Kaori tilted her head at the girl in the mirror, evaluating the frilly blue dress with a critical eye. 'It's too cute; I look like I'm 12.' Shaking her head she once again dove back into the pile of clothes on the bed, and dug back out the dress she'd marked as having some promise seven changes ago - a light-weight creamy-brown dress dotted with small pink flowers. She put it back on and examined herself carefully from all sides, admiring the way the large belt and the scooped-neck emphasized that she was definitely not in middle school anymore. 'Is the skirt too long, it's almost to my knees? Oh! What if….' She pulled a pair of over-the-knee brown flat-heeled boots from the closet and twirled in front of the mirror one more time. 'This is perfect! With the boots you can barely see the brace.'
The doorbell rang and she gave one last check of hair and makeup – natural and curly for the first, light for the second. 'Girl-next-door look, I hope. The magazine said guys are supposed to like that. Will he like that?' She drew a shaky breath to steady her nerves. 'It's just Taka-chan, no need to be scared.' The thought did nothing to calm her down. She knew very well that the person at the door was more than simply her old childhood friend.
Early September was too warm for a coat so she donned a lacy white cardigan and headed down the hallway from her ground floor bedroom. Papa was already opening the door to let in their visitor and all three of her brothers were piled in the narrow corridor staring intently at the interloper. "Saburo-nii," she whispered to the youngest, "let me through," emphasizing the request with a small push that failed to do anything.
"Ojamashimasu," Mori greeted as he stepped inside, bowing politely to the assembled Haninozukas. Kaori gave her brothers a glare and him a little wave of greeting from behind their backs. He replied with a barely perceptible nod and half-smile which broadened further when she turned light-pink.
"Please come in," replied Papa. "Morinozuka-san, please join me for a few minutes before you leave."
"Of course, Haninozuka-san." He replied, repaying the formality in kind.
Papa turned and exchanged a look with his children that everyone but Kaori seemed to be able to interpret. Her younger two brothers moved aside, pulling her with them, and the eldest headed back to the study followed by Papa and Mori. Kaori waited until the study door closed, then moved quickly but quietly towards the neighboring room with the very thin bordering wall. She only managed to walk three steps before her path was blocked by two glowering figures with crossed arms.
"Not this time," said Jiro sternly.
"But niiiiii-chaaaan why? You two always listen," she whined.
Jiro opened his mouth to reply but was cut-off. "Are you wearing that?" interrogated Saburo.
Kaori looked down at her outfit, then back at her brothers with wide innocent eyes. "Why, Nii-chan? Is there something wrong with it?" she asked mischeviously.
Saburo's glower deepened. "It's cold. You should button up that sweater." Jiro nodded solemnly in agreement.
'If they don't like it, then it really is perfect!' Sensing an opportunity she tried to bargain. "I'll button it if you let me listen."
Jiro slowly shook his head. "Sorry imouto-chan, its men's talk," he ruffled her hair affectionately, "not for little girl's ears."
She wanted to pull her eyelid and stick out her tongue, but that would just prove his point about her maturity. 'Older brothers are the worst!' She settled for crossing her arms and glaring back, which only made both of them laugh.
"Careful, Kao-chan – you'll get wrinkles," teased Saburo.
Mori stood at a respectful attention in front of the older man seated behind the large oak desk. Haninozuka Tatsuya looked very much like his cousin and family head. His small frame was packed with the wiry muscles earned through rigorous training and he, like all his children, had the blonde-hair-brown-eyed coloring which marked him as a true member of the clan. The three-piece black suit he wore, his daily uniform as CFO for the Haninozuka family, set the tone for the interview taking place.
"You tied my hands in this, Morinozuka-san," he accused. "Maybe someday you will come to realize that no father would be happy not having a say in who his daughter weds."
Mori could hear the pain underlying the man's aggressive tone. This was not how he would have chosen to begin their relationship. "I'm very sorry for causing you distress," he replied with a deep bow.
"But not for the actions which caused it, ne?" Tatsuya retorted with a sharp look. "I understand your reasons; the relationship between our families is complicated. I wish you would have approached me privately about this first," His implicit question was met with silence and averted eyes. "I see, you didn't want to take the risk of it becoming official and having Yorihisa-sama say no. At least that answers my question of whether or not you care for her."
"Otou-san, Takashi-kun was my kohai," interjected the younger man who had quietly assumed a seat on a side-sofa. "He always acted honorably – he would not have done this unless he believed there was no other way."
"So you've repeatedly assured me, Yori-kun, but that does not make the situation any more pleasing." He sighed, then stood and came around to lean on the front of the desk. "I'm not a man to be concerned over archaic notions of status – I have a lot of respect for Akira-kun and my sons keep telling me that you are a good man. If you had asked my permission to court her, I probably would have agreed."
Mori felt a twinge of regret for what could have been. "Haninonzuka-san thinks too well of me."
"Kaori-chan is very special to me, to all of us." Tatsuya's expression softened as he spoke of his daughter. "The engagement may be out of my hands - I don't even get a say in when the wedding is scheduled - but until you wed she is in my care. I'm trusting that she'll be safe when she's with you."
"Always. I will protect her." The promise came readily to his lips.
"I still think she's much too young for a commitment, girls that age change their minds so quickly, but she seems happy about it. I will allow for you to take her out, but only under certain conditions. She's still in high school, her studies must come first. No going out on school nights and I want her home by 10pm the rest of the time unless you talk to me about it first. If her grades slip too much I may have further restrictions."
"I understand."
The older man paused then fixed Mori with a demanding glare. "I hope you also understand that high school is much too young to have children."
Mori flushed under the direct questioning and replied circumspectly, "Yes. I have already promised Mitsukuni-sama."
Tatsuya's stern visage relaxed marginally. "Good. He'll be a fine head someday and I understand you've served him well. Continue to do so and I'll be proud to have you as a son-in-law."
The stalemate in the hall was finally broken when the study door opened, disgorging the three occupants. "Kaori-chan, are you ready to leave?" asked her father as he passed her on the way back to the entry.
"Yes, Papa."
Her father assessed her with a look that made her wish she had buttoned up the cardigan. 'Please, please, please don't embarrass me and make me go change,' she thought, but he looked away with no comment and turned to address the young man behind him.
"Takashi-kun, please take care of my daughter."
Mori bowed lower than she thought the pleasantry demanded. "Yes. I will have her home by ten," he promised.
A few minutes later and they were outside. Kaori headed towards the left side of the sleek black sports car parked in the driveway but Mori stopped her and instead ledher around to the right. Opening the door, he settled her into the passenger seat on the wrong side of the car.
"Is this an import?" she asked as he sat down in the left-hand driver's side.
"It's Italian; a Mazzanti," he said proudly. She didn't know much about cars but from his attitude guessed that this was a pretty nice one - if you were interested in that sort of thing. He shifted into gear and headed out to the road, the security gates automatically opening and then closing behind them as they passed.
"I'm sorry if my family made you uncomfortable, they can be a little overbearing," she apologized sheepishly.
"It was no trouble. They care for you."
"I know. That's why I let them do it. But, we can always meet somewhere if you want, you don't have to pick me up."
"I prefer to pick you up. It's more respectful."
'Maybe I should have said that I was the one who'd prefer to go meet him somewhere. I love all of them, but if they act like that again….' She suspected, though, that his answer would have been the same. She waited as long as she could before finally asking the question that had been burning on her lips the whole time. "What did Papa want to talk with you about?"
Mori paused before carefully answering, "He did not want me to distract you from your studies."
Kaori peered at him skeptically. It was an awful long conversation and that didn't seem like a topic requiring privacy. 'I know you don't lie, but somehow I don't think that's all you talked about.' She didn't press any further; nobody could get Morinozuka Takashi to ever say more than exactly what he intended to.
In the furor of getting out the door she hadn't had much of a chance to observe him so she allowed the conversation to lapse. His posture was relaxed but his eyes were focused as he drove with one hand on the wheel and the other on the stick shift between them, occasionally changing gears according to circumstances. For their date he'd dressed casually yet conservatively in black slacks and a French blue shirt unbuttoned at the neck. 'He looks so well-dressed; I don't think what I picked out is nice enough.' I knew I should have made Mana go shopping with me.'
Her eyes roamed over the shirt, admiring the way it accented his darker skin tone. The wide cuffs were flipped up and she couldn't help but linger over the muscular forearms it revealed. She moved her gaze back up towards his face, only to realize he'd caught her staring. Embarrassed, she looked away and launched into the first topic of conversation she could find. "I wasn't sure what to wear; you didn't say where we were going."
"I want to surprise you. " Her self-consciousness gave him an opportunity to discretely study her back. 'I like her hair like that; it looks as soft as a kitten's fur.' His eyes moved down, taking in the dress and then he quickly wrenched them back to the road where they belonged. "You look very cute," he mumbled bashfully.
"Oh…ummm…so do you. No! I…I…mean…." Kaori's hands flew up to cover her face when she realized she'd just called a 190-some centimeter adult male 'kawaii.' "I mean you look very nice too," she ground out.
Mori chuckled as she grew an even deeper red. 'She really is too cute.' The conversation with her father weighed on his mind along with his own thoughts. 'And young. And easily swayed.' He'd never been as popular as Honey, or even the twins, but he had absorbed Tamaki's lessons and knew how to embody a young girl's romantic dreams. 'It would be easy to play the host with her - to overwhelm her and bind her to me emotionally, but she deserves better. She deserves to make her choices with a clear mind.' He resolutely put temptation out of his thoughts and focused on the drive.
After a short while they reached one of the older areas of Tokyo and Mori pulled the car up next to a curbside valet service. Kaori automatically started to get out of the car, but he reached over and pulled the door shut before she'd barely opened it.
"Please, wait for me," he entreated. Due to the transposed steering wheel, the passenger door opened directly into traffic. Handing the keys to the valet, Mori walked around into the street and waited for cars to pass before opening her door and assisting her out. 'Well, maybe a little bit of hosting wouldn't hurt,' he decided and tucked her left hand into the crook of his arm. "The sidewalks can be uneven, you should hold on to me." Kaori glowed with delight at that little piece of western chivalry.
"It's such a pretty area, I don't think I've been here before," said Kaori eyes glowing as he took in the older looking buildings lit by soft exterior lanterns or twinkling fairy lights. Small cobblestone streets and alleys snaked off invitingly in all directions.
"It's one of the few areas of Tokyo to survive modernization. It was destroyed during the war but rebuilt to what it was like in the Meiji era; it's been a shopping and entertainment area for over a hundred years." Mori was aware that he'd slipped into lecture mode, something he only seemed to do when discussing one of his favored subjects. 'Don't bore her,' he admonished himself.
"You need to give me a tour," she enthused. She smiled up at him, happy for the reminder that in many ways he was still the same Taka-chan that she remembered. "I like it when you talk about the things you love."
He picked one of the serpentine side-streets seemingly at random and steered her down it. A hundred meters or so off the main road he turned in at a garden gate marked only by a discreet sign. Past the side garden was an entrance to what looked like a private home, but one step inside the door revealed a busy restaurant.
An older but handsome woman in a fall-themed kimono lit up with a smile when they entered. "Irasshaimase, Morinozuka-sama!" she exclaimed, gracefully bowing in greeting. "We're glad to have you back with us again." She turned to Kaori in welcome. "And this must be Haninozuka-sama. We are so pleased you are bringing your bride to our restaurant!" Kaori colored yet again. 'Does everyone in Japan know about our engagement?'
"Good evening, Minami-san," he replied familiarly, "My father and uncle send their regards, the catering at our engagement ceremony was excellent as usual. Thank you for accommodating my request on short notice."
The woman flushed a bit, responding to his dignified charm. "We were happy to do so for one of our honored customer."
Kaori peered eagerly at her surroundings; the restaurant was completely full with an even mix of Japanese and foreigners. Out in the front area there were several western-style tables and a long bar which fit about ten customers. Behind it an older man was putting the final touches on plates with quick, economical movements in between directing a group of seven men in preparing the ingredients and taste testing their results. As the hostess showed them towards the back of the restaurant the man called out a greeting, which Mori returned.
They were shown to a private room with another western-style table that could seat four, but had been set just for two. The highlight of the room was a window on the back wall that looked into a central garden. Mori pulled out a chair for her before seating himself.
"Morinozuka-sama, will you be drinking your usual?" the older woman.
"No, I think we'll both have the suggested tea tonight," he glanced over at Kaori "is that alright?" Kaori gave him a relieved smile in response. Her father had brought her to fine restaurants before, but this place seemed different and she wasn't sure what was appropriate.
"What's your usual?" Kaori asked after the hostess had departed.
"I usually have the suggested daiginjo sake, but not when I drive." He silently added, 'And especially not if I'm driving you.'
"Have you been here a lot?"
"This is one of my favorite places."
"Does that mean you come here with all your dates?" she blurted out and immediately wished she hadn't. 'Why did I ask that? I don't want to know – I need to learn when to stop talking.'
Mori's eyes filled with warmth and something deeper that she couldn't identify. "Just you. I've only been here with family or close friends." Under his attention her heart accelerated and her breathing grew shallow. She unconsciously parted her lips and flicked her tongue to moisten them. The 'something' in his gaze grew even deeper and Kaori felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach.
The delicate tension of the moment was shattered when the door opened for the hostess returning with their drinks. She gave an indulgent smile at the young couple and poured them each a cup of clear green tea before departing, leaving the pot behind. Mori gratefully sipped his drink in silence. Kaori leaned forward slightly to taste hers, causing a lock of her hair to fall down over her shoulder. His hand itched to reach out and pet that errant strand and wind it around his fingers. 'A private room may have been a mistake.' He rubbed his hand against his thigh while admonishing himself. 'Remember, slow. Slow is the plan. Give her time to be sure it's not gratitude or a childish crush.'
"Oh, the tea is delicious," she exclaimed.
"I hope you like Japanese food," he said a bit uncertainly.
"I love it. To be honest, I like everything," she laughed a bit self-deprecatingly. "I just have fun trying new things."
"You'll enjoy this. There's no menu, Itamae-san makes it daily based on the seasons and what is fresh. It's different every time."
"Traditional, yet unique - is that why you like it?"
"I suppose. I like how the menu is harmonized with the seasons but the menu expresses years of dedication and training" Their discussion reminded him that he'd only been able to talk with her father about arrangements and there was one thing he wanted to take care of. "Do you have your cell phone with you?"
"Hmm…oh, yes." Kaori fished it out of her purse at his prompting and placed it in his outstretched hand. Her eyebrows were lifted in inquiry.
"I only have your home number," he explained, pulling out his phone and syncing them together.
Her brow furrowed. "Oh. I didn't think of that. I've never dated before so I don't know what you're supposed to do."
She looked worried, like she had somehow made a mistake. "You're only supposed to enjoy yourself," he chuckled and reached out to hand back her phone. The sleeve of her cardigan drew back as she reached out to accept it, revealing a brown and bluish mark on her wrist. His eyes narrowed and he quickly encircled it with his hand to keep her from withdrawing. Turning her wrist over, he saw the two-pronged imprint that indicated the bruise had been caused by someone's hand. "Who hurt you?" he asked sharply.
"This?" she laughed nervously and tried to pull back her hand but he didn't budge. "Takashi, it's okay – it was just an accident,"
The fingers of his right hand moved up and traced the outline of the bruise as if they could soothe it away. He forced himself not to allow the anger roiling in him to gain control. 'Satoshi and Yasuchika were supposed to protect her from this.' He had made his brother swear to take care of her the day she started Ouran. 'They moved up to University two years ago, has this been going on all that time? It's my fault, I should have made her talk with me, should have noticed the signs.' "Kaori, are you being bullied?" he asked more softly, eyes pleading with her to confide in him.
She laughed, breaking him out of his self-flagellation. "Bullied? Me? No!" He was sure it was an attempt to minimize it. "No, really!" she emphasized when he looked at her skeptically. "It was just someone who was upset and didn't know what they were doing." Her sincerity reached through to him, appeasing the protective guard dog that had awoken. She must have still thought him upset because she continued, "Honest! Nobody's even tried anything like that since the first week of middle school."
"Why since then?"
"Well, some boys in 3-D thought it would be fun to try and trip me," she said dismissively. "Somehow Sato-chan and Chika-chan found out and had a talk with them. Nothing like that happened again."
He could see from the impish wrinkle of her nose and exaggerated air of innocence that she knew exactly what the 'talk' had been like. 'Good, that's what Mitsukuni and I expected of them.' The younger two had never mentioned the incident, which was also to be expected. They only would have brought it to their brothers if it had been something they couldn't handle on their own. "I always worried about you, a bit," he confessed.
Kaori smiled, she was warmed knowing that even apart he had continued to think of her. "I know. I remember you telling me that kids could be cruel to those who were different. But, well, I was right too – there are nice and mean people everywhere. I think, though, that most people are nice if you give them a chance. Mama always said nobody ever thinks of themselves as a bad person. You just need to understand how they think of themselves and then you can become friends."
'Always reaching out to embrace everybody and everything whole-heartedly.' He was glad that more contact with those outside her family hadn't changed that about her. "Do you really think everyone is nice?"
She hesitated, wrinkling her nose and biting her lip. "Well, not everybody," she admitted, "some people are just plain mean!" She sounded so conflicted that she might not like someone; he couldn't help but laugh.
Shortly after that their food arrived. The constant interruptions of the hostess as she brought the next course prevented more serious discussions which kept the atmosphere between them relaxed. Kaori could understand why he liked this place so much; from the first bite the food was incredible. It was more than that, though, in many ways it reminded her of him. Each plate was in perfect balance – dignified, restrained, and in harmony with everything around it. Flavors complemented not just each other but also those of the dishes served both before and after. Even the tea enhanced the meal with a delicate flavor that also cleansed the palate in between courses.
"Takashi, this was….amazing," she said as the hostess cleared away the dessert – a mix of a maple-flavored mousse, sweet red beans, and green tea sherbet that tasted almost exactly the way the warm fall night felt. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"I'm glad you liked it," she didn't think she imagined the pleased look on his face at her enjoyment of something that was special to him.
Kaori looked at her watch discreetly, it was only about eight and she wasn't due home for another two hours. She didn't want to go back yet, but their meal was done and she didn't think there was time to do something else.
Mori caught her action; he wasn't ready for the night to end either. He got up and came around to pull back her chair and assist her up. "It's a nice night," he said softly near her ear, fully aware of the effect it would have, "would you like that tour?" His suggestion was rewarded with a smile that tugged at his heart and made his hand itch to touch her again.
After paying and thanking the chef and staff for the meal, he escorted her out into the busy evening streets. At this time of night, the streets were safe and filled with people going or coming from a meal and couples enjoying the romantic atmosphere that was so different from the modern neon-glow of much of the rest of the city's hot spots.
"This area was first built up during the Edo period," he began as he shared some of what he knew and pointed out interesting landmarks or novelties. Kaori just listened, she knew he didn't feel the need to talk much but history had always been one of the few areas which brought out another side to him. He was an excellent tour guide, peppering facts with stories that brought everything to life.
He guided her through several side-streets until eventually they moved into a leafy park that served as a corridor between two busier streets. The park wasn't deserted, other couples were also enjoying the perceived privacy, but everybody was carefully giving each other space. Mori was just finishing up a story of a young samurai who unwisely fell in love with one of the geisha, pointing out the spot where he stood waiting for her in the cold so long he ended up dying of influenza. 'He almost looks like he's about to cry. Would it be wrong to consider that adorable?"
"You really like history, don't you," she said when he had finished in order to keep herself from giggling and embarrassing him.
"I do. When you know history, you understand your place in the world."
"I'm surprised you didn't study it. You'd be a good teacher. Was law that much more interesting?"
"I considered history, but I find law interesting too and it is what my family needed. It's a way of making sure our interests are protected and it's also helpful to Mitsukuni and his plans."
Azami's cruel words echoed in her memory, 'Maybe he picked her because she wouldn't mind coming second.' All the worries and doubts about this and other things that she'd had since earlier in the week returned, destroying the happiness of the evening. "Takashi, will Mitsu-chan always be first with you?" she asked seriously.
Mori didn't respond at first. He walked her over towards the low wall lining the park and lifted her up to sit on it so they'd be close to eye level. He knew she wanted the assurances any woman would, but he couldn't give them.
"Yes," he said simply. The recent history lesson made it easy to find words to explain, "Mitsukuni is my daimyo; I will always serve him first. This is what it means to be a Morinozuka."
"I see," she replied softly, "Papa works for Haninozuka-sama and my brothers are all expected to take their place in the family businesses, but it's not the same type of service is it?"
"No. Mitsukuni and I may be cousins, but it is my honor to act as his vassal."
She paused, processing his words. "If he and I wanted something and you couldn't do both, would you pick him?"
He hated the pain he could see in her eyes. He wished he could apologize for putting it there. "Please don't think it means I'd value you less," he pleaded.
"And would you always do what he said?" she asked with a wavering voice.
"It isn't a one-sided relationship, I trust him. Even when he could, he has never asked more than I would willingly give. But if he did I would obey." She remained silent, lowering her head as if unable to look at him. "Kaori, is this something you can live with?" he asked gently. 'If she says no, I will have to find a way to give her back her freedom.'
He waited, forcing himself to breathe in and out slowly to slow down his pounding heart. "I suppose I have to," she replied shakily and the vice of fear gripping his heart relaxed. "If this is part of who you are, I couldn't live with myself if I tried to change it."
The lock of hair fell forward again, but this time he reached out to gently brush it back, leaving his palm on her cheek to coax eyes bright with unshed tears back to his. "Kaori, I promise – in every area other than this you will be first," he whispered.
She blinked rapidly and gave him a quavering smile. "I guess this is what you can expect if you marry a samurai. I will just have to learn to be a good onna-bugeisha." She reached up with her hand to cover his, turned her head, and pressed a gentle kiss into his palm. He started to pull her face towards him, but stopped when he heard the sounds of another couple walking past. Dropping his hand, he stepped back and reached to grab her waist and lift her down. "It is getting late, I should send you home." He once again tucked her hand into his elbow and escorted her in silence back to the car.
The ride back to her house was quieter, yet somehow more intimate and neither seemed to want to break the atmosphere between them with words. At the house, he made her wait again until he could open her door and escort her up the walkway. At the front door she stopped, turning towards him expectantly. "Tonight was, well…it was wonderful. I had fun."
"I did too." He held himself still, unwilling to walk away. Kaori instinctively tilted her face towards him and swayed forward. Mori forced himself to reject the implicit invitation and step back, giving her a small bow. "My father would like you to come over for dinner next Sunday; can I pick you up at three?"
Kaori forced a smile to cover the disappointment "I'd like to meet him. See you next week, Takashi" she replied and turned to enter the house.
"See you next week, Kaori." Behind her, she didn't see Mori clench his hands together and mouth a word that might have sounded like "Slow."
A/N: This took longer to finish this than I had anticipated. Let's just say that my plans were derailed by a business trip that involved eight-hour meetings, mornings with no hot water, a 10-floor hike downstairs in heels, and a happy 'hour' that lasted nine. In other words, not much time for writing. Hope I made up for it with the long chapter, for someone who doesn't talk much Mori ended up having a lot he wanted to express. Not much drama, but hopefully lots of relationship fluff.
Hadu-senpai and Jessi DarkFox thank you both for your lovely reviews, hope this meets your expectations. Thanks also to all new followers and favs. If you like what I'm doing (or hate it) please drop a note.