Oh my goodness! Hi! Hello to all my new readers! I am so so glad to have each and every one of you sticking with this long journey through the story of 50 Fruits in a Basket.

I've finally graduated from undergrad in college, and I truly feel like I've been through war, so I apologize for not keeping up with this like I wanted to. However, I've had a finished, super important chapter in my back pocket for literally 7 years (whoops) that these chapters are working towards, and I can't wait to get there!! So I'm excited to spend this summer getting us even closer to that :)

Until then, here's a little chapter! This is getting us set up for the tie-in to the White Day portion of the manga/anime (one of my faves)!

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"Kanpaiiiii!" Momiji cheers as he, Hatsuharu, and I clink our cups of soda together at a McDonald's near Kaibara High. "Here's to finishing our high school entrance exam!"

"The math and English sections of the exam were brutal, but at least we don't need to worry now." Hatuharu replies after taking a swig of his drink, "What did you two think about it all?"

"I think it went alright," I start, before Momiji interjects, waving his fry in the air between all of us.

"We all did great, I'm sure of it! Kasumi, what did you think of being at the school with everyone? We're all going to have so much fun next year, especially with Torhu, Kyo, and Yuki!"

"It's exciting! A little overwhelming, but it's nice to be able to experience normal high school life. By the way," I shoot Momiji a stern look, "When are you finally going to tell them that you're hoping to go to Kaibara High? You've had us sworn to secrecy for ages."

"Ah! That!" He flashes a grin, "I have it all planned. But it's a secret. It won't be much longer! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

I can't help but roll my eyes, dipping one of my nuggets in sauce. "I'll take your word for it..."

"Does Akito know you took the exam?" Hatsuharu asked me, quiet concern written all over his face.

I shrug. "I assume so. I doubt Hatori would have kept that a secret. It's only asking for trouble if he does. But, hey," I continue, reading the worry behind their eyes, "It's fine. Akito doesn't want me around, anyways, and he'll get more of Hatori's attention with me being in normal school. It's a win-win situation."

A moment of silence passes before Momiji loudly sets his cup down on the table. "Now isn't the time for seriousness. It's time for CELEBRATION! Come on! Let's finish eating so we can go by the arcade for a little bit before we all go home."

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"Tadaima!" I call as I slide the front door open after finishing the Kaibara High School entrance exam. I step into the genkan and reach down to untie my boots.

"Kasumi!" Shigure croons from the telephone by the stairs, "Perfect timing! Ha-san's on the phone. He wanted to talk to you, but I held him hostage while we waited."

"Hai..." I mumble, finally managing to slip my last boot off. "I'm ready." I hold out my hand as I step up to my cousin, but he turns, holding the phone out of the way.

"Hatori, can you believe this?! She's not even letting me say goodbye before taking the phone away!" Shigure listens for a second before continuing to whine, "Ha-san! But I'm not done with my story! You'll never believe how it —" he sighs, tilting his head to shoot me an exasperated look, "Fine, fine. I'll let you play father. Ja, mata!"

Shigure lazily hands the phone over to me, and I can't help but laugh and roll my eyes as he strolls into his office. "Arigatō, Shigure" I hold the phone up to my ear. "Moshi moshi?"

"How was the entrance exam?" Hatori asks in English. Doesn't give my practice rest, even on exam day... "You're home late."

"Ah," I lean against the wall next to the phone, "Momiji and Hatsuharu wanted to go out to celebrate being done with the exam. I thought it would be alright, but I didn't —"

"That's alright," he cuts me off, which is highly unusual for him, "You are not in trouble for doing that by any means. I'm glad you went. I hope you enjoyed yourself."

A sense of relief washes over me. I knew in the back of my mind that it would be alright, but I still felt like I was doing something wrong when I had gone out to get food with my cousins. "I did! It was really fun. We went out and got okonomiyaki and stopped by an arcade. But as for your first question, the exam went well, I think."

"Did you study enough?" He asks, sounding a bit worried.

"Of course," I laugh, playing with the phone cord, "The exam wasn't as hard as I expected, to be honest. But it was still a bit nerve wracking. There were so many students there hoping to get in."

"Welcome to the real world," Hatori replies dryly, and I can hear the smirk that's playing across his face, "I'm glad to hear it went well. I wish I could take you out to dinner to celebrate, but you know how Akito is. I'll see if I can manage to get away."

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that," I respond quickly, "You've done so much for me already. And it's because of you pushing me with my studies over the years that I didn't have to worry about not knowing the material for the exam. You really don't have to do anything special."

"No, but I want to," Hatori replies after a moment. "I'll see what I can do." We chat a bit more, still in English ("for extra practice," according to Hatori) for a few minutes before hanging up.

As soon as my hand is off the phone, Shigure pokes his head out of his office door. "You didn't even pass him back to me! My heart is forever broken!"

I shoot him a look. "Aya would probably be more willing to listen to whatever story it is than Hatori." I glance past Shigure and my room towards the living room, "Is everyone else home already?"

"Kyo and Yuki are," he replies, spinning a pencil between his fingers, "Tohru had work tonight. One of them is probably heading out soon to get her."

"Hmm, alright." I slip past my cousin and duck into my room quickly to put my things away before crossing the hall into the living room, where I find Kyo coming back to the table with a bowl of mandarin slices.

"How was the entrance exam?" He asks as I sit across from him.

"Not bad," I reply, "I was honestly over prepared. But that's better than being underprepared. It really wasn't that hard. I guess Hatori's homeschooling method pays off sometimes."

I can tell that Kyo has questions, but he's quiet for a minute. "How did you manage to get homeschooled instead of going to school like the rest of us?"

I shrug and steal a piece of mandarin and get a withering look from my cousin. "I haven't ever understood Akito's logic, much less how that managed to get approved by the government. Who knows what he gave as reasoning for that. But at least I'll finally get to go to school like a normal student. You'd think Akito would have let up about all of this after the last Zodiac was born instead of now." There's a moment of uncomfortable silence. The sound of the ticking clock fills the room, and I avoid Kyo's eyes, which I can feel staring at me. "What?" I finally ask, looking up and meeting his gaze.

His eyes flit between anger and concern, but he doesn't reply for a few more seconds. "It's nothing." He lets out an aggravated sigh before leaning back and taking another stab at the conversation. "Were you speaking English with Hatori on the phone a little while ago?"

My cheeks heat up. "Ah, that," I laugh nervously, "I was. Before I came to Shigure's, we would have English days once a week where we weren't allowed to speak Japanese to each other. It kept up his own practice and taught me at the same time. He was still in his university studies when he took me in, so it was a lot to manage. I guess using English today was his own way of saying he misses having me around." As I said that, the overwhelming feeling of homesickness came over me. I don't miss the estate, but I miss the quiet days with Hatori. I haven't felt this homesick in weeks. "Etto..." I start, trying to distract myself, but Kyo jumps in before I get any further.

"That's cool, you know," He says hesitantly, "That you're really good at English. Most people have to go to tutors or live abroad to speak without the Japanese accent."

"Really?"

"Yeah," He replies, "But be prepared. Everyone calls that Damn Rat the Prince because he's a top student. They're obsessed with our family now. So don't let just anyone in, okay?"

I raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"People will want your attention just because you're Yuki's sister, and if you're that good at English, they'll come to you for help with that, too. Make sure that they're coming to you genuinely."

Ah, I think to myself, It sounds like it's been on his mind for a while. He's never been that forward unless it's been weighing on him. I guess I just had the right opportunity for him to bring it up. I shoot Kyo a smile. "Thank you, Kyo. I appreciate knowing that. I'm glad I'll have you and everyone else there, so I can ask for help if I need it."

My cousin opens his mouth to reply but instead jumps a mile as the living room door slides open and Yuki pops his head in.

"Ah, there you are," my brother says to me with a smile, "I thought I heard you come in. I'm leaving to pick up Tohru from work. How was your entrance exam?"

"It went well, I think!"

"That's good," he replies, ignoring Kyo, who mutters an insult his way. "I'll be back soon, and then we can all celebrate. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great! We'll see you soon, then!"

He nods. "Ittekimasu!" he says before stepping back to close the door.

"Itterashai!" I reply as he leaves. I look back over to Kyo, but he's already slipping past me towards the kitchen, getting ready to put his snack away. Guess the moment's over.