When his phone blared an annoying yet cheerful alarm tone the next morning, Takashi sat up quickly, shutting off the sound. He nearly lamented over the fact that he used to be the type of college student who could hit the snooze button at least two times before he actually had to get up.

He could have been that college student, but he wasn't. Takashi had always been prompt, an early riser, one who could get his morning work-out in before his first class had even started. Takashi had always been an over-achiever by nature, had never settled for less than that. He recognized how hard he needed to work to keep up with school and work and a social life, and he had actually been pretty decent at multi-tasking.

Now, though, even when he woke up a half an hour earlier than he had a few months ago, he still seemed to fall behind more and more every day. There was something uncertain about trying to get a small child up and ready on time that never quite seemed to work out. With the addition of school, however, Takashi was certain he and Katie were never going to be on time for anything, ever.

He was proven wrong when, upon entering Katie's bedroom, she was already up, leafing through her clothes. She hadn't found an outfit yet, but the concentration was certainly obvious on her face. Takashi tried not to laugh; but he did stand behind her, heaving in a long sigh. "Found anything yet?" he asked, and Katie yelped with surprise.

She turned on her heels, looking more annoyed than actually frightened. Her hair was a mess from sleeping, but she did have her glasses on (which she occasionally forgot to do, and Takashi continuously had to remind her she was going to ruin her eyesight [further, of course]). But her irritated face only lasted for a few moments before she shook her head. Katie held two choices out to her guardian – the first was a powder blue dress with tiny lime green T-Rexes lining the hem of the skirt, and the second was a striped orange shirt and a pair of navy shorts. Both outfits were cute and very distinctly Katie, and Takashi made a humming noise, pretending to be deep in thought.

"You'll look great in both," he reasoned, and the little girl inclined her head in agreement, "but which one is more comfortable? It's gonna be warm today." If he were being honest, he was more partial to the dress because the dinosaurs were absolutely adorable; but he also knew that Katie loved striped patterns.

The girl in question seemed torn between the two choices, looking as if she were making concessions for either option. Eventually, though, she held up the dress. "I like this one," she informed Takashi, laying it on the bed. Takashi concurred, of course; and he made sure that Katie could simply pull the dress over her head before exiting the room.

Another part of Takashi was sincerely grateful Katie chose the dinosaur dress because, if he was thinking of the same outfit, Matt had bought it for his little sister just a few weeks before the accident. But with a quick shake of the head, the young man pushed the thought out of his head, sitting on his makeshift bed of a couch, changing out of his old t-shirt and struggling into a new one.

With only one arm, changing clothes had turned out to be more of a challenge than Takashi could have imagined. T-shirts were fine, and button-ups were simply torture (so he opted away from them); pants, on the other hand, were all pretty terrible. Sweat pants were the easiest to slip into, but he hated looking slouchy under any circumstance, even a medical pretense. With that in mind, Takashi always seemed to grit his teeth, managing on a pair of jeans with the greatest amount of determination he could muster.

But he was clothed, and Katie came running out of her room not much later, her dress swinging as she moved. She looked absolutely darling, but Takashi still had to round her up so he could brush through her hair. He was glad she didn't ask for braids or anything like that (mostly because he wouldn't have been able to manage, anyhow), but Katie wasn't high-maintenance at all and was quite content with her hair simply down at her sides.

Gently pulling the brush through the little girl's hair, Takashi would occasionally stop to fix her brown locks in place. He had absolutely no clue what to do with her bangs, and he let Katie play with them herself, noting that she had just about as much knowledge as he did of how bangs were supposed to lay against one's forehead.

The next part of the morning routine was, naturally, breakfast. Takashi stepped into the kitchenette, his young ward following close after. Opening the freezer, the college student pulled out two packs of frozen pancakes, holding them up so Katie could approve of or reject the option.

To his relief, Katie, who seemed to exist solely on frozen foods anymore, nodded, attempting to snatch one of the packs away from him. She liked to be independent, to heat up her own breakfasts (and lunches and dinners), but Takashi also knew the microwave was still too high for her without a footstool. He shook his head, unwrapping one package and placing the stack of pancakes in the microwave. But Takashi was nice enough to scoop Katie into his arm, holding her up high enough so she could press the buttons.

"Alright, press the one and two zeros, okay? And then the bottom button," he told her. Dutifully, Katie obliged, and the microwave came to life with a soft light and a low buzz. Takashi lowered her to the ground, patting her on the head. "Good job, they're gonna be delicious, huh?" he asked, moving toward a cabinet and pulling out a half-full bottle of maple syrup. It was one of the few foods that weren't strictly a staple that he bought; even without Katie's presence, Takashi Shirogane was an absolutely sucker for buttermilk pancakes.

"Can I pour the syrup, Shiro?" Katie asked, quite sweetly, and he couldn't help but let her. The little girl added a gratuitous amount of syrup to her meal, and Takashi started to worry that she was going to get her hair or her dress all sticky. In order to prevent that, he stuck a paper towel in the front of her dress, pulling her hair toward her back.

The two ate quickly, both managing to stay relatively clean. Picking up their paper plates, Takashi deposited them into the trash can, placing the forks in the sink. He made sure Katie had her backpack, then ushered her into the bathroom so she could brush her teeth before they left. He waited out the door for her to finish so he could do the same. In a matter of minutes, both students were completely clothed, fed, and at an appropriate level of hygiene; grabbing his own bag, Takashi led the way out the door, Katie following close behind.

They had to come back into the apartment, of course, when Katie realized they had both forgotten their stuffed lions. Miss Allura would certainly want to see that the gifts had been appreciated, that they had safely made it back to the classroom. Of course, the lions were theirs to keep, but Katie had made it apparent that she wanted it for recess.

And maybe a small part of Takashi wanted to bring the purple one into class so Allura might actually notice. But only a small part.

The bus ride seemed short, and as the pair was stepping off the bus, both thanking the driver as they slipped out the doors, Takashi checked his phone and was pleasantly surprised to see that he and Katie were actually, for once, on time. Or rather, they were entirely early. The tiny brunette grabbed his hand, dragging Takashi toward the preschool.

Outside the building was Allura, one-handedly typing on her phone, multitasking as she chewed on a granola bar. She glanced up, eyes widening for a moment before she swallowed her bite, waving. Katie let go of Takashi's hand, returning the gesture, and Takashi smiled.

Once again, Allura looked lovely. She was wearing a cold-shoulder dress that hit just below the knees, the royal purple color contrasting with her skin tone tremendously. Her hair was pulled in a loose bun, a few strands falling to frame her face. Reminding himself to breathe, Takashi stopped in front of her, momentarily (and guiltily) forgetting that Katie was standing right beside him.

He tried not to look her up and down as if she were a piece of meat, so he focused on simply staring at her eyes. This was a mistake, of course, because those were just as shimmery and sparkling as he remembered. Losing the ability to speak for just a few moments, Takashi finally found his voice, managing a lame, "You match."

Eyes flicking toward Katie, Allura's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "Umm…" she started, brushing a loose piece of hair away, probably trying not to look rude. For a few seconds, Takashi couldn't even understand why she was so confused; but with a rush of realization, he realized he hadn't bothered to clarify his statement.

Stammering, face beginning to paint itself a nice shade of red, Takashi added, "The – the lion. You – uh – you match the lion. My lion. They're both purple. O-or, it's purple, and you're purple. I mean, y-you're wearing purple, and the lion – my lion – is also purple." He hoped he didn't sound as embarrassing as he thought he did.

The way Allura just stared at him, though, told him he definitely did sound like an idiot. But she recovered nicely, nodding, face brightening. "Yes, of course we do! Purple's one of my favorite colors, you know."

"Uh, mine, too," he responded, a small smile finding its way onto his lips. Allura did the same, and she took another bite of her granola bar. She put her phone away, letting it slip into her pocket, then looked back up at Takashi and Katie. "I mean, I'm really thankful for the lion. You – you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," she cut him off, and her smile was so natural, her expression so soft and sweet. She turned her attention to Katie, kneeling down just a bit. "And you look so pretty today!" Allura exclaimed, admiring the trim on the little girl's dress. "I just love the dinosaurs!"

Katie seemed suddenly bashful, ducking her head a bit lower. "Thanks," she muttered, grabbing onto Takashi's arm. He made a small noise of surprise but was quite content to let Katie hold onto him.

"It's still pretty early, but you two are free to come in and sit," Allura offered, turning to open the door. She opened it, allowing Takashi and Katie to pass through, shutting it behind her. The room was still as fun and colorful as the day before, and Katie was quick to find a beanbag chair to lounge in. Allura, on the other hand, leaned on the edge of her desk and picked up a bottle of water, taking a long swig of it. Takashi tried to focus on the walls, then the ceiling, but his eyes eventually found their way back to Allura.

There must've been something magnetic about her, he tried to reason with himself; or maybe it was the color of her dress – it certainly was a beautiful color. It couldn't have been her eyes, or her platinum hair, or her face, and it definitely wasn't her smile that made him feel weak in the knees. No, Allura just knew how to dress, and he was…he was impressed. Of course that was it.

With an inward sigh, however, Takashi was quite aware of the fact that he couldn't care less what sort of color the young woman chose to wear – no, he was attracted to her. After only a day, just twenty-four hours, he found himself wanting to spend more time near Allura. But now was such an awful time for him, and for Katie. Not only was the little girl still adjusting to being without her actual family, but she was also getting used to living with just Takashi; it would be unfair and unthinkable to consider forcing Katie to include Allura in her inverted world now.

And again, there was the matter of Takashi himself. He could hardly handle his and Katie's lives; a romantic relationship would most likely be too much for him to handle. That, and he was still trying to figure out how to live with just one arm, trying to focus on recovering. At this point, he just couldn't fathom dating.

Of course, Takashi was also very well aware that Allura thought him strange, and was most likely not at all interested in a personal relationship with Takashi, let alone simply spending time with him. But at least she was polite and would never outright say anything to him. She would probably just opt to ignore him as much as possible.

"So, Shiro," Alura started, her voice changing as she said the nickname. Takashi couldn't quite place the tone, but if he didn't know any better, she would've thought she was teasing him. "What did you think about school yesterday?"

A bit surprised by the question, the young man blinked, but covered his shock with a smile. "Well, I think you've got a great set-up in here; I really like all the colors, and the space theme, and the kids all really seem to like you, too…" At this point (granted, it had only been a day), he couldn't find anything about Allura to fault her with. She was friendly and energetic, and she really knew how to decorate a room.

She nodded thoughtfully, looking over to make sure Katie wasn't paying much attention. The little girl wasn't, too preoccupied with showing her stuffed lion around the room. Turning back to Takashi, Allura laughed lightly. "To be honest with you, I was a nervous wreck yesterday. I mean, it's my very first class, and if I'm being honest, I don't even know if I'm completely ready myself. But – but I just really love the children, and they're all so sweet, and Katie just seems to adore you-"

She was rambling, hands moving as she talked. But Allura caught herself, and she took a long breath to center her thoughts. "What I'm saying is, I'm sure you don't have your utmost confidence in me yet, and I'm not entirely at ease right now, either, but – but it's a learning curve, and we'll all figure it out together, just – just give me a chance."

Takashi made a noise of surprise, expression softening greatly, and he shook his head. "To be fair, I'm pretty nervous about everything right now; but I'm much less worried about how you're going to take care of the class. I'm sure you'll do a great job, and if you need anything, just ask."

"I don't want you to wear yourself ragged," she warned, not threateningly – it was more of a playful sort of statement. "You've got plenty on your plate as it is, don't you?"

Nodding, he sat on the edge of one of the low tables, so grateful it didn't simply tip over as soon as he sat down. "I do, but I've always got a lot to do, even before Katie. But, um, I don't have classes on Fridays, so if you needed something on a Friday, I could do that. Or – or any other day of the week, too, but I'm free on Fridays, so…so you get it," he finished lamely, hanging his head. He simply couldn't find the right words to say around Allura, but she didn't seem to mind this time.

In fact, she looked thankful. "I really appreciate that, Takashi, thank you. Maybe I'll just have to have you come in as a teacher's assistant on Fridays, huh?" she giggled, and the noise caught Katie's attention. The little girl looked up, curiosity playing on her expression. "But anyway, how're you doing this morning?" Allura asked Katie.

"'m good," she answered, walking up to the desk to join her teacher and Takashi. "So's Green."

Allura grinned, straightening up. "Well, I'm very glad to hear that! So you've been taking good care of Green, huh?" Katie nodded in answer. "You know, I'm sure Green misses the other lions; I hope everyone remembered to bring theirs-"

As soon as she said that, there was a sharp, soft knock on the door. Smoothing out her skirt, Allura went to answer the door, the bracelets on her wrists jingling with her movements. Opening the door, the teacher greeted Keith. He had his backback, his lion, and a neutral expression on his face. "Good morning, Keith, how're we doing today?" Allura greeted cheerfully.

Keith nodded, holding the red lion closer to him. "Good," he answered, his response matching Katie's. It occurred to Takashi that children always said they were good, even if they weren't. But the little boy seemed to be in a much better, more talkative mood today than he did yesterday. Which is to say, he'd already said one more word within the first minute of being back to Planet Altea than he had in the first twenty minutes yesterday.

"And how's the lion? Good night yesterday?" she asked, prodding the boy to answer just one more question.

"Not bad."

Allura gave a thumbs-up, but her pose was stuck in the air for a few extra seconds, because Keith stopped right in front of Takashi, looking right at him. The young man tried to hide his shock, but it was pretty hard when Keith, who had yet to talk much, let alone engage with anyone, stood right there, watching Takashi expectantly.

"What's up?" Takashi asked, chancing to look at Katie, who seemed just as surprised by this change of pace. Of course, Keith was in no way threatening, nor was he even creepy. He was just anti-social, and it caught Takashi as odd that the young child was so focused on him.

"How's yours?" Keith asked, suddenly quite bold. His voice, when used, came out as a strong sound, and not as a raspy whisper as Takashi had imagined. In fact, he sounded like any normal preschooler.

It only took a few moments for Takashi to register that Keith was asking about the purple lion, making sure that it was alright. The question was sweet, especially when the child had showed little interest in anything that didn't pertain to animals, or a zoo. It was becoming increasingly apparent that lions were his favorite, and Takashi noticed out of the corner of his eye Allura scribbling something down in a nearby notebook.

Smiling, Takashi leaned down, so he and Keith were at the same eye level. "He's doing really well; we had pancakes for breakfast," he said, not sure if this answer was going to appease Keith. But it seemed to, because the raven-haired child nodded, leaving the bewildered college student in favor of playing with Katie. She was happy to get to do something other than listening to Takashi and Miss Allura babble to each other about unimportant things, and she followed Keith to the part of the room where all the other toys were kept. The two gladly played with a kitchen set, teaching the lions how to properly bake a tray of cookies.

Allura laughed at the display, the sound sweet and melodic. Takashi looked over, also amused, and moved a bit closer to the teacher. "Katie likes cooking at home," he informed the young woman, and Allura nodded.

"That's good to know. To tell you the truth, I hated helping my mother in the kitchen when I was younger. I mean, I helped if I had to, but I would've liked to have been anywhere else," she confessed. "I can bake now, but I hate cooking actual meals. I'm fine just eating-"

"Frozen meals?" Takashi interjected, a sly sort of smile playing on his features. To Allura's favor, he was too oblivious to notice the way the young teacher had stopped for just a moment to take in the sight of his playful expression. He was a handsome man, and she had noticed it the first day, as soon as he walked into the room. But he was also a bit bumbling, and just a tad awkward; his smile, though, was something she wouldn't have minded seeing again.

But of course, Takashi was too invested in the conversation to realize that he might have actually floored Allura, if just for a moment. Recovering easily, she made a noise of agreement. "Yes, I practically live on Hot Pockets and – and these stupid granola bars." She held up the wrapper, turning it so that he could read. It was a generic brand, one that tasted vaguely of cardboard and dusty chocolate, and Takashi gave a sympathetic sigh.

"We've all been there." He righted himself completely, so that he could stand at his full height; he was only a few inches taller than she was, but Allura still had to tilt her head up to look him in the eyes. "But hey, you only know you've hit rock bottom when you start to buy those single-packs of the macaroni cups with the cartoon characters on them."

Allura made a face. "I've got Star Wars ones at home," she admitted, her voice soft, in a guilty yet joking sort of mumble. "And for your information, they're quite delicious."

"Oh, I know they are. That's why I buy them – Katie and I've got Spongebob and Finding Dory." He was pretending to brag, as if the type of the macaroni cup was a big deal, but Allura kept the scene, acting as if she were both impressed and offended.

"Well, then, I suppose I might have to steal some."

"Good luck. I took martial arts when I was seven, so I could probably fend a thief off."

Allura shook her head, fake cockiness evident in her voice. "I took karate until I was seventeen, so I might have an advantage over you."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's one you'll lose."

He nearly responded with something else, something that may have toed the line between acquaintances and friends and even that line between a teacher and someone he wanted to flirt with on a regular basis, but the door opened without even a warning knock, and Lance sauntered in, followed by his mother. Even for such an early time in the morning, he was full of energy, greeting Allura and Takashi, and then joining Katie and Keith without missing a beat. He too brought his stuffed lion, and it was soon inundated into the amateur cooking class.

Lance's mother hung the boy's backpack on the hook that had his name over it, and she walked up to Allura's desk. She looked nice this morning, her hair pulled back in an intentionally messy ponytail, her bouncy curls falling in front of and around her face. The plaid shirt she wore hugged her baby bump well, and Takashi was left wondering just how long she had left. She moved around remarkably gracefully for someone who was well into her pregnancy, but there was still an obvious discomfort to her general walking.

Allura grinned, closing the distance, and welcoming the woman. The two talked for about three minutes, about how Lance loved his first day of school, and Allura asked how the woman was feeling, and of course, she's doing very well. Takashi sighed, mostly to himself, almost glad that he had been interrupted, but also disappointed. He had meant to say something, something incredibly cheesy along the lines of Maybe you should come over so we can find out, but it more than certainly would have offended or scared off Allura.

In short, he was glad he didn't embarrass himself, but he was also upset he simply couldn't find it in himself to be so bold.

When Hunk arrived, yellow lion in one arm and Shay in the other hand, Takashi decided it was time for him to leave. He patted Katie on the shoulder, and the little girl gave him a quick hug before returning to her kitchenette. The other three children also bid their farewells to the college students, Keith making sure to remind him to take the purple lion with him. Takashi nodded, chuckling at the sentiment; and Hunk, in the straightest face a child at his age could muster, told him not to joke about things like that. Katie and Lance too seemed disappointed in Takashi but chose not to say anything.

Takashi left without saying goodbye to Allura, sure the class would explain to her where he left. That is, of course, if she even bothered to ask.

She did notice, but he was already on the bus to class and again, was unaware that Allura minded how he looked or where he went.

Knocking on the door to Planet Altea, Takashi shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had had a decent day, had managed to get all of his homework done and turned in, and hic classes had been much less awkward today than they had been yesterday.

He was greeted by Allura's face, and the young woman smiled widely. "Nice of you to join us, Takashi," she said, leading him in. Katie waved energetically, and the other children stopped what they were doing at the board to watch their guest. He was starting to become a permanent fixture of the classroom, and Takashi almost felt self-conscious. Of course, no one minded his presence; in fact, he was wanted. The children loved him, and Allura liked having another adult in the room, if only for about a half an hour out of the day.

He let them all play with the purple lion while he and Allura discussed the day. The students had requested (or rather, demanded) the Happy Days song, and they had even played with a color wheel while Allura quizzed them on the different shades; she was pleased to announce they were all very good with their colors, especially Katie, who could shoot off the names as if they were nothing.

Takashi smiled at this information, glad that Katie was already excelling at school. He and Allura watched the children play while they waited for the rest of the parents to arrive, and Allura handed him another one of her generic protein bars. He took it, thanking her, and made a face when he bit into it. Of course, the reaction was mostly for effect, but it was enough to excite laughter from both adults.

They hadn't noticed the students instead watching them, or they might have been more aware of themselves. Rather, Lance elbowed Keith, making a 'kissy' face. Hunk, and even Keith, both laughed, and Katie made a disgusted expression. Her Shiro was definitely an odd one, super weird, even if he wasn't aware of it yet. Aside from missing her older brother simply for the fact that she wanted him back in her life, she missed Matt because he was always there to remind Shiro that he was awkward.

Lance's mom came first, and the brunet waved to his friends as he gathered the blue lion in his arms. Hunk left with his parents only a few minutes later, but he had to run back inside the room after he remembered that he had forgotten to grab Shay from his table. Keith sauntered out of the room not long after, and Allura had run out of the room to make sure he actually left with his family (which he did).

And Katie? Well, she didn't get to leave until thirty-five minutes later, when Shiro and Miss Allura were finally done talking to each other.

A.N.: Once again, thanks so much for all the sweet reviews and positive feedback! It's really made writing this story so much more fun! As a side note, I hope no one thinks Shiro is an irresponsible parent in this chapter; he and Allura are just young people who like to talk. ^^ Again, thanks so much!

The title of this chapter comes from a quote from Carl Sagan – "The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us - there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, or falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries."