Shun sighed, looking down at herself. She figured that it didn't mater what she wore, that most of them had seen her in a bathing suit, that they could see her in Hyoga's boxers and shirt. She kissed Takara's forehead, then headed down stairs towards the kitchen for something to eat.

Shun entered, finding the black haired women standing at the stove.

"You're Kiokoright? Shiryu's wife?" Shun asked, making her give a startled cry, turning look at her. "Sorry."

"That's ok, Shun right?" she asked, looking the younger women once over. "You don't look much like Ikki, but then again, neither does Cho."

"Cho…the little girl right…the one that looks like our mom?" Shun asked, pulling herself to sit on the counter next to the stove so Kioko could continue cooking.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"It's rude to talk to someone if you're not facing them." Shun shrugged.

"That's a good thing to believe." Kioko said, laughing. "Takara is a lot like you."

"I always thought she was like her father." Shun told her. "She acts like him a lot."

"She does, but she talks like you…soft, you know…and her way of thinking came from you." Kioko explained.

"I guess so." Shun muttered, then laughed. "Who's that?"

Kioko glanced back, smiling at the little girl who was hiding her peas under her plate. "Kuri, she's almost one."

"Cute." Shun said, waving at her, making her giggle. Kioko watched her, then looked at her daughter.

"You must have a way with children, she doesn't usually like people." Kioko told her.

"I don't think I do." Shun told her. "Maybe she knows I look like Cho."

"Maybe, or she knows that you mean no harm." Kioko smiled.

"How old?"

"I just told you, she's a year."

"Oh, sorry. I meant the other children, then ones in the living room…I know that the black haired boys are you're, and I guess the one with brown hair is Seiya, and the blue haired boy is Ikki's."

"You don't know any of their names?" Kioko asked, getting a shake of a head as an answer. "Then how do you know who Cho is."

"Cho's a girl's name, and I only saw one girl in the room." Shun said with a shrug.

"Makes since." She said. "Your right about who's whose child. The older boy with black hair is about 3 ½, his names Mareo, and the other black haired one is just over 2 now, and his name is Rinji. They are both mine and Shiryu's. Seiya's boy is almost 3 now, and his name is Kiyoshi. Miho is about 7 months along with their daughter."

"Really?" Shun asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll have to congratulate them then." Shun said, swinging her legs, making a face at Kuri to make her laugh again.

"You like doing that don't you?"

"There's nothing in this world better then a child's laughter." Shun told her with a smile. "I just wish that Takara's childhood had more laughing in it."

"She's a happy child, if not a little temperamental."

"Temperamental?" Shun asked.

"Seiyamoved her coloring book and she bit him for it." Kioko explained, giggling. She stopped when she saw the look Shun had on her face. "Do you know why?"

"He…he used to take her things and but them on shelves where she couldn't reach them." Shun whispered. "She used to cry for hours because of him, and I couldn't do anything because I didn't want him to hurt her."

"I don't like him." Kioko said, sighing. She hadn't even met the man and she hated him more then she'd ever hated something in her life. She looked back at her daughter, wondering how she would have dealt with listening her daughter cry because it was safer for her. "Your brother's right, you know."

"About?"

"That…You're stronger then all of us." Kioko told her, smiling.

"No." Shun shock her head. "Just really good at handling pain."

"I think that makes you strong." She explained.

"Maybe." Shun agreed. "What is the Ikki's little boy's name?"

"Oh…its Bishamon, him and Cho are twins…their 4 ½ now." She added.

"Why don't they have any more?" Shun asked, knowing that they had both wanted four kids.

"I think that seeing Cho and remembering you broke both their hearts…hearts that will now mend…everyone's hearts will."

"I don't think that…"

"You have that effect?" Kioko asked, smiling.

"Yeah." Shun said. "I always saw myself as an annoying tag-a-long…someone that they would be better off without…when Hyoga came to get me, I thought that he was brining Takara back…it never crossed my mind that he'd come for me, that any of them would." Shun explained. "I always thought that they'd look because I was a friend…and I guess I thought that Ikki would look for me because he had to, not because he'd want to…I think I had convinced myself that I didn't matter to them over the last few years." Shun admitted. "Right now I could most likely talk easier with you them any of them because…I didn't let you down."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about." Kioko said, smiling. She liked this girl, she wasn't quite what she expected, it was like she was better…Shiryu and the others called her 'Angel' but she never thought much into, now she knew better. The only question left in her mind was what kind of mother was she. Kioko knew that it had to be a good one, for she had brought Takara here…but why did she wait so long?

"Kioko?" Esmeralda called, coming in. "Where's the li-…" she stopped, staring, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh Shun…look at you."

"Hello Esmeralda." Shun said, smiling. "How are you?"

"Don't." She whispered. "Don't put a gap between us, please don't…I lost my little sister once, I can't lose her again with her here with us. Don't do that to me…to us."

"I'm sorry." Shun told her, looking down at her lap. "I didn't…"

"I know." Esmeralda told her, smiling. "Ikki's looking for you…I think he needs to see you."

"In other words, he needs to give me a hug and apologize about who knows what that's come to him mind that he's done wrong in the last 20 years."

"Most likely." She said, and Shun giggled. She hopped off the counter, then turned to Kioko, blushing.

"I just remembered why I was in here…when's dinner going to be done?" Shun asked.

Kioko blinked, wondering what that had to do with anything, then laughed lightly when Shun's stomach growled. "Not long."

"'K." she said, smiling, tuning to the highchair. She brushed Kuri's black hair out of her face, in no longer up in the clips. "You be good for you're mommy, she nice...really nice…I'm glad that you have her and Shiryu for your mommy and daddy." She told the little girl, then headed out of the room.

"You do realize that she was saying that she's glad that you're with Shiryu right?" Esmeralda asked.

Kioko smiled, nodding. "I know, I kind noticed a while ago from the way she was talking."

"What do you think? Now that you've had your first conversation with her." Esmeralda asked.

"I understand why you went threw so much looking for her…she's one of a kind." Kioko said, looking at her laughing daughter. "She's wonderful…she's like an angel…an angel that was sent to look out for us here and we human let her down…let her experience hell."

"Thank you." Esmeralda whispered as she hugging the girl she considered her best friend. "Thank you for understanding…for seeing what we see when we look at her."

Kioko smiled. "I'm just glad that I got to meet her, to meet the girl who could make a house that looked so happy in pictures seem so sad in life."

"Don't tell her that…she'll feel guilty."

"My lips are sealed." Kioko told her, smiling.


"Ikki?" Shun asked, stepping out onto one of the balcony…she just knew he was here somewhere.

"I liked it better when you called me Onii-chan." Ikki told her, not looking over from where he was staring out across the yard.

"I…" Shun looked down.

"Why'd you stop…you used to when you were younger…but when we met again you didn't anymore." Ikki glanced at her.

"I thought that you didn't want me anymore so I stopped because I didn't want you to remember if that's what you wanted." Shun confessed.

"I wish you would." Ikki told her, and she smile.

"Of course." Shun said, giggling. "Esmeralda said you were looking for me."

"Hmm…"

"Why?"

"Shun, what do you think of Hyoga…I mean really think of him." Ikki asked, turning around to look at Shun.

"What will you do to him?" Shun asked.

"Nothing." Ikki told her, sitting down. "Sit." He requested, and she did. "So?"

"I love him, I love him with all my heart and more." Shun told him, leaning against him. "I love him so much Onii-chan…so much."

Ikki smiled. "Shun…what would you do if he asked you to marry him?"

"I would say yes in a heart beat…but I would also tell him to find someone better." Shun muttered. "I would because I don't deserve him and he deserves someone better. Someone who isn't like me." She continued. "I'd don't know how I could handle a relation ship…I know that I could with him…I love him, and I don't mind him touching me, I really don't."

"Shun." Ikki muttered, kissing her on the head. "He asked me for you're hand."

"What!" she exclaimed, sitting back. "He…He would want me even after what 'he' did to me…he still wants me?"

"He does…he always has…"Ikki sighed, looking into his sister eyes. "Shun…you have to ask him out…he wont do it with what you've been threw, you have to show him that its ok."

"Are you telling me to go find a boyfriend?" Shun asked, giggling. "I didn't think that would come from you."

"Damn-it Shun! I'm serious!" Ikki said, looking away, checks a slight pink. "I just want you to be happy!"

"I know, I love you for that."

"I love you too." He assured her. "Now go find him."

Shun giggled, getting up and obeying him. She found him in the den with Seiya and Shiryu.

"Hey Shun!" Seiya said, smiling. "How are you feeling? You don't look so good."

"I'm ok, it doesn't hurt…I've been threw worse as a Saint." She said, moving over to them. "What happened to you're hand?"

"Busted the skin open on a guys teeth." Seiya said with a shrug.

"You really should stop trying to feed you're hand to people, one day you wont be lucky enough to get it back." Shun told him.

"I'll remember that the next time." He told her, laughing. She smiled, then moved to Hyoga, taking his hand and pulling him up.

"Can we talk?" she asked, sending a glance at the door, and Hyoga understood.

"Sure." He said, leading the way out and she fallowed, waving bye to the other two. Hyoga led her upstairs to his room, looking at their daughter. "Let me put her to bed first, ok?"

"I'll help." She said quickly, and Hyoga understood that she wanted to put her to bed. Hyoga picked her up, then lead Shun to the little girl's room. They put her to bed, Shun and Hyoga both kissing the top of her head, then they went back to Hyoga's room.

"What do you need to talk about?" Hyoga asked, sitting down on the bed with his back against the wall, motioning for Shun to join him.

"Hyoga…you don't mind me staying in here, right?" Shun asked, looking at him.

"No…I like it." He admitted, not looking at Shun as he said it.

"Hyoga, if you're not going to ask me, then I'll ask you." Shun told him. "Can we go on a date?"

"What!" Hyoga's head snapped over to look at Shun, shock on his face.

"I…I want to date you…I want to trust you, to come to be ok with you touching and holding me…I…"Shun looked down. "Ikki told me what you asked him…and I realized that I want to marry you…I want to feel that safety that you offer me…to feel it all the time." She told him. "I want that! I want you in my life…I always have…I want to call you my husband!"

Hyoga reach over, and hugged her, kissing her head. "Oh Shun…I want you to feel safe with me…to love me enough to be safe…" He smiled. "I would love to call you my wife…but we…"

Shun giggled, looking up at him. "That's why I said we need to date first…we can't rush into anything…not with what's at stake." She smiled. "So…you're the man…when and where!"

"Are you free Tuesday?" he asked.

"You know I am." She answered. "What will we be doing?"

"Well, first were going to take Takara to the beach…just the three of us…then we'll bring her back here so Ikki can watch her…and we'll go out to eat." Hyoga told her, and she giggled.

"I like the sound of that…I like that you're adding her in, that you know that she comes first." Shun told him.

"Always." Hyoga agreed. "She's our daughter."

"Yes she is." Shun whispered, leaning against him, not wanting his arms to let her go yet. "Hold me…just a while longer."

"Of course." He told her, and she smiled. Not wanted to thank him any other way, Shun leaned up and lightly kissed him on the lips. Hyoga kissed her back, gently. At that moment, they both knew that everything would be ok.

--

I think this will be the last chapter if I don't get any requests to continue…or I may right a sequel that takes place later…like one that goes over the date and the wedding and them becoming a family.