Teru beamed at her friends as they sat at a table in the Flower Garden. "I hope you all like your souvenirs."

"Yeah. It's great."

"Just what I wanted."

"Uh, huh."

At first, she felt a little hurt at their lackluster responses, then she realized they were all staring at her expectantly.

She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Nope," she whispered, so that Tasuku and the rest of the Kurebayashi group around the bar wouldn't overhear.

"Oooh, come on. Is it because of the boys? Shoo." Haruka waved a hand at Ken and Yoshi and got it slapped in response. She pointed to Kiyoshi who had his hands ready to clap over his ears. "I don't think you have to worry about him. After all, he is going out with - oof!"

Rena removed her elbow from her friend's kidney. "It's none of our business, you guys. Besides," she passed her water to a coughing Kiyoshi. "I want to know if she's picked a university yet. Well?" She fluttered her manicured hands. "Did you decide over your vacation? Or were you too busy-ouch! I was going to say being a tourist! Too busy being a tourist! Tch!" She glared at Teru and rubbed her ankle. "Hanging out with Kurosaki-san has turned you violent."

"Nuh uh." Teru replied solemnly, then she delicately cleared her throat and folded her hands on the table. "And to answer your question, Rena-chan. I have decided on Tokyo University."

"What! Yes!" She smiled at her friends' happy responses. They all stood up and went to hug her from across the table, but Riko beat them to it.

They could hear her from the bar! Teru thought even as she was smothered by Riko's excited, voluptuous embrace.

"Oh my God! That's so great, Teru! Tasuku, you son of a bitch, why didn't you tell me!"

"Because, you hag," he smiled affectionately as he watched Teru flail for air. "She wanted to tell you herself." He gestured with his beer. "She can't breathe, by the way."

"Shut up." But she did pull away, only to squish Teru's red face between her hands. "You're going to my school! You're staying in Tokyo!" She hugged her once again and sobbed. "I'm so happy!"

"That's great news, Teru," Boss nodded at her as he pulled a crying Riko off her and out of the booth. "Are you staying in the same apartment?" he asked Tasuku, since Teru's friends took Riko's place as they all hugged her.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's home." More like it was back to being home because she was in it once again. "It's close to the train for her and an easy drive for me to work."

Andy offered another beer to the still-sniffling Riko then raised his own to Tasuku. "I'm glad for both of your sakes. After all, neither of you have enough family that you can just easily leave the ones you have here."

"Yeah." Tasuku looked around the room at their friends, then smiled down at Teru as she wrapped her arms around him. He pulled her closer with a sigh and watched as Riko pushed Andy out his chair, Kiyoshi and Rena held hands under the table, and the rest of the group argue as to whether or not they were supposed to give a housewarming gift if Kurosaki and Teru had lived together before and they weren't actually moving anywhere. "Our family is weird, by the way."

"I know," Teru sighed happily. "Isn't it great."

They walked hand in hand back to their apartment. Teru smiled as they passed the playground where she'd once jumped into a drunk-Tasuku's arms. "Riko was really happy we're staying."

Tasuku laughed. "Riko's really happy you're staying."

"Uh-huh." Teru didn't correct him, but some of Riko's more affectionately tipsy ramblings through the night had included being able to keep an eye on 'that spiky-haired hacker bastard'. "I talked to Boss about maybe working at the Flower Garden for the Summer before classes start."

He'd been the one to suggest it when she had mentioned wanting to get a job. Mainly because Boss, and now Akira, would keep the gawkers and the flirts away from his girl. "What did he say?" He'd talked up Teru's cooking skills to Boss lately in a hope to get her in the Flower Garden's kitchen and away from potential reprobates.

"He said that he had the perfect job for me!" She pulled her phone from her purse and brought up a picture. "Look."

"What the… is that Akira?"

"Yeah," she winced in sympathy at the picture of Akira in a giant flower costume getting hit by an old lady with a purse outside the restaurant. "He got the costume a month ago, but Akira managed to tick off so many people in one afternoon that Boss hasn't used it since." They both winced as they looked at the next picture. "Akira's doing a lot better, but Boss is going to keep him either in the kitchen or under direct supervision at the counter until his people-skills improve."

He could just imagine. The little shit had sincerely asked if condoms were a good housewarming gift for a couple. "So, he's going to stick your pretty face in this dumb flower outside the restaurant and hope it draws in some customers?"

She blushed at the 'pretty'. "Actually, the original idea was to have Akira walk around the block and then stand outside the train station where the salarymen got off and hand out flyers and coupons."

"Are you kidding!" He grabbed the phone and held the screen right up to her nose. "The slimy bastard just wants to use you as some sort of sexy bait for his restaurant!"

Eyes wide at the unexpected outburst, she gingerly took the phone back and looked at the picture. She looked back up at Tasuku. "It's a giant flower costume," she replied slowly. "That only shows the face."

"Right?" He threw a possessive arm over her shoulder and scowled at a man walking by with a briefcase, making him clutch it to his chest and skitter away. "He's trying to draw people in using your looks."

She wanted to laugh so badly, but one look at his face told her he was absolutely serious. And indignant. Her gooey-in-love heart melted a little more.

She cleared her throat and put one arm around his waist, since he was holding her so close to his side. "So you don't want me to do it?"

"I didn't say that," he scowled. "You're great with people, so it makes sense, I guess." But he'd definitely talk to Boss and Andy about putting some high-tech safety features into the costume. "But," he tweaked her nose, "you're also unbelievably prone to getting abducted, so be careful."

"Not my fault, but yeah, yeah." She laid her head against his side as they approached their building. "Anyway, you'd find me."

He squished her face. "Not. Funny." He ignored her giggle and pulled her into the elevator. "But, yeah." He waited for the doors to close, then swung a laughing Teru into his arms. "I'll always find you."

Teru wrapped her arms around his neck and softly kissed him, reveling as always at his response and the very fact that this sweet, cranky, brave genius was hers. Forever.

"I know."

Complete! Thank you to all who have stuck with me through this long tale. Please let me know what you thought, as well as what other stories you might like to hear.