Pretty short this time. I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot by publishing this since I'm not totally sure how the chips will fall later on, but, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," right? Hope you like it.

"That was a good kick, but you weren't supposed to actually touch the ball Yuji-kun," Kazuki teased as he tapped the soccer ball back to him. "Kick on the side to make sure your foot is in the proper position."

"When can I start actually kicking?" Yuji complained. "We've been pretending to kick the ball for ages!"

Kazuki started giving the pouting child a noogie. "Kicking a soccer ball the right way isn't that easy to learn," he said in a pompous voice that made the boy giggle even harder. When Yuji finally managed to get away with a crow of triumph, Kazuki acquiesced, "But I suppose since you've been doing a good job, we can start actually kicking the ball now."

"Yeah!"

"But…."

"Awwww!"

Kazuki laughed at his crestfallen face. "It's not really that bad, I promise. You'll kick the ball, but I want you to pause for a second before you do." He demonstrated. "Like that. It's just to make sure your foot is positioned properly so you make sure to kick with the top of your foot and not the toe." He winked with a peace sign. "Can you do that for me?"

"Okay," Yuji nodded and returned the gesture.

The two played with the soccer ball for a long time, Hihara-san instructing him on proper form based on what he had learned in school and from pinch-hitting at a soccer camp his and Mama's friend Tsuchiura-san had helped with. Eventually, Yuji got tired of just kicking, and they ran around the park playing a modified form of keep away until he finally flopped to the ground to stare at the sky. "Break time!" he called out in a slightly tired, but happy voice.

"Sounds good. Oh, that's right," Kazuki remembered. "Can you pass me your Math homework? Your Mama wanted me to check it over." He chuckled to himself. "Even if it's kindergarten Math, Kaho-chan still hates the sight of Math homework. She never did care much for numbers." Not that he cared much for them either, but he was always happy to help make her life easier, even if it was something as small as this.

"'kay…" Yuji passed the sheet in question and stared up at the clouds. "That one is a dog."

Kazuki looked up and regarded the cloud thoughtfully. "A Shiba," he agreed.

Yuji nodded sagely and cocked his head at another one. "And that one is definitely a rabbit."

Kazuki glanced up again. "For sure, but the one next to it, do you think it looks more like a bear or a lion?"

"Mmm…maybe a bear? Although I suppose if the lion didn't have a mane…."

They continued along in that general vein as Kazuki checked homework, finding a boat, an airplane, agreeing to disagree on whether another cloud was one angel or two, various birds, an octopus and other creatures of the sea, some more land animals both domestic and not, a bus, a train, a few cars; they even found a heart. Eventually, after all homework was stowed and both parties had declared that the rest of the clouds looked like boring lumps of clay, they decided to grab a drink from the vending machines on the other side of the park.

As Yuji walked with the soccer ball, he observed the man beside him thoughtfully.

He really liked having Hihara-san around. He knew lots of things and they always had a lot of fun together. He loved his family—his cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents—but there was something about the times when it was just Hihara-san and him or when Mama was with the two of them that were special. He could talk to him and have him listen, and with the exception of Mama, he didn't need to share him with anybody.

It was probably sort of like having a father.

Not that he knew a lot about what that was like. Seeing as he had been just barely three when he had died, his memories of his own father were a bit hazy. He remembered what he looked like, remembered the deep sound of his voice and the warmth of his laugh. He remembered strong arms and being lifted high. But for the most part, he had been fatherless. He hadn't really minded until about six months before he met Hihara-san when Mama had started going on dates.

He still remembered that day. She had sat him down and they had had a long talk about dating and marriage, and his father. She had assured him that she wasn't trying to replace his father and that if she fell in love with someone else, it wouldn't affect her love for him. He supposed he appreciated the information, but he never really had much interaction with the men she'd date beyond meeting them at the door when they came to pick her up.

The main thing that conversation had done was make him realize that their situation was a bit different from most of the people he knew. At preschool, for the most part, mothers came to pick their children up, so he hadn't really thought about the fact that the majority of his peers had fathers. His cousins of course had both a mother and a father in their families, but since they were uncles and aunts to him, he'd never really thought of it that way.

So ever since then, he had looked at the men Mama dated with a kind of curiosity. For about four months, he would solemnly greet different strangers and wonder if this man would become his new Papa. Then one day, he heard Mama telling Auntie Noriko that she wasn't going to go on anymore dates. He was kind of glad truthfully; he hadn't really liked the last man.

"But Hihara-san…." Yuji watched him as he put some coins into the vending machine, whistling as he did so in a way that Yuji desperately admired. "If it were Hihara-san, I wouldn't mind if he and Mama went on dates." Unlike some of the other men he had met, Hihara-san never dismissed anything he thought or did as lame or overly silly; even if he himself knew it was silly, Hihara-san would give the action due consideration, or even just join right in and they'd have a good laugh. Unlike some of the other men he had met, Hihara-san never looked at Mama in a way he didn't trust. And only Hihara-san was able to make Mama smile and laugh the way she did now. He knew that Mama was the happiest she had ever been since Papa had died, and he knew that was at least in part thanks to him.

"One orange drink," Kazuki handed Yuji his bottle with a smile, "and one Pocari Sweat." He twisted off the cap and knocked a third of it back. "Man, that hits the spot!" he smiled to himself with a satisfied look on his face.

"Do you love Mama?" Yuji asked suddenly.

"Wh-what?" All the blood in his head drained out the soles of his feet.

"Are you in love with Mama?"

Where had this come from? I mean, he knew he wasn't exactly the best at hiding his emotions, especially considering what had happened on those stairs a few weeks ago, but why here? Why now? "I…I need to sit," Kazuki mumbled, stumbling to the ground as his knees turned to jelly.

There was a sick kind of nervousness in Yuji's heart as he stood before the man who'd been such a large part of his life lately. The large swig of juice he'd had didn't do a thing to prevent his throat from suddenly feeling dry, and despite the sugar that normally helped soothe his stomach, everything kept wanting to jump around inside of him. "I-I'm the man of the house. I-I have to protect Mama." He looked at him earnestly. "Mama…she smiles more and laughs more whenever you're around. She's been so much happier since we met you." He gulped. "If…if you don't love her, then you need to tell her so her heart doesn't hurt like it did after Papa died." He mussed up his hair uncertainly in a gesture he had picked up from Kazuki. "After Papa died, she was always so sad. Eventually she was happy again, but she was still sad sometimes. If-if you don't love her, you'll make her sad again." His face became as determined as a five-year-old's could. "I won't let that happen."

Pride flooded his heart as Kazuki let out a breath of admiration. "Oh you brave, wonderful child…you really are the man of the house, Yuji-kun." He smiled and licked his lips. "But you don't have to worry. I'm very much in love with your mother." He looked a little sad. "But I don't think she's in love with me back."

"Oh…." He was so afraid to say it, but it needed to be said. "Do…do you spend time with me so she'll fall in love with you?" he asked in a small voice.

Kazuki's eyes widened in horror and hurt before admitting to himself that it was a fair question. "No." He looked straight into those pale gold eyes that in another face had captured his heart. These eyes too held him captive, but in a different way. "I spend time with you because you're a great kid." He laid a hand on Yuji's shoulder. "And because I'm in love with you too."

"That-that sounds kind of weird," Yuji managed to say as emotions flooded his throat.

"Yeah, it does," Kazuki admitted with a rueful shake of his head. "But it's true. I want both of you more than anything."

"Like a family?"

Kazuki's eyes warmed. "Exactly like that."

"Would you make a baby with her?"

He blushed tomato-red. "S-s-s-some-d-d-day, I-I'd l-l-like to m-m-m-make a b-b-baby, I-I mean…." Were they really going to have this conversation? Here? Now?! He was so not ready for this!

"Would you rather have a boy or a girl?" Yuji asked anxiously.

Instant comprehension came to his eyes. Reaching out, Kazuki pulled the boy into his arms and held him tight. This he could handle. "It might be nice to have a girl," he murmured. "Then I'd have both a son and a daughter, but having a little brother could be cool too, don't you think?"

Yuji just nodded mutely as he buried his head in Kazuki's shoulder, rubbing his eyes furiously. The security and happiness of being wanted almost made him cry. To Kazuki-san, he wasn't just a tag-along, extra baggage, or a means to an end. He didn't need to be afraid he'd be displaced by someone else someday. Unlike those men Mama had dated, Kazuki-san wanted to be with him, not just his mother.

"Yuji-kun…." Kazuki drew back so amber met gold. "I'm going to show you something, but it has to stay between the two of us." He gazed at him solemnly. "Can you promise that you'll keep this a secret?"

"Even from Mama?"

"Even from Mama."

Yuji looked conflicted, but eventually, he hesitantly nodded.

"Alright." Kazuki slowly moved his hand to his neck and pulled up a simple, but sturdy silver chain Yuji hadn't even realized he'd been wearing. Removing it from the layers of clothing surrounding it, he pulled out a necklace with a diamond ring as the pendant. He handed Yuji the ring on a chain. "It was my grandmother's, a 50th anniversary gift from my grandfather. She gave it to me six years ago when my grandfather passed away." A sad smile tugged at his lips. "She wanted me to give it to the woman I'd marry, said it would bring me luck."

Yuji turned it over in the light before handing it back. "It's really shiny."

Kazuki studied the delicate ring for a moment before slipping it beneath his clothes again. "I hope to give this to your Mama someday if she's willing to have me."

Yuji grinned. "I think she'll like it."

He smiled back. "I hope she will." His eyes got a conspiratorial gleam in them as he lightly butted heads with the boy. "But this stays between us, right Yuji?"

He beamed proudly. "It's a man-to-man promise."

"Yuji! Hihara-senpai!"

They both turned to see Kahoko walking toward them with a happy glow in her eyes.

Surreptitiously, they shared a knowing glance and linked pinkies, giving them a good shake before standing to meet her halfway.

As Yuji watched the two adults talk, all kinds of emotions welled up in his heart, but hope was the strongest. Someday, Kazuki-san would share their secret with Mama and present her the ring. And if she said yes, they'd become a real family.

He really hoped that day would come soon.

I love writing Kazuki and Yuji together, and especially when it's fuzzy like this. I like fuzzies. And the bit with the ring. *happy sigh* Kahoko is so lucky. If I didn't have my own guy, I'd be totally jealous.

I believe that even if they're young, children can be mature and responsible about important things. I can remember many a time that a young child has impressed me with surprising insight, thoughtfulness, and nobility. Not to say that they don't have their bratty moments or that there aren't things that they can't (and probably shouldn't) be trying to grasp at a young age, because those are definitely there in abundance (or overabundance XD), but sometimes I feel like they don't get enough credit.

I know almost nothing about how to kick a soccer ball properly, but when I looked on Youtube, I came across a video that went on and on about how important form is, so I figured they knew more than me. Maybe it's like the Yamaha School of Piano.

I'm also pretending that kindergarteners get homework because I forgot to do my homework before I started publishing. (x . x) I guess in Japan, kindergarteners do not get homework (that surprised me), and you start first grade the April after you turn six. Making Yuji six messes with my timeline and introduces plot holes, so we shall commence with the homework torture early to keep things happy (for me). (^_^)v

Tentsubasa's Japanese Corner:

Pocari Sweat is a sports drink, like Gatorade or Powerade, that contains electrolytes and stuff that is supposed to make it better for athletes to drink than water. As far as I'm aware though, there's only one flavor. I like it, so I'm not complaining, but I guess I could see how they're potentially missing a larger market by not diversifying their flavors. It comes in a clear, plastic, rectangular bottle with a blue label and white lettering. I think it has a refreshing taste.

A Shiba, a.k.a. Shiba-ken or Shiba-inu, is a breed of Japanese dog. They're medium to medium-small size dogs and are usually sesame and white or black and brown with hints of white. They're very cute with curly tails, but I've heard their personalities likened to that of your rebellious teenage child. Apparently cuteness has a price. *laughs*

Next up:

Let's see which is stronger: Kahoko's resistance or Yuji's hope. Place your bets. ;)