Welcome to the next installment of my lemon series, everyone. First off, this one is a bit different as it's going to be a bit more…emotional, or at least I'm hoping it will. This is the first birthday fic I've ever done, and I figure it might as well be my favorite GO girl featuring my favorite pairing. Naturally, it connects to most of my other Ritsuka/Joan stories. The setting is post Grand Order, as for everything beyond that…read on to find out. Enjoy!

I do not own anything.

"Hang-on, everyone, we're going in for the landing!"

In spite of her having gone against his request, Ritsuka couldn't help but smile. He'd grown uncomfortably used to the feeling of air rushing past him, filling his ears with the bombastic zooming sound as they dived through the skies toward the ground below. His parents on the other hand, not so much. Their screams and pleas for the dream to end made him realize the long afternoon he'd spent explaining things to them might have just gone to waste. Well, it wasn't like he was going to let that happen without a fight; he'd been in tighter situations before and came out relatively unscathed or on the right track. Besides, there was a part of him that was willing to accept the long haul ahead in exchange for seeing the love of his life smiling. Dive-bombing through the air atop one of her prized dragons, this was the Dragon Witch of Orleans he'd fallen in love with.

Though she was clearly enjoying herself, Joan was mindful of the passengers besides her boyfriend, the people responsible for birthing and raising said boyfriend. Clawing its way back to the forefront of her brain, her logical side screamed for her to take things slow and easy. Given the events of the last five minutes, that was a little difficult. Still, Joan did her best to cool things down. Fafnir, sharing a mental link with her, wasn't exactly happy, but he complied none the less. She looked back to Ritsuka, who answered her daring smile with his trademark cool smirk. Though the adventure had ended, it'd left its mark on the Japanese male.

He'd transformed from a wide-eyed schoolboy into man, one willing to leap across the chasm no matter the odds. In hindsight, such a transformation wasn't entirely out of the ordinary given the adventure he'd gone on. Risking one's life and sanity to save humanity often had unpredictable results. Personally, Joan was quite happy with how he'd turned out. Now, as for Ritsuka's parents, she wasn't going to hold her breath in that department.

Ritsuka turned around and grabbed his other by the wrist while Joan literally leapt from her dragon's neck, her hand stretching out and grabbing the scuff of Mr. Fujimaru's shirt as she did so. Beneath them, Fafnir gave out a bestial chuckle before he literally vanished into an array of black and red-colored sparkles that were quickly swept away by the rushing wind. Ritsuka maintained his cool, unlike his parents who continued to scream all the way down. In the back of her mind, Joan couldn't help but snicker in partial annoyance and partial amusement; their son hadn't made quite this much of a fuss when they went for a ride, but they didn't have the experience he now had.

The ground came into view fast, and before either of the adults knew it, their falling had ceased.

Risako Fujimaru dared to open one eye, half-hoping the fantastical dream she'd been in had ended and she'd returned to reality. Instead, what she found was that reality had been further entrenched into this new fantasy that had began when her son came home. Said son gently lowered her to the ground, a nervous smile on his face as he waited for her and her husband to recover. Seeing that he was in equal, perhaps greater shock than her, that was likely going to take a while. Likely, their son was doing his best to help them, telling the two of them to breath in and out and how the whiplash was also hard to cope with the first time.

Both husband and wife snapped their heads to their son, who took heed of their shocked, near frightful expressions.

"Um, well, you know how I told you I had to-"

"What he's saying is take this as slowly as possible, in fact, it might be best if you just sit down." Little over a year ago, one could have never expected Jeanne Alter to utter such…helpful words, and in such a soft and tender voice. It truly was a sight to see, and the man who'd helped transform into such a woman stood proudly across her from before moving to help his parents do as she'd advised. "So, how was your first time riding a dragon? Since we were in public Fafnir had to hold back, he wasn't too happy about it but I think we made our point."

"Y-Y-You made it, a-a-and then some." Stammered Ritsuo as his knees hit the soft grass. Never in all his life had he been so grateful to be back on solid ground. Hell, he'd never known that a human being could move through the air as they just did and still survive. His gaze went to his son, who he'd learned had engaged in such maneuvers at the least. "If I ask you how many times you've done that, will I get a straight answer?"

Internally, the younger male winced at the tone of voice his father used with him. All in all, he'd been lucky so far in regards to his parents learn he'd been lying to their faces for almost half a year. At heart, he knew there were going to be some scars that would take some time to heal, in fact, Ritsuka likely knew that better than anyone. "If I told you…I honestly don't think you'd be able to get to sleep for the next couple of weeks." Something of a smart-mouthed answer, but the truthful one.

His father knew it as well. "Damn right I wouldn't! Hell, I'm not going to be able to sleep for the next month! Shouted the car designer as he ran his hands through his pitch-black hair. They were still shaking, just like the rest of his body and his wife's. "Ritsuka, you're telling us you did that on a daily basis?!"

"Ride a dragon, no. He only did that after he hooked up with me." Intersected Joan with a roll of her shoulders. "But he did risk his life almost every other day at Chaldea to save everyone, especially you two." It probably would have been for the best if she let him answer, but the flame within her cackled and sprung to life before she could stomp it down. She could chalk it up to her protective instincts, her instinct to protect the blue-eyed goofball beside her. That part of her would never change, rather she was a human or a Servant; all Joan could do was learn how to temper it. Adding to that, the people sitting across from her loved Ritsuka just as much as she did, she had to respect that. "Mr. and Mrs. Fujimaru, I…I…believe me when I say this, I can understand the horror and fear you must be feeling. I truly can because almost every day I felt those same feelings. Like ice has gripped your heart and no matter what, you can't get the damn thing to thaw because you just don't know. You don't know if he's alive or if he's…it keeps your eyes wide away and makes you think of the worse possibilities until you see him again, alive and well. I…I've been there before, and I can tell you it's a God-awful place."

The humans took a moment to study the witch that was sitting beside their son, as if seeing her for the first time. As Ritsuka and Joan had expected, first introductions had been…well-enough with the all-too obvious questioning of the latter's appearance. Risako and Ritsuo had meant foreigners before on their respective jobs, but never one quite like her. Luckily, Joan had gotten used to the attention, she had to if she planned on surviving in the world they'd fought so hard to save. From the bat they'd deduced she was…special as Ritsuka had continuously pointed out. It wasn't until she manifested a mass of fire in her palm before them did they fully being to grasp his words. They could have stopped right there, but Ritsuka and Joan decided they were going to lay as much as they could on the table so their relationship could move forward.

On the surface, it looked like her words were sinking in at least just a little bit. If there was one word that could be used to describe Joan d'Arc, either as a human or a Servant, it was emotional. She wore her emotions on her sleeves in spite of her best efforts. On the battlefield, such a trait might have been a hindrance, but when facing those who she meant to befriend and open her heart to it was quite an endearing trait.

Ritsuo shared a similar trait, in fact, he claimed it was a defining feature of the Fujimaru family. Though her eyes were inhuman, the bearded-man detected genuine human emotions from the witch-doubt and hope, two things that were often intertwined and at war with each other. He recognized the pattern as he'd seen it more times than he could count. So too had his wife.

While her husband's gaze softened, Risako's sage-green eyes hardened as she sized up her son's lover. It hadn't been a boast that she would be the harder one to win over, even if she'd literally just been swept off of her feet. Arguably that was all the more reason for her to be so cautious around the reincarnated Servant. She'd gotten a test of the lifestyle Ritsuka had been living for almost the last two years, and would continue to live if he remained involved with Joan. Honestly, she could hardly blame the brunette for narrowing her eyes upon her. It took no small amount of willpower on Joan's end not to return the glare with one of her own.

"Mom, dad, I-"

"Ritsuka," His father swiftly cut off in a voice he knew meant there would be no questioning. "Please, we know what you're trying to say, but this is…" A sigh left the grown man's lips as he scratched the side of his head. Right about now was when he would have called for a break in the design room. "If you wanted an animal lover that's fine, but…but…"

"Would it happy if I told you most of her dragons and wyverns have gotten used to me?" Offered the bright-eyed teen with a hopeful smile. "Trust me, I know better than anyone how dangerous they can be-"

"If I recall, you tried to kill my son, did you not?" Sniped Risako with the same guarded expression.

Leave it to his mother to go straight for the elephant in the room so to speak. It wasn't surprising that that was the one detail she'd held onto. After their light flight over the clouds it was only natural her suspicions were further enforced.

Steeling herself, Joan faced the brunette in the eye. "Yes, I did. At one point…your son was just another target of my wrath." Long had she decided she wouldn't run from the topic when it was brought up, nor would she attempt to downplay the horrific nature of the first Singularity. "With all of my heart, I tried to kill Ritsuka along with countless other people only for him and his other Servants to stop me. He was successful and I was defeated, but I know that matters little to either of you. I raised my sword against your son, tried to kill him in some of the most brutal ways imaginable."

"And now you two are…" Started Risuto looking between the two. It certainly wasn't the way he pictured his son meeting his first real girlfriend would go. Just about everything he'd expected or planned for had been thrown out the window. "So, you try to kill our son multiple times, made regular death threats to him-"

"I'll give her this, that's not out of the ordinary, at least as far as some couples go." It was a surprise to the pair of teens, but a welcome one. Even if only for an instant, the tense mood was broken thanks to Risako's light-hearted jest. "Then again, trying to actually kill each other is usually reserved for those TV shows, and couples with dysfunctional relationship." There was a pause that the all three took great note of. A heavy-hearted sigh left Risako's lips as she first looked to Joan, then to her son. "But from what I've seen…that's not what you two have. Far…far from it, actually. I…Ritsuka, this woman…she's…"

"She's the woman I'm in love with, and who I want to stay beside." He boldly declared to the faces of his parents, and Joan herself. The latter's face turned the color of a ripen cherry in spite of having heard the declaration before. It only intensified as he reached out with his right hand to grasp her left. By instinct, she returned his light squeeze. "Mom, dad, I know all of this is a lot to take in, believe me, it took a couple of days to absorb it all when I came to Chaldea, but it's…it's part of my life now. Joan is part of my life. I know that you both love me, and I'll always love the two of you as my parents; that's why I have to tell you this now, Joan is…she's…she's to me what you two are to each other. I'm sure of it."

Though the skies were as blue as could be, Ritsuka's voice struck like thunder leaving the three stunned and shaken. His parents stated at him in open-mouthed shock, no doubt completely thrown off by his declaration which came near completely out of leftfield, at least as far as they were concerned. Joan's face was bent in concentrated effort, an effort to keep from crying, and latching onto him like a vice. What she did do was tremble and hold onto his hand like it was a lifeline; as far as Joan was concerned, Ritsuka still was her lifeline, the one and only one currently in her new life.

Ever since returning home, Risako and Ritsuo had noticed a number of differences in their only son, some of them small and some of them major. Perhaps the greatest was the resolution that often burned in his eyes. Not that he'd ever been weak-willed, but they'd seen something strong, something powerful blossom within him whenever he set his mind out to do something. Tasks that they knew he once would have shirked away from he now faced with brimming confidence. When questioned about the future, he always seemed to grow a little distant, but burned with a strong-willed idealism they could never quite understand. Now, they had an idea why.

It was thanks to the long-haired woman at his side, the woman who looked ready to cry as she listened to him explain what she meant to him.

Heaving out a sigh, Risako laced her hands through those of her husband; they perfectly mirrored the younger pair sitting before them.

"I…can't say I'm entirely pleased about all of this, or that I can fully understand it all." Started the head of the Fujimaru household as he looked into his son's blue eyes, so similar to his own. Both men frowned at one another, but eventually one did smile causing the younger of the pair to lighten up. "But what I can understand is that my son's found someone he truly loves, someone who'll always be at his side…and help keep him on the right path. You will keep him on the right path, won't you?"

If either of the elder Fujimarus knew the full history of their relationships, they probably would have asked the reverse question.

"Ritsuka," Interrupted Risako giving her son a sharp glare that made him straighten up. Briefly, Joan chuckled as the sight reminded her of her boyfriend's interactions with Scathach during their training. "You will help get her on the right track too, won't you?"

"Of course!" Immediately responded the teen with a forced smile that Joan couldn't help but laugh at. While she did enjoy rattling him, it was almost as nice watching someone else do it, especially his mother. Not to mention she saw it as payback for all those times he sat back and let her "sister" scold her like a child. Revenge was indeed sweet.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fujimaru, you have my word, I'll…" She had to stop herself from using her favorite pet names for him, which she knew his parents wouldn't exactly have taken to. "I will keep him safe, with my life. I swear it on my sword and my flag."

The married couple looked between each other, resigned smiles tugging on their lips. "Alright then." Began Ritsuo allowing his shoulders to slacken.

"You…have our blessings, but there's going to be some ground rules, which we're going to lay out now."

A nervous sweat materialized atop Ritsuka's forehead. "U-Um, r-r-really, r-right now, mom? I-I mean w-w-we're in public, i-in the park. S-Someone could-"

"Joan made sure to drop us off in a nice secluded area, didn't she?" Responded the brunette with a crooked smile that chilled Ritsuka's blood. "Besides, it's such a beautiful day so why not talk about these things under a clear sky instead of some stuffy room." On that, Ritsuka and Ritsuo knew there was some truth in her words. Given that Risako's job had her indoors nearly ninety-percent of the day, she enjoyed the outdoors when she could. In a strange twist, they'd played right into her hands.

Ritsuka and Joan looked to one another, silently acknowledging that they'd walked into yet another odd mess.

If you have any second thoughts about being with me, I think now would be the time to speak up. Cracked the human.

Arrogant laughter resounded in his ears. He had to fight to keep from smiling least he tip his parents off. Do you think this is going to be enough to scare me? Sorry, but not even close! Besides, this is nothing compared to what sort of hell will be raised when your folks meet my "father". Just think of THAT.

Unfortunately, Ritsuka was thinking about it. Behind his forced smile he put on for his mother's sake he was dreading the eventual meeting of his parents with Joan's. Him dating a witch was one thing. But the "father" of said witch being a child-murdering fish-eyed lunatic completely detached from reality?

Suddenly, Dead Apostles, Amazons, murderous machines, crazy Celts, gangsters, monsters, and pirates didn't seem so bad. Alas, it was too late for regret.

"I always knew you'd surpass my expectations; I knew it."

His father's words were extremely comforting to hear; the sight of a glass of lemonade in his hands was a welcome sight as well. Glasses in hand, the pair sat upon the steps, their gaze directed to the small backyard and urban scenery beyond it. It was a stark contrast to the greenery of the Aichi Prefectural park. Hard to believe little over an hour had passed since they'd flown from their neighborhood all the way over to Moriyama-ku. Ritsuo supposed it was just one of the many "new normal" he was going to have to get used to.

"That makes…one of us, I seriously thought that I'd have a gray hair by the time I found a girlfriend." There was a humorous chuckle from the younger male as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Then again, I wasn't exactly wrong. I definitely remember pulling out a few white and gray hairs while washing my hair a couple of times. Don't tell mom that, she'll probably worry more than she already is."

"I suppose I'll be doing enough of that for the both of us." Answered the older man with a heavy sigh. When he first heard his son's strange tale, he knew right off the back that he'd gained a number of gray strains born from stress. He got more than his fair share sitting in a boardroom and pooling over car designs. Instead, his son had been charged with saving humanity from complete destruction while balancing out a number of wild and from what he understood outright dangerous personalities. "You know, we're going to be talking about this for the rest of the week. Some serious talking."

Following a grave nod, the teen placed his drink atop the ground as he struggled to work up the courage to speak again. Ritsuo knew his boy's habits well, including some of his new ones. In spite of his newfound confidence, there were still some things he struggled with. First and foremost were his efforts to connect with him and his wife, his own parents. He'd heard of soldiers returning from war and finding themselves a stranger to their own family. Not once did he ever think his son would go through something similar. It was absolutely nerve-wrecking.

A familiar hand fell over the seventeen-year-old's shoulder. "Ritsuka, whatever it is, you can tell me. So long as it's not too…outrageous, I think I can handle it."

Rather surprisingly, a blush was playing at the teen's face. "It's…well, it's about Joan. B-B-But n-not in the way you…well…" Sighing under his father's heavy gaze, the savior of human history hung his head. "Joan's birthday is next week."

"B-B-Birthday?" Stammered the car designer. "W-W-W-Wait, b-but you said that she's n-not even a real person! She was…she was…" Slowly, his shoulders slackened as his mind slowly began to put the pieces together. Ritsuo had a decent enough grasp of history, foreign history. "Next week was the last week of May, in particular, next Tuesday was the anniversary of the death of one Joan of Arc. The day France's holy maiden died…and in a way the same day where the dragon-controlling witch his son had become involved with was born. "Well…that's…a bit…complicated."

"We sort of joked about it at Chaldea." Further explained the former Master scratching his cheek. "I-I-I mean i-it ended with her a-a-accepting it a-as her birthday, b-but I don't know if I really want to go through with it or not! I-I see her as a real person and I want her to be treated like one so I…I…I could use your advice, dad."

A jubilant laugh exploded from the older Fujimaru as he slapped his son on the back. "Now, I may not know much about magecraft or magic or whatever this stuff is called, but I know a thing or two about women, especially when it comes to making them feel special." Ritsuo's hand moved from his son's back to the top of his head. A little quirk of theirs that had remained since the boy's days as a toddler. It always made Ritsuka feel safe and comforted as Ritsuo's intended. "Now, I can give some long speech, but you've been away from us for almost two years, and you've been dating Joan for, what, one year? You've done a good enough job so far, so I'm going to keep things light."

"A birthday date? Hm, well that explains why you've been so devoted to getting your schoolwork done. I'm assuming you've had this planned since the start of the month." Cut in a sharp but somewhat humorous female voice.

Both men turned to their six o'clock to find a smirking brunette looking down upon them. In her right hand was a smartphone that had been attached to her ear since they got in and Joan had departed. It seemed her business call had ended, sometime ago in which she decided to eavesdrop on the father-son conversation. Ritsuka had been so nervous about bringing up the topic he'd completely failed to sense his mother's presence.

"Um, yeah, pretty much. Is that…okay?" He asked somewhat worryingly knowing how strict his mother could at times be.

The strict marketing woman that commanded quiet respect had her company gave way to the mother that Ritsuka loved with every fiber of his being. Leaning down, she wrapped both arms around the teen's neck and peaked him on the cheek. "I'll allow it, especially since you've been working towards it for I'm gonna guess the last month. That Joan-girl…I can see she's someone truly special to you. I'm not going to fight back the fact that my little boy's becoming a man, in fact, I'm quite happy."

Relief flooded his body. "Thank you, mom."

"Don't mention it," she laughed as her husband reached out and kissed her on the cheek as she'd done to their son. "But there's going to be some rules for this."

"Aren't there always?" Groaned the teen with a crooked smile that his mother returned.

"Ah, when you and Joan get your own home, you'll be able to make up your own rules, until then you're bound by ours. No amount of world-saving or monster-slaying will ever change that." The three shared a group laugh that had become one of the things they treasured the most. For Ritsuka, it was a welcome return to normalcy. "Now then, I'm guessing you've got something planned for her? June thirtieth is only a couple of days away so I'm assuming you've been putting some thought into this, right?"

"I do," quickly responded the teen before a bout of nervousness seized him. "Um, you see…you know how I said I went to all sorts of places and, um…gained some…pretty cool things? Things that I've been keeping locked away in my room?"

Luckily, his parents were rather casual about his reveal. To an extent.

"Please for the love of God tell us you were thinking of your college fund, please." His father vocalized.

"What? Don't think I'd be able to get through a scholarship alone? You know I was around people like Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla?"

"Ritsuka." His mother sniped.

"Don't worry, I practically raided a couple of treasuries while I was trying to save humanity and keep from getting sliced, diced, eaten, and turned inside out." He laughed seeing his folks weren't in the mood for his jokes. While he did answer their question, he also further put them on edge, though not just for the dangers he'd faced. Perhaps he should have chosen a different choice of words. Now they were probably picturing him breaking into some ancient treasury or vault and stealing whatever he could. In truth, they weren't exactly wrong. "I…kinda thought ahead and lucky, I was able to keep some of what I found. Some of the Servants I had had this Skill called Golden Rule which allowed them to attract wealth and money like a magnet."

"That sounds like something out of an RPG or something." Groaned his mother.

"You'd be amazed." The teen drily chuckled. "Anyways, don't worry, I've got enough to take her out for a day or two and still have enough saved up for college."

"She's not a rapid-fire spender, is she?" Ritsuo asked only to be jabbed in the side by his wife. "What, it's a fair question!"

"You have something in mind?" Directed the family matriarch.

"I do…but…I could…like I told dad, I could use your advice.

There were ups and downs to living on what was basically probation. Most of the times, Joan looked at only the downsides, rarely voicing the positives that came with Chaldea taking her in as a ward. She could have been grabbed by the Magus Association or Clock Tower. She remembered the way some of them had looked at her when they sent their agents to Chaldea's arctic base for a damage report once the threat of the Singularities had passed. Had it not been for Ritsuka, she likely would have killed them all there. Any attempts to force her into a lab or onto an operating table would have only ended in hundreds of dead bodies and likely millions, billions, in property damage. Joan would have considered the cost worth it.

Somehow, things had turned out different than that, for the better she begrudgingly admitted. The apartment she'd been set up in was almost twice as big as her old room in Chaldea; all she had to do was go to school like a "normal" girl and not cause a scene and she was pretty much granted free reign to do whatever she pleased. It was a deal that seemed too good to be true, but with all things, there was a trade-off.

She'd never openly admit it, but it pained her to wake up every morning and be all by herself. Countless times she'd reach over expecting to feel a familiar body there for her to cuddle against only to find nothing. Each time was like a needle to her heart. She predicted this day would be no different.

At least until her noise picked up the scent of something foreign in her apartment.

Bolting upright in bed, she scoured her room for anything out of the ordinary. Sunlight streamed in through the curtains breaking the blanket of shadows that still cloaked the room. Her ears picked up the sound of feet-shuffling, air passing through lips and nostrils, and metal clanging. The witch's nose wrinkled as she picked up the smell of breakfast being prepared, along with something else. Heart hammering in her chest, the long-haired woman threw off her bedsheets and made for the door.

Her feet pressed against the stairs and eventual floorboards as she made her way down and through the halls. Joan already knew who it was that had entered her home without asking her first.

Coming into the kitchen, her golden eyes fell upon a familiar mop of black hair. An apron adorned the teen's frontal body as he hurried from the stove to the dining table, which had been steadily staked with freshly cooked delights. Upon placing the latest dish down he looked up to her and smiled.

"Hey,"

There were a number of things she could have said or done, but Joan chose to do the first thing that popped into her mind seeing Ritsuka in her kitchen. Silently, she strutted over, ignoring her rumbling stomach as the smell of breakfast tickled her nose. Instead, what she tasted were her boyfriend's sweet, sweet lips.

It was the best way to start the day, especially this day.

There's the initial set-up. A look peak into Ritsuka introducing his girlfriend and the Moonlight World he's now a part of to his parents. Also, as some of you can guess with Mr. and Mrs. Fujimaru, some theme-naming going on as the names I chose for them line up rather naturally with Ritsuka's own name. I couldn't really help myself there since it just clinked in my mind.