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Epilogue

Konoka awoke to someone tugging on her night shirt. Cracking open an eye, she focused on a silhouette kneeling beside her bed, eyes shining with worry.

"Mom? You awake?"

"Hmmm? What's wrong, Shion? Nightmares?"

The brunette teenager shook her head with a slight grimace. "It's Momma. She's um… in the training room and it's kind of disturbing the boys."

Upon hearing that, Konoka pushed herself up, more awake than ever. "I'm sorry. Could you go and try to get your brothers to sleep. I'll take care of your mother."

"I'm sorry for waking you." Shion shuffled to the side as Konoka got up.

"No. It's fine." Konoka smiled lovingly "Thank you." She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead and left the room.

Konoka made her way down to the training room, like she had done many times before. The light was on, and as she approached, Konoka could hear the sounds that were disturbing her children's rest.

"Sec-chan?"

Her wife scowled, too deep in her emotions to acknowledge the brunette's presence. Konoka sighed, and with a wave of her hand, she caught Setsuna's fist with a lash of magic, stopping her in her tracks.

"You woke the kids." Konoka approached as she watched Setsuna's shoulders sag, finally acknowledging her presence.

"I'm sorry." Setsuna whispered into the night, her head bowed. "I didn't mean to."

Letting out a soft sigh, Konoka spun her wife around, hands cupping her face "Talk to me."

"It's nothing you don't already know." Setsuna shook her head, turning away to sit herself glumly on a nearby bench.

Konoka followed her closely, sitting next to her "Tell me anyways."

Setsuna exhaled softly, her whole body sagging downwards like she had a huge burden on her shoulders. Her hands twitched as they fidgeted with each other, playing with the blood spotted bandages on her knuckles. Konoka took her hands wordlessly, removing the wrappings. She kissed the bleeding knuckles on Setsuna hands, healing them.

"I don't care if you've already told me a million times. I want to hear it right now." Konoka squeezed Setsuna's hands reassuringly "I'm here."

"It was about the fight at Shii-chan's home." Setsuna mumbled "I couldn't save you. I couldn't save Kaede. All I could do was watch."

It was a dream that Setsuna has had for a long time. Konoka had lost count of the number of times Setsuna had woken up in tears, shaking and sobbing fitfully. Those were only the days that Konoka had been woken up by Setsuna or their children. Konoka knew there were many more nights where Setsuna had quietly moved to the training room, staying there til dawn. Konoka had long learned to stop feeling sorry for her wife. Pity was not what Setsuna was looking for, instead Konoka gently turned Setsuna's head towards her and kissed her gently. The kiss was soft, gentle and full of love.

"Thank you." Setsuna closed her eyes as she felt the tension in her limbs fade. Konoka always had such a weird effect on her. Just knowing that she was near always brought Setsuna peace after a rough night.

"Let's go back to bed." Konoka coaxed softly.

"I can't… I can't sleep right now." Setsuna shook her head "You go back to bed without me. I'll just… go do some work or something."

Sighing, Konoka grabbed Setsuna's wrist tightly and dragged her out of the room. Setsuna followed reluctantly, but made no move to resist. Her wife stopped at a door that was not their bedroom, knocking softly.

"Shion? Honey? Are you awake?"

A pair of eyes sparkled in the dark, their sleepy gaze casted at the crack in the door "Mom? Is Momma alright?"

The teen's voice was laced with worry, her body straightening as she spoke.

"Move over?" Konoka smiled as she opened the door wider, revealing Setsuna.

The younger brunette shuffled to her feet, running over to Setsuna to hug her tightly, head buried in her shoulder "Momma."

"Sorry for waking you baby girl." Setsuna murmured.

Shion was their oldest child at 15 years old. She was a tall lanky brunette who was very much like Konoka. Quiet, soft spoken, caring and very beautiful. Her eyes were a mismatched pair, one a warm chocolate brown and another a deep sea green. A truly beautiful pair. They had adopted her 8 years ago, after they had rescued her from a slaver. She was a human child with no family, not even Nagi could discover traces of her kin. At that time, Konoka and Setsuna had not yet married, they had been together a good number of years. Konoka had clicked instantly with Shion, though it had taken some time to earn her trust. Surprisingly, it was Setsuna who had brought up the topic of adoption. She had seen the connection Konoka and Shion had, and it was very much like the deep connection Setsuna had forged with Konoka many years ago. When Shion turned 8, they asked her if she would like to be a part of their family, if she would like to be formally adopted by the two of them. Needless to say, Shion jumped at the chance for a family, a real loving family.

A moment of silence passed before they broke the hug, the trio shuffling into the room. It had become a habit for Setsuna to spend the night in their children's room after an exceptionally bad nightmare. The presence of the three kids calmed Setsuna in ways that Konoka couldn't. Setsuna fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, both physically and mentally drained. Somehow, even in his sleep, their youngest, Niko, had clambered atop Setsuna and was now curled up comfortably on her chest, thumb in his mouth.

Niko was a baby fox demon at the tender age of three. He had become a part of their family just a year ago. Unlike his older sister, Niko had a slightly less troubled backstory, only because he was too young to remember. He had been found wandering around on the streets by Setsuna, who was out on a case. His red hair was tangled and matted, and his ribs poked through his skin, which were covered in dirt and blood. His mother had been killed several days ago, her body lying where she had fallen. Setsuna had no idea how long he had been alone, but decided to take him in. Niko had developed a strong liking to Setsuna, and had essentially made himself Setsuna's baby. The dark haired girl loved him, doting on her youngest a little more. Setsuna would spoil him rotten if Konoka wasn't around. She could never say no to him. For that very reason, Konoka had stepped up to make sure they didn't spoil their little boy too much.

Konoka was as close to Setsuna as she could be, their hands intertwined. Shion was curled into Konoka's side, also falling asleep almost instantly. On Setsuna's other side, their first son, clutching his teddy bear, a hand loosely reaching out for his dark haired mother. Much like Shion, six year old Ashina was shy and reserved, keeping to himself more often than not. He too had developed a strong liking to Setsuna, often tagging along with her quietly like a shadow. He was a bear demon that they had rescued as a young baby cub, just a couple days old. His fur was a shade of black that in the right light, shone with a navy hue. His eyes were a warm brown, contrasting with his dark fur. At Konoka's insistence, Ashina was named after Setsuna's dearest friend and saviour, Kisagi Shiina. His dark fur was very much like Shiina's and Setsuna's hair, according to Konoka. It was fitting in many ways. Setsuna had cried tears when Konoka first suggested it, not understanding how something so simple could mean so much to her.

Even now, Konoka knew that Setsuna has doubts about their lives, whether it was all just a dream she was having. To be frank, Konoka felt the same way, but day after day, both Setsuna and their children manage to wash those doubts away. She couldn't ask for anything more. Closing her eyes, Konoka let sleep claim her, the quiet sound of breathing in the room lulling her to dreamland.

"Oh Kami! What happened Sec-chan?!" Konoka exclaimed loudly as she stepped into the kitchen. She had just returned from a short discussion with Nodoka and Yue when she found Setsuna leaning against their island counter, holding an ice pack to her face. Even from the doorway Konoka could make out the faint marks of an ugly bruise around Setsuna's scarred right eye.

"Hey, it's not that bad. I can still see." Setsuna grimaced as Konoka touched it tenderly "At least it's not on the left side?"

Ignoring the joke completely, Konoka pulled the ice pack away, sighing as faint tendrils of magic wafted from her fingertips. "What happened?"

"It was an accident I swear." Setsuna smiled "No need to worry."

"What happened?" Konoka scowled. She didn't like Setsuna hiding things from her.

"Momma?" a soft voice came from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

Konoka caught sight of their oldest standing by the door, a worried look on her face.

"I'm okay." Setsuna smiled "Nothing your mom can't fix."

"I didn't mean to distract you." Shion lowered her head, fidgeting as she spoke.

Looking over at Setsuna questioningly, Konoka raised a brow.

"I was playing with the boys when Shion called me with a question. I got distracted and took a football to the face." Setsuna shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Oh honey." Konoka walked over to their daughter, pulling her into a hug. "It's not your fault. Accidents happen. Besides, your mother has a hard head. She'll survive."

"Hey!"

The comment was enough to cause Shion to smile. "Okay. I am sorry though."

"I know." Setsuna responded with a shake of her head. "Now where are the other 2 troublemakers at?"

As if on cue, two rowdy little boys poked their heads out from the door frame. Setsuna smiled at them, waving them over. Niko waddled over to his dark haired mother, arms out with a goofy grin.

"Momma up!"

Setsuna knelt down to let Niko clamber into her waiting arms, using her free hand to wave over Ashina who was standing by the door, football in hand.

"Sorry Momma." He whispered, shuffling over.

"Well I guess I shouldn't have tried to catch the ball with my face then." Setsuna frowned a little. "And I thought it was such a good idea too."

There was a loud giggle as Ashina cracked a smile "Silly Momma. You can't catch a ball with your face."

"I can't?" Setsuna scrunched up her face in confusion, like she was really thinking about it.

"No." Ashina laughed louder, shaking his head.

"Silly Momma! Silly Momma!" Niko echoed, clapping his tiny hands together noisily.

Even Shion had cracked another smile at the scene before her, her worries fading away. Setsuna's natural ability to ease worries of children had come in handy many times over the years, especially when they had first met their children. She gazed down at the ring on her finger, smiling as she remembered when Setsuna had first proposed. It had been a couple years after they had adopted Shion, and Setsuna had been a fidgeting mess.

Flashback

"Mommy, Mommy!" the little girl barreled through the doors squealing.

Konoka barely had time to catch the bundle of energy before it crashed into her. She laughed loudly "What's gotten you so excited, darling."

It was unusual for the young girl to be so excited, Shion was normally a rather quiet girl. To see her this excited, Konoka couldn't help but smile.

"Isn't this pretty?" a shiny ring was shoved in her face. It was almost identical to the one she wore on her hand, the promise ring that Setsuna had given to her all those years ago.

"Honey? Where did you get this?" Konoka asked in confusion. She quickly glanced at her own fingers, making sure that the ring her daughter was holding was not hers. It wasn't

"Shion! Get back here!" Setsuna stumbled into the room, face flushed.

"Momma was hiding it." Shion giggled, pointing at her dark haired mother "But it's such a pretty ring. It couldn't be Momma's."

Setsuna paled as Konoka turned towards her, her eyes wide. Suddenly catching her breath was the least of her problems.

"Sec-chan?" Konoka whispered quietly, a frown on her face. "What's going on?"

"I...uh… uhmm…" Setsuna stuttered incoherently, "It's mine."

"I know its yours." Konoka frowned "I'm asking why you have it."

Setsuna shuffled nervously "I thought it'll make more sense if they matched"

Before Konoka could ask another question, Setsuna strode over quickly, plucking the ring from her fingers. She stood there silently, lifting her gaze to look Konoka in the eyes

"I… I want…" Setsuna stuttered out nervously, letting out a sigh. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself "I wanted to ask you to marry me. Konoka, will you marry me?"

The brunette smiled brightly, tears in her eyes "Why would I say no? Yes Sec-chan. Of course I'll marry you!"

Konoka placed Shion onto the ground, the girl looking up at her two mothers. Konoka pulled Setsuna into a deep kiss, one full of love and passion. Setsuna pulled back,Konoka taking the ring back quickly, her other hand reaching for Setsuna's left hand. She slipped the ring on gently, lifting Setsuna's hand to press a kiss to the jewelry.

"My wife." Konoka beamed happily. "I could get used to saying that."

Setsuna smiled, bending down to pick up Shion, resting the girl on her hip "I love you baby girl." She kissed her daughter who giggled happily "Thank you." These words came out as a whisper, a secret shared between Shion and Setsuna.

Flashback End

Together the three children had brought much joy into their life as a new family. There was not a day that went by that Konoka didn't thank the heavens for her family. Their journey was far from over. There was still so much to do, so many to save. Maybe one day their children would take over, maybe someone else would step up. What Konoka did know, was that they had paved a way into a future where slavery would be outlawed, a world where children and adults alike could walk the streets without fear of being snatched away and sold. And right now, there was nowhere she'd rather be.