After days of being unable to see each other, Momiji and Tohru finally had the chance to go out on a date that weekend.

It was a simple one, really. He took her out to the movies – a volleyball anime which was a favorite got a movie adaptation and is currently a blockbuster – then it was lunch in their favorite restaurant, the sweet old lady who was the proprietor loved Tohru as her own grandchild and has wasted no time in adopting Momiji as one of her own as well, then window shopping which really just turned into shopping. Whenever something caught Tohru's eye Momiji bought it for her immediately, much to the brunette's chagrin. She couldn't complain though, Momiji made it clear he was there to spoil her.

"I want some ice cream." She and Momiji had been taking an afternoon walk in the park nearest their apartment when the craving for the treat suddenly made itself known to her.

Momiji lifted her hand which he held in his and kissed it, making her smile in spite of the blood which crept up to her cheeks. "Are you reading my mind, Princess? I was just thinking of having some."

She giggled, which made his own smile widen in response. "I don't think so – it's quiet in here after all." She gave her temple a light knock, making the blond chuckle in amusement of her actions. "Great minds think alike."

His chuckle turned into a light laugh, and she felt her heart warm as she gazed at him. The afternoon sun's rays were just at the right angle and it shone on him, as if drawn to his charms – it lit his hair and facial features, every line on his face illuminated, embossed, carved to perfection – a face that God had crafted on his best day.

She really did have a handsome boyfriend. She could feel her heart beating faster and harder in her ribcage at the reminder, and her face felt hot.

An image came to mind all of a sudden, of two kids smiling and waving at her, a boy and a girl, of their arms going around her waist to embrace her then running away from her, laughing and playing and chasing each other, before going further from her and taking the rest of the vision with them as she opened her mouth to call out to them in reflex.

"Someone got lost." Momiji's voice pulled her back to reality, she nearly jumped when she realized he was hovering over her, face nearly an inch from hers. "I think we really do need to get that ice cream."

"We do." She sounded breathless to her own ears, even as she tried for a smile. When Momiji was sure that she was okay and that she really had just gotten lost in her own thoughts, he smiled at her, bending down to kiss her on the temple and with a nod, began leading them to find an ice cream vendor.

He was never one to push her to share what was on her mind, trusting that she will tell him if she wanted to. Momiji had always respected her space, always letting her make the decision as to whether she will trust him with her thoughts. He had told her that he was always interested to know what was on her mind but that there was no rush into telling him.

It was just one of the many reasons why she was head over heels for him and had always known why she was lucky to have him.

He made a little cheer as he found the vendor amidst the kids and the parents crowded towards it, and they both ran towards it as little kids would on a summer afternoon seeing the ice cream man. They were almost out of breath and was still giggling as they made it to the front, clutching their sides which felt like those were on stitches. They didn't care though.

Momiji pulled her to sit down on a bench while waiting for their orders to be completed, going back to the stand to be the one to get it himself.

Tohru looked around her, watching the families gathered around her, all out in the park to relax and be given the chance to breathe with loved ones. She saw the kids running around, heard all the happy, high-pitched laughter around her and was reminded all of a sudden of the vision she had.

Children. And while she didn't know who they were, she had a good idea of whose they were. She did imagine once, if she had a family in the future, what her children would look like. And while she dreamed, she never did had a good image of them in her mind, unfortunately.

She was brought out of her musings when she felt a tug on her dress, and she looked up to see a cute little boy who was looking up at her rather shyly, but smiling toothily. He had a full head of blond hair, curly and appearing to be wind-blown, and big chocolate brown eyes that seemed to penetrate straight into her soul. He was in suspenders with a cute little bow tie and his shoes shone in the afternoon sun.

"May I sit beside you?" Even his voice was as cute as him and Tohru's heart just about melted.

"Yes, you may." She helped him up on the bench, his feet dangling a few meters above the ground. "Where are your parents?" But even as she looked around, no parent appeared to be on sight. This cute, adorable boy was alone?

"Ah. They weren't here yet." It was his simple response as he looked down, fidgeting with his white dress shirt. The tone of his response seemed like a finality, his tone growing… somber, but affectionate. For a boy who had come to the park all alone he was clean and she could tell that he was well-looked after.

Before she could continue on this train of thought though, he looked up to her again, hope shining through his eyes. "Can I call you Mama?"

"Eh?" Being called mama by a boy she hardly knew felt a little strange, but Tohru felt like she was contradicting herself. The more she looked at him the more she felt an even stranger sense of familiarity. A feeling that she knew him, or was supposed to know him. But she didn't understand what that meant. She hadn't been around children since… Kisa and Hiro. Both were grown now, almost teenagers. Why would she be familiar with this boy?

He was still looking at her hopefully. Tohru's heart ached for him, concluding that any female older than him is probably a mother figure to him. How was one supposed to say no to those big chocolate-brown eyes looking at her so earnestly?

"Yes you can… but only until your real mama comes and gets you, okay?" She turned to him, smiling. His answering smile is like the sun, his legs swinging energetically below him.

"Is Papa getting you ice cream, Mama?"

She nearly choked on air, swiveling around to stare at the boy with wide eyes. Papa? He was referring to Momiji? Why is hearing a kid call Momiji 'papa' incredibly pleasant and equally desirable to her ears?

"Yes I am." Momiji joined the conversation bearing their ice cream cones as he returned, giving Tohru a kiss on the temple in a gesture of greeting, not shying away from the act of affection even when there is a child in front of them and she blushed. He leaned over to her. "I didn't expect to come back a father to an adorable kid. Do you know who he is?" He asked, voice dropping to a whisper as he chuckled.

"No, but he asked me to sit beside me and… if he can call me mama. I agreed. His parents seemed to not be around yet." She gave him her thanks as he handed her an ice cream cone. "He's probably just come from his home and is looking for someone to play with him. He doesn't seem to be lost."

"No, he doesn't look like he is." Momiji agreed, before they both turned back to the kid. For someone so young, they were both surprised to see him watching the two of them silently. Almost like he was observing them. "You're blond like me, kid. What's your name?"

"My name is Katsu!" He introduced himself happily. "Nice to meet you – can I call you Papa?"

"You kind of already did." Momiji was chuckling. "What did Mama tell you when you asked her that earlier?"

"That I can call her that only until my real mama comes and picks me up."

"I guess you can do the same for me." Momiji reached out and ruffled his hair with the hand that wasn't holding his cone. "Do you want an ice cream?"

The little boy looked sheepish. "I don't have money."

"I'm paying." Momiji gave a little laugh. "Come on."

Tohru watched as Momiji took the little boy to the stand, lifting him in his arms easily, cone and all, to be able to look at the menu and he can take his pick. People watched, probably because the pair stood out, being blonds, one a handsome man and the other an adorable cutie. In fact, people who didn't know them would mistake them for being a real father and son pair.

She couldn't help the smile blooming on her face as she watched the two. She both envied and admired Momiji's ability to just run with anything a situation throws at him – even a kid he didn't know yet seeming to appear from out of nowhere. It was such a refreshing trait to have.

They spent time with him, playing a few games with him as they waited for the supposed parents who didn't seem to plan on coming at all. People around them oohed and aahed, complimenting them, some even going so far as to tell them what a beautiful family they made. It made her and Momiji blush as they looked at each other – unprepared for being recognized as parents to a child they had literally just met.

Eventually they realized that it was almost evening. Tohru looked at her watch. "It's getting late for you, Katsu-san. I think your mama is unable to pick you up. Do you live anywhere near here? We'll take you home instead."

"You can take me to the entrance of the park, I know how to go home by myself, Mama." He says, smiling, as they all stood up from sitting cross-legged on the grass. Momiji helped him dust off his shorts.

"Are you sure, Katsu-chan? We can go with you; it's safer that way." Momiji offered, but the little boy shook his head, firmly.

"May I hold hands with you both?"

She and Momiji looked at each other, before nodding together. "Sure."

They made their way towards the entrance, Katsu happily skipping in between them as he held onto them both. Tohru still couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity and how right it felt to her to hold the boy's hand. They passed by other families preparing to leave, once more receiving compliments of "what an adorable family" that she and Momiji didn't bother to correct, too exhausted to do so.

They reached the gates, and Katsu let go of their hands immediately, spinning around on the balls of his feet to face the two of them. "Thank you for spending time with me, Papa, Mama. I have really enjoyed this day and I am happy to meet you both."

"It was nice meeting you too, Katsu-chan. I have enjoyed this day too." Momiji knelt in front of the kid. "One last hug?"

The blond boy enthusiastically nodded, looking up to her hopefully once more. Tohru still couldn't resist it, and the feeling of sadness that was beginning to creep up on her at their imminent parting.

She knelt down though, placing her arms around the boys. Her boys, her mind supplied the thought. The group embrace felt like a lifetime but in reality it was just for mere seconds. The child fit in her arms so easily, like it was a place made for him. Why did it feel like she was missing something?

Eventually she and Momiji straightened up, and the boy began to back away, his hands hidden behind him. "I will see you both again. I hope you stay happy and in love."

That sounded like something a kid will not say, but the time they had spent with him showed that he was a smart child. Sometimes a little too smart, if one were to think about it thoroughly, Tohru thinks, as she lifted a hand to wave back at him as the boy waved his left arm enthusiastically in a gesture of goodbye.

He was nearing a corner that he was about to make a left to. Just as he had to do so, he turned to them once more. "I love you, Mutti, Vati!"

It felt like she had been splashed by cold water on the face and her arm fell down to her side as she felt her entire body tremble in disbelief. She had been around Momiji long enough to recognize the words and what they meant.

"Did Katsu just call us mom and dad in German?" Momiji asked, in the same disbelief as her as they met each other's gazes, both wide-eyed.

It was impossible. It should be. But something already felt off when he first approached her and asked to sit beside her. He seemed to be alone but he looked to be a kid whose parents doted on him, as evidenced by his appearance – orderly, clean –

"He… he had your hair." Tohru said, the hairs on her arms beginning to stand on end. She had already made the observation that if a stranger happened to see Momiji and Katsu together they would mistake them to be a real father and son pair. Other families had told them that they make an adorable family.

How had she missed the fact that Katsu looked very much like a younger Momiji, that his full head of blond hair happened to be in the exact same shade as her beau's?

"He had your eyes, Tohru." Momiji realized a few seconds later, still looking at her in shock. "Gott, Tohru did we just meet – but that's impossible – "

She was already running towards the corner the child had turned to, Momiji hot on her heels. But as they reached it and turned, Tohru skidded to a stop to find that the streets were completely empty.

No adorable child with blond hair, in suspenders and skipping along happily in sight. They were merely late to run after him a minute or two, he couldn't have disappeared that fast. Unless he wasn't real; a phantom of some sort. Unless she and Momiji have just hallucinated him together for whatever weird reason. Her brain was struggling to make an explanation.

But Tohru felt in her heart the complete opposite. The boy she had embraced had been warm, and soft. Had looked up to her earnestly and hopefully. Lovingly. As a little boy would to his mama.

Katsu. Katsu. She felt the tears form in her eyes as her throat clogged up with emotion, another disorienting realization hitting her with all the force of a freight train that she swayed, almost falling to her knees hadn't Momiji been quick to catch her in his arms.

"Princess, look at me. Don't cry, please?"

The tears were already falling before she could get the words out as she clutched at his chest, overcome with so many emotions. "Momiji… his name." She hiccupped, pleadingly. Happily. "Katsu. Katsuya."

He froze at the revelation, tears beginning to form in his eyes as well. It was hard to believe everything which had transpired, at the risk of questioning both their sanities. But there was no other explanation for what had happened.

Momiji held her tight in his arms. Tohru couldn't mistake the feeling of protectiveness her beau was now projecting and she held onto him with all her strength, afraid to loosen her grip on him for fear of waking up from a dream. This experience should have been terrifying, but all she could feel in her heart was love and regret. Regret for not recognizing the little boy and what he meant to her. To them.

She could feel Momiji chuckle through his tears, resignedly.

"Only a son of ours would've had the sense of adventure and the strength and will to transcend time and space." He still sounded in shock, but his voice sounded proud. "We seem to be raising him well."

Tohru couldn't help the almost-hysterical laughter escaping her lips. Their son would definitely inherit his father's courage. He would not be a Soma if he didn't.

It should have been a terrifying experience. But it wasn't. Not to her, and certainly not to Momiji.