Chapter 29

"Thank you, Daddy." Shin murmured into the darkness of the bedroom he was sharing with Kuon.

"For?" He questioned as the little scamp climbed onto his bed and snuggled into him under the covers.

Shin yawned. "That was the most relaxed and happy I've seen Mommy. So… Thank you. I think she needed time away from me." He sounded a little melancholic.

Kuon pulled him into his arms, and rubbed his little back. "Shin… That's not what it was. It's just… sometimes moms need time to be girls. Your Grandma Juli's the same way. Sometimes they forget what its like to be a girl and need a little reminder. Your mom's trip to the spa was the little refresher that she needed. It had nothing to do with being away from you." Kuon explained quietly, the same way his own father had once explained to him.

He felt Shin nod in agreement. "I'm glad you and Mommy are together now. It's not as boring anymore." He whispered.

Kuon chuckled quietly. "Well, my life was pretty boring and lonely without you guys. So, thank you for letting me be part of your lives." He gave him a light little affectionate squeeze and a small kiss on his hair.

"Night, Daddy." The little prince yawned widely and soon drifted off.

Kuon had never felt so fulfilled and special to someone as he had now. Now he completely understood his own parents' clingy and doting behavior when he was young.

~xoxo~

She was completely relaxed and felt so pampered it was distracting. So distracting that it was keeping her awake. She quietly giggled, taking in her surroundings for the umpteenth time since her body hit the sheets. She smiled softly remembering her wonderful afternoon: her 2 ½ hour spa excursion, her shopping trip for souvenirs and memorabilia, and finally greeting her two boys when they returned from their theme park adventures.

She could safely say that it was the happiest that she'd ever seen Shin and Kuon. Both had those wonderful godly smiles that would knock anyone off their feet and blind them. To see her son so happy gave her a feeling of contentment she'd not expected. Certainly she'd seen him happy before, but this was different, more complete. She scolded herself quietly for not patching things up with Kuon sooner, then realized that those years had been a trial that both had to go through to mature. Although, there was a significant amount of guilt of her part for Shin having to accompany her in that particular endeavor.

She lay there thinking about how it could have been had neither of them screwed things up, then decided to give up on those thoughts. There was no way to change the past and no remedy for regret, other than making the future the best that she could. She decided to put the past behind her where it belonged and no longer focus on her hang-ups. Yes, she still had a bit of those personal hang-ups she'd had when she was a teen, they were ingrained in her quite thoroughly, but she would keep them to herself and overcome them for the sake of her family. She smiled softly and yawned. My family.

She rolled over and stared at the clock reading 0500, and groaned a little bit. No, she wasn't sleepy. She was lamenting the fact, that even though she was on vacation, she still couldn't force herself to sleep in. Damned internal body clock. She sighed and sat up, deciding to shower and dress, maybe ordering breakfast for her and the boys. Shin always awakened at 7 am on the dot. So, she really couldn't complain about her own messed up inner alarm.

After cleaning up and preparing herself for their day of play, she decided to sneak a little peek at her two sleeping men, her king and her little prince. She giggled quietly at that inner thoughts as she quietly opened their bedroom door and slipped in.

It took everything she had to contain the quite little gasp and coo's of awe at the cuteness she was witness to. Two blanket caterpillars laying snuggled together. One very large and the other small. Thankfully she had the presence of mind to quickly pull out her phone, silence the photo app, and turn off the flash. What followed were a series of her taking photos, at various angles, of the cutest sight she'd ever had the fortune to witness before slipping quietly out of their room and silently shutting the door. They were just too cute. She thought as she scrolled giddily through the new photos on her phone, before sitting on the sofa in the small living room, waiting for breakfast to arrive.

"Mom…" Shin glanced at Kuon before looking up at his mother, with a forkful of eggs. "Can we visit the princess castle today?" He asked not noticing the tiny sly smile that flitted across Kuon's lips.

She looked at her son in surprise, nearly dropping the cup of tea she was blowing on before sitting at the table to join her two boys. "Not at all, Sweetie. I would love to go there." She answered, attempting to hide her excitement, truly not realizing that something like that still affected her in a child-like sort of way.

Kuon nodded inwardly, satisfied with her obvious reaction. Best decision ever. He touted inwardly. He glanced inconspicuously at his son and mouthed the words. "Good job, son."

Shin beamed at the compliment and gave his own little sly smirk. "What time do you want to leave?"

Kyoko glanced at her watch, not noticing the little exchange between the sneaky males surrounding her. "Hmm, we still have about an hour before they open to the public & the castle won't be opened until ten, so… How about we head out at around 9:30?" She offered.

Kuon and Shin glanced at each other once again and nodded. The timing would be perfect, and it would give them the opportunity to allow her to wander around, take in the scenery, and enjoy herself.

"Are you two sure that you don't want to explore the other park a little more?" She asked before taking another sip of her tea. She felt a little guilty that they were indulging her so much. She was fully aware that Shin wasn't fond of the girly things and she was pretty sure that Kuon wanted to spend more time with Shin.

"Of course, Mommy! I want to see the castle that Princess Cindy lives in. You've described it to me so many times when you tell me bedtime stories. I just want to see it for myself." He encouraged.

This boy is so clever. Way to go, son. She'd probably still be protesting if I'd said anything. His pride for he son growing by the minute.

To be perfectly honest, he would have had a hell of a time getting her on the plane had it not been for Shin's excitement and encouragement. The gods help him if she ever discovered how much he'd spent on the trip. She was still a frugal person when it came to money and spending, but what's the point in having it if he didn't have them to spend it on?

Sitting in a restaurant, a collection of like-minded people, along with two laptop computers, gathered in a dining room normally used for conferences and parties. A buffet table was loaded just below its breaking-point with a variety of goodies and the drinks flowed like water in a stream. The purpose for this little meeting of the minds was the planning of the future event that they'd all been waiting for. Some longer than others.

One would be shocked to know specifically who had suggested this gathering, and the other that had actually made it possible.

"Mo, I know that they haven't made anything official yet, but we've gathered you all here today to start the planning." The suggester started the meeting, looking at every individual she could see via her computer screen. She nodded in satisfaction. "You should pass out the planners." She told the organizer.

Leather crinkled, chains jingled, and fabric rustled as the blond rocker stood from his seat and began handing each person a well thought out day planner that had been previously filled to the brim with everyone's designated job. "Beginning at page one, you'll see that Kanae and I have researched everything that needs to be done to kick off this shindig." He announced.

"Hey! Why am I responsible for the venue and not the entertainment?" Lory pouted indignantly after skimming to the pages ahead.

Kanae groaned. "We do not need dancing girls, elephants, or a circus troupe. It needs to be more like a royal wedding instead of a three ring circus." She scolded as the others giggled at the obvious answer.

"I already have designs in mind. Who should I forward the sketches to?" Juli asked when she discovered she was responsible for the wedding party's attire.

"Are you sure you want me in charge of the food?" Kuu asked a little worried, seeing that he and Juli would be happy to eat just about anything that was offered.

"I think I have her agent's contact information." Yuki pondered out loud when he discovered he was responsible for inviting the guests. "Oh! Who's responsible for the wedding invitations? The design and such?" He questioned.

"Alright, alright… Mo… Everybody just calm down." She barked into the cacophony that had erupted. "If everyone turns to page 3, you'll find that we have covered every aspect and every small detail. If anyone can think of anything that was missed, send me an email and we'll take care of it." She placated.

Thus began the planning of the Wedding of the Century, as it would be dubbed by their loved ones.