The Truth Is
Rui woke up to the sound of a phone alarm, feeling warmer and more well rested than she had in half a year. As she clawed her way out of sleep she remembered the previous night and a smile grew on her face as she realized she was waking up in Natsuo's arms and thought, "I've missed this... I'm glad I took Boss and Hina-nee's advice and talked things out with him. Today is going to be interesting."
With that she quickly reached over and found it was Natsuo's phone, and disabled the alarm as she checked the time – she sighed in relief when she saw how early it was: everyone had taken today off and nobody else would be up this early, she didn't want to get caught before they could explain to their parents. She jumped slightly when she heard a soft, "Good morning" from Natsuo.
She turned and smiled when she saw his still half asleep face and replied, "Good morning, did you set your alarm?"
Natsuo nodded as he let out a yawn before replying, "Yeah I woke up for bit after we fell asleep and realized you probably didn't bring yours. Wouldn't want to get found out before we can properly explain right?"
Rui nodded as she started getting dressed, planning to head downstairs and start making breakfast for everyone. "Thank you, I had so much on my mind last night that I forgot to bring mine to set an alarm –" she paused when she noticed Natsuo was staring at her and then asked, "What?"
Natsuo gave a giddy smile before responding with a simple statement, "You're beautiful."
Rui's face immediately turned bright red, not having expected the compliment and buried her face in her hands as she muttered, "Y-you enjoy embarrassing me too much. I'll get you for that."
"I look forward to it," Natsuo replied with a wink as Rui resumed getting dressed. He stretched, letting out another yawn as he asked, "Do you want me to give you a hand with breakfast?"
Rui thought for a moment before answering, "Not right away, you can take your time coming down, I'll do the prep-work and then you can help with the rest." She moved in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as she finished pulling her pajama shirt back on.
"If you insist, I defer to your expertise Chef Tachibana," Natsuo said while performing as much of an exaggerated bow as he could while still sitting on the bed.
Rui smiled again, feeling so much lighter than the previous day as she made her way to the bedroom door. After she left the room and quietly made her way to her room to get dressed for the day she let out a happy giggle as she remembered the final part of the conversation they had the previous night: after she was done with her training and came back to Japan she would be moving in with Natsuo, they weren't going to have to live apart or deny what they wanted anymore. After getting dressed she made her way downstairs and started taking stock of what ingredients were on hand, deciding on making omelets and miso soup, a simple but filling breakfast for everyone.
As she was finishing the initial prep-work Natsuo came downstairs and entered the kitchen while asking, "So what culinary masterpiece do you have planned for breakfast and how can I help?"
Rui giggled slightly at this before replying, "Well I don't know about 'masterpiece', but I was thinking omelets and miso soup. I'll take care of the omelets, can you handle the soup?"
"I've got it covered, I may not be a great cook overall, but miso I can handle," Natsuo replied cheerfully as he set to work with the ingredients Rui had already prepped.
As they worked in a comfortable silence, stealing glances at one another and trading smiles they heard a voice call out in a quiet tone, "Well, it looks like you two have made up... right?" They looked up and saw Hina approaching almost cautiously.
Rui smiled happily at her sister and replied, "Yeah, we talked things over last night. We're good now Hina-nee, thank you for your advice yesterday."
"Rui told me about the advice you gave her, and I need to thank you too Hina-nee. Things could have been much worse if you and Boss hadn't helped," Natsuo added gratefully.
Both of them were caught off guard as Hina let out an excited cheer and rushed forward, pulling both of them into a tight hug while saying with tears in her eyes, "I'm so glad you two figured it out! I couldn't stand watching the two of you suffering like that... I'm happy I was able to help. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything from me going forward!" As she finished speaking she began to sniffle as she held back happy tears.
Rui and Natsuo glanced at each other over the top of Hina's head and smiled as they returned her embrace while Rui replied, "Thank you Hina-nee, but you should keep it down a bit, it is still early you know."
Hina jumped back while covering her mouth with her hands and mumbled "Right! Mom and Fuji-san are still upstairs. I heard them talking as I passed the room so they'll be heading down soon, I just wanted to check on you two before then."
"Thank you again Hina-nee, we need to get back to making breakfast, could you start making the tea? The food will be ready soon, and like you said dad and Tsukiko-san will probably be coming downstairs soon," Natsuo said as he turned his focus back to the soup and Rui returned to the omelets lest they overcook.
Hina gave a salute as she replied, "I'm on it! I may not be able to cook well but tea is no problem. With you two handling the actual food I'm sure it will be delicious!" With that she cheerfully made her way over to the tea supplies to start brewing the morning tea for everyone.
As Rui finished plating the omelets they heard two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs and heard a male voice call out, "Oh my, something smells delicious down here!"
"It certainly does dear," a female voice responded as they moved closer. A moment later Akihito and Tsukiko rounded the corner and she continued, "Well look at you three, hard at work making breakfast are we?"
"Good morning you three, thank you for making breakfast," Akihito added as he smiled fondly.
"Good morning dad, Tsukiko-san. It was Rui's idea, and honestly she did most of the work prepping the ingredients and making the omelets. I did make the miso soup though, that's at least within my skill range," Natsuo stated while rubbing the back of his head.
Rui reached up and gave Natsuo a light smack on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Alright enough of that. You're a plenty good cook and you know it, don't put yourself down just because you're not a professional."
Everyone shared a brief laugh at this exchange before Tsukiko asked hesitantly, "And you helped too Hina?" Akihito also glanced in Hina's direction hesitantly at this question.
Hina gave a similar salute to the one she had given Natsuo before as she responded, "Don't worry, I left the actual cooking to Rui and Natsuo-kun. They had already started by the time I got down here, so I handled brewing the tea. I didn't want to risk ruining what they were making."
"Since it's my last day here, and I probably won't be back until we're done in New York, I wanted to make sure we have a good breakfast together to start the day off right," Rui chimed in as she started moving plated omelets from the kitchen to the dining table, "Hina-nee can you help bring these out and then bring the tea out?" Hina nodded in the affirmative as she carefully picked up the two remaining plates, Rui already expertly balancing the first three.
"Can we help at all?" Akihito asked as he watched Natsuo take the soup off the stove.
Natsuo didn't hesitate in his response, "Don't worry about it dad. You and Tsukiko-san take a seat, I'll bring the soup out, the bowls and utensils are already set up on the table." Natsuo smiled as his father and step-mother took their seats at the table, he had every intention of going out of his way to be helpful in any way he could today. Though he and Rui were resolved in their decision, he was still dreading the actual telling them the truth. He believed what he told Rui the night before, that in the end their parents would understand and be supportive of them, but he knew there would be initial waves to deal with that would rock the boat that was their family.
As he waited for the soup to cool slightly before moving it from the kitchen to the table, Hina came back in to get the tea itself, having already put cups out on the table while it was brewing. Hina nodded towards the dining room and gave Natsuo a wink before she left with the tea. Natsuo looked towards the dining area and smiled as he realized what Hina had been signaling: their parents were sitting side by side one side of the table, and as he watched Hina took the one end seat that had been set, directing Rui to take the side seat adjacent to her, she had arraigned it so he and Rui would be sitting side by side. His smile grew and thought, "Thanks Hina-nee."
He made his way out with the soup and placed it in the center of the table along side the teapot, and as he took his seat Rui met his gaze and gave him a loving smile, which he returned before spooning out the miso to everyone. After finishing he felt a nudge on his thigh and upon glancing down he saw Rui's hand resting there palm up, and took it in his hand without hesitating and gave it a light squeeze which Rui returned. They both needed it, a silent reminder that they are in this together.
As the meal progressed Tsukiko spoke up, "This is delicious you two. I know it isn't anything fancy, but this is the best breakfast we've had in a good while."
"I have to agree, I hadn't realized how spoiled we'd gotten by Rui's cooking until she was gone," Akihito added with a tearful smile, "It's nice to have everyone together again."
"Don't forget the miso soup! Natsuo-kun is also pretty good in the kitchen. Rui and Natsuo-kun are quite the duo aren't they?" Hina chimed in with a bright smile as she gestured toward the now blushing pair as they picked up on her double meaning.
"That they are," Tsukiko responded with a warm smile as Akihito nodded in agreeance as he took another sip of his soup. Before long all three were praising Rui and Natsuo's joint effort on breakfast, discussing what they liked about both dishes.
As they listened to their family discuss the food they had prepared Natsuo and Rui shared another loving glance with each other, holding hands beneath the table unseen by others, and both shared the same thought, "This feels right."
Later that day...
"You're going to tell mom and Fuji-san?!" Hina nearly shouted in surprise after Rui explained what she and Natsuo had decided the previous night. After breakfast they had plans for a family day out: for the afternoon they would go have lunch at L'Amant, go ice skating and then for dinner they were considering going to Tempo Felice for a big family dinner before Rui leaves the next morning. Rui had pulled Hina aside while they were on their way out of L'Amant while Natsuo lead their parents out.
"Hina-nee!" Rui snapped in exasperation as she looked frantically towards the door to see if her mother or Akihito had heard Hina's exclamation. When it became clear they hadn't she added, "That's the second time you've done that today! Be more careful please!"
Hina visibly deflated in embarrassment upon realizing that she was being scolded for the same thing just a few hours apart before she muttered, "I'm sorry... it's just big news."
"What's this now? You and Natsuo-chan are coming clean Rui-Rui?" Kobayashi asked excitedly as he sauntered over to the sisters.
Rui glanced back to the door again, the excuse she'd given was that she was using the restroom so she didn't want to take too long. She then replied with a nervous smile, "That's right Boss. I took the advice that you, and Hina-nee both gave me and talked things over with Natsuo last night. We're going to tell our parents today, and..." she paused as her smile grew more confident before continuing, "And once I'm back from overseas for good we're going to live together. No more hiding our relationship and having to be apart."
Kobayashi clapped his hands together in excitement as he cheered, "That's fantastic! I knew you two would get through it if you just talked it through, I'm glad I could help! If you two need anything at all once you're back you better not hesitate to ask me!"
"Don't worry, we will Boss. I honestly can't imagine a future where we all don't still come here to hash things out with you," Rui smiled gratefully as she turned and made her way towards the door.
As Hina made to follow her Kobayashi placed his hand on her shoulder and asked in a quiet, much more serious tone, "And are you okay? That's quite the revelation, isn't it?"
Hina paused and looked down for just a moment before turning to face him directly as she replied, "I am. I also told Rui that she and Natsuo needed to talk through their problems... I think she was considering breaking up with him. I couldn't bear to see them go through that pain. So I will support them. I will cheer them on and do anything I can to help. As long as they are happy... that will make me happy."
Kobayashi smiled sadly at her before patting her shoulder and saying, "If you say so dear. I hope you're right though, I know it can't be easy for to keep that smile on your face through all of this. Remember: you're welcome here anytime if you need to vent, same as them."
"Thank you Mari-san, I should get going before they start to wonder what's taking me so long. I'll stop by again soon for a drink or two!" Hina said cheerfully as she made her way to the door and exited the cafe.
Kobayashi watched her leave with a somber expression as he said to himself, "Poor girl... she's in for a world of hurt. I hope she can stay true to those words... for Natsuo-chan and Rui-Rui's sake..."
As Hina exited the cafe she almost ran into Rui, who had started back when she noticed Hina hadn't left with her, "Hina-nee? Everything okay?" she asked.
"Oh! Everything's okay! Mari-san was asking about something we talked about the last time I was here, nothing too important. Let's not keep the others waiting, we haven't gone ice skating in so long!" Hina replied with an excited, almost childlike smile. Rui nodded in agreement as they turned and walked to catch up to the rest of the family.
"Everything okay you two?" Tsukiko asked as they made it over to where they were waiting.
"Sorry, we got talking to Boss on our way out, just something he forgot to ask about when we were all eating," Rui replied.
Tsukiko smiled and said as they all started making their way to the station, "I see. He really seems like he cares a lot about all of you."
"He sure does, and you weren't exaggerating about his... flamboyancy," Akihito added with a chuckle. "How long did you say you've been coming here again?" he asked turning to Natsuo.
"Hmm... let me think," Natsuo paused as he thought back in it, "Well... I started coming here when Fumiya started working here so... right before 2nd year... About three years now. It's hard to believe it's been that long already. Rui ended up tagging along here with me one day after school and she got hooked on the place right away."
"That's right, I was still getting used to the area after we moved and I transferred schools, so Natsuo was showing me around and we stopped for a quick bite to eat. I can't ever imagine not coming here a few times a week anymore," Rui replied with a slight giggle.
"And you Hina?" Tsukiko asked.
"Oh me? I actually came here a few times before you and Fuji-san got married, but after we moved I became a regular pretty quickly," Hina replied happily.
"I can certainly see why. The food and drinks were great, it has an inviting atmosphere and friendly staff. Speaking of food, I know we just ate, but have we decided on what to do for dinner?" Akihito asked.
Rui replied after a moment of silence, "I like the idea of going to dad's restaurant for a family dinner. I actually haven't seen him or the other staff since I left, and it would be nice to say hello to them before I leave again."
"I second the idea! It's a perfect way to cap off Rui's vacation before we all have to go back to our everyday lives," Hina chimed in.
"That sounds good to me too, I haven't been there since you went to New York," Natsuo added with a nod.
Akihito nodded at the three before saying, "Well I guess that settles it then, Tempo Felice it is. Do you have any objections to that Tsukiko?"
"I don't, I think it's a great idea. Rui when you have a moment can you call your dad and let him know we'll be coming by around five?" Tsukiko asked as she turned slightly to Rui.
Rui nodded as she replied, "Yeah, once we're somewhere quieter I'll call the restaurant, he's probably already there helping with the prep for the dinner rush. But we better hurry or we're going to have to catch the next train." The last part add had been said with slight urgency as she checked the time on her phone. With that five hastily made their way to the proper platform to catch their train.
Shortly afterwards...
"Rui? Is everything okay?" Jou's voice came through the speaker, sounding as though he'd run to the phone.
Though Rui knew he couldn't see it, she cocked her head in confusion and asked, "Yeah? Why wouldn't it be?"
"Oh... when Tojo-san let me know you were calling she made it sound like it was urgent. So, what's going on, been having a good visit home I hope?" he asked with a knowing tilt to his voice at the end.
"My visit has been... eventful to say the least, but I'll fill you in later, I know you're busy prepping. I wanted to know if we could reserve a table for about five this evening? We're planning on coming by for dinner," Rui replied.
"Of course! That won't be an issue at all, that's pretty early on so the worst of the dinner rush won't be there yet. I'll let Tojo-san know so they can set one of the table aside for you all," Jou stated happily with a chuckle.
"Thanks dad, I'll let everyone know and – Oh wait, actually can you reserve the table for six people instead of five?" Rui hastily asked.
"Uh... yeah no problem. But who's the sixth?" Jou asked in a confused tone.
Rui smiled at her father's failing to put two and two together as she replied, "Well if you're not too busy I was thinking you could join us. You said so yourself that the worst of the dinner rush shouldn't be there at that time."
The smile could practically be felt through the phone as Jou responded, "I'd love to. I haven't actually had a chance to sit down and have a nice meal with everyone. They can get by without me helping in the kitchen for a few hours – and knowing their boss is one of the customers will make them pull out all stops I'd bet!"
Rui laughed at her father's cheerful exclamation, and knowing how panicked some of the kitchen staff would be as a result. "Thanks dad, I'll fill everyone in on the slight change in plans. Also, there's something I want your help with, but we can talk about that when we get there," she said gratefully.
"Got it. You have fun with the rest of your outing today, see you in a few hours!" Jou said in farewell.
"Bye dad," Rui said as she ended the call from her end. She then turned to walk into the skating facility and let out a loud "EEEP!" as she came face to face with Natsuo, who immediately began laughing at her reaction. Rui however, not being amused by this, turned bright red and began smacking him on the chest repeatedly while muttering, "You jerk! Why did you sneak up on me like that?!"
Natsuo continued to laugh as he caught Rui's wrists and replied, "I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to. I just wanted to sneak in a moment alone with you and didn't want to interrupt your conversation. I didn't except you to turn around so quickly, can I make it up to you?"
Rui looked down slightly, face still flushed and muttered a response that Natsuo couldn't quite hear. When asked to speak up Rui stated, "I'd like a hug..."
"Say no more," Natsuo replied as he pulled her into a tight embrace. As he felt Rui practically melt into the embrace he asked, "Worried about tonight?"
Rui nodded her head against Natsuo's chest before answering, "I am. That's part of the reason I asked dad if he'd join us for dinner, when we get there I'll let him know what the plan is. I think with both him and Hina-nee backing us up it will go a bit more smoothly... but I'm still worried."
Natsuo leaned down slightly, kissing the top of her head briefly before speaking, "I can't blame you. Hell, I'm terrified of how they'll react. But whatever happens, we do this together. Side by side. Right?"
Rui felt herself tear up slightly at this as she replied, "That's right. Together," she paused she moved her arms to return the embrace before adding quietly, "I love you."
"I love you too," Natsuo said as he tightened the embrace for just a moment before adding, "As much as I'd prefer to stay here like this with you, we should head in before someone comes looking for us."
With a sigh Rui reluctantly agreed before they separated and made their way to where everyone was waiting for them in order to rent skates for the afternoon and to get confirmation on the dinner plans.
A few hours later...
"Oh man... it's been forever since I've ice skated... my legs are going to be killing me tomorrow!" Akihito exclaimed as he joined Tsukiko on a bench overlooking the ice.
Tsukiko laughed while saying, "That's why I stopped only an hour in dear. It's been a while for me as well, and we're not as young as we used to be," she paused as she looked out and saw Hina skating circles around Rui and Natsuo, Rui skating backwards while holding Natsuo's hands to help him keep his balance. She then asked, "How long has it been now that you mention it?"
Akihito thought for a moment before replying, "It was before Jun got sick... so Natsuo was still just a kid. It's still hard to believe he's all grown up and in college now, and a published author at that! Sometimes I questioned if I was doing a good enough job raising him after we lost his mother... but I'm sure she'd be proud of the man he grew up to be."
"I'm sure she would be, you did an excellent job raising him," Tsukiko said gently as she placed her hand on his knee reassuringly. She then returned her gaze to three still skating and asked, "Have you noticed a difference in Natsuo and Rui today?"
Akihito turned his gaze out onto the ice as well and thought again before replying, "Hmm... now that you mention it they seemed a bit off yesterday, they barely said a word to each other and they definitely seemed a bit down. And I did think it was odd that he hadn't come by to see Rui-chan sooner than yesterday, since she was only back for a few days... maybe they got into an argument and patched things up?"
"That's probably it... I remember when we first started living together they seemed to butt heads a bit, but they've grown close since then," Tsukiko sighed before adding, "Seeing how well they worked together on breakfast this morning for everyone made me remember how much I cherish the time we all lived under that roof together, so much has happened in three short years. Rui's opened up a lot since then, she used to be so reserved closed off, now look at her." With this she pointed as Natsuo nearly lost his balance and Rui laughed as she helped him back into proper form.
"Hey! What are you two doing over here?!" Hina asked as she got off the ice and made her way over to them.
Akihito was the first to reply with a chuckle, "Well I'm not a young man anymore, and it's been a very long time since I've done this... I might have over did it a bit!"
"And I stopped a while ago, I could already tell if I went too long I'd regret it. But it looks like you were having too much fun to notice, eh Hina?" Tsukiko replied with a teasing smile.
"You got me! I forgot how much I like skating, but I am getting tired," Hina said with a sheepish smile. She then made her way over and sat on the other side of her mother and asked, "So what were you two talking about? I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."
"Ah, reflecting on the past mostly. Old people stuff – nothing for you to be worried about Hina-chan," Akihito responded jokingly.
Hina laughed shaking her head, "Now now, none of that you two! You're not 'old' yet. You've still got plenty of life ahead of you!"
All three shared a laugh at this exchange before Tsukiko turned to Hina and asked, "Hina, did Rui and Natsuo get into an argument or something? They seemed off yesterday, but now they're back to their normal selves."
"What? A-an argument? Rui and N-Natsuo-kun?" Hina replied shakily, earning her inquisitive looks before she continued, "Well... I guess you could say that... but it's okay, they worked things out."
"Any idea what it was about?" Tsukiko pressed.
Hina shook her head and answered resolutely, "Sorry mom, I'm not at liberty to tell you. Big sister's honor and all. It was just something they had to actually sit down and talk through with each other. Trust me, they're good now."
"Well that's good to hear, it would have been a shame if Rui-chan had left and they hadn't worked out whatever it was," Akihito stated as he checked the time. Once he had he added, "Ah, it's getting late, Hina-chan could you go let them know we'll have to leave soon to make the reservation?"
"I'm on it!" Hina exclaimed as she got up and returned to the ice to fetch Natsuo and Rui.
While they waited Tsukiko thought to herself, "They just needed to sit down and talk it through? When did they do that... last night? Rui went straight to her room after dinner, and Hina followed her right after, neither of them came back down before Akihito and I went to bed...Maybe Hina talked to Rui and then sat her and Natsuo down to patch up whatever they argued about?"
It wasn't long before Hina returned with Natsuo and Rui in tow, Rui still holding Natsuo's hands to help with balance until he got off the ice, and to Tsukiko it seemed she had been reluctant to let go even after he was off the ice, but she passed it off as concern since he had nearly fallen multiple times. The group quickly made their way out to return the skates and then head to the station.
At Tempo Felice...
"There they are! Good evening everyone!" Jou called out enthusiastically as he saw the group of five enter the restaurant and he made his way over to them.
Akihito approached and stuck his hand out for a handshake which Jou gladly returned, "It's good to see you again Mikimoto-san. Thanks for agreeing to join us for dinner tonight."
"Now now, no need to be so formal, just 'Jou' will do. Or 'Jou-san' if you insist on it," Jou replied in a mock scold.
Akihito laughed as he said, "Alright then, but then I insist that you call me 'Akihito'."
"Deal!" Jou replied as he turned his attention to Rui and said while he pulled Rui into a one arm hug around her shoulders, "And there's our rising culinary star! C'mere!"
Rui became a bit flustered at this and exclaimed, "Dad! Cut it out!"
Jou laughed at his daughter's embarrassment before adding, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit much in New York, I've a lot of things to care of over here. But I'll be able to make a few visits going forward," he paused as he reached out with his other arm and gave Natsuo a friendly shake on the shoulder and continued, "And Natsuo-kun, it's good to see you again! I hope you've been eating well, and you are welcome to come here even if Rui is overseas you know."
"It's good to see you too Mikimoto-san, and sorry about not stopping by; it's been a busy few months," Natsuo replied happily.
Jou laughed as he responded, "It certainly has! I gotta say I was impressed by your book, I knew from everything Rui had told me that you were talented but it was the best thing I've read in a while." Natsuo nodded in thanks, not wanting to talk about his current issue with writer's block.
Hina was the next to receive a warm welcome as Jou also pulled her an embrace, and then Tsukiko teased, "You're sure in a good mood Jou, did you by chance take a few sips of the cooking wine while doing the prep?"
Jou laughed again before answering, "Now Tsukiko, you know I'd never do something so unprofessional while working in the kitchen... I waited until the prep was done of course." This earned a chorus of laughter from the group as Jou lead them to the table he had reserved for them. When they arrived he explained, "This table is a little out of the way compared to the others, but still with a good view of the dining area. I figured it would be a good idea to give other customers some breathing room if we get a bit boisterous."
"That's a good idea dad, especially knowing us..." Hina trailed off in slight embarrassment.
As they took their seats Rui deposited her bag on the chair beside Natsuo and said, "I'm going to go say hi to everyone before getting settled, come with me dad?"
Jou, who'd been about to take the seat between Rui and Hina picked up on the hint quickly, Rui had mentioned she wanted his help with something, and clearly she didn't want to ask in front of the others for some reason. "Of course, when I told everyone you'd be coming for diner they were all very excited to see you again. If you'd all excuse us we'll be back in a few minutes." With that the two made their way towards the kitchen entrance, Rui glancing back for a moment and a receiving a reassuring smile from Natsuo.
As Tsukiko and Akihito took their seats on the opposite side of the table Tsukiko asked, "So you're a regular here too Natsuo?"
Natsuo shook his head as he answered, "I wouldn't say that. I got to know Mikimoto-san a bit back when Rui was staying here before the restaurant actually opened and I'd come check on her. And then whenever I'd walk Rui home when she had to work late sometimes I'd have to wait a bit for her and Mikimoto-san would offer to throw something together for me with the leftovers from the day instead of tossing them, and far be it from me to turn that offer down."
"With the quality of the food here you would have been a fool to turn that down!" Akihito laughed cheerfully.
Tsukiko laughed and nodded as she added, "I still can't thank you enough for looking out for Rui like that Natsuo. I'm still ashamed of how I acted back then, and you were there for her when I should have been. Again, thank you."
"Yes, thank you for that Natsuo-kun. I was so surprised to hear about everything that happened, I'm glad Rui had you during that time," Hina chimed in with a grateful smile.
Natsuo sent a mental "thank you" in Hina's direction, seeing what she was doing before responding to Tsukiko, "You don't have to thank me Tsukiko-san, Rui's important to me so I wanted to make sure she was okay, I'm sure she would've done the same for me if the situation was reversed. I'm just glad it all worked out in the end, and Rui's working hard on becoming the best chef she can be."
"That she is, I think we should do a toast to Rui-chan once we start eating. I know Natsuo and Rui-chan aren't twenty yet, but I think we can make a small exception for tonight," Akihito proposed to the table.
"That's sounds like a great idea, it's going to be a long time before we'll be able to have dinner like this again," Tsukiko agreed.
Hina nodded excitedly as she said, "I agree! Tonight is kind of a special occasion after all. One drink won't be bad."
Natsuo, knowing he has a low tolerance for alcohol, laughed nervously as he said, "Well... it is a good idea... just nothing too strong okay?" This resulted in the other three at the table sharing a good laugh at Natsuo's hesitance.
While this conversation was happening, Rui had greeted the kitchen staff and quickly caught up on a few recent events and shared a few details about the training overseas. On their way back Jou asked her, "So... what is it you need my help with Rui?"
Rui fidgeted before she hastily answered, "NatsuoandIaregoingtotellmomandFujisanthatwe'redating."
Jou stared blankly before he said, "Okay... I'm going to need to say that again. Take a breath and tell me what's going on."
Rui took a deep breath and lightly slapped her own face before speaking again, "Natsuo and I decided that we're going to tell mom and Fuji-san that we're dating. We've been hiding it from them for so long already, we can't keep it a secret anymore, it's not healthy for our relationship. We also decided that once I come back for good that we're going to start living together so we can actually start living as a real couple. Hina-nee knows too, and I was hoping that with you two backing us up it might make the conversation go a little better..."
Jou was silent for a moment before he smiled and hugged Rui lovingly while saying, "I'm glad you two are taking this step, I've been thinking you should for a long time. You have my support in this, you and Natsuo-kun have something special regardless of your awkward... circumstances. I don't know how much weight my opinion will carry in this, but you can count on me Rui."
Rui smiled happily as she returned the hug and replied, "Thanks dad, it really means a lot to us knowing you've got our backs."
They remained in silence for a few moments before Jou asked in a flat tone, "You know tonight's going to be a mess right?"
"Yes I know," Rui replied in an equally flat tone.
It wasn't much longer until Jou and Rui returned to the table, Rui apologizing as she took her seat between Natsuo and her father, "Sorry we took a little longer than expected. Everyone wanted to ask me about what it's like training overseas."
"It's okay dear, that's to be expected after all," Tsukiko replied, but saying nothing further as their server came up to the table after seeing the last two sit down.
The server informed them of the daily specials and recommendations along with the wine pairings for them as she handed them the menus to review, and to her credit kept her nervousness at the owner being one of the customers well contained. As the night progressed everyone was having a good time, telling stories, jokes, catching up on how those they hadn't seen had been doing.
After everyone had eaten about half of their main meals Akihito asked, "Jou, do you have a low strength wine that would go well with what everyone's meals were tonight?"
Surprised by the question, Jou paused while he looked around the table, taking note of what everyone had gotten before he replied, "Hmm... I think we have something that will work... yeah we do. Want me to have it brought over?"
"Yes, and six glasses as well," Akihito answered. Jou, once again quick to pick up on why, didn't ask for further elaboration as he waved the server over.
Rui on the other hand was confused and expressed as much, "Wait, six glasses? But Natsuo and I aren't twenty yet."
Hina leaned around their father to reply, "Don't worry Rui, we're making a small exception for you and Natsuo-kun tonight, one drink won't hurt."
Rui thought about it for a moment before agreeing, "I guess that's okay... is that why you requested a weaker strength wine Fuji-san? Because Natsuo can't hold his alcohol?"
Natsuo's indignant "Hey!" was ignored as Akihito replied with a laugh, "That's right. Can't have him getting drunk after all."
Within a few minutes the server had brought the requested wine and poured a glass for everyone, and once everyone had their glasses set Akihito raised his glass and said, "I'd like to propose a toast to Rui-chan. She's working so hard, even going overseas for high level on the job training, to achieve her dream. We're so proud of you. To Rui!"
Everyone else at the table, excluding Rui herself, mirrored Akihito's gesture in raising their glasses and echoed, "To Rui!". And Rui, as the subject of this surprise toast, was staring holes in her plate while her face turned redder than they had seen it before.
She felt a nudge on her shoulder and looked up to see Natsuo offering her a supportive smile, and she couldn't help but give a smile in return. Natsuo gestured to her glass which she then picked up, clinked it with his before they both clinked their glasses with the others being held out over the table before everyone took a simultaneous a drink.
"Thank you everyone, it helps a lot being so far away knowing you're all cheering for me," Rui replied happily she gazed around the table at everyone. Seeing their smiling faces she thought to herself, "I sometimes forget how lucky I am to so many people who care about me... not just this family, but all the friends I've made over the last few years," her gaze lingered on Natsuo as her thoughts continued, "And I owe that to you, I never would have come so far without you Natsuo. Now's the time." Before anyone could resume conversation she spoke again, "There's actually something that needs to be discussed though."
This got everyone's attention of course. Natsuo, Hina and Jou knew immediately what she meant, and ran through their mental preparations one last time for what was about to come. Tsukiko and Akihito however were confused and immediately worried, both asking if there was something wrong or bad happening.
Rui shook her head at their questions and began to reply, "No, it's nothing like that. But... the truth is..." she trailed of nervously. Rui reached over to the hand Natsuo was resting on the table and took hold of it, squeezing tightly, needing to feel his support.
Understanding what Rui wanted, Natsuo returned the squeeze of the hand and shifted his gaze to the confused and worried faces of his father and Tsukiko-san and said, "The truth is... Rui and I are in a relationship. We've been dating since autumn of the year before last."
Author Note: This chapter ended up being larger than I initially thought, so I decided to split it up into two chapters. I apologize for the "cliffhanger".
