Author's Note: Sometimes I wonder what life is, instead of what it LOOKS like and even less of what it SHOULD be like. Skimming the OMG fanfiction realm, I was trying to rack my brains for an original idea. Then it hit me right in the face. Keep it simple. No death. No death-defying heroics. Just plain, life and the worries you deal with. It's something that SHOULD be easy to write and LOOKS easy to write, but probably just isn't. So here goes. My fic.
No Titles Required
The morning always comes too fast. Well, that and life too. Just when I begin to close my eyes to fall asleep, I wake up to a bright sun streaming through the thin curtains. I dislike how my long hair always feels so disheveled and mussed in the morning but I know how much Keiichi likes my hair so I keep it long. Looking in the mirror, I sigh at the mess that Urd has left by the vanity.
I keep telling my older sister that perhaps using so many cosmetics at one time may be rather wasteful. She doesn't listen. She doesn't bother putting them away either. Normally, I would put them away for her but if I coddle her too much, she'll never learn. Trying my best to shove them to the side without knocking them off the side, I go through the rituals I have learned from living on Earth for the last two years.
Brush the teeth.
Comb the hair.
Towel and blow-dry lightly.
Change into a rather gaudy outfit with FAR too many rings and frills that Urd swears looks stunning on me.
Reapply a bit of mascara and just a bit of lipstick. Not too much or it'll all come off anyway. Not to mention Skuld might start to get suspicious again and it does tax my patience to a point when I have to explain how nothing special is going on.
…and if there was, I'm sorry dear, you would probably be the last person upon this Earth I would tell. I spend a good deal of time with you already. Let your older sister spend some quality time with her's truly or they'll never get anywhere.
I smile to myself as I realize how use to this I have become. This quiet life that isn't really quite that quiet. Though I cook, clean, tend to the garden, and become everything any housewife would ever dream of, the responsibilities are rather slight. I would rather do this than, oh, control the entire world per say. Though there are probably many days when I have time to myself, there probably aren't many days when I have time with just Keiichi.
It's frustrating. It really is. Sometimes it's Urd and Skuld. Sometimes it's Keiichi's friends from the Motor Club. But either way, I don't get as much time to just talk with him and only him as I would like. I've tried involving Urd and Skuld in the discussion. It works rather poorly. Urd drinks quite a bit but it takes much more than a bit to inebriate her. So she always ends up being too witty, intelligent, and smart for me to feel safe talking freely without worrying that my food or drink might be spiked somewhere across the next day. Skuld just tries to reorient my entire attention span on her so that's more of a barricade than a roadblock.
I suppose it just makes the times I do get to spend alone with Keiichi that much more precious. It is saddening, but I would prefer to remain optimistic than to have Skuld taste-test every food item I receive from Urd for the next week and a half.
I sigh as I sit on the stool for a moment longer. My hair is still a bit damp so I relax and let the air dry it, albeit a bit slower. Last time Urd tried to invoke the Spirits of Air, the results, as always, didn't go as expected. I sorely hope Keiichi doesn't notice the rather black streak that goes through a diagonal line through my hair.
I won't tell anyone, but I do take pride in having a very beautiful human form. It's not easy always having the hair just the right way or having the clothes fit so it goes perfectly with my other ensemble. I have experimented a painstakingly long time to make sure that my taste in jewelry never jumps from classy to gaudy. Though I do believe in natural beauty and that beauty just for itself is skin deep, it never hurts to try your best to look something more than just presentable. Urd always comments that half of the campus quad is probably failing because they spend more time looking at me than the chalkboard.
I'm fine with that. After all, Keiichi just failed his Spanish course and probably has to stay in college a semester longer.
The temple grounds are still quiet and judging from the lack of exploding sounds that signify Skuld's alarm has gone off, it should stay quiet for a while longer. Urd's languid breath and rather wide smile as she sleeps in the futon besides me tell me that she's having a very good dream. Far be it for me to wake her up.
I open the door softly and slide it even softer. Keiichi's room is across the hallway which I find very annoying since naturally Skuld slapped her laboratory/sleeping residence right in the middle. I came very close to exploding when Skuld had set Banpei on patrol just outside the door. A girl in love ALWAYS has her limit and forcible separation is the easiest way to light my fuse.
But now Bampei is being a dear and diligently patrolling the nonexistent temple parking lot just as I had tacitly expressed to Skuld. So I get what I want and Bampei is still in working order so in the end, we're all happy.
Knocking gently on Keiichi's door, I cough lightly before saying sweetly, "Keiichi dear. Please get up soon. I'm going to prepare breakfast."
The rough tussle of sheets noisily being moved around signifies that Keiichi is having a hard time to wake up. For being such a small person, he does require more sleep than the average mortal. I smile as I hear him trip over his sheets to get to the sliding panel. That's what I always like about him. He always as happy to see me as I am to see him. Even if it does make him act like a complete fool.
There is nothing better for a woman than to know she is wanted. To feel that, I am perfectly fine with Keiichi sacrificing his personal dignity to do so.
Sliding the door open just a crack, Keiichi offers a weak smile as he tries to sound suave at what is probably seven in the morning. I can use many words to describe Keiichi. Mine, the first word coming to mind. Suave would probably not even break the first hundred. Still, I appreciate his effort. "Thanks Bell. I'll be there as fast I can."
I smile back. "Take your time dear."
Well, actually, take as little time as you can. The faster you get OUT of your room, the sooner you can meet me in the kitchen and the more time we get to spend together before my wonderful siblings are made manifest. Naturally, there is no bitterness in that comment. We are goddesses after all. We do have to rebuild our corporeal forms after restructuring our physical compound during the lunar cycle.
Or that's what sounds most convenient anyway.
Turning back around, I make my way towards the kitchen. It's small and quaint but I like to keep cooking simple and clean. Everyone says my cooking is good but what no one notices is that it is a rather low maintenance meal they are eating. Given the opportunity, I would rather not spend half of my remaining afternoon cooking. A break of an egg, some soy sauce, maybe a sprig of green onion, fried for five minutes over the stove and placed over rice and we have a suitable breakfast.
Right on time, I hear Keiichi's footsteps come plodding down the hallway and a large yawn echoing down the corridor. Emerging from the corner, I have to fight from laughing like I always want to do when I see him in the morning. His hair is standing almost completely on end adding three inches to his five foot height. The shirt he's wearing didn't survive well from last night's all-nighter cramming for exams I told him to study for a week before. The slacks are equally crumpled and go well with the stubble that starting to form on his chin. The water dripping down his forehead hasn't seemed to do anything to wake him up either, judging from the rather haphazard path he's traveling to get to the table.
"Thanks a lot Belldandy." Almost collapsing on the chair, he smiles at the bowl I push forward towards him. "That looks great."
"Eat up." Placing the pan into the faucet, I draw the chair facing him. "Your class begins at eight dear?"
"Huh?" A mouth full of rice never sounds coherent. Swallowing quickly, Keiichi laughs, "Yeah. Nekomi doesn't have another Spanish class that's later."
I sigh. "It really was too bad you failed your first semester. Are you sure you don't want me to follow you to lecture again? Those rows are a bit tight though. We'd probably have to sit very close if we want to fit."
I smile inwardly as Keiichi chokes and blushes bright red. I always enjoy seeing Keiichi blush but only if it's because of me. Otherwise, the offender is extraordinarily insensitive as to be so rude as to embarrass my hard working Keiichi who always tries to be a gentleman.
I crossed the Gate of Judgment with this mortal. No one else has. I believe the closest analogy I can take seriously is claiming my territory. What applies to everyone else naturally does not apply to me. Hypocrisy is a virtual non-issue.
Still recovering from whatever lewd thought that crossed his mind, he replies, "No, it's alright Belldandy. Thanks for offering." I can almost hear you thinking I REALLY need to pay attention in class…
Like I said, I will always be there and I will always support you. Just don't hold me responsible for taking a few liberties along the way. Even if it comes in the form of a rather tight dress that I take great pains to go through to make sure it fits that way. I don't look good for everyone, Keiichi. I just look good TO everyone.
But I do look good for you dear. Because you are the one that matters most. Don't worry about reciprocating. I know Keiichi the best so I know that like always, Keiichi is trying his best. That the results aren't as flashy as mine is something I understand...not to mention in some odd way, it is rather cute.
It's amazing how fast time passes when I'm with him. Usually the day seems to drag on mixed with some intermittent arguing between Urd and Skuld that I tone out while soothing a mild headache with a cup of Darjeeling. True, it IS rather expensive considering Japan loathes importing ANYTHING, hence the reason I never complain to Urd about her drinking habits. Best not to bring attention to my little vices. Addiction to a foreign substance is a hideous shackle when you don't have it. Otherwise we somehow get by.
I force myself to keep a pleasant face as I distastefully pour the cup of coffee Keiichi likewise can't live without. I, personally, can't stand the stuff. Bitter unless you add five cups of sugar and milk and then it resembles a substance more like oatmeal than a caffeine stimulant. Not to mention I have a nagging suspicion that Keiichi lost at least a foot in height because of it.
I can't argue the results though. A cup and a half later he looks much better with at least half of the color returning to his face. We start talking quietly to each other about small, unimportant matters. Whether Keiichi wants to go to Graduate school. Whether there is enough rice for the week. Whether Keiichi should go to a sorority party Sayoko invited him to. (NO!)
Nothing inspiring. Nothing moving. Nothing that will truly affect what we are and who we are. A conversation that elicits a few laughs and doesn't really mean or say much. Nothing anyone would normally expect a conversation between a goddess and a mortal would be like. Divinity is more a product of conception rather than reality anyway.
And before we know it, there's only fifteen minutes before Keiichi has to speed down the highway and still not get into an accident. With speed born out of pure panic, Keiichi begins shoveling what's left of his breakfast down his throat and, since it is partially my fault, I don't have the heart to tell him to try to chew before inhaling. With a half-smile, I start picking up the dishes and placing them in the sink. Half because I realized something right then and there that I must have realized before. I realized that I loved those quiet conversations. Thee small pointless talk we share just between us when we're alone.
But I love it because I've never really known anything more.
I love it so much that I'm not even sure if there is anything more. The happiness I feel…the calm satisfaction…all of it and everything it is…I want to feel it forever. Because I know that I have never been as happy as I am now. It becomes more like that every day. There has never been a day that I have ever been sad or angry or so bitter that I want something….ANYTHING…to happen if it would just end.
And that scares me as well. It reminds me of being back in Heaven. Of the endless days of quiet mixed with a phone call and a…a…
A happiness and a calm satisfaction.
And I loved that too when I was in Heaven. I loved it so much…but now, I would do anything else than return to that kind of life. Back then, I wanted to be loved by everything and everyone. I wanted to make sure that I could be as pure and as untainted as I could possibly be. I try to believe the same is true now, but where I am and what I have become has changed so much that I no longer try to deny it. Turning back, I glance at Keiichi who is diligently pouring himself another cup of coffee.
Now, I want to only be loved by that mortal who, for the most part, probably has no idea how I feel. He knows I love him. That I always want to stay by his side. And I know the same. But I want to know more. I want to know why mortals can say forever in a heartbeat and somehow mean it. I want to know why there is such a thin line between love and hatred. I want to know why mortals who argue so bitterly to each other all the time can say with a clear heart, that they do love each other.
I want to worry, grow jealous, live, and do it all with Keiichi.
I want to do so because those are things in life that require no titles. Because even a goddess like me can experience those things. I want to be more than content.
I whisper softly to Keiichi out of the corner of my mouth, "I want you."
Of course he didn't hear me. Of all the people I had the most trouble expressing my heart and expecting them to listen, the one I wanted most of all to do so remained the most difficult. With a guileless smile, he picked up the remaining dish on the table and walked over beside me on the sink. Maybe it was because I had convinced him that perhaps 5 cups of coffee every morning had the same net effect as, oh, say 20, he seemed a bit taller than normal. Leaning a bit on the sink, I let my shoulders sink so I could see him eye to eye without looking down.
"I'll be back from class early since discussion was canceled. Why don't we all go out tonight?"
And there's the word that I can't help but feel seems to crystallize our relationship. All. I wonder if it's ever occurred to Keiichi that it's somehow weird that what he (at least what he better) means is Belldandy, somehow gets confused with…All. Whether that All is the motor club or more generically an Urd and Skuld, I somehow feel somewhat wronged when I'm lumped in with the All. Wouldn't it be so much easier to just say, "Why don't WE go out tonight?"
Amazing how excluding one word immediately changes the whole context of the situation. It makes another disaster waiting to happen into a quiet, almost romantic gesture. Girls appreciate almost romantic gestures after all.
And if that's not completely true…at least I would. I would appreciate it very much.
I must have been thinking a bit too hard because a worried look flashes through Keiichi's eyes at the unnerving silence. "Is there a problem…Belldandy?"
I want to say no. I want to say the right thing that will put things back in place and the wheels back into motion. But I don't want to. Because for two years I've always said the right thing. The right thing always means putting Belldandy on the backburner to make amends for everything else. Not very inspiring. I find it ironic how I spent most of my childhood and teenage years looking for this mortal and yet, the same patience that lasted me for far too long seems to all be disappearing within an instant. Without reply, I give the next best thing that doesn't make me too sick. I smile.
It is Keiichi after all. I never have trouble smiling at him. It's better to think that way. Clearing my throat, I whisper, "No. I'd love to spend time with you."
And I didn't lie. But I didn't agree with you. I wonder if Keiichi can see what I mean. What I really mean. I lean forward a bit and look him in the eye, almost inadvertently…as if I really, really wanted an answer.
Because I did. I probably didn't even know how badly I wanted it.
I suppose it was probably a bit of a shock to both of us when we both realized that we were facing each other with barely three inches separating the distance. I could not tell as easily what Keiichi felt at the moment, but judging from how warm my face felt, I could easily tell what I felt. Not that I ever needed much prompting in the first place.
But, I must admit, it is at this point in our relationship that I feel completely and utterly helpless. Curious considering sitcoms and magazines seem to expect this to be the most basic of all levels. I am a goddess. I do possess a degree of immortality and as thus, I have seen some things impossible to describe with just mortal terms. I have felt emotions that I cannot easily explain to anyone. I suppose I do have a wisdom about me that explains the first degree license I possess. But as far as explaining how to "get around second base", I might as well try to learn how to clap with one hand.
Because at these moments, I know just about as much. Whether it's holding hands, hugging, or kissing, I just have no clue what the rules of engagement entail. I suppose I could ask for help from my dear sister Urd, but, for the sake of my sanity, I think I'll leave that Pandora's Box unopened. Sometimes it's frustrating. Sometimes I wonder even if it's all worth it. How natural can something be when I'm so…unnatural…at it?
So unnatural….
So completely not me…
…that I do think that I would go insane if I was ever to do without it.
And thus we come to the crux of the matter. That although Keiichi's purity of soul and heart is what I've always adored…that I so see so much more than just that. Or, for the purists, I see that which is just the skin. I think that, as far as mortals go, that my Keiichi is extraordinarily…….
Cute.
He's nice, gets along with as many people as he can and he tries his best when I don't think many would. Even though he gets forced into so many inconvenient situations, he always makes the best of it and always tries to be of some help. And the patience he has in not physically inflicting harm upon my two sisters is something that would fascinate most sociology majors rather than just me.
But, all that pseudo-spiritual thought aside, I find him very good looking. Yes, even physically. He has what Urd would never agree to as a lady killer's smile. Perhaps it is rather difficult to believe but there are many women, and more goddesses than I am comfortable with, who share an accord with me on that respect. I, for one, would do away with that horrible trench coat that is five times his size but at least his fashion sense is not as blatantly faux pas as Aoshima's. I even find his small stature particularly endearing. I can always easily look him at the eye and expect him to look back at me.
True, our physical relationship is tacit, immature, and completely unfulfilling, but for the moments that do exist…I love them. It is very reassuring to know that what I love is actually there. That this is not just some strange fantasy that is all in my head…and judging from the results of some of Urd's botched potions, the line between reality and fantasy is not as solid as one would like to believe.
I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Slowly sliding my hand across the sink, I place my hand over his and lean just a bit closer. I know my Keiichi is a bit on the dense side, but I also know that my invitation isn't lost on him. A slight squeeze of his hand sends a jolt of relief down my spine nonetheless. Closing my eyes, I tilt my neck just a bit to the side and hold my breath.
Perhaps this is an auspicious way to begin the morning.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?"
Hatred. Pure absolute hatred is a wasted feeling. It is completely self-destructive and offers no satisfaction in return. And yet, it is a feeling that surprises me at its ease to manifest itself. Perhaps hatred is a wrong term to consider…if frustration, repressed anger, an almost palatable sense of tension, and an inordinate desire to scream does not constitute hatred. I, for one, hope I am wrong in my assumption…although the bitter edge that is very close to cutting away my sanity seems too real for me to deny much at all.
I don't have to turn my head to the side to know that, of course, Skuld is standing at the hallway glaring at Keiichi as if he had pinned me to the side of the sink and was forcibly trying to have his way with me. Which, might I add, I WOULD protest to seeing as I am not a sexually repressed savant with a definite desire to get raped just because I lack physical attention. Thus concluding Skuld, if I was being in anyway violated, you would know very clearly. As you should now best of all, my voice can do much more than just sing.
"I ALWAYS HAVE TO SPLIT YOU UP!"
True. The question however, lies in why you always have to.
And the crystal serene of the moment shatters into a thousand pieces, each completely irretrievable and each completely lost. Almost instantaneously, Keiichi backs up and averts his eyes…and although I would very much like to complain, I do the same. Not satisfied, Skuld marches forward and forcibly wedge us apart, making an imaginary barrier into something very real and tangible.
Glaring at us, she bites out, "What were you two doing?"
The customary stammers. The customary answer that Skuld probably already expects…except that the answer is already so painfully obvious that asking it in the first place is just plain rhetorical. I was about to kiss someone. I was leaning forward and practically begging for it. In fact, if asked and if I ever felt enough audacity to provide an answer, I could probably explain in quite a lurid account of the precise touch, scent, and, eventually, taste of the situation.
Mollifying Skuld is usually a long and tedious process but seeing as Keiichi needs to get to class, I skimp the classic extended version and use the guaranteed method out. I compliment the fine gadget in her hand whose purpose I have NO clue about whatsoever. It's quite alright however. Skuld immediately rectifies that situation. Almost spinning 180 degrees in her eagerness to explain, any thought Skuld might have of lecturing a mortal who is almost a decade her elder and lecturing her sister who is almost a millennia her elder vanishes instantaneously.
Of course by the fifth second my interest becomes completely dissolved and I relegate myself to a pattern of nodding and ooh'ing appropriately every pause or so to make sure Keiichi has enough time to run back to his room and grab his gear. Flashing me a grateful, heartfelt look of thanks, Keiichi neatly takes the cue and I spend the next minute or so extracting myself from the one-sided conversation before me. I've learned that if I let Skuld go on too long, the window of opportunity exponentially becomes smaller.
An exclamation of her genius and a carefully etched smile finally do the trick and Skuld prances down the hall, firmly convinced that her dear sister DID learn something useful today. I do feel somewhat guilty over the ease in which my impartiality towards her mecha obsession kicks in, but I promise myself next time will be different. Checking the time quickly, I grab the bento I prepared last night lying on the counter and prepare to meet Keiichi by the driveway. On my way out of the door, I neatly grab the helmet carelessly tossed to the side, reminding myself to scold Keiichi later for forgetting it. True, he was always a safe driver when I was in the sidecar, but my heart always falls into the pit of my stomach whenever I see him racing. Driving a motorized bike without a helmet is completely unacceptable.
I smile at the thought. I do sound like a nagging housewife don't I?
"Ah! Bell-chan!" Already set to burn rubber and hopefully avoid unnecessary entanglements with the authorities, Keiichi makes the last few checks on the bike as he rolls it out on the driveway.
"Drive carefully dear." I hand him the bento. "I'm sorry but I didn't make lunch as large as normal."
Keiichi laughs quietly. "It's alright. When I come back, we'll go to the teahouse together." A soft smile slides across his face. "I'll bring back some ice cream and sake to distract Skuld and Urd."
"Eh?" It is of perhaps one of the greater instances of surprise that rob me of my normal faculties of speech.
Keiichi leans over, and I am pleasantly able to say that being surprised like this will earn me very few complaints. Kissing my cheek gently, Keiichi grins sheepishly. "Sorry I couldn't do that before. I wanted to too."
I should say something right now. Something brilliantly romantic or at least something that might go a long way in validating my existence right here and now. Of course nothing comes to mind. But I am probably blushing and smiling like an idiot which is a condition I have no problems with at this moment. I'll probably kick myself for not acting on this moment later but right now, I am perfectly fine with trying to count the stars that have suddenly flashed into my mind and seriously considering notions of sending Urd and Skuld to Mars if they get in the way this time.
No…that's bad, Belldandy…
Mars isn't far enough.
"H…have a lovely time…dear…"
He smiled at my rather blasé response nonetheless. I think this too represents a great deal of why I love him. Just when my faith dips, I can always find a renewal. Just by looking at him, I can find a renewal. Because…I am sure at these times that we share the same thoughts.
I know that because the fears, the doubts, and the nagging frustration I feel seem to vanish…and I have this feeling in my heart that things will always be fine. That though Heaven, Earth, and everything in between seems to conspire to drive us apart, that nothing ever really will. At these times, I feel blessed. I feel blessed because my being a goddess has nothing to do with that certain feeling. And so even if I was a woman, everything would be just fine.
My smile grows wider even as my blush grows noticeably more crimson. It's only right that the only person in the world who always leaves me completely speechless is the person I love the most in the world. I doubt it's much of a surprise…because it happens so often that I think it's not as unusual as it feels every time.
"Have a lovely time dear…" And I suddenly know exactly what to say. How I always feel when he's not by my side. "But do come back soon."
"I promise."
Promises are meant to be kept. But promises are always difficult to keep because of that. I worry all the time…because of what I am and who I am. It's like playing a game where two sides play with two different rules. There are so many complications. My immortality. My lineage. My blood. And though I would give all that up to stay by Keiichi, I would rather not have to. Those traits are precious to me. Not as precious, but still…they are aspects I would prefer to keep. My Father is Kami-sama who gave me these gifts. I am willing to sacrifice them, but I will no do so recklessly.
I prefer to remain blessed by a Father who loves me and a mortal who loves me most of all. The best of both worlds. I will quantify my love…and I will say if I had to choose between Keiichi and everything else…I would choose the former. But, that decision has never come up. And if it ever did, it would not be in my hand. Because although I know the answer, it is still not a choice I would ever have to make.
So much has happened since I have come down. I proved to Heaven and to myself that though chance had brought a little goddess and a little boy together, there was no chance involved in my heart. The Lord of Terror came to destroy the known Universe and by the next day the world was still turning. My former teacher Celestine was returned to Earth by the Fairie Morgan in order to activate the Destruct Program and annihilate Heaven. And past that, I walked through a Gate with something I held most precious and saw Nirvana.
And thought it was repetitive, I told Keiichi after every time how much I loved him and in return, he told me the same. It never grew repetitive. At least not to us.
So much…and so much hanging in a balance.
But the grandeur of those events…the meaning of what they stand for…stand for the same. Even without the threat of imminent destruction hanging over all, my feelings would never change. Just as powerful though not as glamorous are these days. The quiet ones. There are so many days where some upstart demon, goddess, natural, or quasi-epic phenomenon pose another problem to be dealt with. But there are so many more days where nothing special happens besides watching a sunrise and a sunset while eating a plate of watermelon together. Nothing more than asking simple questions whose answers don't need to be explained while a cup of my favorite tea is shared between us.
And sometimes days like this where I fret over the condition of our relationship. And days like this where I find out again that, like always, it has been just fine. And the answer has never changed. That I exist in the same world as my beloved will do just fine.
Don't worry about Heaven. No Father would ever wish his daughter's unhappiness.
Don't worry about how fast a relationship should or shouldn't go. It's going at our pace. Our time.
Don't worry about some supernatural force trying to destroy everything or everyone. It doesn't happen everyday and when it does happen…well, it happens often enough for me to retain quite some skepticism.
I'll worry about just two things. How long will you be gone and when will you come back. And those are very simple questions to answer…because although I do know that love is a complicated matter, I also know that you want to be with someone you love. Everything else is best left for when it comes up.
So come back very soon.
[EPILOGUE]
I had a very nice night with Keiichi. Sentaro's arrival was very precipitous and a 12 hour matinee of soap operas was very fortunate. Sayoko didn't show up, Aoshima followed suit, and the Motor Team was equally not present. We had dinner, took a long walk down a street whose name I forgot, and made random comments about things we don't remember. We didn't kiss or come close to stealing second but I didn't let go of his hand and likewise, he showed no inclination of stopping either.
Well…we did kiss once more. But that was just because he asked.
I won't complain at all.
The next morning, it was as if someone had re-spun the hands of time as I woke up too early, primped myself up, made breakfast and dealt with the family. The next morning will probably be the same. And after a while, when the revelations of this day wane, I'll start to worry again.
I'm looking forward to it.
At heart, I am a woman. Because I love you, Keiichi, there are no titles that will ever be required.
