Tohru stood in the kitchen, happily humming to herself as she worked at the counter. With one ear, she listened to the sounds of baby burbles and rattles from the living room, and with the other, she just listened to herself.

"Let's see...that's rice. Grilled veggies. Egg. Ground meat," She was smiling as she carefully added each ingredient to the two bento boxes sitting on the counter, placing each item just so. She was feeling cute today, so she'd decided to make a little scene; the ground meat was the earth, the scrambled eggs were the sky, and a little train made from thinly sliced radishes with nori windows made its way along the divide. It was simple, but she thought it was sweet. Hopefully Kyo would think so, too.

After adding pickles and a sealed container of dipping sauce to each of the bento boxes, she sealed them up and slipped them into her bag, followed by a thermos of hot tea and two cups. Once that was done, she added two of Hajime's bottles filled with water, and a small container with premeasured formula.

"Ok, Hajime, I think we're just about ready! Are you all set to go have lunch with Daddy?"

Smiling, Tohru walked into the living room where Hajime was lying on his back on a playmat, his little hands and feet flailing as he tried to grab at the assortment of toys. Playmat time was one of his favorite things these days, and Tohru loved it; loved watching the way his tiny brow furrowed when he was trying to get something just out of reach, loved watching the way his tiny limbs would snap out when he wanted something. He had a surprising amount of focus these days, when it came to toys.

And she really loved the way it would entertain him when she needed to do something!

Stooping down, she scooped him up off the floor and quickly checked his diaper. "Still clean and dry, so I think we're pretty much ready! What do you think, Hajime?"

In response, Hajime's face broke into a big, beaming grin, and he burbled happily as he reached for Tohru's face.

Hajime was nine weeks old now, and five weeks had passed since that awful night when Tohru had finally broken. Since then, things had slowly but steadily improved, starting first thing the following morning when Kyo had gone to the grocery store and come back with a full-sized can of formula. It had taken a little bit of time for Hajime to adjust to the bottle, but hunger had been an excellent motivator; once he got used to the change, he was fine. Better than fine, as his subsequent growth rate had proven.

Tohru had been relieved to stop nursing, but the guilt had still weighed heavily. It had taken another couple of weeks, but finally, with Kyo's gentle encouragement, Tohru had reached out to her own doctor about how much she was struggling. Dr. Watanabe had been kind and understanding, and with her assistance Tohru had found and started talking to a therapist.

Therapy still felt weird, she wasn't going to lie. She'd felt at first like she should be ashamed, like it was only because of her own weaknesses and hang ups that she was there. And it had taken a couple sessions before she finally started to open up.

But five sessions in, Tohru felt like she had made the right choice. Things still weren't perfect, and she still struggled sometimes. But the guilt no longer crushed her; she no longer always felt like she was failing. She could finally start to acknowledge that this parenting thing was hard, and that she wasn't perfect, and it was ok.

She didn't know how she would have managed without Kyo. He'd been right at her side, talking her through the worst of her anguish, pulling her back out of the darkness and into his arms. He'd encouraged her and supported her, been right at her side when she'd talked to Dr. Watanabe, and held her hand when she called to make her first therapy appointment. He'd been her rock.

And it felt so, so good to acknowledge that, without drowning in guilt.

Tohru had been medically cleared for three beautiful weeks. The first night they'd all moved upstairs had been wonderful; Tohru didn't know the last time she'd slept so deeply or well as that first night back in her own bed. Even Hajime's wakeups had barely registered, since Kyo had insisted that she just sleep and let him handle everything that first night. Thanks to formula, she could.

After that, they'd settled into a comfortable rhythm. Ayako had stopped coming over once Tohru was cleared, so it for the first time since Hajime was born it was truly just the three of them. Tohru had felt nervous at first, but finally being able to step up and take care of her own home again was wonderful.

For all they'd struggled with the nursing, in many other respects Hajime was a dream infant. He slept well, deeply, and often. At this point, he'd only wake up two or three times a night, and fell asleep quickly after he'd been fed. He was a very happy baby, very easy-going and happy to play by himself when Tohru needed to get anything done, but also very excited and eager when either Tohru or Kyo were playing with him. It seemed that he was always smiling these days, and his smiles were contagious.

The first time Hajime had smiled at Tohru, it had felt like her entire world got brighter. She hadn't been sure if she trusted it to be a real smile, not at first, but then she'd smiled back at him and his smile had gotten bigger. She'd been so relieved she'd nearly cried; in spite of everything, he was still smiling at her!

Her, and everyone else. Hibe was a small village, and the population definitely skewed older. There weren't a lot of babies born in Hibe these days, and that would have made Hajime an object of interest no matter what. Add to that his cheerful personality and the fact that Tohru and Kyo were generally well-liked, and you had a perfect storm of interested parties wanting to see and play with the baby.

Not that Tohru minded. She was always happy to welcome guests to their house, or to show Hajime off when they were out and about in town. Few things made her happier than seeing her son so beloved by the place they'd made their home.

April could be hit and miss when it came to weather, but today was a beautiful warm day that truly felt like spring. It was almost as if the very weather knew that Tohru and Hajime were joining Kyo for lunch, and wanted to make it as pleasant as possible.

Practice allowed Tohru to make quick work of bunding Hajime into the baby carrier, then she grabbed the diaper bag and the two of them set off. She was always glad for an excuse to get out and walk; she tried to talk Hajime out of the house at least once a day to grocery shop, if not more. And now that the weather was warming up, she was looking forward to even more walks.

Things were finally starting to green up, she observed with a smile as they walked along. Winter in Hibe was much colder and snowier than winter in Tokyo, and that tended to make everything look a lot bleaker. It was nice, seeing the first tentative hints of spring.

"I think you're going to love Spring, Hajime. There'll be so many colors, and so many flowers! I'm sorry we're not taking you to the Hirosaki sakura festival this year, but I don't think you'd like the crowds too much just yet." Tohru smiled, glancing down at Hajime who was sucking on his pacifier and looking around with wide-eyed interest. He was always so alert when they were out; hopefully he liked what he saw!

"Summer will probably be a favorite for you, too. You'll get to see Daddy in the Summer Festival, and there will be so many other things to see then, too! And it will be nice and warm, and we'll have to go on picnics...it'll be a lot of fun!"

The bell on the door of Tanaka's Bakery rang as Tohru and Hajime stepped inside, and her friend Riko looked up from behind the counter with a grin. "Hey Tohru, and hello, Hajime," she cooed, leaning over to look at the baby. "I swear, Tohru, I feel he has to be getting bigger every time I look at him these days!"

There was a very recent time that comments like that would sting, but now they simply filled Tohru with gratitude. He was growing, and it was a good thing!

"I know, right? Dr. Goto is very happy with his progress, he's moving right along up the curve!"

"Well, I'm not surprised; it's not like Kyo is petite, and Hajime sure seems to take after him."

Tohru giggled as she set down the diaper bag. "I'd have to ask Kyo, but I doubt anyone's ever accused him of being petite, certainly not in the time I've known him." She didn't dispute any of the rest of what Riko had said; thus far, Hajime was practically Kyo's spitting image. "We'll just have to see where Hajime ends up, though, he does have a few of my genes to contend with."

"Well, I'm sure he'll end up the perfect height, whatever that is." Riko had slipped on a pair of gloves and opened up one of the paper bakery bags. "I'm going to take a stab in the dark here: melon bread and red bean bun?"

Tohru and Kyo were regular customers of their friends' bakery, and their preferences were so well known than half the time Riko didn't even bother to ask. But today, Tohru was feeling adventurous.

"Actually, I'm going to go with a strawberry jam bun! But I'll still take a red bean bun for Kyo," she said, pointing through the glass display window.

"Wow, changing things up on me! Good thing I hadn't put money on that order." Riko chuckled, tucking a red bean bun and a jam bun into the bag before grinning and adding a melon bread anyway. "Just in case you end up missing it."

"Aww, thank you, Riko! But you really don't have to do that, you're never going to come out ahead if you keep giving away bread like this," Tohru laughed as she pulled out her wallet and counted out the cost of the two buns.

"It's all for a good cause. What's the point in having friends if you don't spoil them once in a while?" Riko took the money, then gave Tohru and Hajime a wave. "You guys have a great lunch, say hi to Kyo for me!"

"Will do, see you later!"

Tohru tucked the bakery bag into the same hand as the diaper bag, and the two of them set off again. "That was so sweet, wasn't it, Hajime? People can be so nice. When you get a little older, we'll have to see what kind of buns you like the best, won't that be fun? Mommy and Daddy both love bread, so hopefully you will, too."

The bakery was in the heart of Hibe, such as it was, and Tohru and Hajime were soon heading down the forested road leading out to the dojo. Since it was midday on a weekday, they got to enjoy the walk without any bothersome traffic, and it didn't take long before the dojo appeared around a curve in the road.

Tohru checked the time as the two of them walked up to the open dojo gate. "Looks like we're just a little early, Hajime; what should we do while we wait for Daddy?"

Hajime's bubbly baby noises were cute, but not the most helpful, and Tohru giggled at him as they walked into the courtyard. "I guess we'll just walk around a little bit, how about that? We can check out the koi pond, maybe you can see some pretty fish? Would you like to see some pretty fish, Hajime?"

Matsuda Dojo was a large, sprawling complex of buildings, connected by walkways. Lots of little courtyards dotted the area, but the largest one was right inside the main dojo gate. The majority of the space was taken up by the large stone-paved courts, but around the outer perimeter were decorative trees and plants, benches, rock arrangements, fountains, and, in one corner, a large koi pond.

On the occasions Tohru met Kyo for lunch, they always ate in the main courtyard, either on one of the benches or sitting on the ground by one of the outer walls. She didn't want to wander far, but it should be pretty easy for him to find the two of them with the koi.

"Look, Hajime, see the fish? There's a white one, and an orange one, and a black one...and there's one with a red spot! Aren't they pretty fish?"

Hajime seemed unimpressed with the idea of koi, at least today. He was much more fascinated with his own fist, and whether or not he could fit it into his mouth.

"Well, maybe another time you'll like them better." Giggling, Tohru turned her attention from her son to the koi. "I'm sorry, try not to take it personally. It's hard to compete with a baby's own hands sometimes!"

"Isn't that the truth? I swear, baby toys are the worst racket. If new parents just figured out how much babies like their own hands, just think how much money they'd all save!"

Tohru smiled as she turned to greet the speaker. "I hope you're not trying to throw a judgement my way, Hiroshi!" Hiroshi Yamada was another of the dojo's instructors, and a good friend of Kyo's in spite of their fifteen-year age difference. He was smiling as he walked up to Tohru, another instructor in tow.

"You know I'd never judge you for anything, Tohru. Your husband perhaps, but not you." Hiroshi gave her a hug in greeting, then looked down at Hajime in the carrier. "Heya, Hajime! I see you're still looking very orange!"

"Hi, Tohru," Instructor Tamiko Wada greeted Tohru affectionately, rolling her eyes at Hiroshi. "Ignore him; clearly he thinks he's some kind of wit."

"Hey, I am a wit. And I've got kids, you know, so it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about," Hiroshi said with a little defensiveness.

Tamiko chuckled. "I was referring to the orange comment, not the toy racket comment. But aren't your kids both over ten, Yamada?"

"Some things you just remember, and overpriced new baby stuff is pretty high on that list."

Tohru was giggling as she listened to the back and forth between the two of them. "Well, I can certainly agree that on the cost of baby things; it's amazing how expensive they can be, especially considering how small everything is! But we've been very blessed, and there's not much we've had to buy." As if any of the Sohmas would even let them. "I have to admit that I like him to have toys to play with, even if he does love his hands."

"Well, if you're having fun with it, Tohru, then that's a pretty great reason to continue. The newborn stage is hard, grab your fun where you can!"

She grinned at the two of them, then looked around the courtyard. The four of them weren't the only ones outside now; the lunch hour classes were all just ending, so there were several people currently on their way out of the dojo as well as dojo staff members coming outside for a break. There was no sign of Kyo yet, though.

It was pretty obvious who Tohru was looking for as she glanced around, and Tamiko smiled. "Sohma and Maeda were in the middle of a pretty good round when we left, so I'm guessing they should be done soon. At the pace they were setting, one of them would have to pass out before they'd make it much longer."

As if on cue, Kyo and Haruto Maeda emerged from the main practice building, laughing together as they came down the steps. It made Tohru's heart light up, just as it always did; the sight of Kyo, talking and laughing with others, completely at ease. And he'd been looking around for her, too; his eyes found hers almost as soon as she'd seen him.

He said something to Haruto, and the two of them trotted over to join the others.

"Hey Tohru, so nice to see you," Haruto said with a little wave. "Sohma said you were coming for lunch, I've gotta say I'm a little jealous."

Kyo gave Tohru a kiss, then grinned at Haruto. "Only cause you should be." Long gone were the days where Kyo had been nervous around the older instructors; now, he was simply one of them, equally assured and confident. And he was very, very happy to be able to show off his little family; it wasn't all that often that Tohru and Hajime made the trek, since Hajime's nap schedule was still literally all over the place.

"Aww, Sohma is so cute when he's proud," Tamiko teased. Kyo flushed slightly, but he was still grinning, and Tohru giggled herself. She somewhat agreed; it was sweet, just how obviously happy Kyo was to see them, but she certainly wouldn't have labelled him as cute.

Hiroshi made a dismissive gesture to the other two instructors. 'Alright, you two, let's read the room and give these guys their lunch time...unless Tohru actually made enough for all of us?" His voice took on a hopeful upturn at the end, and Tohru had to regretfully shake her head. "Darn. I guess that's that, then, she doesn't want us, either."

"I'm so sorry, Hiroshi, I didn't even think about it," Tohru started apologetically, but Kyo cut her off.

"I'm not. You heard the man, we're working with limited time here so you guys can bug off." His tone was light and teasing, and everyone laughed. But with one last goodbye to Tohru and Hajime, the other three instructors walked off, leaving the Sohmas alone.

"Did you really have to be that blunt, Kyo?" Tohru asked with a smile as he took the diaper bag and the bakery bag from her and the two of them walked over to one of their favorite spots along the wall. Kyo was smiling at her, completely unrepentant.

"No, but it got the point across, didn't it? I've been looking forward to lunch with my family today, not my family and some lurking coworkers," he said as he set down the bags and pulled out the picnic blanket. "I can have lunch with them any time; you two, not so much."

Tohru pulled Hajime out of the baby carrier and passed him over to Kyo. It was hard to say whose expression lit up more, father's or son's.

"Well hello there, Hajime! Did you come all this way to have lunch with Daddy at the dojo? I'm so very happy to see you, you and Mommy both." Kyo leaned in and rubbed his nose against Hajime's tummy, earning a string of happy baby noises. Hajime had yet to start laughing, but the big smile on his face was more than enough of an indicator that he was happy.

While Kyo played with Hajime, Tohru was busily laying out their lunches. "Ok, I think everything is ready!"

Kyo plopped Hajime down onto the blanket on his back, handing him the fluffy black and white poof Tohru had brought along for Hajime to play with. "Alright, Hajime, knock yourself out." He surveyed the bento, then looked approvingly at his wife. "This looks great, Tohru!" And he grinned as she opened the bakery bag, passing him his bun. "Bento and a bun, my boy, and my babe. What more could a man want?"

Tohru blushed, and she gave Kyo an embarrassed smile. She and Kyo had never been the nickname type, not even the simplest 'honey' or 'sweetheart,' so it always sounded strange when he said something like that. And she'd never personally describe herself as a 'babe,' even in jest. But Kyo was in a good mood, and she could appreciate the sentiment even if the delivery was...strange.

Kyo could tell from Tohru's expression that his alliterative comment had fallen flat, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Tohru. Poetic license?"

"It's fine, just...maybe you should stick to karate."

Kyo chuckled, and the two of them set to eating their lunch. He had to laugh when he discovered the train in his bento, and Tohru giggled as he took the radish slices and choo-chooed them along over Hajime before eating them. Then he had to tease her again at the extra bun.

"I can't believe it, I'm out here slaving away to provide for my family, and my wife is holding out food on me."

"Maybe I'm just looking out for you," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Bread is basically empty carbs, right?"

"Carbs, yes, empty, no." Kyo grinned, leaning across the picnic blanket to break off a piece of the melon bread. "Never empty, especially not when it's fresh."

She sighed dramatically. "Fiiiiiiiiine, I guess I can share it, then. It was a bonus bun, anyway," she added with a grin. "So you don't need to get uppity with me for not buying you your own extra."

"Why am I not surprised? Riko always spoils you lately. And I'm never uppity, whatever that is." Kyo took the remaining piece of bread with a grin, then looked back at Hajime. "So what else have you two been up to today, aside of bringing me a great lunch?"

"Not too much so far! We've pretty much just been hanging out at home. Hajime's been hard at work on the playmat, and I did the laundry. We both took a little nap. Played. And made lunch, of course." Tohru was still immensely proud; it was only a few weeks ago that over half of what she'd done would have been beyond her reach. While she'd understood the need to take her time and allow herself to heal, it had been incredibly hard to step back and let other people take over her jobs. She'd never thought she'd ever be so excited to do her own grocery shopping!

Kyo finished eating, and he leaned over and pulled Hajime over. "Is that what you've been doing, Hajime? I hope you've been keeping your mom out of trouble. Has she been staying out of trouble, Hajime?"

Tohru smiled, watching the two of them. Hajime's smile was always so big with Kyo, so very happy. Almost as bright as Kyo's own, which always still held an element of wonder when he looked at their son. They were like two peas; a matched set of smiling gingers.

When they'd first started to seriously discuss removing her birth control implant, Kyo had been uncertain. He'd been perfectly fine keeping things as they were, for another year or two, but because she had been so eager, he'd decided he was fine moving up the timeline. Tohru hadn't believed him at first, but he'd been convincing enough (and she'd been so baby-crazy) that they'd finally gone ahead, resulting almost immediately in Hajime's conception. And though he hadn't said anything, she'd been able to tell that in those early weeks Kyo was incredibly freaked out.

He'd stepped up, though. Tohru was convinced Kyo had read even more about pregnancy and childbirth than she had, and he bent over backwards to take care of her during her pregnancy. No partner could have been more considerate, or more nurturing. And as the pregnancy had progressed, so too had Kyo's bond with Hajime.

That bond was still going strong, and getting stronger all the time. Looking at the two of them together, she couldn't believe she'd ever worried about Kyo adjusting to fatherhood.

Kyo looked over at her as he tickled Hajime's feet. "Got anything planned for this afternoon?"

She shook her head. "Not really, no. We'll stop in at the grocery store on the way home after lunch; I was thinking it would be fun to do shrimp and vegetable tempura for supper," Tohru added with a grin.

"Sounds great! We haven't had tempura in ages."

"That's why I picked it! But otherwise, not much. We might take another walk later after naptime; it's such a nice day, I hate to waste it by being inside the whole time."

Kyo smiled, looking across the blanket at Tohru. It felt so good to see her like this, happy and open, excited about doing things. Parenthood still wasn't all sunshine and roses, and there were still things that needed improvement. A couple big things, in fact, could definitely stand some improvement. But it no longer felt like Tohru was living under a perpetual grey cloud, and that was an amazing start.

Words couldn't even begin to describe how happy he felt.

He would have been happy to sit with them much longer, but lunchtime only lasted so long. "Alright, you two, duty calls," he said, giving Hajime a final nuzzle before setting him back down on the blanket. "Thanks for bringing lunch, Tohru," he added, leaning over to give Tohru a kiss.

"You're welcome, Kyo. You know we always love to come visit you at work."

"Me, too."