To Meet Again:
Part 36
Butterfly Reborn

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Author's Knotes: Yay! Updated! Thanks to a recent review I got.

This one's for you alithealligator! And there will be more to come. Not sure how often but I'll do my best. Also! Check out the website that's in my profile.
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"Hup!" Keisuke cried, tossing his young squealing nephew up in the air, and expertly catching him. Hikari laughed, clapping his pudgy little mittened hands.

"Mata! Mata, ojichan!" the boy cried, tugging at the blond's jacket. Nick wasn't exactly sure what he had just said, but from his limited knowledge of children it was probably something like 'one more time'. They had left the Starlight Café after having emptied their refrigerators. Some having helped more then others. Nick chuckled to himself and cast a fond eye on the short Japanese woman at his side. Even with a belly full of twins, he couldn't help but wonder where she found room for it all. At the moment they were standing just outside the café, waiting for a grumbling Taka to pay the bill. Miaka was watching her son, an uncharacteristic frown pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Niichan… I think that's enough," she said. Her exuberant brother gave her a sunny smile.

"Don't worry, Miaka-chan. I won't drop him."

She didn't look entirely convinced.

"You used to drop me all the time."

Keisuke sweatdropped. "I was four." His face split into an evil grin. "And anyway it was okay because you just bounced." Miaka's eyes narrowed and, whether by chance or on purpose, Keisuke shifted the toddler to form a barrier between himself and his annoyed sibling. Nick laughed and plopped a hand on the woman's head.

"Poor Miaka. Would you like me to hold Hikari so you can beat the feathers out of your brother?"

"I'd rather you do it," she said, smiling up at him. Keisuke paled a few shades. This sudden reminder of his rather bizarre strength made Nick a little uncomfortable, but he tried his best to hide it.

"I'm sorry, cherie, I don't get involved in family matters."

"Ohhh all right," Miaka said with a pout. She plucked her son from her brother's arms and handed him to Nick, who tucked him close. Then, balling up her sharp little fist jammed it between the blond's ribs.

"Didn't hurt," Keisuke wheezed, face totally belying his words. Nick chuckled and Hikari joined him.

"You find it funny too, mm?" he asked the boy. Hikari just giggled again, violet eyes sparkling. At the moment, holding Hikari was like snuggling a brightly colored cloud. The boy was wearing a poofy red jacket, which hid about three sweaters, matching poofy snow pants, also thoroughly layered underneath and clonking snow boots which seemed about three sizes too big for him even though Miaka had stated it was a perfect fit. Topping it all was a crimson snow hat with a fuzzy red pom-pom on top that had a small plastic beak, teeny black eyes and bore a vague resemblance to a bird.

"Do you like my chibi-chicken wear?" Miaka asked, rubbing her son's head affectionately. Nick laughed.

"Chibi-chicken wear?"

"Mm-hm! It's a children's line I want to add to Taka thinks it's a good idea. Suzaku's a phoenix I know, but chibi-chicken sounds much cuter."

"Who made this?" Nick asked, feeling a funny little glimmer at the name Suzaku but trying his best to ignore it.

"Who made what?" Taka asked. Nick turned to look at him, unable to hide the amused smile at the disgruntled look on the man's face. Nick had been more then willing to pick up the tab, but Miaka had insisted Taka treat them all. Or, more accurately, had asked and when he'd tried to get out of it had batted big puppy dog eyes at him until he'd caved. Juilo hadn't been able to resist 'the look' either. Nick forcibly stopped that train of thought. It was too good a day to be ruined by rotten memories.

"Hikari's hat," Maika said, bringing Nick gratefully back to the conversation. "I made it all by myself."

"Oh?" Nick asked, impressed. She hadn't done a bad job of it.

"Mm," Taka said, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Apparently, what she lacks in cooking skills she makes up for in knitting."

"You like my cooking," she said, twisting to look up at him.

"I like it better then mine, aijin," he said, softly, dropping a kiss on her upturned mouth. There was a soft, sweet moment where they simply gazed at each other and Nick knew that in their world, right now, he didn't exist.

"Taka could burn water," Keisuke interjected, shattering the mood like a brick through a window. Nick shot him a mild glare which was nothing compared to the look Taka gave him.

"And there are how many Chinese Take-Away numbers on your speed dial?" the man asked.

"Just one! And that's only because of-" Keisuke's mouth suddenly snapped shut as if he'd said something he hadn't meant to. Red blossomed on his cheeks. Nick grinned. How interesting. Miaka seemed to be following his line of thought to the letter.

"Oh, Keisuke! Who is she?" the woman squealed, barreling over to her brother like a miniature rocket and glomming onto his arm. "Is she cute? Does she know you like her? Are you two dating? What's her name?"

"Uh…well…th…that is…" Keisuke stuttered, the red slowly spreading down his face. "It's ah…kinda…one sided…and I only like… her…because ah…she's cute." Nick's intuition snapped to attention. Was it just him, or was there a bit too long a pause between like and her? If there was, Miaka didn't seem to notice.

"Well you can at least tell us what she looks like," the woman said. "Maybe we can go see her. We might even be able to hook you two up." Keisuke laughed nervously, blush becoming lost in the folds of his turtleneck.

"That's…that's okay, really. I'm not…I'm too busy to get involved with someone."

Nice save, Nick thought, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"So," Taka said, breaking the short silence that had befallen them. "What are we going to do now? May I suggest a nice free evening back at the hotel?"

"Well, if you're interested, there's this hobby shop down the road that has a spectacular layout," Keisuke said.

"Oh really? What gauge?" Taka asked, eyes lighting.

"O. Fabulous detail, too. I know the guy that set it up."

"Pardon, what are we talking about now?" Nick asked a little sheepishly. Miaka gave a sigh of one long suffering and rolled her eyes.

"Trains…" she said in the tone some would say 'spinach' or 'two hour lecture'.

"Taiiiin!" Hikari yelled, coming to sudden, startling life at Nick's side. "Tain! Tain! Tain!" The two-year-old began bouncing up and down excitedly. Taka smiled in a goo inducing way and took the warm little bundle from Nick's arms.

"See? He thinks they're fun," Taka said, swinging the child around so that he giggled. Miaka shot her husband with a slightly annoyed look, then turned her attention back to her brother.

"Keiiisukeee," she whined plaintively. "What about Tasuki? Weren't we going to go see him?"

"We can't today. I don't have Josh-er-Tasuki's new number and Alissa told me if I called the main line again she'd murder me. But we're eating dinner with Kuran and Antonio tonight so we can ask them then."

"How is Kuran doing? Still bossy?" Taka asked fondly. Keisuke laughed.

"As if she'd ever change. You know, yesterday…"

Nick folded his arms and leaned against the wall, letting their conversation drift away from him. The sky was a soft blue and thankfully free of snow clouds. A flicker of movement at the end of the street caught his eye. There was nothing there. It was as if someone had been watching them, then ducked around the corner. The others seemed too involved in their conversation to miss him much. So, curiosity piqued, Nick went to investigate. Just as he turned the corner, snow that had been rotting in the gutter for about a day and a half was smeared roughly across his face. The utter shock of it lasted only a second and then annoyance settled like a knot in his stomach. The first thing he saw upon scraping the muck from his face was the wolf that ate the Cheshire Cat.

"Bonjour," Ash said, flashing lupine fangs. Nick threw a punch, remembering at the last minute to show some restraint. Ash doubled over wheezing, as opposed to landing somewhere near Tokyo. Nick grinned smugly as he waited for his friend to straighten himself. Usually punching Ash in the stomach was akin to hitting an armored car. Perhaps there was some advantage to this strength thing after all.

"All right, I deserved that," wheezed the Canadian, gingerly rubbing his stomach. "Just promise never to do that again, all right?"

"I promise nothing," Nick said, brushing the last remnants of snow from his face. Then he leaned back against the brick wall, arms folded, and regarded his friend. "So what are you doing out here? I would have thought you and Danielle would be off making puppies."

Ash laughed. "Give me a break, Nick. We've been at it twice a day, sometimes three if she's gotten her hands on some espresso. Not that I'm complaining, mind you." Ash grinned but at the same time was rubbing the back of his neck in a surprisingly sheepish gesture. "No, I'm not complaining at all. I'm actually just killing time while I wait for her to get off on lunch break. She said she'd meet me back at the apartment if she could get off." Ash looked down at him. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm just with some friends. And they're probably wandering where I've gone off to."

"Have fun," Ash said, whacking him lightly on the shoulder and starting down the street.

"Hey," Nick called. Ash paused and glanced at him over his shoulder. "If Danielle doesn't show up, why don't you come find us? I'm sure we won't go far."

"I'll take you up on that." Ash gave him a small wave. "See you around."

"Mm," said Nick, returning the gesture.

"Nuriko!" Miaka's voice drifted from around the corner. Nick smiled and went to go meet her. The men were all ready leaving, Keisuke holding a bouncing toddler on his shoulders.

"They're going to see the trains," Miaka said, wrapping her arms around one of Nick's and smiling up at him. "So you get to take me away."

"Where too?" Nick asked, covering Miaka's hand with his own.

"Hmm…how about Holland?"

Nick laughed.

"Well that's an odd place to go, cherie."

"But I loooove Dutch chocolate!"

"You love any kind of chocolate," he said, wearing a long suffering expression that was completely ruined by the fond smile that crossed his face.

"Touchy," Miaka said brightly. The Frenchman was a bit taken aback. Touchy? Didn't she see his smile? Her words sounded too cheerful to be complaining, but with Miaka… He looked down at her and only saw the same bouncy happiness in her round beautiful face. She turned a questioning smile up at him.

"Pardon. But. What did you say just now?"
"Touchy."

"But…oh." He laughed as he suddenly understood. "Touché! It's touché you little fool," he said warmly, lightly rubbing his knuckles into her scalp.

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Oui," he said, pulling her into a hug. Without even questioning, Miaka returned the embrace.

"I've missed you so much, Nuriko," she whispered.

"I've missed you too." I've been missing you since the day I was born. The thought rose unbidden into his mind and he knew it was true. Even though he loved his family dearly and he shared an almost lover's closeness with Ash, Miaka was the one he was born to live for. It was a strange feeling, but a good one. Almost like coming home again.

A loud growl from the region of Miaka's stomach broke the tender moment. Nick pulled back and stared wide-eyed at her belly. Mon Dieu! How much could she fit in there?

"Mmm! I sense spaghetti and meatballs, bread sticks, and…" she sniffed the air. "Tortellini! There's an Italian restaurant this way!" The exuberant Miaka charged forward, nearly knocking Nick over in her haste. He quickly matched her stride to prevent from being dragged and shook his head.

"I have the feeling I'm going to be flat broke in under an hour."
"Don't worry! Taka gave me a credit card!" She held the object jubilantly in the air as if it were the Holy Grail. Nick whistled. Knowing Taka, it probably was. That alone showed his utter devotion to Miaka far beyond the point of sanity. He almost envied the man.

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Nick glared as the door slammed shut and there was the definitive click of a lock. Italians were the rudest people in the world. They shouldn't have advertised an All You Can Eat Buffet if they didn't' really mean it. If Miaka weren't here with him, he would be half-tempted to charge back in and punt the repulsive manager through the ceiling. It would probably land him in jail or get him deported, but it would be worth it. A pat on his arm dragged him from his murderous thoughts.

"Don't worry, I'm full now! They had the best food ever." Miaka giggled and put a hand over her stomach. "And the twins liked it too."

"Now, where too?" Nick said, turning his back on the restaurant.
"There!" Miaka said pointing across the street. The purple haired man instinctively tensed until he saw the clothing boutique. A sign hanging in the window exclaimed they had the latest fashions from famous french designers. Nick liked clothes under any circumstances, but this shop particularly piqued his interest. As they came closer to the shop, he eyed some of the designs displayed. He doubted any of his family's work would be in here, except in the form of overpriced imitations.

They poked among the dresses for a bit and Nick couldn't help but admire the honest down to earth functionality of the clothing. Even if they were a bit on the plain side he couldn't help but mentally let a hem down here and spangle it with beads there.

"This is perfect!" Miaka exclaimed. He turned to find her holding up a Chinese style dress with birds sewn in gold thread flying across maroon fabric. He cocked his head to one side, studying the dress against the shade of her skin.

"I think it's a bit too deep a color for you," he said, taking the outfit from her and examining it more closely. "And it's much too big."
"It's not for me, silly!"

Nick frowned, clutching the dress to him. Did she still want him to be that way? He thought they'd already fixed that.

"Miaka…I'm not…the way I used to be."

Her eyes widened, then she smiled. The expression was wide and fake and made something twist in Nick's heart.

"But you can be!" she said, grabbing his shoulders, smiling. "You can be that way. You don't have to deny it anymore. I really really liked you the way you were!"

Nick tried to smile. He stared at the dress again. He really couldn't remember the way he used to be. Just…a vague memory of pain. Confusion. Of not knowing his place in life.

"Try it on!" Miaka said. "Please, Nuriko." Her eyes were glassy and her fingers clenched against his shoulder. A knot formed in Nick's throat. How could he tell her no? He couldn't. But…he…he couldn't go back to the way he was. He wasn't like that anymore. He didn't want to be that anymore.

"I…"

"There you are," said a gruff voice from behind him.

"Look out!" Miaka screamed. Before Nick could react, muscled arms locked around his chest and lifted him into the air. He glanced back and saw the glint of lupine fangs.

"NO!" Miaka cried. A spot on Nick's chest blazed with a red hot fury. He yanked an arm free and jammed his elbow back into Ashitare's ribs. The beast grunted and dropped him, Nick spun around but the man grabbed his wrist roughly.

"Wait!" the Seiryuu growled. "Nick!"

"Not this time!" Nick screamed, wrenching his hand free and slamming it across Ashitare's face. The creature stumbled back. Nick hit him again and again, then grabbed the thick, muscular arm in two hands and pulled. Ashitare flew across the room, taking out a close rack before smashing hard into a wall, cracking the plaster and leaving a trail of blood as he slid down, unconscious. Nick panted, flexing his fingers, adrenaline surging through his body.

Suddenly Miaka glomped onto him, he could feel the roundness of her belly as she pressed against him. She was sobbing,

"I was so scared, Nuriko! I thought I would lose you again."

Suddenly the world came crashing back down. Nick put a hand to his mouth and stared at his friend, crumpled on the floor. Mon dieu!

"Ash!" he gasped. What had he done? There was blood. Blood coming from his head. Dieu. Dieu. "Miaka, Miaka we have to call the hospital!" he said, trying to gently pry her arms away from him.

"Nuriko. You may not remember, but he's a bad guy! He killed you before! We have to get out of here. If he gets up…"
If he got up? Dieu. Nick slipped from Miaka's hold and turned to face her, gently grabbing her shoulders.

"Non, non, cherie. You don't understand. That was then. This is now. It's okay now."

"No it's not!" There were tears in Miaka's eyes, streaking down her face.

"You haven't changed. Deep down, you really haven't. And neither has he. I don't want to lose you again!"

"You won't, Miaka. I promise. But we have to get Ash to the hospital." Nick started toward his friend. A small hand grabbed his wrist.

"No! Don't! He might attack you!"

A knot twisted in Nick's throat.

"He won't," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "He's unconscious."

"I don't trust him. You can't trust him." She tugged at him. "We've trusted the Seiryuu before and—"

"This is not back then!" Nick snapped, twisting his wrist from her grasp and rounding on her. "This is NOW. I am not a foolish cross dressing little boy and he is not evil! Get it through your head!"

Miaka paled. Took a step back. Then another. Her eyes wide and brimming with tears. A tremble wracked her and she placed a protective hand over her belly. Nick's heart tore.

"Mi…Miaka. I'm sorry I…"

"I…I…kn…know I…" Then her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she fell.
"MIAKA!" Nick caught her before she hit the floor, holding her in his lap. She was pale. So pale. "Miaka! Miaka! Non, Miaka! Don't go. I'm here."

"What happened?" a sales clerk cried, rushing over to them. "What did you do?"

Nick stared at her. Feeling his world shatter. What had he done?