Chapter Forty-Five: Catharsis

I checked my watch as I approached the front doors to Glory to God church. Jeff had called me s a few days prior, asking me to be present for one of Kotomi's counseling sessions. I assumed that it was due to our shared history, and that he wanted to get some insight from me. I wasn't sure how much I could help, and I told him so. 'Just…come if you could, please' was his response to my concerns.

I noticed a familiar yellow Beetle parked in front of the church just before I knocked on the front door, and Jeff answered a minute later. "Ah, good morning, Tomoya!"

"'Morning, Jeff," I replied as I stepped through the doorway into the semi-ancient building. Semi-ancient? It had never occurred to me to ask how old the building was. "I hope I'm not late."

"Not at all," he said with his usual smile, which then broadened. "By the way; congratulations on your pregnancy. Kyou and I are thrilled for both of you."

"Thanks," I grunted; it sounded odd to hear it referred to as my pregnancy as well, but I understood what he meant.

"When did she tell you?" he asked as we started down the very-familiar hallway; the pastor's office was starting to feel like a home-away-from-home.

"After the birthday party," I replied, a grin starting to form. "She's been floating around the apartment ever since."

"I'll bet," he chuckled as we approached the office door.

On the way, we came across Gouda seated on one of the few chairs that lined the hallway. When he saw me, he shot to his feet. "G-Good afternoon, Tomoya-sama."

"G-Good afternoon," I replied, surprised by the suddenness of his movement, not to mention nearly blown away – in a literal sense; the guy was huge. "I hope your day is going well."

He simply grunted with a nod, his expression serious as always.

I exchanged a glance with Jeff – who simply shrugged – and we entered the room, where he gestured toward an empty seat; Kotomi was already seated in the other one. "Here he is, Ichinose-sensei."

"Hey, Kotomi," I greeted as I took my seat.

She managed a smile but said nothing to me; instead, she shifted her attention to her counselor. "I…I am very nervous, Ashton-sensei."

"That's perfectly understandable," he said in a reassuring tone. "Just remember everything we've talked about until now, and I believe you will do fine. Besides, we both agreed that Tomoya is a good man, right?"

"W-We did…"

My eyes narrowed, slightly puzzled by the exchange.

"And you said that you believe that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt you, right?" Jeff continued.

"I…I did…" She avoided his gaze, looking to the floor.

"And Gouda-san is right outside in case there's a problem, right?" he added with a wink and a smile.

Kotomi's hand flew to her mouth to cover her giggle, causing me to smile as well. "That is true, but I do not believe that he will be needed for this."

Jeff leaned forward and folded his hands on top of his desk. "So, is it okay to get started?"

She said nothing, but after a few moments she nodded, albeit hesitantly.

"Good." He straightened in his seat and looked at each of us in turn. "If nobody minds, I'd like to open this session with prayer."

I waited for Kotomi to answer first; this was her session, after all. "P-Please do," she finally murmured, her voice barely above a whisper; she must have been pretty wound up…for her, that is.

"Go ahead," I replied with a gesture when he looked to me. "At this point, it'd be kinda weird to not hear you pray."

He chuckled appreciatively before bowing his head; I followed suit. "Lord Jesus, thank You for this time where we can come together for the health and well-being of Ichinose Kotomi. Thank You for her life and all the ways in which You have blessed her and have blessed others through her, and I ask that You bless her with courage, discernment and wisdom as we go through this session. Thank You for Tomoya's influence in her life, and I ask that You bless him for his willingness to come here in spite of his circumstances at home."

I couldn't help but smile awkwardly to myself.

"Let this counseling session be fruitful, and bless all involved. May Your will be done." After we repeated his words he directed his gaze to my old friend. "Well, are you ready to dive in? Or would you rather chat for a bit first?"

"I…" She glanced over at me anxiously before looking back to Jeff. "I would like to discuss more mundane things first, if that is acceptable."

"Perfectly fine," he replied amicably. "If you don't mind my asking: Have you decided what you're going to do about Gouda-san's proposal?"

Her lack of apparent surprise at his question told me that they had spoken about it before, probably several times. "I have decided to accept his proposal."

I was surprised by a slight yet sudden bout of jealousy but it wasn't too difficult to beat it down.

"Really?" Jeff was clearly pleased by her response. "Can you tell me what made you decide to accept?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it as her eyes slightly narrowed. "There were several factors involved in my decision-making process, but I believe that the two primary influences would be my age along with a careful reflection on my interactions with Hanzo during his time in Security."

'Hanzo'? My eyebrows jumped, but I said nothing.

"He is a dedicated, loyal employee who cares deeply for those for whom he is responsible, and I have every good reason to believe that that trait would carry over into a personal relationship because that is the kind of person he is."

Jeff nodded several times as he mulled over her words. "I can't argue your logic…which makes sense, considering who you are," he said with a chuckle.

"I am glad that you approve," she stated honestly, with a blink of her large, violet eyes. "I am hoping that Hanzo would find it acceptable to have you officiate at our wedding."

"I…would be honored," he replied, clearly moved by her words. "Does… Have you informed him of your decision yet?"

"I intend to do so after this session," she told him with an incline of her head. "I wished to see your reaction to my preference before proceeding, but it would appear that you approve."

"Very much so," he chuckled. "From what I've been able to glean, Gouda-san is a very good man." He paused, taking a deep breath. "So, is there, uh… Is there anything else you'd like to share? On your own volition, I mean?"

"I cannot-Oh! Tomoya!" She quickly turned toward me with an excited glow to her eyes. "Do you remember Takeshi-san and his group?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied, feeling my face heat up as I remembered Takeshi's question that had returned to me after finding out about Mika's pregnancy. "Hard to forget. Anyway, what about him-er, them? Did you get them home all right?"

She started trembling in her seat, a clear indicator of her excitement. "I-I did; I used my Dimensional Transporter to accompany them home."

"Did you see any familiar faces?" Jeff asked; he appeared to be enjoying her enthusiasm, though he looked a little unsettled for some reason.

"Oh, I did!" she exclaimed with a clap of her hands. "Thanks to Takeshi-san, I was able to meet another Kyou, and another Tomoya, and another…another…"

I found myself gesturing toward her, encouraging her to continue.

"…another…me."

"Ah-hah! So they found their Kotomi!" Jeff concluded with a broad smile. "They must have been relieved."

"From what I was told, it was quite the reunion," she agreed. "If you recall, Takeshi-san's group was one of those sent to try to find her when she had become lost in another universe."

"That's right," I jumped in, my memory having been jogged. "You brought them here so we could eval them to make sure they were safe to send home."

"Correct," she confirmed. "But to return to my topic: I and my alternate had many wonderful discussions about many things. String theory, her version of my Dimensional Transporter, and…"

I nearly fell out of my chair over the cliffhanger. "And what?"

She took a deep breath before replying. "My… Our parents."

"Your parents…?" I murmured; then, I had a rare flash of intuition. "Wait… Are your parents alive in another timeline?"

"They are," she replied in a thin voice as she reached for the box of tissues, which Jeff quickly handed to her. "Thanks to my alternate's interference in that universe, my parents never flew overseas and, as such, did not perish in the airplane crash."

"I'm sorry that your parents couldn't be here as well," Jeff said tenderly, though he still seemed a little uncomfortable; I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Thank you," she replied as she dabbed at her eyes. "But it gives me comfort to know that there is at least one Kotomi out there who will still be able to know the love of her parents. I have a teddy bear and a note that was retrieved from their suitcase, but…"

"It's not the same as having them here, is it?" Jeff asked quietly, to which she nodded. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. "You know, it might be a good time to get into why we've asked Tomoya here today. Would you agree, Ichinose-sensei?"

"I would," she replied simply as she returned the tissue box to the desk.

"Then why don't you get started."

She took a deep breath as she turned toward me, and I found myself straightening in my seat as I turned toward her as well. "Tomoya-kun?"

"Yes?" Why was she using her older form of address?

"Tomoya-kun; I am very angry with you," she stated with a completely neutral expression, though I noticed that she had started to tremble again.

"Angry?" I immediately started thinking about our recent interactions, trying to find something I might have said or done to upset her enough to make her mad.

"Just ask her why she's angry," Jeff prompted. "It's her job to tell you why she's feeling the way she is."

His words made sense, so I nodded. "All right; why are you angry with me, Kotomi…-chan?"

I became more and more dumbfounded as her cheeks reddened, and her normally-soft eyes became hardened and tear-filled. "I am angry because…because…"

"It's okay…" Jeff said reassuringly. "Take your time."

"Thank you." She dabbed at her eyes once again. "Tomoya-kun, I am angry with you because you abandoned me when I needed you."

"Abandoned you? When did I…?" I trailed off as I made the connection: 'Tomoya-kun' coupled with abandonment? "Are you talking about when we were kids?"

She nodded, her fierce expression never wavering. "You did not attend my birthday party, and after my parents died the only time you visited was when I inadvertently set my home on fire."

"But I thought…" I licked suddenly-dry lips, very self-conscious due to the pastor's presence. "But I thought we fixed that and you forgave me."

"I…did," she admitted, "but while that satisfied my intellectual side, it did nothing for my…for…"

"For your heart?" Jeff suggested. "Remember what we talked about; you've been able to rationalize it – which is a good thing – but your emotions are still damaged."

"Of course, I do remember," she replied, momentarily addressing the pastor. Returning her gaze to me she said, "It is as Pastor Jeff has just stated; because I still hurt, I need you to allow me to tell you about it."

"If I may…?" Pastor Jeff asked my old friend; at her nod he turned to me. "From our talks, Ichinose-sensei has had to learn to stop distancing herself from her emotions. Because of this, she's feeling 'new hurts'; that is, old hurts that she has never fully dealt with." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Including ones from childhood."

"And high school," I realized as I remembered our few, brief interactions back at Hikarizaka High. I swallowed hard as I looked to her again. "So, what do you need to tell me? I'm here for you."

She drew a shuddering breath as a lone tear ran down her cheek, and my heart broke a little. "I do not wish to punish you for what you did in the past, Tomoya-kun, but it hurt that you were not there for me when I found out that Mom and Dad had died," she started, her voice sounding very thin. "I felt so alone, so helpless to what was happening to and around me. The only one who visited me regularly was Norito-san, but it took many years for me to become comfortable around him."

"He was your guardian?" Jeff asked softly.

"He was." She dabbed at her eyes yet again. "After Mommy and Daddy died, and Tomoya-kun abandoned me…" She started to tremble again, more vigorously this time. "Why…? Why did you…?"

I was really starting to worry about her; I'd never seen her so distressed, and would never in a million years imagine her shaking the way she was. "K-Kotomi? Are you all right?"

"Am I all right?" Her gaze snapped to mine, and I was shocked to see what appeared to be an unbridled rage in her eyes. "You abandon me in childhood – you said I was your best friend! – and then abandon me again in high school after barely speaking with me, and now you wish to ask if I am 'all right'?" The next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the floor, with my childhood friend sitting on my stomach and swinging at my face. "I HATE YOU!" she wailed as she rained blows on my forearms, which had reflexively moved to protect my face; fortunately, she couldn't hit very hard. "I hate you! You betrayed me, you…you…bad person!"

Her insult was a weak one and nearly caused me to laugh, but I could hear the pain behind it so instead it stung, bringing tears to my eyes as well. Was I really a bad person?

It didn't take long, though, before the blows become less frequent and had even less of an impact than before, and I could hear her crying openly. I wanted her to have some kind of satisfaction, so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and clenched my jaw as I lowered my arms, giving her a clear shot at my face.

Sure enough, I felt a light tap on my cheek, immediately followed by a gasp of surprise. "Oh, no!" I heard her cry. "I am so sorry, Tomoya! Did I hurt you?"

I opened my eyes to see her looking down at me, with tears running down her cheeks and a shocked expression. "That depends," I said carefully. "Do you want to hurt me?"

She looked down at me with confusion before she giggled slightly, a smile starting to spread across her tear-streaked face. "You… You are trying to make me feel better, are you not?"

"Guilty," I replied with a smile that matched my reply. "I'm more trying to help you than make you do anything, but if you aren't satisfied then go ahead and take another swing at me."

She gasped again, her hand flying to her mouth. "I…I cannot! I love you, Tomoya! You are a very dear friend to me!"

"You sure?" I asked, taking a risk to tease her a little; I couldn't see Jeff's face, but the fact that he hadn't said anything told me it was okay. "It's free for today only."

She giggled again, so I figured it was safe to sit up. "I believe that I have taken enough aggression out on you for the time being," she hiccupped.

From my more upright position I noticed that Jeff was still behind his desk, though he watched us with a smile. "For the time being?" I echoed mischievously. "Seriously, though; is that enough for you? Is there anything else you need to….I dunno, do to me?"

Her smile faded, and she simply studied me. Finally she nodded. "There is one more thing I need to do." To my surprise, she reached out and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you so much, Tomoya-kun."

Her confession brought tears to my eyes, and I held my dear friend close. "I…I love you, too…Kotomi-chan."

"It…hurts that you chose Mika, but I believe I understand your reason for doing so," Kotomi said to me as the three of us sat, sipping tea.

"Thank you," I replied, genuinely grateful for her understanding. "Maybe if we'd met sooner, you and I would have clicked and been able to marry." I shrugged. "But at this point I don't think I'd be a very good fit for you."

"I…don't understand," she said, angling her head with a puzzled look. "You and I have always got along quite well."

"True," I grunted. "Sorry; I'm not sure how to explain it to you."

"Ichinose-sensei," Jeff jumped in, "sometimes people aren't going to know exactly why they won't click; they simply won't click."

She averted her eyes to the mug in her hands. "I see…"

"When it comes to the two of you, though," he continued, "I think I can see one possible reason."

The idea seemed to gain her interest; she perked up and gave him her attention. "Indeed?"

He gestured to the two of us. "You two have been away from each other for two long periods of time. The first was from the time of your early childhood to the time in high school, and another, longer one, from the time you briefly talked in high school to just a few months ago."

"But I believe that I pointed out already that Tomoya and I have always enjoyed each others' company," she countered.

"I understand that," he acknowledged with a slight lift of his hands, "but he had a lot of time in the interim to grow in ways that may be incompatible with the way you have grown."

I found myself impressed at how Jeff could keep up with my genius friend; then again, he was in his element, figuring people out and the like, whereas her strength was more in the natural sciences. He had the 'home-court advantage', so to speak.

"So you two have had plenty of time to grow in different directions," he added. "Had you kept in contact all this time, you might have been able to cultivate traits that would bring you closer together." He leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers as he folded his hands over his abdomen. "Understand that a relationship between any two people takes a long time to develop. Even when a man and a woman proclaim their love for each other, true, real love takes years – if not decades – to come to fruition." He smiled softly at my old friend. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

She sighed heavily. "That is quite all right; I believe I understand."

Jeff said nothing, but angled his head attentively.

"I have known Hanzo for many years now, starting back when he was hired as a security guard for Sci-Tek Labs," she continued, "and it has taken all of those years for us to cultivate the relationship that we now enjoy."

Jeff grunted appreciatively. "And now the two of you will be changing the nature of that relationship."

"Indeed." She sighed again. "Will we…? Will we have to start over from the beginning of our relationship? I am sorry; I do not know how to phrase my question."

"I think I understand," he said with an affable smile as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and his chin on his folded hands. "Well, it'll depend on the two of you; to transition from a platonic relationship to a more intimate one will require some adjustments from each of you. A key point to keep in mind is that neither of you will be wholly independent like you are right now; you will be responsible for – not to mention accountable to – each other." He leaned back in his chair, letting his still-folded hands come to rest on his stomach again. "My parents were what I would consider more old-fashioned; Mom stayed home and took care of me while Dad went to work. They considered it a fair division of labor." He gave a lopsided grin. "Especially considering how much of a handful I was when I was little."

I couldn't help but chuckle, and when I glanced to the side I noticed that Kotomi was even smiling.

"Both of your parents were scientists, if I remember correctly," Jeff remarked.

Kotomi gave a brief nod. "That is correct."

"Now, from our conversations I've come away with the understanding that they still managed to give you a lot of their time. Do I remember correctly?"

"You do," she replied, nodding again.

He pushed his lips to the side for a moment before speaking again. "I'm not sure how to put this delicately, but more women your age are starting to feel a strong desire to have children."

I felt my face heat up at the memory of Kotomi telling me something similar.

"Are you feeling that 'push?" he continued. "I don't mean to be nosy, but this can have an impact on your plans for the near future."

"I am," she acknowledged. "I am also aware that I would be effectively incapacitated for a time due to a pregnancy."

"It's not just that," he told her. "There's also the early care for an infant, the bonding times for each of the parents, not to mention that older mothers tend to tire more quickly than their younger counterparts." He gave an awkward smile. "No offense intended."

"None taken," she replied. I was impressed at how well she was handling the subject; to my few experiences, most women around my age would be put off by his mention of age, let alone being an 'older mother'. "I have become aware of my comparatively reduced stamina."

"Thank you." He leaned forward again to rest his elbows on the table and his chin on his folded hands. "Please understand; I'm not trying to convince you one way or the other. My intent is simply to make you aware of these possibilities. In the end, the decision will be between you and Gouda-san…or, whoever you marry."

"I understand."

Pastor Jeff looked from Kotomi to me, and then back. "Well, is there anything else we need to cover? Do you need Tomoya to apologize again?"

"No," she replied with a giggle. "I believe that I can handle initiating any subsequent discussions…" She looked over at me with…an impish smile? "…and without having to sit on you again."

"I appreciate that," I chuckled as I patted my stomach, still mildly surprised at her humor. "If you need to talk, you know how to find me."

"Indeed I do."

Jeff watched us a moment longer before breaking out into a smile. "Well!" he exclaimed with a clap of his hands, "Shall we close in prayer, then?"

"It seems like forever since I was in the counseling office myself," I remarked as Kotomi, Gouda, and I stood on the landing outside the entrance to the church. "But I know it hasn't been that long."

"You…have been through much in just the last few months," Kotomi noted.

"True," I grunted, then sent her a small smile. "Hey, are you okay after all that?"

"I…was prepared for the possibility of intense emotion on my part," she told me. "Though I will admit that I did not anticipate assaulting you during my session. Are you certain that you are unhurt?"

"More surprised than anything," I replied with a chuckle at Gouda's equally-surprised look. "But if it helped you out, then it was all worth it."

"I am glad. And…thank you."

I said nothing, but smiled as I gestured to her car. "Well, you two enjoy the rest of your day."

She gave me a small bow before heading to the driver-side door. "Oh!" she exclaimed all of a sudden. As I watched, puzzled, she made her way around the car to briefly speak with Gouda. Then, she made her way over to me again. "May we speak for a few minutes? I have something I wish to tell you."

"Um, sure." Truth be told, I was all talked out, but if my old friend needed to… "What's up?"

She looked from side to side as though making sure no one else could hear. "Tomoya? I have been invited to a…presentation, for lack of a better word."

"What about?' I asked. "What's being presented?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times before deciding on an answer. "Well…I am."

"Wait, you're being presented?"

A solemn nod. "I'm sure you remember that the Kotomi from Takeshi-san's universe had been working on technology similar to mine."

"Yeah, kinda," I replied, already feeling out of my league. "Anyway, why do they want to invite you over?"

"As I understand it, the other Kotomi was somehow utilizing existing dimensional-temporal passages to travel between dimensions, whereas mine effectively creates those same structures at will." She paused, then leaned slightly toward me. "I am sorry; did you understand that?"

"Well enough, I think," I replied, my head spinning slightly.

"When I shared some of the relevant knowledge with the other Kotomi, the Kyou that was with her called it a…" She briefly narrowed her eyes in thought. "…a watershed discovery?"

"Sounds about right." I'd heard Jeff use the phrase before, so I had some understanding of what it meant. "I think it refers to something revolutionary, that can change the way people see something…or something like that."

"Yes! That is it!" She excitedly patted me on the shoulder, and something about the way she did it brought a smile to my face with how cute she was. "You are so smart, Tomoya!"

"Yeah…no," I muttered, feeling a sense of déjà vu. "I've just picked up a little here and there. I don't know where the saying came from. Anyway, I take it that your work got them excited enough that they wanted you to visit them for this presentation?"

"That is correct," she confirmed, calming down as she spoke. "The reason I am speaking to you about this is to get your opinion on the matter."

I briefly mulled over her request. "Well, if you're asking me if I think you should go…" I shrugged helplessly. "I…really don't know anything about this kind of stuff. Do you want to go?"

She looked to the side. "I…do not know."

I studied her for a moment longer. Knowing what I knew about her… "Kotomi? Are you trying to get me to decide for you?"

She said nothing, but even with her head turned I could see her cast her gaze to the ground.

I sighed and crossed my arms. "I'm not going to decide this for you, and that's final. You've been an adult for a long time now and need to be able to make your own decisions."

"Yes, Ashton-sensei has told me as much," she admitted, still unable to meet my gaze.

I watched her fidget before shaking my head with a soft chuckle. "You're something else, you know that?"

"Huh?"

"This is what I think you should do; go home and make a list of all the pros and cons of going there, then talk with Gouda about it." I uncrossed one arm to gesture at her. "If he's going to be part of your life, then I think he should be part of this decision."

"I…understand."

I couldn't help but smile at my old friend's situation. "For what it's worth, I think you'd regret it if you didn't go. I'm betting that nobody's been given this kind of chance before – in this world, at least – and I think that if you could put aside the social anxiety routine for a bit, your scientific mind would thank you later." I shrugged. "Again, that's just my opinion."

She met my gaze and held it, and I thought I could see the gears turning in that brilliant yet timid mind of hers. "Yes, I see the merit in your suggestion, as well as your argument in favor." She bowed slightly. "Thank you very much, Tomoya. For what it is worth, I believe that you are much more intelligent than you believe yourself to be."

"Thanks," I said, humbled by her praise; with the way she phrased it, it felt like it would be rude to argue the point. "So, do you know how you're going to go from here?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks to your input I am more positively disposed toward attending, but I will implement your suggestion and create a list of the advantages and disadvantages and share it with Hanzo."

"Sounds good."

She gestured toward the Beetle, where Gouda was still waiting; what a patient guy. "In gratitude for your assistance, may I offer you a ride home?"

"Are you sure I'd fit in your car with your boyfriend there?" I asked half-jokingly.

"That is funny, Tomoya," she giggled, much to my surprise; I honestly hadn't expected her to get the joke. "Yes, though you would have to sit in the second row. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes, that would be very acceptable, thank you," I chuckled as she led me to her car for a free ride home.

"Did you have a good session with, Ichinose-sensei?" Ushio asked as the three of us sat around the dinner table. Mika had cooked up one of her usual masterpieces; I'd probably never figure out how she could take beef, vegetables, and rice and make it 'gourmet'. "You look like it went well."

"I'm still kinda filing things away, I guess," I admitted while tapping my temple with my thumb; I was holding chopsticks, after all. "Kotomi's session got kinda intense."

"What happened?" my lovely bride asked, her deep-blue eyes shining with interest.

I put down my chopsticks and leaned back on my hands; my favorite thinking posture. "Well, I can't say much since it was her session – privacy and all that – but I can say that she was pretty pissed off at me."

I heard a clatter but wasn't too surprised to find two other sets of chopsticks on the tabletop. "Wh-What?" Mika stammered.

"I can't imagine Ichinose-sensei being angry at anyone," Ushio said as she retrieved her eating utensils. "Or just being angry, period."

"Same here," Mika agreed.

"She surprised me too, but I understand why," I admitted as I sat up and picked up my chopsticks as well. "I can't remember if I've ever told either of you the story, but I was supposed to attend her…ninth birthday party, I think it was…and bring my friends. Said friends didn't want to come and I was too embarrassed to show up without them, so…I didn't show up."

"Was that what she was angry about?" Ushio asked, wide-eyed.

"Partly," I replied, still feeling the burn of shame. "I was so embarrassed that I didn't visit her for a long time, but then the one time I did show up, she had somehow set her home on fire, and I ended up helping rescue her. After that, I didn't see her again until high school, though I'd forgotten about her by then so I didn't recognize her."

"That's too bad," Ushio said sympathetically.

"Anyway, she ended up feeling like I'd abandoned her – which may not have been too far from the truth – so she's been carrying anger and hurt for a long time. Jeff-I mean, Pastor Jeff's been helping her, but they needed me today so she could chew me out."

"Tomoya…" Mika giggled.

"She did a pretty good job, too," I concluded with a chuckle at the memory of her 'pounding' on me. "I think that's about it. Oh, that reminds me; during the session, she said that she was going to accept Gouda's marriage proposal."

"Ohmygosh!" both women squealed nearly in unison, bringing a smile to my face. "Good for her!" Ushio added between squeals.

"I'm pretty happy for her, too," I said, though I still felt a bit of protective jealousy.

"Does she know about our…situation?" Mika asked hesitantly, but I knew what she was referring to.

"I don't think so," I replied. "I don't think I even had a chance to tell her earlier; we were pretty busy, after all. And by the time we were on our way here I'd forgotten to tell her."

"Do you mind if I give her a call after dinner?" my bride requested.

I had initially planned on calling Kotomi myself to tell her, but I remembered a promise I'd made to her soon-to-be fiancé. "Sure, go ahead; I need to call Sakagami anyway."

"About training Gouda-san?" Ushio asked with an impish grin.

"Yes, yes," I groused. "At long last, Okazaki Tomoya is going to fulfill his promise."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she giggled. "I didn't mean to hit a nerve or anything."

"You're fine," I chuckled. "I'm already kicking myself over it, so I'm probably more sensitive than I would be otherwise."

We finished dinner and cleaned up, and as Mika headed down the hall to our room I made my way outside to make my call; I figured that Tomoyo wouldn't be in her office since it was a Saturday, so I planned to leave a message.

I was surprised when my call was answered. "Hello, this is Sakagami."

"A-Ambassador?" I stammered, briefly tripping over the title. "Um, hi, this is Okazaki Tomoya."

"Okazaki!" She certainly sounded happy to hear from me. "It's good to hear your voice again!"

"Likewise, thank you," I replied. "I'm surprised that you answered the phone. Do you normally work on Saturdays? And Saturday nights, at that?"

"No, I'm not normally here. And I just had a feeling that I should take the call," she said, and I thought I could hear a smile in her tone. "And boy, I'm glad I did; it's been a while."

"Y-Yeah, it has," I said, feeling a little unnerved by her intensity. "Listen, I was hoping to ask a favor from you, but I can call back at another time if now's a bad time."

"Not at all," she replied, thankfully sounding more normal. "What's up?"

"I was hoping that you could help an…acquaintance of mine with his combat skills," I told her; it hadn't occurred to me to figure out how to refer to Kotomi's soon-to-be fiancé, but I managed all right. "He sparred recently, and didn't do as well he would have liked." I figured it was safe to tell her that much about Gouda's sparring session with Takeo, even if I did leave out the otherworldly details. Not that she needed to know, anyway. "Since you looked like you could still hold your own at our da-when we got together for dinner, I thought you'd be a good one to ask."

"Ah, so you were checking me out, huh?"

I felt my face heat up as I tried to come up with a neutral response. "You made it tough for me not to," I admitted. "Anyway, I don't know what your schedule's like, but if you could spare the time…"

I heard a sigh from the other end. "Normally, I'd say 'no', but since it's you…" Another sigh. "Give him this number, and make sure he tells whoever he talks to that you sent him."

"Thanks," I replied gratefully while making a mental note of her instructions.

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't." In spite of the mirth in her tone, I could hear the seriousness of her words. "I really don't want word getting around about it, especially not in the political realm. It took a long time for me to overcome my reputation."

"Understood. Well, thank you, and I'll pass your number along."

"Cool. Anything else-Oh! Congratulations on your pregnancy!"

I felt a chill pass through my whole body; how did she know? "Ah, yeah. Thank you."

A noticeable pause. "When the time comes, I'd like you to consider me as a godmother. Would that be okay?"

My pause might have been as long as hers; I wasn't sure. "Um, I don't see a problem with it. I'd have to check with Mika, of course."

"Of course." Another longish pause. "Well, I need to get back to work, sorry. Did you need anything else before I go?"

"No, that was it," I replied, noticing that she had returned to a more professional tone. "Thank you for your time."

"Take it easy, Okazaki."

We ended the call, and I headed back inside to join Mika and Ushio at the kotatsu; apparently my bride's call had been even shorter than mine. "How'd your talk with Ichinose-sensei go?" I asked.

"Better than I thought it would," she admitted with an awkward duck of her head. "She told me that she'd already accepted Gouda-san's proposal, so I figure that kept her from getting too upset over our pregnancy."

"That's a relief," I sighed as I leaned back on my hands. "Well, I was able to talk with the ambassador about Gouda's situation."

"On a Saturday?" Ushio asked, her eyes narrowing in cute puzzlement.

"I thought the same thing," I chuckled. "Anyway, I'm supposed to give him her phone number so the two of them can work out some kind of schedule."

"Well, we're two for two today, aren't we?" Mika chirped with a bright smile, which Ushio and I could help but mirror. "Three, if you count your time with Uncle Jeff and Kotomi-sensei."

I added a chuckle to my smile as I took in the sight of my family. "Yeah, and you know? I'm starting to think that things are only going to get better from here."

And, to my surprise, I truly believed it.