Spring Part 15: Walking Paths

A/N: And here is the end. I really enjoyed writing it and hope you enjoyed it too. It was definitely a long journey I know, but given the family relationships between the Sohmas, it couldn't have been anything else. So I give you, the end of House Room 3.

As always, I do not own Fruits Basket

Chris Comes to Dinner

The next day, I went with Gure to the compound. We received several happy smiles, a few blank faces and one or two frowns. Kureno passed by and gave us a thumbs up as we walked hand and hand to his house. I was welcomed in with warmth. And while they were somewhat hesitant at first, we relaxed after some time. Yuki complimented my shamisen playing, Tohru offered me cooking lessons and Kyo cracked jokes about how it was great that I had restaurants on speed dial and told me sordid tales of Gure's early attempts at housekeeping. Overall it was a great success.

While I asked if I could help to clean up we were shooed out of the house to enjoy a lovely walk in the gardens. I looked at Gure and asked him how he thought it went.

He turned to me, kissed my hands, and said,

"Welcome to my family."

Gure Is Happy

When we had reached a particularly secluded part of the grounds, I drew Chris down beside me and kissed him. I then said,

"I'm so glad that went well."

He smiled and said,

"Me too. Do you feel better?"

"Yes, it's amazing. Ever since you talked to me last night I've felt so much better. Where did you learn that technique?"

He paused a bit and said,

"Well, I could tell you I learned the technique from a snake charmer in the back steers of Cairo or I could tell you a Nepalese monk imparted his knowledge to me in a temple in Kathmandu. But while those would all be fascinating stories the truth is, Aya was kind enough to help me get over my stage fright that way."

"Aya! I thought so! I'll have to thank him for that."

I thought back to that strange two days and decided that it was best to say,

"Yes. I really am quite thankful for that."

He looked at my face, and saw the bit of confusion that had entered my eyes, thought about something and finally said,

"Aya's a bit of a snake charmer himself. One of these days I'll tell you the whole story. But for now, let's leave it that I'm glad everything turned out ok."

I knew things were being talked around, but I figured Gure would tell me when he was ready.

I walked with him to my car, expecting to have to say goodbye to him on his doorstop. But Eichi stopped us, saying,

"Take the weekend off. But you'll owe me."

"What could I possibly give you that you don't already get from the family?"

"You can be my wingmen. I'd like to go out with you two sometime."

I smiled at him with an eyebrow crooked but he said,

"No. It's nothing like that. It's just that, well I know I'd have more of a shot going out with you two because you'll draw women to you but I wouldn't have to worry about you competing with me."

I opened my mouth and Chris put a silencing finger to my lips, saying,

"You're absolutely right. We'd love to go out with you sometime."

"We should drag Tori and Mayu with us. They seem like they could use a night out."

I laughed, thinking about Tori and Mayu at a club. It was hilarious.

He smiled and left.

I turned to Chris and said,

"Apparently I have another baby bird that needs to learn to fly."

Chris Welcomes Gure Home

Gure was the most relaxed I'd seen him in a while. The Hanami had been weighing heavily on him, and its success clearly made things so much easier to carry. After we returned to my apartment, he relaxed languidly on my bed, looking up at me It was the golden hour and the setting sun softly highlighted the lighter strands of his hair with its fire. I was simply transfixed. He attempted to pull me down beside him, but I kissed his hand and asked him to stay exactly where he was, He complied but he looked back with me with a crooked eyebrow and smile saying,

"Oh, we're in an artsy mood."

He knew exactly where I was going as I was sure he had done similarly, but with a different medium. Picking up my camera, I captured the ephemeral moment. I then sat beside him and said,

"You simply glow."

He whispered,

"The sun would highlight my bare skin even more."

"Didn't you just get your sketchbook back from the tabloids?"

He chuckled and said,

"You're right of course. Well, you're losing the light anyway. But there's enough left to take me in at my best advantage and worship me."

I chuckled. Gure was back to his old self. Although, he sounded a little more like Aya at that moment, which made me wonder. Although I soon abandoned that train of thought as he then proceeded to remove his kimono. It was always such a sensuous act, even when he wasn't trying to be sensual. He had the innate grace of a dancer and even the simple task of getting ready for bed was a scene right out of an Ukiyo-e print. And at that moment he was definitely trying. His toned body emerged slowly from the folds of fabric and I began kissing every part of him as he revealed himself to me. Layer after layer of fabric was unwrapped, leaving him standing before me completely nude in the fading golden light. He was beautiful. My mind flashed momentarily to another beautiful man, but those thoughts flew away when he kissed me.

We were soon tangled together taking pleasure in each other. He was especially affectionate that night, and quite playful. When his teeth raked my neck I had to remind him of the rules not to bite me above my collar line when I was working, He gave me such a baleful look that I was reminded of a scolded puppy. I hugged him and he was all smiles again.

We then relaxed together on the bed. Taking me into his arms he said,

"You know; I've been thinking about us a lot lately. And when you went off somewhere to do whatever it was you did that somehow included Aya, I came to a conclusion."

I felt a bit nervous at this remark, as this was the first time he had ever mentioned that night directly other than to ask how it went. But fortunately he didn't seem to notice my pause when I said,

"Really?"

"Yes I have. And what I've concluded is this: We should go and get partnership certificates at the Prefecture office. That would give us some rights legally, although not many. It's not marriage, but it's something. And I think it would be a good idea as it will give us a bit of legitimacy."

I wasn't expecting his answer so I quipped,

"That has to be one of the least romantic proposals ever Gure. Was that a proposal?"

"Well, I can guarantee what Tori went through yesterday to get to his proposal was even less romantic. Face it Chris. Everyone has their eyes on Tori and Aya. They're going to bring the next generation of Sohmas into the family. We can adopt, but our chick wouldn't be a blood Sohma, and the elder vampires care a lot about blood. It's kinda scary. And as we saw at the Hanami, we're better off than we were before. There may be a bit of a squabble over my trust fund; And Tori will still have to give you permission to see me if I get hurt; And we should probably go and talk to Kureno when we're ready, he may be able to do something for us. I think there is an old practice of adult adoption that I think might be a work around. But I really would like to take that step as it will provide us some rights as a couple. So, I will repeat it for those in the back of the class, Chris, will you take the partnership oath with me?"

I looked at him in wonder. Why hadn't t thought of that? It was likely because I hadn't even considered the possibility of marriage for myself. While I could have gotten married in New York, I was in Japan by the time it was legalized in 2011, and I really hadn't had anyone like Gure at that time. And my first years in Japan were shrouded in sadness. When I really considered what he actually said in his proposal, I found that it was actually quite sweet. For while it was certainly pragmatic, the sentiment behind it was touching. Gure was telling me he wanted to remain by my side in sickness or in health.

He then added softly,

"I would even ask my baby birds if they wouldn't mind if my partner comes to stay."

So I looked into those soft gray eyes and I said,

"Yes. Yes I will absolutely take the oath when that time comes Gure."

We then kissed each other. And in that tender moment, I thought I felt spectral bands wrap around us pulling us even closer.

And as we drifted off Gure whispered to me,

"I'll even give you a sock drawer. Although I should probably give you a bit more than that as I don't think black tailored suits don't really go into drawers do they?"

I kissed his forehead, loving him for all his zaniness.

Mayu is Happy

The next week brought Kana's gender reveal. The bright sunny day was perfect for such a happy occasion. Standing in her parent's yard, Kana and her husband walked to the cake and cut a slice out. The cake inside was pink. We all cheered and felt genuinely happy for them. Walking over to us, she held both of our hands and said,

"We couldn't choose between your names, so our baby will be named Tori May."

I smiled as she had chosen her nickname for me as her babies' middle name. We were both overjoyed for her and we hugged her tightly. She then moved on to greet other guests.

I looked at Tori, and he appeared to be experiencing complicated emotions. I knew it would be a bittersweet moment for him so I gave him the space to process. He finally said, "That's a beautiful gesture."

I smiled at him and said, "Just think, that could be us."

His eyes grew soft and his smile sweet and he whispered,

"I hope it will be."

I smiled back and asked,

"So who would be our lucky namesake?"

"I think if we named our baby after one of them, the other would become jealous and say we didn't love them as much. And unfortunately their nicknames don't lend themselves to Kana's solution so I think it would be best to give them their own name. Or name them after us."

I continued to think about Aya and Gure. Our child would have a very interesting childhood growing up with their uncles Aya and Gure. At least Chris and Mine were reliable.

Tori seemed to be thinking the same thing when he said,

"We might want to make sure that Chris and Mine are home when they babysit. Although I will admit Gure has become a fairly good father in the last few years."

I smiled at him and said,

"You'll be a wonderful father."

He beamed at me as those were the words he most needed to hear at that moment. "I'll do my best."

"You always do."

Aya Makes His Proposal Official

We had all slipped back into our daily patterns after the Hanami. It was amazing how normal things became after those crazy days. We all had stepped further on the road towards finding our bliss; And on one bright spring day, Mine and I stepped further along that path. I had managed to be a sneaky snake and snuck out on my own to a jeweler. Offering to get lunch while she minded the store, I made my way downtown. Going through case after case I couldn't find a ring that matched the beauty of the simple hair ornament. I had brought another of the set of hair ornaments for a reference point and was growing frustrated as I couldn't match it. I wondered how mere cut glass could rival real stones. Finally, as I was about to give up, the thought came to me: commission a custom ring. Walking to the jeweler's counter, I asked if he could create a diamond ring that resembled the tiny cherry blossom ornament. Being a commensurate artist, he sketched a beautiful design that captured its simple beauty in precious stones and gold. I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for. I immediately said yes, and after a few weeks past, I walked with Mine to our weeping cherry tree with a small box in my pocket. As I felt no need to repeat the ritual, I simply sat on the bench, pulled Mine to my lap, took her hand in mind, slid the hair ornament into her hair and replaced it with the precious ring. She held me close saying,

"It's perfect!"

As it was early morning, I was reasonably sure that we were alone. The weeping cherry tree stood in the middle of the grove, far away from the paths and its long branches stretched to the ground. So I laid my cherry blossom princess on the soft grass, pushed aside restricting materials, and made love to her in our magical place I was breathless when we finished. I truly felt like I had been transported into another world. The light of the lanterns that hung in nearby trees made shadows dance around us and the early morning mist swirled about. It was chilly, but I didn't want to break the spell. Seeing her shiver, I pulled her closer and whispered,

"I love you Mine."

"I love you Aya."

And, after a time, the sun rose, breaking the spell. We returned to the world that, while seemingly the same, felt completely transformed. I had all faith that we would follow Tori and Mayu soon after they took their steps into married life. She looked at me, and I knew she felt the same.

We then went home, knowing Mine had been fully welcomed into our circle. And while I wasn't sure if we would make our home in my house on the compound or in our tiny bower above the shop, or another home yet to be discovered, I knew that wherever we were together we'd be home.

Epilogue: Gure Continues His Tale

Our picture is nearly complete. The connective threads are strong and the missing threads are nearly all in place. We have come to understand that over time those threads will weave together and pull apart. And sometimes it is up to us to put the crucial knots into those slipping threads to keep them from slipping away forever. But with time and care that tapestry will remain to tell our tell our story long after we have gone.

But Shigure you may ask! The couples have pledged their love, but have yet to walk down that aisle that couples stride on their way to eternity. When will they take that final step? And where are the children I have promised? I beg your patience once again! We have come so far, and the ties that bind have stretched far beyond their original span giving others room to breath. And while their voices are very faint, I can hear the Fates begin to sing as they spin those final strands together.

A/N: Well that is the end of my tale- for now. There will be one more tale called House Room 3: Different Seasons that will follow our favorite couples through the rest of the year. It will be a little while longer before I get to that story however, as I have some research to do for the festivals that will be described during this story. I really hope you have enjoyed this story, and if you have suggestions do tell me as I always welcome constructive criticism. Please R and R and as always I remain, Acta!