Chapter Forty-Six: Forty Weeks in a Day

I sat before the computer and tried to make sense of the information before me. I'd signed up for OnTrade's free introductory class, and while the representatives who had run the class had certainly been enthusiastic, they didn't seem very informative regarding their trading system, which left me to try to figure much of it out myself. Their secrecy was understandable, though, when I thought about it. "So support…and resistance…"

I jerked in surprise as a pair of arms appeared in my periphery to gently wrap themselves around my neck. "How are things going, honey?"

I smiled as I half-turned to look up into the lovely face of my wife. "Slowly; I think I've got the information I need, but it's taking me a while to put it all together. Is Ushio home yet?"

She shook her head, and I could smell the sweet odor of her berry-scented shampoo. "She said that she'd be staying after school to study with some friends."

"That's right," I said with the snap of a finger. "I'd completely forgotten."

"That's understandable," she said with a deliberate glance at the computer monitor. "You've been pretty absorbed in your own studies this morning."

She wasn't wrong; a glance at Ushio's bedside clock told me that I'd been in intense concentration for at least the last four hours. "Maybe I should take a break," I said, feeling her hands slide from my shoulders as I stretched my arms over my head. "Get active for a while."

I felt a burning sensation on the back of my head and looked over my shoulder to find Mika gazing at me with a predatory smile that I knew all too well. "Welll…I have a couple of ideas to help you…" She leaned down to whisper in my ear. "…get your body moving."

I chuckled as I allowed myself to be pulled to my feet and down the hall to our bedroom.

"Urk…"

I grunted myself awake as I felt Mika get out of bed, and my eyes cracked open in time to see her hurrying from our darkened room. I knew exactly where she was going, so I forced myself out of bed and padded down the hall to the kitchen. Once there, I pulled her favorite cup out of the cupboard – a white one with a pink butterfly print on it – and grabbed the bottle of lukewarm water from the counter and poured some into the cup. I then padded back down the hall to the washroom, where I found her kneeling in front of the toilet, trying to relieve yet another bout of 'morning sickness'. "You okay, Mika? Is it as bad as last time?"

"'Hup…" she coughed one last time before looking up to accept the cup from my hands. A few sips later she was able to speak. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay…" I murmured as I knelt down to hold her…gently. "This is normal, and I'm just glad I can help."

"But you have to work today…"

"That's not important right now," I said as soothingly as I could. "Taking care of you is what matters."

Like every other time, she began to sniffle and hiccup as she snuggled into me. "Am…Am I still pretty, Tomoya? I'm ugly right now, aren't I?"

As much as I wanted to kiss her lips to comfort her, hygiene had to take priority so I kissed her on the cheek. "You're absolutely beautiful, love."

"No I'm not," she humphed. "I'm pukey and I'm gonna get fat."

I took her face in my hands to make her meet my gaze. "Mika, look at your tummy." I released her face, and after she reluctantly complied I told her, "You're carrying our baby, Mika; that's a beautiful thing. I'm sorry you're having to go through all this discomfort and stuff, but thank you so much for being willing to."

She blinked, and tears trickled from her beautiful blue eyes as she looked up at me. "I love you so much, Tomoya."

We held each other tenderly…until she needed the toilet again.

"I'm home…" I grunted as I trudged through the door and started to switch out my shoes; my employer had been negotiating a merger with another electrical company, making my workload noticeably heavier than usual.

I was surprised when no one greeted me and it wasn't long before I found a note on the kotatsu from Mika, reminding me that she'd be home late due to club activities. She'd also left a request for me to prepare some of the ingredients that she'd need later for dinner preparation; nothing major, just chopping up some celery, dicing meat and the like.

I made a mental note to myself to take care of her request before starting my stock-trading studies as I set the note down, only for my eyes to settle on the old framed photo of Nagisa on the small shrine in our living room. I found myself drawn to kneel before the photo as several conversations with Jeff came to mind. "Where are you now…?" I murmured as I took the photo in my hand and ran my thumb across the glass, noting that it carried a light film of dust away with the motion, and it made me a little ill to realize that I'd been negligent in keeping her shrine clean. "I'm sorry, Nagisa. I didn't mean to forget; it's just been crazy lately."

The image continued to smile at me, and I smiled in response to the memories tied to the photo, but I noticed that I didn't feel the heaviness that I used to. Had Mika replaced her? I internally took a step back and examined myself like Jeff had taught me what seemed like a lifetime ago and realized that wasn't the case; Mika could never replace Nagisa, but at the same time Nagisa was no longer part of my life. She was part of my past.

Somewhere along the way, I had somehow let her go.

One question still bothered me, though, as I caressed the photo of my late wife with my thumb: "Where are you now, Nagisa?"

I winced as Gouda hit the ground for the umpteenth time, the victim of another of the ambassador's throws; a slight jerk on my arm told me that my wife had winced at the sight as well. Surprisingly, Kotomi seemed unfazed by the whole thing; considering that her fiancé had been training for a while now, perhaps she'd become accustomed to it.

"You've got to stop relying solely on your upper body," Sakagami admonished as the huge man rose to his feet yet again. "Yeah, you have ridiculous upper body strength, but it means nothing if you're too easy to knock down." She thumped her abdomen. "Right here, your core, your center of gravity; that's where your real power and speed come from."

"YES, SENSEI!" Gouda bellowed as he bowed, and the rest of us had to brace ourselves against a sudden gust of wind.

"We're gonna be working on your dodging next," Tomoyo said as he rose from his bow, and the beads of sweat that formed on the man's brow told us that it would be another long training session.

I hated perpetually chipper people.

I had to fight this thought several times as I watched one of OnTrade's many training videos; the fellow hosting the video seemed like a decent guy, but his excitement struck me as being rather over-the-top. Nonetheless, I persevered and learned quite a bit about the stock market and about the best times to trade, as well as more about how the process worked.

It had been a risk, spending money I didn't really have on the set of courses, but as I watched the videos and read through the workbooks I realized that what I was trying to learn could be valuable for my family's future.

Assuming I succeeded at trading.

I paused the video as Ushio entered her bedroom and glanced at the frozen image of the host on the computer screen. "How's it going, Daddy?"

"I'm getting there…slowly," I sighed as I stretched my arms over my head. "A lot of this stuff makes sense, but it'll take time for me to understand it completely. Oh, and thank you again for letting me use your computer."

"You're welcome!" she chirped. "I'm glad if it helps you."

"It looks like it'll help me help us," I replied, turning my gaze back to the monitor. "Some of this stuff seems like it's way over my head right now, but I think I'm starting to see the connections." I switched to a different browser tab to show a stock chart; instead of the usual zigzagging line, however, I had it set to show a series of boxes, both empty and filled in, with short lines sticking out of the top and the bottom. "See, this is a better way to track the price of the stock; with what they call 'candlesticks' I can see the prices of the stock at the opening and closing of the market, as well as the highest price it sold for, and the lowest price it was sold for. Apparently the concept for the 'candlestick' was developed by a Japanese rice-seller."

A long pause had me looking back over my shoulder to my daughter's awkward grin. "That's…good?" she said with an equally awkward giggle. "I don't get it, but if you do then I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," I chuckled, realizing that I'd been lost in my own world and had unintentionally tried to pull her into it. "Sorry about that, sweetie; I'll try to teach you all about this when I get it figured out a little better. I know you want to be a stay-at-home mom, but this knowledge could let you earn money while at home."

"That sounds neat!" she chirped. "I look forward to it!"

I smiled at the possibility of my daughter – not to mention my grandchildren – being able to have a better life than I had.

"I'm home…" I sighed as I entered our home and began to switch out my shoes.

"Welcome home, honey," I heard Mika call from the kitchen. "Have a seat at the kotatsu and I'll bring out your tea in a minute."

"Thanks," I grunted before half-falling into my spot at the kotatsu. I closed my eyes and could hear clinking from the kitchen as I rolled my head one way, then the other.

"Here's your tea."

I felt her at my left side, so I opened my eyes and looked up with the intent to thank…her…?

"Do you like it?" she asked as she gave me my tea…and a generous view of her cleavage through the maid outfit she wore.

"S-Sure," I managed to reply as I accepted the mug with suddenly-shaky hands. "Thank you; both of you."

She giggled and gave me a way-too-brief kiss on the cheek before heading back to the kitchen. I smiled as I watched her depart, but as I brought my mug to my lips to take a sip I noticed that the skirt of her outfit was just high enough to allow me a tantalizing view of just a little bit of her delightfully jiggly bottom.

I placed my mug back down on the kotatsu and followed the bott- er, my wife into the kitchen to see if there was anything I could help her with.

By the time I got back to my tea, it was cool but very delicious.

"Good afternoon, Tomoya-san," Jeff greeted as he held the church's front door open for me. "Come on in."

"Thank you."

A short walk later we sat in what had become a very familiar office. "So what's on your mind?" he asked with a smile and a folding of his hands on his desk.

I sighed. "I'm not sure what I wasn't to ask, but…"

"We can jump to the end, if that helps," he said with a wink. "Sometimes asking our final question helps us figure out our first."

I chuckled at his typical insight. The truth was, that was exactly what I wanted to do; I guess I just needed permission of a sort. "Where is Nagisa right now?"

He blew a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "You understand, of course, that I'd be answering as a Christian."

"I'm actually counting on it this time." I lifted my hands and let them fall in my lap, showing my relative helplessness. "I have her ashes in an urn at home, but I know that she can't be in those ashes." I gestured to him. "You've been a big help to Ushio and I, and you've shown a lot of knowledge and wisdom in the time that I've known you, so I figured your perspective would give me something to think about, if nothing else."

His face reddened and he quickly looked away with an awkward smile. "Thank you; I think that's the best compliment I've ever been given." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Um, understand that what I'm about to say is based on my best understanding of Scripture; the Bible doesn't specifically say what happens to us right after we die, though it does speak of the end of time as we know it."

"Hey, anything's better than what I have right now," I said with a defeated smile and a spreading of my hands.

He cleared his throat again as he leaned forward to clasp his hands on his desk. "Well, my short answer would be that she's…asleep."

"Asleep?" Not quite the answer I would have expected…not that I was expecting anything in particular, of course.

"Nowadays we speak of Heaven and Hell, but in the Old Testament the ancient Hebrew only mentions 'Sheol', which roughly translates to 'the grave'," he explained. "Revelation – the last book of the Bible – does make reference to the new Heaven and new Earth, but that's at the end of time as we know it."

"I see…" I said, not quite following, though what he was saying seemed to make sense.

"And in the Gospels, people rose from their graves and appeared to family and friends shortly after Jesus' resurrection."

"Were they zombies or something?" The video game industry had been obsessing over zombie apocalypses lately, and I couldn't help but think of it at his words.

"Not likely," he replied easily; if he was offended by the question he didn't show it. "See, zombies are supposed to be undead; animated corpses, if I understand correctly." He leaned forward with a grin, and I could tell that he was starting to get into his element. "But God is the god of the living, not the dead…or undead."

"I guess that makes sense," I replied, starting to mull over his words.

"Anyway, let's get back to your original question," he said, jarring me from my thoughts; fortunately, I hadn't gone too deep. "Based on my current understanding of Scripture, Nagisa is in a form of sleep right now. At some point in the future, Jesus will return and she, along with everyone else, will be resurrected in preparation for the new Heaven and new Earth."

"And she'll be there?" I assumed. "In this new Heaven, or whatever?"

A noticeable pause. "That…depends."

A red flag raised, but I did my best to ignore it for the time being. "It depends?"

"It depends on the state of her relationship with God," he said. "This may not make sense right now, but those who want to be with God will be with him for eternity while those who reject him in this life will be separated from him for all eternity."

"What if she wasn't given the choice?"

"My understanding is that each of us will have a chance at one or more points in our lives to choose him."

"That sounds awfully convenient," I said, suddenly suspicious.

"If he wants all of us with him for eternity, he'd have to make himself known to each of us at some point in our lives," he pointed out, and I thought I detected sympathy from him. "He's a just god, and would not throw anyone into the lake of fire before giving them the chance to choose him." I wanted to ask him about the 'lake of fire' but he waved his hands. "I'm getting distracted again. The short answer is that Nagisa is in a form of sleep and will sleep until Jesus' return, at which point she will be judged along with the rest of us and will go either into eternal life or eternal death." I opened my mouth, but he held up a hand. "Please understand; I've already gone pretty deep into theology in just this short answer, and a lot of this requires an understanding of the character and nature of God, which you and I really don't have time to get into right now. My apologies."

I opened my mouth again to retort, but paused first to consider his words. "I think I see what you mean," I reluctantly conceded.

"I'm sorry that I can't answer your question more thoroughly," he said; as usual, he gave me every reason to believe that he meant it. "I certainly understand why you'd be concerned about Nagisa-san; everyone wants some kind of reassurance regarding the future of their loved ones, and I regret that I can't give you a more…" He smiled awkwardly. "…intelligible answer."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his choice of words. "I think I get it as much as I'm going to right now; for now, she's sleeping and your god will come wake her up."

"That's my current best understanding," he said, chuckling as well.

"Thanks. I guess I have some thinking to do."

"I'm glad if I helped," he said with his typical sincere expression. "Well, if there's nothing else, may I pray for you?"

As Jeff talked to his god, I found my mind pondering his words. I had a lot of thinking to do.

"Though the light in your heart may be but a spark,
it's more than enough to chase away the dark…"

Mika, Ushio, and I cheered as Yuusuke performed with his new band, the 'End of Shadows', before the packed coliseum. Most of those in attendance were more my age, but it was a relief to see a lot of youths in the audience, cheering along with us…older youths.

"Let the fire in your heart burn hot and bright,
show it to the world to chase away the night…"

After the concert the three of us were surprised when the event staff stopped us and took us backstage, where Yuusuke and his band were busy wiping the sweat from an awesome performance. "Hey man," he greeted. "How's life treating you?"

"Great," I chuckled as we casually high-fived. "It's great to see you up on the stage again. Hey, where're the girls?"

"Tomoya!" Mika exclaimed with a whap to my arm.

It took me a moment to realize how my words could have sounded in context. "I'm just asking him where his wife and sister-in-law are, Mika. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression."

She quickly turned scarlet and covered her face. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked. "I should've known better."

A chuckle from our host drew our attention as he wiped down his arms. "You two are the best." It sounded like he was somehow singing the words. "They're off getting drinks for everybody." He jerked his chin toward my wife. "And congratulations on your pregnancy. How are you feeling, Mika-san?"

I smiled as she uncovered her still-blushing face to absently rest her hands on her slightly-plumper tummy. "Off and on, sir."

"Call me 'Yuusuke'; you're Okazaki's wife, after all." His eyes briefly lost focus. "I guess that's not really consistent, is it?"

"Call me by my first name, if it'll help you with your consistency," I chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're doing well." He shifted his gaze to me and sighed. "Man, Okazaki; I don't know what to say."

"About what?"

He smiled down at me as he angled his head. "If it wasn't for you I'd still be at home, pruning the bushes instead of being where I truly belong."

I cast an anxious glance around at the wide-eyed gazes that had been suddenly sent my way. "I…didn't really do anything."

"Sure, Tomoya." His smile turned into a smirk as he turned to address his band. "Hey, gang; this is the guy that reignited my passion."

"Yuusuke!" I hissed. "That makes it sound like my door swings-"

"Wait, you're the one who rekindled Yoshino-sama's love for music?" one of the band members, a red-headed boy who appeared to be about half my age interrupted. "Awesome!"

"Thanks so much!" another member, a girl whose long hair had been dyed half-purple and half-gold gushed. "I was so totally bummed when I found out one of my fave artists had retired before I could play for him!"

I reflexively wanted to point out that, due to their age difference, she likely wouldn't have been able to play for him anyway, but I decided to keep my potentially big mouth shut.

"Wow…" Mika breathed as she gave my arm a squeeze. "I…really didn't know, Tomoya."

"Yup," Yuusuke intoned. "In fact, I'm dedicating my next album to you, man," he finished with a clap to my shoulder.

"Thanks…" I replied, suddenly feeling very self-conscious at the admiring gazes I was receiving, "but…I'm not really comfortable with the attention. The potential attention, I mean."

He appeared to mull this over for a moment, then… "Nope. I'm giving credit where credit's due." He leaned forward with another smirk. "Don't worry, man; I'll help you through your new-found fame."

"I…appreciate it," I murmured, hoping that his assistance wouldn't be necessary.

I drew a deep breath as I studied the screen; the chart had shown an upward turn in the stock price, and based on the pattern I'd been seeing it was a good time to make a trade. I moved the cursor over to click the on-screen button to send the request to my broker but paused as memories – impressions, in a sense – made themselves known.

I thought back to when my shoulder had been injured in my last fight with Dad and my prideful decision to not go to the hospital, thus keeping me from becoming a basketball player, potentially a professional player.

I thought back to high school and meeting Nagisa, coming out of my shell to encourage her in her dream of putting on a play.

I thought back to our marriage, the pregnancy, and her death as she struggled to give birth to Ushio.

I then thought back to meeting Ushio again at five years old, after having effectively abandoned her to Nagisa's parents, of raising her to the best of my ability up to the present day.

I thought back to February, when my little broken doll tried to give herself to me out of guilt, and the chain of events that followed, leading to the healing of her heart as well as my shoulder.

I thought back to my first meeting with Mika and smiled at how she had mistaken me for a delinquent and tried to straighten me out. I remembered the card game that had gotten out of hand, the teary and earnest confession of love at the Founder's Festival, the night at the dance, all the dinners and conversations, and all leading up to that night at the park…

I blinked as I realized that I'd been recalling key points in my life, and as I refocused on the screen before me it occurred to me that I was about to decide the next potential key point in my life, one that would have repercussions not just for me, but for Mika and Ushio. It could even benefit my grandchildren if Ushio or my child with Mika used it in the future.

I felt a sense of calm resolve as I clicked on the 'Buy' button…

"That feels so good…" Mika moaned as I rubbed my hands over her body.

"You like that?" I asked as I moved my hand closer to her hip. "How about here?"

"Ooooohhhh…"

"Not bad, huh?" I replied with a smile. I then reached over to squeeze more of the stretch-mark-prevention cream into my hand before getting back to work. "You probably feel most of the tightness around your hips, right?"

"That's right," she replied, glancing up with a look of surprise. "How did you-?"

I suddenly felt the blood drain from my face, and I looked away, feeling more than a little shame at the reason why I knew.

"It's okay, Tomoya," I heard through my shame. "You took care of Nagisa-sama like this, didn't you?"

I didn't trust my voice so I simply nodded.

I could feel her giggle under my hands. "You're a good man, Tomoya; I'm glad we're together."

I still couldn't say anything, but I felt her loving smile on me as I quietly went back to work.

I closed the door behind me and slowly made my way up to the front of the sanctuary. I looked up at the face of Jeff's god – or one-third of him or whatever – as he hung on the cross. "Jeff said that I should talk to you directly," I told the statue. I then cast my gaze downward as I snorted. "He wants me to talk to a sculpted block of stone. Oh, well…" I looked back up to the downturned simulated face of Jesus. "He said that he'd answered my questions to the best of his ability, but that he could only help me to a point." I spread my hands as though presenting myself. "So, here I am."

I crossed my arms as I studied the statue. "Jeff says that Nagisa is asleep, and that you'll wake her up in time to be judged." I snorted again. "Some wake-up call. Anyway, if you're supposed to be so all-loving and all-knowing, why did you let Nagisa die like that?" I twitched as another thought came to mind. "For that matter, why did you let Mom die the way she did? You saw all the shit that Dad and I went through after that, the fights and the busting of my shoulder." I shook my fist at the stature. "That took away my future, you asshole! And you just sat back and let it happen?! What the hell kind of god are you, anyway?" I sighed, roughly running a hand through my hair as I glanced back at the sanctuary entrance; I really didn't want Jeff hearing me and coming in. "Anyway, so this is how you treat your creation, huh? Frankly, I think I'm a better dad than you've been. After all, my daughter's…"

What had caused me to trail off was a sudden onrush of memories, of abandoning Ushio to Nagisa's parents and missing out on the first five years of her life while I tried to drink, smoke, and overwork myself to death. Even after reclaiming her I was still quite cold and aloof toward her until the day she lost her toy robot in the flower field. And then her attempt to take the place of her mother… "All right, I'll admit that I could have been a better dad," I grudgingly conceded. "But I'd lost my wife, and I know that you can't make the same argument!" Said argument, though, seemed hollow…and a little bit petty, really, as I remembered what Jeff had told me about the 'fall of man'. "I guess you did lose something right off the bat, didn't you…?" I mused as I continued to study the statue. "All right, can we call a truce for now? I'd like some time to think, but I'll be back with more questions."

Not unexpectedly, the stone figure said nothing but I left the sanctuary feeling oddly better, though I had much to think about.

Maybe talking to 'a sculpted block of stone' had been good for me, if only a little.

"By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Jeff smiled at the glowing couple before looking up to address the wedding attendees. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce to you; Hanzo and Kotomi Gouda!"

I grunted in satisfaction as I watched the happy couple exchange pleasantries with their many well-wishers from behind the newlywed's table. "Good for them."

"Yeah," Mika sighed as she gave my arm an affectionate squeeze.

I noticed Kotomi waving excitedly at us, so we made our way over to their table. "Congratulations, both of you."

"I am so happy, Tomoya!" the new bride gushed. "I thought that when you turned me down that I would never find happiness in a relationship!" Her eyes suddenly lost focus, and I saw Hanzo's smile falter. "Oh. I am sorry. That was inappropriate, wasn't it?"

I nodded while pursing my lips to try to hide an awkward grin. "In any case, I'm really happy for you." I looked over to the small mountain next to her. "Take good care of her, big guy; she's my childhood friend."

He suddenly bolted to his feet to blow us over with a bow. "I will, Okazaki-sama! Thank you for entrusting her to me!"

"Eh-heh." I wasn't sure what to say to that, and my wife's amused grin wasn't helping, not to mention the glances that the other guests were starting to give us. "You're…welcome?"

"Hey, congratulations!" a husky voice interjected with a uniquely familiar accent, and Pastor Hamilton appeared next to me, Jeff and Kyou with him. "I meant to catch you earlier, but… Oh, 'scuse me; I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, please," I replied, gesturing to the newlyweds. As the very dark-skinned pastor chatted happily with them, I subtly gestured to Jeff, who moved closer. "I hope this doesn't sound rude, but his accent doesn't sound like yours."

"No," he chuckled quietly. "He's from the southeastern part of the United States, while I'm more from the Midwest."

My brow furrowed. "What does that have to do with it?"

"People from different parts of America can have different inflections," he explained. "I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it has to do with their respective countries of origin. For example, Joseph's-er, Pastor Hamilton's ancestors are from Africa whereas mine are from Britain. In fact, my surname originated in Lancashire." He smiled awkwardly. "I realize that that has nothing to do with your question, but I discovered that recently and have been wanting to tell somebody."

"That is neat," Mika piped up from next to me.

"Anyway his accent sounds different from mine because our accents sound different back in the States." He chuckled self-consciously. "Does that make sense?"

"Well enough," I replied, chuckling as well.

"Hey, Okazaki-san!" Apparently, Pastor Hamilton had finished talking with the honored couple and was directing his infectious smile toward my wife and me. "Jeff here says you've been asking a lot of questions about our lord and savior."

I gave Jeff a mildly dirty look, and he replied with an apologetic one. "I simply sought his guidance in helping you," Jeff quickly explained. "I wanted to make sure that I wasn't giving you bad advice or guidance."

"Fair enough," I grunted, suddenly feeling guilty for my prior expression. I then looked to Pastor Hamilton. "Well… He's been a huge help to my daughter and I over the past…" I drifted off as I ran some quick time calculations, and my eyes widened. "Wow, he's been helping us for almost a year, now."

"Keepin' yourself busy, eh sport?" Hamilton said with a nudge to Jeff's ribs, who winced at the contact.

I smiled at the exchange. "Yeah, I've been keeping him on his toes with my troubles and bad temper."

"Everything better now, though?" he asked with a sincere expression; interestingly, it actually looked a lot like's Jeff's.

I looked down into my wife's twinkling eyes and patted her hand. "Much, thank you."

"That's fantastic," the dark-skinned man gushed. "Hey, and congratulations on the upcoming little one. When's he supposed to make an appearance?"

It took a moment for me to realize what he was asking. "Uh, sometime in May?" I looked to my wife again, who nodded. "Yeah, sometime in May."

"Can we come?"

I flinched at the sudden intrusion and found that Kotomi had approached us, with Hanzo close behind. "Sorry?"

"I did not mean to listen in on your conversation," she said while briefly averting her gaze, "but did I hear correctly that you will be giving birth this coming May?"

"Y-Yes, Kotomi-sensei," Mika replied.

Japan's greatest mind whirled on her husband with glowing eyes. "Oh, would it not be wonderful if their baby were to be born on the 11th?"

"I…suppose," Hanzo grunted, clearly puzzled by his wife's enthusiasm.

My forehead furrowed. "Why? What's so significant about…?" My eyes widened as a memory returned, unbidden. "Hey, that's your birthday, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is!" she clapped.

As Mika and Kotomi gushed over dates, the Ashtons and Pastor Hamilton politely excused themselves, and I was surprised to realize that Kyou hadn't said anything during the entire exchange. Interesting. Needing someone to talk to, I turned to the massive security chief. "So, Gouda…how's your training going?"

"Much better," he replied with an emphatic nod. "At first I was having trouble finding…" he looked upward to find the right words, "…motivation for my training. Understand, I do want to be able to better protect Ichi-er, my wife, but I wasn't sure how far I needed to go. After watching a video that Takeshi-sama and Takeo-sama shared with me, Ii was able to find it."

"That's great," I said with an approving nod. "What was the video about?"

"Ehhhh…" For some reason, he appeared to be hesitant. "It…was quite violent, and it taught me that the world could be more violent than my comparatively safe job allows."

"How bad could it be?" I asked, genuinely curious.

The description he gave me was…vivid, to say the least. Apparently, the video showed one of Takeshi's team's excursions to another world. They had been attacked by a local gang and had to protect their version of Ryou in a pretty vicious fight. "I hope to never be involved in such a fight," he said in conclusion, "but if I am, I wish to be prepared."

"That's…admirable," I replied, my head swimming a little. I then clapped him on the elbow; his shoulder was out of my reach, after all. "Well, god bless your efforts."

He gave me a funny look. "Yes, well…thank you."

It wasn't until Mika and I were on our way home when it hit me what I had said to the big guy; had Jeff's way of thinking started to rub off onto me?

I crossed my arms and glared at the chart on the screen. The market had taken a bit of a downturn – not quite a bear market, but certainly looking that way. "Maybe I should buy a put..?" I'd been learning about options trading and had learned about 'calls' and 'puts', and I thought I was seeing an opportunity to make some money.

"That was a pretty heavy sigh." I looked to the doorway to find Mika watching me with her hands resting on her tummy. "Ushio and I could hear it all the way from the living room."

"You could?" I rubbed my face vigorously. "Sorry about that."

"Do you need to talk it out?" she offered as she entered the room. "I know that I won't necessarily understand all of it, but if I can be a sounding board…"

I briefly mulled over her offer, then stood so she could take the seat I'd been using. "I'm just trying to decide whether I should buy puts or not," I explained as she sat down. "I guess I'm anxious because I finished the videos on options just a couple of days ago."

"Okay…"

"And I've been doing well with regular stock trades," I said as I started to carefully pace in my daughter's room, not wanting to knock anything of hers over, "but I learned that I could make a lot more money per transaction by trading options than stocks."

"Well, I know that you're not greedy or anything," she noted. "So what's holding you back?"

"I dunno."

She smiled as she rose to her feet to hold me as much as her pregnant stomach would allow. "Maybe…you just need to do it; maybe you need to do it to see the problem." She giggled. "Of course, if that works then it won't make a difference, will it?"

I chuckled. "That's true." I drew a deep breath and let it out. "Thanks, love; I guess I just needed to admit that I was feeling nervous, because I'm starting to feel better now. I think you're right, though; if everything looks good, then there's no reason that I can't treat it like a regular stock trade. I guess it's just that I'm used to buying low and selling high in that order, and what I'm wanting to do is to buy the right to sell first."

She gazed up at me with an amused smile. "I…don't understand that," she admitted, "but if you do, and you want to do this trade, then just know that I have faith in you."

I felt a wave of relief pass through my body like a refreshingly cool breeze, and I smiled down at my bride, the previous stress all but gone. "Thank you, beautiful." I took her face in my hands and gently touched my lips to hers. "It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"You're welcome," she replied with soft eyes that invited me to do more with her. "Thank you for trying to take care of us." She gave me a soft peck on the lips before releasing me – reluctantly, I noticed before heading to the door, only to stop briefly. "Go get 'em, tiger."

My chest swelled as she left the room, and I quickly reclaimed my seat for one last analysis of the chart.

"Ugh…" I heard Mika complain, and I looked back to find her struggling to get out of our bed.

"You okay?" I asked as I quickly made my way to her side and took hold of an arm.

She glanced up at me and her cheeks darkened. "My boobs are too darn big; it's getting even harder to sit up than usual."

I'd noticed her…situation but hadn't been sure how she'd react to me pointing that out. "And you were already pretty…impressive to begin with," I noted carefully. "It must be rough."

"Oh, you like it and you know it," she managed to giggle as I helped her to her feet. "Don't think I didn't see the way you looked at the ambassador and Kotomi-sensei, and I've seen you checking out my chest lately."

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling guilty; other than at my lunch with the ambassador I honestly had no memory of looking at hers or my childhood friend's…attributes. "I guess I am a 'boob man'. I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad or anything," she replied, much to my surprise. "You stopped looking at them before we married, and like I told you…" She cupped her hands under her bosom as she blushed more deeply. "These are yours now, too."

I felt my face heat up as well, especially in light of what I was about to offer. "I…understand that this might sound opportunistic, but I'd be willing to use the stretch cream on your… On there, too, if you'd like."

She smiled up at me fondly, if a bit impishly. "Well, let's see…" she said, putting a finger to her lips. "Do I want my man's strong hands on my chest, or should I do it myself?"

"Look, I'll understand if you-"

I was stopped by a gentle tug on the front of my shirt, bringing our faces close together. "Tonight," she murmured in a low voice, her eyes intense. "You, me, the cream." She released my shirt and turned toward the closet, managing a wiggle to her hips as she moved. "Don't keep me waiting, gorgeous."

I ended up distracted all day at work.

I rubbed my hands together as I approached the image at the front of the sanctuary. "Listen, uh…sorry about last time," I said to the figure on the cross, remembering my conduct at our previous 'meeting'. "I didn't learn about you until recently, and I've only had so much time to really learn about you, what with my schedule and Jeff's schedule and all that. So… Sorry about that."

Like last time, the statue didn't answer, which was probably for the best when I thought about it.

"It's just hard, you know?" I said, running my fingers through my hair as I settled into one of the chairs toward the front of the room. "I mean, I'm almost thirty-seven and I don't have much of anything to show for my life. And when I look back, I see how all these other people messed with –and messed up – my life. And when I find out that there's some guy who's been watching the whole time, of course I'm going to ask why he didn't do anything to stop it." I slumped in my seat. "To help me. I mean, I get that a lot of this is supposed to get us ready for whatever future you're supposed to be planning, but…" I shrugged with my hands, then let them fall into my lap. "Some things are just too much for us squishy mortals, you know?"

I sighed and looked back up at the image…and realized that Jeff's god had been a 'squishy mortal' for a while, only to be killed by the religious and political leaders of his time. At least, that's what I recalled Jeff telling me. "I guess I don't get why you're so…so distant." I rose from my seat with another sigh and gave Jeff a tired smile and a wave as I left the church.

The fall air was chilly, but felt good on my face as I headed back home. I made a brief stop by the bakery to say 'hi' Mom and Pops on the way. Following an odd impulse, I decided to take a more scenic route back home; it would only add about ten minutes, so I texted Mika with my estimated arrival time. "See you shortly, then." She replied with a 'kissy-face' emoticon, bringing a smile to my face.

"Well, hello!" I snapped my gaze to see a dark-haired man sitting on a bench that I was about to pass; he looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't recall his face from anywhere. "You look happy!"

"Um, hi…" I slowed to a stop before him. "I'm sorry, but have we met? You look familiar, but…"

"It's been a while," he said, rising from his seat to clap me on the shoulder. "The last time we spoke, you were wondering how to refer to your companion."

I gasped as it all came back to me. "Hey, that's right!" I exclaimed with a snap of my fingers. "Thanks; you really helped me out back then."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said with a warm smile. "And how have things been since then?"

Even though I'd seen the guy only twice and had only talked briefly each time, it felt like talking to an old friend. "Well, Mika and I are married now."

"Good for you!" he said encouragingly. "At least you now know what to call her, eh?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, that did simplify things, that's for sure."

He chuckled as well. "And how's your daughter doing? She's only two years younger than your new wife, right?"

"That's right," I confirmed with a nod. "Fortunately, the hardest part has been figuring out what she should call my wife. Legally, Mika's her step-mother, but they're also schoolmates, which has made things a little confusing for her."

"I could see that."

"Anyway, they talked it over and decided that Ushio would call Mika 'senpai' at school, and by her first name at home," I concluded.

"You're not concerned that Ushio might be showing disrespect toward your wife?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

"A little," I admitted. "But she – Ushio, that is – really loves her, and I couldn't see her treating Mika with anything less than respect…adoration, really."

"That's good to know."

"So, how have you been?' I asked, wanting to know more about the man who had shown so much concern for me and my family; in many ways, he reminded me of Jeff. "Life treating you okay?"

He sighed heavily. "I'm kept busy enough."

"That's right; you're a pastor or counselor of sorts, aren't you?" I said, remembering a prior conversation. "You told me that you and Jeff work for the same guy."

"That's true, I did." He appeared to ponder my question some more. "I've been quite busy, helping a lot of people through their challenges."

I reflexively thought back to my conversation with the statue at the church. "Hey, do you think you could spare a minute for me? To maybe help me with mine?"

"I have time," he said easily and with a friendly smile. "What's up?"

I gave myself a moment to think about how to phrase my question. "Pastor Jeff says that Nagisa – my late wife – is 'asleep' right now, and that his god will wake her up in the future to be judged. I'm kinda fuzzy on the rest of the details, but it got me thinking: Why would such a powerful and loving god allow the people he's supposed to have created to suffer? I mean, he let my mom die and he let Nagisa die. How do you…reconcile that?"

"Ah-hah! Now that is a great question!" he exclaimed with a clap. "And Jeff was right to tell you that it has to do with the character of God." He seemed to be getting more excited, and I actually found myself feeling a little of his enthusiasm. "See, when he created Adam and Eve he gave them the ability to choose. The power, if you will. Now, I understand that we tend to take that for granted these days, but when you consider that he could have created a world of automatons, he was taking a huge risk, so to speak."

"Okay," I prompted, already feeling a little out of my league.

"Because he gave them the ability to choose, that made it so they could choose to obey him or to disobey him. Also, because he gave them the ability to choose, he cannot override that or he would be coming against himself."

"Because he would be overriding an ability that he gave…" I realized, my eyes becoming unfocused as the gears started to turn. "But what does that have to do with my mom's death? Or Nagisa's?"

"Admittedly, that can be a little more complicated," he said with a nod. "And perhaps seem a little insensitive, depending on the circumstances. Your mom died in an auto accident, right?"

"That's right."

"The reason that accident happened is because both your mom and the other person involved made choices that led up to the accident."

"And the other guy made a bad one."

He shrugged. "It's possible. It's also possible that she crossed against the light, making herself vulnerable to injury."

I reflexively tensed up at the insinuation; namely, that my mom was at fault for her own death. "I don't like that, but it makes sense."

"Your dad, however, made some very poor choices," he continued, "ones that led up to the two of you fighting and eventually injuring your shoulder."

"Hey, I fought with him as well," I pointed out, oddly feeling a need to defend my dad.

"He was supposed to be the example of manhood to you," he countered. "And I understand that he lost his wife as well, but at no point did that relieve him of the responsibility of raising you the way you should have been."

I cringed internally at my own actions for the first five years of Ushio's life. "I…wasn't a very good father to Ushio after her mother died, either," I admitted.

"But you have repented of your old ways and have tried to be the best 'daddy' you can be," he said, his expression intense. "And you are to be commended for it, as well as for being instrumental at bringing your own father around."

I felt my chest swell at the memory of the counseling session. "I'm just glad that…he's finally been able to let go."

"As have you," he said with a tap to my chest. "Well done, Okazaki-san."

I felt my face heating up at the praise. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Anyway, to get back to your original question; he let your mom die as a consequence of choices. I understand that it seems cruel by human standards, but as I said earlier, God cannot go against himself or creation would cease to exist because he creates and sustains it, and to allow chaos would…unbalance everything as you know it."

I mulled over his words until a tug on my consciousness caused me to check the time. "Oh, no! I'm really late!" I stepped back to bow to the other man. "Thanks for your time, but I've gotta go."

"You're welcome. Yah-weh-jai-rah is with you."

Surprised by the unusual farewell I quickly rose from my bow…but he was gone. "How does he do that? And how did he know about...well, everything…?" I murmured to myself as I hurried home.

And again, I'd forgotten to ask for the guy's name.

"Ah! Tomoya-kun! And Mika-san!" Kotomi greeted as Mika and I entered her lab. "Thank you for coming!"

"Kotomi-sensei!" Mika squealed before I could open my mouth. "It's so good to see you again!"

While the women gushed over each other I approached the huge security guard. "Gouda, good to see you again."

"Thank you," he grunted with a bow; fortunately I had enough warning to brace myself for the gust that inevitably followed. "It is good to see you as well."

"How's your training been going?" I asked, noticing a faded bruise on the man's cheek.

He straightened just noticeably. "Sakagami-sensei's training has been harsh and brutal, and I will be forever grateful to her for it."

"Good results, then?" I followed up while trying to hold back a chuckle at his statement.

"Well, he's finally able to keep up wit' me, at least," a new voice interjected, and Takeshi and his group entered the lab. He stepped up to the massive security guard and I thought that I would end up responsible for naming a new mountain range. "Good fight yesterday, Gouda; think we could get a rematch before I gotta go?"

I smiled as a fire kindled in the larger man's eyes. "I would be honored to-"

"Oh, no you don't," Kohaku interrupted as she pulled on her husband's arm. "You promised that you wouldn't do that right before going home. You don't want to risk Little Sensei's ire, do you? Again?"

"Tch." Takeshi clicked his tongue with an expression of disappointment.

"Tiny could always come visit after we gets settled in," Takeo suggested. "Who knows? Maybe Tomoya-sama's gots a gym waiting for us when we gets back." It took me a moment to realize that he was likely referring to the Tomoya from his universe.

Takeshi appeared to ponder the idea. He then looked up at his sparring partner again. "Raincheck okay?"

Gouda simply nodded with a grunt, though a smile tickled the corners of his mouth.

"By the way," Mayonaka said while looking around, "where are Kyou-sama and her husband? I thought they were going to be here for this."

"They called approximately twenty minutes ago to inform me that they would be tardy," Kotomi replied absently as she fiddled with some controls on a device near her dimensional transporter thingy. "Based on the information she provided, I estimate that they should be here in approximately five minutes."

To no one's surprise, the Ashtons walked through the door to the lab exactly five minutes later. "Sorry we're late!" Kyou exclaimed with her hands pressed together. "We stopped to help someone change a flat tire."

"It is not a problem, as far as I am concerned," Kotomi replied, still fiddling with her gizmo. "Regrettably, it is taking me longer to calibrate the Transporter than I had determined that it would." She picked up something that looked like a grocery scanner wand and approached Takeshi. "May I scan you? I will need the information to ensure that our time coordinates are aligned."

The former tough and I shared a grin. "Of course, Hakase; whatever you need."

"I will just be a moment." She passed the scanner up his arm, then across his forehead until the device beeped. "Now to compare values…" she murmured as she headed back to the main console.

I looked over to see Takeshi smiling as he watched her go back to work. "She really means a lot to you, huh? Your Kotomi, I mean."

"Hm?" He gently slapped his cheek a couple of times before looking down bashfully. "I was jus' thinkin' back."

"To what?" I hadn't heard much of the story from Kotomi's other-universe visitors, so I was genuinely curious.

He sighed heavily, ending in a chuckle. "Remember when you and Kyou-sama want to Hakase's house to eval us?"

I reflexively glanced over at Kyou, who had joined us along with Jeff. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"You remember us sayin' that you wouldn't find anything good about us if you looked us up here?"

"I remember that," Kyou answered for the both of us. "Why? Is there something we should be worried about?"

"No, no…" Takeshi said, waving his hands. "It's just that…seeing Hakase here reminded me of when Yukine-sama recruited us for all those explorations and stuff." His eyes became unfocused. "Every once in a while, I think about how my life coulda turned out if she hadn't done that, and…" He smacked his cheek again before forcing his gaze to mine. "The more I learned about other Takeshis, the happier I am that Yukine-sama gave us the chance that she did."

"I believe I understand," Jeff said, glancing at me. "If you've visited other…realities…" There it was again; that discomfort with the topic. "…then it wouldn't be surprising to encounter other versions of yourself and seeing what they became, seeing the results of…choices not made."

"Yeah, something like that," Takeshi replied, giving Jeff a sideways glance. "Anyway, my point is that I'm really grateful to Hakase and the others for giving us a new way ta live." I noticed that his gaze drifted to his wife and children and it wasn't hard to figure out what he was referring to.

"I'm really happy for you, Takeshi-san," my wife piped up. "Your wife is so beautiful, and your kids are absolutely adorable!"

"Heh, thanks," he said, suddenly rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile. "They're the best things that've ever happened ta me." He lowered his hand, his smile fading as he briefly studied my wife. "Hey, uh… Take good care of Tomoya-san, okay?"

"Y-Yes, sir," she shuddered under his intense gaze.

"And congratulations on your pregnancy," he added with a lopsided grin.

"Th-Thank you."

"Excuse me," Kotomi called from behind her console. "I am ready to send you home."

As we walked over to the chamber where the group would stand, Takeo made his way over. "Lissen, sorry 'bout what I said last time. You know, 'bout robbin' the cradle?"

Truth was, I'd forgotten all about it and I told him so. "But if it helps, I forgive you," I finished with a smile.

"Thanks," he grunted. "I guess I was jus' so surprised. Ya know, 'cause I've seen you – er, your other selves – wit' Kyou-sama or Hakase or Yukine-sama, so I was surprised to see you wit' Little Sensei's kid, ya know?"

"I think I understand." I wasn't sure who 'Little Sensei' was supposed to be, but based on his reference to Mika I figured he must have been referring to the Ryou from his universe. "Honestly, I was pretty unsure of myself when we spoke, so your observation hit me a little harder than it should have."

"So, we're cool?"

I chuckled lightly as I offered him a fist. "Yeah, we're cool. Thanks."

He chuckled as he bumped my fist before joining his family and friends on the platform behind the clear window. I then realized that Kotomi's transporter thingy looked a lot different than it had the list time I'd visited; where it was once a glass cylinder with a control panel next to it, it had grown to a room-sized device, with a chamber clearly large enough for four adults and three children. In addition, the control panel had been moved farther away and had grown into a console filled with buttons, switches, and even a good-sized monitor.

"Confirming dimensional coordinates…confirming temporal coordinates…" Kotomi murmured from behind the console. She then looked up. "Ready to transport."

"Energize," Jeff said, then blushed under our collective gaze. "Sorry, reminded me of a TV show I used to watch."

"I see." Kotomi studied the pastor for a moment before looking to her guests. "Are all of you ready?"

"As ready as we can be," Takeshi replied after exchanging glances with the others, the children included.

Kotomi glanced at Jeff again before smiling in a way that looked almost impish as she shifted her gaze to the console before her. "Energizing," she announced before pressing several buttons in quick succession.

I chuckled along with the others as I quickly looked to the chamber, half-expecting to see some kind of energy effect. Instead, I heard a brief electronic hum and the group simply blinked out of existence. There, and then not.

"They have arrived safely at their destination," Kotomi declared, and I turned to see her studying the monitor mounted into the console. The rest of us joined her, and I could see Takeshi's group being hugged and cried over by several people, including…

"Wow, Tomoya…" Kyou breathed as she watched the celebration. "It's… It's you. And me."

"And Kotomi and Ryou and…Sunohara," I groaned. "A detective…" Next to me, Mika giggled.

"That was part of the reason why they stayed as long as they did," Kotomi announced with pride. "I wished to be sure that there would be someone there to receive them."

"It appears that you succeeded phenomenally," Jeff murmured as he smiled at the scene. "Good thinking, Gouda-sensei. This may sound strange coming from me since I'm not one of the beneficiaries, but thank you for doing that for them."

"Y-You're welcome," she muffled from behind her hands, her visible face beet-red.

I studied the reunion for a minute longer. "Maybe we should give them some privacy, so to speak."

The others mulled it over. "For what it's worth, I agree," Jeff concurred.

"Same," Kyou added.

"Very well." With that, Kotomi reached over and, after a thoughtful blink, switched off the monitor.

I stumbled out of Ushio's bedroom in a daze. I had ended up having to 'stop out' of a trade due to a sudden drop in the value of the stock. I understood from the training videos that stuff like this happened, but I had been so careful, so thorough in my research, not to mention that it was my third stop-out in two weeks. We weren't losing a lot of money, but my recent trend of failures was starting to get to me.

"Hello, honey," Mika greeted as I entered the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes."

"All right, thanks," I grunted. "Any problem with me prepping some tea?"

"You can use that burner," she said while absently gesturing toward the left side of the stovetop; she was busy, after all. "The front burner is still warm, if that helps."

I occasionally felt her gaze on me as I thudded through the kitchen, clumsily gathering my favorite mug and tossing a pair of chamomile tea bags into it. I caught myself drumming my fingers on the counter several times as I waited for the kettle to boil, so I finally tucked the offending hand under the other; I really didn't want her asking about my well-being. Fortunately, she didn't.

I carried my tea to the kotatsu, where Ushio sat working on her homework, and placed my mug on the tabletop before plopping into my spot and carefully though somewhat aggressively collecting my mug. I felt Ushio's gaze on me several times but tried to ignore it, allowing for the possibility that it was my own self-consciousness at play.

As I drank, I thought about our situation; Mika was only a few weeks away from her delivery date but our financial situation hadn't improved much. I'd been using the skills that I'd learned from OnTrade, and while I'd seen some early successes I'd been stopping out more often lately. I ran my hand over my face as I realized that there was simply no way I could support a family of four with my income. Marrying Mika had increased our bills by roughly a third, and I knew how expensive babies could be.

I was vaguely aware of dinner being placed on the kotatsu, and I was grateful that my wife and daughter were willing to give me the space I needed to ruminate. The only problem was that I was working myself into a pretty good lather over the situation, so by the time we thanked someone for the meal I was wound up pretty tight. I took a few deep breaths to try to calm myself so I could at least pretend to be a civil human being.

"Is your trading going okay, Tomoya?"

My previously settled emotions suddenly bust out of my mouth before I could stop them. "NO! It's not going okay, okay?" I snapped. "I don't know what the hell's going on, but I've blown the last I-don't-know-how-many trades!" My head started to throb so I dropped my chopsticks to hold it in both hands; it felt like my brain was trying to pound its way out of my skull. "I'm doing everything they told me to do, but all I'm doing is fucking it up!" It took me several panting breaths to realize that the room was otherwise dead silent, and I dropped my hands from my head to find them both staring wide-eyed at me. "Oh no, I'm so sorry…" I moaned as the weight of my behaviors finally hit me. "I'm so sorry beautiful, sweetie." I quickly started to my feet and headed for the front door. "I'm gonna go cool off. None of this is your fault. I'm really sorry." I hurriedly switched my shoes and grabbed my coat and quickly stepped outside before I could verbally abuse my loved ones any further.

The cool air felt nice as I shut the door behind me and headed across the small parking lot toward the road. I knew of a small resting area – not quite a park, but someplace where a distraught patriarch could cool off. I flopped onto one of the benches and pinched the bridge of my nose as I leaned back, settling my full weight – and then some – into the seat.

"Tomoya-san?"

I dropped my hand from my nose and looked up to find my nameless acquaintance looking at me with worried eyes. "Oh, hey," I said, not really able to muster much energy. "Sorry, I'm not up for conversation right now."

"I can tell," he replied as he settled onto the bench – a respectful distance away, I noticed. "What's wrong?"

My lips flapped with my annoyed sigh. "I just…blew up at Mika and Ushio for no reason, so I'm out here to cool off."

"I'm sure you had a good reason for 'blowing up'," he gently suggested. "But maybe your family wasn't the intended target?"

I managed to chuckle at his choice of words. "Yeah, I think that describes it perfectly." I sighed again, feeling the shame of my actions. "It's not their fault. See, I've been trying to earn extra money for the family through online stock trading, but…" I lifted my hands in a shrug and dropped them helplessly, "…let's just say that it hasn't been going well lately."

"The market's been pretty fidgety lately, hasn't it?" he remarked, and I could hear the sympathy in his tone. "For what it's worth, I'm really sorry you're dealing with this."

"Thanks."

We sat and watched the world go by for a bit before he spoke again. "So what do you think you should do?"

I sighed heavily. "Well, the first thing I need to do is apologize to my wife and my daughter; they didn't deserve to be treated that way, so I should go and make it right. I just…"

He must have picked up on my hesitance. "Just what?"

I chuckled humorlessly as I rubbed my face vigorously with both hands. "As stupid as it sounds, part of me if afraid that Mika will use this against me in the future."

"Why?" he asked with an honest expression. "Has she given you any reason to believe that she would do that?"

"Well no, but-"

"Are you still afraid, Tomoya-san? In general, that is?"

I lowered my hands to look over at him. "Excuse me?"

He turned to face me more fully. "You sound like you're still allowing fear to run your life. Maybe it's not as potent as it used to be, but it sounds like it's still there."

I bit back a retort to honestly consider his words. "I'd almost have to be, huh? To be afraid of Mika treating me badly after all the kindness she's shown me…?" I really felt like I'd wronged her with my prior statement.

"Don't think that you need to verbally apologize for everything," he admonished gently; had he somehow read my thoughts? "Sometimes the best way to make amends is to let the other person know that you're aware of your shortcomings and then change the part of yourself that wronged them and show them your repentance in that way." He leaned back and linked his fingers over his stomach. "While words have power, they can also be rendered meaningless if the subsequent actions don't match them." He gave me a lopsided grin. "If you need an example of what I'm talking about, try reading the political section of the newspaper."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I think I understand well enough, thanks. Besides, I like my blood pressure right where it is."

He chuckled as well. "I think you'll be just fine, Tomoya-san; that you're feeling guilt over your actions shows that your conscience is still intact, and your desire to make amends speaks of a man of honor. That's to be commended."

My chuckle sounded more like a snort. "I'd prefer it if I wouldn't screw up to begin with."

"The lament of humanity," he said, rising to his feet. "My apologies Tomoya-san, but I have someplace that I need to be soon. Have a pleasant evening."

"Yeah, same here," I grunted, rising to my feet as well. "I think I've kept my family waiting long enough." I turned to leave, but a thought tickled my consciousness and I turned back. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask for your…name…?"

My mysterious friend had somehow disappeared again.

When I got home, Mika and Ushio greeted me with worried eyes. "I'm sorry about earlier," I told my beautiful wife. "I had no right to snap at you like that and I'm really sorry."

I had to fight an urge to retreat as Mika approached me, but all my anxiety melted when she carefully wrapped her arms around me. "Everything's going to be okay, Tomoya. I love you, Ushio loves you; we believe in you."

Her words hit me harder than I thought they would, and I began to shudder as I felt that wonderfully awful feeling of my heart being refilled, and I crumbled into tears in my family's embrace.

"Urk…"

I grunted myself awake as I felt Mika get out of bed, and my eyes cracked open in time to see her hurrying from our darkened room. I knew exactly where she was going, so I forced myself out of bed and-

"Tomoya?" To my surprise, Mika's voice had come from behind me, and I looked back toward her voice and saw her struggling to sit up in bed; hadn't she left the room? "T-Tomoya?"

"I'm right here, love," I asked as I hurried to her side. "You okay?"

She nodded as she rested her hands on her tummy. "I think it's time."

"Time?" I said, wondering what she could possibly be talking abou-wait a minute… "You mean…?"

She looked up at me with anxious, watery eyes. "It's time."

Sorry to take so long; the structure of this chapter presented quite a challenge.

The video that Gouda saw is referenced in 'The Kotomi Continuum III', Chapter 21 which, in turn, is a recording of a scene from Chapter 4 of the same fanwork.