"Taiki!"
There was a loud crash in the kitchen and an audible groan was heard. "Nani Haruka?" she yelled sounding frustrated.
"Can you come here for a moment?"
The younger woman huffed, the blonde's eyes still focused on the computer screen in front of her. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see her wife standing there, her yellow apron covered in stains, her auburn hair still in it's usual ponytail although a couple of strands had come loose and were framing the edges of her face. "What'd you call me here for?"
Haruka gestured at the screen where she had pulled an image up. "Look at this." she said softly, as the brunette leaned in to take a closer look. She felt a hand on her shoulder and heard the twenty four year old hum softly to herself.
On the screen was an image of a young toddler who appeared to be african. She had tiny black curls on top of her head and she was dressed in a raggedy old blue dress. "Is she up for adoption?" Taiki asked, still observing the picture.
"Her name is Zoya and she's two years old." Haruka replied, turning around in her chair to face her wife.
"Where is she from? You know gay couples can only adopt from certain countries..."
The blonde smiled, reaching up to grab the hand that rested on her shoulder. "She's from South Africa."
"Really?"
She nodded, giving her hand a squeeze.
"Is there a number for the agency?"
Once again she nodded, the smile on her face growing bigger and bigger.
Taiki sighed, letting go of her hand as she rubbed her forehead. "Haruka I'd love to be a mom as much as you do but you're twenty five and I'm only twenty four. Are you sure we're not too young?"
"We'd be waiting at least a year to be able to take her home so we still have time to be young. Besides I have a good feeling about this."
The younger woman's gaze met hers and she groaned before a small smile creeped it's way onto her face. "Call them." she whispered, bending down to kiss her on the forehead before walking back to the kitchen.
Haruka picked up the phone on her desk, still smiling as she dialed the number on her screen.
/
It had been a month since they'd filled out the application and they still hadn't heard anything back yet. Taiki was beginning to get anxious and Haruka had been crankier then normal lately. The blonde sat at her desk holding a picture of her and Taiki in her hand, reminiscing about when they first met.
They'd met several years ago in college. They were both there studying education, Haruka had been 20 and the brunette was 19. They had the same classes and eventually they became friends.
Then one night at midnight Haruka got drunk and kissed Taiki, causing a huge fight to break out between the two. They didn't speak for about a month until the blonde decided to make peace and went over to the other girl's dorm in the middle of the night to apologize.
Taiki responded by kissing her and after that they began dating. Then three years down the road Haruka proposed on their third anniversary. The brunette had cried and said yes. They got married around a year later in a private ceremony.
She smiled at the picture in her hand, she was carrying Taiki in her arms who had her arms wrapped around her neck and was screaming in protest. She put the picture back down and she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You just love keeping that picture there because you know how much it embarrasses me."
Haruka laughed, spinning around to look at the woman who was peering over her shoulder. "I know you love that picture."
Taiki was about to respond when all of a sudden the phone rang. Haruka lunged forward to grab it, immediately answering the call. "Moshi moshi?" she said quietly, the two women both holding their breath.
A large smile grew on her face and Taiki mouthed 'is it them?' and she nodded in response.
The conversation dragged on for a few minutes before she eventually hung up. She stood up, her blue eyes filled with tears, which was a rare sight, and hugged her wife tightly. "She's ours." she whispered.
Taiki hugged back tightly, tears filling her own eyes. "We're going to be moms." she said softly, burying her head in the other's chest.
"They want us to come out there to see her in five months."
The brunette pulled away, reaching towards the desk to grab the phone. Haruka gave her a questioning look. "I have to call the school." she said, reading the other's thoughts.
The older woman nodded and kissed her on the forehead quickly before walking to the kitchen to prepare supper for them.
/
The screaming of children filled Haruka's ears as she watched her students run around. She was a gym teacher at an elementary school where as Taiki was a grade 2 teacher at the same school.
"Ok, everyone gather in the center!" she yelled, most of the kids listening to her and doing what they were told. There were still a few that either didn't want to listen or just didn't hear her, so she blew her whistle to grab their attention.
Once everyone was gathered she gave out instructions. "We're going to play dodge ball so everyone get into two teams." she called out, tossing blue and red balls on both ends of the gym.
She blew her whistle to signal the start of the game and all the kids started running back and forth, blurs of red and blue streaking through the air. She smiled as she stood off to the side watching them. It was her last class of the day and after that she could go home.
Not long after the bell rang and all the kids ran to get changed. She picked her jacket off the side bench and gave a wave to the other gym leader to tell her she was leaving. She wandered out of the gym and down the hallway where Taiki's class was.
She found the door that had a giant purple butterfly on the door with a sign above it that said Mrs. T. Tenoh in large letters.
She walked in to see Taiki standing at her desk talking to her last student, who was holding a paper in his hands. He appeared to be asking her a question and she mumbled something in response, giving him a smile.
He grinned and ran out the door, but not before giving Haruka a wave. The blonde walked over to the younger woman who was sorting through a pile of papers on her desk. Her auburn hair was still tied back in it's ponytail but there were a few frizzy strands that fell loose. Her violet dress hugged her frame nicely along with her short black jacket she wore. She looked up from her stack of papers to give her wife a smile. "How was your day?"
"Good, how was yours?"
She grabbed her purse off of her chair and grabbed Haruka's hand as they began walking out of the classroom together. "It was really good. I showed them a picture of Zoya today and they all thought she was adorable."
The blonde smiled. "I can't believe we get to meet her in three months."
Taiki closed her eyes as Haruka opened the door for her to walk through. "I know and we're going around the time of your birthday." she said, as they walked to their car.
"It's the best gift I could ever ask for." Haruka replied, unlocking the car for Taiki to get in.
"Oh, does that mean I don't have to get you anything?" Taiki asked with a smirk, climbing into the passenger seat.
The blonde playfully scoffed as she got into the front seat. "No, I expect a new car, my own mansion, a pool..."
"Ok, ok I get it. I'll still buy you a present!"
Haruka laughed. "I was just joking. But I expect a pool by my 30th birthday." she said with a wink, as she put the key in the ignition.
"In your dreams."
/
Two months had passed and it was already Haruka's birthday. Taiki had woken up extra early to bake a cake for her. She'd made a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting and had spent hours making it.
Her apron was full of fresh new stains and she was sweating like crazy but it would be worth it once she saw the smile on her wife's face.
She'd made her breakfast in bed as well which consisted of a plate of scrambled eggs, waffles with syrup and blueberries, and toast. She set the plate of food on a snow white tray and walked over to the cupboards to grab a glass.
Pulling out a tall crystal clear glass, she walked over to the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of orange juice, filling the glass almost all the way to the top. She set the glass down carefully on the tray and picked the tray up, trying her hardest not to let anything slip.
She walked over to their bedroom and carefully pushed the door open with her foot. There Haruka was in bed, still sound asleep with her arms and legs spread out across the whole bed.
She stifled a laugh and took a deep breath in before shouting "Happy birthday!" at the top of her lungs.
The blonde's eyes shot open and she leaped up in the air, gasping for air as she shot her wife a glare. "What the hell was that for?"
Chuckling, Taiki walked over to their bed, carefully passing the tray of food to her wife. "I made you breakfast."
Haruka cocked an eyebrow at her as she grabbed the fork off the tray. "Arigatou." she muttered, pushing her eggs around with her fork. "But next time don't scare me like that."
The brunette sat down beside her on the bed, still laughing as she pecked her on the cheek. "Happy birthday."
The older woman smiled at her before finally taking a bite of her eggs. "Not bad Taiki." she muttered, as she took another bite.
"Well I know cooking is more your speciality and baking is mine, but I'm not totally incapable of cooking a decent meal."
Haruka rolled her eyes. "Quit bragging."
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." she laughed, as she looked up at the calendar on the wall. "Only four more days till we get to meet her." she whispered, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder.
Grabbing a forkful of eggs, the blonde lifted her fork up towards the brunette's mouth earning her a questioning look. "Eat it." she stated.
Sighing, Taiki opened her mouth, glaring at the blonde. Haruka laughed and put her fork in her wife's mouth. Taiki swallowed and wiped her mouth on her apron. "There, happy now?"
"Oh I'm very happy."
/
The day passed by quickly for the two of them and after work was over they went out for dinner at a small fast food restaurant. It had been Haruka's suggestion and although Taiki had tried to convince her to treat herself to a fancy meal out, the blonde insisted and they wound up enjoying burgers instead.
Afterwards when they arrived back home, Taiki had blindfolded her as she put the candles in her cake.
The blonde tapped her foot impatiently as she sat at the table, her vision blocked by a floral blindfold. "Are you almost done?" she asked, sounding bored. "I'm getting sick of looking at these flowers."
Taiki finished putting the 26th candle in the cake and opened a drawer to pull out her matches. "Hold on, I'll be ready in less then a minute."
Haruka sighed, resting her head on the table in front of her.
The brunette laughed as she lit the candles. "Don't worry, I'm done now so you can take your blindfold off." she said, as she picked the cake up and began to walk with it towards the table.
"Thank god!" the older woman yelled, as she frantically untied the cloth, tossing it onto the floor.
Taiki began singing happy birthday to her, trying not to laugh at her wife's hysterics. "Happy birthday to you." she sang, as she put the cake down on the table. "Make a wish." she whispered.
The birthday girl closed her eyes for a moment to think and then a large smile appeared on her face as she bent down and blew out all 26 candles at once.
"What did you wish for?"
Haruka smirked. "I'm not telling you."
Smiling at her wife's stubbornness, Taiki walked over to their bedroom as she told the blonde to wait for a minute. She opened their closet and pulled out a rather large gift she'd wrapped in neon orange paper.
She brought the present out and placed it in her wife's lap. "Open it." she said softly, as she walked over to the kitchen to grab a knife to cut the cake.
Haruka began tearing the paper off the box as Taiki walked back with a sharp knife and two small plates. The brunette began cutting the cake as her wife opened the box. She groaned when she pulled out another box and Taiki laughed as she passed her a slice of cake.
All of a sudden she let out a gasp. "You actually bought me a pool?" she yelled, staring at the box.
Taiki's grip on her knife loosened as she began shaking with laughter, the knife falling on the table. "An inflatable one, yes."
It was a small inflatable kiddie pool that Haruka probably wouldn't even be able to sit down in, but it was still a pool none the less. The blonde laughed as she kept observing the box in front of her. "I didn't think you'd actually get me a pool. I mean it's way too small for me but still."
"Don't worry there's something else for you in the box as well."
A large smile grew on Haruka's face as she stuck her hand inside the box, trying to find her other gift. All of a sudden her hand touched something smooth and flat and she grabbed it.
She gasped when she saw what was in her hands. "You bought us tickets to go see the Tokyo Eagles?" she asked excitedly. The Tokyo Eagles were Haruka's favorite basketball team and she'd been nagging Taiki forever, about going to see them in person.
Taiki smiled, as she stood up from her chair. "Hai, and it's not just that. Those are VIP tickets, which means we get to meet the players after the show."
Haruka's smile grew even bigger and the younger girl swore she saw tears in her eyes. "Arigatou Taiki. You're the best."
The brunette walked over to her and kissed her on the top of her head. "Ashiteru."
"I love you too." Haruka replied, as she stood up and picked the younger girl up in her arms.
Taiki screamed and buried her face in her wife's chest. "Put me down! You're going to drop me!" she laughed.
The blonde let out a sarcastic groan and set her down on the ground, but kept her grip tight around her waist. She kissed her softly on the lips, the younger girl wrapping her arms around her neck loosely.
They pulled away and Taiki smiled up at her. "Happy birthday."
/
It was the night before they left for south Africa and Haruka was desperately trying to gather her stuff together. "This is why you should've packed in advance like I did." Taiki muttered from her spot on their bed.
Haruka growled slightly. "Shut up Taiki, I've been busy with parent meetings and lawyer bills."
"Gomen, I'm not trying to stress you out."
"No it's not your fault, I should've listened to your warning about this." she muttered, as she continued to search through her closet for another change of clothes. They'd be away for a week so she wanted to make sure she had enough stuff packed.
"Hey look on the bright side. We're going to south Africa tomorrow and we get to meet Zoya a day later."
"I know, I should be happy but right now the only thing on my mind is whether or not we're going to have toothpaste when we're stuck in the middle of Africa."
"Toothpaste?"
"I'm making an example Taiki. I just don't want to forget anything important."
"And I thought I was an organization freak..."
"Oi!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
Haruka groaned and let out an exasperated sigh as she plopped herself down on their bed. "I can't do this."
The brunette crawled out of bed and extended her hand towards her. "Let's do it together then."
The older girl sat up, staring at her for a moment before taking her hand in hers, intertwining their fingers together gently.
Taiki smiled at her. "Now let's go finish our packing." she whispered, before planting a soft kiss on her wife's forehead.
/
The couple had to wake up fairly early in order to make it to the airport on time for their flight. Their plane left at 5 AM and it was currently 3:34 AM. The two women were both sleep deprived and were frantically running around the house trying to grab everything they needed.
Taiki was waiting impatiently at the front door, tapping her foot as she waited for her wife. She had quickly put on a large hoodie and sweats (that probably belonged to Haruka but she didn't care) and her long auburn hair hadn't even been brushed. "Hurry up Haruka!" she yelled. "We're going to be late! We have to be there for 4 and our plane leaves at 5!"
"I know but I can't find the teddy bear I bought for Zoya!"
"Check your office!"
"I already did!"
"Well then check it again!"
All was silent except for the sound of the blonde racing through the halls. Taiki heard the high pitched squeak of the office door opening and less then a minute later a sheepish Haruka appeared holding a pink teddy bear. "I told you." the brunette muttered.
"Shut up." she replied crankily. She lifted her gaze up and took in her wife's appearance. "Are those my sweats?"
"Probably but it doesn't matter. At least I got dressed unlike you."
Haruka huffed. "My pajamas make me look hot."
"You keep telling yourself that. Anyways, let's go." she said, grabbing her suitcase.
The blonde followed suit, dragging her own suitcase to the car as well as their carry on which was a large black backpack.
They drove off to the airport and managed to make it to their flight on time. Less then an hour after they arrived, they were boarded onto their plane which would take them to Egypt where they'd spend an hour before they boarded their next flight to south Africa.
Once the plane was in the air, Haruka reached down to grab her backpack out from under her seat. She pulled out a large yellow blanket and wrapped it around the two of them, her arm wrapped protectively around her wife's shoulder. Taiki smiled and nuzzled her head into the blonde's chest. "Wake me up when we get there." she mumbled as she shut her eyes.
Haruka smiled and rested her head on hers. "Ashiteru." she whispered, closing her eyes as well and falling into a deep sleep.
/
Once their plane landed in Cairo, Egypt they had an hour to kill in the airport there. They wandered around the large building in silence, not understanding what any of the signs said or what to do.
"Any idea what any of this means?" Haruka asked, as she tried to read a sign that hung overhead them.
"I don't have a clue. Besides even if we wanted to buy anything we don't have the right currency."
Haruka groaned. "So we basically just sit around here doing nothing? I'm hungry."
"I know you are but I think our plane has flight attendants who speak English so we can just order something then."
"Yeah but what are we supposed to do until then?"
Taiki smirked as she grabbed the backpack from Haruka. She reached into the front pocket and pulled out a small camera. "We take pictures."
"Well that still sound's boring."
"You didn't let me finish. We're going to take pictures and you're going to be my model."
The blonde gave her a confused look, her blue eyes eyeing her suspiciously. "Did I leave my wife back in Tokyo? This has to be the weirdest idea you've ever come up with."
"It's a great idea. What better to do then take pictures of my wife in her polka dot pajamas in the middle of an Egyptian airport?"
"Oi, I look super attractive in these pajamas!"
"Stop protesting and let me take pictures of you!"
The blonde reluctantly agreed and less then an hour later Taiki's camera was filled with pictures of the tall lesbian in her pjs posing in various positions around the foreign airport.
/
They finally boarded their next plane and when the flight attendant came around they were both starving. Taiki ordered a sandwich and Haruka ordered a chicken wrap. The girl taking their order wrote both things down quickly in her notebook before looking back up at them. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Diet coke please." Haruka said.
"And I'll have a glass of water." Taiki added.
The girl wrote that down and gave them a smile, telling them their food would be out shortly before walking away.
The younger woman gave her wife a questioning look. "Really, you got coke?"
"So what? You ordered plain water, that's pretty boring to me."
"But you're a gym teacher and you ordered coke? Doesn't that go against what you teach?"
"At least I'm going outside of my comfort zone unlike you who only wants to stick to water."
The brunette rolled her eyes as the flight attendant approached them with their drinks. "Here you go!" she said cheerily, passing them each their own drink. The women both mumbled thanks, while still shooting daggers out of their eyes at the other one.
They each began sipping awkwardly on their beverage before they broke out in fits of laughter. Taiki rested her head on the blonde's shoulder, her body still shaking with laughter.
The people around them gave them questioning looks but they didn't mind, because as long as they had each other everything was alright.
/
Their plane finally landed in Cape Town, South Africa and they made their way to the luggage carousel to claim their baggage. Haruka was in charge of locating their suitcases while Taiki kept an eye out for the lady from the adoption agency. She was supposed to meet them here and take them to their hotel and then she'd pick them up the next day to meet Zoya.
"Any sign of her yet?" Haruka asked, as she hauled their suitcases over to where the brunette was standing.
The brunette squinted, before shaking her head. "Not yet." she muttered.
"Is that her?"
Taiki looked up at where her wife was pointing and saw a young lady with pale skin and long red curls walking around aimlessly. "I think so. She said she's originally from America so she stands out like a sore thumb here. Let's go check." she said, as she began walking towards her.
Haruka huffed as she tried to follow her, the luggage slowing her down a bit. "Don't leave me behind." she called out.
The two made their way over to her (Haruka still trying to catch her breath) and caught her attention. She looked at them before a smile of realization hit her as to who they were. "You must be Haruka and Taiki!" she exclaimed as she extended her hand for them to shake. "I'm Miranda, I work at the adoption agency."
Both of them took turns shaking her hand briefly. "It's nice to meet you." Haruka said.
"Same goes for you two! Everyone at the adoption agency has been so excited to see that Zoya has finally found a family! She's such a little sweetheart and deserves all the happiness in the world." she said, as she motioned for them to follow her.
Haruka began hauling their suitcases again as Taiki spoke. "How'd she wind up in the adoption agency anyways if you don't mind me asking?"
"Oh no that's totally alright! Nobody knows what happened to her father and her mother was diagnosed with HIV shortly after she was born and she couldn't take care of her so she gave her up for adoption."
The brunette frowned. "That sounds awful. I feel so bad for her mother."
"I know, I do too. But at least we know she's going to have a family who will love her and be able to take care of her."
"I'm not sure how normal we are," Taiki began, glancing at Haruka quickly who glared at her. "but we'll do our best to raise her and make sure she feels loved."
/
Miranda dropped them off at their hotel and they woke up fairly early the next morning. They got changed quickly and immediately began preparing for the day ahead of them. Taiki had pulled out her book on parenting she'd bought before they left and Haruka was preparing by pacing around the room aimlessly muttering incoherent (probably motivational?) things to herself that even her wife couldn't make out.
They wound up skipping the free breakfast downstairs and before they knew it it was time to go meet their daughter. They immediately grabbed each other's hands and walked outside, both smiling and laughing as butterflies swarmed in their stomachs.
They found Miranda's little black car and hopped in the backseat. She gave them a small smile as she turned the car on. "Did you two sleep well?"
Taiki nodded where as Haruka shook her head. "I was too excited to sleep." the blonde exclaimed.
Miranda laughed. "I can see why. You must be excited to finally meet your daughter."
"Well we've wanted to have kids for a long time now but we were never quite ready but now the time has come and we've both been eagerly awaiting the day that we get to meet her." she said, just as the car pulled up to a small run down building.
They got out and were lead inside, passing several rooms with different kids running around or sleeping. Finally Miranda stopped at a small room and quietly opened the door. In the corner of the room was a tall dark skinned woman cradling a small toddler. She walked over to her and said something in the woman's native language. The other woman nodded and passed her the small infant.
She walked back over to them, the infant cradled in her arms. "Taiki, Haruka," she began, a large smile plastered on her face. "meet Zoya." she said softly, as Taiki extended her arms timidly.
Haruka put a hand on her wife's shoulder as their daughter was placed in her arms. Her smile began to grow and tears began to well up in her eyes as she stared into the big brown eyes of the baby in her arms. "Hi Zoya." she said quietly, as she gently began to stroke the girl's curls. "I'm your mommy."
The blonde laughed and rubbed Taiki's shoulder. "And I'm your mom."
Zoya looked at them quietly, studying them for a few minutes before she shyly extended a hand to touch Taiki's cheek. The brunette chuckled as she continued to stroke her hair. "Hai, I'm your mommy." she said before turning to face Haruka. "Do you want to hold her?"
She nodded and gently grabbed the girl from her wife's arms. Zoya let out a small giggle and she smiled at her. "I think she likes me." she whispered, as her smile turned into a cocky grin.
Taiki elbowed her in the ribs earning another giggle from the small child. "Apparently she likes it when you're in pain." she responded with a smirk.
The day passed by quickly, Haruka gave Zoya the teddy bear they'd bought for her and spent a couple hours spending time with her before they had to fill out piles of paperwork. It was already dark out by the time they returned to the hotel but they didn't mind it one little bit.
/
They only got to visit Zoya once more before they had to return home although they were able to do a lot of sight seeing on the remainder of their trip. A month had passed since they'd gone to visit her and in four months they would be going back and then they'd discuss when they'd be able to take her home.
In the meantime they'd already set up their little girl's nursery. They had painted the walls a neon pink and had purchased a crib, which they had decorated with bright pink bedding and stuffed animals. They had hung a sign with her name above the crib and had decorated the walls with pictures from their trip.
They stood at the doorway of the nursery quietly staring in, Taiki with her head resting on Haruka's chest while the blonde wrapped her arm around her waist. It was perfect except for one thing: Zoya wasn't there yet.
/
Taiki had been out doing errands one day and was extremely exhausted. She'd had to deal with several angry parents that weren't happy about their kid's grades and she had several bills that had to be paid off.
When she finally got home she was ready to march on inside and strip her business clothes off and go to sleep. But some odd sounds coming from the backyard distracted her.
She quietly walked over to the backyard only to be greeted with a rather shocking sight. There was Haruka, sitting in the small inflatable pool she'd bought her with her legs hanging off the side, sipping a martini while the radio sat beside her playing some random pop tune.
"What the heck is this?"
The blonde carefully pulled her shades off, as she smirked at her baffled wife. "I'm relaxing. What the heck are you doing?" she asked, gesturing to her wife's work clothes (a jacket covering a white blouse and a black pencil skirt) which earned her a glare.
Taiki ignored the comment about her clothes and decided to press for more answers. "Your idea of relaxing is sitting in a kiddie pool while drinking a martini?"
"And listening to the radio." she added with a smirk, as she set her glass down on the ground.
The brunette groaned, not wanting to deal with the woman's antics as she marched back to the house. All of a sudden she heard footsteps behind her and just as she turned around she was tackled with a big wet hug. "Haruka!" she scolded. "You're going to soak my work clothes!"
Haruka laughed and tightened her grip around her. "All the more reason to keep hugging you."
Taiki let out a grunt of frustration, trying to figure out what to do when all of a sudden the kiddie pool caught her eye sparking an idea. She managed to turn around so she could face her wife and wrapped her arms around her. The blonde loosened her grip momentarily, stepping back until her feet almost touched the edge of the pool and that gave Taiki enough time for her to be able to push her down, both of them landing in the kiddie pool with a loud splash.
Haruka screamed as Taiki snickered at her. "That was payback." she whispered, before kissing her hard while tangling her fingers in the woman's short hair.
The blonde kissed back as she stroked the girl's wet auburn hair that had fallen out of it's usual ponytail with all the ruckus. They pulled apart, pressing their foreheads together as they laid together in the middle of the pool while they smiled at each other, mischievous blue eyes staring into mature violet eyes.
That was one of the things that Taiki loved about Haruka: That she was able to turn even her worst moods into good moods with even the silliest gestures.
/
"Go Eagles go!"
Taiki winced as her wife's shrieks pierced her ears. The blonde was dressed in her old worn out Tokyo Eagles jersey and the game was already halfway over. It was rare to see Haruka this hyper and energetic but it was a good sight, and the price of losing her hearing was worth it to see her this happy.
The game finished less then an hour later and the Tokyo Eagles had won with a score of 6-4. When they had won Haruka had jumped up from her seat, screaming at the top of her lungs as she tightly wrapped her arms around Taiki's neck in excitement.
She quickly grabbed her wife's hand as she pulled her up from her seat. "Come on Taiki! We don't want to miss the meet and greet!"
Taiki sighed but a small smile found it's way onto her face. "Ok, let's go then."
/
Haruka had been up all morning trying to prepare a special breakfast for Taiki. It was the brunette's birthday and she wanted to make sure it was as special as her's had been. The brunette was still asleep so she wanted to hurry up and finish before she woke up.
She had been making pancakes for her and so far they had turned out alright. "She's going to love these." she whispered to herself, a cocky smirk on her face. "I bet I can flip these with my eyes closed." she said, shutting her eyes as she began to flip one.
"You want to bet?"
The blonde screamed and the pancake went flying onto the floor. She spun around to see Taiki doubled over in laughter at the other end of the kitchen. "T-taiki!" she exclaimed, her cheeks bright red. "What are you doing awake?"
"You were stampeding around the kitchen, giving yourself pep talks. How am I supposed to sleep through that?"
Haruka sighed, casting her gaze down towards the floor. "Gomen Taiki. You made sure I had an amazing birthday and I wanted to do the same for you.." she said softly, just as the scent of burning pancakes reached her nose. She let out an angry shriek as she turned her attention back towards the pancakes.
Taiki chuckled quietly as she walked over to her. "I know Haruka. I appreciate that you're trying to make me happy. You're still doing a good job." she said softly, as she pecked her gently on the cheek.
"Score one for Haruka." the blonde whispered to herself. Taiki laughed as her wife plopped a couple pancakes down on a plate for her. "Voila! There's syrup and fruit on the table for you! Oh wait! Let me go get you your gift." she exclaimed before running off.
The birthday girl smiled to herself as she took a seat at their dining table, grabbing the bottle of syrup just as Haruka came running back out.
"Happy birthday." she said as she placed the small box in her lap.
Taiki began to slowly open the box which revealed a gorgeous pearl necklace that glimmered ever so slightly. The brunette gasped as she looked over at her wife who was smiling brilliantly at her. "H-haruka I-"
"There's something underneath it."
She carefully removed the necklace from the box and placed it gently on the table, making sure that she wouldn't scratch it. Where the necklace had sat was a piece of styrofoam which she carefully pulled out. Underneath that was two tickets for a meet and greet with her favorite author.
The brunette who normally wasn't one to show very much emotion, began to tear up as she stood up. She ran over to Haruka who embraced her warmly in her arms. "Arigatou Haruka." she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she buried her face in her chest. "You didn't have to do all this for me."
Haruka smiled as she stroked her hair. "Taiki, I did this because I love you and because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." she said, as she let go of her, walking over to the table so she could pick up the necklace. She carefully placed the necklace around the violet eyed girl's neck, clasping it shut at the back. "Happy birthday my little bookworm."
Taiki couldn't help but roll her eyes at the stupid nickname, but she still kissed her passionately on the lips, happiness flowing through her body at how amazing her life had turned out.
The blonde pulled away and smirked at her. "We should probably eat before the pancakes get cold." she said, just as Taiki elbowed her playfully in the ribs.
/
Before they knew it it was already time for them to go see Zoya again. This time Haruka had listened to Taiki and had begun packing in advance. They had already flown to Egypt where they had stopped for lunch after they had learned a little bit of Arabic beforehand and had curried some of the country's currency on them.
They had just boarded their flight for Cape Town and a flight attendant had stopped by their seats to see if they wanted anything to eat or drink.
"Diet coke for me please." Taiki said, as she smiled at the young lady taking their orders.
Haruka cocked an eyebrow at her wife's order but decided she'd play along with her games. "I'll have some water."
"Got it, one water and a diet coke. I'll be back shortly."
The brunette glared at her once she had left. "Really? I thought you liked diet coke?"
"And I thought you were the one who liked water."
The lady arrived with their drinks and placed them down on their trays. The bickering between the couple lasted for a little bit but in the end they both wound up doubled over in laughter over their silly little inside joke that neither one of them understood.
Taiki was different then any other girl Haruka had ever met. When she had first met her she knew she was special and that she was unique and that if she let her slip away that she'd never find anyone like her. She was right. Taiki was special. Besides who else would sit with her on a flight to South Africa, laughing about a silly debate over coke and water?
/
When the couple arrived at the adoption agency the next day as soon as Zoya spotted them, she ran over to them shouting "Mommy!" at the top of her lungs, melting both of their hearts completely.
She ran into Taiki's arms first who warmly embraced her with tears in her eyes. Miranda walked over to them, giggling at the adorable sight in front of her. "We've been showing her pictures of you two over the past couple of months and she's learned how to say mom and mommy."
Zoya let go of Taiki and then raced over to Haruka, looking up at her with excited eyes. "Mom!" she exclaimed.
Taiki laughed as the blonde scooped her up gracefully in her arms. "Hai?" she asked, as she began to tickle the little girl, earning her shrieks of laughter in response.
Miranda smiled at them as she made her way over to the door. "I'll leave you guys alone now. Let me know if you need anything."
Taiki stepped closer to Haruka, resting her head on her shoulder as she watched her play with their daughter. Finally she felt like their family was coming into place.
/
Their trip went by much faster then they would have liked and soon enough it was time for them to return home, with a set date that they could take Zoya home: September 14.
They were busy with their classes which helped make the days go by quicker but never fast enough. They just wanted to have their daughter home but the best things always take the most time.
/
Another day of classes was almost over for Haruka as she watched her first class of the afternoon run around happily. All of a sudden she heard the intercom beep, meaning that the office was trying to contact the gym.
The other gym teacher pressed the button which would allow the secretary to talk. "You've reached the gym." she called out, so that they'd know an actual teacher had answered and not just a kid being careless and messing around.
"Is Mrs. Tenoh there?" the secretary asked.
Haruka looked up, as she became the focus of everyone's attention. She wondered what they wanted her for but she cleared her throat briefly before speaking, deciding that whatever it was couldn't be that important. "Hai?"
"Can you please come to the office?"
"I'm on my way." she called out, as the other gym teacher gave her a thumbs up, before mouthing to her that she had both classes under control.
Haruka made her way to the office which was all the way at the other end of the school. When she finally reached the office, the first thing she saw was Taiki standing there, tears running down her cheeks. As soon as the brunette saw her she practically ran into her arms, letting out a sob as she hugged her as tightly as she possibly could.
Panic filled Haruka as she had never seen her wife this upset before, meaning whatever it was must be something serious. She hugged her back, gently stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down. "Taiki, what happened?"
Taiki was too distraught to say anything and simply kept sobbing into her chest.
"Taiki, please talk to me."
The brunette finally managed to look up at her, her eyes bloodshot and red from all the crying as she tried to gather her words together. Haruka brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, as Taiki managed to compose herself somewhat. "It's Zoya."
Those two words were enough to cause Haruka's heart to drop, and she could feel tears slowly beginning to well up in her own eyes. "What happened with Zoya?"
"The adoption agency called..." she began but stopped herself halfway. More tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she let out another small sob.
"What'd they say?"
"Haruka... they said she has a severe case of malaria. She might not make it."
The dams Haruka had built burst, and she tightened her grip around Taiki, as tears poured from her eyes. "No, no, no, no." she whispered. "This can't be happening."
The two hugged for what felt like ages, both of them crying into each other's arms knowing that they only had each other for support. They finally pulled apart when the secretary spoke.
"The principal is in a meeting but he told me to tell you that you guys can take as much time off as you need."
Taiki shook her head. "No. This is our job. We have to be here for the students."
"Mrs. Tenoh this is as serious as if a teacher had a child who was diagnosed with cancer. You've already been dismissed for the rest of the day, and you can take as much time off as you need."
They both nodded in agreement and thanked her before grabbing each other's hands. "Ready to go?" Haruka asked quietly.
Taiki nodded, and gave her a small but fake smile. "As ready as I'll ever be." she whispered.
/
Two weeks had passed since they'd received the news about Zoya. They had taken time off work and Haruka had tried to keep her mind off of it by doing everything she possibly could to keep herself busy. Taiki however had fallen into a dark depression, rarely leaving the house and constantly snapping at Haruka for no reason.
Haruka knew she was just stressed because the people over in South Africa didn't have the right medicine to be able to treat Zoya and she would only be able to get the proper treatment when she was home with them but that was still over two months away.
So one night Haruka decided to try and surprise Taiki, to cheer her up a bit. She ordered sushi for them and rented out copies of the brunette's favorite movies. Her wife had been out all day in a meeting so everything would be a total surprise. She'd already changed into her pajamas and had bought a new pair of soft fuzzy violet pajamas for the other woman as well as her favorite blanket.
When the brunette arrived home she was greeted by Haruka who was standing there in her famous polka dot pajamas. "Tada!" she exclaimed as she gestured to the table which was filled with trays of sushi.
Taiki cocked an eyebrow at her but before she could say anything, a pair of pajamas had been shoved into her hand. "I bought these for you. You've been so sad lately so I wanted to cheer you up, so I arranged a movie night at home for us. I even bought sushi for you since I know it's one of your favorite foods."
The brunette looked around at everything her wife had prepared and a small but genuine smile crossed her features. "Arigatou Haruka... it's perfect." she said softly.
Haruka smiled proudly as she kissed her on the forehead gently. "Good. I just want you to be happy. Now go get changed."
Taiki did as told and changed into the pajamas which were incredibly soft. She grabbed a small plate and filled it with sushi and walked over to their couch where Haruka was already sitting with her favorite yellow blanket her grandma had made for her when she was a baby.
She sat down beside her and Haruka wrapped the blanket around her as she started the first movie. Taiki rested her head on her chest as Haruka wrapped an arm around her gently.
Maybe the hole in her heart was still there but at least she had Haruka.
/
It was late August and the couple hadn't heard anything back from the agency about how Zoya was doing. It was already the couple's anniversary and Haruka had decided to shock Taiki by putting on the brunette's wedding dress.
Taiki had been busy in the kitchen baking cupcakes for them when she heard someone clear their throat from the other end of the kitchen. She turned around to see Haruka standing there, hands on her hips in her wedding dress.
It was a beautiful white mermaid style dress with a heart neckline and a ruffled skirt, along with a crystal belt along the waistline. It was gorgeous but to see it on the normally butch blonde caused the brunette to start laughing uncontrollably.
"Haruka take that off." she laughed, as she walked over towards her.
Haruka pouted and shook her head. "No way. I look ridiculously hot."
"Well then if you're going to wear my dress then I guess I'm allowed to wear your suit." Taiki replied before running upstairs.
"No, don't touch my suit!" Haruka cried as she tried to run after her but the length of her dress stopped her.
In a matter of minutes Taiki had arrived back downstairs in Haruka's favorite black suit that she'd worn at her wedding, including her favorite red bow tie. "I haven't worn a suit in so long." Taiki whispered to herself as she walked over to her wife.
"Pick me up bridal style!" Haruka demanded.
"Are you serious?"
"When am I ever not?"
"I could list at least twelve times from this past week alone that you weren't serious."
"Just pick me up already."
The brunette rolled her eyes at her and tried to pick her up. She managed to lift her up off the floor but when the phone started ringing she almost dropped her. Haruka shrieked and tightened her grip around her. "Don't drop me!"
"Gomen."
"Carry me over to the phone."
Taiki sighed and proceeded to walk over to the phone, Haruka still in her arms. The blonde reached over to pick the phone up and pressed answer. "Moshi moshi?"
There was silence for a few minutes before the biggest smile crossed her face. "Arigatou." she replied before hanging up. She tightly wrapped her arms around her wife's neck who moaned from the lack of oxygen.
She put Haruka down on the ground after she finally let go. "Who called?"
"The adoption agency." she replied.
The smile on Taiki's face grew after she said that. "What did they say?"
"They said that Zoya is still sick but that at the moment she's stable to come home next mon-."
Haruka didn't get the chance to finish her last word because Taiki had cut her off with a kiss. She pulled away with the biggest smile still on her face. "Happy anniversary."
"Happy anniversary. Oh and one more thing."
"What is it?"
"I think your cupcakes are burning."
/
The day had arrived when the couple would be flying to Cape Town for the last time without Zoya in their arms. They had already stopped for lunch in Egypt and had taken pictures all around the airport which filled Taiki's camera.
When they boarded their plane they received the same flight attendant who they'd had before. "Let me guess," she began. "Diet coke for one of you and water for the other?"
"Actually I think we'll both have diet coke this time." Taiki said softly.
"Oh but can you make mine a regular coke!" Haruka added.
The lady began writing their orders down and Taiki glared at her wife. "Really?"
"Shut up, I know you love me."
/
The very next day they arrived at the adoption agency where they spent the first few hours filling out their final stacks of paperwork. There they were led to Zoya's room for the last time. The little girl ran up to them, holding the teddy bear they had given her which was now frayed and worn out.
She ran into Taiki's arms who happily scooped her up with tears in her eyes. "You're finally coming home." she whispered as she kissed her gently on the top of her head.
Haruka stroked the little girl's head and Miranda met them at the door to say a final goodbye. "Take good care of her."
"Trust me we will." Haruka said quietly, as she wrapped an arm around her wife. The staff waved them goodbye as they exited the adoption agency for the final time.
"Finally our family is complete." Taiki whispered, as Haruka kissed her softly on the head.
/
They flew back to Tokyo the next day and put Zoya to bed in her nursery. They had already arranged for Zoya to have a meeting with a children's doctor that week so they could cure her malaria.
She had already fallen asleep on the flight home and so it wasn't a problem putting her to bed.
Haruka and Taiki stood in the doorway of her nursery watching her sleep. The blonde wrapped an arm around her wife who simply snuggled in closer to her chest. "Did you ever imagine this is how your life would turn out when you first met me?" she asked quietly.
Taiki shook her head. "I never would have imagined things would have turned out this way but I'm so glad that they did."
"Ashiteru."
"I love you too Haruka, forever and always."