In front of me, Tetsu was sitting on the floor hugging his knees as he laughed. His back was pressed to the couch, and I was lost in the curls of his wig. They shook every time he moved. He was telling a funny story about today, and his mom and sister were listening with rapt attention. But, he soon was interrupted.

"That kimono really looks good on you," Natsuko said, looking at their mom for approval. "Right? It's a good combination of colors."

"Yes. It's slimming," their mom nodded, grinning the same grin that the three of them all had.

"What?! Slimming?!" Tetsu gasped.

They both started laughing. "I hate to tell you this, but you look like you've gotten a little chubby," Natsuko said, pursing her lips a little. "Right?" She looked at their mom again.

"No way," Tetsu breathed. "Is that true? I haven't been paying attention!" He started checking himself out, his head going this way and that.

"No, we're joking. The kimono elongates your lines, though. That was my immediate thought. When you dance, your body makes certain shapes, and it extends those shapes. I can't put my finger on it." His mom made a familiar face.

I was staring at her, because she was looking directly at him. How similar their faces were was extraordinary. I hadn't been able to pay attention like this before, but even their facial structures...

"Are you really joking? And thank you..." He was unsure.

"Yes, yes. I'm joking."

Natsuko grinned at him from the other chair, her head going to the side. "I wasn't."

"I'm going to kill you," Tetsu said in a harried way. His arms extended out and his hands were claws. His face must have been funny, because she burst into giggles.

"Be kind," their mom scolded them. "Always children, no matter what age. Anyway, with the healthy things you've been eating, it's silly to think you've gained weight."

"There's a scale in the bathroom," Natsuko reminded. Tetsu started to get up, and her hand matched him. "Wait, wait," she started laughing again gently. "You're wearing pounds and pounds of clothes. It won't be accurate."

He settled down again. "You're right."

I blinked from the couch. Under this blanket it was so cozy, but I couldn't settle down. My heart was beating pretty hard from the excitement of the day. Seeing everyone practicing together again. We'd done so many songs, endless. Old things, new things, familiar favorites. And seeing Tetsu dance... It was different from when I'd seen him dance in the garden. There was a professional polish, it was obvious he was following choreography in his head. Dances he'd done before, a seriousness there. Gone was the whimsical way he'd welcomed the spring, dancing among the flowers and his bare feet on the grass... I preferred the way he'd danced among the flowers, but that was my secret.

We'd gone through our set today, most importantly. Thirty minutes of a program. It wasn't flawless, and some of us were unsure of the song choices, but it was... I thought it was magic. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Not only that, it had felt familiar. This old feeling, from so long ago. Almost a year. Could it be? The last time I'd performed... That feeling of being on stage. I didn't know what I was going to wear, or who was going to come to see us. I didn't know how it was going to go, or how my body would react.

But it felt like fresh air. An air with a good smell, one that reminds you of home. You can breathe again, because you know you're home. You're safe, and nobody can take that away from you. Security. Falling into place, knowing where you're going, because you've been there before.

Everyone was back together again. Shizue and I had finally practiced together. She admired my voice and told me I had improved. After I'd warmed up enough, singing old favorites, I sat there in front of everyone. Like a memory from the depths, I'd sang a song I knew. Something from long ago, a deep shame redeemed. I sang "Il Dolce Suono", from Lucia di Lammermoor. The same song I was supposed to sing ten years ago, but didn't get to sing. This song. It was better than before.

It gave me strange confidence. I'd conquered something. Something I didn't know needed to be conquered.

"Ohh, who wants dessert?" Their mom asked, clapping her hands together. "I have ice cream."

Tetsu's head went violently to the side. "I can't even think about dessert. Natsuko ruined it. What if I get fat before the tour? What a disaster."

Their mom threw her knitting at Natsuko's head. She ducked, her hands on her hair, bursting into giggles. Their mom was smiling, too.

"Honestly, though." Tetsu's tone was a lot more serious. They straightened up, giving him all their attention. My eyes went to him, too. What was he about to say? He cleared his throat, giving it even more importance. "It's weird to be thinking about my weight. I haven't thought about it in so long. Remember how I used to obsess about it? I know how unhealthy that was now... Sana's given me perspective. My weight really doesn't matter. There's more important things. I was kind of happy not thinking about it. Eating whatever there was to eat, trying new things. Not having to worry about this many calories or that amount of fat. Not having to go work out all the time. I know maintaining my body is important, because I want to take care of Sana, but... It was really a relief. Does that make any sense?"

Tetsu... Yes, it made sense. So, he'd had his own struggles with eating. I'd seen him be careful about what he ate and he'd go to the gym when we first started dating, but after I started getting more sick that went out the window. He'd wanted to be with me more. He stopped going to the gym as much, and he'd eat whatever I cooked for him. Then, I'd had my heart episode, and he stopped going to the gym altogether. I'd worried about that, but he'd seemed happier. We shared a time that was almost bliss, not worrying about outside things. Being together. We found such happiness that way. Was that what he meant?

Their mom was nodding. "I get it. I know I obsess about my weight sometimes, too. Society says we're supposed to look a certain way, but who does? I know your papa and I don't look like the people in magazines. We've never really cared about that. It's important to think about health, but it's okay to enjoy yourself, too."

Tetsu's hand raised to her, gesturing. "Yes. Yes, absolutely. I agree."

"Maybe you shouldn't worry about your weight so much, then," Natsuko said, a little quieter than her usual loud tone. "Keep doing what you're doing."

"That's what I think. I think I need to do that. I'm a lot happier for it. I do need to work out, because I noticed my body isn't as strong when I'm dancing. I get tired a lot easier, and I feel my muscles straining when I hold certain positions. But, working out will help me with Sana, too. I'll be stronger for him. And in the end..." He swallowed, so loud next to me. Was he nervous? "In the end..." He said again, "I think the most important thing is to be strong for him."

Both his mom and sister's faces went so gentle and kind. His mom was nodding immediately. "That's right. I think your head is in the right place. You can't lose focus. It's good for your health, too. Strong muscles are good for you."

Natsuko snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "You know, I think there's an exercise bike we're not using. Hey, yeah. There is! It's in our garage. I bought it for Haru one year for Christmas, but he never used it. You can have it. You can start your journey right away."

Tetsu leaned forward. "Really?!"

"Yes." Natsuko sighed. Her hand went to her cheek, and she got a worried expression. "Don't do that, okay?"

"Do what?" Tetsu's shoulders started bouncing, his curls going with it. He was trying not to laugh. He must be smiling.

"Don't make that face. You're prettier than me, I can't stand it."

"Whaaat? No, I'm not." He burst into his loud laughter, making me smile, too. He was adorable.

"Teach me makeup," she sighed, tilting her head in her hand. "It's not fair. I want to be pretty, too."

"That's impossible," their mom said. I almost snickered.

"What? Hey." Natsuko threw her knitting back at her. Their mom caught it, smiling to herself. "If you call me unpretty, then you're calling Naoko ugly, too, you know."

"That's true."

Tetsu's curls were still bouncing. He was laughing silently.

Their mom made to get up. "Ice cream, then? It's sugar free. Sana-chan can have some, too." She looked my way. With attention suddenly on me, I felt a blush come on. Tetsu wiggled his shoulders and he was turned to me, that beautiful face so close to mine. His eyes appeared so large with his makeup like that. My blush increased. I must have looked like a tomato. I watched his intense eyelashes as he blinked a couple of times. How could I resist?

"I want ice cream," I said to him. No uncertainty.

"Alright," he said sweetly to me. Like a dream, his pillowy lips were puckered to me, and those eyes were closed. I leaned in and kissed him, becoming the dream. They were the softest things I'd ever touched. The combination of makeup on his lips were making them silky and smooth.

"Okay, four bowls," their mom said, already standing up.

"I'll help. It'll go faster." Natsuko jumped up from her chair. She followed her out of the room.

To be honest, my heart was going so hard, but I didn't feel any danger. I was a little weaker, but I was okay. Tired, but fine. His hand went to my still blushing cheek, and those eyes searched my face, lingering here and there. My heartbeat increased, staring into them. His hot breath was on my face, no room for the heat to dissipate before it reached me. My mouth was slightly open, beholding him.

He really was so beautiful. More than that. When he looked like this, dressed this way. It wasn't only the pretty makeup or the tumbling curls. It wasn't the silk of the kimono or the way the material laid.

As he stared at me, his face bloomed into that smile that I love. A slow thing, gradual and so special that I had no words. That joyful grin. He was the most pretty being on earth. Because, the way he was looking at me now? He was so happy. His happiness, how proud of himself he was. From what he'd said earlier, he was so proud of himself. He was content, finding his place in the world. A year ago, he'd been unsure, telling me about his insecurities, his fears about dressing this way casually. About telling his family, wishing for their love.

He was so beautiful, because he'd become himself. He was showing who he was, sitting here casually with them, talking about anything at all. Finally, able to sit with them and not worry.

Like the sudden sound of birds in flight, and my heart matching the rhythm of their wings, his lips were upon mine again. Unable to resist. They were slow and sure, guiding me. Their warmth and familiar shapes, their kindness and love.

He was everything I'd known was there inside, beyond what weight he was, or how muscular, or how strong. He was what I'd seen, in what seemed so long ago now. He was Cinderella no longer, and instead he was just himself. And that was the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen.