A/N: You were warned in the summary – there will be kissing. Enjoy or run away. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed so far. Please continue to let me know how you are enjoying this (or not). I'm shameless about my love for feedback.

Yuki slammed her lunch tray down in the center of the table and sank into her seat, dropping her forehead down on the table with a huge sigh.

"Bad weekend?" asked a bemused Kaori. Mana simply gave the beleaguered girl a sidelong glance then returned to flipping through English vocabulary cards.

"The worst! My parents made me go on a date with my fiancée. The entire dinner all he does is talk about how successful he is and how he's going to make Bucho soon."

"Oh." Kaori wasn't sure what to say, but Yuki didn't seem to want a response as much as a listener.

"So. Boring. But, that wasn't the worst. Get this! When we were done he asked if I wanted to go to a love hotel. A love hotel! Not even a nice one-star hotel but some cheap place for cheating husbands. Seriously, what kind of girl does he think I am?"

"What did you do?" she asked wide-eyed; now that she had joined their ranks the other betrothed girls had begun including her in secrets they used to think her too innocent to hear.

"Put him off, of course. Told him I wanted to wait until we were married."

Mana chose to chime in at this point, "But haven't you already…"

"He doesn't need to know that." Yuki interjected, "Besides, marriages are just business deals using us as collateral. You're allowed to play around until the ceremony, everybody does." She tossed a sly look at Kaori. "So, where does Mori-sempai bring you?"

"Ah…ummm…"

"Oh leave her alone, Yuki," admonished Mana. "You know she's shy about this stuff. I'm sure it's somewhere nice, right?"

"Oh… yes… very… very nice…"

Mana body-checked her into the restroom, did a quick survey to be sure they were alone, and then leaned against the door with arms crossed to prevent both her from leaving and others from interrupting. "Spill."

"What do you mean?"

"Kaori, you are lousy at hiding things. For six years Mori-sempai was almost all you'd talk about but for the last month you've barely said a word." She uncrossed her arms and reached out to rest her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Is everything alright between you? I know I haven't been around much due to exams, but you know you can talk to me, right?"

Kaori struggled with how to answer the question. 'What can I say that doesn't sound like a whiny child? Its girls like Yuki who are marrying men they don't love that have the real problems, I should be happy with what I have.' She shrugged off the hand. "Everything's good. I mean, we can't see each other much because of his work, but we've had fun."

They'd managed six dates in the last ten weeks. Six wonderful, incredible, amazing dates –

After dinner he showed her around the Morinozuka estate's gardens and grounds, a guided tour of childhood secrets and memories ending at a tree.

A hike up Mt Tsukuba and a visit to the shrine of kami said to grant happiness in marriage. The pride and exhaustion at reaching the peak using only a cane and her own legs was so great it brought her to tears. He insisted on taking the ropeway down to the parking lot, claiming it held a better view.

Dinner at a tiny but crowded Ramen place close to a theatre showing Kurosawa's Shichinin no Samurai. He turned his face away to hide his tears when Kyuzo and Kikuchiyo died.

A crisp October day and a trip to Kawagoe; his words vividly painted a picture of life in the Edo-era town.

Two men, each a victor of five battles, slowly circled each other, blades locked, as the crowd held its breath; a flurry of action and a new All Japan Kendo Champion was crowned. The victory celebration for his first title as an adult went into the small hours of the night.

She tried to brave it out, but her friend's gaze was unrelenting. A bell signaling the beginning of class filled the silence between them. Mana remained at her post. Kaori's attempt to hide her fears broke in the face of Mana's resolve. "All the other girls complain about is feeling pressured but… but, he… he hasn't kissed me again, or done anything more than hold my hand." She bit her lip worriedly. "If… If he likes me, why doesn't he want to touch me?" she whispered.

Mana sighed, "Kaori, I think you may be asking the wrong person. I'm sure he has his reasons, and it's probably a lot less bad than whatever you're imagining. Why don't you just ask him?"

….marriages are just business deals using us as collateral…

…he's next head of his family. Marriage with the Haninozuka's strengthens his position….

'They're just spiteful words, I should ignore them. But… She was right about Mitsu-chan being first – could she be right about this a well?' Kaori managed a tremulous smile, "You're right. I'll do that." Except she knew she wouldn't. Convinced all was resolved, Mana gave her friend a hug and the two girls hurried to apologize for being late.

Taka: How were your make-up mid-terms?

Kaori smiled; every night around eight she'd receive an email. Simple questions – how was your day, what did you do – but it had become something she looked forward to every day.

Kaori: I passed! I miss you. :(

It had been two weeks since the Kendo championship

Taka: Good job. You needed to focus on your studies. I can end work by 3pm on Saturday if you are free.

Kaori: I'll be free :)

Taka: You've let me pick everything so far, what would you like to do?

Kaori: I'd like to cook you dinner, maybe you could come to my house?

Taka: Dinner with your family? I would like that.

Kaori: Come by at five. See you then. 3

Taka: I will see you Saturday.

'Maybe all he needs is some privacy. And some encouragement'

She'd started Friday and had continued preparations all afternoon Saturday; the key to a good meal was having everything come together smoothly right before you ate. 'Let's see - rice should be ready soon; I can keep it warm if needed. The tuna rolls, wombok salad, and pickled vegetables are done; everything else is ready for the final touches...' She took off her apron and did a quick once over in the bathroom; nice and simple tonight with a pink short-sleeved flare dress and black, opaque tights that blended in with the metal and loops of her brace. 'I think it looks good. I hope it looks kissable.' The doorbell rang and she took a deep breath. "Do your best," she told her reflection and went to let him in.

"Ojamashimasu," he greeted.

It didn't matter how many times she saw him, she still hadn't gotten used to just how handsome he was. Even dressed down in camouflage cargo pants and a black asymmetrical zippered hoodie he still took her breath away. The hoodie clung to his arms and chest and brushed against the muscles in his abdomen with every move; Kaori averted her eyes before any heat on her cheeks could betray the directions of her thoughts.

"Please come in," she welcomed.

Mori slipped off his silver down vest and hung it up; removing the DVD case he'd slid into an interior pocket. "I brought a movie for after dinner." He turned to offer it to her; as she drew close to take the movie from his hand a whiff of vanilla scented shampoo pulled at the edges of his control. The instinctive calming breaths he took only drew the scent in further. 'So close, I could just reach out and...' He stepped back just a bit and started to remove his shoes, but not before noting that her dress was the exact color of a ripe strawberry.

"You don't need to take your shoes off," she said indicating her own ballet flats, "I have to wear shoes anyway so…" Still fighting to return to a calm state he only nodded then followed her into the great room that served as a family living and dining area. The floor plan was typical of a Japanese style house but all seating was designed to accommodate someone who would have difficulty kneeling. Screens allowed the large room to be sectioned off into smaller ones if desired.

"Dinner can be ready when you're hungry. Would you like something to drink first?" she asked, her voice sounding more high-pitched than usual.

"Just some tea with dinner would be good."

"Are you sure, Papa has some beer or sake I could get you."

'Alcohol is definitely not a good idea tonight. Not with you looking and smelling like one of Mitsukuni's desserts.' He needed a buffer between them before he gave in to the temptation to abandon his plans to court her slowly. "I should greet your father."

"Papa's away on a business trip this weekend," she said airily

"Did he leave you here alone?" He wasn't quite sure if he felt concern or panic at the thought.

"No, my brothers are still in town."

A suspicion formed in the back of his mind and his eyes narrowed. "Where are they?"

"Oh, they usually have plans Saturday night."

He sighed, it wasn't her fault he had made assumptions but it put him in an awkward position. "Did you tell your family I was coming over?" The lack of any glowering future in-laws meant he didn't even need to hear her negative reply.

"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"It's not-" 'safe, wise, in any way a good idea' "-proper for me to be here without your father knowing."

"Does… does that mean you're going to leave?" She reached out and put a hand on his arm as if to stop him walking away. "I'm sorry, Takashi, I just didn't think about it." Her chocolate brown eyes were wide with pleading, tears of disappointment lurking in their depths.

He shouldn't stay, but he couldn't leave her alone without anyone to protect her nor could he bear the look on her face when she thought he would leave. He gave her hand a quick squeeze, and then pulled out his cell. "It's alright, I'll talk with him."

She smiled, "I'll go finish up dinner, then." The minute she was inside the kitchen she leaned her head back against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. 'I don't think he realized, but it's not like I said my family would be here. It isn't really a lie, right? Anyway, as long as Papa doesn't make him leave it should be good.'

She donned her apron and a hairband to keep the long locks out of her face while she worked. First was prepping the water for the tea and the soup, she flipped the burners to bring the two pans of water already on the stove to desired temperatures. Next she ignited her indoor charcoal grill to bring it to medium heat.

She'd just finished the udon noodles for the soup when Mori entered the kitchen and leaned on the wall next to the door, a smile tugging the corners of his lips. "Are you able to stay? If not I can pack this up for you…"

"It's fine. One of your brothers will be home by nine so you won't be alone."

"That's great!" She looked at him under lowered lashes, "I'm really sorry. I just wanted to cook you dinner."

Mori suppressed a groan, 'How could any man resist that?' He watched as she bustled around the kitchen, pouring water in a pot for the tea to steep before finishing off a miso broth and pouring it over ingredients waiting in bowls. An aromatic smoke from the chicken skewers and salmon fillets on the small grill was filling the kitchen. Mentally he moved forward a year in time and replaced her kitchen with his own; the image caused a possessive heat to curl along the back of his spine. He closed his eyes to cool his rebellious libido, but the images flickering behind his lids only made things worse.

When he reopened them, she was putting the finishing touches on two trays containing several small plates of food. He silently reached to grab one out of her hand and brought it out to the dining area before returning for the second while she took off her apron and made sure the kitchen would be easy to clean up later.

In the dining area, Kaori arranged the plates so they'd be seated across from each other. 'I hope it's enough. The recipes were for eight people, but that's regular folks – my brothers eat at least three times that each and they aren't nearly as big.' She'd put about four times the amount of food in his plates as in hers. Mori took the trays back to the kitchen then returned to assume his place.

"Itadakimasu" they chorused before diving in. Mori hesitantly reached for a bite of the salmon first. He'd had unpleasant experiences before with girls raised in houses filled with servants insisting that they cook him something, but he was prepared to stoically eat every last bite of the food mounded in front of him. One taste was enough to upend his plans; the salmon melted in his mouth like it had been made of butter. He eagerly reached for the miso soup to confirm; it was equally mouth-watering and, strangely, deeply comforting.

He could see Kaori watching him, chopsticks not even moving as she waited for his reaction. "It's delicious;" he said sincerely, "the soup is wonderful."

"Really?" She beamed, "I'm so glad you like it."

The taste of the soup was trying to trigger memories in the back of his mind. "It tastes familiar, who taught you?"

"The Obaa-chan from our home village who looked after me when my Mama died taught me how to cook. She left to go back when I was twelve and I've cooked for my family ever since."

"Ah. That's why. My mother was raised there, it tastes like her soup." Most of his peers had mothers who believed homemaking meant supervising servants and talking through a menu with a chef. His mother, however, had been very traditional when it came to taking care of her immediate family. Until her illness made it impossible almost every meal he'd eaten had been prepared by her hands.

"You never really talk about her, what was she like?"

He remembered dark hair and eyes like his own, a soft voice matched by an iron will, arms that would snake out to pull him into a hug and fingers that tickled him mercilessly when he protested he was getting too old for that. "Gentle, but strong." He had been ten when she had died after a long bought with cancer. "She was sick for as long as I can remember, but she always tried to live life to the fullest."

"I wish I could have met her."

"You would have liked her; she was a lot like you."

Kaori blushed under his warm gaze; she thought that was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her.

After dinner, he insisted on helping her with the dishes; drying and putting away while she washed. 'He doesn't act like this should be woman's work like my brothers. Maybe it's because he didn't have a mother or sister to do all of this.' She knew the Morinozuka's were wealthy enough for servants and retainers, but suspected that, like hers', they were the type of family to make sure children had responsibilities as well as privileges.

'Will he want our children to have chores?' She paused in the middle of scrubbing; her mind gripped by the image of a horde of little dark haired, onyx eyed children running around. 'Three. Three seems like a good number; at least to start.' His light nudge broke he daydream and she rinsed off the dish and handed it to him for drying. 'Maybe four.'

"I made some apple, pear, and green tea custards for dessert if you'd like."

It was tempting, but he'd already devoured everything she'd provided and barely resisted eating the leftovers she'd set aside for her brothers as well. "Maybe after the movie."

"What did you bring? I warn you, if it makes me cry again I'm going to pick the next one."

"I think it will be okay." He hadn't seen the film which Honey had recommended, but figured a time-travelling comedy in which an Edo-era Samurai meets and falls in love with a modern Tokyo divorcee and her son would please both of them.

He fiddled around with the Blu-ray player while she dimmed the lights and closed both sets of doors to the room. "So we can see better," she explained ingenuously when he gave her a questioning look. When he'd finished figuring out the entertainment system, he turned to find that she was already perched in the center of the large sofa facing the TV. He gave himself a firm admonishment to stay the course before settling as far on the right hand side of the sofa as was physically possible and starting the movie.

Kaori pretended to watch the movie for the first five minutes. 'We're alone in a dark room, what more do I have to do? If he likes me at all, this is the way to find out.' Slowly she began moving to her right, pretending to be simply making herself more comfortable. Eventually, she'd moved close enough that her right thigh brushed his. 'I wish it was my other leg or I wasn't wearing the brace. I hope the feel won't scare him off.' She stayed still for a minute before moving imperceptibly closer.

His right hand dug into the sofa arm when he'd realized the innocent little adjustments she made kept drawing her closer to him. He kept waiting for her to settle, but soon her right side was lightly pressing against his. 'Calm down; she isn't aware of what she's doing.' A ragged breath enveloped him in the scent of vanilla and he dug his fingernails into his palm. She rested her head lightly against his arm and he yielded, turning himself slightly so she fell against his chest. 'Cuddling, that's an okay next step for now, right?' As long as she stayed still he would be fine.

Kaori smiled and brought her hand up next to her face, laying it lightly on his chest. His arm moved to wrap behind her back and she felt his hand come to rest against her left arm. She breathed deep, feeling his warmth envelope her and listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. 'I could just stay like this, it should be enough." Except, it wasn't. Not really. Holding hands and even hugs like this were something you could do with a friend. 'I need to know if I'm more.' Instinctively, she began tracing lazy circles over his heart.

'I can't do this after all.' Capturing the hand playing havoc with all his best intentions, he gave it a gentle squeeze then stood up. "I need some water," he said gruffly and headed into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water; gulping it down the instant it was filled. 'Only six dates, not even three months – it's hasn't been enough time yet,' he reminded himself. Breathing in and out slowly in a mini-meditation he focused on accepting his desires and ordering them according to how he wished to proceed. 'I'm not a teenager to be controlled by this; I will keep it slow until I know she's sure.'

Kaori stared blankly at the TV screen, completely unmoved by the drama playing out on it. She heard the kitchen door open and Mori returned, ruffling her hair before sitting at the far left end of the sofa. 'Well, I wanted an answer and I guess I have it. I know he cares for me, but it can't be in the same way or he would…would…"

A small choking noise from the other end of the couch caused a chill to run down his spine. He tilted his head to check on her, only to have his worst fears confirmed. Silent tears were running down her cheeks and she was visibly struggling with the effort not to sob. He ran over the events of the evening in his mind, searching for something that might help understand the source of her distress. He tentatively moved closer and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Kaori?"

She shrugged off the hand. "It's…it's…okay…" she said between small gulps of air. "I'll tell Hani…Haninozuka-sama that I wo…won't...marry you. No one will bla…blame you and you ca…can still marry one of my cou…cousins."

A cold, gaping pit opened up in his chest. "You want to break off the engagement," he said flatly. He knew he should respect her wishes, he'd promised himself he would, but every instinct he had was screaming to grab her and tell her he would never let her go.

"Yes…No…I…" She closed her eyes and got a hold of her breathing. "If you do, it's okay."

Relief washed over him as he realized that somehow this was just a misunderstanding. He reached out, cradling her face in his hands and wiping away the tears with his thumbs. "I don't."

She looked into his eyes for confirmation, blinking back unspilled tears. "But you've never tried to….and we're engaged… and…" she trailed off in confusion; a crimson blush started at her cheeks and spread out over forehead, throat, and down her collarbone.

'I won't chuckle, no matter how cute she looks like that.' He worked on pulling together the words he wanted to say, hoping she'd allow him the time he needed. Observations were easy and advice was simple but the more complicated the thought, the more closely held the emotion, the harder it was to express himself clearly. "You're young," he said tentatively, knowing it was the kind of thing people felt hurt when you said, "Sheltered. The engagement happened too sudden; we should have had time first."

She waited so long to respond he thought he would need to say more. "Takashi, are you saying that you hold back because you think I'm too young to know how I feel?"

It didn't sound quite so noble when she put it that way, but he lowered his eyes and nodded – waiting for either the anger or tears he knew would come. She giggled. Then she giggled again until it escalated to a laugh which threatened to become a guffaw.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said as she calmed down. She scooted over next to him and laid her head on his shoulder again; he reached around to take her back in his arms. "Takashi, did you realize that there are a lot of really good-looking guys in my grade?" she queried. It wasn't something he had paid much attention to, but he definitely did not like the idea that she had. "Not only handsome but talented, wealthy, many of them are even very nice, some of them liked me too," she said teasingly, "and all of them were much less further away from me than you were. I knew it was impossible so I really did try to forget you and find someone else I could love." She turned into him, tucking herself up against his chest. "You weren't the only man I ever looked at, Morinozuka Takashi," she said softly, "you were just the only one I could never look away from."

He tightened his arms around her, feeling a mix of embarrassment and guilt. He'd made assumptions about her based on her age and not her character; he had forgotten how resolute she could be. His own insecurities had led him astray and had caused her to feel hurt and rejected. He dropped a light kiss to the top of her head. "I should have told you how I felt."

"I should have just asked you what you were thinking instead of getting all worried and jumping to conclusions. I'll try to do better next time if you do." She could feel his answering nod against her head.

"Kaori, may I kiss you."

"Oh, yes please!"

He chuckled, and turned so they faced each other; his arms clasped around her waist and her hands splayed against his chest and shoulders. With his left hand, he tilted her chin up and brushed his lips lightly against hers. As he drew back, her hands shot up to grasp the back of his neck and she pulled herself up towards him to continue the kiss with untutored enthusiasm.

He moved his hand to cup her cheek and forced his head back, breaking the kiss. He smiled smugly when she made a mewling plea of distress at the loss of contact. His thumb swept across her bottom lip until it parted slightly. Patiently, gently, he took control of the kiss demonstrating what he wanted until she followed his rhythm.

Kaori melted into the delicious warmth enveloping her. Pulling herself closer, as if to crawl into him, she inhaled deeply, breathing in his scent; it reminded her of fresh rain on an autumn day. 'I want more. I want to taste him.' When he parted his lips for another butterfly kiss she impulsively slipped her tongue into his mouth. He stilled, then gently sucked on it and circled it with his own. Shivering tingles joined the heat already curling in her belly. 'He tastes of pickles and green tea.' When she retreated, he followed – tracing his tongue along her lips in request before slipping inside. She mimicked his earlier actions, eliciting a groan from the back of his throat, and then shuddered at an abrupt loss of warmth and sensation. Opening her eyes she saw that he was once again sitting at the far end of the sofa.

He was projecting such an intensely guarded aura that it felt like there was an insurmountable wall between them running through the center of the sofa. 'Did I do something wrong?' She clasped her hands in horror to her mouth, 'Was I too forward? Does he hate me now?' The tears were prickling at the back of her eyes again. 'No. I just promised that if I didn't understand something, I'd ask.' "Takashi, are you mad at me?" she asked tremulously.

"No," he half-choked out a response, and then sighed as if about to perform a difficult task. His cheeks were beginning to look distinctly pink. "I promised I wouldn't do more until you graduate."

"Do more? I don't understa…" Kaori finished parsing that statement through her Takashi-to-Japanese translator, "Oh! Oh… ummm… I see…" The hue her face turned eclipsed his by at least a few shades, but she still couldn't suppress the very feminine and satisfied smile on her lips.

They sat miles apart in silence for about five minutes. "Takashi, do you think we can restart the movie? I have no idea what's going on." Kaori confessed.

He reached for the remote and smiled, he'd been about to say the same thing.

A/N: I stumbled across the movie they watched when looking for 'different' samurai films. It's Chonmage Purin (Eng: A Boy and His Samurai) and it is freakin' adorable. Basically a Samurai from 1829 travels to modern-day Tokyo, becomes the housekeeper for a divorcee and her insanely cute son, and finds his calling as a pastry chef. It's like the most perfect Honey/Mori movie ever made (Samurais, cute things, kendo practice, and strawberry shortcake – is there anything more suitable for the two of them?). Sadly, they only released it at film festivals in the U.S. I'm now officially a fan of the lead actor Ryo Nishikido.

Next chapter should be more fun, it's time for Kaori to meet the Host Club.