in front of him. He felt incredibly out of place.

"Oh, right. Umeda-san?" She looked confused.

The doctor rolled his eyes and mussed her hair affectionately. "Just call me Umeda."

"Ok. I meant to ask you how Sano was. I heard he was injured! Is he ok? What about Nakatsu? How's his soccer--?" Mizuki started to get worked up.

"Mizuki," Shizuki interrupted her. "He hasn't been properly introduced and neither has Rio. There's gonna be plenty of time to talk later."

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly.

"Mom, Dad—this is Hokuto Umeda, my boyfriend." Shizuki walked over to the doctor to stand beside him. "And his sister, Rio Umeda." She waved from where she was standing beside Mizuki now.

Umeda glanced over at him with a mildly surprised, but mostly pleased look. He knew he had made the blond promise, but it was the first time he'd been introduced that way. It felt good. Really good. Shizuki shuffled his feet awkwardly at the expression on his face.

"It's nice to meet you. Mizuki's told us a lot about the both of you. We're very happy to have you here," Mrs. Ashiya pulled Umeda into a hug. Umeda blinked bemusement before self-consciously hugging her back. He stepped back quickly. She walked over to give Rio a hug too.

Mr. Ashiya reached out and shook his hand. "Glad to meet you, Umeda. I've wanted to meet the guy who turned my son's world upside down. It takes a lot to do that to him."

"Dad," Shizuki looked embarrassed again.

Umeda smirked as he shook the man's hand. "It's nice to meet you. And it's not that hard actually."

Shizuki glared at him. Umeda shrugged innocently as his smirk grew wider. Mr. Ashiya watched the interaction between them with an odd look.

"Come on in. I'm sure you all are tired and hungry. I have dinner ready," Mrs. Ashiya led them all inside. "You all can leave your bags in the hall. We'll worry about them after we eat. Come in and sit down."

They walked through the living room to the dining room. Mrs. Ashiya arranged them all around the table and made sure they were all seated before she disappeared into the kitchen to get the food. Umeda looked around him, taking it all in. The bay window was in the living room like he thought. All the furniture looked cozy and befitting of the country style of the home. The colors were all soft and pastel lending everything a more peaceful air. He definitely liked the feel of this place much better than his own childhood home.

"She's been planning this all day. She's been so excited to have you both here," Mr. Ashiya smiled warmly. His wife had been nervous to, but he couldn't blame her. So was he. He was doing his best to be his normal cheerful self, but he didn't know quite how to act around this other man. He wasn't like Mizuki's friends from school. They had only been teenagers. They had been friendly and kind. Umeda made him feel uncomfortable. Maybe, all of that was due to his relationship to Shizuki. A relationship Mr. Ashiya was still having a hard time dealing with.

"She sounds like my mother," Umeda remarked wryly.

Rio snickered, remembering the last dinner he was over for. He scowled at her. She went back to talking to Julia and Mizuki.

"My wife's a great cook. She's really out done herself this time," Mr. Ashiya praised as Mrs. Ashiya came back in carrying two big bowls of food. She blushed at her husband's words, shushing him good naturedly as she set down the bowls. Mizuki jumped up to run into the kitchen to carry out another bowl and a bread basket. There was a few moments of mostly quiet as the food was passed around, broken only by someone asking for something. There was silence as they all began to eat.

"So how was your flight?" Mrs. Ashiya asked them.

"Long, but alright," Shizuki replied.

"The in flight movie left something to be desired," Umeda remarked with an amused smile.

Rio snorted. "You two acting lovey dovey didn't help my air sickness any."

"That's what they have throw up bags for," Umeda shot back at her.

She made a face at him. Mizuki, Julia, and Mrs. Ashiya giggled. Shizuki just shook his head and continued eating.

"I bet that would have been funny to see," Julia put in. "I've seen Shizuki acting lovey dovey before. It's kinda nauseating."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Julia."

Mizuki and Mrs. Ashiya laughed at her brother's irritated expression. Both smothered their laughs when Shizuki mock glared at them. He prayed no one would get onto the subject of Alisha. He was secretly thankful when his dad switched subjects.

"Is it your first time to the states for the both of you?" Mr. Ashiya asked curiously.

Umeda paused between bites to answer. "No. I visited New York City once between high school and college. I wanted to explore the world a little before I got bogged down in more schooling. I visited Orlando, Florida after college. That's been it though."

"It's my first time in the USA," Rio replied. "It's very pretty here."

"Wait until we show you around," Mizuki smiled excitedly.

"And take you out shopping," Mrs. Ashiya smiled vibrantly.

Julia and Rio looked thrilled at that prospect. Umeda looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Shizuki snickered behind his hand. Mr. Ashiya tried to hide his own amused smile. Maybe Umeda wasn't so bad.

"So, Umeda, how is Sano?" Mizuki finally couldn't stand it anymore. She had to know. Everyone else at the table shook their heads or gave her knowing smiles. She flushed and shrugged.

Umeda looked over at her with an affectionate expression. Really, she never changed. It was always about Sano. "He's fine. He had a minor sprain. It should be healed by now if the foolish boy listened to what I told him to do. And Nakatsu's fine too. In fact, he got a soccer scholarship to the college he applied for. He's doing very well. So is everyone else." He answered all her questions before she could even ask them.

She laughed. "Guess you know me to well."

"I only looked after you for a year and a half." He smirked. "A lamb amongst wolves."

Both the parents looked at him in confusion. Mr. Ashiya had a suspicious look. Umeda glanced over at Shizuki and Mizuki with a raised eyebrow. Both grinned with identical nervous smiles. Umeda sighed as he caught on to their dilemma. The parents didn't know about Osaka.

"What do you mean by that?" Mr. Ashiya asked apprehensively.

Umeda shrugged calmly. "She was just very innocent when she came to study in Japan. It was a bit of culture shock. I took care of her when she needed help. I even introduced her to my sister, because I figured they'd be good friends." He lied so smoothly that the two parents looked instantly relieved.

"We had such a good time together. Especially when Julia came over too. We all ended up getting to hang out on our school field trips," Rio put in with a big smile.

Mizuki and Shizuki let the tension ease out of their shoulders. Both smiled in thankful relief as the Umedas covered up for them. Shizuki eyed his sister with an irritated look. She shrugged. She knew eventually that she had been studying at a guys' school was going to get out to her parents. One of these days she was gonna have to come clean about it. Everyone was getting tired of lying for her.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. Talk continued more easily as Shizuki's parents began to feel more comfortable with their guests. Mr. Ashiya still seemed somewhat leery of Umeda, but Shizuki couldn't fault him for that. The girls helped Mrs. Ashiya clean up as the guys carried the girls' luggage upstairs. Julia was staying over too for a few days during Rio's visit. Mr. Ashiya held Shizuki back for a moment as Umeda walked back downstairs to grab his stuff.

"I thought we could put Umeda in the spare room," Mr. Ashiya said quietly.

Shizuki frowned. "Dad, he's staying with me. My bed's more than big enough. Give Rio and Julia the spare room."

"I thought he'd be more comfortable in there."

"You mean you'd feel more comfortable." Shizuki remarked.

Mr. Ashiya scowled and shifted his feet. "I just feel..."

"I get it, Dad. I do. But we're not gonna do anything. You let Alisha stay with me when she visited." Shizuki pointed out.

"That was different."

"I know, but the same principle. He's important to me, Dad. Just like she was. I want him with me," Shizuki said gently.

Mr. Ashiya sighed. He didn't want to argue with his son. "Fine. Rio and Julia can have the spare room if they want it."

"Thanks, Dad. Just give him a chance and some time to get to know him," Shizuki reached out to grip his dad's shoulder for a moment.

"Ok," his dad murmured.

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Everyone had finally settled into their respective rooms for the night. Shizuki and Umeda had fallen asleep almost as soon as they'd lain down and gotten comfortable. They slept tangled up in each other in Shizuki's queen size bed. Julia and Rio were asleep in the spare room. Rio slept in the day bed. Julia slept in the spare mattress that had been pulled out from underneath it. Both girls had been to tired to stay up and chat with Mizuki any longer. There would be plenty of time for girl chats tomorrow. Mizuki slept sprawled in her own bed. She always had been a messy sleeper. Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya finally climbed into their own bed after checking that everyone was tucked away in their beds. A leftover habit from when the kids were younger. Shizuki and Mizuki still left their doors open a crack for them out of ingrained routine.

Mr. Ashiya had stood in Shizuki's doorway longer than he meant to when he'd passed by. Seeing the two men sleeping together had finally made the reality of their relationship hit him. They looked happy and peaceful. He felt sorrow steal over him. His son felt like he had grown out of his reach. He felt like this Umeda had stolen him away. It was foolish to think that, but his heart still hurt to see them laying in each other's arms. He jumped a little when his wife touched his arm. She smiled at him in understanding. She glanced into the room. Her expression softened warmly. Mr. Ashiya sighed softly before walking down the hall to their room.

They laid together in bed now in silence after Mrs. Ashiya clicked off the light.

"I don't know what to think of him." Mr. Ashiya admitted quietly.

"That's ok, sweetheart. It takes more than a few hours to make up your mind about someone," she reassured him.

"I just feel weird about this whole thing."

"I know," she rubbed his arm soothingly. "But trust Shizuki. We raised him right."

"I trust our son. It's Umeda I don't. I don't know him at all. That look he has is unnerving. I feel like he can see right through me," Mr. Ashiya shivered.

She chuckled. "Well, I think his eyes are beautiful. And he seems kind and mature. Mizuki and Shizuki think the world of him."

"Yeah."

"His sister Rio seems like a sweet girl. Both took good care of Mizuki while she was in Japan. Umeda looked after Shizuki too while he was interning there. They both seem like good people. Give Umeda a chance," she kissed him on the cheek.

"Right," he murmured. "That's what Shizuki told me."

"Then try, sweetheart. I love you," she whispered, giving him another kiss.

"I love you too. Good night," he smiled and kissed her back. He felt a little better after confessing his worries.

"Good night. Tomorrow will be a good day." She sounded so sure of that. Mr. Ashiya hoped she was right.

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Be a responsible reader and review!

And now it begins. LOL! OMFG, Shizuki's parents are so hard to write. I even went back to vol. 12 in the manga just to study them. I love his mom, but his dad is so difficult to grasp. He seems so fun and happy and silly! He's great, but I have to write this other side of him that's a concerned father. No one can be that pleasant all the time! *shakes fist* What a challenge. I hope you liked it. Man, the ideas for this story keep exploding in my head. Looks like this might be a lot longer than I was planning on in the beginning. And there will be smut. Lots of it. Never fear. Stick around everyone! This party's just getting started.