Yes, I'm back at it again with an indulgent Shuann family oneshot. But for newcomers, Akari, Ren and Anne's daughter, is adopted. She is half-Japanese, half-black. Ren in my headcanon is a politician and ended up meeting her during a campaign to improve orphanages. Long story short, he couldn't get the idea of adopting her out of his head, he brought Anne to meet her, and they ended up adopting her. Her adoption was finalized a few months before their son Tatsuo was born.

Anne idly stroked Tatsuo's fine blond curls, marveling in the silkiness of her son's hair as he nursed. Already he was showing signs of inheriting Ren's messy curls.

Anne burped him, and Tatsuo reached out, patting her cheeks. Then he grabbed onto some of her hair, giving it a yank. Anne winced before gently untangling Tatsuo's hands from her hair.

"My hair's not a toy, sweetie," she scolded before giving his nose a small but firm tap with her index finger.

Tatsuo made a small noise of protest, but he settled in her arms. Anne gave a small hum, rocking Tatsuo against her chest. Tatsuo was well on his way to sleep when a soft voice spoke behind her.

"Anne?"

She slowly turned—so not to jostle Tatsuo and rouse him—to see Ren entering the nursery. Ren smiled, placing a hand over Tatsuo's head and smoothing out his hair. Tatsuo made a small grumbling sound but eventually his features relaxed. After giving him a kiss on the forehead, Anne laid him down in the crib. Ren then reached over, pulling the blankets over his little body, tucking him in.

Anne couldn't help but marvel at how fast her little boy was growing. Had it really been three months since she had given birth to him? Time really flew by.

It was nice, though, that Tatsuo was starting to sleep through the night.

But a small sound outside the nursery abruptly caught Anne's attention.

She then turned her head, seeing Akari peeking in. Akari was freshly bathed, looking absolutely adorable in the red nightgown she wore. Ren must've done her hair. Tonight Akari's hair was tightly braided back, with red beads at the ends. She and Ren had been learning how to do Akari's hair through WeTube videos. They wanted to start learning how to do black hairstyles. And Anne was pleased to say that they were finally getting the hang of it.

Anne laughed softly, beckoning to her daughter. "Hey, sweetie. Did you want to say good night to Tatsu too?"

The little girl let out a nervous giggle before slipping into the room.

"We tucked in him already but…" Ren scooped Akari in his arms with ease.

He quickly shushed her, though, before she could giggle again.

"Ah-ah! Don't want to wake him up, hmm? Tatsu can be so cranky when he's woken up," he said in a hushed voice. "But you can blow him a kiss!"

Akari blew Tatsuo a kiss before whispering, "Good night!"

Ren carried Akari out of the nursery, and Anne followed them out.

"So, sweetie, ready for movie night?" she asked.

Akari nodded, giving Anne a shy smile. "Uh-huh! What are you gonna pick, Mama?"

Anne smiled slyly before giving Akari a light tap on the nose.

"That's a surprise! But I think you'll love it. There's a princess in disguise, a daring prince, and magic! And of course—good triumphs over evil," she added with a wink.

"That sounds good already!" Akari said. "I can't wait!"

"Ah, but what's a movie night without the necessary snacks?" Ren asked. "Do you want to help me?"

"What are we making, Papa?" Akari asked as they entered the kitchen.

Ren just winked. "It's got caramel, sprinkles, marshmallows—anything a little sugar addict could want."

Akari gasped in delight. "That sounds so yummy!"

They had discovered that Akari had quite the sweet tooth. Though, sadly, in the orphanage, Akari hadn't been allowed too many sweets. It had taken Anne some restraint to not allow her daughter from having sweets whenever she desired. Anne had to keep her health in mind too.

"I need a stirrer too…" Ren pretended to think, tapping his chin. "Now where can I find someone who'll help me with that…"

"Oh, me! Me! Please, Papa!" Akari begged, looking up at Ren with big brown eyes.

Anne had to fight the urge to giggle. Akari was slowly coming out of her shell since it had only been six months since her adoption. But it always warmed Anne's heart to see how Akari was blossoming under their care. She was still a little shy, but she just needed time.

They had decided to have a weekly movie night while they were still on parental leave though. It was fun introducing Akari to some of the American classics Anne's dad had introduced her to.

While Ren melted marshmallows and butter in a pot, he had Akari—standing on a chair, of course—stir it to keep it smooth.

"Caramel apple nachos?" Anne asked in a low voice.

"You got it," Ren said with a grin.

Anne giggled, grabbing a bag of caramels and a bowl. She dumped it all in a bowl, adding some water. She heated it in the microwave while Ren praised Akari's skills in stirring.

She then cut up the apples, tossing the cores in the trash.

Ren gave a little nod. "Okay, Akari, I think it's done. I'll pour the marshallows since it's too hot for you."

Anne arranged the slices of apples as Ren carefully brought the melted marshmallow over to the table. He poured it over, drizzling it masterfully with the whisk. Then he drizzled the caramel on top.

"Akari-chan, do you want to pour the sprinkles?" Anne called out to her daughter.

Akari nodded. Anne lifted her up to stand on a chair, and she eagerly shook the sprinkles on top.

"Whoa, there! Careful—you want to taste the other good stuff!" Ren chided lightly, snagging Akari's wrist so to restrain her.

Anne giggled before sprinkling some chocolate chips and crushed peanuts as well.

"That should do it, though," Anne said cheerfully before dusting off her hands. "And now we have caramel apple nachos!"

"It looks so good!" Akari exclaimed, her hair swaying back and forth and the red beads in her hair clacked together.

To prove her point, Anne picked up one apple slice and popped in her mouth. The sweet caramel and marshmallow melted on her tongue. The peanuts provided just enough saltiness to balance everything out nicely.

Akari reached for a slice herself but Ren grabbed her wrist.

"Ah, ah, you should wait a little. Mama has more heat tolerance than what's normal."

Anne just pulled a face at her husband.

"Nobody asked you," Anne grumbled.

"Let's put on the movie then!" Akari said.

"As the princess commands," Ren joked, before lifting her in his arms again.

Anne giggled before picking up the plate (as well as plenty of napkins) and following to the living room. Anne set the plate down on the coffee table and wiped her sticky fingers, before going to their cabinet where they kept their DVDs and Ndigo-rays.

Anne plucked their copy of Aliyah-din from the cabinet. Anne couldn't help but feel a little giddy—she couldn't wait for Akari to watch!

Aliyah-din had always been one of her favorite Destiny movies as a child. The songs were great, it had a good lesson, and the characters were just so memorable to her.

And to be honest… Aliyah-din was one of her first fictional crushes. Not that she'd ever mention that.

She got to her feet, and walked over to the TV. She bent down, popping the disc in.

She joined Akari and Ren on the couch as the opening played. Akari immediately started giggling at the merchant's antics.

"I still say the merchant is the Djinn," Ren muttered to Anne.

"Shh!" Anne hushed him, holding a finger to her lips.

"Diamond in the rough…" Akari repeated, chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully.

Anne winked at her daughter. "That's important. Keep that in mind."

The story panned to Jhara's nefarious plans to steal the Djinn's lamp, and Akari stared wide-eyed as the thief Jhara hired perished.

"He got eaten!?" Akari squeaked out before scrambling into Ren's lap.

"Because he wasn't worthy," Ren said lowly as Akari curled into him. "Let's find out who exactly fits the bill, hm?"

The movie then switched to Aliyah-din and her trusted partner Abu's antics from escaping the palace guard. Akari giggled as Aliyah-din made fools out of all of them, firing little quips while doing so. Then she gasped in delight as she kindly gave the starving orphans the bread he stole.

"Oh, she's so nice!" Akari exclaimed.

Anne nodded. "Mm-hm, she's more kind-hearted than he looks. People are always making wrong assumptions of her."

Something… that applied to Ren.

Her eyes then travelled to her husband, and Ren's lips curled into a smile. He then reached out, intertwining their fingers together.

Akari's attention was on the movie and she gasped in outrage as the snobby princess seeking to woo Prince Jamal tried to strike at the orphans.

"He's so mean!" Akari said with a deep frown as the princess taunted Aliyah-din.

"Some people just have an inflated sense of self because they were more fortunate and born to wealth," Ren said with a frown.

Akari bit her lip. "But Auntie Haru's not like that," she remarked.

"Auntie Haru is too nice to let that kind of thing go to her head," Anne agreed.

Akari gasped in awe as the movie introduced Jamal.

"Wow… he's so cute!"

"Almost as cute as me, right?" Ren asked teasingly.

Akari looked up at Ren. "He's cuter than you, Papa."

"Oh, to be stabbed in the heart! By my own daughter!" Ren moaned out. "Oh, my heart can't take it."

"Okay, okay, enough drama queen," Anne said dryly.

"Kiss it better?" Ren asked hopefully.

Anne rolled her eyes but leaned in to kiss her husband.

"You're so ridiculous," she whispered to him.

Ren just winked. "And yet you love me anyways. You agreed to marry me after all."

Anne poked him in the ribs. "Pay attention to the movie."

Akari tilted her head as Jamal's father stormed off at Jamal's refusal to marry a princess, desiring a wife that he loved.

"Hey, why does Jamal's papa want her to marry someone he might not love?" Her bottom lip quivered at that. "That's not nice…"

Anne frowned, her mind immediately veering to Okumura trying to force Haru to marry the scumbag Sugimura… It was sad to know that this kind of practice wasn't completely eradicated, even in modern times.

"The sultan thinks it's for the best. Because Jamal is supposed to rule Agrabah after his father, and he thought that a princess was needed to help Jamal be a good ruler."

"But that's not something you're born with. It's something you learn!" Akari said.

Ren chuckled. "What a bright girl we have, Anne. Smarter than the sultan, already."

Akari blushed at that, fidgeting at the compliment. Anne smiled, reaching out to stroke Akari's hair.

Anne smiled, enchanted by how invested Akari was slowly becoming with the movie. She gasped with outrage at Aliyah-din's arrest after she rescued the innocent Jamal from getting his hand cut off. She then got all sparkly-eyed at Aliyah-din's and Jamal's budding romance. She giggled at Genie's antics and tried to sing along to the songs.

And her eyes were practically glued to the screen as the final battle raged on between Jhara and Aliyah-din, and she cheered as Aliyah-din played off of Jhara's massive pride and got him trapped into eternal servitude.

"That was so good!" Akari cried out, bouncing in excitement as the credits rolled.

Anne leaned over to give Akari a kiss. "I'm glad you liked it, sweetie. It was one of my favorite movies growing up."

Akari then tilted her head, looking up at Ren.

"Papa, you're like a boy version of Aliyah-din!"

"Am I?" Ren pretended to be confused. "How so? I don't have a monkey sidekick or a magic djinn friend!"

Akari nodded. "Yeah! She's clever and always attacks with her words! I bet you'd beat a bad guy with your smarts too!"

Anne stifled a smile at that. Well… there was Akechi, she supposed, even though he was far from being a Jhara. They had to be cunning in order to get one step ahead of Akechi.

"Does that make Mama a female Jamal then?" Ren asked teasingly.

Akari nodded. "Uh-huh! He's cute but also will fight if she has to! And he has a pet tiger, and sometimes you call Mama Panther!"

"Who's Abu then?" Anne said with a laugh.

"Uncle Morgana," Akari said immediately. "They both love sparkly stuff."

Ren and Anne's eyes met and they had to quickly look away, so they wouldn't start laughing. Oh, if only Akari knew. Even though Morgana eventually outgrew his obsession with Treasure… Akari put it pretty aptly.

"What about the djinn?" Ren got out.

Akari tilted her head before her eyes lit up. "Uncle Ryuji! They're both really loud and funny! Plus he's Aladdin's second best friend! Plus he said that he tried to get you and Mama together before you started dating!"

"He did it terribly, though," Ren said under his breath.

Anne elbowed him in the side for that.

Akari suddenly looked up at them hopefully. "Mama… Papa? Will you sing A Whole New World? Just like Aliyah-din and Jamal?"

Anne opened her mouth, but Ren chuckled, rising to his feet. He settled Akari on the couch, before winking.

"As the little princess requests."

"Princess?" Akari squeaked out.

Ren just grinned broadly at that. "Of course. If I'm Aliyah-din and Mama's Jamal, then you're our little princess."

Akari fidgeted for a moment.

"Even if… you give me and Tatsu a baby sister?" she asked softly.

Anne scooped Akari up, pulling her into her lap.

"Always, sweetheart. You're our wonderful, sweet, and bright girl. You're the best daughter anyone can ask for and I'm so grateful that Ren decided to visit the orphanage you used to live in."

To emphasize her point, Anne cuddled Akari close before planting a kiss against her head.

"Even if we have five more daughters, you'll still be my special princess," Ren said, crouching in front of Akari. "If we give you a baby sister, I suppose she can be our little lady. But you—you'll always be our princess."

Akari looked up with Ren, her eyes filled with awe. Anne kissed her again.

"We love you, Akari-chan," she murmured. "Do you still want the song?"

Akari shyly nodded. "Uh-huh."

"As our princess wishes!" Ren cried out, before holding out a hand to Anne. "Shall we, my lady?"

"We shall." Anne settled Akari on the couch again before taking her husband's hand.

She started playing the instrumental version on her phone. Ren then cleared his throat before singing the starting lines.

Of course, Ren being Ren—he even did the gestures that Aliyah-din did.

"Now tell me, princess, when did you last let your heart decide?" Ren then reached out towards the vase on the coffee table, plucking a thornless rose and handing it to Anne.

Anne laughed before breaking off the stem, just short enough to tuck the blossom in her ear. But then Ren suddenly drew her in his arms, dancing with her. Anne smiled at her husband as he continued to sing. Ren had a beautiful singing voice, with just enough huskiness to make her heart pound even now.

"A whole new world… a dazzling place I never knew," Anne began to sing.

She couldn't help but feel amused. Ren entering her life had certainly introduced her to a new world, though it wasn't quite what the song was describing.

Anne's heart fluttered as Ren joined in with singing again.

"A hundred thousand things to see," Anne sang.

Ren pulled Anne close, before smiling down at her.

"Hold your breath, it gets better," he lowered his voice to a near whisper.

"I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far," Anne continued, "I can't go back to where I used to be."

Ren squeezed both hands. Oh… she never realized how much those words rang true. She was no longer the girl she used to be, someone who was ashamed of herself. Because Ren was there, she was able to push herself beyond her limits and become the woman she was today.

"Let me share this whole world with you," they sang together before Ren twirled Anne once.

"A whole new world," Ren sang, only for Anne to echo the line.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Akari staring at them, enraptured.

"A thrilling chase," Ren breathed out before pulling Anne close again.

Ten years ago, Anne wouldn't have dreamed of any man to look at her with so much love and adoration. But here she was, dancing with Ren in their living room.

"A wondorous place," Anne said, drawing one of her hands out of Ren's to reach out and cup his cheek.

"For you and me," they finally concluded the song.

Akari then started to applaud enthusiastically.

"You were so good!" she exclaimed.

Ren chuckled before kissing Akari on the cheek. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Again?" Akari asked hopefully.

"Maybe another night, Akari-chan," Anne said. "It's bedtime for little girls."

Akari drooped at that but let Ren pick her up. Anne untied Akari's hair while Akari brushed her teeth. Anne then took her hand, leading Akari to her bedroom.

Ren pulled the blankets of Akari's bed before Anne lifted her and laying her on the bed. Ren then tucked her into bed.

Akari's eyes fluttered sleepily.

"Good night…" she whispered.

"Good night," Anne said, before bending down to kiss Akari's brow. "We love you, sweetheart."

Ren then leaned in close to Anne.

"We still haven't sang the reprise, you know," he said.

Anne giggled. Of course, Ren would get into it.

"Well—if you insist." Anne sighed, shaking her head.

Ren pulled a face at her before singing out, "A whole new world…"

"A whole new life…" Anne continued, grabbing onto her husband's hands.

Akari's eyes slowly closed, and Anne looked back to Ren.

"For you and me," they finished together.

Anne then leaned up, pressing a brief kiss against Ren's lips. Every time they kissed—it still felt so magical. She hoped that feeling never went away.

They then turned off the light, and slipped out of Akari's bedroom.

"This is a pretty good happily ever after, isn't it?" Ren asked teasingly.

Anne just gave a little hum, before sliding an arm around Ren's waist.

Then she quoted, "And while Cinderella and her prince lived happily ever after, the point, gentleman—is that they lived."

"Wrong fairy tale," Ren teased.

"Same principle," Anne retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. "Every day, I wake up striving to make the most of it. And I know I can because I know that you'll support me through anything, thick or thin."

"Hell or high water," Ren promised.

This was him echoing the words she said to him so many years ago to reassure him after Okumura's death.

"Forever and always," Anne said before taking his hand. "I love you, Ren."

This earned her a smile. "I love you too, Anne."

Aliyah-din was an amazing story but personally—Anne greatly preferred the story of her and Ren.

And she couldn't wait to see how it would further unfold.

And here's my second submission, for the prompt Fairy Tale! I actually planned on writing a fic where Ren was retelling the story of Aladdin to his two oldest children with Anne away on a short business trip, but I decided to scrap it. Instead, movie night with Akari! I thought I'd show where Ren's nickname for Akari comes from (as well as why Ren calls Kimiko "little lady").

I decided to do a gender swap for the movie itself so I could Persona-ify the movie name. Trivia: Aliyah-din actually is a reference to Scooby-Doo in Arabian Nights, as Shaggy retells Aladdin with the genders swapped with the street rat and royal.