The Reason For Her Smile

Morning of February 15th...

Natsuo gradually woke up; first being aware of the sounds of city hustle and bustle from outside, next came a small amount of sunlight leaking through the curtains of the bedroom landing on his face, and then the feeling of warmth from having Rui coiled around him in her sleep. As he opened his eyes he looked down and smiled at the sight: Rui's head rested on the left side his chest, one arm tucked up under her while the other extended over his chest with her hand resting on his right shoulder and both her legs were wrapped around his left leg. In short: he would not be moving until she let him.

Natsuo managed to move his left arm in order to wrap it around her, pulling her slightly closer as a result. In response Rui let out a sound Natsuo would later describe as a "mew" as she unconsciously snuggled closer, her hold tightening slightly. He slowly craned his neck down in order to kiss the top of her head before resting back on the pillow to enjoy the feeling of having her this close.

After a moment he reached over with his free hand to retrieve his phone from the nightstand, neither had set an alarm for today. Seeing the time he thought, "It's still pretty early, I'll let her sleep a bit longer. She was already pretty tired, and we were... up kind of late."

As images of the previous night flashed through his mind, Natsuo started checking notifications and news alerts in order to distract himself. After ten or so minutes of this Natsuo heard a soft groan come from Rui, and chuckled when he look down and saw her looking up with half open eyes and said, "Good morning."

Instead of responding verbally, Rui shifted so that she was straddling Natsuo before taking his face in her hands and pulling him in for kiss. This kiss was fairly tame compared to the ones from the previous night, but no less loving. As she ended the kiss Rui laid down atop Natsuo, head tucked up under his chin and happily said, "It wasn't a dream, you're really here."

Having dropped his phone to the side during the kiss, Natsuo brought both arms up to hold Rui: one hand on her head to run his fingers through her hair, the other around her lower back with his hand on her hip. Feeling Rui melt against him in this embrace he smiled and replied, "I am."

"Last night was so perfect... I thought it must have been a dream. I'm glad I was wrong," Rui said softly as she traced shapes mindlessly on Natsuo's chest. After a moment she added, "I hope you don't mind staying like this for a bit..."

"Of course not. I can't think of a better way to start the day," Natsuo replied before kissing her forehead softly.

Rui giggled happily before tilting her head up and kissing him on the cheek and said, "Good. Because I'm very comfortable right now."

"I am too, I love holding you like this," Natsuo said in return and he squeezed tighter for a moment, causing Rui to giggle happily again as she nuzzled her face against his neck.

As they remained cuddled, Natsuo became increasingly aware of the feeling of Rui's naked body against his, and though he tried to keep his body from reacting Rui soon spoke up in a teasing, "Well, someone's heart is beating faster. Why's that?"

Natsuo chuckled softly at having been found out as he answered, "Oh I'm pretty sure you know the reason why. Sorry to spoil the mood."

Rui pushed herself up with her arms until she was able to sit up fully, as a result straddling Natsuo and giving Natsuo a clear view of her as she said, "Don't worry about it, I love that I have this affect on you." She then leaned forward and gave him another kiss, this one with a hunger behind it.

Just as Natsuo started to return the fervor and felt himself about to give in to his impulses, Rui broke the kiss and hopped out of bed, with a purposeful sway of her hips as she walked over to her dresser. "That was mean..." Natsuo muttered as he watched her start to get clothes for the day.

"Well... I thought since you made me dinner last night that I'd make us breakfast. Plus you do still have to get those petals out of..." Rui replied cheerfully but trailed off as he turned her head towards Natsuo and saw him staring intently in her direction. After a moment she asked, "What is it?"

"You have a cute butt," Natsuo replied shortly with a smile.

Rui quickly turned her face away to hide the blush that formed as she muttered, "I guess that's what I get for teasing you..."

"You're right though, I do need to fish those petals out, drain the tub and give it a rinse after letting sit all night," Natsuo said as he climbed out of bed and went to his bag to get clothes for the day as well and started getting dressed.

As Rui finished getting dressed she replied, "By the time you finish with that I should have breakfast ready. Something filling to energize us for the day."

"Energize us? Big plans for today?" Natsuo asked as he finished pulling his shirt on over his head.

Rui smiled as she answered, "Well since I have today off, if you don't mind, I'd like to show you around and while we're out we can go to the restaurant so you can see it and try the food."

"That sounds great, it's a date," Natsuo said as he walked up to Rui and gave her a quick kiss, which she gladly returned. As they parted and he started down the hall Natsuo added, "Time to get that tub cleaned out."

Rui smiled as she watched him walk away as she thought, "This is what it will be like once I get back to Japan... and I can't wait." With that thought she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen, hearing a quiet splashing as Natsuo started fishing the rose petals out of the water. Once in the kitchen she took stock of what was available to make breakfast and found that Natsuo had purchased enough ingredients to make a few Japanese dishes that he was comfortable with; but Rui decided to make him a classic American breakfast. She also took note on how much tiramisu was left, she was planning on enjoying that later.

Rui set about cooking their breakfast, and within about twenty minutes it was nearing completion when Natsuo walked in, smelling the food and saying, "That smells delicious, what is it?"

"I decided to make to make the classic American breakfast: sunny side up eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and hashbrowns," Rui answered with a smirk as she expertly adjusted the various food items taking up three pans.

"That all sounds great.. what are hashbrowns exactly?" Natsuo asked as he sounded out the unfamiliar English word.

Rui waved him over as she explained, "They're diced up potatoes that are then pan seared with vegetable oil or butter, kind of like stir fry."

As Natsuo looked over her shoulder he saw what she meant, and now the smell was even more appetizing. "Got it, I can't wait to try it. Do you need any help?" he offered, seeing working the pans of potatoes, eggs and the meats.

"This is pretty much done, but if you could make the toast that'll save a little time," she replied as she gestured towards the counter where she'd placed the bread and a jar of jam near the toaster.

"I'm on it," Natsuo stated as he made his way over to complete his assigned task.

Within a few minutes the two were seated at the table, full plates and cups of coffee in front of them, Rui eagerly waiting for Natsuo try the food first. The first thing he did was scoop up a good size portion of the hashbrowns and chewed slowly before swallowing.

"What do you think?" Rui asked with a smile.

Natsuo thought for a moment before grinning and replying, "They're great. Just the right amount of searing to give it a crunch but still staying soft, and it brings out the potato's flavor. It's definitely a heavier breakfast than in Japan, but they know their stuff here."

"I'm glad you like them. It took me a while to get used to the 'every day' foods when I got here. I still make Japanese dishes a few times a week, but it can be tough since the quality of the ingredients isn't always the same as back home. I usually stick to a lighter breakfast, but since you're here I decided to indulge a bit," Rui replied in between her own bites of food and sips of coffee.

Natsuo, who had dug in while Rui spoke nodded before replying, "Well you won't hear any complains from me, it's all delicious. Maybe not every day, but I certainly wouldn't mind this every now and then."

"Oh? Is that a request for when I'm back home with you?" Rui asked with a teasing smile.

Natsuo fidgeted for a moment before answering, "You don't have to do all the cooking. I'm sure I can manage this... with a little practice."

Rui laughed in response before saying, "I'm sure you could, especially after learning dad's tiramisu recipe."

As the two continued their breakfast they discussed where they'd be going throughout the day, Rui taking note of how long it would take to get from place to place. They eventually settled on the plan to stop by a bookstore Rui had frequented, take a walk through a section of Central Park, stop by the restaurant for lunch, visit a nearby shopping center so souvenirs could be bought for the family, catch a movie and then cap the night off at the apartment; Natsuo insisting that he make her dinner again.

With their plan set the couple gave everything a rinse, added them to the dishwasher and started it up before heading out for the day.


Lunchtime...

"It's too bad all of the trees are barren right now, the park looks much better when it's not winter," Rui said in an apologetic tone as they entered the restaurant.

Natsuo shook his head as he replied, "I remember the pictures you sent, it's still beautiful in a different way for winter though. Maybe I'll have to visit again in a different season."

Rui nodded rapidly at this as she waved to the hostess who asked her in English, "Tachibana? I thought you had today off?"

Also speaking in English, Rui responded, "I do. My boyfriend surprised me with a visit so I'm showing him around. Are there any tables open for lunch Rachel?"

"Oh! This is the famous boyfriend of yours I've heard Daniella talking about?" the hostess, Rachel asked in excitement.

Rui smiled as she replied to her while gesturing to Natsuo, "Yes. This is my boyfriend, Natsuo Fuji." After this she switched to Japanese and spoke to Natsuo, "Natsuo this is one of the hostesses, her name is Rachel."

Natsuo nodded and then bowed his head slightly while speaking in English, "Nice to meet you Rachel, I'm Natsuo."

"It's nice to meet you too Natsuo, your English is good. Let me show you two to a table, the lunch rush is winding down so there's plenty," Rachel said happily as she started leading them further in to the restaurant. Once they arrived she placed two menus on the table and said, "Your server will be over shortly to get your drink orders, take your time and enjoy!"

As they reviewed the menus Rui checked, "Anything on there you don't know?"

Natsuo smiled as he replied, "A bit. English I'm okay with... Italian is another story. I know the more common stuff, but some of this is completely over my head."

Rui smiled warmly as she scooted over to help Natsuo with the menu and make recommendations, and before long they had placed their drink and food orders, their server having a similar reaction as the hostess upon meeting Natsuo.

Natsuo laughed as said, "I didn't realize I was so famous over here."

Rui blushed slightly as she replied, "You can thank Daniella for that. When I told her about you getting your book published she told anybody that would listen. It wasn't long before you became the center of a few rumors around here, some people even asked if you were real, showing them a few of our pictures together put a stop to that."

"Daniella's a great friend, she really helped me out too. I'm glad you've got someone like her here," Natsuo said as he thought back on how Daniella had helped the last few days.

"She the best, I don't know how I would've adjusted so well without her," Rui agreed with a smile.

Before either could say anything else a male voice called out, "Tachibana?"

They both turned and saw a Japanese man about their age approaching, Natsuo didn't recognize him but assumed he must be one of the other trainees that came over with Rui. Rui however greeted him kindly, "Kajita, isn't today your day off?"

Natsuo sat up a little straighter at the name "Kajita" as he arrived at the table and answered Rui's question, "It is, but I decided to stop by and discuss an idea I had," he paused as his eyes widened slightly before turning towards Natsuo and bowed his head slightly, "Sorry, my name is Kajita Tokiya. Would I be correct in assuming you are Fuji-san?"

Natsuo nodded before extending his hand and replying, "Yes, I'm Fuji Natsuo. I've heard a lot about you Kajita-san. It's nice to get a chance to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine Fuji-san. I had the chance to read your book recently, I'm ashamed to say I was skeptical before, but I saw for myself that everything Tachibana has said about you is correct. I thoroughly enjoyed it," Tokiya said, maintaining his normal stoicism and shaking Natsuo's hand.

Natsuo smiled gratefully, "I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. As much as I love writing what's really important to me is that others enjoy what I write."

Tokiya let a genuine smile form at this, Natsuo's mindset mirroring his own in regards to cooking, as he replied, "That's a wonderful mindset Fuji-san. Tachibana told us you've been suffering from writer's block, I hope that you are able to overcome it. I look forward to your next piece of work."

"Thanks Kajita-san, I'm sure something will light the spark again sooner or later," Natsuo said wholeheartedly.

Tokiya nodded in response, before addressing both, "I see you're here for lunch, forgive me for intruding. Have a good day, both of you."

"You have a good day Kajita, I'm on the lunch shift tomorrow. I'll see you then," Rui replied as he started to turn away.

"Yes, you have a good day too Kajita-san. Once again it was nice to meet you," Natsuo said with a friendly wave.

After Tokiya had left, Rui turned to Natsuo and said, "See? I knew you two could get along."

Natsuo chuckled slightly before replying, "You weren't exaggerating about him, he does remind me of how you used to be: very stand-offish."

Rui pouted while she reached over and swatted his arm playfully as she said, "Hey! I know I was little awkward... but stand-offish? I don't think I was that bad..." She trailed off as she noticed Natsuo still chuckling and then muttered, "Was I?"

Natsuo reached over and put his hand on her shoulder as he replied, "I'm kidding. You were pretty awkward, stoic and blunt. But I know it wasn't meant to be stand-offish. Thinking back on it you were cute in your own way. You've really come a long way since then."

Rui smiled at this as she said, "I have, and I have you to thank for that. I'm lucky to have you."

Natsuo shifted his hand to hers and held it tightly, which she gladly reciprocated, "I have to disagree on one thing: I'm the lucky one."

Rui looked around quickly, not wanting to give anyone ammunition for workplace teasing, before she quickly leaned over and pulled Natsuo in for a brief kiss before saying with a laugh, "I think I can agree with that."

The couple shared a wholehearted laugh before their lunch arrived. The meal progressed with only a few interruptions as various staff members came out to confirm Natsuo's existence for themselves. They ended up staying a bit longer than planned due to Daniella coming in, having been messaged by a coworker, and insisted on taking multiple pictures of the couple to remember the occasion, which drew a bit of an audience from the staff as they were now in the lull between lunch and dinner.

"Just a few more!" Daniella insisted as the couple tried to get out the door.

Rui groaned as she tried to hide behind Natsuo, which Daniella quickly snapped a picture of, and said, "Daniella... I think you've taken over two dozen already. I appreciate it, but we need to get going or we're going to be late."

This caught Daniella's attention and she asked, "Oh? And where are you two off to now?"

"We're going to see a movie later, but we're going souvenir shopping first," Rui replied while slowly inching towards the door, holding Natsuo's hand so he'd follow her lead.

Natsuo nodded, having caught the gist of what was said and added, "I promised my family I'd bring them something, won't have time other than today."

Daniella smiled at the couple before relenting, "Alright then. You two get going, and have fun! Rui I'll send you these pictures so you can both have them!"

As they made their way down the street, Natsuo and Rui laughed at Daniella's antics before Rui apologized, "Sorry about that, I didn't expect her to make such a spectacle out of taking our picture."

"No need to apologize, I'm looking forward to seeing them. Especially that last one," Natsuo replied with a laugh. Rui just squeezed his hand and mumbled to herself in response to this so Natsuo followed up by asking, "I'm pretty sure I know what to get dad, any ideas for Tsukiko-san and Hina-nee?"

Without missing a beat Rui immediately responded in a deadpan tone with "Get Hina-nee an "I Love NY" shirt."

Natsuo chuckled at this before agreeing, "You're right, that's exactly what we should get for her!" The couple shared another laugh as Natsuo wrapped his arm around Rui's shoulders and they made their way to the shopping center.


That evening...

Tokiya sat down at the table with his simple dinner of chicken and vegetable soup, he'd felt off since the night before so he didn't want to eat anything too heavy. He smiled slightly as he admired his own work, even when it came to something like this he didn't allow himself to perform below normal standards. This smile quickly turned into a frown as the strange pressure in his chest returned with a wave of discomfort.

"This started last night while at work... maybe I'm getting sick?" Tokiya thought to himself, "It had subsided by this morning, but it started up again this afternoon... after I ran into Tachibana and Fuji-san.."

With an unconscious sigh he thought back to the previous evening when he'd arrived for his dinner shift, just after Daniella, and they had seen Rui off as she left to go home: the first time he felt this discomfort.

Entering the kitchen staff room to store his coat and bag Tokiya heard the sound of two familiar female voices speaking. Once inside he saw an energetic Daniella excitedly speaking to a visibly tired Rui.

"Good evening Tachibana, Daniella," Tokiya stated as he stored his personal items.

Rui nodded towards him as she replied, "Good evening Kajita, sorry you got stuck with the dinner shift."

Tokiya shook his slightly before saying, "It makes no difference to me. How was it today?"

"It was slow at first but it picked up pretty quickly and stayed that way, so I'd expect tonight to be insane," Rui replied with a sympathetic sigh.

Daniella replied by putting her arm around Tokiya's shoulder and enthusiastically replied, "Ah don't worry, it's nothing we can't handle!"

Rui frowned before responding, "I wish I could help though – honestly it would have been better to have me on the dinner shift. There's others, like you Daniella who would've been better to have tonight off. I feel bad that you can't have dinner with Will."

"It can't be helped. So you forget about that and focus on having a lovely night yourself!" Daniella said in a strict tone.

Rui sighed in defeat, not having the energy to withstand Daniella's apparent enthusiasm as Tokiya spoke up, "That's right. The shifts were distributed based on what the managers thought was best, we'll be fine. Take tonight to rest Tachibana."

"Thanks you two. Try to have a good night yourselves," Rui said with a smile as she started making her way out.

"And remember, you have a lovely night Rui!" Daniella called out in an overly happy tone and a slight laugh.

"Yes Daniella, I will try and have a nice restful night!" Rui called out as the door shut behind her and she left their sight.

After a moment Daniella let out a giggle and muttered, "Ah man I wish I could see her face..."

Before he even thought about it, and much to his surprise Tokiya found himself asking, "You wish you could see her face? Is something going on?"

Daniella looked guilty for a moment before responding, "Well... I guess there's no harm in telling you. She'll be home soon and we have get started," Daniella paused before adding, "Rui's boyfriend is actually at the apartment right now. He flew over the other day and has a home-cooked meal waiting for her as a surprise!"

Tokiya's eyes widened slightly before asking, "Fuji-san is actually here?"

Daniella nodded happily as she answered, "He sure is! He got my contact info from Rui's dad and contacted me to coordinate. After Rui left for work this morning I helped him get the supplies he needed for the dinner he had planned. When I left he'd put the tiramisu in the refrigerator to cool and was starting on dinner."

"Tiramisu? I was under the impression Fuji-san is a writer; I wasn't aware he had culinary skills as well," Tokiya said in surprise.

"Well according to him he's not a very good cook but there's a few recipes he can make reliably; one of those is what he's making for her. The tiramisu though he apparently had Mr Mikimoto teach him how so he could make it for her," Daniella replied as she finished getting ready.

Tokiya thought for a moment before saying, "I see. It must mean a lot to her if he went out of his way to learn how to make it."

"I don't know the specifics, Natsuo isn't as fluent in English as Rui is. But from what I gathered her dad's tiramisu was something special in her childhood. I think it's sweet that he learned that specific recipe for her," Daniella answered before nodding towards the door and saying, "Well we better get in there. We're in for a busy night."

Tokiya nodded, snapping himself out of his thoughts and replying with a simple, "Right." With that said he made his way into kitchen, followed by Daniella, so start a busy night's work.

As he snapped back to the present Tokiya thought out loud, "I'm glad she got to see him. She did mention once that she'd like it if he managed to visit here..." he trailed off as he frowned slightly. Placing his hand on his chest he muttered, "What is this that I'm feeling... this pain?"


Later that night...

Natsuo and Rui found themselves in a similar position to what they had enjoyed this morning: Rui using Natsuo as her personal body pillow while he held her close. Neither had spoken in several minutes, both simply enjoying the comfort each other's presence.

Rui was the first to speak as she apologized, "I'm sorry, your shirt's getting a bit damp. I guess I should have dried my hair a bit more."

"Don't worry about it, the pillow is getting damp from mine, so we're in the same boat," Natsuo replied as he rubbed his hand up and down her back slowly, which Rui wiggled a bit in response to. Natsuo arched his eyebrow as he asked, "Everything okay?"

Rui muttered a bit before she answered in a bashful tone, "Well... I was hoping that you could give me another massage..."

Natsuo leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head as he said, "Of course. I told you before, I'm happy to whenever I can. Lay down on your stomach and I can get your whole back for you."

Rui let out an excited giggle as he she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek before she hopped off the bed and started to strip down. When she noticed the look on Natsuo's face she said with a slight blush, "I figured this would be better... massaging through my pajamas wouldn't feel as good..."

Natsuo smiled as he caught on, he recognized the look in her eyes, and responded, "You're right, direct skin contact is better for this."

Rui returned the smile as she finished undressing and laid down on her stomach, wiggling in a teasing manner and cooed in a playful tone, "I'm ready."

Natsuo grinned mischievously, unseen by Rui, and thought to himself, "Oh I haven't forgotten the tease you were this morning. Two can play that game you know..."

He then started the massage; first her neck and then slowly moved down to her shoulders and back. Natsuo took note of how she was starting to quiver under his touch as he gradually moved down to her lower back. His grin grew as he slowed his pace as he neared the bottom of her back and Rui arched herself in anticipation. Instead of doing as she wanted, for the moment at least, he skipped over her butt and started working her thighs, but not without planting a kiss on her backside first.

Rui gasped in response to this, and half moaned a question, "Natsuo?"

"I know what you want Rui... do you remember how you teased me this morning?" Natsuo asked in return, earning a frustrated groan that melted away as he applied pressure to her thigh again. He then added, "Besides, I get the feeling you're enjoying this regardless."

"Even still... you're driving... me crazy now..." Rui managed between her sounds of relaxation and pleasure.

Natsuo kissed both of her thighs lightly before replying, "Well... you'd better enjoy it. Because I'm taking my time with you. I promise to take care of you."

Rui nodded her head happily as Natsuo continued to both massage and tease her, both coming to the conclusion that tonight would be another blissful one. They were both more than happy to take full advantage of the time they had together.


6:58m February 18th...

"I can't believe you're leaving already, this visit really flew by," Rui groaned as she flopped her head onto Natsuo's upper arm. They were sitting on a bench in the airport waiting for the boarding call while Jou was getting drinks and something to snack on from one of the airport restaurants.

Natsuo wrapped his arm around her as he replied, "I know... I wish I had more time, and I'm going to miss you. But this has made me look forward to visiting again."

Rui leaned in closer and said, "That better not be you teasing me. You definitely have to come back when the plants in the park in bloom. Unfortunately I don't if I'll be able to manage another visit back home before we're done here."

"I promise I'll work out another visit, probably during summer break," Natsuo said confidently before kissing the top of her head, earning a happy smile from her in response.

They were quiet for a moment before Rui asked, "You didn't forget anything right? You've got the souvenirs for everyone?"

Natsuo chuckled as he answered, "I've got them, and everything else; nothing to worry about. I hope they like them." Since Hina loved to give people t-shirts they had gotten her the "I Love NY" shirt as discussed, for Tsukiko they'd gotten a snow-globe with the city skyline for her desk and for Akihito a decently sized replica of the Statue of Liberty to serve as a shelf decoration.

"I'm sure they will. Hina-nee loves location t-shirts, and the snow-globe and statue are great decorations," Rui stated confidently.

Natsuo nodded as he agreed, "You're right, they're perfect." He stopped as he saw Jou approaching with a to-go bag and three bottles of water.

"Sorry for the wait you two, even the shortest line was annoyingly long. Hope you don't mind some NYC style hotdogs!" Jou said cheerfully as he sat down on the far side of the same bench, on Rui's other side and passed a foil wrapped hotdog and water bottle to both of them.

Rui gave her father a deadpan expression before saying flatly, "Really? Before getting on a thirteen hour flight? Don't forget whose fault it is if you have to rush the bathroom."

The only response she got from Jou was a mirthful laugh as Natsuo took his share from Rui and chimed in, "Looks great to me. Since it's still winter I didn't get a chance to try one from a street or park vendor."

"My thoughts exactly, you see Rui? Can't have Natsuo-kun visit and not try one of these," Jou said with a grin before taking a bite of his food, Natsuo following suit.

Rui sighed as she relented and unwrapped hers and took a bite, after a moment she said, "This is really good... Don't say I didn't warn you two though."

Natsuo leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before saying, "You're warning is appreciated."

Rui bit her lip in order to stop the squeal of embarrassment as her face turned red and she swatted Natsuo's arm in retaliation. Jou looked on in amusement with a smile as he thought, "Sometimes I still get caught off guard by how expressive she has become, even more so around Natsuo-kun. It's hard to believe my stoic little girl is all grown up."

The three finished their food and drinks while exchanging small talk, but before long the announcement came that the boarding for Jou and Natsuo's flight would be starting shortly. Jou got to his feet with a sigh and said, "Well... that's our cue. Rui, you take care and keep up the hard work."

Rui got to her feet and gave her dad a hug as she replied, "I will dad. You take care too, and say hello to everyone for me."

Jou returned the hug as he said, "I will." As he parted from her he said to Natsuo with a smile, "I'll give you two a moment of privacy, but don't take too long. Wouldn't want to get stranded until the next flight." With that he strolled towards the gate with his luggage in hand.

Natsuo and Rui looked at each other for a silent moment before Rui closed the distance and threw her arms around his neck while nuzzling her face into him. Natsuo quickly wrapped his arms around her in order to hold her as close as possible. After a moment they loosened their embrace and Rui pulled him down into a long, loving kiss.

As they separated Natsuo chuckled as he said, "As much as I hate saying goodbye, I do enjoy your goodbye kisses."

Rui giggled at that as she patted his chest and replied, "I'd certainly hope so. This visit was perfect, I'm so glad you managed to keep it a surprise."

"So am I, it was tough not telling you; but it was worth it seeing your reaction," Natsuo said as he squeezed her tight again.

A moment passed before Rui reluctantly spoke up, "As much as I don't want to let go..."

Natsuo nodded as he loosened the embrace, gave her another kiss and replied, "I know... I'll message you when we land."

"This feels like deja vu," Rui said with a smile as Natsuo mirrored what she had said when she left Japan. She shook her head as she let go of him and added, "Okay, off you go. Don't let dad talk your ear off on the flight."

Natsuo laughed as he slowly backed away and replied, "I'll try not to, we both slept most of the way on the first flight," he paused for a moment and added, "I love you Rui."

"I love you too Natsuo," Rui replied with wide smile, which Natsuo returned immediately. No other words were shared, just the smile and small wave from each before they each turned and walked away: Natsuo to the gate and Rui towards the exit where Daniella and Will were waiting.

After getting through security and boarding the plane Natsuo met back up with Jou at their seats and stored his bag in the overhead. As he was taking his seat Jou spoke while holding up a bag of peanuts, "You missed the pre-flight peanuts, but I grabbed some for you."

"Gotta have peanuts right?" Natsuo asked with a laugh.

"Exactly," Jou answered with a smile. Once Natsuo was fully situated Jou spoke up again, with a more serious tone, "Natsuo-kun, there's something I need to say to you."

Natsuo looked at him with a concerned expression and asked, "Is everything okay Mikimoto-san?"

"Everything is great Natsuo-kun. It's just that I was reminded back there of how much Rui has changed since she met you. I never thought I'd see her so open and happy... So thank you, Natsuo-kun, for making my little girl so happy. It means everything to me."

Natsuo was rendered speechless for a moment before he managed to reply, "You don't have to thank me Mikimoto-san. Rui means everything to me... I'd do anything to see her smile."

Jou placed his hand on Natsuo's shoulder firmly and said, "You may not think I need to thank you... but I do. You'll understand someday, when you and Rui have a kid or two. I wasn't the greatest father, and while I've patched things up now... I can only do so much. You're the reason for her smile, so again... thank you."

Natsuo's first instinct was to insist he didn't need to be thanked, but seeing the pure gratitude in Jou's eyes made him stop for a moment. As the plane started to taxi down the runway Natsuo replied, "You're welcome..." he paused in hesitation before continuing, "Jou-san, I promise to keep making her smile."

Jou smiled widely as as he said, "That's what I wanted to hear. I'm looking forward to it."

Natsuo leaned back into his seat as the plane took flight and watched the city fade away below them before saying, "So am I Jou-san... so am I."

A/N: So ends my two part Valentine's Day addition to the story, I hope you enjoyed it! Next week we'll be returning to the alternate version of the canon events.