Japan. Was amazing. Japan with Shin, was almost too much for words. The last couple of weeks had been something out of an amazing, emotion filled, tourist shop, dream. Kealey was so glad Shin had convinced her to pack lightly…the souvenirs were already threatening to overflow her suitcase and they still had a fair amount of time left in the trip. How sad would it have been otherwise? To have too many trinkets and things to bring home after such a great trip? Kealey thought about it for a moment, plushies overflowing a suitcase that was already stuffed full of hats with ears and kimono that she had oooh’d and awwww’d over for ages before finally making a selection.

The cab hit a bump and Kealey was jostled from her thoughts enough to look out the window and remember exactly where it was they were going.

OhGoshOhGoshOhGoshOhGosh. Why was it that panic never had a problem making itself known among the swelling of other emotions in a public place? It was never happiness or mellow feelings that made themselves available in times like that. Nope. Pretty much just panic, fear, anger. Kealey was only feeling one of the above…but it was enough.

They were going to meet Shin’s family.

The prospect of the meeting hadn’t exactly loomed over the trip, because that would have meant she’d worried about it the whole time. That wasn’t the case. She was sure Shin’s family was full of excellent and wonderful people. The problem was…she didn’t know if it was full of excellent and wonderful people who would like her.

Shin had told her a bout a million times that they were going to like her just fine…but Kealey figured he couldn’t really say anything else or risk making her into a total basket case. Kealey couldn’t help but worry though. She was probably best described as “strange” in the best of circumstances, and Shin’s parents had rejected their son for being a mutant for years! Sure, things were better now, but that had taken work, and time, and the fact that he was their son. She was just some flighty blond who didn’t know up from down when situations got emotionally charged. Would it matter if they hated her? Kealey didn’t know, but she couldn’t help but her mind seemed intent on pulling up every worst-case-scenario it could produce.

So…the cab ride had been quiet. Too quiet. Much more quiet than anything involving Kealey and Shin usually was. She wasn’t trying to ruin the moment for him, so she’d kept her selfish concerns to herself, mulling them over as they moved through the streets. She could tell everything Shin was feeling, and it was all too…excited and anxious to ruin with her worries.

The cab stopped and Kealey’s hand white-knuckled on the door handle as she looked over at Shin and smiled as brightly as possible. It was time.

Would they like her? Would they like her? The frantic question ran through Sasami Shinbo's mind. Ever since Tetsuya had e-mailed her and let her know he was coming, and not alone, she'd been anxious. Her parents were sort of hard to read, sometimes. They often considered themselves kind of a big deal. The meddler inside of her wanted the best for her brother. The meddler inside of her wanted her father to accept his son, and her mother to welcome Tetsuya's girlfriend with open arms.

That morning had been busy with preparation. Sasami had helped with the decorations, and the cooking, and the wrapping, and wrapping her father, Yosuke, around her little finger to keep him going along. Several times, he'd wandered off to be alone, but this was family time. Happy time. She wanted the best. She'd tried her hardest.

All that morning, she'd smiled and hummed to herself, inwardly wondering what Tetsuya's girlfriend would be like. Would she be a mutant? Would she be Japanese? Would she be adorable, and would she have similar interests to her so they could talk about things behind Tetsuya's back? All of these questions were very important. They needed answers.

As the time grew nearer to when Tetsuya and his girlfriend were meant to arrive, Sasami's eyes couldn't help but dart out the window of their little house, towards the drive.

~*~

Towards the drive, again. Again, with this drive. Sasami seemed deadset on being the first to the door. Fujiko was anxious, too. This was something to be anxious about. Would her son's Fiancé be good-looking? Would she be a good daughter? Rich? Fertile? Would she be good enough for her son, and most importantly, would she make him happy? All of this was important, as previously stated. Sasami didn't need to have the market cornered on answering the door.

"Sasami, can you go check on dinner?" Fujiko Shinbo drawled.

The dear girl glanced her way, nodded once, and dutifully shuffled her blue skirt through the doorway.

Fujiko smiled thinly, and turned her attention back towards the front window and its view. Her arms were crossed. She was waiting.

~*~

He was not. No, Yosuke Shinbo was not. He was divided. He wanted, wanted to be the bigger man, be a good father. He was uncertain. His son was strange. He, was strange. All of this was strange. It was new. She was new. Tetsuya's girlfriend was someone he had not met before. He had not met Tetsuya's girlfriend, and he hadn't heard tell of Tetsuya's powers. He didn't even know how the boy would take a surprise.

He wasn't waiting, to reiterate a point. He was in his room, doing the exact opposite, hoping time passed by and this whole thing ended quickly. It was all too awkward to stretch out.

~*~

Bright smiles plagued the interior of the cab's rear. A door was opened, a goofy Japanese man walked 'round to the other side. He tugged his gorgeous girlfriend's door open, and offered her his leading hand, so he could help her towards that door.

Many things were on the menu today. Many topics to be brought up, thoughts shared. He was looking forward to it all. It wouldn't be awkward one bit. ... But he did think it had better start soon, so they could get the introductions out there and over with, right now. Yeah. Tetsuya certainly wanted that.

He helped his girlfriend out of the taxi cab, paid the driver, and led her towards the door. The cab rolled away as he knocked.

A woman with rounded cheeks, thin from aging and smiling and gossiping, appeared at the window with graying hair. She regarded them with searching interest, turned back towards the interior, and shouted something. Something clattered, it sounded like, from within. The graying lady appeared at the doorway, with her oven-mitt-wearing dark-haired daughter trailing not too far behind her, on her heels.

"Tetsuya," she said, in Japanese, smiling a digging smile as she turned her focus from one, to the other, then settled on her son. "Introduce me to your Fiancé."

Shin nearly choked.

Sasami raised her voice in her native tongue. "Mom!"

They were there. At Shin’s house…his parents house? Was this where he had grown up? Why hadn’t she thought to ask? Why had she worn this shirt? What was she supposed to say? Oh Lord…she’d forgotten all their names.

The opposite door shut and Kealey nearly jumped out of her skin. Shin had gotten out of the cab…where was he going? Was he leaving her behind? Kealey nearly panicked and reached for the door-handle just as it opened and Shin offered her his hand.

Taking a deep breath, Kealey reached out and took it, holding on just slightly tighter than was probably necessary. To her credit, the blond said nothing, just plastered a smile on her face and let Shin lead her towards the door.

Kealey could feel the people inside as well as all the swirling emotions. Anticipation, excitement, mild trepidation, curiosity, and a million other things fell on the blond to set her already churning emotions to a renewed level of intensity. Her stomach hurt.

She almost said something now, because she was a little light headed, and probably holding Shin’s hand way too tightly…but then the door opened.

The woman who greeted them had to be Shin’s mother, and Kealey automatically took a step back and a little behind her boyfriend as she approached. This was going to be a moment…they hadn’t seen each other in a while…and things had been tense…Kealey didn’t want to intrude. The woman’s eyes flicked from Shin to Kealey, then back to Shin and she said something…and oh boy did a bunch of emotions change…and Kealey didn’t need a translator to figure at least some of it out.

The woman was expectant, like she wanted an answer, and Shin and the girl (who had to be his sister) gaped. What had happened? Did the woman hate her already? On sight?

”Hello?” she squeaked, mild panic evident in her features….hopefully..his family had been warned.

Shin's mother held her chin as she considered the curly-haired thing cowering behind her child. In the background, Shin's sister mouthed an apology. This was embarrassing, both for her, and for Shin's girlfriend. She was embarrassed for the girl. Poor thing. Shin had a good eye, though. The girl was gorgeous. Shin's mother thought likewise...

"She's pretty." She snapped her eyes back to her son. "What did you say her name was?"

He still hadn't told her. Shin looked back at the girl hiding behind him, then to his mom. "Kealey." He said slowly, in Japanese. "She's not my Fiancé..." In English, he followed up. "She thought you were my fiance." In Japanese again, he stated "Be nice, mom. She doesn't speak much Japanese."

So many emotions. For a minute, Kealey felt light-headed, like she was going to faint. Equal parts of her wanted to sink into the ground, run away, and stick it out. Obviously…sticking it out was going to win. As fast as she could, Kealey ran through all the things Shin had told her leading up to this. Her confidence soared a bit, and she nodded at Shin’s sister and gave her a small smile. The girl was on her side…Kealey could feel it. Every bit helped.

Shin’s mother…was judging her. And judging her hard. Kealey gulped a little, the confidence she’d gained from his sister fading quickly under the eyes of the woman. Still, she smiled a bit.

Shin’s mother spoke, Shin spoke slowly in Japanese, then turned to her. His words prompted big eyes and a strangled little ”O…oh” Sure…there were worse assumptions…lots of worse assumptions. But Shin’s mom thinking they were already....

Kealey couldn’t help but let her mind wander what that would be like for a moment. Shin spoke again in Japanese, and Kealey only caught two words. Then it was quiet. It was now or never. Kealey took a deep breath and came out from behind Shin to face his mother, cheeks still pink from her wandering mind.

She smiled at his mother, hoping it would help. ”Hajimemashite, doozu yoroshiku.” she said, hoping she hadn’t butchered things too much, or that the effort would be appreciated for what it was.

Shin's mother watched the girl, patiently, observing. Curly and blushed, and not Japanese. Hmm...

The girl stepped out of the shadow of the man, and introduced herself.

Hmmm.....

Shin glanced away, blushing as his mom practically measured every limb on Kealey's body with her eyes, like livestock. The woman held her chin. She was judging... judging... his girlfriend. All this time, Shin hadn't thought about this part. He hadn't understood what could somehow get Kealey so worried. Now, he got it.

Sasami frowned at the girl again. Poor thing. She swatted at her mother's back, smiling consolingly. "Mother. Do not be rude. Invite them in~" She stepped aside to make room.

Fujiko took the reprimand in stride, pride undamaged. Hmph. Sasami was far too sweet. She wasn't worried about the girl being good enough for her son, her only male heir. She didn't want all the information she could possibly glean from their reactions. She wasn't a mother.

... A smile slipped onto her features. "I am rude," she said, following Sasami's suit. She stepped back and to the side, clearing the path. "Please, come in."

"It is nice to meet you," Sasami said to Kealey in her best English, Japanese accent heavy as they entered the home.

Shin led Kealey by her hand. He did not want her getting lost. At Sasami's words, he gave a small squeeze.

Behind the couch, Fujiko was still watching, waiting for her chance. "I'll make tea," she said. 'Ocha' was tea. Did the girl even know enough words to make that connection? She liked her, slightly, but... she had to be sure the girl was good enough. Hopefully, everyone would understand.

Kealey would have laughed as Shin’s mother continued to measure her, mostly because Shin was so surprised by the action. He’d been so vehement that his family would automatically accept her that the current situation had to be something of a shock. As Shin’s mother studied her, weighing and measuring every aspect, Kealey had to decide that the woman didn’t know what she could do. If that was the case, some mild irritation was due in Shin’s direction, but that would have to come later. Kealey had her hands full. Shin’s mother hadn’t decided anything, but that wasn’t a relief…it meant the verdict was still out. She bore the woman’s careful scrutiny with eye contact and a small smile, what else was there to do?

Shin’s sister stepped in again, and even though she didn’t understand more than a couple of words, Kealey decided that growing close with Sasami was going to be vital to success here. The two women moved to the side, and Kealey let Shin lead her into the house.

”And even better to meet you.” Kealey said quiet and earnestly as they passed Sasami and the blond gave the other woman a grateful look.

Inside they went, and Kealey watched Shin’s mother as she spoke, trying to puzzle out exactly what the other woman was saying. Ghost had been right…no amount of cramming was sufficient to try and communicate. Kealey thought she’d caught one important word as the woman left the room. Tea.

Once they were alone with Shin’s sister, Kealey couldn’t contain her curiosity as her eyes roamed the home. She hadn’t thought to ask if this was the same house Shin had grown up in. He was still holding her hand and Kealey spared a moment of curiosity and nerves to give him a bright smile, to show how well everything was going. Even if it wasn’t perfect, she didn’t want to ruin the moment.

”We’re going to have tea…right?” she said hopefully, still smiling.

>>”And even better to meet you.”

Sasami smiled calmly, inwardly pleased her Japanese wasn't completely terrible. She'd been practicing, for if she ever needed to go to school in America. Even better, since it let Shin's girlfriend knew she had a friend.

Her mother kept on with speaking in her native tongue, though. If only her mother knew some English, this might go easier. Oh well~ They'd do. She tried looking on the positive. At least Kealey was inside now, and not out in the cold. And... they were having tea. Sasami bowed her head in a nod. "Yes." She smiled. "Which do you like best?"

Kealey’s smile faltered a little bit at Sasami’s question. There was more than one kind of tea? Kealey turned slightly wide- eyes towards Shin. Why hadn’t they talked about this? What was she going to say? What was she going to do…was this whole situation going to fall apart because she didn’t know enough about tea?

Than God Sasami had brought the tea up now...what if Shin's mother had come back and asked the same question and Kealey had frozen. They'd averted near disaster!

”I…uh….” Kealey said, pulling her eyes back to Sasami, a helpless smile spreading across her face, ”I…like whatever Shin says I do?”

"Oh, am I your brain now~?" Shin smiled sweetly at Kealey. Yeah. This must have been rattling her. He supposed he'd have to make a judgement call. "You like green tea," Shin said authoritatively. "Green." Like the forests.

"Shin's favorite," Sasami beamed at the couple. She quickly bowed her head. Did they suddenly need privacy? Maybe she would go speak with her mother. "I'll go tell my mother," she said, slipping off into the hall.

Shin watched her go. As soon as she was gone, he turned back to Kealey. "How are you holding up?" He asked, concern edging into his voice.

Was he her brain? Kealey’s cheeks colored as she nodded her head and smiled back, he was her brain…at least when she was shaken like this. It was one of the amazing things about Shin, when her head was rattled and full of emotions that weren’t hers, she could count on Shin to help her out. He never got mad about it either…or even frustrated.

Green. Yes, she liked green tea. Kealey nodded again, then smiled at Shin’s sister as she excused herself and left the room. They were alone. Kealey let out a long breath and scooted slightly closer to Shin, somehow that made everything better. He asked how she was holding up.

”I’m okay. Just want to make the right impression.” she said with a small smile, touched by his concern. Her answer was mostly true too. What good would it do to worry him about his mother’s feelings? It wouldn’t change anything, and the last thing Kealey wanted was to mess this up for him.

”What about you?” she said as she cast a look around the room they were standing in. This was a big thing for Shin too…the last time he’d seen his parents, things hadn’t gone well.

”Is this the house you grew up in?” she asked, still mildly surprised she’d never thought to ask before.

"No," Shin answered her second question. "They got this later, around the time I went to America. Houses are really expensive in Japan. Easier to afford with one less mouth to feed." He smiled.

"And I'm fine," Shin replied, tone subdued. And he was. For the most part. He didn't have any reason to think otherwise... except at her comment. "Why? Should I be?" Suddenly, he was anxious again. He scratched the back of his head, a nervous habit... not that he was, mind you, but... "You're doing fine," Shin insisted. "Really. Mom's kind of like that. She gossips, and digs, and tries to find out everything she can about anything..." Past girlfriends included. "She likes you. I can tell. Why else would she have assumed you were my fiance, and not the cab driver looking for her tip?"

~*~

In the kitchen, the sound of chopping blended in with the sound of running water. Vegetables were on the cutting board. Sasami was at the sink.

"I like her," Sasami said, glancing over her shoulder to her mother. "She's nice."

"She is fine." Fujiko replied succinctly, eyes locked on what she was cutting. The knife pressed down on into a carrot. "Though, how she deals with his father is another matter..."

Sasami fell silent.

The muscles around Fujiko's eyes tightened. Where was Yosuke, anyways? Still in his room, avoiding confrontations, no doubt? Hrm...

Yosuke! A thought raced across the house like an electrical current, through the lazy air, straight into her husband's head. Yosuke Shinbo looked up in his chair. Graying eyes cast a look towards the clock. Time just wasn't passing, was it. And like clockwork, she was bothering him right on time. Get in there. We're having tea! Fujiko's focus slackened. The knife rested on the counter. The woman scraped vegetables into a green plastic bowl. There was no way he could argue against her demand. He just had to get in there and share their surprise... and their reasoning.

Across the house, in Yosuke Shinbo's room, a man with graying eyes and salt and pepper flecked black hair stood up. He let out a sigh and shook his head. It was time.

Kealey nodded her head when Shin explained about the house. She wasn’t disappointed, but it would have been neat to see where he’d grown up. It wasn’t this house though…his parents had gotten it around the time he left for the states. It was fine, as long as there were baby pictures floating around somewhere.

Shin got nervous…and Kealey instantly regretted asking him how he was doing. She shook her head, ”I was just asking. It’s been a long time.” she said, while he nervously fidgeted.

The blond cracked a smile when Shin did his best to explain the way his mother acted, and how she felt. Kealey understood the woman, but still wanted to make the right impression. Sasami had gone well, and Kealey could only hope that the same could be said for Shin’s mother. As helpful as it was to be an empath, Kealey had never dealt well socially with women…and if anything, Shin’s mom seemed like a social butterfly.
”Thank you for that…it explains some things.” Kealey said, ”And I still can’t believe she thought I was your fiancé…how did she ever get that idea?”

Kealey was in the process of trying to figure that out, and just about to ask if he’d told them about her powers when Shin’s emotions changed.

She turned, but didn’t need to ask what happened because a voice rang out as a man entered the room.

“Tetsuya.”

Kealey watched intently, suddenly feeling out of place. She stepped back, curious about the emotions she felt, and how the situation would pan out. Parents were something Kealey was bad at, and estranged parents reuniting with their children might as well have been another planet.

But…for better or worse, Shin was face to face with his dad.

How had his mother thought she was his fiance? A nervous laugh escaped him. "Hehe. No idea." It certainly hadn't had anything to do with him talking about Kealey with Sasami and giving her glowing reviews. Had it?

That thought fell to the wayside as someone appeared in the doorway. Shin's heart leaped. For a moment, he felt like a little boy again, small and weak in the presence of a figure of authority. He couldn't have counted the times his father had reprimanded him for goofing around. His voice was serious, his face grave as he said his name. Shin's head was foggy. It took him a moment to respond. When he did, it came out like he'd tried writing his message with caps lock on, but held down the shift to capitalize the first letter of the first word. Weak, then booming. Or at least louder than he'd wanted.

"hI DAD. uH." He gulped, and gestured to his beautiful fiance. He squeaked out the last part. "This is Kealey!" And she wasn't his fiance. He was too frazzled to notice a difference in his head.

Those feelings…they were so intense. Kealey watched Shin as he realized his father was in the room, and couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like. It was so hard to picture…and kind of sad…so she stopped doing that. Besides…Shin’s emotions were far more interesting at the moment.

Kealey had never seen her boyfriend like this…he was full of nerves and all kinds of other things that Kealey probably couldn’t have named if she’d have tried. Suddenly she was nervous too… If Shin’s mom was intimidating…his dad was…intimidating in a completely different way.

Shin finally spoke, and Kealey watched closely for reaction, almost missing the part of the conversation that was directed at her.

”Hello.” she said, hating to bring any attention to herself and away from the reunion. ”It’s nice to meet you.”