Warnings: Cult material

Chapter 25

I looked up from Dais colouring the design both Tessa and I had agreed on at two prompts. Sage and Rowen leaned up against the gazebo's railings to see what Dais was preoccupied with. I could only blush at Sage's raised eyebrow.

"I… might want another tattoo?"

My sister lifted a hand and waved the mild shock off, voice extraordinarily chipper. "Might or might not be my idea. Or fault. Whichever way you want to look at it."

I nearly laughed at Rowen's surprise, his eyebrows going up in a similar way to how mine had when she first pitched the idea. "Are you getting one, too?"

She smiled sheepishly, one hand going to her rounding belly. "Yeah… After Touma's born, of course."

He responded with a wide-eyed blink, unsure what to make of it. Sage, meanwhile, looked unusually interested, with a sense of personal stake in the matter that was missing whenever he was interested in something purely for my sake. "Where would you get it?"

I pointed to the inside of my left wrist. Rowen snapped out of his stupor to say, "You know that'll hurt a bit."

Both of us raised eyebrows at him, mine saying 'I have been impaled' and Tessa's saying 'I will have gone through childbirth'. Regardless, he picked up our meanings loud and clear: a little tiny tattoo would be nothing in comparison. He had the decency to look appropriately chastised.

Sage laughed and clasped Rowen's shoulder. "I think they'll be fine."

The slightly taller of the two sighed good naturedly and nodded. "Yeah… It's just the first I've heard of this," he said, eyebrow raised at his wife.

Dais had barely stopped drawing this whole time. When he switched from coloured pencils to ink outlining, he very casually said, "I believe this is the first any of us are hearing about this."

Tessa rubbed the back of her head. "Well, it's also somewhat new to us, too, honestly…" I blushed, remembering how long I had infodumped and when the early ideas of this tattoo came into my mind. She noticed and added, "As far as actually deciding to get it."

Despite the clarification, I could still sense confusion from our love interests. I coughed. "I kind of wanted one with her for years…"

She laughed and pulled me against her side in a hug, continuing to radiate with her body language just how much she genuinely wanted this, and if it made me this happy, that just gave her more reason to go through with it.

"Only fitting, I suppose," Sage said, voice quiet. Halo swirled with memories of our lost rings, ache of how easily even the strongest bonds could be cast aside still fresh. It was the same feeling I had at nearly losing my sister, only his ache went down to Halo being the only thing that had kept my heart beating for too many minutes.

The way he met my eyes in the following pause told me there was something he wanted to tell me. Tessa caught on a moment after I did, getting up and going to drag her husband away. "C'mon, I wanna go explore the stables."

Dais nodded towards me. "I will return when the drawing is complete."

He vanished, leaving Sage and I alone. He was about to move when I simply hopped up on the railing, turning so it was like we were sitting side by side. He wrapped an arm around me, bringing his nose against mine.

"How much would you hate hearing your anxiety was partially right?"

I sighed and pressed my forehead into his neck. "How much is partially?"

He took one of my hands in his. "The source of your mother's powers hasn't been dealt with, yet. She used the same mask she had originally, but… she sent it to the ningenkai, before the mashou could catch it."

I just pressed closer to him, drawing his other arm around me. "To Rupert, no doubt…"

"He's a starting place, at least." Sage swallowed, adam's apple moving with the strength of the action. "Her powers were Talpa's."

My breath caught, but likely not for the reason Sage assumed. "Was… he ever known as Arago?"

That made Sage pull back slightly in surprise. "What do you know about him?"

I tried not to shrink back at the slight heat in his tone. To remind myself he wasn't mad at me, but at this whole situation. "Arago was… one of the 'masters' in the cult. One my mom worshiped and prayed to the most heavily. He was… in control of power. And kept preaching how people would try to attack you for that power, but it was god's power, so you were in the right to have it. How soon the world would feel the full extent of it."

Sage's body temperature might as well have dropped, he was so frozen. "That… was Talpa. I can remember Talpa saying exactly that to us, when we fought him."

Now it was my turn to swallow. "So they… really were one in the same…?"

He nodded and pulled me closer. "Arago was the name Kayura knew him by. As he played the role of—"

"Her father. Her protector."

"Yes."

Both of us were haunted, now, trying to reconcile a decade's old battle both of us had fought and thought finished. I wrapped his arms even tighter around me, wanting something real and in the present. "She must've… wanted power so much, he sensed her, and kept living through her…"

"Did…" He paused, hesitating to bring up the past but both of us knowing it was necessary. "Did she get more powerful, around the time you turned fifteen?"

I nodded, and both of our hearts sunk. "She might as well have been another Warlord," I murmured.

"She is defeated." He said firmly. A moment later, his tone softened, grip tightening. "Talpa, however, isn't…"

I snort-laughed. "Somehow, I'm okay with that."

Knots in his muscles relaxed. "We've defeated everything that has challenged us so far. I'd… hoped you would trust we would continue to win."

I relaxed as well, smiling with my pitch black sense of humour. "I've kind of always wanted to give Arago a piece of my mind."

Now he chuckled, breath against my neck. "You and Kayura both. All the mashou, for that matter."

I reached a hand up to tangle in his hair. "We'll… handle it when he shows up again. In the meantime…"

He took my invitation for a kiss quite willingly, once again wild. I drank in the lightning of his touch, Halo nearly blinding behind my eyelids. The ache of the past few weeks finally had a name, and now I understood why I had missed him even when he was right beside me.

He barely pulled away when we parted. "I should thank you, for that."

It took me a moment to realize he meant 'saving his powers'; I simply shook my head. "I think you should thank Ryo and Inferno. Wouldn't have found them without it."

He kissed me again, softer this time, rendering me limp against him. "For teaching us how to break Nether Spirit influence over our armours."

"I didn't—"

"I know the Ancient taught you. But it was you who taught us." One hand went to my jaw, thumb brushing along my cheek. "Please take some credit for this."

I could only ask one question, voice a whisper. "Was it you, who said…?"

He nodded, eyes distant. "Kourin acted… as if it was my own life at risk. The others and I talked this morning, and— we've all been able to resist youjakai influence at some points, whenever it was life or death for our armours to be in use. That's our best guess for why Kourin pushed through the barrier, after you telling us how to destroy it. The others followed the pattern Kourin laid out."

I simply tried to take this information and process it. The thought somebody loved me so much, that my life ending was as if theirs did— pushed tears past my lashes. He wiped them away and smiled at me, more with his eyes than mouth. "I know you feel that way about Tessa the most strongly, but I also know I'm a close second."

I gave a watery laugh and nodded. "And Rowen's a close third."

He kissed me, hand tangling in my hair. 'I love you more than any hardship can negate.'

'I believe you.'

He pulled back and held my gaze, still holding me. "Will you marry me?"

I smiled. "I already said yes."

He swallowed. "I… almost feel like you said that to a different person."

"So was I." My smile turned into a smirk. "Will you marry me?"

"Absolutely."

He pulled me so close against him I swung my legs to the other side of the railing, our fronts pressing together despite the twist in my spine from sitting sidesaddle. I felt safe, my body cradled in his arms and armours twined. It was a feeling I'd missed over the weeks, from everything that had happened.

When we finally parted again, there was a twinkle in his eye I hadn't seen in too long. "Your tattoo with Tessa gave me an idea."

I blinked at the switch, once again stunned that another person I never would have ever guessed pitching the idea had done just that. "What?"

He chuckled. "We could get our ring designs tattooed under the band. So even if we can't wear them…"

In the moments it took for my surprise to wear off, a few more blinks punctuating the silence, a smile slowly grew on my face. "I'd like that."

"It can be after the wedding, if you'd prefer."

I shook my head. "Let's reveal them at the wedding."

The gleam in his eye likely would've unnerved anyone else. "Now to convince my parents to let us control the ceremony…"

Family. Parents. The thought of his parents suddenly becoming mine, the concept of 'family' previously destroyed with my mother's capture but so quick to rebuild.

The ice cold shower must've shown on my face. The teasing vanished, replaced with concern. "Too much?"

I shook my head. "It just… hit me all at once."

He slid his hands down to the tops of my hips, forehead against mine. "What is mine is yours. As I have promised since the day we met, no matter what turns we took."

I smiled, thinking of early Skype calls, when I was still scared and lost after too much change— keeping him at arm's length for my own safety. How, even platonically, there would always be space in his home should I ever need it. Whether that was in a guest room or beside him in bed. No matter what our relationship status was— platonic or romantic— his home was mine.

"I know."

"Will you marry me, and share your life with mine?"

"Yes." Tears pushed their way past both of our lashes, and I wiped his away while he did the same for me. "Of course."

—

Standing in Sage's room surrounded by a veritable mountain of garbage bags most certainly made for an interesting Christmas holiday.

He wiped sweat-damp strands of hair from his face. "I can't believe I'd held on to so many clothes."

I grabbed one of the lighter bags for me to lug out to the car for donation. "And I don't understand why you have to do this now."

"Because," he said, grabbing two bags himself. "Our lives are about to become pure chaos and if we can finish one thing early, it's less to do before the wedding."

The words 'before the wedding' still tripped me up. I was wearing my promise ring in lieu of my engagement ring, not comfortable without some visible symbol. I didn't say anything until the bags were in his parents' sedan, us borrowing it for trunk space. Sage's preference for sports cars left a lot to be desired in that area.

After the bags were stowed— there was room for three more in the back seat— he caught my hand before I could walk back inside on autopilot.

Kissing the back of my fingers brought me out of a daze, drawing me to the set of his mouth and loving gleam in his eyes. "I would also like you to know you have space in my life."

I swallowed. "We can talk inside. I'm cold…"

He pulled me against his warmth— we'd not bothered with our coats, for how that was supposed to have been a quick trip in and out. Despite getting back on my feet, caloric-wise, the ridiculous schedule of flying 30 hours to Japan all of last week had set me back. The first thing to go was always body heat.

I put off talking until we were back to his room, but by that point autopilot was back in place and I simply went to grab another bag. Sage gently gripped my arm. "I'm not going to let you run from this."

"I don't want to," I said, letting go of the bag. "I just…"

He smiled. "Avoid the wedding itself?" A nod was all he needed before he pulled me against him. "I know you're scared of not fitting, here. Of your life in boxes while mine takes up the space." He turned just enough so I could see the closet. "And I want to make sure you know that won't happen."

I looked at the more-than-half-empty closet out of the corner of my eye, almost imagining my clothes hanging there but stopping myself. I rubbed my face into his shoulder. "What if you get used to the space?"

He stroked my hair, continuing to hold me. "How can I, when I know it's a void?"

I adjusted my grip but didn't say anything immediately, slowly parsing out what this act meant. Clothes he had purged while I watched, the 'maybe' pile sorted through with my input— him wanting to make sure he didn't throw away any clothes that he could learn to like if I liked how he looked in them. I'd only been comforted when that only happened with the 'maybe' pile, and how if he didn't like something, then the item went to donate even if I protested.

I might've tested protesting just for the sole purpose of that reassurance.

He kissed my forehead. "I've said what I've had to say, if you want to move on."

I nodded. "This is all so big…"

He rested his lips against my hair. "Mixing two lives so intimately is a large undertaking. I'm overwhelmed and I have less to do than you."

Thoughts of immigration— a process that would have to start soon, for how long the red tape could be— just made me burrow into him deeper. "I don't want to think about it."

We'd barely been engaged two months, and we'd only had our rings for a week. Our tentative date of next-next April, eighteen months away, felt like an eternity, but it also felt like tomorrow, and I wanted the world to stop spinning for a moment.

Maybe a trip to the youjakai would be in order, before returning to reality at the end of our winter holidays.

He patted my back. "C'mon. Once we've donated all of this, we should head over to Mia's."

—/—

"I hope there's more food than normal because Sage and I have been moving garbage bags all day."

Well that was certainly a way to make an entrance. "The Dates are here," I announced to the near-filled dining room.

Mia—with varied Ronin's help—had certainly spruced the place up. The formal dining room used approximately six times out of the year had been aired out, dusted, and draped in decorations. Usually a great long mahogany table ran down the center, but this year it'd been somehow magically removed and replaced with four couches and a smaller serving table. At the furthest end of the room, a warm glow rose out of the sparkling hearth from a fire graciously provided by Wildfire, White Blaze gladly sidling up to it against the chill through the wide French doors on the long side of the room.

Not that his thick fur didn't keep him warm enough, anyway.

Telepathically, I raised an eyebrow at my sister. "Getting some early spring cleaning done?"

I could see them land through the doors across from me, which looked out over a wide deck in the direction of the lake. Dusk and Halo powered down as they made their way toward the house, revealing heavy peacoats against the winter air.

"More like Sage realizing there's no room for anybody else's clothes in his closet and him deciding to fix that with plenty of time to spare!" Alexa replied with affectionate amusement. Us procrastinators would fall for two guys who pretty much never procrastinated. (Unless we were talking about sleep, then Rowen had me beat...though not by much.) She continued, "Having incredible fashion sense comes with a cost, it seems. He had about a dozen bags to donate. For comparison, I had half that when I purged a few months ago."

I shook my head, watching Ryo go to meet the couple at the door. "Well, Kento's here, so of course there's extra food. He, Mia, and Cye have been cooking all day, practically. Though I think for Kento it's more a matter of pride on trying to beat out Cye for best dish..."

"Good. I'm starving." She skipped through the door—past Ryo, though I could see he didn't mind in the least—and glomped me. "Merry Christmas, sis."

"Merry Christmas to you, too," I greeted warmly, hugging her more with my arms than my body. Sage was somewhat close behind, though he'd at least offered a quick hug to his brother-in-arms on the way in. "Feeling a bit lighter? Or do you need to trim some of that hair as well?" I teased him cheekily.

Rowen walked in the room as Sage laughed brightly. He grinned, pulling Alexa tightly against his side; happiness practically radiated off him. "I think my hair is just fine, thank you kindly," he said in the same teasing manner.

"Then why all the product?" my husband pointed out amicably, also drawing me into a side-hug.

Sage arched an eyebrow at him. "And you?"

Rowen returned that look with one of challenge, pointing at his shorter and somewhat unruly locks. "Do you see floof like a poodle?"

Alexa stepped forward and almost bounced off her feet in an attempt to reach said hair. "I see spikes that need hair gel."

There was little opportunity for a retort; he could only scrunch his nose in protest before Kento popped his head through the doorway. "If you prettyboys are done swapping hair tips, food's ready."

The telltale pop of armor teleportation heralded Dais' response. "I would hurry up and serve yourselves, for unlike the youjakai, this is not unending."

Alexa's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Her attack-hug was almost more intense than when we met again after a long separation. Dais smiled softly and returned the gesture.

I couldn't help thinking "Grandpa" would certainly be a good nickname for him.

The other Warlords were right behind him, fanning out into the growing crowd of Ronin as Mia, Kento, and Cye brought in the platters and plates of food. Kayura made a beeline for Rowen and I, greeting him first with a fond hug before turning one on me and asking about Touma. She might've been four centuries old, but she'd been following my pregnancy almost with the joy of the teenager she physically was.

Although, she'd gained at least an inch since we'd known her. ...Or two.

I pouted at her. "You're officially taller than me," I complained.

She just laughed, a slight flush to her cheeks at the compliment. It had been a sore point for her for a while, and to know she'd made progress was a huge relief.

The pleasant company and idle chatter around the serving table was a welcome reprieve from trials, kidnappings, and lost armor power. Mia'd decided to keep the gathering light and somewhat informal, though everyone seemed to enjoy the excuse to get a little dressed up. Sage, of course, was in a suit and tie, but Rowen had at least put on a button up that I quite fancied. Even the Warlords were in on the modern clothing; it was nice to see them acclimating to the ningenkai, even if the youjakai was their home.

Although apparently someone had researched Christmas traditions and then acquired sweaters for the lot of them. Luckily, Kayura's fashion sense looked to have at least matched them to good colors and not-outright-atrocious patterns.

Halfway through eating, Ryo suddenly had to cough to clear his throat mid-bite. Conversation paused and everyone watched him to see if he'd be okay. When he could speak again, he waved at the stack of presents around the hearth and guarded by White Blaze.

"Is it just me, or did the pile get bigger since I last checked?"

I blinked, also looking, and realized he was right. Glances passed between the group, some eyes narrowed in suspicion and then turning toward the Warlords.

"Santa came," Cale deadpanned.

Mixed reactions rippled through the group. Alexa blushed and coughed embarrassedly—they'd probably gotten it from her, in all actuality—while Sage politely tried to hide his chuckles behind the pretense of wiping his mouth with his napkin. Ryo, notably, tried not to choke again, while Cye and Kento laughed both at Cale and their poor leader.

Everyone knew it was an excuse for the secret Warlord treasure trove. But where was the fun in upsetting that apple cart?

"Shall we investigate?" Rowen suggested, getting over his own cough-laugh fit.

Silverware being put down and plates getting set aside accompanied general agreement on the matter. Sage was instantly up and vanishing down the hall, ostensibly to retrieve something...in a manner that suspiciously resembled the last time he'd surprised his fiancée—then girlfriend—with something of particular importance. The room was quiet while we waited for him to come back

"I think Tōgei would want to open this, first," he said when he returned. He extended his hand to Alexa; resting in it was a pink tissue-paper wrapped heart box that was too obviously a jewlery box. "I didn't want it to get lost under the tree."

My sister nearly knocked him over with the overwhelming joy in her hug. I grinned at her, more glad than I could say to see her strength returned. Someone—Rowen, of course—was fast enough to pluck his phone up for a picture just before they parted. Suspiciously fast...almost like he was in on it…

I narrowed my eyes at him as Sage undid the bow on the wrapping and opened the box. Nestled inside, in separate slots, were exact replicas of both their engagement rings that had been lost to Michael.

Yup. The look on his face gave it completely away; Rowen had to have been in on this. And I couldn't decide whether I wanted to be upset or playfully annoyed at him for keeping it a secret from me. I couldn't blame him, though, since there was always a risk I'd tell her beforehand.

Her excitement was all worth it in the end.

Dais—having moved over to the present pile while Sage and Alexa got their rings situated and sat back down—came over with a large, square package. "I wanted to be the first to give you a present for your new lives."

Sage bowed his head respectfully and took it carefully with both hands. Alexa helped him peel back the wrapping, revealing a traditional Japanese painting. Knowing Dais and his hobbies, he'd probably painted it himself.

I raised an eyebrow at my sister. "Why does that look like you and Sage?"

For once, my sister was speechless. She blinked, looked at Sage, looked at Dais, then returned her gaze to the painting. "We posed in the youjakai… I'd forgotten about it."

Dais wasn't quite grinning, but it was obvious he was incredibly pleased with his handiwork. "I thought it would be a fitting gift, for such a celebration."

That it certainly was. The two of them dancing were always the most beautiful moments between them I could recall, and Dais had captured that immaculately. A cherry tree and waterfall flanked them, fallen blossoms in the water and all blended together in such a way as to make it seem they danced atop the petal-strewn mirror. All the detailing on their clothes—Alexa's dance outfit of leotard, skirt, heels, and hair half-pinned in a one-eyed dragon hair clip; Sage in a traditional kimono with only a few strands of hair to barely hide his eye—couldn't match the adoration in their eyes and the nose-to-nose closeness of their ballroom frame. Even the coloring reflected their relationship, deep Halo green and Dusk purple represented to varying degrees in their respective outfits.

My attention turned from the painting to Cale, who'd followed up behind him as Dais turned his good eye on myself and Rowen. There was an identically-shaped present to Sage and Alexa's in hand, except for the blue-and-snowflake paper. "And if I recall, you just recently celebrated your own union."

I blinked, jaw slack—no doubt I was the twin of my sister, then, guessing that he held a similar gift to what they'd received. Dusk told me how widely she was grinning, now, as Rowen took the package for us and let me start on opening it. Once I could think clearly again.

He'd somehow gotten one of our wedding photos—one of my favorites. My sister's handiwork, no doubt. While we'd managed to find an excellent photographer, and I'd hemmed and hawed over which of my favorites to get in a large print for the wall, Dais' skill blew the original image out of the water. The white of my gown blended ethereally into the reflection of the full moon on the water in the foreground. Rowen's tux somehow managed to give off a vibe I always associated with his armor without directly depicting it, blending into a Strata-blue background studded with stars.

I could hardly stop staring at it to look up at Dais and stammer out my thanks, inadequate as it was to capture my awe. Rowen, thankfully, had more command of his tongue. "It's too bad we can't get the one of me in Tenku printed," he said to me. Then, to the gen mashou, "Domo arigato gozaimashita."

"You could always pose however you like, if you want another," Dais offered.

That knocked me out of my stupor immediately, brightening at the thought. Even if we couldn't publically display it, perhaps it could stay in the youjakai. Or we could just come up with some excuse...like "cosplay". Or "fantasy artwork".

And then, of course, there would be future family portraits...

Rowen's poke at my shoulder returned my thoughts to the present. "Good thing we replaced our rings, already."

I smiled coyly as he lifted my hand—and the said rings—to his lips. "Especially since the theme of this year seems to be paintings."

Alexa, always in on my devious plots (and often the mastermind, truthfully), bounced up from the couch to go fetch my present for Rowen. His expression went from sultry to confused blinking in an instant, one of the most adorable looks ever on him. I managed a light laugh as Alexa handed me the smaller rectangular package.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered, brushing my nose against his with a sly smirk.

He drew back to take the present, eyes saying he wasn't quite sure what to think with my behavior. I just watched with a growing lopsided grin as he peeled back the wrapping. His eyes widened.

I'd had Dais paint Touma's sonogram, describing how we could already feel him in the armor connection like the brightest of our neighboring stars. Even though I already knew what was coming, as with the other two paintings he'd magnified the idea beyond its original scope. The dry, grainy white imagery had turned into a swirling nebula dotted with stardust. Off to one side, a bright dwarf star marked his heart.

"Dude, you should start a gallery or something," I heard Kento say briefly.

That was before I found myself wrapped tightly in my husband's arms, his face buried against my neck. Strata was about fit to burst with love and gratitude, no words enough to express the full emotions of his heart.

A sudden firm tap against my stomach startled us both. We almost jumped back, looking bewildered between each other and my ever-growing belly.

Rowen found his words first. Again. "Was that…"

"A kick," I finished. I looked up at him, and found my own expression of awe reflected back at me.

And then that huge grin that I couldn't help replicating.

"A kick?"

"Can I feel?"

I laughed at the guys' sudden enthusiasm, letting Rowen draw me into a gentler hug against him. "Yeah, a kick." He made a show of wincing and rubbing his stomach where he'd felt it. "Are you sure you didn't get to him first, Ryo?"

More laughter—especially at Ryo's face, which obviously said he was aghast at how wrong that could be interpreted—and the present-giving devolved into talk about Touma and trying to feel for another kick. The Warlords took the opportunity to toss a few more gifts on the pile, all baby-related. My favorite, and one that got adorable squeals out of me, was a Strata-themed onesie.

The painting theme continued, also, each Ronin receiving one inspired by their armor's aesthetic. Heat waves off sand dunes had Kento repeating his comment about a gallery in the ningenkai to Dais. Cye's seascape in particular was breathtaking, crashing waves spiralling into subtle marine life shapes on a sparkling beach. Mount Fuji about to erupt looked so lifelike I had to remind myself not to go darting to the window to check the real mountain that wasn't quite visible from Mia's.

Everyone looked up at a knock on the doors that almost couldn't be heard over the merrymaking. Ryo quickly rose when we saw Yuli had finally managed to break away from family obligations for a brief visit.

He took a moment to glance around as he removed his hat and coat. "Did I miss much?"

Surprisingly, Cale was the one to answer. "No. We were all exchanging gifts. You're in time for your own."

Out came the largest present yet, a box that almost dwarfed Sekhmet, or any of the others and Yuli. The kid's eyes went wide as the doku mashou dropped it into his arms. Holding them at ninety degree angles to his body, it still reached to the bottom of his chin. "Really?" he asked in disbelief.

They all nodded, faint hints of almost eager smiles on their faces. Yuli moved over to the closest empty space on a couch—where Ryo had vacated the spot next to Kento—and quickly tore off the paper. When presented with a plain cardboard shipping box, he flicked out the pocket knife I'd given him for his birthday and sliced through the packing tape.

Out came a giant replica of White Blaze, all thirty-six inches of fluffy black-and-white stripes in a convenient stuffed toy format.

Sekhmet almost grinned at getting the desired "Cool!" reaction out of Yuli. "The City of Desire remembered your attachment to White Blaze, when you last visited."

The live tiger had uncanny timing. Somehow he'd snuck away from his place by the fire right before Yuli walked in. Now he padded over with an empty plate between his jaws, plopping down on his haunches in front of the young man like a dog in a clear indication he should take the offering.

He did, laughing and—after appropriate and heartfelt thanks—rearranging his new present to sit where Ryo had. The Ronin leader didn't mind, simply finding yet another open couch to plop down on as we set about catching Yuli up on the gathering so far. He practically had stars in his eyes at the paintings, although was understandably miffed about being late to the party.

His dismayed "I missed the engagement again?" had us laughing.

"As long as you don't miss the wedding!" Kento teased, nudging the younger groomsman with an elbow.

The brief instant of mortification at the thought flashing across his face only exacerbated the laughter. After a moment, he joined in, though not without a good return shove at Kento.

Slowly, the stack of presents began to dwindle, and the short-lived winter sun faded as night fell, drawing the dark blanket of early evening over Japan. I was content to lay back against my husband and watch our closest friends—and family—enjoy the gathered company, his fingers lightly running through my loose hair. The Warlords, in particular, caught my eye, finally opening up to more readily share and participate than they had thus far. They and the Ronin all seemed to have put aside their long-ago feud, joined together toward a common goal.

Sensing my thoughtful mood, Rowen kissed my forehead, his hand sliding to the crest of my stomach.

Perhaps they would even work toward a common future.

The idea that they would eventually make excellent uncles stuck with me the rest of the evening.