Chapter Three

Akako laid in bed watching television, little Kohana curled up at her side sound asleep as Yuki walked through the door, pale cheeks colored pink from the cold outside. He stepped up beside the bed and sat on the edge by his wife, placing a chilled hand atop her stomach and smiling down at her.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" he asked in his usual softened tone.

Smiling, she placed her hand over his, instantly sending a warming sensation throughout his hand and up his arm, "I'm much better, love." She entwined their fingers and sat up a bit more, leaning her form against the headboard, "Haru and Rin stopped by not long ago. They dropped off some leek porridge and fish stew Rin had made."

"Leek porridge? Perfect for this weather." He smiled, glancing over to his daughter and getting to his feet, "I had better put her to bed." He nodded to himself and walked around to the other side of the bed so he wouldn't have to lean over Akako to pick up their daughter.

"Leave her. Just for tonight, love? She looks so peaceful…it would be a shame to wake her." She said sweetly.

A faint grin on his face, he nodded and kicked off his boots. Removing his socks, followed by his shirt, he crawled under the blankets and clicked off the television and then the light, lying on his side, facing Kohana, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Yuki awoke the next morning as the sun filtered into the room through the blinds. He rolled onto his back, eyes still closed, stretching out his arms over his head and letting out a large yawn. Slowly opening his eyes and adjusting to the brightness of the room, he sat up and pulled on a black button-down shirt. He stood and fixed the blankets and pillows, aligning them all just right before buttoning his shirt and running a hand through his shoulder-length hair, straightening it out a bit to reduce his bed-head.

He stepped into the living room, having heard an unusual amount of commotion. As he opened the doors to the room's double-doorway, he was almost trampled over by a herd of children clad in winter coats, hats, mittens and boots. Grasping onto the door's frame for balance, the children ran down the hall and out the front door, seeming to dive right into the snow.

"Good morning, love. Did we wake you?" asked Akako with a bright smile, motioning him towards her where she sat on the sofa.

Momiji was by the corner in the armchair, Yulii perched on his lap, and Ritsu and Kagura sat on the opposite side of the sofa from Akako, tea in hand.

"Still a late sleeper, eh, Yuki?" Kagura joked, peering out the window just as Rori and Ren tackled Rei into a snow bank, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"Seems as if the girls are as brutal as you, Kagura." Commented Momiji in a bubbly tone.

"As brutal as I use to be at least. Back when I had that 'thing' for Kyo. That man brought the worst out in me." She replied, shooting an angry glare to her cousin who only smiled gracefully and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

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Kohana squealed and giggled as Kin picked her up and dumped her into the powdery snow, only to be tripped by her kicking and falling in along with her. They laid there, panting heavily, cheeks bright from the cold as their other cousins run around screaming, enjoying their day in the snow.

"Having…fun?" Kin panted, propping up his head and glancing over to her.

Nodding happily with a bright smile, she placed a hand over her heart, "Yeah. Maybe…we should…take a break…" she said almost breathlessly.

Nodding in agreement and taking her hand, Kin lifted them both back to their feet and headed back towards the house. Once in the hallway, the two children removed their winter-wear and walked down to the kitchen for some hot chocolate. They sat at the dining room table in stocking-feet, sipping at their warm drinks and giggling every now and then.

Akako walked into the room where the children were currently taking residence and picked up the phone, smiling over at them she walked into the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter. Swinging her legs back and forth, she dialed a number and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello, Shigure. It's Akako." She greeted, Rin and Kohana overhearing from the next room.

"Why do you think Uncle Shigure and Aunt Matsu aren't here yet? They're normally the first ones to arrive aren't they?" Kin questioned in a whisper.

Shrugging and taking another sip of her hot chocolate, she hopped out of her chair and crept over to the door to the kitchen, standing up against the dining room wall to try and listen more closely to her mother's conversation.

"Oh…" she heard her mother voice. "How far? Well that's great! Congratulations, Shigure. No, do not worry about it. I'll let everyone know. You too. Good bye."

Rather confused, she ran back over to Kin and grabbed his arm, dragging him off his chair and out into the hall. Up the stairs they went, running the whole way until they came to her room and she slammed the door shut behind them, letting him go.

"What was that about?" he asked in an annoyed voice.

"From the sounds of it….Uncle Shigure…and Aunt Matsu…aren't coming this time." She breathed.

"What? Why not?" he pursued, sitting in the window seat and glancing out at their cousins down below, still thrashing around in the snow.

"I'm not sure. All I got was a 'How far?' and a 'Congratulations!' "She said, plopping onto the floor in front of the window and leaning her back against the seat.

"Maybe Aunt Matsu is having a baby?" he suggested, looking down at her instead.

"Another?" she blinked, turning to look up at him. "But that still doesn't explain why they are not coming. If Aunt Matsu is pregnant then why not come and tell everyone in person?"

He shrugged, reaching his hand down to her and pulling her up to the window seat as well, "They could have to go to the doctor's? Financial planning…something like that."

She sighed and leaned against the window, staring down at the floor blankly. Kin looked at her as if she were an alien, "Why is it so important to you that they do come?"

She shook her head and brought her knees up onto the seat, hugging them to her chest and resting her cheek against them.

"Tell me?" he asked gently, nudging her arm.

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Walking back into the living room and squeezing in a seat beside Yuki, she looked around the room and waited for the men to finish their conversation.

"So," Yulii interrupted, "What did Shigure have to say about missing out on the fun?"

"Well…"Akako began, "He actually has a good excuse this time."

"It's not because of another late manuscript is it?" Ritsu asked tiredly.

Akako shook her head and smiled to herself, taking her husband's hand in hers and leaning against the back of the couch, "Matsu is pregnant. They were on their way here when she mentioned the fact that she did not feel too well. Shigure brought her to the hospital because she was feeling dizzy and they did a few tests. Shigure is ecstatic of course, but didn't want to bring Matsu out if she was ill and didn't want to leave her home alone, so they won't be coming today. But they send their regards."

"At this rate, they'll be caught up to Momiji in no time!" chuckled Kagura, filling the room with laughter as the others too joined in.

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Sighing, she lifted her head and leaned it back against the window, "Joey was going to come. I love it when Joey visits us. I don't know why, but I'm always looking forward to it. But he's not coming this time."

"You'll see him in school won't you? Once winter break is over?" he asked, resting his hand on her arm for support.

She nodded, switching her gaze to him, "It's just felt so long since I have seen him. Remember, he was sick the last week before our break, so it's been three weeks since I saw him last."

"Sounds kind of selfish if you ask me." He grimaced.

"Yeah…" she nodded, burying her head in her arms.

Watching her, he felt a knot in his chest. At a loss for words, all he could do was wrap an arm around her and rub her back a bit, " 'Hana…" he whispered, watching as she lifted her head and looked over at him, her violet eyes filled with tears. Feeling tears of his own swell up into his thin green eyes, he swallowed hard, fighting them back. He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her small form into a tight hug, his voice unusually soft, "I'm sorry…"