Hikaru's alarm went off too early. She struggled reluctantly out of bed. The alarm hadn't lied and it was time to get ready for Sunday.

Hikaru fought with her hair in front of the mirror until Kiri looked in and asked if he could help. She looked at him dubiously. "My mother has always put it up for me on Sundays," she said.

Kiri surprised her by taking her comb and doing her hair in a french braid. "I can do simple braids," he said, "and I'm sure I can learn more."

When she expressed her surprise he grinned at her and reminded her, "Mostly raised by women." He stuck his tongue out at her. She kissed him.

He held her for a moment and asked, "When do you think we might be able to take a few days off and travel?" He suggested, "Spring break?"

Hikaru sighed. "I don't know, maybe, we usually have more jobs then but I could ask." She looked at Kiri uncertainly and said, "See, I told you my schedule is as much a problem as yours."

He hugged her and replied, "Speaking of schedules, I have next Tuesday off but since things got messed up, there's something on my schedule every evening until then. Can I have that whole afternoon with you?"

She nodded. "You're working again today?" she asked.

He nodded. "Probably until about six."

--

Kiri delivered her downtown to play at Kaoru's restaurant and went to work. When Hikaru finished at two, her mother and uncle were waiting for her with lunch. When they inquired of Kiri's absence she explained that he was working.

"Why are we having lunch together?" Hikaru asked.

Kaoru held his hand to his heart in mock agony and said to his older sister, "Family is no good to her any more."

Hikaru thumped her uncle's arm while her mother giggled.

"I decided that even if you've moved out, we should eat together at least once a week. And Izumi can either spare me for a couple hours or come along. So I'll come have lunch with you and Kao-chan every Sunday, Kiri-kun too, when he has time," Miri declared.

"OK," Hikaru agreed.

They had a leisurely lunch, and Hikaru returned to her new home at about 4pm. The bus route from downtown was about the same length as the one that ran to her mother's home, just out to a different section of the city.

She tackled her abandoned homework reluctantly and was still struggling with it when Kiri finally got home. She'd already called Risa and Shizuoka a dozen times for help.

Kiri hugged her and asked, "Do you want to stay and work on it, or will you come out grocery shopping with me? I'll try to help later?"

"I'll come," she replied.

He grinned at her and pulled her up.

"Is it far, will we be walking or driving?" she asked.

He hesitated.

"You usually drive?" she guessed.

He nodded. "There is a small store that we could walk to, but there is a market I prefer farther away."

"OK," she said, "we can drive, though I'd like to visit the closer one sometime just so I know where it is if I need it."

"OK," he agreed.

--

While they were picking out vegetables Hikaru grinned at him suddenly. Kiri raised an eyebrow at her. "We're grocery shopping together," she explained.

He took her hand and squeezed it. "Yes," he agreed.

They did the rest of the shopping hand in hand.

--

Kiri cooked while Hikaru wrestled the rest of her homework into submission. Occasionally she asked him things.

He laughed after one question and said, "I never thought I'd ever need to know this stuff again, it's like the pop quiz I always dreaded. I have no idea on that one."

Hikaru sighed and did an internet search. She looked up at Kiri after she'd finished with that section and said, "I don't think I've ever said thank you."

Kiri looked at her curiously, "For what?"

"For the phone, it's probably paid for itself with how useful it's been just in using it for homework," she explained.

Kiri grinned at her and said, "I'm glad."

--

After supper and homework were finished, Kiri tackled his closets.

"Wow," Hikaru exclaimed in amazement, "you have so many clothes."

Kiri looked at her a little embarrassed. "I like shopping, I like having nice clothes and then I have favorites that are too worn but I'm reluctant to get rid of. This section is all for work though," he added, indicating one side.

He pulled out things he thought should be discarded or that he never wore. When he pulled out a formal kimono, Hikaru stopped him. "You can't get rid of that!" she protested.

"I never wear it," he replied.

"I'd love to see you wear it," she insisted.

He laughed. "But I need to make room for your things."

Hikaru looked at the closet storage system and asked, "What's in the drawers? I only have a few things I've kept on hangers, I'm used to keeping my clothes in drawers."

Kiri opened the drawers below the closets. Only about half were full. The only clothes Kiri kept in drawers were socks, underwear and T-shirts, and even most of his T-shirts were hanging in the closets above.

"Are you sure?" He asked when Hikaru had claimed six of the drawers and about six inches of closet space.

She laughed as she emptied the last box that held clothing. "This is all of my clothes," she said, grinning at him.

Kiri frowned at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I wish you hadn't made me agree not to take you shopping," he said.

Wryly she asked, "My clothes seem that insufficient to you?"

He hesitated before answering, "I'd like it if you had a few more dressy things." He looked at her uncertainly, but she wasn't offended. "I'm planning to take you out to dinner on Tuesday," he added.

Hikaru cuddled up to him and said, "I didn't say that we can't go shopping, if that's what you want to do, only that I don't want you to buy me things."

He laughed and asked, "Window shopping?"

Hikaru shrugged and replied, "I can buy something every couple months or so?"

Kiri winced.

She ran her fingers through his hair and said, "I already agreed to let you pay for so much."

He nodded and hugged her tightly.

She looked at the open closets and laughed.

"Hmm?" he enquired.

"Even though I just got something dressy, I still don't own a dress," she said.

He kissed her earring and nodded.

"I guess if you want I could get one sooner than a couple months," she offered.

"I'd like that, but if you don't like dresses, I don't mind if you don't have any," he said quietly.

"It's not that," she replied with embarrassment.

"What then?" he asked.

"It's really hard to find a dress that doesn't show my scars," she confessed. "At least that doesn't also look too old fashioned."

Kiri looked at her speculatively. "Are you sure I can't buy you one?" he asked.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at him. "Why should you buy it?"

He grinned at her and ran his hands down her back. "Because I want to see you in it?" he suggested.

When she frowned at him he added, "And the kind of thing I am imagining I'm pretty certain would strain your budget."

Hikaru looked at him unhappily. "Nevermind," he said, and slid his hands under her shirt. "I don't care what you're wearing, I like it all."

Eventually they fell asleep in a contented tangle.

… H, R and S

After school Hikaru consulted Risa and Shizuoka about the problem of dresses. They'd spent their breaks quizzing her about what all had happened over the weekend.

Risa excitedly proposed that she make Hikaru a dress, saying that if Hikaru let her use her as a model, they wouldn't even need to buy the material.

Risa liked sewing, Hikaru's mother had taught her some when they were younger and she'd worked on learning more. She was enrolled in a crafting class that was going to hold a fashion show for the last school festival that they'd be participating in.

Hikaru was dubious about being a model.

"You spend half your time on stage anyway," Shizuoka pointed out.

"Hardly half," Hikaru said laughingly.

Risa begged, "Let me design for you anyway."

Hikaru gave in.

Shizuoka commented, "I don't see what you've got against letting him buy you a dress or two anyway, when you're already living with him."

Hikaru shrugged and said, "I don't want him to have to pay for everything."

Risa told her, "It's like you don't quite trust him, or you're afraid to owe him."

Hikaru stared at her in shock.

Risa said defensively, "I'm not saying you should be that dependant on him or anything."

Hikaru protested, "I trust him and I'm not afraid, I just..." She couldn't explain her reluctance.

"You just don't want to be a burden," Shizuoka replied practically. "But are you being less of a burden by refusing to let him dress you up?"

Hikaru had no answer for that.

…

When she got home Kiri was just stepping out of the bathroom. He was wrapped in a cotton yukata and Hikaru said in a low voice, "Oh wow."

He grinned at her, surprised by her reaction.

She approached him tentatively as he settled beside the table.

"You look so good," she said as she slid to the floor beside him.

He leaned over and kissed her.

"I mean, you always look good," she continued, "but you look like something out of a painting, or a dream," she babbled nervously.

Kiri laughed and grabbed her and pulled her into his lap to kiss. "If I get this kind of reaction, maybe I should start wearing traditional clothes at home?" He suggested between kisses.

"Yes, please," Hikaru murmured.

She opened the robe and he shivered beneath her touch. Abruptly she stood up and pulled him to his feet and into the bedroom.

A bit later she told him with surprise, "It doesn't hurt."

"Good," he whispered.

When they finished she looked ruefully at her hastily discarded uniform. "It needs washed anyway," she said.

Kiri laughed, pulled the yukata back on and collected the laundry.

"I feel like I should be doing more chores," Hikaru fretted as she rummaged through the drawers she'd just filled.

Kiri returned and kissed her lightly. "The bath is still ready," he suggested, and eyed the clothes she'd pulled out.

--

"This is a cute outfit," he said, looking at her when she came out of the bathroom.

She shrugged and replied, "The pants are stage clothes." She was wearing white jeans with diamond cutouts sporting little white bows between them, running down the outside seams. Her top was the comfortable grey one that her mother had declared unsuitable for her first date with Kiri.

"Stage clothes?" he asked.

"Risa modified them, and I usually only wear them for performing," she explained.

Kiri cooked and Hikaru did homework and this became their usual pattern. After they'd eaten he kissed her and sighed and reluctantly returned to work for a late meeting.

--

Tuesday and Thursday Hikaru had jobs. Wednesday she'd had practice, which had been shifted later to accommodate Hatsuharu's attendance since Hikaru didn't have to keep a curfew anymore.

As she cuddled against Kiri late Thursday night, Hikaru mentioned, "I spoke to my old employer, where I was doing night stocking. He agreed to talk to Alex, he's a bouncer I know, that works at Yukito's place. Tonight he said I'd been instrumental in finding him a shift there that worked with his other jobs."

Kiri hugged her and replied, "Well done."

A little later she also told him, "It is so amazing."

"What?" he asked a little sleepily.

"How much less stressful it is to be able to come home to you when I'm done, rather than at a specific time, even if it winds up being the same time."

Kiri grinned at her and let her know with both words and body that he found both coming home to her and waiting for her to come home to him to be delightful.