Disclaimer: I do not own Saiunkoku or anything related to it.

A/N: This fic is for moor, for helping to beta it and for being so patient in waiting for me to regain my motivation to write again and finish this story. Thank you so much my friend. :D

This fic is based on moor's story "Emperor Seien AU", so if you like my story, please go read hers as well and show her some love! (ff dot net / s / 11451161 / 1 / Emperor-Seien-AU )

For those who don't know, I run a group on Facebook dedicated to getting the light novels translated ("Please Publish the Saiunkoku Monogatari Light Novels in English!"), and there is a petition I'm asking fans to sign. The goal is 1,000 signatures and we are currently about 1/3 of the way to our goal. So if you'd like to sign it, or even just come talk about SaiMono, you are more than welcome. :)

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Married life was decidedly not quite what Shuurei had expected.

When the Emperor had made his proposition to her several years earlier, she had initially panicked. Shuurei knew she had feelings for him, but when Ryuuki had forced the issue the way that he had, she came to realize in those ensuing months that she cared for him only as a friend, nothing more. She bore him no grudge, nor his new wife Jyuusan-hime, and understood that he'd had to make a decision for the sake of their country. Shuurei could not truthfully admit that their relationship was the same as it was when Ryuuki had been so enamoured with her, but they were still on good terms and comfortable with each other, and it was enough for Shuurei.

What she hadn't seen coming were the developments with Seiran that followed. After Shuurei had ultimately rejected Ryuuki following the end of their bet, the family retainer had started spending more time with her alone in private. There had been late nights full of tutoring, many walks around the Imperial Palace when they were able to have a break together, and Shuurei had even started teaching Seiran to cook after he expressed an interest in learning to make manju buns like she did. With every step that brought her closer to her dream of being an Imperial Official, Seiran had been there for her. Her father and her friends had been a wonderful source of support as well, but Seiran knew when to push her to her limits and when to step back. And while Shuurei knew that she could have walked the rocky path on her own, she also knew that having Seiran there beside her had made the process just a little easier to bear.

Two years after Ryuuki had married Jyuusan-hime and started a royal family of his own, Seiran proposed to Shuurei. He had consulted her father prior to asking, and Shouka had given them both his blessing. Shuurei had initially been hesitant to accept - after all, this was the man who had played with her and put her to bed as a child, who had watched her grow and develop into the young woman she had become. But when she had opened her mouth to give him her answer, the look she saw in his eyes made her reconsider. There had been love yes, but also fear. Perhaps he had been worried that she would say to him the words she had said to the Emperor not that long ago, or that she thought herself unworthy of a man such as himself. Yet buried beneath it all, Shuurei saw a fragile spark of hope, a yearning for something he had never directly voiced out loud. And so she had nervously smiled and said yes instead, finally making him family on paper as he was already family in her heart.

Their wedding had not been a lavish affair. Ryuuki, who was initially a little reserved once he learned of their nuptials, graciously offered to provide them with funds and supplies for the ceremony, whatever they wanted. Shuurei insisted that it was only going to be a simple ceremony for their relatives and close friends, held at the Kou family manor. She added that it would mean more to both her and Seiran if he, along with his wife and infant daughter, would attend. And so they had, along with Ensei, Kouyuu, Shuuei, and several of their other friends. Ryuuren had even made a brief appearance, showing up long enough to serenade Shouka's escorting of Shuurei down the aisle with a heartfelt - albeit glass-cracking - melody on his flute.

After the ceremony the royal family had had to return to the Imperial Palace, but before leaving Ryuuki slipped Seiran a thick envelope for him to open with Shuurei later. It was a wedding gift for them both, he'd said, something that he hoped would bring the two of them joy for many years to come. Later that night when Shuurei and Seiran retired to their new matrimonial quarters for the evening, Shuurei had cried when she saw what was inside. For while she counted and recounted the bundle of bills, unable to believe she was holding such a large sum of money in her own two hands, Seiran read aloud to her the note that said the funds were for repairs to the Kou household and its surrounding grounds. In particular, Ryuuki wrote, he hoped they would use some money to repopulate the garden with more cherry blossom and fruit trees, so that their future children could grow up surrounded by beauty and sheltered from hunger.

Their wedding night had been a culmination of sorts to their personal journeys through life. Neither had ever lain with another, and while Shuurei had received some education from Kochou during her years working at Kougaro, to actually experience some of those activities firsthand with a man was quite different. Shuurei learned that Seiran really was good with his hands, (which she chalked up to his years of service in the Imperial army), and that her new husband was thankfully something of an exception to several of the typical male behaviours that Kochou had warned her about. He was still as protective as ever, mixed with a streak of possessiveness Shuurei had been surprised to discover she enjoyed, but when they lay together in bed with their bare limbs and long hair tangled together, Shuurei saw Seiran for what he was: a man, nothing more. But he was the man who loved her, who pledged he would always love her. Shuurei had watched his eyes gradually close as he fell asleep next to her on their first night together as newlyweds, and she believed him.

()

It had only been a couple of months before Shuurei started noticing some changes in her body, changes she suspected she knew the cause of. The soon-to-be daily rejection of her morning breakfast and absence of her menstrual cycle only confirmed her suspicions not long after. Upon breaking the news to Seiran, he had stared at her openly, then pulled her tight to his chest without a word. When Shuurei questioned him on whether he was happy that he was going to be a father, Seiran spent that night showing her just how overjoyed he was.

Their first child had been born a little more than eight months later, a son they named Souta. He was a quiet baby from the beginning, crying only when hungry or if he needed to be changed. Souta had been born with a few wisps of light black hair, but as he'd grown older his hair had continued to lighten. Shuurei commented to Seiran more than once that she thought their son would one day have silver hair as well.

To celebrate the birth of their first child, Seiran and Shuurei had taken some of the money from Ryuuki and planted two trees in the courtyard. One cherry blossom, and one peach. Shuurei couldn't wait for the day when they would grow enough to bloom and produce fruit.

Shuurei had taken a temporary leave from her position as a Censorate Official when Souta was born, and together they decided that she would remain at home to care for him for the first couple years of his life. Shuurei had initially wanted to bring him to work with her, but after Seiran had gently pointed out that there were there no other infants in the Inner Palace, nor any wet nurses, she reluctantly changed her mind. Shouka had offered to watch him so that Shuurei could return to work when her short maternity leave was over, but Shuurei had gently rebuffed his generous offer. Instead mother and son would sometimes visit Grandpa Shouka at work in the library when he was taking his lunch break, and then try to sneak a private audience with Uncle Ryuuki before heading home to prepare dinner. Shuurei missed her work as an official, but she found a certain joy in her duties as a mother, and she tried to keep herself occupied as much as possible while Seiran was at work. Before she became betrothed to Seiran, Shuurei had never asked her father what it was like to be married, nor had she ever questioned Ryuuki; however she thought that her life at that point in time was close to what she had expected marriage would be like.

()

Not long after Souta turned three, Shuurei had become pregnant again. While the impending arrival of another infant in the household was not an unwelcome blessing, it had resulted in several late night conversations between Shuurei and Seiran regarding their family budget. It was decided that Seiran would ask to work a few extra hours every week, and he would apply to General Sou for a small wage increase. Shuurei had been disappointed that she wouldn't get to see Seiran as much during the week, but knew that due to their situation at the time it couldn't really be avoided. Shouka was still working in the Imperial Archives, but his wages did not do much to bolster the household's finances.

Their second son, Yutaka, was a chubby baby with a dusting of dark blue hair like his mother's. Shuurei had enjoyed being pregnant, but she also remembered how relieved she was to not have to deal with swollen ankles and seemingly infinite bathroom trips while trying to coral a toddler. Shouka doted on his second grandson, and Jyuusan-hime came by to visit occasionally with her daughter Saya, who was about to start school.

Shuurei's favourite guest was Ensei, although due to his various Imperial duties around Shi province he was never able to visit as much as either of them would have liked. Ensei played with Souta for hours on end and never complained once about holding Yutaka so that Shuurei could clean the house from top to bottom. When Seiran would come home after his shift at the Imperial Palace, Ensei was always ready with quips and jabs, enough to keep his friends on their toes and laughing late into the evening.

It was during one such visit when Shuurei suggested that they plant two more trees in the courtyard, in honour of the births of their children. Seiran had given Ensei some of the wedding money that Shuurei had squirreled away, and he returned home with two young trees: one cherry blossom, one peach. Shuurei, holding Yutaka in her arms while Souta stood beside her, watched as Seiran and Ensei planted both trees. Now there were four, one for each member of their little family.

()

Yutaka had been about six months old when Shuurei could no longer deny that they were having more difficulties stretching what money they had. Shouka's paychecks covered his living expenses and some of the funds used to maintain the Kou manor, but in raising two small children Seiran and Shuurei were essentially on their own. What money they had received from Ryuuki for their wedding was nearly gone, and Shuurei was loathe to spend it unless they were in desperate times. When she was younger Shuurei had prided herself on being the person to essentially run their household, but as their offspring got older Shuurei found herself with less time for the tasks that needed doing around their property. Furthermore, caring for two children essentially restricted her from returning to work unless she was minding other people's young ones in addition to her own. Shuurei knew Seiran was just as frustrated with their lack of money as she was, although he was gracious enough to never voice those thoughts in her presence. He still worked long days away from home, and it never seemed to be enough to allow them to catch up. Shuurei thought that while some of the details of her life had come about unexpectedly, her life with Seiran and their children was what she'd thought marriage would be like.

()

The following year had brought about many changes for their household.

With one child entering school and a toddler still at home, Shuurei had been hoping for a miracle from the Imperial Army, whether it be a promotion or even just a small bonus cheque. Seiran had gotten a minor boost in his wages a couple of years back, but there always seemed to be one situation or another that required them to spend more money than they intended. He'd recently petitioned the Generals for a higher pay rate, but it had been denied.

Finally, on a lonely night born of desperation not long after Yutaka had his first birthday, Shuurei asked Ensei during one of his visits if he would consider moving back to Kiyou to live with their family and watch the children so she could return to work. Nonetheless while Ensei had eventually come around to the idea once Shuurei had said all of his expenses would be covered, Seiran had been less than enthusiastic.

"You're trying to replace me."

"No Seiran, never! You are the man I married, not Ensei. But there are five people in this household and we are struggling. We have just enough, but barely. I cannot work, at least not like I used to, while the children are home with me. Once they are both in school I could at least work for a few hours every day, but that time is not right now. Right now... we are running out of options. I know you remember the famine years, the same as I do. I do not want my children to ever experience anything even remotely similar to that."

"Ojou-sama..."

"Help me, Seiran. I don't know what else to do."

Seiran had ultimately consented, although Shuurei knew he was still displeased with the arrangement. Ensei had applied for a one year leave from his position at Shuurei's suggestion, to ensure he wouldn't lose any tenure when he returned, and upon its approval he moved in with Shuurei's family.

At last, with Ensei taking over childcare during the day, Shuurei had returned to work as an official. She was allowed to start later and leave slightly earlier because of her family, and therefore Shuurei did her best to work twice as hard to compensate for the inconvenience she felt she caused her superior. It had been several years since she'd been immersed in such a high pressure environment, but Shuurei thrived on the stress. She spent her days investigating market discrepancies and payroll errors, among other red flags around Kiyou, and when she and Seiran returned home in the evening dinner was almost always waiting for them. How Ensei managed to make lavish meals while entertaining a toddler and small school-age child was beyond Shuurei's scope of imagination, but she never complained and always made sure to thank the cook. Seiran would arrive home not long after Shuurei, and between catching up around the dinner table and parenting the evenings always seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye.

Seiran returned from the courtyard with a dark look on his face. "Ensei, why is my son swinging a stick around in the backyard?"

Ensei looked up from the meal he was preparing in the kitchen. He looked quickly to Shuurei for help, but she snorted and shook her head, as if to say he was on his own.

"Ummm, well you see..." Ensei started.

"Souta said he was practicing to be just like you," Seiran interrupted, glowering at his former comrade. "Said that his Uncle Ensei used to vanquish bad guys back in his younger days, and that he thought he should learn to practice with a staff too."

Ensei hung his head. He was busted. Shuurei laughed at his reaction, and as she watched Ensei pout she missed the scattered emotions playing across Seiran's face.

It had been around this time that Shuurei noticed some changes in Seiran's behaviour at home. Most noticeable was where he'd been previously been social and engaging with her and the children, he was now seeming more distant and slightly withdrawn, even when their friends or Shouka were around. And when they were alone together, well... it wasn't happening nearly as often anymore, to put it simply. Even his gestures of affection in front of others had diminished to the point where she considered it a good day for them if she got a couple of chaste kisses.

Shuurei knew that long days in the Imperial Army resulted in much stress and exhaustion on his part, but something was different. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it. She watched him occasionally play with his children and trade playful (if somewhat thinly veiled) barbs with Ensei, and tried to convince herself she was overreacting to something that didn't even exist.

And so as the months passed, the household settled into something of a routine. Shuurei and Seiran continued to raise their boys, with Ensei's help during the day, and in the evening the six of them would sit down for dinner together. Afterwards when Shuurei had finished helping Souta with his homework, either Seiran or Ensei would roughhouse or playfight with the boys until bedtime. More often than not it was Ensei who took up the task of keeping the boys entertained and distracted from their father's absenteeism.

There were some nights, albeit not often, when Seiran returned home late from work smelling faintly of alcohol; it was on these nights Shuurei turned away and distracted herself with Ensei or the children. She tried to ignore the cracks she felt were appearing in their marriage, and did her best to convince herself that other couples dealt with these issues too.

()

Their family's struggles had been further compounded by Seiran's extended trip to the Sa Province when Yutaka was three. What was originally supposed to be a three month journey for the purpose of training new soldiers had turning into a year-long nightmare. Seiran had returned to children who were wary of his existence, especially his younger son, and a wife who had spent many a night crying herself to sleep. Shuurei watched both boys attempt to gain their father's attention evening after evening, but he usually brushed them off and turned instead to a small stash of sake he had hidden in the pantry, or the never-ending pile of papers on his desk. Worst of all were the nights when he combined both, as it usually resulted in him stumbling to their bedroom long after midnight, leaving him ill and exhausted in the morning.

Now nearly two years later, both children attended school and Shuurei had returned to the Imperial Palace full-time as an official under Minister Kou. When Ensei's leave expired, Shuurei had had to very reluctantly stay at home with Yutaka until he was of age to join his brother in school. Thankfully, the money Shuurei had set aside while Ensei had been with them had been enough to keep their small family afloat until that point.

With both children being away during the day, she had petitioned the eccentric Minister to work under him in his department while they were at school, and he had graciously allowed it. Her time away from the Imperial Palace had done nothing to damage her abilities as an official, and Minister Kou knew it.

However, having both children in school had not done anything to ease Seiran's odd behaviour. If anything it had gotten worse. While Ensei had still been living with them, he'd been the primary person playing with the boys while Seiran busied himself in the study with "official work." But now that Ensei was gone, everything had fallen on Shuurei's shoulders, and as hard as she tried to be both parents to their boys she knew that they felt his absence too.

Shuurei remembered back to when she had first married Seiran more than ten years earlier, and how hopeful she had been for their future together. As she watched their sons eating their dinner in silence, she wondered how it all could be slipping through her fingers. More worrisome was that she didn't know how to fix it.

()

The boys' bickering broke Shuurei from her thoughts.

"Souta, Yutaka, stop fighting right now please," she scolded them. "You both have schoolwork you should be working on, correct?"

"Yes Mother," they recited.

"Then please go sit on opposite ends of the dinner table, and work on it until you are finished."

Grumbling audibly, both boys gathered together their workbooks and obeyed Shuurei's directions.

"Mother?" Yutaka asked a minute later.

"Yes?" Shuurei looked up from the needlepoint she was working on.

"Will Father be able to play with us tonight? He said he was too busy last night, and the night before."

Shuurei felt her heart break just a little more. If Seiran only knew the pain his actions were causing their family... "I don't know, Yutaka," she admitted slowly. "Your father has been very busy since he got recruited to help with this new project of the General's, remember?"

Yutaka said nothing as he bent his head low over his notebook, concealing his face from Shuurei's view. She knew without looking that he was doing his best to hide his disappointment without crying. Souta had heard such a reply often enough that he said nothing, instead keeping his face perfectly blank as he studied his homework.

Enough was enough.

Shuurei set her needlepoint creation down firmly on the side table next to her chair. No more. Their children needed their father, and she needed her husband back.

"Keep working on your homework, and I will be back to check it before you go to bed," Shuurei instructed them as she headed for the study. "If you work hard, I will have a treat for you tomorrow when you get home from school."

"Yes Mother," both boys answered without looking up. At that moment, Shuurei was glad they didn't see the tempestuous expression on her face.

She opened the door at the end of the hallway without knocking; Seiran was hunched over the desk in the corner of the room, a half-empty bottle of sake next to his elbow and a lone candle burning low near the edge of his workspace. She slid the door shut behind her quietly.

"Seiran?" She inquired, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder when she was close enough to touch him.

"Yes, Ojou-sama?" Seiran asked. His brush continued to make brisk strokes on the scroll in front of him.

"Please come out and spend time with your family. Yutaka is asking for you again."

"I'm busy."

"You are always busy. Your paperwork can wait long enough for you to spend an hour or two with your children in the evening," she chided gently. She made no mention of him spending any time with her; she wanted their children's needs met first.

"No, it really can't." He turned to face her, and Shuurei could see dark circles under his eyes. Whether they were caused by late nights or the alcohol he had been drinking, she didn't know. "The General is expecting this report tomo-"

Shuurei felt her patience snap. "I don't care!"

"You should care!" Seiran shot back. "The Emperor is waiting for this report, and he can't make his next move until I give it to the General-"

"It can wait, Seiran! It can wait like we have been waiting, night after night for you." Shuurei watched the anger drain from his face as she spat words of pain and longing from her lips, words long buried but still festering.

"Ojou-sama-" he started, but she did not let him finish.

"We have waited for you, Seiran, for a long time. I tried to be supportive of you when you started working more hours, all those years ago, because I knew you were doing it for our family. And I said nothing when you started going out for a drink or two after work with your comrades and returning late at night, because I knew you needed to let off some steam and unwind. Ensei was here to help distract the boys from the void where their father used to be, and they were younger so they did not pay attention to things like they do now."

Seiran closed his eyes, knowing what was coming next. He turned in his chair to face her, forcing himself to watch her as she shook from her emotions which had long been repressed deep inside. Her fists were clenched tightly at her side.

"But these days, you work like a man possessed. You are in the Imperial Palace or training almost every day, all day, and when you return home you hide from your wife and children. You bury your problems under a mountain of paperwork or in vessels of sake and convince yourself that you can only enjoy your family when you have slain every report, every document on your desk. Except that that pile never seems to stay vanquished, so we never get to see you." Her anger momentarily drained, Shuurei sank to her knees in front of Seiran. "I still love you. Your family loves you, Seiran. I don't know what that means to you anymore, but we do."

Seiran knelt to take his wife in his arms. He noticed for the first time that she had lost some weight, and he could feel tendrils of guilt creeping into his heart. How much damage had he done? How much pain had he inflicted? He didn't know; he hadn't paid attention for a long time.

Shuurei pulled back and held his face in her hands. Tears were welling up, but she was determined not to let them derail their conversation. "Why do you hide from your family, Seiran?"

Seiran tried to duck away, but Shuurei's grasp held him steady. "Ojou-sama..."

"Tell me Seiran. I remember the eyes I looked into when you first asked me to marry you, and they are not the eyes I am seeing now."

He cast his eyes downward, avoiding her penetrating stare. To face off against Shuurei when she was this fired up was to have one's soul stripped bare. "I'm not hiding-"

"Yes you are, Seiran! I have been your wife for more than a decade. I have been family for longer than that. Something changed many years ago, but you need to tell me what."

The soldier was silent for a couple of minutes. Neither moved from their position on the floor. Then-

"...Ensei..." He muttered, still averting his gaze.

Shuurei tilted her head in confusion. "Ensei? You seemed happy when he was here, although I remember you were resistant to the idea of him living with us."

Seiran made a face, as if voicing his deepest, most shameful thoughts were causing him physical pain. "He... he is a better match for you, Ojou-sama."

Shuurei dropped her hands. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "What? You think... I should've married Ensei?!" Seiran nodded cautiously.

"That's ridiculous!" Shuurei thundered. Seiran finally dared to glance at his wife, and his eyes widened at the fierce expression on her face.

"Why, Seiran? Why do you think Ensei would make a better husband than you?" She scowled at him, her anger allowing sarcasm to creep into her words.

"Because you both have your careers, you're both officials-"

"You have your career in the Imperial Army, Seiran. Try again."

"Because I saw him with our sons, Shuurei," Seiran let slip, his emotions starting to escape the box they'd been sealed in for what felt like an eternity. "I saw the meals he cooked for us, and how playful and energetic he was with Souta and Yutaka. I can't- I can't compete with that." Oh how it hurt his pride to admit his misgivings to the one who loved him the most.

Now it was Shuurei's turn to be taken aback. "Seiran-"

"He is a better father than me, Ojou-sama. And he would be a better husband for you. All I wanted..."

"Yes?" Shuurei prompted. Whatever he was hiding, it was all going to come out now, come hell or high water.

Seiran looked at her steadily, and Shuurei could see his eyes shining in the candlelight. "When... when I asked you to marry me, I wanted to be yours. I loved you, and I wanted to be the one to give you a husband and children." He let out a deep breath as he continued. "I grew up in the Royal Harem, in an abusive household, with no one who genuinely loved me except Ryuuki. When your father found me and took me in, and showed me what a real family looked like, I vowed that I would have the same sort of family for myself one day."

Shuurei felt moisture on her cheeks, and clumsily swiped at her tears. She hadn't even realized she was crying.

"I have watched the three of you support me over the years," Seiran continued. "And I have loved the three of you with my whole being in return. But seeing Ensei with you and our children made me realize that I do not know how to be a parent. And I don't want to see our children grow up to hate me because of it, as I hated my own father. On some level, I think I've been trying to push you away in the hopes that you would turn to Ensei and prove me right."

Shuurei laughed shakily as she hung her head. Really, this was what these years of frustration and longing had been about?

Seiran narrowed his eyes. "What do you find amusing, Ojou-sama?"

"You are already their father, Seiran."

"But Ensei-"

"You were here long before Ensei, and though I cannot deny that they enjoyed having him here while we were at work, you have been here since he left. The children remember you, Seiran. They just want their father." Shuurei leaned forward so her head was resting on his shoulder, and Seiran wrapped his arms around her gently. "All that's required of a good parent is instruction, patience, time, and lots of love. Nothing more."

"I do not want to become my father, Shuurei," he whispered.

Shuurei pulled back and took one of his large hands in hers, meshing their fingers together as she gave him a gentle look. "You won't be, Seiran. You work too much, but you are definitely not the same man he was."

"What about Ensei?" Seiran dared to ask. He was ashamed to admit that he needed all of his doubts dashed, even this one.

Shuurei gave a short laugh. "Uncle Ensei is fun to be around, but he's not you. You have some qualities he doesn't, and they are what make you my husband, the man I love."

They sat together on the floor watching each other, neither one speaking as the candle continued to burn out the last of its wick. At last, when it started to sputter and flicker, Shuurei got to her feet.

"Will you come out and spend time with us, Seiran?"

He watched her for a moment, then moved to stand beside her. Before she could say anything, he bent his head and kissed her firmly on her lips. "I love you too Shuurei," he breathed, then moved past her to exit the study.

As Shuurei stood alone in the centre of the room, silently touching her fingers to her mouth, the glow from the candle wavered before finally snuffing itself out.

()

They lay in each other's arms later that night, long after the boys had been put to bed and Shouka had retired to his room. There had been many cautious glances and tentative touches before they both just removed their robes and bared themselves to each other.

It had been like riding a horse, Shuurei thought with a smile, a rhythm that their bodies fell back into after years of inactivity. There were teasing caresses and strategic tongue work that lead to quiet moans and groans, resulting in multiple explosive peaks for them both. That had been before Seiran had slid inside her, showing Shuurei how sorry he was for neglecting her for so long. It turned out the embers had continued to burn inside them both, and yet despite the events of recent years, they had never been completely smothered. It had taken only a few strokes to get them burning bright again, this flame they both carried inside their hearts.

"Do you... do you think it helped?" Seiran ventured carefully sometime later, his fingers playing idly with Shuurei's long hair.

"Hmm?" Shuurei turned towards her husband in the bed, her eyes half-closed from sleep.

"My being there to aid them with their homework."

Shuurei rubbed her eyes, forcing herself out of slumber. She rolled over to face Seiran and splayed one hand over his chest. "Yes I do," she said softly. "I think it was a good start."

Both boys had been reluctant to go to bed, putting up a fight until Seiran had promised them that he would be home earlier the following evening so he could spend time with them, but only if they went to sleep right that moment. They had set a new record for bedtime that night, with nary a further complaint from either child.

"I will ask General Sou if my hours can be reduced a little starting next week, so that I can come home sooner in the evening. We are stable enough financially now that this is viable, no?" Shuurei did a few quick mental calculations before nodding that yes, it was.

"I missed you so much," Shuurei whispered into the darkness. She felt his hand stroke her head gently, and she closed her eyes in contentment. For the first time in a very long time, she felt reassured in the strength of their marriage and the bond that they shared.

"Welcome home, Seiran."