This time we have "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle. There will be times when things are spoken just as part of the song and and at other times as part of the main dialogue. Hopefully it will be obvious which is which, but if the dialogue is on the same line as other non-bold text, then it's part of the main dialogue. =D
Song lyrics are in bold, and thoughts will be in italics within quotes.
Youtube: youtube…com/watch?v=BHcqaDNOqyI
Youtube Alternative: godtube…com/watch/?v=92BCMCNU
The disclaimer from the first chapter still holds.
Kazuki abruptly stopped reading when he realized his audience had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of "The Legend of the Moon Princess." With a small smile, he quietly stowed the book and dimmed the lights. The only sound to be heard in the room was the peaceful breathing evidenced by the subtle rise and fall of the blankets on the bed. Suddenly, a corner of the comforter violently flew into the air before flopping back in a crumpled heap as the bed's small occupant gave a restless toss. With an indulgent chuckle, Kazuki moved over and tucked his daughter back under the covers.
There're two things I know for sure
With a small sigh and a smile, six-year-old Kanae snuggled further into the land of sleep. She was in that kick-off-the-covers phase of life. He didn't really understand it since she'd promptly get cold and start groping for them in her sleep. Why make yourself cold?
She was sent here from heaven
And she's daddy's little girl
She turned her head, and her mouth fell slightly open releasing a light snore. His face contorted as he smothered a laugh. She really was a chip off the old block. That was almost a perfect rendition of his own snoring which his brother had oh-so-kindly recorded and played for Kaho-chan not too long after they'd gotten engaged. The memory would have annoyed him if he hadn't been in the presence of perfection.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night
He silently knelt down beside her bed and ran a hand affectionately through her hair, tucking a stray strand of cherry behind her ear. She must be tired. She hadn't even made it through one story. Well, they had had a pretty full day with the festival and all.
She talks to Jesus, and I close my eyes
His heart warmed as he watched his oldest sleep. Feeling nostalgic, he rested an elbow on the bed and marveled at her. Six-years-old and starting first grade on Monday, he couldn't believe it. She mumbled something in her sleep and his eyes softened.
And I thank God for all of the joy in my life
He had to be the happiest and luckiest guy on Earth. He was married to the love of his life, worked a job he loved, and had two beautiful children with one more on the way. Life had its ups and downs, of course, but right now, seeing how his little angel had grown up from that tiny little baby, a quiet feeling of contentment settled over him.
"Hey," he whispered softly, "guess what? You're going to be a big sister again soon, but this time you'll get a sister. How about that, huh? You'll continue to be a good big sister and help Mommy take care of the little ones, right?"
A small smile was his response.
He nodded. "Good." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Kanae."
Oh, but most of all…
"Mmm…Daddy…?"
Whoops! Hiding his grimace, he leaned back and settled himself on the floor. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" he murmured softly.
For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
"Mmmhmm…But you still need your good night kiss," she mumbled, the words slurred by sleep.
With a smile, he placed his head next to the pillow and let her lips touch his nose while her lashes fluttered. "G'night, Daddy. Love you," she yawned and turned over.
His heart swelled. "I love you too, Kanae," he whispered as he untangled the remnants of a daisy crown from some gnarled crimson strands. Just before he closed the door to her room, he murmured, "Sweet dreams."
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair
He found his wife in the study on the computer the next morning. "Good morning, beautiful." He placed his hands gently on her shoulders as she looked over the pictures they'd taken.
She tipped her head back and grinned up at him with a tired smile. "Good morning, yourself." The baby had been restless this morning and didn't seem to care that her mother wanted to catch a few more winks of sleep.
"They were really tired out last night. Kanae went down like that." He snapped his fingers.
"Kazuya slept like a rock too. Maybe we should do this sort of thing more often," she joked. The adults had been just as tuckered out as the kids. Have you ever tried to keep track of a six-year-old and a three-year-old when you're surrounded by floods of people in an over stimulating environment? Not exactly a walk in the park.
He grinned with a twinkle in his eye and placed a hand on her swollen stomach. "Gotta wait for one more to join the party."
She rolled her eyes. "Goody, even more chaos."
They both laughed, and he pulled up a chair so he could look too.
"Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride"
He raised his eyebrows when he saw one of him hoisting Kanae onto a horse when the family had gone to visit a relative who owned some stables out in Gifu the previous year. "Just how old are these?"
Kahoko kept clicking through pictures that walked through the events of Kanae's first time riding on a horse. She looked like she was having fun astride the chestnut beauty, but she kept a firm grip on her father's hand. "Mmm…maybe a year and a half? The memory card's so big, we haven't needed to clear it off in a while."
"I see," Kazuki murmured as he filched some of her half-eaten cake. His eyes suddenly bulged, and he quickly ran to the bathroom to rinse out his mouth. He pouted at the laugh she tried to smother. "I thought we had eaten all of that."
"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried"
Kahoko shrugged. "This was the last slice." She looked at him sympathetically. "You'd worked so hard to eat as much of Kanae's…" she decided it would be unkind to tack on an adjective, "cake as you could that I didn't have the heart to make you eat any more."
He winced slightly. "Next time she gets it in her head to cook or bake, we should probably make sure one of us is around so she doesn't think the cake will turn out okay when she puts in half a tablespoon of salt instead of half a teaspoon."
"Or get the baking chocolate mixed up with the milk chocolate bars," she laughed. "Though that's fairly understandable."
Oh, with all that I've done wrong
Kazuki chuckled. "I didn't even realize there was such a thing as baking chocolate." He made a face and shuddered. "I think Kanae and I both know now, though. Ugh, salty and bitter."
She smiled. "I thought it was sweet of her try and bake a cake to help me out."
"It was," he agreed proudly. "She's becoming pretty responsible. She's just still a little…."
"Scatterbrained," she finished. "A little something from her father's side…?" she teased.
"And her mother's," he countered with a peck on the nose that made her giggle.
They heard the alarm beep next to them and smiled at each other.
I must have done something right
"Time to round up the troops. I'll get them dressed and ready," Kazuki said as he helped her on her feet.
"Thanks, I'll have hotcakes on the table by then." She kissed him on the cheek.
"Sounds great!" He grinned. "That should get them downstairs in a flash." He quickly mounted the stairs and knocked on his daughter's door before letting himself in. His smile shone to see she had hidden herself under the covers. She knew what was coming.
To deserve a hug every morning
He scratched his head and put on his most bewildered look. "Now where is Kanae? She should be in here somewhere…" he said aloud, eliciting a small giggle from the small mound on the bed. He made a lot of noise as he checked different hiding places and continued to wonder where his missing daughter had gone. Despite her attempts to smother the constant stream of laughter, the snickers, snorts, and titters just kept getting louder as the little hill on the bed shook.
Finally, the suspense got to be too much for her, and she hopped out of the bed and ran over to fling her arms around his neck. "I'm right here, Daddy!"
And butterfly kisses at night
"There you are!" he laughed as he bent down to give her a hard hug back. "Honestly, I need to remember to check the bed from now on." Rubbing noses, he grinned at her. "Now let's go get Kazuya. Mommy's making hotcakes this morning."
"Yay!" She dashed out the door to her brother's room.
~ . ~ . ~ . ~
Anxious, he unlocked the front door and rushed in. "I'm home!" he called silently in his head. Hearing the telltale signs of life, he visibly relaxed—good, he wasn't too late—then slumped in exhaustion as he shucked off his shoes and sloughed off his coat. He ran a hand down his face to try and wipe away some of the tiredness from his eyes.
Catching sight of his son playing one of his zombie shooter video games in the dark living room, Kazuki silently tiptoed up behind him and scared a year's growth off of him when he grabbed him from behind. "Ahhh! Da-mmph." Kazuki quickly clapped his hands over Kazuya's mouth before he could reveal his presence. Then, with a conspiratorial wink, he motioned for silence and gave a nod in the general direction of his older sister's room.
Nodding in understanding, Kazuya flashed the famous Hihara grin and whispered, "Glad you're back."
Ruffling his hair affectionately, Kazuki stood and made his way up the stairs and down the hall to a room with a violin-shaped nameplate on it and knocked.
"Just a minute! Geez!"
He raised his eyebrows, but just shrugged and knocked again.
"We're coming! How many times do I have to tell you! Are you deaf?!"
He knocked again with a frown.
"Stop it, Kazuya!"
He couldn't help but grin. That explained it. Of course his son had already been here driving his sisters crazy. He shouldn't have expected any less. He began to rap on the door again when it violently gave way under his fist.
Sweet 16 today
"I swear! If you keep this up, I'm going to make you wish you'd never been—Dad!" She stared at him like she was seeing a ghost.
"Daddy! Daddy!" His youngest flew away from her mother's side to throw her arms around his neck.
With a large smile, he twirled her around in the air, sending her green pigtails flying. It was good to be home again. "How's my little girl?"
"I'm not little," Kasumi pouted. "I'm almost ten."
"Well then, you're far too old for me to be holding you now, aren't you?" he teased as he put her down.
Kanae was still staring at him like a fish out of water.
"No hug? Not even a 'Hi, Dad'?" He feigned a hurt look.
"Uh, right." She nodded mechanically and gave him a hug. "Hi, Dad." When she pulled away, she still looked really confused. "But-but how? And why? Aren't-aren't you supposed to be in Hokkaido until Monday?"
He smiled down at his oldest. "And miss both the most important performance of my daughter's life and her birthday? Not a chance."
All his tiredness melted away as he basked in the sunshine of her smile. All the hassle he'd had to go through to cut his trip short had been completely and totally worth it.
She's looking like her Mama
A little more everyday
He beamed back at her mother as she smiled approvingly. His eyes moved between the two redheads, and he got a funny look in his eyes. The differences were there, but the similarities were striking.
"Ah," he fished a small, flat box out of his pocket, "Happy Birthday!" He grinned. "I bought it in Hokkaido. I hope you like it."
One part woman, the other part girl
She eagerly ripped open the paper with childlike excitement. "Oh, Daddy!" she gasped and gave him a big hug.
"Let me see!" Kasumi demanded.
Kanae smiled and knelt down to show her the hair clips with small, white porcelain cherry blossoms on them.
"Ooh! Sparkly! Are you going to wear them tonight?"
Kanae held them up to her mother. "What do you think, Mom?"
Kahoko nodded her approval. "White goes with everything."
"I think they'll look really pretty." Kasumi swayed happily in her light pink dress.
Kanae nodded and caught Kasumi's hand. "Let's finish getting ready, okay?"
"Yup!"
To perfume and make-up from ribbons and curls
Kazuki leaned back and watched the women go through their mysterious make-up ritual. Since it was a special, grown-up event, Kaho-chan was helping Kasumi put on make-up too. He chuckled, remembering how awful Kanae had looked when she had gotten into Kaho-chan's make-up the first time. He watched her expertly apply some black pencil thing to her eyes with a slightly sad quirk of the lips. Nine years had certainly changed things.
Trying her wings out in a great big world
When she walked onto the stage, she squared her shoulders and bowed. He could tell she was nervous.
"Come on, Kanae!" he cheered in his head. "You can do this!"
But I remember…
He watched her take three calming breaths like he had taught her to and relax. "Atta girl." And with a quick slice of her bow, she was off. His eyes never strayed as his little girl filled the concert hall with her own special brand of music. And when she finished, nobody clapped and cheered more loudly and proudly than him.
Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer
The rhinestones in her new clips caught the light as she proudly accepted her second-place trophy.
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair
When she walked out in street clothes with a tired, but proud look on her face, he pulled her in for a hug and hoisted her trophy up high. "You did great! We're so proud of you!" After the rest of the family offered their congratulations, including a tackle-hug from Kasumi, he asked, "Cake and ice cream to celebrate?"
"Actually," she hesitated briefly, "some of the others wanted to go do karaoke for a bit. Can I go too?"
"You know how much I love you, Daddy, but if you don't mind"
He paused to look over at the group of teenagers laughing and talking, and then at his wife, who smiled and nodded. "Sure." He smiled and pulled some money out of his wallet. "Have fun! Make sure you're back by ten-thirty. We'll do cake then."
"Thanks, Dad." And with a wave, she was off.
"I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time"
Turning to his other two children, he asked, "Shall we pick up some ice cream for later, then?"
"Yes!" Kazuya fist-pumped.
"Let's get strawberry!" Kasumi clapped.
"No, chocolate," the thirteen-year-old argued.
Oh, with all that I've done wrong
"Strawberry!"
"Chocolate!"
"Strawberry!"
"Chocolate!"
"I think we should get Kanae's favorite," Kahoko broke in with a warning tone, and at their chastised faces, she added, "and some Neapolitan."
I must have done something right
Kazuki grinned and took her hand. "Shall we go?"
Kasumi nodded and latched onto his free hand, while Kazuya walked slightly ahead of them. Thirteen is too cool to be hanging around his kid sister after all.
To deserve her love every morning
As they left, Kazuki snuck a glance back and smiled to see Kanae chatting excitedly with her friends. Catching his eye, she smiled warmly back at him and gave a little wave.
And butterfly kisses at night
~ . ~ . ~ . ~
He let out an ear-piercing whistle as she accepted her third-place trophy in the national solo competition her senior year. When they got home, it joined her other trophies, including her first-place prefectural trophy and the mark of her victory in the Seiso music competition.
All the precious time
They all had a party in the backyard to celebrate her high school graduation. And just a few short months later, he kissed her good-bye at the airport when she and her mother went to go move her in for college at the same conservatory Tsukimori-kun had studied at.
Oh…
Kaho-chan had to keep him from rushing over to Vienna to bring her back every time she called home sobbing about how homesick she was.
Like the wind, the years go by
His heart sank a bit when she told them she was planning to accept a job in Vienna as part of an orchestra. He missed her.
Precious butterfly
The five of them went on a three-week European tour when they flew over for her graduation. And just a couple of years later, he proudly framed a newspaper article lauding her as a rising star.
Spread your wings and fly
~ . ~ . ~ . ~
Kahoko zipped up Kanae's dress and smiled. Standing next to her, she looked at their reflection in the mirror.
As always, there are good and bad things whenever there's any mixing in the gene pool. Kanae had bloomed into a beautiful young woman with her mother's delicate features and her father's soulful eyes and easy smile. Looks-wise, she was truly the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, she somehow managed to inherit both her mother's and father's individual brands of denseness. Kahoko quickly counted her blessings. It was honestly nothing short of a miracle that she had gotten to this point.
They both smiled and turned when they heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," Kanae called.
Kazuki stepped into the room and froze.
She'll change her name today
The vision in white smiled and held out her hand. "Hi, Dad."
He gulped and moved forward to squeeze it. "I-I can't believe it. It's…it's really happening."
She'll make a promise
Kanae looked at once exasperated and embarrassed. "Oh, Dad, did you really think I'd never get married?"
Kahoko bit back a laugh as she remembered a similar conversation with her own father.
And I'll give her away
"No," he shook his head slowly, "it's not that. I just…I guess I didn't expect it to come so soon."
Kanae laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh Dad, I'm almost thirty. Hardly speedy."
Standing in the Bride Room just staring at her
His wife sent him an understanding smile and started handing Kanae accessories as Kasumi took pictures. He felt like a stranger as he watched the women bustle and fuss.
She asked me what I'm thinking
Kanae looked over with a bit of concern. "You've been pretty quiet. What is it?"
And I said, "I'm not sure"
"I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl"
He gave her a brave smile. "I'm not sure. I guess…I guess I just…" he took a deep breath and said, "I just feel like I'm about to lose you…or something."
Her eyes misted. "Oh, Daddy…." She leaned over.
He cracked a smile when he felt her lips touch his nose, and felt tears sting his eyes as her lashes fluttered against his skin. His girl. His little girl.
Gave me butterfly kisses with her Mama there
As she drew away, Kahoko placed the last star of Bethlehem in her hair and smiled. "Finished."
Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair
She picked up the flow of tulle and motioned her daughter to come over. "Just one thing left."
He watched silently as Kanae bent down and let her mother fasten in the veil. Then, with a kiss on the cheek, the blusher came down.
Turning to her father, Kanae held out her hand. "Walk me down the aisle, Daddy; it's just about time."
All he could do was stare at her. Was this really Kanae? Could this beautiful woman before him really be that perfect little baby from all those years ago?
And, "Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy?"
"Well?" She smiled inquiringly.
"You…you look beautiful, Kanae," he choked out. A tear fell from his eyes. Then another and another. He couldn't make them stop.
"Daddy, don't cry! Oh, please don't cry! I'm going to start too," Kanae's voice caught.
"No, no, no!" Kasumi rushed over and started fanning her sister's face. "You'll ruin the pictures!"
Oh, with all that I've done wrong
Kazuki sniffed and gave Kanae a watery smile. "You're getting married. I can't believe it." Kazuki squeezed her hands. "My little girl getting married." He sucked in a breath and tried to compose himself. "Alright, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He offered her his arm with a brave smile. "Let's do this."
I must have done something right
She laughed and took his arm readily, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
His heart warmed to see it. All the joy, confidence, and eagerness to start a life with the man she loved glowed on her face making her radiant. He remembered the same giddy nervousness when it had been his turn years ago.
To deserve her love every morning
Right before the doors to the chapel opened, she squeezed his arm in a hug. "Are you ready?"
"Are you?"
She grinned and nodded with tears at the corners of her eyes. "You bet."
And butterfly kisses
His heart swelled when he looked at her out of the corner of his eye as they walked down the long road of red.
I couldn't ask God for more
His daughter grown up and getting married, he couldn't believe it. He was so happy, so proud, and yet somehow feeling such a sense of loss that he wanted to cry from the sheer ache of it.
Man, this is what love is
Kazuki's eyes moved over to his very-soon-to-be son-in-law. No matter how many times they met, it never failed to give him a jolt. It was so weird to see Tsukimori-kun's face with Shouji-san's brown hair and misty teal eyes.
The young man solemnly bowed to him, and he gulped, returning the gesture as he remembered when he had been standing in his place. And now—he looked at his daughter as her eyes glowed with love for the man whose face had softened in return—here he was now giving his own daughter away.
I know I gotta let her go
Kanae's eyes met his right before he stepped away, and he saw the Kanaes of the past flash before his eyes. He touched his fingers to his lips and blew a kiss goodbye to the girl of the past and one of good luck to the woman of the present and future.
But I'll always remember…
Her eyes misted. "I love you," she mouthed.
He blinked hard to keep from breaking down, and with a final nod, he stepped back to join his wife in the front pew. They looked at each other, squeezed hands, and watched their daughter take her first step in her new life.
Every hug in the morning
At the end of the reception, he stood outside and waved until their car drove out of sight. Then, he sighed and let the swirl of joy and loss churn within him for a bit until he sensed his wife come up beside him. "She's gone now," he stated as she took his hand.
And butterfly kisses…
"At least we still have Kasumi," Kahoko murmured with a soft smile.
"Yes," Kazuki nodded, but looked wistfully over at his green-haired daughter as she bid good-bye to a tall boy with dark green hair and clear blue eyes with a smile. "But for how much longer?"
To me, "Butterfly Kisses" will always be the father-daughter song. I think I probably first heard it at a father-daughter dance in elementary school, and I just fell in love with it. Originally, this was going to lead off the series, but then I had an idea for "I Loved Her First" that I thought would work nicely for Kahoko and her father.
Alright, I'm going to go and spend the rest of the day with my husband now (once he wakes up XD). (^_^) Bye bye.