Kiri, Hikaru, and Miri boarded the train to visit Yuki. Miri had been disappointed that Izumi hadn't been able to get a day off to go with them, but privately, Hikaru was relieved.

Kiri watched the pair of them and laughed. They didn't look much like mother and daughter, but they wore nearly identical expressions of excitement as the train pulled out of the station and sped up to express speed.

--

Yuki was shocked when his mother and sister showed up at the restaurant he was waiting tables at. His sister's boyfriend turned around and kissed her before Yuki remembered who he was. "What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.

Puzzled, Hikaru asked, "Did you forget we were coming?"

"No," he denied swiftly, "I just didn't expect you to show up at my job, I thought we were meeting up this afternoon."

Worriedly, Miri asked, "Is it a problem for us to come here?"

Yuki quickly reassured his mother, "No, it's OK, I was just surprised, and I can't stop and spend time with you."

Another waiter came up behind him and asked, "Yuki? Oh my god, is this your mother?" The slender young man exclaimed, "She's so tiny and cute! You look older than she does!"

Hikaru blinked at him in surprise while Miri blushed, and Hikaru asked, "How did you know? No one ever assumes she's our mother anymore."

He looked at her and declared, "And you have to be Hikaru-chan, no one else could look so much like him."

Embarrassed Yuki interrupted, "This is my friend Shuichi, I've told him about you, and we have to get back to work."

He gripped Shuichi's arm and pulled him away quickly. Shuichi cheerfully waved farewell as they went, and Miri waved back happily.

"That must be the friend he was thinking about rooming with, and usually has dinner with," Miri said cheerfully.

"Oh," Hikaru replied and then asked, "are they dating?"

Miri glanced up at her daughter with shock and replied, "I don't think so."

Kiri looked at Hikaru inquisitively, and she shrugged and replied, "I'm just surprised he's usually eating dinner with a guy."

Miri said comfortably, "I think he's just busier with college than you realize and hasn't had as much time to date as he did in highschool."

--

After Yuki's shift ended, he collected his family and suggested, as he led them away from the restaurant, "I thought maybe we could visit the aquarium, since we're all here, and they have a new dolphin tunnel."

Miri clapped with delight and declared, "I'd love that!"

Hikaru asked dubiously, "Isn't it expensive?"

Kiri poked her and said, "Don't worry about it."

Yuki looked at him with surprise, and then answered his little sister, "Shuichi gave me a pair of tickets he won at the grocery store, we'll only have to buy two." Hikaru looked at him thoughtfully, and he asked, "What? You don't want to?"

She shrugged and replied, "I don't mind, but I hope the dolphins aren't as creepy as the sharks were." She shuddered and Kiri looked at her with surprise.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Miri and Yuki laughed and took turns reassuring Hikaru and extolling the tale of their last visit, when one shark had followed Hikaru up the tunnel, and even turned to follow her when she turned back to see if it would. Kiri laughed and cuddled Hikaru, who blushed and declared, "It was just creepy, I wasn't scared."

Yuki grinned at her and ruffled her hair. Mercifully he changed the subject and asked his mother, "Are you sure about your due date? You look so very pregnant. Should you be traveling?"

Miri giggled and said cheerfully, "You should have seen when I was carrying you. Hikaru was a little smaller, and there's a ways to go with this one yet." She patted her belly. The baby either responded or chose that moment to move and Miri gasped as her belly fluxed a little.

Yuki regarded her with wide alarmed eyes and Miri laughed and assured him everything was fine.

--

They wandered the aquariums with frequent rest stops. Fortunately many benches were scattered around the facility so that people could sit and watch the fish.

Kiri mostly watched Hikaru, grinning at her reactions to the fish and the crowds. He noticed that Yuki kept sneaking looks at him and arched an eyebrow at him the next time their eyes met.

Yuki didn't pretend he hadn't been looking, but said uncomfortably, "Do you really intend to marry Hikaru?"

Hikaru glanced back at them and Kiri grinned at her and replied, "Absolutely. Why? Is there something you don't like about me?"

Yuki looked startled and answered quickly, "No, I mean, I don't know you very well, but you seem fine I guess, just…" He trailed off.

Kiri looked at him and asked curiously, "Just?"

Yuki shrugged and then leaned closer and whispered, "She's not very feminine, she doesn't cook, and she never really cared about dating before, so why?"

Kiri burst with laughter, and when he recovered enough to reply, he whispered back, "Maybe it's the sex?" He winked at Yuki who stared back with horrified shock. When Yuki unfroze, Kiri said softly but firmly, "I adore her. She's beautiful, she's talented, and careful with money. She always tells me everything I need to hear, I can't live without her anymore. I'm going to marry her this summer."

"Oh," Yuki replied.

--

It was a long afternoon for Yuki. Hikaru cornered him near the jellyfish while Miri was in the restroom. She'd asked Kiri to give them a few moments and he had kissed her and wandered off to look at the octopi.

Yuki looked at her expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hesitantly Hikaru asked, "Are you dating your friend Shuichi?"

Alarmed, Yuki asked, "Why would you even ask that?"

Hikaru shrugged, and replied with some embarrassment, "I don't know, you just seem, um, I don't know, you've talked about him a lot and you seem close."

Yuki asked, "And I didn't seem close with my friends at home? Kyosuke and Tsubasa? We didn't seem close?"

Hikaru shrugged and replied, "You did, it's just, I don't know. Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, I just wanted to ask before we have to go home."

Yuki stared at his sister and then blurted uncomfortably, "He says he loves me. He says just being friends is enough, but I know he wants more. I'm afraid to try being more than just friends."

Hikaru raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why are you afraid?"

Yuki gazed back at her and asked breathlessly, "You don't think that would be weird?"

She shrugged and replied calmly, "Why would it? Ryuske was in love with his friend. Even Kao-ji-chan has that one friend that likes to tease him about when they tried to be lovers. And they've been good friends for ages since."

Yuki stared at his little sister silently.

Uncomfortably she said, "It's fine if you don't try it either. But I don't think it would be bad or anything. Your girlfriends used to get mad and say you didn't really love them and leave before you'd been together this long."

Yuki finally replied, "I just don't want to mess things up and lose my friend. Can we drop it?"

She nodded and hugged him. And when Miri returned, they collected Kiri and went to walk the new dolphin tunnel. To Hikaru's relief, none of the dolphins decided to stalk her, though sometimes one would pause in front of the glass and peer at the humans in a cute fashion.

--

Yuki walked them to the train in the evening after they'd gone to dinner. He hugged and kissed his mother and sister affectionately. He looked at Kiri uncomfortably and Kiri reached out and cuffed his arm lightly. "Take your time," he said cheerfully, "we'll meet like this many times throughout the years."

Yuki laughed and replied, "I guess."

Then the three of them squeezed into their train home.

...Y AND S

Yuki sat on the mattress against the wall and ran his hands through his hair. He looked at Shuichi and said with determination, "Let's kiss."

Shuichi stopped fiddling with the book he was holding and stared at Yuki, "You don't have to."

Yuki replied, "I know, and I'm not promising anything, but let's try it."

Shuichi knelt in front of Yuki, and nervously, breathlessly leaned in to kiss him.

They kissed for a moment.

Yuki said, "I don't know."

Shuichi offered, "I could dress like a girl, I don't mind if you'll feel more comfortable."

Yuki glared at him and he flinched. Exasperated Yuki said, "There's no point in this if you have to pretend to be something else. I already can't stand the thought of losing you, that's why I've been afraid to try this. So just kiss me."

Their next kiss was longer.

After a while Shuichi said, "I really love you."

Yuki replied, "I know."

"Jerk," breathed Shuichi laughingly.

"I know," replied Yuki, and kissed him again.

...

Hikaru and Kiri accompanied Miri all the way home despite the late hour. Izumi was waiting up for her, and greeted them gruffly, but not unkindly.

Hikaru grinned happily as they left, and Kiri pulled her closer and asked lightly, "What are you so pleased about?"

"Well, I'm glad that Izumi is making my mother happy, and doing little things like waiting up for her," Hikaru replied seriously. "And it was good to see Yuki-ni, and hear more than he puts in the occasional note." And then she smiled and kissed Kiri, and said, "And I'm really happy I'm going home with you now."

"Me too," he assured her, and stole another kiss.