*Bringing you a new perspective today. You guys have actually seen very little of Hisui and Kouhei, and also never met their child. I've also never featured anything from Kouhei's viewpoint before, so another first. If you're curious what song is being rocked out to, it's "I feel so Alive", by Capital Kings. Dare you to sit still listening to it.

Kouhei absentmindedly hummed along with the song broadcasting from the speakers of his cellphone while he finished drying a colander. At his side, the persistent three-foot "shadow" mimicked him, although the almost three-year-old wasn't quite on pitch.

The Asian man cast his son a smile, admiring the intensity with which the little boy dried the silverware from breakfast. "Those look good, Hiroki. Do you want help putting them away?"

"I do it," the young one insisted.

Kouhei smoothed the boy's glossy black hair fondly. "Okay. Then you put them away, and I will move on to the next step of the vegetables for our stirfry."

Hiroki grabbed as many utensils in his small fists as he could manage and scampered across the kitchen to the silverware drawer. Kouhei wasn't too concerned whether each piece found its correct spot; even if some were misplaced, he could follow behind the little boy later.

The man returned to the cutting board to begin chopping freshly washed vegetables, but was distracted from the task by the next song that began playing in the background. The moment the familiar intro started, it was like his feet took on a mind of their own, and he couldn't force himself to stand still.

Kouhei unsuccessfully tried to plant his legs, but then gave in to the urge to sidestep to his right, then back to the left. He dropped his knife on the cutting board, bobbing his head in time with the pulsing beat of the chorus. The man heard a giggle behind him, and whipped around to find Hiroki staring at him. He gave the boy a secretive smile. "What are you laughing at?"

"Dance, daddy!"

"Daddy doesn't dance, Hiro." At least, not in front of people.

The toddler shook his head and began jumping up and down in place. "Like this, daddy."

Kouhei glanced around nervously, and missed Hiroki completely when the boy bounded toward him and crashed into his stomach. "Oof! Easy, Hiro." He caught one of the boy's hands to try calming him down. "Let's not collide."

"Jump, daddy!"

Hiroki began bouncing again while Kouhei held onto his wrist, so that the man's arm flopped along with the boy's movement. It went on for about five seconds before Kouhei relented and hopped from side to side with the toddler. His son wasn't satisfied to stay in one spot, so he allowed Hiroki to half-drag him across the kitchen floor.

"Like me!" the youngster cried, letting go of Kouhei's hand so he could jump in a circle.

The man imitated the boy's circle, then caught his arm so he could spin him rapidly.

Hiroki laughed wildly. "Again, again!"

Kouhei grinned, guiding the next spin even wider so that it traveled several feet across the length of the kitchen. Hiroki nearly fell when he tripped over his own feet, but the man pulled him up before he could hit the floor. It only took a moment for the child to recover and begin jumping up and down again.

Kouhei caught his hands to provide additional balance since his son was getting dizzy. He alternated pulling his left and right arms closer to his body, like he was playing a game of tug-of-war with his son. The man's feet acted without him again, first shifting to a split stance, then taking a small leap that alternated his weight from one leg to the other.

Hiroki couldn't keep up with the maneuver, so he ended up scooping the boy off the floor and cradling him against his chest. Kouhei resumed a traveling side step with bent knees, tapping his feet in perfect time with the persistent tempo. The music paused after hitting a pinnacle, causing the man to freeze in his position.

"Over, daddy?"

"Just wait, Hiro."

After another beat of silence, the song burst back to life , to the toddler's squeal of delight. At least, Kouhei imagined his son was just enjoying the music, until the next word that came out of his mouth.

"Mommy!"

The Asian man stopped moving with a jerk, slowly turning to the door-frame to see his wife smiling back at him. Rapidly he put the toddler down and snatched up his phone to kill the music.

"Hisui, you are not...you're early!" he fumbled. "By over an hour."
She no longer smiled openly, but the amusement in her green eyes made him want to crawl under the table.

The woman shrugged innocently. "I had an appointment cancel this afternoon, and another that did not show. I was able to evade the worst traffic."

"Why did you not call?" Kouhei went back to the cutting board with a huff, as though he could resume normal activity in his flustered state.

"I did not think surprising you would be unpleasant." Hisui lifted their son for a hug and carried him over to Kouhei. "I am sorry if my arrival...alarmed you."

He grunted in annoyance. "I was not alarmed. You did not allow me enough time to prepare dinner. Had I known you were going to be early, I would not have been..." The man hesitated, too embarrassed to openly admit what he'd been doing, even though the woman had seen him.

"You would not have played with our son?" she asked quietly. "What is it about that you find so terrible?"

Kouhei shook his head. "It's not terrible. It was only...silly."

"It's not silly, Kouhei. Well, maybe it is a little, but he loved it. Didn't you, Hiro?" Hisui practically forced the boy into his arms.

"Yes, daddy. Wanna dance more?" The toddler wriggled in his grasp, as though he couldn't bear to be still.

He ruffled the boy's hair. "Sorry, musuko. I really have to start our dinner now, okay?"

Hiroki's lip jutted out in a frown, but he nodded. "I pick rice?"

"Yes. Run to the pantry and find the one you want." Kouhei turned away from his wife and tried to return to his prep work.

The woman sidled up on his right, resting a hand on top of the one trying to grip his knife. "Why are you so embarrassed, Kouhei?"

He only looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "It is not appropriate."

Her sudden laugh was jarring. "What does it matter? Who are you trying to look proper for, Kouhei? Me?"

The man gave her a quick side glance. "I wish you would have called."

Hisui slowly forced herself between him and the counter to block the cutting board. "I did not mean to upset you."

"I was not meant to be acting foolishly when there were things to get done," he said stiffly.

"Enjoying your little boy is not foolish, Kouhei. You gave him joy, and it looked like you had fun too."

"It was not the time-"

She brought both arms around his neck to silence him as only her embrace could. "There is a time for work and for play. There is also a time for being...spontaneous. How can you think there was anything wrong with it?"

Part of the man wanted to duck his head, but he willfully held her eyes. "I do not mind playing with Hiro, but there are things that...I did not want..."

"You are upset because I saw you, but you shouldn't be. It wasn't stupid. Seeing your joy gives me pleasure."

"It is not how my father would have acted, or any other man in my family."

"I think that's a good thing," she said meaningfully. "We are quite a far ways from Okinawa, Kouhei. And we are not the same people our parents were. We have been given opportunity to experience more in these few years than I ever dreamed of. If we are more...silly because of it, so be it. I would rather be foolish in the eyes of someone else, and make Hiro happy, than keep my poise and let him learn nothing of freedom. Would you think me stupid if you caught me dancing with our son?"

Kouhei shook his head quickly. "It would be different though."

"How, Kouhei?"

"It is not...I cannot explain it," he grumbled.

"Then I will give you another example. Our closest friends in the world are a truly wild bunch, known for their parties, their teasing, and their consistent goal to 'get' one another. Do you look down on the turtles for their liberation?"

"That is different too," he insisted.

"The only difference is here." She tapped the side of his head lovingly. "I understand the difficulty in changing a behavior ingrained from childhood, Kouhei. I was raised that way too. I am not asking you to change yourself, but to trust me. Believe that I will think no less of you for playing with Hiroki, or even dancing by yourself."

He shrugged his shoulders, trying to ease the tension in his muscles. "I did not mean to get angry with you, Hisui. I was surprised is all...and embarrassed."

Her smile brightened at once. "You surprise me all the time. You keep everything running smoothly here. You love Hiro more than your own life, and would do anything to make him happy, even if it makes you feel silly."

Kouhei grinned in spite of himself. "It is a sacrifice I must pay. I have to keep my shadow satisfied." He nodded at the boy as Hiroki darted toward him, a bag of rice raised in his arms.

"I wanna help!"

"Get your stool, Hiro." When the man looked back at Hisui, he couldn't read the expression in her eyes. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "What is it?"

"I don't know how you learned to be a good father."

"I could say the same for you, Hisui. While many children have the opportunity to reap something from their parents, others, like us, have to learn on their own. I only love Hiro, as I love you."

The woman blinked rapidly as though fighting tears, and he pulled her closer to his chest. "It is so different than I ever pictured it would be. I thought the experience of practically raising Shun would mean I knew what to expect from a child of my own. But it is not the same."

"Shunshi is your brother. Hiroki is your child." He grew troubled as she wiped away tears. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I am happy, Kouhei. Happy to love and be loved."

Kouhei brushed a hand over her cheek. "Was it ever any other way with us?"

"No. But that does not mean I take it for granted." She laughed when Hiroki suddenly wrapped himself around her leg. "Pick me up, mommy. Pick me up!"
Kouhei released the woman and bent down to the boy's level. "Why don't you let mommy get changed and you and I can start dinner?"

"Can we have music?" he pleaded.

The man nodded, reaching for his phone. "We will have things ready soon, Hisui-chan."

The lingering glance she sent him over her shoulder released a shiver down his spine. "I will take a shower to give you more time...and guarantee we can end the night well."

Her coy smile made Kouhei almost look forward to putting his son to bed. He swallowed and focused on the cutting board for the tenth time. "Okay, Hiro-kun. Let's get started."