Autumn's Bounty

by mizutanitony

A direct Sequel to my fanfiction "Uncomfortable Truths," set several years after. Following the events of the previous story, Mei and Yuzu's life has been going well with Yuzu opening a restaurant and Mei continuing to work hard at running the academy and balancing their family life and the difficulties that come with raising their kids Hideki and Airi.

21. Chapter 21

2nd therapy chapter, here we go!

These will only comprise maybe the next one, and then we will move on.

Holy crap, this is draining, and I'm trying to figure out so much crap and how to make it work. I am so sorry for the chapter lengths.

I'm going to listen to Sandman Act 3 now.

Also, Airi's kanji are 愛, meaning: love, affection, and favourite. And 莉 meaning: jasmine.

No reason to know this; I thought it'd be interesting.

This chapter is divided into three portions, so you'll have stopping points. I couldn't figure out how to split it up, so I put dividers.

"Mommy?"

Mei looked up from her forms and at Airi, who was finishing the snack Yuzu had brought her, and said, "Yes, Airi?"

Airi swallowed the last bit of the cake she had been eating, drank some milk, and said, "Is Mama gonna be done soon?"

"I'm sure she will. It's almost the end of their afternoon rush, so we'll leave soon. You know how Mama is; she doesn't like leaving her employees short-handed."

"I know." Airi sighed and wiped her mouth on a napkin, and looked out at the busy cafe.

The cafe was nearly filled, and Yuzu was operating the front counter alongside Yui. Mei couldn't remember if she'd been recently hired or had taken some time off to focus on school, but it was nice to see her in the restaurant; they certainly needed the help. Both of them were running back and forth, ringing out clients and grabbing to-go orders while the cooks shouted their statuses to the servers. It was more hectic than Mei had seen in a long time, but the way Yuzu handled it all had her heart swelling with pride.

"Are you nervous, Airi?" asked Mei as she sipped her iced tea and returned her focus to their daughter. "Is that why you want Mama to be finished?"

"Kinda." Airi took another long sip, finished the glass, and let out a small burp. "Excuse me."

"You're excused." Mei chuckled and handed Airi a clean napkin. "I know it's going to be scary talking to this gentleman; Mama and I are nervous too. But he's an associate that Hayashi-san recommended to us that she feels you'd be safe talking to about everything. However, you don't have to tell him everything, just what you're comfortable with, and Mama and I will be in the room as you talk."

"Are you gonna get mad at me," inquired Airi after wiping her mouth again before pulling out a coloring book and pencils.

"We won't get mad at you," confirmed Mei, patting Airi's head, rubbing her daughter's now much shorter hair, and frowning at the memory of why they had to cut their daughter's curls. "You tell him whatever you need to tell him, and if you want Mama and I to leave, we will. Just like Hayashi-san helps us, he's there to help you."

"I want you to stay," said Airi after a few nervous moments.

"Then we'll stay." Mei's hand moved to her daughter's cheek, and she rubbed it gently. "But remember, this is your choice, just like we'll leave if you want us to leave, then we'll leave if you don't want to stay."

"Really?" Airi's mood picked up at hearing she was given a free out, and Mei smiled.

"Really." Mei nodded and looked over at Yuzu. "Although if Mama doesn't hurry up, we will be late."

"Want me to tell her to hurry up?" Airi began putting her books away, but Mei shook her head.

"We'll give Mama a few more minutes," answered Mei, trying to catch Yuzu's attention. "It seems to be slowing down a bit, but this is Mama's work, and if we're a few minutes late, I'm sure they'll understand."

"'kay." Airi sighed and, instead of pulling out her coloring book, pulled out one of the books she'd picked out at the library and began reading it.

Just as Airi began reading to herself, Yuzu's eyes finally turned toward Mei, who lifted her wrist and tapped the face of her watch.

In reply, Yuzu placed her hands together and gave a grin that Mei knew meant she was sorry but doing her best to hurry up. Sighing, Mei shrugged before waving Yuzu away, smiling when she watched the blonde turn back to her clients and begin helping them immediately, though slightly faster this time.

While she was frustrated that this was taking longer than usual, Mei was at least glad that Yuzu was trying to hurry up though it wasn't like they were in too much of a hurry. So long as Yuzu was done in the next ten minutes and traffic wasn't too bad, they'd make it in time.

But the longer she waited, the more Mei began to worry about what something like this would do to Airi.

For her and Yuzu, the past few weeks had been rough. They were on their seventh session and just now bringing up some of the issues from their past. Mei's jealousy issues, Yuzu's overprotective nature, and some of the less desirable aspects of their relationship were also starting to be discussed.

"That is a rather interesting way to start a romantic relationship," said Hayashi after Mei and Yuzu gave her a basic rundown of their earlier encounters. From their first kiss to their first Christmas, to the class trip where Mei finally began trying to figure out her feelings, and then the events up to Mei's leaving and her coming back.

"You two have been through a lot. Much more than I expected." Hayashi downed a large amount of water while Yuzu nervously chewed on a cracker, and Mei sipped some juice. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"Neither do we," said Mei after setting her glass down. "We've discussed it over time and tried our way to work through the issues, but there are always issues we can't seem to overcome."

"That is to be expected," sighed Hayashi after a moment. "But now that I know more about that man Amamiya and what he did, I can say that it sheds some light on many questions I had. Although your friend Matsuri sounds like she was quite the terror herself."

"She had some issues," gulped Yuzu, nervous about where this line of questioning would take them. "But she calmed down and realized she screwed up after I...well...I wasn't innocent either. I yelled at Matsuri and headbutted her in the middle of a crowded restaurant to get my point across, so not my best moment. But we told you what happened, and I'm glad Mei was safe, and we eventually worked it out."

"Physical assault is rarely the correct course of action Yuzu-san." Hayashi removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose to concentrate. "Neither is half of the things you two have explained to me. I mean, just this list alone; you're lucky nobody sent any of you to the police or worse happened to you."

"We know." Mei's voice was stiff, but Yuzu could hear the regret in it. "We made some poor decisions, myself included. I won't make excuses for it, I was wrong, and I think it might be one of the reasons I left Yuzu, as much as it pained me."

"Could you elaborate for me," asked Hayashi, slipping her glasses back on and taking out her pen, her professional persona taking over despite her brief lapse.

"The events we gave you, I feel, should be enough to explain it." Mei's ears burned red as she began talking, but that didn't stop her from taking Yuzu's hand. "I was manipulative, hurtful, and cold. But also, I put myself into situations where my safety was in danger even though all I had to do was trust Yuzu and talk with her, but I couldn't. I also allowed myself to be manipulated. I had so little faith in myself in making Yuzu happy that I did these self-destructive actions because I felt I didn't deserve happiness. At least, that's what I think was going on after reading a lot of the books I bought when I learned I was pregnant."

"That is rather an astute observation Mei-san," chuckled Hayashi while Yuzu squeezed Mei's hand. "She's as smart as you said, Yuzu-san."

"Yeah, she is."

Yuzu winked at Mei, who blushed and asked, "You told her you to think I'm smart?"

"I told her how smart you are," corrected Yuzu before patting the top of Mei's hand. "I told her you'd been trying to figure this stuff out on your own for a while, and if there was anyone I knew who could do it, it was you."

"That wasn't the smartest thing to do," sighed Mei, her gaze lowering. "We should have found help sooner."

"Maybe it just wasn't the right time," said Yuzu with a shrug before looking at Hayashi, who was making another series of notes. "What do you think, Hayashi-san? Do you think there's ever the right time to get help?"

"I believe the right time to get help is when you realize that you truly need the help." Hayashi took another drink before returning her attention to the couple. "As I said, you two both realized that you needed help and sought it out, making it the right time. From the sounds of our previous sessions, you two have come to a similar conclusion. But, my opinion is that your separation early in your relationship was possibly the best thing to happen to you. Although the way it happened was less than ideal."

"I think we've had similar thoughts, " said Mei, looking at Yuzu. "I was cruel to you, and I've repeated many things to her that I've told you, but it's still the truth, Yuzu. I honestly don't think we were ready before our break-up, and I'm sorry for how I came back to you and the expectations I had."

"Well, I'm sorry I tried to kiss you that first night when you showed up," chuckled Yuzu making Hayashi blink in confusion. "I don't know what I was thinking. But I should have been a little kinder to you. After all that time apart, I didn't know what to do with myself. We figured it out, but we're still figuring it out, and I think that's what I like most. How we never know what's going to happen next."

"Again, you two continue to surprise me," chuckled Hayashi, shaking her head. "But it's good to hear that you two recognized those parts of yourself and that boundaries were set and respected, for the most part, I presume?"

"For the most part," confirmed Mei, still looking embarrassed. "I may have been a little presumptuous in my expectations. I wasn't aware of any of Yuzu's relationships after I left, and many people thought I was coming back to her because I was pregnant, which is a partial truth."

"In what way," inquired Hayashi.

"Only Udagawa-san's family and mine, meaning our parents and my grandfather, knew about the divorce," explained Mei calmly, though she began anxiously tugging on her jeans. "Even fewer knew about my pregnancy. Yuzu was one of the first to know, as was her friend Harumi because Harumi is Yuzu's Himeko."

"I see." Hayashi nodded and made a note.

"But what a lot of people forget is that our divorce was decided on before I found out I was pregnant, if I remember correctly," continued Mei. "Also, we were in college, and while Himeko and Shiraho-san were in the same city, they were busy with their courses and lives but would help when they could. Almost everyone in our lives was rather busy around that time. Whether it was work or school-related, no one had a lot of free time. It was selfish, I know, but until things settled down, I felt that Yuzu was the only person I could count on even after everything that had happened."

"She also didn't realize the cafe she'd walked into to use the bathroom was the one I worked at," explained Yuzu when Hayashi turned her attention to the shorter woman. "If I remember my literature courses, I think you'd call something like that a 'plot convenience.' Is that right, Mei?"

Mei nodded, a small smile on her face as Yuzu continued talking.

"That night was weird, but it was one of the first times we were sincere with each other if you ask me," said Yuzu, rubbing Mei's hand. "It hurt; boy, did it hurt. But she apologized for a lot of things, and I could see she wouldn't have come unless she was desperate. Not to mention I had Harumin with me, so that helped a lot with me sticking up for myself."

"She can be intimidating when she needs to be." Mei smiled, remembering what had happened, causing her joy to slip away. "I don't know if things would have gone as well without her or Udagawa-san there."

"It was a good thing they were there then." Hayashi nodded her agreement. "Again, like now, having third parties present to help mediate can be incredibly valuable."

"It also helped that I was at work at the time," chuckled Yuzu which caused both Hayashi and Mei to smile in agreement. "It helped me keep my anger in check, I mean, I still lost my cool, but it would have been worse if we were in private. But Mei let me vent, admitted she screwed up, and allowed me to set up boundaries."

"There were times I forced my hand," admitted Mei, looking ashamed. "I don't know if it was the guilt or the loneliness, but I wanted Yuzu to know that I at least still loved her. But I don't need you to tell me how selfish that was; plenty of people already have."

Hayashi again nodded her agreement, but neither Mei nor Yuzu could see any judgment on her face, just professional concern.

Realizing they were getting a little off track, Yuzu coughed and said, "But you said we did the right thing about splitting up. Did we do the right thing that night as well?"

"I think you did," said Hayashi after contemplating her words and the new information she'd just received. "You gave yourselves time to think and feel each other out emotionally. From what you told me, you also took time learning about each other before moving into anything truly romantic or physically intimate, if I remember right."

"You are," said Mei, her ears turning as red as Yuzu's face. "That I feel was the most challenging part after we got back together; being able to become intimate with each other beyond just casually holding hands or a kiss here and there."

"After the trauma you endured, Mei-san, and the pain you both went through, it is difficult to achieve something like that." Hayashi sighed, but she did her best to remain positive. "But in the end, you overcame it, and you're stronger for it."

"Yeah," asked Yuzu, her embarrassment lessening for a moment. "But I don't know how you can tell just from what we've told you."

"Look at your hands," said Hayashi, and both Mei and Yuzu looked down to see their entwined fingers as she spoke. "When couples come to me for therapy a lot of the time, they can't even sit as close as the two of you are. Hell, they can barely stand sitting on the same couch. I've had to offer my seat to a wife because she couldn't stand being near her husband."

"That's unusual," asked Mei, intrigued. "I thought seeing couples like that was common in your field."

"At the time, it was strange." Hayashi stretched her arms above her head before continuing. "It was early in my career, and I'd been lucky enough to have easier clients. But they were my first difficult couple, and I wasn't equipped to help them properly, so a colleague took over their case, but unfortunately, she couldn't help them. I don't know if it was because of my lack of experience or their not wanting the help, but they didn't last. I told you the importance of wanting help to receive help and accept help, didn't I?"

Mei and Yuzu nodded in agreement before Mei asked, "But what does that have to do with us holding hands?"

"Because," began Hayashi, her body leaning toward Mei and Yuzu, "from our first session with you two seeing me together, you two haven't shied away from hiding how much you care. I notice every time you touch, look, smile, or acknowledge each other. Even if I felt that you two wouldn't make it, these gestures tell me how much you love each other and want the best for this relationship. Do you know what that else this tells me?"

Mei and Yuzu silently debated what she could have meant until Yuzu off-handedly asked, "That we trust each other?"

"Not just that," said Hayashi enthusiastically. "That is a big part of it, Yuzu-san. But it also tells me that you two know what the other one needs. Yes, there are moments you don't touch, and that is fine; I get it, public displays of affection for you two sometimes get odd looks, and at times, it's easier to go without, am I right?"

Mei and Yuzu both again nodded their agreement.

"In addition to that, we've already mentioned that you two spent a lot of time hiding your affection and finding dark corners and places where you wouldn't be seen. Right?"

"Yes," confirmed Mei, growing increasingly conscious of Yuzu's hand now that Hayashi had brought it up. "But we've told you those reasons."

"You have, and I respect them." Hayashi sat back and smiled. "However, after you two got back together, you took your time in understanding the other. Not stealing a kiss or, pardon my language, trying to force one another to understand your feelings."

Mei and Yuzu's faces again turned scarlet at remembering many of those moments.

Hayashi chuckled and continued speaking.

"And I feel those memories and the wariness they caused when you reunited were very productive for you." Hayashi took another sip of water before continuing. "Now, it has led to some issues. To go back to our earlier sessions, I feel that it has made you uncomfortable to discuss things the other wants to discuss and has led you to hide how you feel until it becomes too much to handle. And because of this, I think when these feelings get brought up, it leads to you being either angry or upset, and when you finally say something, it can feel like an attack."

"I'll admit there are times that it does feel that way," said Mei quietly.

"That's more my fault than hers," chuckled Yuzu nervously. "She's usually the cooler-headed one but sometimes..."

"It feels like she doesn't care," inquired Hayashi, knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Yuzu nodded and looked at Mei, who was downcast. "Sorry, Mei. But I'm just trying to be honest."

"I know." Mei nodded and felt Yuzu's hand begin to slide away, but she held tight. "I know your feelings, and I'm sorry I sometimes do that. It's a lifelong habit and not something I can easily break."

"I don't want you to break it," said Yuzu, fumbling over her words. "I love that you're able to keep your head like that when I'm usually a mess. But I've seen how much it builds up in you and wears you down. It hurts when you're mad at me, but there are times when I'm happy you've lost your temper with me. Like when I went on my first business trip out of the country? Remember how mad you got?"

"I was being selfish," sniffed Mei as she remembered how she and Yuzu had yelled at each other when Yuzu had to take that last-minute trip to England. "You'd just started that job, you were being shown trust, and I was trying to keep you from doing something that helped you feel valued."

"Yeah, you did kind of make me feel like garbage," agreed Yuzu, making Mei snort, but she managed to get a smirk out of her wife. "But you cared and reminded me to make sure Hideki knew I loved him. It's kinda funny when you think about it. We sort of switched places when we got into our fight about Airi. "

"I never thought of it like that," chuckled Mei while Hayashi took notes and observed. "They're both around the same age, too, if you think about it."

"Oh my God, you're right," laughed Yuzu as she squeezed Mei's hand, relieved that some of the tension between them was finally dissipating. "Wow, that's weird. It looks like we both needed that reminder about our kids. But I know you love her, and I know you know that I love Hideki."

"Of course, I know that." Mei sighed and shook her head. "I forgot how hard it was for you to accept what was happening back then. I thought I'd somehow managed to circumvent doing that myself, but it looks like I didn't."

"Do you mind if I interrupt?"

Mei and Yuzu looked up at Hayashi, who was holding her hand up like she was in class.

"We're sorry," apologized Mei looking flustered. "We completely ignored you, Hayashi-san. That was rude of us."

"It's all right." Hayashi smiled and lowered her hand. "It was enlightening, and it gave me an idea of how you two talk at home after you've argued. Also, I'm glad you two came to this understanding yourselves. I'm proud to see my patients do things without my help; it means that what we're doing is working, and you're growing. Before we continue, I have some questions about the events you mentioned and was wondering if you could help me understand them a little more."

Yuzu looked to Mei, who nodded, and Yuzu said, "Ask away."

Over the next several minutes, they discussed Yuzu's trepidation about being involved with Mei and becoming a mother so young. When they finished that part of the conversation, they focused on Mei. She brought up her guilt about feeling like she'd unintentionally trapped Yuzu despite wanting everything to be on Yuzu's terms and how their relationship had cost Yuzu work and other difficulties they faced.

It was old information, but with Mei's revelations of the feeling she'd trapped Yuzu, Hayashi felt it necessary to expand on that new kernel of knowledge.

"Do you feel that you were trapped, Yuzu-san?" inquired Hayashi after Mei had expressed her feelings.

Yuzu's free hand clenched itself, and she looked to Mei, who said, "Say what you need to say. I'd rather you be honest now than angry later."

Nodding, Yuzu turned her attention back to Hayashi and quietly said, "I did feel trapped for a while. It was hard not to."

"Okay," was all Hayashi said and made a note. "If you mind my asking, was it because of your age, the expectations, college, and social life? If I'm pushing you, please tell me to stop, and we will move on to something else."

"It's not you," explained Yuzu with a sigh. "It's just that I've rarely said things like this out loud, and Mei's here, and I don't want her to feel like I'm blaming her again. Because I already did that once, and I don't want us to have another fight."

"I understand." Hayashi nodded and looked at Mei, holding tightly onto Yuzu's other hand. "Are you comfortable with hearing what she has to say? Do you want to leave, or would you rather I schedule separate appointments so I can discuss things like this separately with you two?"

"I'll stay." Mei's voice was firm, but Yuzu could sense its softness that said everything was going to be okay. "I want to hear what she has to say, and I want to stay because I want her to know that she can tell me these things. But if she wants me to go, I will."

"I don't want you to leave," said Yuzu, squeezing Mei's hand tighter. "I just don't want you angry."

"You can't control how she'll feel," said Hayashi calmly to help set the tone of the conversation. "But I understand your concern. But, if things get out of hand, we will stop, figure out another topic, or end the session for the day. If you don't feel comfortable leaving with one another, I will stay so you can figure out other arrangements. I want to help you, but not at the risk of safety or your relationship's detriment."

"You're sure you won't be mad," asked Yuzu cautiously, giving Mei an edgy look.

"I might be upset," explained Mei with a shrug. "But no, I won't be mad, I have an idea of what is going on, but if this helps you, I want you to say it."

"Okay." Yuzu took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll tell her if you're fine with it."

Yuzu turned back to Hayashi and said, "I did feel trapped, for a while at least. I mean, we were barely in our 20s. We were in college. We were supposed to be going to parties and working, and I did some of that. I did some of it a little too much, and I regret the things that happened because of it."

"You mean your ex, who is now your son's dance teacher?"

"Yeah." Yuzu blushed while Mei looked annoyed but continued holding onto Yuzu's hand out of support, though Yuzu thought she was losing feeling in her fingers.

"Not just her, but a few other people. I wasn't in a good mindset for a while before Mei and I reconnected. It took until well after Hideki was born before I started feeling like my old self again." Yuzu took a deep breath and sighed. "It was hard. I knew what I was signing up for, but part of me..."

Yuzu paused and looked at Mei as if asking for permission to continue, and when she got the nod to proceed, she quietly said, "I think part of me resented Hideki and Mei a little. I think Mei figured that out, but she never said anything, and Hideki didn't trust me until he was five. But it wasn't resentment in a...what's the word...malicious sense. But it was just that instead of going out, it was work, school, and home to take care of Mei and the baby. We didn't even have a night alone until he was almost seven months old, and even that night ended up not turning out great. Then there was the fact that I had to rely on Mei to pay for everything until I could find steady employment after graduation, meaning I had to spend more time alone with Hideki, and I think it's safe to say that I was frustrated and a little resentful."

"That's understandable," commented Hayashi taking a few more notes. "You were young and wanted some freedom, and you gave that up because you wanted to be with Mei. Which even nowadays comes with some restrictions."

"It does," answered Mei with a sigh. "Some places we've been asked to leave, others times it's the looks we get from some people when they realize what our family is like, at least regarding the kids and us. It doesn't happen that often now, and we've learned to weather it, but I think the kids are aware as much as we are, and even the kids are a restriction."

"Yeah, but it felt different then than it does now," said Yuzu looking confused. "Like maybe it was because of our age. We were on our own, and that's what we thought life was supposed to be—school, work, parties, and hanging out with friends. But now, it's like our lives haven't changed much. It's still working, kids, and other things. But somehow, if we want to go out and have fun, it's a little easier to enjoy ourselves without feeling guilty. I don't know why it just feels less suffocating."

"Well, that might just be maturity or the sense that you have more control over your lives," explained Hayashi without absolute certainty. "And children are a restriction in a way. Maybe your date nights alone without having to worry about them all the time makes it less suffocating. Knowing they're safe and with people they can trust and trusting them to help you can be liberating. Trusting people is more difficult at that age and with young children. Kids are also more aware than we realize. That may be why Hideki wasn't as trusting of you, Yuzu-san until he was older. He might have subconsciously recognized the turmoil you were going through, and it manifested without him realizing it."

"Maybe." Yuzu shrugged again and sighed. "But you'd think with me being home as much as I was, he'd have more faith in me."

"Were you home that much between college and graduation," asked Hayashi concernedly.

"For a while." Yuzu nodded and looked a little embarrassed. "But that was only when I was between part-time jobs. It took me a long time to get full-time work. I had to get help from Mei's family lawyers to change some of my paperwork to show they had no reason to fire me, to help make the job hunt easier. But it wasn't just me who was home more; Mei was too."

"We both had a lot more time at home after Hideki was born," explained Mei, a slight blush creeping up her face. "I wasn't fully in control of my family company yet as my grandfather hadn't yet retired. Unfortunately, he ended up passing away shortly before we decided to have Airi, and I took full control, meaning what time I had at home was much more limited."

"Also, I ended up traveling a lot for work at my old job," added Yuzu, hoping to take some of the stress off Mei. "But yeah, we had more time at home those first few years. We were still busy because of college and work, but it was a lot easier, and our friends and parents were around a bit more, but now even though it feels easier, it's more of a pain because now..."

"Now that you're grown, they've decided you don't need their help," said Hayashi, making both Mei and Yuzu nod. "It sounds like your parents still help a lot, and Airi has friends and family she can count on. But it doesn't feel the same as it did with your son."

"No, it isn't," confirmed Mei, thinking how often she or Yuzu had to ask Hideki to cancel plans because no one else could pick up Airi due to them working late.

"That's actually to be expected," said Hayashi calmly to keep Mei and Yuzu from going into a spiral of blame. "You were young, in college, and figuring out your careers, so the people in your lives wanted to help more, especially with you having a child at such a young age. So naturally, they would want to give you as much time to yourselves as they could to allow you to succeed. Does this sound possible?"

"Maybe." Yuzu shrugged and looked frustrated. "I can't speak for everyone in our immediate group, but now that you mention it, it does feel like they were around more before we graduated and started working."

"It makes sense." Mei's voice was quiet; her finger was on her chin as if she was deep in thought. "What you're saying, I mean, something like that would make sense if we apply it to what Yuzu said about the issues we're having with Airi. We didn't nearly have this many problems with Hideki, so being home more may have helped with Hideki being better adjusted than Airi if I understand you correctly."

"I think so too." Hayashi nodded in agreement and looked at her notes. "You also said that you spent time with your son when he was younger, explaining why his family was different. You said you did this so that he was better prepared for the moments when he was older when people might question him or ridicule him for not coming from a 'traditional' family."

"We did," confirmed Yuzu, her confidence waning. "But things weren't like they are now. I mean, it's still difficult at times; I've lost customers and jobs, and Mei's lost clients and possible business opportunities, but we've made it through. People are much more accepting or at least tolerant than when we were younger, so we didn't spend as much time talking to Airi about it. We never thought it would get brought up. But there's some stuff we had to prepare her for, like why she only has a grandma and a grandpa. Or why she and her brother look so different. We didn't think about it until..."

"People started commenting about her appearance and the fact that she doesn't have a father in her life," Hayashi said before apologizing. "I'm sorry I keep cutting you two off. I should be listening to you more."

"No, it's okay." Yuzu gave a sad smile and sighed. "I mean, you're right, we didn't prepare her, and we didn't think about it until recently. I'm sorry I put all the blame on you, Mei. I shouldn't have done that."

"You weren't wrong about some of it," replied Mei, squeezing Yuzu's hand. "I have put more pressure on you with her and spent more time focused on Hideki. It seems I didn't realize just how much more difficult it was with her now that it's just the two of us."

"Me neither." Yuzu leaned back into the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "Man, did we screw this up."

"What makes you say that?"

Yuzu sat up straight and focused on Hayashi, whose face finally showed some amount of anger.

"What do you mean," chuckled Yuzu nervously. "Weren't you listening to us? We prioritized one kid and forgot about the other one. How is that not us screwing up?"

"Because you didn't." Hayashi took her glasses off and leaned forward. "Neither of you screwed up anything in raising your children. You've made mistakes, that much is true, but all that happened was your lives changed. You did not fail or forget about your daughter. All that happened was life."

"It doesn't change that we ignored things we needed to talk to Airi about." Yuzu snorted and crossed her arms as her mind began working at breakneck speed. "We spent all this time looking into laws and how to make it so that she was ours and that no one could take her from us. Not to mention looking into how to take care of her if she ended up with hair like her dad's, possible genetic diseases, and God knows what else. Then there was figuring out how to introduce her to her dad, which did not go well. No, we have the bullying and..."

"Yuzu-san," came Hayashi's voice, breaking through the rambling that Yuzu had slipped into. "Yuzu-san, I need you to stop and take a breath. Can you do that?"

"Yuzu." Mei's voice joined in with Hayashi's, and she held Yuzu's hand in both of hers. "Take a breath and breathe. I know this isn't easy; I've been there. I'm still there, but please do this for me."

Yuzu nodded, and she took a few deep breaths and felt herself begin to calm down, although her heart was still pounding.

"Are you feeling better? Or do you need me to help you with a calming exercise?"

"I need a minute," gasped Yuzu before closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing.

Finally, her heartbeat settled, and she opened her eyes and sighed, "Okay. Okay, I'm getting there. Sorry..."

"Do not apologize." Hayashi's voice was firm, and both Mei and Yuzu felt their bodies stiffen at her commanding tone. "You have nothing to apologize for. You are experiencing a flood of emotions that are difficult to process. Your reaction was normal, and I can help you with that if you want."

"We'll talk about that next time," said Yuzu with a nervous smile. "I want to focus on what we discussed before I freaked out."

"If that's what you want." Hayashi sighed and took a moment to make a note and make several circular motions before continuing.

"As I was saying, neither of you did anything wrong. All you two did was live your lives. You and your friends got older, started families, or moved into their careers. Yuzu-san, you quit a successful career and started a new business, and Mei-san took over her family business. Those require a lot of attention. Hideki is in high school, and he's going to be going to college soon; this is a big time in his life, and he's had a series of troubles that require attention. Not only that but Mei-san, from what you've told me about Hideki's birth, it makes sense that you're overly protective of him."

"But I ignored my daughter," said Mei defeatedly. "That's not a reason to justify what I've done."

"I wouldn't say that," said Hayashi with a shrug. "You've unintentionally focused more on your son than your daughter; that is true. These things can happen in families. But you need to understand that your situation has affected how you see yourselves and your children will see you. Neither of your children will have the same perspective of you. Hideki will see you one way, and Airi will see you another. But that is something you have control over, which you are doing. You need to give yourselves a break. You have two children with a large age gap, and there will be times that one will require more focus than the other."

"It seems that all we've done is focus on one over the other," sighed Mei after ensuring Yuzu was starting to feel better.

"But that doesn't make you bad parents." Hayashi set aside her pad and leaned forward. "It is difficult when you have multiple kids; I know it from personal experience."

All three of them chuckled before Hayashi continued.

"When you have your first," she began, choosing her words carefully, "most of the time, that's where much of your energy goes. You focus on making sure that one child gets everything they need, and you do everything right. But when you decide to have another kid, sometimes you get a little laxer and don't focus as much on them. Or you think you aren't, but that doesn't make you negligent. It's clear from how you talk about them that you love them and are always thinking about their well-being. But as we've discovered, particularly with Airi, you had a great deal more going on during these formative years, and she's at the age where she's starting to notice that you aren't as present. And it hurts her because she sees things you don't or feels about you, but she's not sure why so she makes her connections which can cause feelings of inadequacy or inferiority."

"Maybe," said Yuzu, feeling more confused than she had been. "But we try to make sure she knows we aren't trying to ignore her. And I've had my issues with giving her the attention she deserves. But lately, it feels like, especially after that fight, maybe I've been projecting some of what I've felt onto Mei, and now Airi's thinking it's Mei's fault too."

"That seems to be a common theme in our relationship," said Mei snarkily.

"It's not like I wanted that to happen," sighed Yuzu, avoiding Mei's gaze. "But if that's something you've been feeling or someone's been saying you're the one to blame for all of our problems, tell me who it is, and I'll handle it."

"I'm teasing, Yuzu." Mei rolled her eyes and looked elbowed her wife gently. "We've both shifted blame at times; it happens. We just need to do our best to stop it because, as you said, it could lead Airi to pick up some bad habits and put the blame where it doesn't belong. Whether it's herself or someone else."

"It's possible." Hayashi took a moment to process Yuzu's remark before continuing. "But I want to focus on ensuring you know how to talk to Airi-chan when the time comes. Originally, I wanted to talk about your conflict skills this evening, but this feels more important. Finding a way to speak to Airi about what's been happening takes precedence to help her adjust and process healthily rather than internalize it and lash out. Also, I think it could help with other issues I want to work with you on. Is that something you're willing to do? If not, we will stop so you can take the week to figure it out. But if you are, we can make that our focus. Is that something your willing to try?'

"I am," agreed Yuzu after taking a moment to think about it. "What about you, Mei? Mei?"

Mei ignored Yuzu's voice again as she was lost in thought until the third calling of her name and the sound of Yuzu's sharp snap in front of her face made her jerk from her thoughts.

Looking around, she realized she was back in the cafe where Airi was standing with her backpack on, looking at her mom curiously while Yuzu shook her head and laughed.

"You okay? You looked pretty out of it."

Mei blinked and scanned the restaurant. It was still full but nowhere near as packed as it had been moments ago.

Rubbing her eyes, Mei shook the cobwebs from her head and said, "I'm fine. I was thinking about our session yesterday."

"Oh." Yuzu took in a breath of air before exhaling it loudly. "Yeah, that, that was a tough one. We did get under each other's skin while talking about all that stuff. You're not upset with me, are you?"

"No." Mei stood up and reached out for Yuzu's hand. "No, I'm not. I was upset for a while, but it had more to do with the growing pains and processing everything. Besides, if I were mad, we wouldn't have followed through on our new arrangement last night."

"That's true." Yuzu blushed, remembering how she'd woken up to Mei's face in her chest, their bodies wrapped around each other. "Well, remember to tell me if I did something that annoys you. We gotta practice this stuff, or else we're tossing money down the drain, among other things."

"I know." Mei kissed Yuzu's cheek before continuing. "Are you ready to go? How late are we?"

"A few minutes," sighed Yuzu as she adjusted her bag. "But if there's not a lot of traffic, we should make it on time. You ready, Airi?"

Airi nodded and wedged between her mom's, taking both hands. When they were confident they had everything, they said their goodbyes, headed to the car, and sped off toward the health center. However, they did take a minute for Yui to come out and get a quick hug from Airi and wish them luck before they were finally on their way.

Unfortunately, the traffic wasn't as light as Yuzu wanted, and they had arrived fifteen minutes late for their appointment, meaning the person who was scheduled after Airi got moved up. Thankfully that put them as the last appointment for the day, and they occupied their time entertaining Airi with her books and talking to her about her classes.

Just as Airi was beginning to tell them about how they would have an overnight stay at the Kindergarten, the assistant at the desk called out their names and told them which room to go to.

"Remember what Mommy and I said, Airi," began Yuzu as they approached the door, "if you feel uncomfortable with any of this, you can say you don't want to talk anymore, and we'll go straight home. Okay?"

"I know Mama," whispered Airi as a younger man in his late twenties approached the door with a friendly smile in a set of slacks and a nice polo shirt. "Is this the doctor?"

"In a manner of speaking," said the man with a polite bow to Mei and Yuzu before extending his card to them. "I'm not a doctor, but I'm trained to help people. I'm sure you remember from our phone calls, but I'm Fukui-san. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

Mei and Yuzu returned the greeting and introduced themselves before gently moving Airi forward.

"This is our daughter, Aihara Airi," said Mei politely. "She's a bit nervous, and we told her what you told us about how she can say 'no' to questions and when to stop the sessions."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Airi-chan." Fukui dropped down to Airi's level and continued to smile at her. "And I want you to know that what your moms said is true. If you don't want to be here, you don't have to be, and you can stop our talk whenever you want."

"What are we gonna talk about," asked Airi, peeking past him to see a room filled with toys. "Are we gonna play with the toys?"

"We'll talk about whatever is on your mind," he said, looking over his shoulder at the toys. "But yes, we can play with the toys while we talk. I think it is an excellent way to help us get to know each other, and if all you want to do is play today, that's all we'll do."

"You're not going to ask me questions," asked Airi as Fukui stood up and allowed them to enter.

"If you want me to ask you questions, then I will. Or better yet, you can ask me questions, and then I can ask you questions if that helps."

"I'll think about it," said Airi as she ran over to the stuffed animals and began looking for one to play with.

"Not a bad strategy, " chuckled Yuzu as Fukui led them to a pair of comfortable chairs while Airi began playing with a bunny and what looked like a bear. "Must make your job a breeze."

"It helps with the younger kids," he said with a smirk. "They relax, I relax, and the parents relax because the kids are focused on something other than why they're here. But before I go over and talk to her, please remember that you can interrupt if you feel I'm crossing a line. All I ask is that you wait to see how she reacts. I know this will be difficult, and I want you to understand that I am not trying to hurt her and that when she says no, I will move on. This session must be on her terms because pushing her too hard can do more harm than good and shut her down completely."

"Thank you for your consideration," said Mei while Airi began setting up what looked like a reading circle with not only the stuffed rabbit and bear but also a dog and a cat. "Are you sure it's okay for us to be in here? That our presence won't cause her to remain quiet."

"The room is big enough that she'll have privacy, but you can also watch her," Fukui said, gesturing at the space several times larger than Hayashi's office. "So it's okay. Plus, it'll help her feel safe, which will help her discuss anything on her mind because she'll know you two are here."

"All right," sighed Yuzu, her heart pounding as she focused on Airi. "Just go easy on her; she's had a rough few months."

"I will." Fukui gave them another reassuring smile before walking to Airi, where he sat down and began asking Airi questions about what she was doing.

"This is weird," sighed Yuzu after waving at Airi, who waved at her using the bear's paw while Fukui controlled the dog.

"It is." Mei moved her hand between the chairs and sighed when she felt Yuzu grab it. "But we're here for her; that's what we need to focus on."

Yuzu grunted in agreement, but Mei could tell by the way she was squeezing that Yuzu's nerves were getting the better of her.

Trying to figure out what to do, Mei massaged Yuzu's hand and watched as Airi continued playing and chatting with Fukui.

Neither Mei nor Yuzu could figure out what the game was supposed to be. It seemed that Airi kept changing the rules as they went, but Fukui managed to keep up with her just fine. Asking her questions about games she liked, her favorite subjects in school, and the kind of books and stories she enjoyed.

Airi answered these questions happily, and when she caught Mei and Yuzu looking at her, she waved and smiled at them.

They waved back, and when Airi's focus shifted to her game again, Mei asked, "What do you think we should do for dinner?"

"What?" Yuzu looked at Mei, confused. "Why are you asking that right now?"

"Because we need to figure it out," explained Mei with a shrug, glad she managed to get Yuzu's mind off Airi for a minute. "It's late, and we have things in the fridge, but it'll be difficult to find something at the store that's quick to make, so I just wanted to know your opinion."

Yuzu stared at her wife for a moment, then back at Airi, before chuckling at realizing what Mei was doing and said, "We'll use what's in the fridge, and we can do the shopping tomorrow. Nice try trying to distract me, though."

"It was worth a shot," smirked Mei as Yuzu squeezed her hand. "I have an idea about what we can do. It won't be extravagant, but I think I can make something we'll enjoy, and I believe there's some ice cream left, so we can give her some as a treat."

"Cake and ice cream in one day," said Yuzu in mock surprise. "Mei, you're getting soft."

"Oh, be quiet." Mei let go of Yuzu's hand long enough to smack the top of it before holding it again. "You know I'm not above spoiling them when they deserve it. She's fine now, but I'm worried about later, and if it helps, I'll do what I have to."

"I know you will," said Yuzu as she held Mei's hand.

They watched in silence for a bit, their hands barely moving. At the same time, Airi continued to talk with Fukui about everything under the sun, from her favorite shows to the games she played with her friends and brother and her favorite school subjects.

This topic eventually led them to music which was the subject Mei and Yuzu were worried about the most.

"Do you play any instruments, Fukui-san?" asked Airi as she began coloring in a book he'd brought out after she'd put away everything but the stuffed puppy.

"I've never been good at music," he answered with a smile. "I also have never been a big music person; I prefer books."

"My mommy likes books too," giggled Airi looking at Mei, who rolled her eyes before smiling and nodding at her daughter's comment. "But so do I. Mommy reads me bedtime stories, and sometimes Mama helps with them, but I like it when it's just Mommy and me."

"Why's that," inquired Fukui as he watched Airi move from the coloring book to some spare blank paper he'd left on the table. He noticed she was beginning to draw something but couldn't make it out. "Also, if you don't mind me asking, who's Mommy and who's Mama? I don't want to get them confused."

"That's Mommy," Airi pointed at Mei before pointing at Yuzu. "That's Mama."

"Got it." Fukui nodded and made a note in his notebook. "Now that we've cleared that up, can I ask why you prefer Mei-san reading to you over Yuzu-san?"

"Cuz Mommy has an important job," said Airi quietly, although Mei and Yuzu could still hear her. "She's gotta work and isn't home a lot. Mama works a lot, too; she runs restaurants with my Uncle, and they sometimes take trips. But he's my brother Hideki's daddy. Uncle's married to Auntie Rena. Uncle and Mommy were married, but they got divorced. Then Mommy and Mama got married, so now he's Uncle."

"That's good to know." Fukui took a minute to process the information before writing it down in his notebook. "But is it okay if I ask what Mommy does for a living?"

"Mommy does a lot," said Airi, her coloring stopping on what he guessed was one of Mei's pupils as the crayon was purple. "She runs lots of businesses, but her big job is running a school. She has to go to dinners and parties, and sometimes has to leave for trips like Mama cuz of all the stuff she's in charge of."

"Do they ever leave at the same time," asked Fukui, his focus splitting between Airi, his notebook, and her drawing, which now showed Mei and Yuzu working at their respective jobs.

"Sometimes," said Airi, her coloring stopping as her arms moved to color the drawing. "If they both go, I stay with Auntie and Uncle or Grandma and Grandpa."

"Are they gone a long time?" Fukui set aside his notebook and turned all his focus on Airi.

"Mommy sometimes is; she missed three of my recitals in a row cuz she was gone for a long, long time."

"That's gotta be tough," said Fukui, leaning a little closer and sighing. "My dad and mom worked a lot, so my big sister took care of me. She was a lot older than me, so she sometimes had to come to talk to my teachers or show up for family days."

"That's weird," giggled Airi, but there was still a look of pain on her face. "Hideki can't do that for me because he's not a grown-up. Grandma and Grandpa can't because they work a lot. Auntie and Uncle sometimes show up to help. But lots of times, it's only Mama or Mommy, but usually, it's just Mama."

"But people still show up for you, so that's gotta help, right?" Fukui was doing his best to sound reassuring, but it wasn't helping as much as he'd hoped.

Mei and Yuzu noticed Airi's shoulder slump and heard her say something, but they couldn't make it out.

"I get that it's not the same," said Fukui gingerly but loud enough for Mei and Yuzu to hear. "You want your moms there, and it makes you sad when they can't make it."

"But they make most of Hideki's stuff," said Airi with a sniffle. "And nobody says mean things about him at Mommy's parties or trips him and makes fun of him because he looks ugly or says..."

"Who says these things?" Fukui reached for a pack of tissues and handed them to Airi to help with the tears pouring down her face. "Do you want to tell me, or do you want your moms to come over?"

Airi nodded at the last question, and Fukui motioned for Mei and Yuzu to come over.

It took all their willpower not to run to their daughter's side, but they managed just fine with a brisk walk, and both were on either side of Airi in a matter of seconds.

Without thinking about it, Airi immediately threw herself into Yuzu's arms and curled up into a ball as Yuzu hugged her. Mei moved closer to their daughter, whispering comforting words and stroking her hair.

While Mei and Yuzu soothed their daughter, Fukui grabbed some bottled water and snacks, returned to the table, and sat silently until Airi's sobs turned into hiccups and her back stopped shaking.

"Airi-chan," he asked when she'd calmed down enough but remained cradled in Yuzu's arms, "can I ask your mom some questions to help me understand? You can say no, and we can stop for today; I don't want to see you hurting, so if this hurts too much, you can tell us no."

They all waited in silence as Airi thought it over, but eventually, the girl let out a loud sniffle and croaked out, "You can ask," before falling silent again.

While Fukui prepared his questions, Mei grabbed some tissues and began helping Airi clean herself up.

The girl grumbled and complained, but she eventually giggled. Mei managed to accidentally tickle her cheek, allowing the woman to clean up some of the mess.

"There's our pretty girl," said Mei while Yuzu stroked Airi's hair. "Are you sure you want to stay?"

"I'm fine," sniffed Airi, though her eyes were swollen and puffy. "I'm hungry, though."

"Here," said Yuzu, grabbing one of the snacks from the table and handing it to Airi. "We'll be done soon, and then we'll have dinner. I think we have stuff for gyudon in the fridge, does that sound yummy?"

Airi nodded and said nothing, focusing on her snack as Fukui managed to get his bearings.

"If it's okay for me to ask, is the stuff Airi-chan mentioned common occurrences?"

"Not all of it," explained Yuzu, shifting Airi in her arms while Mei handed Airi another snack and some water. "The party stuff was something I knew about for a while. It's one of the reasons Mei and I got into the fight that led us to see Hayashi-san. But Airi and Hideki don't go to them that often anymore. Hideki's got college exams and graduation to worry about; many of them are during the week and can run late, so it's not good for either of them. I go more now because I don't like Mei going out that late alone, and they can sometimes be fun. But Mei hasn't gone to any for a while. So we're in the dark about what's being said now."

"They make fun of Mama too," sniffed Airi after sipping her water. "I heard some gross old guy say that Mama and I are leeches, which is dumb cuz I don't like being sick, and why would anyone drink blood? I bet he does; he looked like a vampire from one of Hideki's manga."

"That's not exactly what he meant," said Mei calmly as she rubbed Airi's hair, amused by her daughter's comments. "But the next time you hear something like that, you find me, and I'll talk to the person about why they should watch their mouths."

"But they say stuff like Chiyoko and her friends said," whined Airi, rolling out of Yuzu's arms, returning to the table, and grabbing her drawing. "They said you should give me away and that I'm not an Aihara because of my daddy and cuz you married Mama."

"You are an Aihara, Airi." Said Mei quietly, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You are as much an Aihara as me, your grandpa, and your brother."

"Then how come you don't like me as much as Hideki?" Airi shrugged Mei's hand away and curled up on the floor, holding her knees. "How come you always miss my stuff? How come you always talk about him and want to talk to him, but not me? Is it cuz I came from Mama's tummy?"

"Airi," started Yuzu as she watched Mei's hand retreat. "I know you're upset with Mommy, but you're not being fair."

"You said this stuff too," snapped Airi crawling under the table and curling up into a ball. "I heard you say it to Mommy before we stayed with Auntie Harumi and Auntie Matsuri. That's why you're making me talk to my daddy, so you don't have to talk to me, and you can give me to him."

"Who told you that," asked Mei, her voice little more than a growl. "Who said that's why we want you to talk to your father?"

"Chiyoko said it before and after our trip," snapped Airi from under the table. "She made fun of my hair, called me a dirty hafu, and said I didn't belong here even though Mommy and Mama are Japanese. That's why Chiyoko and her dumb friends put gum in my hair, broke my violin bow, and pushed me and teased me."

"Is that why she switched music schools," inquired Fukui while Mei and Yuzu tried to find the words to console Airi.

"That and because Airi finally stood up for herself and fought back," explained Yuzu while Mei continued trying to coax Airi out from under the table. "It's also another reason Mei and I were fighting on top of everything else. We kept pushing back meeting dates to deal with it because of Mei's schedule. I had to do it a few times myself, and we tried to see if only one of us could go, but they wanted all the parents there for legal reasons. But before we could make it, everything Airi said happened, and she ended up punching a couple of the girls, and they started trying to gang up on her, but a teacher stopped it. When Mei and I heard what happened, we were finally done. We'd been done for a while and thinking about pulling her from the school when that happened and..."

"We withdrew her that day," said Mei, who was now lying on her side and staring at a cowering Airi who refused to meet her mother's gaze. "It didn't take much to get them all to comply. The teachers had records of the other girls' actions, and my family employs a solid team of lawyers so that we could handle anything legally, but that was a threat I made as a last resort. Luckily the other parents bought it, and there were no further issues."

"Were these children the same age as her?" Fukui's twisted in confusion as he began processing this new information. "I'm just curious because that is a kind of language most children don't hear regularly. Also, does she hear comments like this regularly?"

"That's why I got tripped and Hideki got into a fight," came Airi's muffled voice. "We had to go to the police station because two big guys called me a bad word and said I don't belong here, and Hideki got into a fight with them. They also said I couldn't be Hideki's sister because my skin looked like poop, and I smelled like it."

"Well, it doesn't, and you don't," said Mei from the floor. "Everyone in the family and our friends think you're beautiful. Even Hayashi-san says so, and she's only seen one picture of you, and your teachers all adore you."

"Then how come people look at me funny when I'm doing errands," asked Airi, still avoiding Mei's gaze. "How come people are only nice when I'm with you and Mama? How come you ignore me like everyone else?"

"Airi," said Mei holding her hand out, "can you come out from under the table?"

"Why?" Airi rubbed her eyes and nose on her sleeves, ignoring Mei's hand. "Are you gonna yell at me?"

"I'm not going to yell," said Mei calmly, hurt that her daughter would think that. "But my neck is starting to hurt, and I'd like to tell you something that might help. Can you do that for me? If not, Mama and Fukui-san will try and come down here to talk to you. Would that help?"

Airi drummed her fingers on her knees for a moment, her eyes red from crying as she sniffed back a few more tears before shaking her head and saying, "I wanna go home."

"Okay," Mei looked up at Yuzu, who was already looking around for their things, while Fukui got up and began looking for something. "We're going home, but I need you to come out from under the table."

"I can't," Airi's voice sounded stressed, and Mei could see her clutch her chest. "My chest hurts, and I feel dizzy."

"What's wrong with her," asked Mei as Fukui appeared with his phone and some snacks. "Does she need to go to a doctor?"

"I think I have an idea." Fukui helped Mei up and whispered. "But I would avoid saying things like that for now; it'll only stress her more. Can you promise me that?"

Mei nodded and looked at Yuzu, who was staring under the table at Airi, frozen as she watched Airi pull at her chest and hair, her breathing growing quicker as she rocked back and forth.

"Can you help her?" asked Mei, pointing at Airi.

"I can," confirmed Fukui with a nod. "This is uncommon for kids, but it's not unheard of. But while I help her, I'll need you and Yuzu-san to stay back for just a few minutes until she's calmed down."

"Just help her," was all Mei could say. "Please?"

Fukui nodded and prepped what he'd grabbed before saying, "Airi-chan, I'm going to come under the table. Is that okay?"

"Ye...yeah," gasped Airi, and Fukui slowly dropped to the floor, phone and snacks in hand, and crawled under the table.

By this point, Yuzu's legs seemed to be working again as Mei heard her approach and sat beside her.

Silently, they moved closer together, shaking hands and locking together as they heard Fukui say, "It's scary, huh?"

"Uh-huh," was the only Airi said.

Mei noticed Fukui's body shift slightly, followed by his saying, "That's okay. You're going to be okay. I'm going to turn on my phone, and I will need you to focus on it. You like music. Is there a particular singer or band you like?"

"Freddie," whimpered Airi as she tried to hide her fear. "He was in a band called Queen."

"I think I know them."

There was the sound of tapping on the phone, followed by Fukui asking Airi, "Which song?"

More silence was followed by the low sounds of a screaming crowd, a piano playing, and a strangled laugh from Airi.

"Good girl." Fukui's voice was calm, but Mei and Yuzu could hear a bit of relief. "You're being very brave. Now, if you can do this while watching, I need you to take a deep breath in; we'll count to five as we breathe, then we'll let it out while counting to five. You don't need to say it out loud; you can use your fingers if you need to. Can you do that?"

"I think so," answered Airi as the music picked up a little.

"Follow what I say and do your best. This exercise can help you calm down the next time this happens. Are you ready?"

Again silence, save for the music, then shortly after, they heard both Airi and Fukui take deep breaths in, and then roughly five seconds later, they exhaled.

The exercise lasted for several minutes, and Mei found herself following along and noticed Yuzu doing the same thing from the corner of her eye.

Finally, it ended, but Airi and Fukui didn't come out.

Instead, Mei and Yuzu listened to giggles from Airi and chuckles from Fukui over the music's muffled sounds and rustling plastic as they ate the snacks.

As much as they wanted to ask if everything was okay, Mei and Yuzu remained quiet as Airi continued talking, and their hearts skipped a beat when her laugh broke the tension.

"That was funny," giggled Airi while Fukui laughed with her. "Can we watch that video again? I wanna see the kitty jump."

"It was funny," Fukui chuckled as they heard plastic rustling. "But it's getting late, and unfortunately, we have to say goodbye. Are you ready to come out from under the table?"

"I think so." Airi sounded nervous. "Mommy? Mama? Are you there?"

"We're right here, Airi," said Yuzu, almost breathless. "Are you feeling better?"

"Kinda. Umm, I'm gonna come out now."

"We'll be here when you're ready," said Mei shakily.

"All right," began Fukui pushing himself out from under the table. "We're here whenever you're ready, Airi-chan."

There was some shuffling, and it took a moment, but finally, Airi's face appeared at the edge of the table, and she did her best to wave at her moms as she crawled out.

Airi looked better than when Mei had last seen her, but she was moving slower, and her knees nearly gave out when she tried to stand.

"Do one of you want to get her," asked Fukui after barely managing to help Airi stand up.

"I'll take her," offered Mei with a nervous glance at Airi. "Is that okay, Airi?"

Airi nodded and rubbed her eyes, but she allowed Mei to pick her up. Airi barely managed to wrap her arms around Mei's neck, but she still nuzzled her mother's shoulder.

"Thank you so much," said Yuzu though the words were more than a whisper.

"It's my job," he said, smiling before holding up his phone where a cat riding a vacuum was playing. "But I think Freddie and these cat videos helped more than I did."

"You did more than that," said Mei quietly, trying not to startle Airi. "Honestly, I don't know what we would have done. Can you tell us what happened? I have an idea, but I want to be sure."

"How about I give you this for now." Fukui walked over to his desk, pulled out a small pamphlet, and handed it to Yuzu. "Read it once she's down for bed, and if you want to call me, I am free from about one to three for lunch and preparations for my afternoon sessions. I'll take your call then. But for tonight, my recommendation is a nice bath, a good meal, and some playtime or her favorite books or shows. It'll do wonders."

"We'll do that," said Yuzu looking at the pamphlet and exhaling loudly. "Again, thank you so much for helping her."

"It was my pleasure." Fukui gave a polite bow and smiled at Airi, who was still weakly holding onto Mei. "Airi-chan, you have a good night, and if you ever want to come back and talk, we can talk. I'll have all the toys ready, and we'll listen to your favorite songs again, okay?"

Airi didn't say anything. Instead, she chose to nod, and while Mei and Yuzu looked worried, Fukui looked hopeful.

"She's a tough kid," he said as he led them to the door. "You two are good moms, and from the sound of it, her brother's a stand-up guy as well. Just take care of her, and when she's ready, I'd like to see her again, and you two are more than welcome to sit in on the next visit."

"We will see what she says when she feels better," answered Mei, turning around once she exited the door so she could say goodbye. "But we will keep your information just in case."

"That's all I ask." Fukui let out a sigh and gave them a tired smile. "You three drive home safe, and I look forward to hearing from you."

Afterward, the women bid him good evening and headed to the car.

The ride home was nowhere near as exciting as the ride to the center.

Traffic was minimal, and Yuzu didn't even bother cursing at the other drivers, much to Mei's relief.

However, both of them were worried about Airi's silence.

Ever since they'd put her in her car seat, Airi, the only thing she'd done was stare out the window watching the cars go by without commenting on any signs or shops or even asking to hear a particular song.

It was eerie to them, like any ounce of joy their daughter had felt had been drained from her.

When Mei asked if Airi wanted to hear one of her favorite songs, she shook her head and continued running her finger along the window and staring listlessly.

After seeing this, Mei gave Yuzu a pleading look to try and get Airi to say something.

"Hey, Airi," asked Yuzu as they turned onto the street one block over from their home, "do you want to have a bath or dinner first?"

"Bath," said Airi unenthusiastically, still focusing on the passing buildings and cars.

"Okay," said Yuzu giving Mei a cautious look. "Do you want Mommy or me to help you?"

"Ummm." Airi's finger stopped moving along the window as she thought about it for a minute before giving her answer. "Can you and Mommy have a bath with me?"

"Are you okay with that, Mei?" Yuzu took her eyes off the road to examine Mei briefly before turning her attention back to her driving.

"Of course I am," said Mei, smiling at Airi. "Are there any toys you want to play with in the bath?"

"No." Airi shook her head but managed to muster up enough energy to give Mei a weak smile. "I just wanna take a bath."

"Then we'll do that." Mei felt some relief. "Do you know what you want for dinner? Mama and I were thinking gyudon, but we can do something else?"

"Can we have pizza?" There was a hint of energy in Airi's voice at the possibility of her favorite western dish, which brought a smile to Mei and Yuzu's faces. "We haven't had it in forever!"

"It has been a while," said Yuzu thinking back. "We can order it and have the leftovers later."

"How many are you planning on ordering," scoffed Mei while Airi began to fidget in her car seat excitedly.

"One for us and one for her," shrugged Yuzu, turning into their parking spot. "Get a larger size so we can use it for lunches or something. Also, depending on the type, it's not a bad cold."

"Cold pizza," asked Airi sounding as grossed out as Mei looked. "I don't want cold pizza. I want hot pizza!"

"I agree with Airi," said Mei firmly. "I don't know how you and Harumi survived living alone as long as you did if that's what you were eating."

"I didn't say we were eating it cold," grumbled Yuzu, annoyed that she was getting ganged up on but glad that Airi was recovering. "I was saying if you had something like a pepperoni pizza, it could be good cold."

"What's that," asked Airi as Mei picked her up from her car seat and carried her to the door.

"It's like a sausage," said Yuzu as she opened the door. "A little spicy and red, but it's good."

"No thanks." Airi crossed her arms and shook her head violently, almost falling out of Mei's arms. "I want tuna pizza. With lots of corn and mayonnaise!"

"Of course you do," said Mei, grumbling as she put Airi down. "Do you want the onion and bacon as well or just those?"

"Onion," said Airi, surprising Mei and Yuzu as she usually didn't like onions on that pizza. "I want onion too. No bacon cuz it makes it yucky."

"Are you sure," asked Yuzu, pulling her shoes off. "You're not going to pick them off, are you? I'm not going to order it and then have you peel the onions off like you do when you sneak vegetables onto your brother's plate.

"I'll eat them," said Airi after pulling her shoes off and running toward the stairs. "I like them now. I tried it at Uncle's house when I got to see Hideki. But I gotta put pepper on it."

"Why pepper," asked Yuzu, confused by her daughter's choice.

"Because it tastes good," said Airi before running upstairs to grab her clothes and bath supplies.

"Our daughter is strange," said Mei while placing the order for the pizza, ignoring the prices for the pizzas.

"Yeah," said Yuzu, but a smile spread across her lips. "But at least she's starting to get a bit better. We should keep an eye on her, just in case."

"We will." Mei leaned in and kissed Yuzu softly before pressing their foreheads together. "Are you okay?"

"I'm tired," chuckled Yuzu, stroking Mei's cheek. "She's acting as if nothing happened, but I'm still worried."

"We'll watch her." Mei gave Yuzu another kiss on the forehead before hugging her. "We'll read the pamphlet after she goes to bed, and we'll call Fukui-san as soon as possible."

"All right." Yuzu wrapped her arms around Mei, buried her face in her wife's neck, and sighed. "Thanks for ordering the food. Sorry I suggested something so expensive."

"We'll manage," chuckled Mei as Yuzu squeezed her tighter. "Besides, I ordered our favorite, so that helps. It won't break the bank; even if it did, making sure she's happy is worth it."

"It is." Yuzu kissed Mei's neck and smirked when she heard Mei grumble for her to stop. "Okay, okay. Sorry, it's just some tempting sometimes."

"I know it is," agreed Mei as she felt the heat rise to her ears. "But remember what we talked about with Hayashi-san? Sometimes we use intimate activities as a bandage instead of thinking about and discussing the problem?"

"I remember," sighed Yuzu, slightly annoyed that Mei was strict with their therapy discussions but admiring her dedication. "I wasn't trying to provoke you or put a bandage on it. We're going to talk, if not tonight, then tomorrow. I just wanted to get a rise out of you. I miss you and wondered if you missed me and our activities."

"I do," admitted Mei, blushing furiously by this point. "Very much. Please don't think I don't."

Looking up, Yuzu saw that Mei was trying her best to look away, but Yuzu could tell she wanted to say something else and was getting ready to ask what was wrong when the familiar thundering of feet echoed from the stairwell.

"I'll tell you later," said Mei after seeing the curious look on Yuzu's face. She risked a quick kiss before separating just before Airi appeared at the foot of the steps carrying her bath supplies and pajamas.

"Hurry up," she groaned when she saw her moms hadn't even gotten a change of clothes. "We gotta have a bath before the food gets here!"

"I put a delivery time," explained Mei, gently flicking Airi's forehead. "We have plenty of time to have a bath and get dressed. Do you want to watch a movie with dinner too?"

"Yes," said Airi without hesitating. "I wanna watch..."

She then listed off three movies she wanted to see but was told they could only watch two due to the time and because Airi had school the next day.

Airi whined but eventually agreed on the condition that Mei and Yuzu hurried up and got into the bath with her.

It didn't take nearly as long as Airi thought it would take her moms to get their things, and soon all three of them were curled up in the tub, Mei and Yuzu on either side while Airi sat in the middle humming to herself while she played with a couple of toys.

Her previous energy had seemed to die down a little, which Mei guessed was due to the lack of activity, and though she wasn't sure, Mei guessed that Airi's mind was beginning to wander.

"What are you thinking about," asked Mei as Airi had Yuzu begin chasing Airi's toy boat with a small plastic Orca.

"Huh?" Airi looked up at Mei, confused but squealed, when Yuzu managed to catch her by surprise and pull her into a hug.

They continued playing with the toys for a bit until Airi settled against Yuzu and looked at Mei, who was smiling but still had a concerned look on her face.

"What'd you ask me, Mommy," said Airi as she and Yuzu continued to play with the toys, but not so loud that they couldn't hear Mei

"I asked what you're thinking about." Mei adjusted herself and watched as Airi and Yuzu played. "You looked like something was on your mind, so I was curious. Is it a new game? A new story? You had a lot of good stories when Honoka visited last time."

"No, no stories," Airi let go of her boat, pulled her knees up to her chest again, and rested her chin on them. "I'm sorry I was bad earlier."

"What are you talking about," asked Yuzu holding Airi close. "You weren't bad."

"I screwed up the visit," whispered Airi as she splashed the water.

"How?" Mei took Airi's hand and patted it. "How did you screw up?"

"I yelled at you," whimpered Airi, tensing, but her hand didn't move. "I yelled at you, Mama, and Fukui-san, and we had to leave and..."

"You were upset," said Yuzu kissing Airi's head and squeezing her. "I had something similar happen yesterday. I got upset just like you, Hayashi-san, and Mama had to help me calm down. I know it's scary, but as Fukui-san said, you didn't do anything wrong. You're feeling so much, and Mommy and I didn't do a good job of helping you. None of it's your fault."

"She's right, Airi," said Mei, cupping her daughter's cheek. "You've been going through a lot, and Mama and I should have paid better attention, and we're sorry."

"Then how come you guys always go to Hideki's stuff and not mine? Do you love him more than me or something?"

"That's not it at all, Airi." Mei did her best to adjust to her daughter's height as she talked, but it was too uncomfortable, so she tried another idea. "Can I hold you for a moment, or do you want to stay with Mama?"

"Can I go," asked Airi, looking up at Yuzu, who nodded.

"Of course, Sweetie." Yuzu gave her another kiss on the forehead and let Airi go.

She splashed her way over, showering all of them and making Yuzu laugh and Mei smile as Airi settled into her mom's lap.

"Sorry," said Airi while Mei stroked her hair.

"It's fine. We're in the bath, after all. Splashing is to be expected. Just like this."

"What?"

Capitalizing on her daughter's confusion, Mei began aiming splashes in Airi's face without wasting a second.

The girl squealed and began trying to aim splashes at Mei before slipping into giggles as she wiggled and squirmed in a vain attempt to escape before saying, "Mama! Help!"

"How am I supposed to help," said Yuzu with fake distress looking around for something to help. "If I splash Mommy, I'm gonna splash you."

"My basket," giggled Airi as she barely dodged Mei's latest onslaught while Mei smirked.

Mei knew Airi was playing along, but it was still enjoyable, and she could tell by her daughter's voice and laughter that she was having fun.

"What's in the...oooh..." Yuzu chuckled, removed a loaded, green translucent water pistol from the basket, and aimed it at Mei. "Let the girl go, Mei."

"What," Mei stopped playing with Airi and turned her attention to Yuzu, who pulled the gun's trigger, hitting Mei in the face with several blasts of cold water.

"Yuzu," gasped Mei, letting Airi go and covering her face. "Yuzu, stop, that's freezing. Where did you get that?!"

"Airi's toy basket," chuckled Yuzu as Airi splashed away from Mei toward the middle of the tub. "I didn't know it was cold water. Did you?"

"Yeah." Airi nodded and giggled. "I had it in Hideki's small fridge."

"Next time, tell me that," said Yuzu winking at Airi.

"Okay," whispered Airi before splashing back to Mei, who was wiping her face off. "Are you okay, Mommy?"

"I'll live." Mei blinked some water out of her eyes and glared while Yuzu lazily dropped the water pistol into the tub. "We're going to talk later."

"I look forward to it," Yuzu smirked, causing a crack in Mei's cold glare.

Shaking her head, Mei returned her attention to Airi and said, "Okay, now that we got that out of our system, do you want to hear what I have to tell you?"

"Yeah!" Airi gave Mei an enthusiastic nod and tried to sit cross-legged in the tub while Yuzu watched patiently.

"Good." Mei held her arms open, and Airi returned to her spot in Mei's lap and collapsed into her mother's embrace. "Now, where were we?"

"We were talking about how I wasn't bad, and then I asked how come you go to Hideki's stuff more and like him more."

"Oh, yes." Mei sighed and squeezed Airi protectively as she thought about what to tell Airi, but Yuzu beat her to the punch.

"We don't like or love your brother more than you, Airi," said Yuzu softly.

"Then how come it feels like you do," Airi's previous joy had left her voice, and Mei and Yuzu felt the shift in the energy. "You guys always talk about him, but you don't talk about me, and you always go to his stuff and miss mine."

"It's not that we're trying to do those things, Airi," explained Mei, glad that Airi was still allowing herself to be held. "Sometimes it's the way Mama's schedule and my schedule work, so sometimes we can't always make it. It's just that it happens less with your brother because that's how the timing works. We always record your events, and it hurts when we can't make it, but if we can't, we try to make it up to you. Like when we make you your favorite foods or buy you treats for doing a good job even if you don't win first place. We're proud of you, and we want to be there."

"Then why aren't you." Airi crossed her arms and slammed them into the water, her eyes filling with tears. "I want you to see me play."

"We want to see you too," said Yuzu leaning forward a little before shifting back as she felt a slight twinge in her lower back. "But it's not always going to happen. But you are right that Mommy and I have gone to your brother's stuff more, but that's because of our jobs."

"Jobs suck."

"Your brother said something similar when he was your age," chuckled Yuzu remembering how Hideki had pouted about Mei and Yuzu working more.

"He did not," protested Airi, sticking her tongue out at Yuzu.

"He did, and don't do that again, or you're going to be in trouble," warned Yuzu, making Airi move closer to Mei after quietly apologizing. "But, back when I worked for the hotel company, and your Mommy started working more, he didn't like us working that much, and we had to explain to him that things were going to change."

"What do you mean stuff changed," asked Airi. "Are you going to get a new job?"

"No, I'm not getting a new job," explained Yuzu, smiling, though nervous about having this conversation so soon after talking about it in therapy. "I'm still going to work at the restaurants, Sweetie. But what changed was that Mommy and I were both working. You see, Airi, when Hideki was born, Mommy and I were in school and weren't working as much."

"But you did after school," asked Airi, a little confused. "You worked for the hotel, and Mommy worked with Great-Grandpa."

"I didn't work for the hotel until your brother was a little younger than you, Airi," explained Yuzu with a sad smile.

"Oh." Airi looked thoughtful at this new information. "Then where'd you work?"

"Convenience stores, restaurants," Yuzu held up her hand and began ticking off fingers. "There was that clothing store for a while that helped a lot when my clothes shrunk or wore out. Same with the other jobs if we needed groceries or a quick meal. But I did a lot of stuff because I kept getting fired from the big companies."

"Did you do a bad job?" asked Airi, hoping she could contribute to the conversation.

"No," chuckled Yuzu while Mei kissed Airi's head and smiled, remembering when she and Mei had to tell Hideki these things. "They fired me because people didn't like that I was in love with Mama and we were raising your brother together."

"That's stupid," snorted Airi, looking up at Mei. "You're a good Mommy, and those people are dumb."

"That's sweet of you to say." Mei held Airi closer and sighed. "But it doesn't change the fact that it happened, and it still happens. It's harder now, but people find ways. It hurt Mama for a long time. However, she did get that job with the hotel company. But eventually, she quit that job too, but at least it was because she wanted to."

"Cuz of the restaurants," explained Airi proudly. "You and Uncle started the restaurants, and that's why you quit."

"That's part of it," said Yuzu, happy to see her daughter's confidence. "But I also quit because Mommy and I started thinking about something while working there."

"What'd you think about," asked Airi while she played with one of her toys.

"We were thinking about having you," said Mei causing Airi to drop the toy.

"You were?" Airi's eyes widened in amazement at this revelation.

"Well yeah," chuckled Yuzu, ruffling Airi's hair. "Mommy and I had to think about what we would do about my work, getting the house ready, telling the family. Finding doctors, we had so much to do and a lot to think about. But eventually, we decided that we wanted you, and then we met your daddy, and a doctor helped put you in my tummy."

"So you wanted me," asked Airi in a whisper that sent a stabbing pain into Mei and Yuzu's chests.

"Of course, we wanted you, Airi." Mei held her daughter close, hoping Airi could sense her feelings. "We've often told you we wanted you and wouldn't let anyone take you from us."

"Then how come people say mean things like you didn't want me, and my skin looks like poop?"

"Because those people are ignorant," said Yuzu, seething internally at those who'd said these things and kicking herself mentally for not stopping it. "Do you know what that means?"

"It means they're stupid?" offered Airi with a hopeful smile.

"In a manner of speaking," chuckled Mei while Yuzu smirked. "They are saying those things because they've not allowed themselves to look past what they see or have been taught. But there is nothing wrong with your skin, hair, or appearance. You are beautiful, Airi. You're different; they're scared of people and things they don't understand. But that doesn't make you bad. It's the people's reactions that are bad, not you."

Airi didn't say anything, and Mei and Yuzu didn't do anything to pressure her. They could both tell that she was thinking things over in her head. Several times, Airi opened her mouth to say something but stopped and began playing with one of her toys again until she finally spoke.

"Ummm, Mommy?"

"Yes, Airi?"

Mei shifted uncomfortably in the tub. The water was beginning to cool, and the cramped space was getting to her, but Mei waited patiently while Airi fidgeted.

Eventually, Airi calmed down enough to ask, "How come I didn't come out of your tummy?"

Yuzu sat back and motioned that she would get out of the bath.

"Don't leave Mama," whimpered Airi as Yuzu began to stand up.

"I'm not leaving, Sweetie," explained Yuzu as she began drying off. "I'm getting dressed, but I'll be here. My back is starting to hurt, and I need to stand up."

"You promise," pleaded Airi, grabbing the side of the tub but not leaving Mei's vicinity.

"I promise."

Yuzu tapped Airi's nose and began putting on her clothes. At the same time, Mei finally came to terms with what she had to say, smirking again at the irony of how she'd had a similar conversation with Hideki in the bath when he was Airi's age.

"Airi, do you know why I have the scar on my tummy?"

"Yeah," said Airi, a little confused. "It's cuz you had surgery to get Hideki out of your tummy."

"That's right." Mei frowned as she rubbed the slightly faded scar and remembered that day. "I had to have surgery because your brother..."

"You okay, Mei," asked Yuzu, noticing a tear rolling down Mei's cheek. "Do you need to stop?"

"Did I make Mommy cry?" Airi's voice rose in distress, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears herself. "I'm sorry, Mommy. Don't cry."

"It's not your fault." Mei focused on Airi and motioned for her daughter to come closer. When Airi was face to face with Mei, the woman continued.

"I'm crying because I remembered what happened with your brother. None of that is your fault; what happened was my fault. Do not blame yourself."

"How come it's your fault," asked Airi, frightened by her mother's tears but wanting to stay to help comfort her. "Did you hurt him?"

"In a way." Mei's voice was raspy, but she powered through. "The day your brother was born, I wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on with my body. I felt a little discomfort, like a bad tummy ache, and thought it was normal because when you want to have a baby, your body does many things you never thought it would."

"Like eating weird food and throwing up," asked Airi quietly. "One of the kids at school's mommy is gonna have a baby, and he said that's what happens with his mommy. He also said she pees a lot and walks funny because her belly is big."

"Those things can happen," chuckled Mei, glad Airi had some idea of what goes on during pregnancy but wondering just how much Airi knew. "They did happen with me, but on that day, I should have been paying a bit more attention to it. But I didn't, and your brother got stuck in my tummy, and my friend Sara, you remember her?"

Airi nodded, and Mei continued.

"Well, when that happened, I was lucky that Sara was spending the day with me, and when it happened, she called me an ambulance, and I went to the hospital."

"That's when you had the surgery," said Airi, earning a nod from Mei.

"That's right. I had my surgery and didn't remember much about my hospital stay. I didn't remember what happened and when I woke up, I didn't know what happened to your brother or where anyone was. I was alone in my hospital room, and it was scary."

"Did someone tell you what happened," asked Airi, fully invested in Mei's story.

"A nurse did." Mei smiled and rubbed Airi's cheek. "Oddly enough, the same nurse helped Mama the day she had you."

"Really?" Airi looked at Yuzu, who nodded in agreement.

"Really," repeated Yuzu. "She's a lovely lady and took good care of you when I had to sleep."

"She also took care of Mama and me," said Mei with a sigh," and she's the one who brought me your brother when I woke up."

"Were you happy," asked Airi, looking concerned at what Mei was going to say.

"I was happy, relieved, angry, sad," said Mei, running a hand through her hair. "It was difficult to process everything that was happening.

"How come you felt all that stuff?" Airi chewed on her lower lip while she waited for Mei's reply.

"Part of it's because I'd just become a mommy, and no matter what you do to prepare, becoming a parent is always scary," said Mei sniffing back some tears. "But also, I felt a lot of those things because Mama, Uncle, and everyone had done their best to help get ready for your brother, and on the day he was born, I'd almost lost him."

"But he's here, Mommy." Airi leaned in and hugged Mei, causing Mei to cry in earnest. "You didn't lose him."

"Almost losing him is just as bad, Airi," said Mei wiping away the tears while Yuzu placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But you're right; I didn't lose him. But that's going to happen in a way come spring because he's getting older and moving away for college, and I can't protect him anymore as I promised. That's why it sometimes feels like I pay more attention to him, Airi because I'm scared I'll lose him like I almost did when he was a baby. And I'm sorry for the pain that my fear has caused you. If it weren't for my fear of going through that again, I'd be both yours and Hideki's mommy. But I couldn't do it. That's why you came from Mama's tummy and not mine."

"I'm sorry you're afraid, Mommy." Airi did her best to cuddle Mei but couldn't, so they settled for an awkward hug. "But Mama and I are still here. You're not gonna be alone, and we can still call and visit him."

"I know I'm not alone." Mei smiled at Yuzu, who smiled back and winked. "And I know we can do all those things, but sometimes you can't help what you feel. But thank you for reminding me of those things; you're a smart girl Airi."

"Yeah, you are." Yuzu brushed some hair on Airi's head back and smiled. "You get that brain from your mom, but your looks come from me."

"You're smart too, Mama." Airi giggled, moved towards Yuzu, and held up her arms, signaling she wanted to get out. "And ummm, I'm happy that you're my Mama."

"I'm happy you're my daughter," grunted Yuzu as she lifted Airi out of the bath and planted a kiss on her cheek, making her daughter giggle. After setting her down, Yuzu grabbed a towel and asked, "So are you feeling a little better or have any more questions, or do you understand some of this stuff a little more?"

"A little more," confirmed Airi while Yuzu helped her dry off while Mei exited the tub. "Can we talk more about this stuff with Fukui-san? Because I don't get a lot of it."

"We can," said Yuzu, surprised that Airi had brought up the counselor. "Are you sure you want to go back?"

"Maybe." Airi watched as Mei dried off and began getting dressed. "But only if you and Mommy can sit on the chairs like today. It's scary being alone."

"That can be arranged," said Mei slipping a shirt over her head and dropping down next to Airi. "Can I tell you something, Airi, before we go and get the food?"

"What," asked Airi as her head popped out from her shirt, and Yuzu began applying some product to her hair.

"When I first held your brother," she began while Yuzu finished her work and applied a purple shower cap to Airi's head to make sure none of the product came out, "I told him a promise I'd made the moment I found out I was pregnant. In that promise, I said that we wanted him, that we loved him, that he would be free to live his life how he wanted and that Mama and I would make sure Hideki knew these things."

"Okay." Airi looked consumed but focused on Mei as she finished getting dressed and splashed cold water on her face to reduce the puffiness and redness caused by her crying.

"And the day you were born, Mama and I told you the same things. We made the same promises and held you close because you took a long time to come out of Mama's tummy. We were in and out of the hospital for almost a week, but luckily you arrived safe and healthy."

"And without surgery," added Yuzu with a wink at Mei. "That was a relief."

"It was," chuckled Mei while Airi shifted her focus between her moms, confused at what they were trying to tell her.

"What Mommy is trying to say," began Yuzu, allowing Mei to finish getting dressed, "is that regardless of everything that's been happening, there's never been a moment since Mommy, and I decided to have you that we didn't want you. We love you, Airi, as much as your brother, and we're sorry that we've made you feel like we didn't love or want you. We're going to do better; that's why we're visiting that place we took you to today. A lady named Hayashi-san works there and is helping Mommy and me so we can be better moms for you and your brother. Do you understand?"

"Kinda," said Airi with a sigh. "It's a lot of stuff to think about."

"It is," agreed Yuzu with a sigh of her own. "It hurts my head and my heart. But that makes me want to be better. For you, for Mommy, and your brother."

Yuzu leaned in and kissed Airi's forehead before pressing their foreheads together.

"We love you, Airi," repeated Yuzu quietly while Mei crouched next to her. "You're our daughter; we will always love and want you, no matter what anyone says."

"Is that true, Mommy?"

Yuzu felt a sting at Airi's question but understood why she was asking it, and when Mei spoke, she knew that Mei understood it as well.

"It is Airi." Mei did her best to press her forehead against Airi's, and while challenging, she and Yuzu managed. "It didn't matter to us where you came from. Whether it was from my tummy, or Mama's, or we adopted you. We were always going to love you for who you are. As Mama said, you're our daughter and always will be."

Airi said nothing; instead, she nodded and dove into Yuzu's chest, clutching tightly while Mei and Yuzu wrapped themselves around her in a warm embrace.

Unfortunately, the hug couldn't last, and eventually, they separated, left the quiet serenity of the bathroom, and went into the dim light of the main house.

They spent some time in the living room, playing cards and watching one of the movies Airi had picked though they were more focused on the screen than the game. Airi's energy had dipped again, and she'd seemed unable to multitask but did her best to do both before eventually giving up and focusing on the screen.

Once Aiir had lost interest in their game. Mei and Yuzu did as well and proceeded to wrap Airi in a blanket, her shower-capped head being the only thing visible, and after a playful tussle, they managed to get Airi to snuggle them with her head in Yuzu's lap and her feet draped over Mei's.

It was an enjoyable time.

Quiet and serene, broken by the occasional giggle or laugh from one of the women, Airi seemed content to lay there and watch the movies with her mothers.

That is until Yuzu answered the door and retrieved their pizza.

At the smell of the food, Airi's energy returned.

Tossing off the blanket, Airi bolted from the couch to the table, where Yuzu opened the boxes to reveal Airi's long-awaited tuna and mayo pizza and Mei and Yuzu's seafood special with white sauce pizza.

The food seemed to improve the mood of their viewing as Airi laughed more and ate nearly half a pizza to herself while it took Mei and Yuzu to finish that much of their own.

While surprising, it wasn't nearly as incredible as the fact that Airi still had enough room for ice cream after eating so much pizza. It was a good sign, but Mei and Yuzu were worried about her getting sick and cut her off after she requested a second bowl of vanilla and match ice cream.

Disappointed at being denied, Airi submitted and returned to laying across her mothers and enjoying the movie, making it through the first but falling asleep shortly after the second started.

Deciding that they should also head to bed, Mei helped Yuzu carry Airi upstairs, following closely behind as support in case Yuzu's back went out.

Reaching the room, Mei and Yuzu carefully tucked Airi in, surrounding her with her favorite stuffed animals, ensuring that her owl was tucked under her arms.

After a kiss good night from each of them, they left the room, leaving the door open a crack, and stood awkwardly in the hallway, both grinning tiredly.

"I don't want to go in tomorrow," laughed Yuzu as she rested against the wall next to her and Mei's bedroom door. "I'm too tired."

"So am I," yawned Mei before wiping her eyes.

Yuzu noticed they were a little red but was glad to see it was from tiredness and not from crying.

"So do you want to break our rule and sleep together again tonight since it was a tough day?" asked Yuzu cautiously, hoping Mei didn't think she was desperate. "Or do we want to do what we've been doing and keep it to just the days we have our sessions? I'm fine with either; I just want to know where you stand. I know I was a little clingy earlier, but I meant it. I miss you, but I know we do stuff like that to feel better, and it has its time and place, like we talked about with Hayashi-san. But that's not what I was trying to do. I just want to be near you."

"I know you do." Mei moved closer to Yuzu and grabbed her left hand, staring down at the rings. "I want that too, Yuzu. I've wanted it for a while. But I kept remembering what Hayashi-san said about how we always put our problems aside for a few moments of comfort. I got scared to ask you if you wanted it because what if..."

"I said no," inquired Yuzu, entwining her fingers with Mei's as she nodded. "I thought the same thing, but I'd rather ask and risk the no instead of never knowing."

"Well, it wasn't just you saying no," admitted Mei. "But I was also scared about us figuring out that we'd be better off separated and that scared me as well."

"I'll admit I had a similar thought," grumbled Yuzu with a sigh. "But after the first month, I thought we would make it, and I know we will after today."

"I think so too." Mei smiled and kissed Yuzu's hand before moving closer and kissing her wife's soft lips.

Yuzu sighed in satisfaction at Mei's kiss and wrapped a hand around Mei's waist, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss.

Mei moaned when she felt Yuzu's hand move under her shirt and caress her skin.

"Too much," whispered Yuzu after breaking the kiss, though that didn't stop her from moving down to Mei's neck and begin sucking on the spot just above the collar of Mei's shirt.

"A little," moaned Mei, hoping Airi hadn't woken up but enjoyed the attention Yuzu gave her. "But this is as far as we can go until we finish. Is that fair?"

Yuzu only nodded before opening her mouth and taking a page out of Mei's book, gently biting the spot she'd been kissing moments before.

Mei tried to growl in protest, but a jolt of pleasure down her spine caused by Yuzu's bite had her biting her lips and clutching at Yuzu's shirt as her wife left her mark on her neck.

After a minute of gentle bites and kisses, Yuzu detached herself from Mei's neck, checked her work, and gave it one more kiss before looking at Mei's flushed face and smiling sheepishly at the glare Mei was giving her.

"That's two I owe you for Yuzu," threatened Mei with a seductive whisper. "First the bath and now this. You're racking up quite the tab."

"I know." Yuzu wrapped her arms around Mei's neck and giggled. "But I couldn't help myself. After everything that's happened the past few months, you still want to be with me, and I got a little worked up. It also reminded me how lucky we are to have you in our lives and that you're enough, Mei. You're enough."

Mei's face turned a deeper shade of red at Yuzu's words, and instead of pulling away, she moved in closer and squeezed Yuzu tightly against her.

"Mei," asked Yuzu as she felt Mei's body shake slightly. "Mei, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," sniffed Mei as she tried to hide her crying from Yuzu. "I'm fine. Thank you, Yuzu."

"You're welcome," said Yuzu as she held her wife close and whispered words of love and affirmation as Mei cried gently in her arms.

Okay, 18k words. I'm done for a couple of weeks.

I AM SO SORRY!

These chapters are killing me a bit.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I'm going to go crash. *Turns into Eraserhead and hides in a sleeping bag until God of War Ragnarok comes out*