Ya'll I absolutely adore preschoolers and thank goodness that's also my job, but working a five day preschool VBS camp, I got sick, my husband had hand surgery, our son got my cold, my cold turned into a sinus infection… it's been a mess of a few weeks, but all is much better now even though I still cant sing which makes me very sad.

Since Kyomi grew up in the states, she's going to be sharing Christmas traditions with her new found fam and they are going to be sharing the New years traditions😊 if you have any in particular that you want to see, let me know and I'll see if it will work. Also, if there are any scenes in particular you would like to see featured, give me a shout. Or any songs you love that go with the story. I am ALWAYS up for more music. I'm trying to keep it focused on kyomi's story line and anything pertaining to her since you can just read the manga or watch the show for all the rest. We are about half way through their second year in October right now😊

Chapter 20

When Kyomi woke up, her fever was gone and she decided to go home and finish recovering there. She wanted her own home, and Tohru needed her bed back. Plus she felt the need to put some distance between her and her best friend so they could both get their bearings. Mine dropped Luc off at their apartment and the mother and son spent the next two weeks getting over their colds.

Kyomi sat on her couch in her fluffy red and gold robe covered in little lightening bolts and round eyeglasses when Hatori came. Her nose was red and her hair was a mess since she hadn't brushed it yet that morning. Luc was running around playing, happy as can be since he hadn't caught his mother's cold yet.

"You didn't habe to comb you know. We are doing fineb." Kyomi said with her nose stuffed to the point where she couldn't breathe through it.

"I just wanted to be sure. I was a little surprised you left Shigure's though." Hatori said as he finished checking Kyomi's throat.

"I felt like I needed to leabe for mby own sanity. I felt like I was going to attack hib or sombthing." Kyomi quipped back at the doctor. He threw a box of tissues at her.

"Blow your nose." He said as he went to check Luc. She complied as Hatori checked Luc. "He seems fine right now, but he might still catch your cold. I'll leave you some cold medicine for him too."

"Thanks Tori. You're such a good doctor and a good friend." Kyomi smiled at him from over her robe she had snuggled into.

Hatori walked back over to her and forcefully put his hand back on her forehead. "You don't have a fever anymore but you sure are acting like it. Do you want me to send Shigure over to pester you?" He grinned at her a little maliciously.

Kyomi sat up straight in her seat. Her face looked conflicted. "I want to say no, but I actually want to see him." She flopped her head into her hands. "Its only been two days!" She groaned into her palms.

Hatori patted her on the head with a knowing smile. He knew these two people better than almost anyone else in the world. He knew they would be wonderful together as long as they didn't get in their own way. There was a lot of history, good and bad, they would have to sort through. "Oh, if only he could hear you say that. If only elementary aged him could hear that. You'd never get rid of him." Hatori chuckled at the thought. Kyomi joined him laughing and imagining the reaction that Shigure would have had as a child.

"Hey Hati, what do you think about having a Thanksgiving meal and inviting everyone? I haven't had one in years and it's a very American thing, but I thought it would be fun for everyone." Kyomi said once their laughter had died away.

"I don't see how it would be a problem. By everyone, you mean Zodiac members?" Hatori asked as he packed up his bag.

"Of course. I don't have any other family and it was always a fun time for me when I was growing up in the states. Plus, I'd love to cook foods I grew up with for everyone." Kyomi said getting excited. "Shigure would totally let me take over his house since I'd feed him and I don't break things like my brother and Yuki. Well, most of the time…"

Hatori smiled at his old friend, so glad that, even as dysfunctional as the Somas were, they were still able to provide her with a sense of family that she had lost a few times over now, much like Honda. "I think everyone would enjoy that immensely. I'm sure Miss Honda would love to help as well as your brother."

"It would be fun to cook with them. If nothing else, Kyo would be a huge help just cutting things." Kyomi fell silent, mentally planning the menu and how to procure the ingredients she needed, and who could help her in what ways.

"Let me know if either of you get worse or run out of medicine and I'll drop by again." Kyomi saw her friend to the door. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen to write down her Thanksgiving plans and then returned to her seat to watch her son play, plan, and then probably take a nap.

Luc ended up catching the cold from his mother. Tohru stopped by a few times to drop off some groceries. Kyomi forcing her to stay away so she didn't catch it, and promising to visit once they were better. About a week later after Kyomi and Luc had gotten over their colds, they decided to take a walk in the park. They had taken a short break from Luc's martial arts class until they were feeling better, but Luc was ready to get back to it. He just had a slight runny nose and an occasional cough left so they would be returning the beginning of the next week. However, in the meantime, they were both sick of the same walls all day and needed to get out for awhile before the weather turned too cold.

As usual, the soon to be three year old boy ran ahead of his mother into the playground and started climbing the gym. Kyomi followed and sat at her usual bench. She watched her son play with a smile on her face. She pulled her scarf a little tighter and a little higher around her neck to ward off the cool breeze that was blowing. Suddenly, Luc went running towards the playground gate and was picked up by a man in a suit. Kyomi bolted upright and started heading towards them when she finally realized who it was and stopped in her tracks, doubled over laughing in relief.

"It really is a blow to a man's ego seeing a beautiful woman laughing at him you know." Shigure commented as he walked to her, Luc happily perched on his shoulder.

"I'm laughing at myself! I freaked out cause I didn't recognize you in a suit for a moment and was scared someone was abducting my son. You can abduct him any day though." She said with a smile, batting her eyelashes dramatically at him.

"I know you are just trying to get me to babysit. It wont work." He said as he put Luc down to go play again. Shigure sat on the bench, subtly angling his face away from Kyomi.

She caught what he was doing and purposefully crouched in front of him and moved his face to the side so she could see. The side of his face was red and blotchy. Anger filled her.

"Who?" Was all she could get out past the massive lump forming in her throat.

"Who else?" Was his quiet reply. She got up quickly and went to the other side of the playground with the view of the city below. The fence was wooden and taller there, so she was able to prop her forearms on it to lay her chin on. Tears snuck down her face despite her best attempts to keep them in. She heard the crunch of the mulch next to her and felt the fence move slightly as Shigure leaned his back against it so he could watch her and Luc at the same time.

"What did she do exactly?" Kyomi said, managing to keep her crying out of her voice. She huffed as he handed her a handkerchief having failed at hiding her tears.

"Hot tea. I spurned her advances and she didn't take it well." He said with a hint of his usual carefree attitude in his voice.

Kyomi shook her head as she finished wiping her face of tears. She looked at Shigure's cheek again and lightly as a feather, touched his cheek, moving her hand to the other cheek and holding it as she reached up on her tip toes to give his injured side the lightest of kisses.

She continued to inspect it as she said, "Did you see Hatori?"

Shigure didn't want her to stop what she was doing so he didn't move as he answered, "He was waiting to see her after I was done with my visit so he treated me right away. This should be gone in a day or two as long as I keep that nasty ointment on it." He took her hand in his off his cheek enough to kiss her palm and then replaced it on his cheek.

Kyomi froze as she felt his lips on her palm. Then she realized something and licked her lips.

"If you are supposed to keep ointment on your cheek, why isn't there anything on it right now?" She asked him with a hint of anger in her voice.

He looked at her with his best innocent face. "Why, I have no idea what you mean. Hatori put some on before I left." Kyomi tried to pull her hand away from his face, but he held it in place. She glared at him and he smiled right back at her. She nearly grabbed the back of his neck to wipe the grin off his face, but decided to poke his nose with her other hand instead.

"Where is it?" She said holding her free hand out.

"Where is what my dear?" He said innocently.

"The ointment Hatori supposedly gave you. If you don't give it to me, I will call him and drag you back over there." She said, mom voice coming out in full force.

Shigure sighed in defeat and pulled the tube out of his pocket and handed it to her as he released her other hand. Kyomi grabbed his hand with the ointment between their palms and drug him back to the bench they had left not long before. She made him sit down and sat beside him so she could dab the ointment on his cheek. Shigure let a hiss escape as she started. Her fingers froze for a moment before continuing more carefully.

"Does it hurt that much?" She asked him quietly.

"The ointment stings a little at first, but it numbs too so I won't feel it in a minute." He responded just as quietly.

Luc had noticed the two back at the bench and came from his climbing. "Mama, Shi Shi hurt?" He asked.

Shigure carefully pulled the boy into his lap. "It only hurts a little. It will be better soon, don't worry." He reassured the boy. Luc gave Shigure a hug before hoping back down to go play some more.

Kyomi watched the two with a smile on her face as she finished applying the ointment and wiped her hands on the handkerchief Shigure had given her. She closed the tube and handed it back to him. Shigure took her hand with the ointment and just held it on her lap. They both just stared at their hands for a moment, each unwilling to pull away.

Shigure spoke softly, looking up at Kyomi's face. "You are always quick to tell me if I'm doing something you don't want me to, yet in this moment you are silent. Care to explain why that is my dear?" He said with care and a heavy hint of teasing.

Kyomi's face blushed slightly as she continued to stare at their hands. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again when no words came out. Shigure wanted to tease her again so much it almost hurt, but he knew she was on the verge of saying something and he didn't want to incur her ire. Kyomi looked up and her eyes immediately met his. She couldn't stand it anymore. She reached forward and pressed her lips to his, with meaning, but not roughly. Shigure froze in shock for a moment before he released her hand and put his on either side of her face and they both sank into the kiss. Both their lips melting into and moving slowly against the others. Kyomi almost threw her arms around him, but realized that wasn't a good idea with what little thought she had left in her brain and instead ran her hands up his chest to his collar and shoulders and played with the hair at the nape of his neck instead. They broke apart only when they heard Luc squeal from jumping in a puddle he had found. They both had jumped a mile when they heard him and had both nearly come out of their seats to run to him. Realizing Luc was fine and only having fun, they settled back, hands still on each other. They looked back at the other and both started laughing a little at the release of tension and the disappearance of all the awkwardness that had previously been present. Shigure laid his forehead on Kyomi's and just watched her rein in her giggles.

"I wasn't really planning on doing that, but I couldn't help myself anymore. Does that somewhat answer your question?" Kyomi asked, her eyes closed, just enjoying the comfort and closeness he provided.

He rubbed her cheek with a thumb. "It does to some extent. Although it did leave me with more questions and something tells me we will have even more to talk about now." He answered. "I really just have one more important question, the rest can come later. What do you feel for me?" He asked in a rare moment of pure sobriety.

Kyomi opened her eyes to look into his, smiled and answered slowly. "I have no doubt in my mind, that I'm falling in love with you. What I'm not sure about is whether I was always actually in love with you or…" She wasn't able to finish her thought before his lips met hers once more with more. She felt the need and years of longing and pursuit in the fervor of his kiss.

"Is Shi Shi my new daddy?" A small voice right next to them brought them both back to the present. They sprung apart and looked at the small boy who stared back at them expectantly with a smile.

The adults glanced at each other, Shigure nodding at Kyomi to encourage her to say whatever she was comfortable with. Kyomi lifted Luc onto her lap.

"We don't know yet sweetie. Right now, we know we like each other a whole lot, but we need to talk a lot more before we decide on anything else okay? We will still always be best friends just like we have been though, don't worry about that." Kyomi said, trying to choose the simplest and most truthful way of explaining what their relationship was at that moment.

Shigure rubbed the boys head, "Why don't you come for dinner? Oba Tohru and Oji Kyo will be there too." As he spoke, he looked at Kyomi for her permission as well. He normally would have asked her first, but he knew she wanted to talk. He also didn't want to let her out of his sight after her confession.

He didn't have to worry, Kyomi was already nodding at him in agreement and went a step further. "It is getting late, could we trouble you to stay the night as well?" Shigure's eyes lit up and Kyomi immediately glared at him. "Don't get any ideas puppy. Dinner, talk, sleep. End. Of. Story." She enunciated to get her point across. His shoulders slumped in defeat, but then he stood and lifted Luc to sit on his shoulders.

"I agree to your request and demands my dear. Let's go home." He said as he took her hand to help her stand. He didn't let go as they went on their way.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain dojo master had been walking by and caught them kissing. He watched the trio interact and smiled as they walked off looking every bit like a family that had been together for years and years. He turned to head back to his dojo with a smile on his face and well wishes in his heart. He also hoped for his son to take the news well. He chuckled to himself imagining Kyo's reaction to this particular news, which soon turned to full on laughter as he walked home.

Hehehe, I like Kyomi, couldn't help myself😊 Let me know what you think! And fair warning, I do not write lemons so you'll just have to look elsewhere for that or use your own imagination LOL. There's plenty to find out there!