Mizuki's mother got home a while later. She only took a few steps before she stopped and stared in utter shock toward the bedroom beside the kitchen. The noises the couple were making were only muffled a little. She looked at her husband who was sitting calmly at the table with a couple of tea cups.

"What is going on?" Minori demanded.

Junshiro shrugged and suggested, "Make up sex?" She gasped and took a quick step toward the children's room, but he held up his hand to stop her, and advised, "Just leave them alone. I think it'll be okay."

"Who is it?" she asked. "Tooru-kun?"

"No, the guy she brought to Shizune's wedding," he explained calmly.

She glared at him as she protested, "He made her cry so much, and you're letting him come back and make her cry again?"

He shrugged again. "Maybe," he agreed. "But even though she kept her promise and didn't cry for more than a week, she's barely smiled since then. And he seems to be serious."

After a long indecisive moment Minori sagged and folded up to sit beside him. A little while later she asked, "How long have they been in there?"

Junshiro smirked at his wife as he informed her, "Most of an hour already."

She gave him an expressive questioning look and he nodded. "Is dinner ready?" she asked after a moment.

"It'll just take five minutes to finish it when we're ready," he replied.

She stood up, and walked over to thump on her daughter's door as she called out, "Are you two coming out for supper before you go to work Mizuki?"

There was a long minute of silence.

--

Mizuki froze and looked into Sora's face, then she turned nearly scarlet.

He huffed a silent laugh and whispered, "Wow, I've never seen you blush completely from head to toe before." He grinned at her and asked a little breathlessly, "What should we answer?"

She disentangled herself without speaking, rolled off the bed, and pulled on her clothes without putting on underwear first.

Sora sat up and raised an eyebrow as he covered himself just in time for Mizuki to stick her head out the door and reply to her mother, "Yes, after we take a quick shower."

He pulled on pants as soon as the door snapped shut again. Then he quickly gathered up his clothes, while she pulled out clean work clothes without meeting his eyes. He couldn't help the grin that was plastered across his face, even though he knew that she probably didn't share his amusement.

An embarrassed Mizuki led Sora hurriedly through the main room, past her parents, and down the hall to the bathroom. After she shut the door behind him she looked at the shower tub and warned him, "We can't lean against the wall here, it will crack."

He laughed until he ran out of breath while she glared at him. "Alright, I'll be careful," he promised while grinning down at her.

--

They showered quickly and seated themselves at the table a few minutes later.

Mizuki made formal introductions between her parents and Sora because she couldn't remember if they'd been done at the wedding or not.

Sora was amused, but also grateful that her parents seemed so calm. He made his own more formal greetings with relief for their seemingly casual acceptance.

After a bit Mizuki's father, Mitsukuni Junshiro, asked Sora, "Where are you staying?"

He shrugged and admitted, "I don't know yet, I didn't want to get a hotel until after I talked to Mizuki. If she said no, I was just going to turn around and go home."

Mizuki spoke up quickly, "Stay here!" Sora and her parents looked at her, and she blushed as she explained, "If you come see me very often a hotel will get really expensive." She looked at her parents. "Can't he just stay with us?"

Her mother, Minori, agreed uncertainly, "I suppose so?"

Her father chuckled as he replied with amusement, "I suppose if we say no, you'll just go to his hotel every time he's in town, so he may as well."

Mizuki blushed again and nodded.

"Should I contribute to the household or anything when I'm staying?" Sora asked hesitantly. When Mizuki and her family looked at him uncertainly he explained, "I'll want to see her every weekend. I might be here a lot."

Minori responded first, and a bit angrily, "Don't act like we can't afford to feed you! If you're going to stay here like you're one of the family, just help with chores like one of the family."

He blinked at Mizuki's mother, then grinned and agreed, "Sure."

Mizuki objected, "Don't agree so easily Sora, she's going to make you work on things that nobody's done for years." When he looked at her questioningly, she explained, "It's what she did to Kyo-nii-chan."

Sora laughed and told her cheerfully, "Mizuki, I'll be really happy to help with chores like I'm already part of your family, and if there are things that haven't been done in years, they probably need doing."

Minori looked at Sora with surprised approval, and then glanced at her husband who just shrugged and grinned at her affectionately.

--

After they finished eating, Mizuki looked at Sora and told him apologetically, "I'm really sorry Sora, I have to go to work for six hours. And I work twelve hours tomorrow, and six again on Sunday evening."

He looked at her in surprise, "Okay?"

"I decided I should replace what I spent to go with Shizune," she explained unhappily. "And besides," she hesitated before admitting, "it's kept me too tired to think too much."

Sora scooped her into his lap abruptly, despite her watching parents, and buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry Mizuki, I'm so sorry," he apologized roughly.

Mizuki turned her face up to his, so that their noses touched, and insisted quietly, "It's okay Sora, I'm fine." She grinned at him as she added, "And you're here now."

"Yeah," he agreed.

She kissed him and then told him regretfully, "But I won't be able to spend as much time with you as I want to."

He assured her, "It's okay. I'll just take whatever time you can give me, and I'll come every weekend." He kissed her again, more gently, then asked, "Do you want me to take you to work?"

"On your friend's motorcycle?" she asked hesitantly.

Sora nodded. Junshiro and Minori exchanged glances, but didn't make objections.

"Do you have a helmet for me?" Mizuki asked after a moment. "We had a scooter when I was little, and I had my own then, but we don't have any now."

"I brought Eri-chan's in case," he replied. "I think it will fit you well enough for driving in town?"

"Okay," she agreed.

--

"It's too tight," Mizuki complained when she had the helmet buckled on.

"We can look for one that fits you better tomorrow if you decide that riding on the bike is okay," Sora assured her.

"Okay, but you're buying," she told him firmly.

He grinned and agreed, "Of course."

--

When Sora dropped her off in front of the store he asked, "Was it okay? Should I pick you up when you're done?"

"Riding with you is fine, but I won't get off until two in the morning Sora," Mizuki objected.

"I don't care," he replied, "I'm not going to go sleep in your room without you Mizuki."

She pulled him down for a kiss and then told him seriously, "Okay, then come get me later. But when you're more comfortable staying with us, it's really okay if you want to go to sleep before I'm done."

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll be here when you get done tonight."