Big Sister Fujioka

Family Outings!

Fluffy, a few of my personal favorite characters, and a decent amount of angst at the end. I hope you like it.

Ranka attempted to lounge comfortably in his train seat. His legs were crossed at the ankle, tucked a little bit below his seat, arms folded in front of his chest, but he couldn't seem to stop moving. Tapping his fingers or bouncing a foot, which was really unlike the man. He wasn't a fiddler. His wife had been, and so was his eldest daughter, but not him.

In an effort to calm himself down, Ranka did his best to keep his mind focused on something else. Anything. The perfect weather outside. The Kane Chronicles book Haruhi was flying though on his left. His outfit? Right, he could focus on that. After all, he had made sure to look extra cute today. It wasn't often he got to spend a whole day out with his two favorite people in the world!

It had taken him almost half an hour to get ready. Late last night, Ranka and the girls had laid out their clothes for the next day so they could have an early start, but right after he pulled on his red jacket over the white blouse, Ranka had recalled that there was a perfect bright red ribbon lying around somewhere that would match the jacket perfectly. So, he'd hunted it down for fifteen minutes, finding it buried in his closet with a bunch of scrunchies, and tied it in a neat little bow around his high ponytail. He'd been tempted to put a few curls into said ponytail, but Jin and Haruhi had threatened to leave him at home. So he had quickly thrown on a pair of dark blue jeans and settled for looking both beautiful and casual, like he hadn't put a lot of though into it. Just your typical dadmom outfit.

But the scowl marred the look.

A small elbow dug itself into his side, "Dad, quit it."

The man groaned and looked over at his youngest daughter, who hadn't even bothered to look away from her book, "I'm trying, sweetie, I really am, but..."

"You promised."

Ah, yes, that promise again. Ranka rubbed at his forehead. Why he had agreed to it, he might never know, but he definitely regretted it. This was supposed to be a happy time for them all; the Fujioka family's annual 'First-Weekend-of-November-Apple-Picking' trip at Harada Farms. It was one of those things they looked forward to every year, never skipping or moving the date around, and just enjoyed their time together as a family.

It had been a major healing point after Kotoko...

A laugh wormed its way through Ranka's memories, shattering his concentration. Scowling a little darker, he glared daggers at the couple sitting across the train car from him and Haruhi. Kyoya was telling Jin something that she must've found funny, making her press her left palm against her cheek and turning away to hide the laughter. The boy was just sitting back in his seat, a hint of pride on his face.

Then Jin opened her eyes and saw the way Ranka was looking at her boyfriend. She frowned suddenly and returned the stare, shaking her head minutely. With a huff, her father abruptly turned his head away.

Yes, yes, he had said that he knew Kyoya and Jin should get together and all that, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be protective of his daughter. It was only because of that promise that he wasn't sitting in between the two of them right now. The promise he had made a few weeks ago when Jin asked if she could invite Kyoya on the family excursion. Ranka had said 'No' immediately, because it was to be a family outing, but Jin quickly reminded him of the many times they had brought friends who weren't family before. Besides, if the relationship she had with Kyoya worked out...

He had cut her off quickly before she finished that thought. Of course, as soon as he agreed that she could invite her boyfriend along, Jin had crossed her arms and made him promise to 'behave'. This meant, in her terms: No threatening, no unnecessary noises, no purposeful separation, no bodily harm, no bribing Kyoya to keep his distance, no forcing his body in between them... the list had gone on for a while.