Just small, rambly drabble about the new episode because BABY KARAI! SO CUTE! Spoilers for "Tale of the Yokai".

For the record: Leo had not asked for this.

It just so happened that he'd stood right next to Tang Shen when she held out the baby, asking: "Would one of you please hold Miwa while I prepare something to eat?"

And that's how the warm, squirmy little baby had ended up in his arms.

So again; he hadn't asked for this.

Of course… He looked down at the wide, brown eyes peering up at him, watched as the tiny hands reached for his mask tails, a low gurgling leaving her every now and then.

Of course, he didn't exactly mind holding a baby Karai.

She felt so… fragile, her limbs soft and small and weak. He fretted about the way he was holding her, so much so that he decided to sit down, finding more leverage to support her better.

Leo stared at the baby for a while, she met his eyes with the same curious expression all babies possess. Could he ever tell Karai about this? He guessed it could be kind of funny.

Hey Karai! While you were mind controlled, I went back to the past and met you and your mother! You were the cutest little baby! And your mother was-

He stopped dead in his thoughts.

No, he could never tell Karai about this. Or, with how things were going…

Maybe he wouldn't be able to.

He was glad when Tang Shen began to speak again, giving him something else to think about. That was until he felt a tug on his mask tails.

Leo glanced down again, a small smile forming on his face. Okay, this was pretty cute. Another tug that forced him to nod his head slightly. She'd gotten a pretty good grip on his mask tails, and she seemed to really like pulling at them.

He felt something flutter inside his chest, a surge of affection for this small being in his arms, to think Karai had been this-

A tug that actually hurt his neck killed that thought process. Then another one. Okay, suddenly this wasn't as adorable as it had been two seconds ago. He made a face and endured the aggressive pulling.

It seemed some things about Karai remained the same.