The next morning they had breakfast, and Hikaru recognized the style of several dishes from those Kiri and his mother would make.

Sora said, "Kiri mentioned you're a musician."

Hikaru nodded.

"Oh!" exclaimed Tae. "Would you mind playing a little?"

Hikaru hesitated and replied, "I didn't bring an instrument."

Kiri showed her the little piano hidden away behind a screen in one corner.

Hikaru played several songs for them. A couple keys were out of tune, but she was able to work around it. She grinned as she watched Tae coax Sora into dancing with her. The elderly couple danced with the ease of long familiarity and looked into each other's eyes as they moved.

Mitsui stuck his head in the side door of the house and said, with surprise, "I thought I heard mama playing."

Tae shook her head, laughed cheerfully, and thanked Hikaru for playing for them.

--

When they finished, Kiri asked, "Shall we tackle the chores now?

Tae suggested, "Perhaps Hikaru would enjoy preparing things for lunch with me while you two work on the wood pile?"

Hikaru blinked and replied uncertainly, "I think we'd be better off trading chores then?"

Kiri's grandfather Sora arched an eyebrow at her and asked, "You'd rather chop wood than vegetables?"

Hikaru shrugged and replied, to Kiri's amusement, "I'd rather eat Kiri's food, and I've chopped wood before."

"Alright then, let's go," Sora replied.

Kiri laughed and grabbed her hand as she stood, when she looked back at him he asked, "Are you sure? It's hard work."

Hikaru shrugged and he let her go.

Mystified, Tae asked her grandson, "She doesn't cook?"

Kiri replied cheerfully, "Not much." He looked at his grandmother a little defiantly and added, "Not that it matters, you know I like to cook."

--

At the woodpile, Hikaru took in the situation and told Kiri's grandfather, "I may have been too confident. It seems that in the interest of safety, now would be a good time to admit I've only used a hatchet."

Sora laughed at her and explained how to properly use an axe. She tried splitting her first piece and he reminded her, "Let gravity do the work for you. Lift the axe, and then guide it, don't push it."

She was awkward at first, but she got used to it pretty quickly. Kiri had been right, it was hard work. When Sora called halt, she stretched and looked at the stack ruefully. "Are you sure I should quit?" she asked. "I've only finished about a third."

Sora laughed and replied, "I'm sure, and I'm going to laugh at Kiri when I tell him you already finished a third of the stack."

Hikaru frowned and Sora gazed at her knowingly. "What's wrong, afraid he won't be able to take a little teasing?" he asked.

She blushed and shrugged and replied, "Which one of us are you really teasing?"

He laughed, and they went inside.

Kiri and Tae were seated at the table drinking lemonade. Kiri looked up at Hikaru and teased, "That twig sets off your hair perfectly."

She blushed and Kiri's grandfather snorted and asked, "Before you tease the girl, don't you want to know how much she got done?"

Kiri arched an eyebrow at him and replied confidently, "A lot more than you expected." He stood and pulled the twig out of Hikaru's hair, then whispered, "Want to take a bath together before lunch?"

Hikaru blushed and nodded.

Sora informed his grandson before they left the room, "A third of the woodpile in one morning."

Kiri just laughed and drew Hikaru along the hall.

They could hear his grandparents still discussing them as they entered the bath.

Kiri kissed her and said with a grin, "Well done, you must be exhausted. Last time I barely finished a quarter at most."

Hikaru asked curiously, "Do you chop wood every time you come?

Kiri replied cheerfully, "Not always, but I always try to do whatever chores Ojii-chan has saved up."

--

After the bath they ate lunch with Kiri's grandparents and then Kiri borrowed the elderly vehicle they'd driven in the night before and took Hikaru off to town.

They visited the college first. Kiri watched Hikaru explore the campus curiously and then asked lightly, "Are you thinking of enrolling?"

Hikaru shook her head and replied, "No, sorry, I was just curious." She looked down and bit her lip.

Kiri asked, "Why sorry?"

Hikaru looked up at him and replied, "Because I still don't want to go to college."

Kiri looked like he wanted to argue, but refrained from discussing it further and took her out to the lighthouse and the viewpoint at the end of the ocean next.

Hikaru loved it, and he laughed and said, "If you love this cold grey sea so much, I have got to take you somewhere tropical."

Hikaru looked at him with amazement and said, a little anxiously, "Don't try to make a surprise trip like this, I don't even have a passport."

Kiri hugged her and suggested, "We could work on that problem."

Hikaru looked at him seriously and replied, "Not yet."

He was a little taken aback, but simply replied, "OK."

When they went back into town, Hikaru stopped while they were walking and stared. She gazed at the embroidered kimonos in the window of the shop until Kiri nudged her.

"What is it?" he asked. "You want one?"

She blushed. "Um, it's…" she faltered.

He started to pull her towards the shop and she resisted. He stopped.

"Kiri?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"How do you want to dress when we get married?" she asked shyly.

He froze and stared at her expressionlessly.

She watched him uncertainly.

Suddenly he pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly.

"Kiri?" she asked.

Slightly muffled against her he said, "You've never actually said you want to marry me."

Shocked, she pushed him away. He looked really hurt and she exclaimed, "Yes I have!"

"When?" he asked simply.

She stared at him. He looked back. Uncertainly she told him, "When you clipped this into my ear," she touched her turtle, "you asked if I was ready." His expression changed. "I thought you were asking if I, I mean, you said it was a symbol," she blushed and dropped to a whisper, "of mating for life, so I thought you were asking if I was ready to spend my life with you…"

He swallowed and pulled her to him again. "I was," he whispered. He continued, "I was, I just didn't realize you understood me then. I didn't realize you'd really said yes."

He clung to her until she asked again, "So, what kind of wedding do you want?"

"Whatever you want," he replied quickly. "When?"

She laughed and asked, "Are you certain?"

He pulled back enough to look into her face and nodded.

"Even if I think it would be cool to dress like Gintama, modern clothes and historical kimono?" she asked wryly.

"Yes," he replied simply. Then he added, "I love those old Gintama anime episodes." He leaned in and kissed her. "When can I marry you?" He asked again.

Hikaru replied seriously, "Not until I'm at least 18."

Kiri looked at her and teased, "So on your birthday?"

Hikaru blushed and looked away. Kiri gazed at her with shock when she replied, "Maybe." She looked back at him and said shyly, "I'm sorry Kiri, when I moved in with you, I wasn't sure if I wanted to marry you."

He hugged her and said quietly, "Hikaru, I knew that." Then he asked, "Does that make me a bad guy? I just wanted you with me however I could get you."

She shook her head and replied, "I just wanted to be with you too. It just changed somehow to wanting to always be with you."

He kissed her deeply.

This time when he pulled her toward the shop, she didn't resist.

--

When they entered the shop it took a few minutes for someone to come out and see what they wanted. Hikaru indicated the grey kimono in the window with cranes on a silver lake shore.

The shopkeeper replied hesitantly, "That one would be far too short for you."

Kiri asked, "Can you make one like it in her size?"

The shopkeeper nodded in surprise but then warned, "It's all done by hand, it won't be exactly the same."

Hikaru said suddenly, "If it won't be exactly the same anyway, could we add things to the design?"

The shopkeeper nodded warily.

Kiri asked, "What are you thinking?"

Hikaru looked at him and blushed, then said, pointing to another display, "What if we did something like that, using the pattern off the window display. If we get a pair, only with yours in black and white and mine in grey and silver, with red flower petals like those flowing from one kimono to the next?"

Kiri said quietly, "I'd love it." He kissed her and asked the shopkeeper, "Can you do it?"

The man nodded and then gave them a shockingly high estimate. Kiri didn't bat an eye, but Hikaru gasped.

Kiri glanced at her amused and murmured, "It's fine Hikaru, I'm only going to marry you once you know."

Hikaru frowned and replied, "I know Kiri, but I kind of wanted to be able to do half on this, and it's too much for me right now."

Kiri hesitantly asked, "Can't I just do it?"

Hikaru didn't reply immediately but then she nodded. Relieved, he finished the order.

--

Outside the shop, she squeezed his hand and asked, "Kiri, are you ever going to let me pay for things?"

He stopped walking and asked seriously, "Hikaru, are we going to have to keep separate bank accounts even after we're married?" He looked her in the eye and said, "I'll live that way if you want to, but I'd rather just have everything be ours."

She didn't move and he looked at her unhappily. Finally she answered, "I don't know Kiri, there are things I'm paying for that I don't feel like should be your problem."

"Like what?" he challenged.

"Like my brother's tuition," she replied promptly.

"How is that different from my mother's roof, and things like that," he countered.

She stared at him open mouthed and then laughed. "I guess it's not," she admitted.

He hugged her tightly and after a moment she whispered into his ear, "OK, we can share it all."

He picked her up and twirled her happily and she asked grinning, "So when are we combining our bank accounts?"

He laughed and replied, "On Monday."

"Kiri!" She protested, he looked at her and she laughed and said, "You idiot."

He squeezed her hand and asked, "I'm going too fast again?"

She nodded and whispered, "Just a little."

He took a deep breath and then said, "OK Hikaru. Then please tell me when you're ready."

"OK," she agreed.