December 23, Evening

"Don't you think Kagami is a lot like Kyou?" Konata tossed out, putting a hand on her chin and frowning. Sojiro pursed his lips and his eyebrows came together in thought.

"She shares a lot of the same traits, such as the tsundere personality, the long hair.. But what about some of the other things? For example, Kyou is a great cook, and Kagami is.. well, you know."

"Kyou and Ryou are exactly like them though! Kyou is a tsundere, long hair, tall, beautiful, and Ryou is cute and innocent. On top of that, they're twins with the same purple hairstyles as our twins!"

"Even though they're both tsundere, Kyou has more of a temper. She jumps to conclusions and swears a lot more than Kagami."

"You're right about that, but Kagamin is scary when she's mad. But I guess, Kyou is almost always mad, so.."

Konata and her father could hold conversations like this for hours. They definitely had done that when the petite girl was still in middle school. She would come home from school, change into her casual clothes, and sit down with her father to play games and talk about whatever came to mind. It wasn't quite like talking with Kagami, but Konata enjoyed the time she spent with her father too.

Sojiro was reminded of previous years when Konata walked through the doorway of the house. She had climbed up the stairs, changed her clothes, and was back down in the living room in under three minutes, grabbing a controller and joining in the game, not missing a beat as she started to set up combos and assist her father in tearing up the battlefield. Her skill more than covered for Sojiro when he looked away from the screen to smile at his daughter.

"She hasn't changed, and yet.. she has. I'm glad my daughter is growing up, but I can't help feeling a bit left out."

/-/

Sojiro placed his pencil down with a relaxed sigh. "There we go.. I guess I rushed the final couple of sentences, but I'll fix it later. As long as I have the idea, I can rewrite it.. but for now, I need to take a break."

Stretching his arms above his head, he groaned with satisfaction. "Gonna get something to eat.."

Just as he was about to stand up to head down to the kitchen, a plate was placed in front of him. "Huh?"

"You must be hungry. I made this for you, so just relax!" There was something in the gently uttered words that shocked him, yet he wasn't sure why.

"Oh, thank you Konata.." Sojiro thanked his daughter, but the situation didn't click right. It sounded like his daughter, but..

He turned around slowly thinking he would see Konata standing there with her signature cat smile, but there was an irrational part of his brain that led him to hope that he would turn around and see..

".. Kanata?"

"Finally recognized me, Sou-kun?"

Sojiro was rooted to his chair. He couldn't speak or get up, he just stared at the blue-haired woman in front of him. His mouth opened and closed in a vain effort to speak, and finally managed to get out a single word.

"K.. Kanata.."

Slowly standing up, he stepped towards the woman who still held a special place in his heart. He embraced her with a sharp intake of breath, a feeling of both warm and cold in his chest as Kanata hugged him back. Was this real? He couldn't tell, nor did he care. The only thing that needed attention right now was right in front of him.

"How is my daughter?" Kanata asked, her soothing voice more fulfilling than any music.

"She looks almost exactly like you, doesn't she?" The spirit found the answer to her question not in his words, but with the compelling smile on his face.

"Isn't it wonderful? Although, I just wish she didn't have your personality.." Kanata laughed softly as her husband pretended to be hurt, shaking his head and wiping away an invisible tear. When she spoke again, her voice had lost the playful teasing manner. Sojiro could feel the calm seriousness in her words.
"Are you.. doing well?"

".. I'm alright. You?" He was surprised with the sobriety in his own voice. Sojiro had already figured it out, but his heart was reminding him of the importance of this scene.

"Wonderful. All I have is all I need.. the ability to be watch over you and my daughter for every moment of both of your lives." Kanata smiled serenely.

Sojiro didn't speak for a moment. His unusually serious eyes shielded his emotions, but they started to waver as he opened his mouth to continue the conversation.

"You know.. I wish you were here.. with us..

"To be her mother.. to be my wife..

"It's selfish of me, I know, but why did you have to leave? Why did you have to leave so early?" Tears welled in his eyes, blurring his vision. He closed his eyes, feeling a wetness run down his cheek.

When he opened his eyes, she wasn't there. The only woman he cared about had vanished from his world once again, leaving him standing alone in his room.

But she was still there. He couldn't see her, but it still seemed like she was standing there in front of him. He could still feel her cool hands caress his face, wiping away his tears and replacing them with a lovely feeling. Then he heard her, not with his ears but with his heart.

"Thank you for being a wonderful husband, and a good father. I still love you Sou-kun, and I love Konata. Please, don't forget that I'll always be watching.

"I'm sorry.. for leaving so soon."

Instead of bringing him to to tears, it felt like the words lifted his soul. Sojiro smiled, a bittersweet expression. He had regrets, but felt content. His sorrows, his joy.

"Don't be sorry.. Thank you. For being my everything."