Hikaru told her mother, "I want to go home with Kiri tonight."

Miri's automatic protest was overridden by Izumi's angry, "No way!"

Miri sighed and looked between her angry husband and daughter and said, "Hikaru, it's not that I don't want you to spend the night with Kiri, but do you really have to move out tonight?"

Hikaru looked at her mother and replied quietly, "No. I don't have to. I want to."

Miri closed her eyes for a moment, and then said, "Alright."

"Miri!" Izumi protested.

Miri put her hand on his arm and said, "I promised myself when I gave birth to Yuki, I'll never kick my own children out." She looked at Hikaru and added, "I won't make them stay when they're ready to go either."

Kiri asked, with his chin on Hikaru's shoulder, "Do I get a vote?"

Hikaru froze and replied, "Of course, if you don't want…"

He interrupted her, "Come home with me tonight. Move in with me after I've had more than six hours of sleep in 48. I'm too tired."

--

Yuki insisted he go with them, to see where his little sister would be living. Kaoru decided he was going along too.

Miri wanted to go, but looked at Izumi and decided not to. Hikaru pointed out, "You can visit there anytime, and I'll come to get most of my stuff on Sunday."

--

Yuki, Kaoru and Hikaru piled into Kiri's car. After Hikaru had fastened herself in, Kiri asked, "Do we need to go to your house first for clothes and such?"

Hikaru shrugged and said, "I only have practice tomorrow morning, I can survive without clean clothes until after that."

Kiri yawned and replied, "I can lend you some." He shook himself awake and drove carefully.

--

At Kiri's house Yuki said, "This isn't what I was expecting."

Kiri and Hikaru laughed.

Kiri said, "You two are so obviously siblings."

"Why?" asked Yuki.

Kiri replied, "Not only do you look like a taller, masculine version of Hikaru, but she said exactly the same thing." He chuckled and caught Hikaru's hand as they made their way to the door.

Inside, he let go of her and stepped into the kitchen side to start tea water.

"Nice," Kaoru said looking at the expansive kitchen.

Yuki nodded, but asked, "Isn't the house a little small?"

Hikaru asked, "What do you mean? You live in one room."

Yuki looked around the living area and questioned, "It's full already, where will your stuff go?"

Hikaru looked around and replied, "I don't have any furniture, so what's the problem?"

Kiri said, "Hikaru is welcome to change anything, except maybe my desk? I had a hard time finding one that felt comfortable to me."

Stolen story; please report.

Hikaru looked at Kiri dubiously.

He brought the tea things to the table and then wrapped his arms around her. "What?" he asked quietly.

She said, "I like how you have your house, it's pretty."

Kiri looked at her and replied, "But I want it to be your house too. Like you told me, I don't want to live like you're just staying with me for awhile?"

She hugged him, but didn't reply.

Yuki and Kaoru poked around a little and then sat at the little table where Hikaru and Kiri had curled up with their tea cups.

"I'll have to figure out the bus route for school," Hikaru commented.

Kiri said, "I suppose so, for when I'm away at least. I didn't think of that, will there be any difficulties with your school?"

Kaoru added, "And will Takeshi-san count as your guardian?"

"I don't think he will, but maybe? And um, unless something comes up, I think it'll be easier to just not tell the school. There's less than one quarter left," Hikaru pointed out.

Kiri yawned and made a note on his phone. "I'll add that to the list of things to ask the lawyer," he said tiredly.

Hikaru looked at Kiri and then at her uncle and brother. "You've seen the place, and Kiri's barely had any sleep for a couple days, is there anything else?" she asked.

Kaoru and Yuki looked at each other, then shook their heads in negation.

"I just wanted to take a look, since I need to catch the last train back, because I work the weekends you know," Yuki said.

Hikaru nodded.

Kaoru told him, "Then I'll head to the station with you and see you off, since I'm already skipping work most of today."

Hikaru said guiltily, "Sorry, and thank you."

Kaoru said, "On the one hand, I want to say that insisting on moving out all of a sudden is childish, but I didn't realize things had gotten so bad for you at home. Still, I'm not sure it's a good reason to move in together. You could have come to my place." He hesitated and then added, "I could get rid of some things to make enough room for a futon."

Hikaru looked at her uncle dubiously. She'd seen the little place he'd crammed himself and all his furniture into. His couch was standing in the corner on end because he didn't want to get rid of it.

Yuki nodded and complained, "I had no idea things were so bad, I can't believe Izumi-san hit you!"

Hikaru replied, "Actually, I kind of feel like maybe I'm taking advantage of the situation as an excuse to do what I want."

Kiri looked at her in surprise. "I have been thinking the same thing, that I'm taking advantage to have you move in sooner," he said.

Yuki asked, "Sooner? Were you planning on moving in together already?"

Hikaru blushed and Kiri nodded. "After I finished high school in a few months," she answered.

Kiri slid his arm around her waist and leaned his head against her shoulder. "I asked," he said, "when she told me she was thinking of taking a job all summer at some resort."

Kaoru looked at Hikaru in surprise. "Yukito-san told me about that offer, he thought you'd take it right away and was surprised that you said to tell them you'd decide month after next." He asked, "Did you delay the decision for Takeshi-san?"

Hikaru shook her head. "No, for Mirage. We're trying to see if Mirage can make enough so that I can do without taking the whole summer off. I might still need a part time job though."

Yuki frowned, but before he could interrupt, Hikaru rushed on with, "Ryuske thinks Mirage would break up if I do, and this is the longest Rin has been in a band."

Kiri looked at her oddly, but didn't say anything.

After a few more questions, and affectionate farewells, Hikaru's brother and uncle left, hopefully early enough to catch Yuki's return train.

...Y TO K

Yuki was silent as he and his uncle rode the bus back into the town center where the train station was.

Kaoru asked, "Are you worrying about Hikaru or your tuition?"

Yuki blinked at the question and then looked away. "Those are the things I should be worried about."

Kaoru pondered for a moment and then asked, "So?"

Yuki hesitated and then asked, "Did you really used to date that guy, your friend that makes all those jokes about being your lover."

It was Kaoru's turn to be silent. After a moment he replied with a question, "Isn't it OK either way?"

…

Hikaru turned to Kiri and asked, "Bed?"

Kiri hesitated. "Hikaru," he said.

When he didn't continue Hikaru leaned over and kissed him. "I love you," she said quietly.

He hugged her tightly. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Hikaru looked at him and replied seriously, "I wasn't sure for awhile, I just knew I really really liked you. But while you were gone, I realized all those times I just said your name but didn't know what to say after, that's what I wanted to say. It just took me awhile."

He blinked at her, then grinned. "I meant, are you sure about sleeping together?" he asked.