"The End," She said closing the thin book, "Goodnight Sweetheart." But she should have known it wouldn't be that simple.

"But Moooommyyyyy," The young girl whined, slanted amber eyes big and pleading behind her long black hair, something she inherited from her mother. "Can't you tell me one more story?" The mother sighed, having expected this but hoping her daughter would go to sleep after one bedtime story regardless.

"Well what would I read you?" She asked in mock confusion as she looked at the girls small book case. "We've already read every book in your library twice."

"Tell me the one about the princess!" The little girl said quickly, excitement written all over her face with amber eyes glowing in anticipation. The mother laughed quietly to herself, yet another thing she should have seen coming.

"Do you mean the one about the princess and the warrior?"

"YES!" She squealed, "Pleeeeeease Mommy!"

"Okay settle down. We wouldn't want to wake your father now would we?" The mother knew her husband was still wide awake, but their daughter didn't need to know that. "Now, how does this one start? Oh yes, well, Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a princess. She lived in a beautiful castle, with loving parents, and everything she wanted she could have. Everything that is, except what she really wanted. You see, the princess didn't want to be a princess, she wanted to be a singer and travel the kingdom performing for villagers and royalty alike. But her parents wouldn't let her; they said," The mother put on a gruff silly voice, "The stage is no place for a princess, now go back to your gowns!"

"Meanies!" Her daughter exclaimed, folding her arms as she made a sour face, bringing a smile to her mothers.

"That's just what the princess thought. So one night, she snuck out, grabbed the fastest horse she could and left the castle. She rode for miles, but then, out of no where," Her daughter tensed, pulling the bed sheets up to her eyes in anticipation, even though she had heard the story a dozen times before. "A group of bandits attacked her! She tried to run, but they chased her until her horse couldn't run anymore!"

"No!" The girl squeaked.

"But then, just as it seemed all hope seemed lost." her daughters fear suddenly transformed into wild excitement.

"A warrior arrives to save the day!" She yelled leaping out of bed and striking poses as if she was wielding a sword. "He jumped at them, roaring his challenge, swinging his sword, cursing their names!"

"Miko Nakadi!" her mother scolded, freezing the energetic seven year old in her tracks. "No pretend swordplay in the house. Now, the warrior saved the princess, but in doing so."

"He got stabbed!" The girl said over excitedly, making a mock stabbing motion into her thigh, making her mother cringe ever so slightly.

"Injured, he was injured," Her mother quickly corrected, "But yes he was hurt. So the princess took him back to the castle and nursed him back to health. But as the months dragged on, and the moons changed, something...unexpected happened."

"They fell in love, yuck!" The girl said rolling her eyes and making a gag noise. Her mother only laughed, knowing her reaction would not be much different when she was older. Her daughter was not the type to play damsel in distress, she had too much of her father in her for that.

"That's right, and one night, under a full moon, she caught him trying to leave the castle. Without even saying goodbye."

"Jerk," the little girl said climbing back into bed making her mother laugh to herself.

"She asked him to stay, begged him not to go," The mother said, a slightly distant look creeping into her eyes, "He told her he loved her, but he had to go, because as long as he was with her she would never be safe again. There were men hunting the warrior; bad, evil men who wanted to hurt him and anyone who got in their way. The warrior left the princess and her castle, but the day after, the evil men came and kidnapped the princess. They took her away to their lair, deep within a mountain as bait for the warrior."

"He rescued her right?!" The girl asked, leaning towards her mother.

"Of course he rescued her silly," her mother scoffed, "The warrior found the princess, and after a fierce heroic battle, tricked the evil men into burying themselves inside their own hideout!"

"And then what?" her daughter asked, absolutely bouncing in her seat, "Then what happened mommy?"

"Oh I think you know," Her mother winked at her, "The princess decided she didn't want to be a princess anymore, so she ran away with the warrior. They had many adventures in amazing lands, and lived happily ever after. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're still off somewhere having adventures."

"Awww," Miko whined, "Is that it?"

"That's it for tonight," her mother said tucking her daughter into bed, then kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Miko."

"Goodnight mommy," The little girl yawned snuggling into her blankets as her mother closed the door to her room behind her. The woman smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway toward her own bedroom, making sure to avoid the two young cats lounging about on the floor. The tiny felines were barely over a year old, but they were already shedding all over the families small home, and not a day went by she wasn't thankful none of them were allergic. She found the door to her room, unsurprised to find her husband sitting up in their bed with a fresh sheen of sweat glistening off his dark skin.

"You know exercising before bed only keeps you up longer," she said matter-of-factly as she sat down beside him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Perhaps," He said quietly in Japanese, his voice coming in throaty accented purrs despite his speech lessons. He shook his head then looked to his wife, green eyes with amber flecks at their rims glowing in the low light. It was striking how their features contrasted one anothers, his dark almost african skin against her paler complexion. "How is Miko?"

"Asleep," She said with a relieved sigh, "For how long is the real question. She's getting wilder every day. I had to read her a second story this time."

"Oh," Her husband perked up. "And what story was that?" She just smiled as she slipped into bed beside him and kissed him on the cheek, running her fingers through his short black hair.

"Ours." Her husband rolled his eyes as he lay down beside his wife.

"I do wonder Mikazuki," he mused out loud in his grim way as he examined the ceiling, "how many nights has Miko gone to bed with terrors in her head because of that tale?"

"She asked for the story," Mika said quickly but not harshly, "Besides she already knows it by heart. Whats the harm in it?" She asked snuggling up to her husband. "Its not like she's going to go looking for mythical castles and dashing warriors of her own."

"Not today maybe," He sighed, wrapping an arm around his wife. "But honestly Mika, why do you keep telling her that story? You know we cannot tell her the truth."

"Why not?" She asked propping herself up on an elbow and shooting her husband a glare, "you don't expect her to go her whole life without knowing do you?"

"Preferably yes," he said flatly and he turned his body, only to wither for a split moment under his wife's glare before his grim resolve returned. "Mikazuki, you know why we can't tell her. If Miko ever found out the truth, about how we...where I came from...about them." His words had the effect he had hoped for and simultaneously wished to avoid, as His wife began examining the sheets of their bed with darkening eyes.

Her husband sighed, the repetitive debate not helping how tired he already was. "I know how much you want her to know Mika, but didn't we both agree that the only way for Miko to live a normal life is if she never does?"

"I know Dynomo," Mika sighed leaning back into her husbands scarred chest. "But I don't know if I can bear lying to her. Shouldn't she know where she comes from? Something about her heritage?"

"We could visit your parents this weekend if that would please you."

"You know that's not what I meant," Mika groaned, "She has the right to know about all of her heritage. And she will find out on her own eventually." Dynomo was about to protest but realized Mika was right. Even if Miko only turned out be half as stubborn as either of them one day they would slip up, then she wouldn't stop until she found the whole truth.

"My Sensei once told me, sometimes we have to keep secrets that are not ours to tell." Mika rolled back toward her own pillow and sighed into it. She wanted to tell Miko the truth. The girl was only seven, but everyday the guilt of lying to her daughter ate away at Mikazuki more and more. But her husband had his reasons, good reasons for wanting to keep Miko and their family as far away from his past life as possible.

"Can we at least agree," She sighed trying for one last compromise if only to put her mind at ease, "That when she asks, we will tell her the truth?" Dynomo's eyes darted across the small room, hoping against reason for a quick answer to a long term problem. He sighed, knowing his wife would only accept one.

"Yes," he relented, "when she is ready, she will know."