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February 7th

"Wake up, Sleepy."

Kamatari rolled over onto his stomach. Sunlight was filtering into the room and it made his eyes hurt. He felt like he'd just fallen asleep; how could it be morning already? "No…" He pulled the blankets over his head, trying to hide from the morning.

"Come on out from under there." Gesshoku's voice drifted through the layers of covers, "Kietsu needs a bath and it's your turn."

"I got up with her last night." He mumbled, "Doesn't that count?"

"I know you got up with her. But that's not the same as giving her a bath." She replied. Giving their daughter a bath was like begging for trouble. She didn't dislike it; far from it. She loved getting a bath. That was what made it so dangerous. She splashed like nobody's business. Neither of them was fond of getting their clothing wet, so bathing Kietsu was not a savory task.

"You're seriously considering bringing another child like that into this house?" He questioned from his position under the bedding. She had sat down beside him and her hand was rested on his back, fingers caressing softly, trying to entice him to come out.

"Well, yes. I am considering it. The little lady is a joy. Think about it. You loved watching her when she was a baby; seeing her grow and learn. Her first steps, her first words…The first time she called you 'Papa' you cried. You mean to tell me you don't want all that joy again, Kamatari?"

Oh, she was clever. He was smiling, thinking fondly of those memories. He distinctly remembered when she called him "Papa." He had been sitting on a small bench in the garden, Kietsu on his lap. She was about a year and a half old and a butterfly had fluttered by, flittering through her line of vision. She had turned to him, looking up, her eyes wide with innocence. "Look, Papa!" She pointed after it, a knowing smile on her face.

And he had burst into tears.

He considered that tender moment. If there were no more children, there would be no more memories like that. "All right." He pulled back the blankets, looking at her evenly, a sparkle in his eyes, "Let's do it."

"Right now?" She inquired, trying to stifle laughter at the sight of his tousled hair.

"No!" He threw a pillow at her and she giggled. He caught her in his arms as she dodged a second attack, pulling her into his clutches. He kissed her forehead then her nose before moving down to capture her mouth with his. "We'll get Sonomi to keep an eye on Kietsu tonight. She owes us anyway, so now we can call in the favor. Then we'll go out, me and you. Maybe bring Sou and Harusame along; they still need a little push. Then we'll come back here and do what we need to do. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." She smiled sweetly, "But that doesn't mean you get out of giving her a bath."

"Dammit."

"Oh, all right. We'll do it together." She compromised, "Come on; get dressed."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

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Harusame opened her eyes that morning to find herself face to face with Sojiro. He was still asleep, curled up on his side, his breathing deep and even. His eyelashes swept across his cheeks, his dark bangs fell across his forehead. His mouth was slightly open and one of his hands clutched the blanket held up to his chin.

He was incredibly cute when he was asleep.

She was content to lay there and watch him sleep, but then it occurred to her that if she was still in bed and Sojiro was still in bed, Sonomi, Kamatari and possibly even Gesshoku would never let her hear the end of it.

She blushed at this thought. No, it would be better to get up and let Sojiro sleep. She was awake, after all, and the day had already begun.

She sat up on the bed, stretching. She felt like crap after all the crying she had done the night before. Her gaze came to rest on the unwanted yukata. Maybe a dip in the springs would be nice…

Checking to make sure Sojiro was still asleep, she squirmed out of her pajamas and slid on the silk robe. Ooo…This does feel good. The silk is nice. Maybe I should get a kimono. Maybe…Nah.

She pulled her cloak on over the yukata and stole out of the room, heading down for a dip in the springs.

She stopped at the counter in the tea room, asking the young woman who worked there for a towel. Passing by Kumori, who greeted her guests as they came and went, she bowed politely, murmuring "Ohayo gozaimasu, Aoiroten-san."

The matriarch bobbed her head in response and the young woman wandered on to the private spring, which friends of Gesshoku and Nisshoku had permission to use.

"Ohayo! Ohayo, Haru!"

She smiled at the sound of little Kietsu's voice. The girl was grinning at her, a big fluffy towel wrapped around her. She looked like she'd just had the biggest thrill of her life.

Her parents, on the other hand, looked like they'd been caught in a tsunami.

Kamatari's hair hung limply around his face; droplets of water ran down his forehead. The silk of his clothing was wet and rumpled and he looked as if he'd been half-drowned. Gessho had her hair tied back in a short ponytail, but her longish bangs were plastered to her forehead and her glasses were covered with flecks of water. She wasn't as soaked as her beloved husband, but she was also creating a puddle on the floor.

"I clean!" Kietsu beamed, her impish smile causing Harusame to laugh, "Got my bath!"

"It looks like your Mama and Papa got a bath too." The young woman told her.

She looked over her shoulder and her grin widened at the sight of her soggy parents. "Hai." She nodded in confirmation, "They clean too." She giggled.

"She really enjoys her baths." Kamatari explained, grabbing an extra towel and handing it to Gessho, "She enjoys them a lot."

"I can tell." Harusame smiled.

"Go get your clothes on, Baby." Gessho pulled off her glasses, wiping them on the towel so she could see. She still hated them and hardly ever wore them, but she did need to see on occasion and she certainly couldn't see out of them when they were all wet. "Then we'll go get some breakfast and see Obasan."

"An' I say 'ohayo, Obasan' an' do this." She bowed dramatically, causing all three adults to smile.

"That's right. Now go get dressed. If you need help, I'll come."

"Okay!" The little girl scampered off in search of her clothes.

"Darling," Kamatari looked at his wife, "Would you like to stay here and have a soak with Harusame? I'll take Kietsu to see your mother. You need some time to relax and think a little. Try to unwind. I want you in a good mood when we go out later." He pushed back a lock of her hair, kissed her on the cheek.

She nodded in agreement, "All right. But don't you go getting stressed out either. I want you relaxed too." She ran one of her fingers across his cheek, traced his lips, reached up to kiss him softly. "I love you."

Harusame stared at the floor, blushing at their brazen attitudes. She couldn't even imagine being so open about her relationship with Sojiro. They were so shameless with their affections and Harusame was embarrassed for them. Gessho and Sojiro were the same age. Why was she so much more capable of handling her feelings than he was?

" 'M all ready!" Kietsu came prancing back. She had managed to dress herself, even if her kimono was slightly askew. Kamatari bent to straighten her clothes, smiling; his daughter was the height of fashion.

"Well then, Sweetpea, let's go see your Grandmother." He took her by the hand.

"Mama come too?" She looked over her shoulder at Gessho.

"Honey, you go on with Papa. I'm going to stay here and have some Mama time." She stroked back the toddler's hair, "You be a good girl for Papa."

"I always good."

Her mother smiled wryly. "I'll see you later, Kiddo." She watched fondly as they wandered away, hand in hand. Then she turned to Harusame. "Well then…"

"Right." The younger woman nodded.

A few moments later, they were both relaxing in the hot spring. Gessho let her hair down, ducking under the water, her glasses carefully placed on the edge of the spring. Harusame just sat there, the water up to her chin, her eyes closed.

"Oh, yeah…That feels so good." Gesshoku sank lower in the warm water.

"So, you guys are going out later?" Harusame peered through the steam, looking at her friend.

"Mhm. You and Sou want to come? We're going to have Sonomi watch Kietsu. She owes us a favor any way. We're going out for dinner then we're going to spend time together, just me and him."

"What's the occasion?"

"Well, we, um, think we want to have another baby." Gessho said slowly, "And, well, we've got to get the mood right for, well, you know."

"Oh." A pause. Then, "Really? That's fantastic!"

"You think so?"

"Yeah. You're both great with Kietsu. You really love her and want the best for her, any one can see that. And you love each other. It's only natural that you have children."

"We're not positive yet, but we think we're ready. I'm not getting any younger, you know. I want another baby before I'm too old."

"You're not old." Harusame shook her head, her wet hair whipping around her face. So they wanted a second child. This was interesting news.

"Not yet. But before you know it, I will be. We all will. Which brings me to my next topic of discussion. What's new with you and Sojiro? Really? Now that Sonomi isn't here to butt in, you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know." She fiddled with a long lock of her hair, "I mean, he still lives at my house and I like having him around. I do love him, Gessho. I love him a lot. But I just don't know. I don't think I'm ready to get married. I'm only nineteen."

"I was eighteen when I got married. It didn't change anything. Well, at least not until I got pregnant. If he loves you, he won't make you give anything up for him. He'll let you be the same person you've always been. Besides, he hasn't come right out and asked you to marry him yet, has he?"

"Well, no. But he keeps implying it. I get the idea he wants to ask me, but he's too shy to go through with it. I kind of just wish he would do it already." She sighed, "Maybe it would be easier to figure out then."

"If he asked you directly, would you say yes?" Gessho inquired.

"Would you have said yes if your marriage wasn't arranged?" Harusame countered.

The older woman made a face and her brow wrinkled. "He never would have asked if our marriage wasn't arranged. He still feels strongly for Shishio, even now. We would still be friends and nothing more. I thought my parents never cared about me. Now I thank them for caring so much. I love him with all my heart, you know."

"I know." A smile crossed the girl's face, then she fell silent for a moment. "How do you deal with the past? Sojiro, he still thinks about it from time to time. And I don't know how to deal with it. What am I supposed to do? What do you do?"

"Well, I listen to him when he talks about it. I let him talk and I let him cry and most of the time I cry with him. The most important thing is that he knows I'm there for him. He knows I love him, even when he does things that hurt me. When Sojiro starts to think about it, let him talk and just listen. That's the best thing you can do."

"Okay. I can do that. I really do love him. I want him to be happy because he had a pretty crummy life. But I don't really know what I'm doing."

"Eh, you don't need to. You just do what feels right." Gessho rose to leave, water streaming off her as she took a towel from where they were folded neatly near her glasses. "No one knows what they're doing until they do it." She wrapped the towel around herself as she stepped out of the spring, then found her glasses. "I'll see you later, Harusame."

"Ja ne." She sank back down into the water, thinking over what they had discussed. She would always be there for Sojiro; she loved him deeply. I want to be with him. I can't imagine life without him; we've been living together for so long. I think…Yes, I think I know what I want.

She smiled to herself. Gesshoku and Kamatari were so happy and they had a wonderful family. She wanted to be just as happy. Kietsu…Her thoughts drifted to the little girl. Kamatari's daughter was so much like him. She was positively adorable. If Sojiro and I get married, we can have a kid like that someday and…Whoa, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

But hey, I can dream.

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You know, I must be the sappiest person on the face of the earth. I was watching "The Iron Giant" today and, whoa Nelly, I cried at the part where the Giant blew itself up! You know, where it's out in space and thinks about Hogarth saying "You are what you chose to be." Then the Giant says "Superman" and flies into the missile. I was definitely crying at that part. I'm such a dork. n_n;;