"Are you already awake, little one?" Kokoro asked. The infant grasped her tiny fingers around Kokoro's hand, taking particular interest in the shiny ring situated on one of her fingers. Light coos echoed.
Mitsuru sat in the nearby rocking chair, quietly reading as morning sunlight slowly filled the room. He glanced up, making eye contact with Kokoro and grinning. It was these quiet morning hours he cherished the most.
Mitsuru slipped his book shut and lightly set it down on the dresser beside him. He moved toward the bed, pausing for a moment to glance out the window. The blue sky was mixed with swirling pink as frail petals drifted toward the ground.
"Oh, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom," he realized.
"Are they?" Kokoro gasped. She lifted the baby up in her arms and moved toward the window. Mitsuru watched her eyes sparkle as she took in the sight before her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She let out a tiny gasp before relaxing in their new closeness.
Hair tickled Mitsuru's chin as Kokoro leaned her head against his shoulder. Their daughter squirmed in Kokoro's grasp, reaching toward the window.
Mitsuru chuckled a bit. "What do you see, Ai?" he asked.
"We should have a picnic," Kokoro suggested, excitement gathering in her voice. "I bet the weather will be warm enough."
"If you say so."
Ai gaggled and cooed, her chubby arms reaching toward the windowsill.
"I think she wants to go too," Mitsuru added. "Are you sure you won't be too tired though?" Their daughter had not been sleeping as well at night as they would've hoped, and Kokoro often had to get up to feed her.
"I'll be fine," Kokoro assured him. "Besides, I have a new spring dress I want to wear."
...
Mitsuru held his daughter up on his lap so that her feet rested against his thighs. He bounced her up and down, eliciting giggles of laughter from the child.
"Look at that. You're walking," he teased as he continued the same motion. Ai continued to smile and giggle, and with each little noise she made, Mitsuru's love for her only grew.
"What's all the ruckus?" Kokoro's voice echoed from the bathroom. She stepped out in a flowy light blue sundress. Mitsuru gulped, his attention turned away from his child and toward his wife instead.
"You look really pretty," he murmured, turning his head away as he blushed.
"You still look away when you say things like that," Kokoro teased as she approached him.
"I can't help it!" he exclaimed. Finally, he gathered the courage to look back up at her again. "Are we ready to go?"
She nodded, reaching for Ai. "Come here, little one," she called, grabbing her daughter from Mitsuru and gently placing her in a sling across her chest.
"I-I can carry everything," Mitsuru offered as he grasped the quilt and basket.
"You don't need to—"
"I insist," he said, leading the way.
...
The cold winds of winter had been replaced with warm air, green leaves, and blooming flowers. The quiet of the winter had been replaced with sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves in the wind. The sunlight felt good as Mitsuru walked through the grass alongside Kokoro. They stopped every so often to point out a nearby colorful butterfly or wispy cloud to their daughter.
Pink petals began to fly toward them as they approached the mass of trees. There was something familiar about the tiny petals, though Mitsuru could not recall what. Perhaps there had been one time when they had experienced a similar sight in the past.
Kokoro lifted Ai out of her sling and held her upright, pointing out the different colorful flowers. The infant's green eyes were glued to the petals. Mitsuru caught one in his hand and held it out in his palm for Ai to see.
Her fingers grasped around the silky petal as she stared at it with intensity. Kokoro giggled and held the baby higher up so she could feel the petals twirling around her.
"Hey, there's a nice tree over there," Mitsuru noticed, pointing to a tall tree adorned with hundreds of pink flowers. A nice layer of shade was underneath, perfect for their picnic spot.
As Kokoro kept Ai entertained, Mitsuru laid out the quilt and food, and eventually, they all three sat in the shade as petals danced around them.
"This is nice," Kokoro murmured, taking a bite of bread.
Mitsuru nodded though it felt odd sitting in serenity when he knew Hiro and Zero Two were still in space protecting the Earth from VIRM's threat. He hoped that the peace he felt in this moment would remain permanent.
Tiny cries broke the silence as Ai began to fuss.
"Oh, she's probably hungry," Kokoro explained, grasping the bottle of formula they had packed.
"I can feed her."
"Are you sure?"
"You do enough as it is," he said, lifting the baby out of her arms and resting her against his arm. Ai's cries became muffled as she began sucking on the bottle. Mitsuru sighed, sitting quietly as she fed.
He glanced down at his daughter, grinning slightly to himself. When he glanced up, he found Kokoro staring at both of them.
"What?" he asked.
"N-Nothing," she stammered, turning away.
"You do it too," he teased.
"It's funny," she said, playing with the ends of her dress. "We had a baby together, but we still get really flustered around each other."
Mitsuru was quiet for a moment as Ai finished her bottle. He lifted her up and against his shoulder, gently patting her back.
"I'm just really glad it was you. I'm glad we found each other again. I think you're a great father," Kokoro said quietly.
Mitsuru grinned, setting Ai back down on his lap. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss against her lips. He rested his forehead against hers, and they both laughed quietly until the child between them became squirmy.
"All right, sorry," Mitsuru said, this time pressing a kiss on top of his daughter's head.
"Kokoro! Mitsuru!" came a call in the distance.
Mitsuru glanced up, noticing Miku and Ichigo walking toward them.
"Hi, you guys!" Kokoro called.
"Aw, are you having a picnic? That sounds fun," Miku said, kneeling on the quilt.
"It's a really nice day for one, isn't it?" Ichigo asked, glancing around at the falling petals.
"Hi there, Ai," Miku said, waving at the child in Mitsuru's arms.
"Where's Ikuno?" Kokoro asked as the two settled down on the blanket beside them.
"She's busy researching. Naomi's helping her out. I just wish she'd take a break every once in a while," Ichigo murmured.
"She's doing a lot of good for everyone though," Mitsuru said.
"Kokoro, can I hold her?" Miku asked, reaching her hands toward the baby.
Kokoro giggled. "Of course, Miku."
Mitsuru handed Ai off to Miku. The redhead let out tiny squeals as she held the baby in her lap. She played with the baby's hand, muttering words of nonsense to her.
"She looks more and more like you each day, Kokoro," Ichigo noticed.
"She's such a cute little Kokoro," Miku exclaimed. "Isn't that right, Ai? Aren't you glad your auntie Miku got to visit you today?"
"She has Mitsuru's eyes though," Kokoro said.
Miku glanced down at Ai, then back up at Mitsuru. "Wow, you're right! Their eye color is nearly identical."
Mitsuru chuckled.
"Hey, Ichigo, why don't you hold the baby?" Miku suggested.
"I don't—" Ichigo let out a squeal as Ai was dropped into her arms.
"If you're going to be a mother someday then you better learn how to hold one," Miku lectured her.
"What makes you think I want a baby?" Ichigo asked as she bounced Ai in her lap.
"You're doing really well with her," Kokoro pointed out.
"I'm sure some day there will be little Ichigos and Goros running around," Miku teased.
Ichigo's face went red. "Hey, we're not—I mean—there's nothing there-"
All four of them broke out into laughter. Even Ai let out a tiny giggle as a gust of wind sent more cherry blossom petals floating their way.
Ai began to squirm in Ichigo's arms. The raven-haired girl gave a little look of terror before handing the baby off to Kokoro. Even then, Ai continued to fuss until she was put in Mitsuru's arms.
"Wow, how do you calm her down that easily?!" Miku explained, leaning forward to look at the now calm baby.
"Mitsuru's always been really good at calming her down," Kokoro said, laughing.
The two stuck around a little longer before leaving Kokoro and Mitsuru on their own again. It was getting into the afternoon hours, and the air was becoming a little warmer. Kokoro laid on her back, watching the petals fall while Mitsuru continued to entertain Ai.
"Hey, Kokoro-san, do you want to…" Mitsuru's voice broke off as he realized that she was sleeping soundly. He grinned and stood up, wanting her to get some much-deserved rest.
"Maybe I can get you asleep too," he teased Ai.
While Kokoro rested on the quilt, he walked around the cherry blossom orchard. He kept reaching up for petals for Ai to hold.
"They're pretty, huh?" he said as Ai examined yet another pink petal.
He walked up and down the orchard, quietly talking to Ai about all sorts of things. Though her eyes were still glued to the falling petals, he watched in satisfaction as her eyelids slowly began to droop as well.
He grew quiet, beginning to rock his daughter back and forth as the gentle wind and chirping birds created a lovely background noise. Her eyes finally fell shut, her breaths becoming long and gentle.
Mitsuru grinned and glanced back up at the sky, watching as the petals continued to twirl around him. He leaned down and kissed his daughter on the forehead, gently touching her tufts of blonde hair.
As he approached the picnic spot, he noticed Kokoro was still laying fast asleep on the soft quilt in the shade. Careful not to wake the baby, he quietly sat down and began running his fingers through Kokoro's long hair.
Her eyelids slowly drifted open, her blue eyes finding Mitsuru.
"Oh, I fell asleep!" she gasped.
"Sh," he hushed, pointing to the sleeping infant in his arms.
She grinned and sat up. Gently, she took the baby from Mitsuru and lowered Ai in her sling. Though the infant squirmed slightly, she remained asleep.
Mitsuru packed his things while Kokoro rocked back and forth, doing her best to keep Ai asleep for a while longer. He joined her underneath the orchards and interlaced his fingers with hers.
"Did we ever see the cherry blossoms fall once before?" she asked.