AN: Thanks, Fleury Malfoy for the review, sometimes I get so caught up in writing the story I forget to do the most basic things. Sorry about the jumpiness from the present to flashbacks it helps me when I write to keep track of what has happened to the character thus far and sometimes helps determine where I want to take the story. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read the story! Leave a review if you like.
Kuvira made silly gestures with the stuffed badgermole causing Hikaru to laugh and giggle. She then pretended to make the badgermole attack the little girl eliciting more giggles. Taking a breath Kuvira wrapped her arms around the little girl and started to tickle her.
"Stop it, stop it!" Hikaru squealed. The sound of her daughter's laughter filled Kuvira's heart with joy. Being with her daughter and her ex fiancé made her think about the fact that she could have been married to Baatar now and had a family that was together with him. Kuvira noted that Hikaru's features strongly resembled hers but without the beauty mark under the eye. Hikaru had shoulder length black hair, her father's eyes, but her mother's everything else.
The first visit had seemed to go well. Hikaru wasn't old enough yet to learn about her mother and father's complicated history. All she knew was that Mommy didn't live with her and Daddy, but she wasn't far from questioning about it. Baatar reflected that single fatherhood had taken awhile for him to get used to. There were many nights where he didn't get any sleep and along with that he was plagued with many thoughts about Kuvira.
Flashback
Baatar paced around the room with his crying daughter in his arms.
"I don't know what you want me to do, you're not hungry, you're not wet, I don't know if you're just plain cranky," he said with some exasperation in his voice. Part of him wished his mother was here because he felt that she would know how to calm down an inconsolable infant. Instead of trying to get Hikaru to stop crying, Baatar decided to let her cry it out until she got exhausted. Baatar sat down at his desk to look over some drafts; reaching into the drawer to pull out something instead he found a few photos. He pulled two of them out, one of them showed a picture of his family and the other a picture of Kuvira. Part of him missed his family and wished that they got to know his daughter under different circumstances. Hikaru's cries lessened when she caught sight of the photos. Baatar adjusted her in his arms so she could see the photos better.
"This is your family, these two are your grandparents," he said pointing to his parents in the back. "And these are your uncles and aunt."
The second photo showed a smiling Kuvira when she got promoted to the captain of the guard. Baatar swallowed a lump in his throat. "Here is Mommy," he said. By now Hikaru's cries had ceased. Baatar dedicated himself to raising his daughter and the two fell into a nice routine. End of flashback
When the visit was over Hikaru clung to her mother.
"I don't want to go," she said tearfully as she buried her face in her mother's neck. She let out a sob. Kuvira's arms were wrapped around her daughter's body in a hug. The mother blinked away tears because she hadn't been able to hold her daughter since she was a baby. Kuvira pressed a kiss to her daughter's head.
"We'll see each other again," she said. To be truthful she didn't know if Baatar was going to bring her.
"I want to stay with you Mommy," Hikaru said, her lower lip stuck out in a pout. Kuvira was somewhat amazed with how quickly her daughter became attached to her.
"Hikaru it's time to go," Baatar said somewhat sternly but not unkindly. Once the two were out of sight, Kuvira silently cried to herself.
"When will we visit Mommy again?" Hikaru asked.
"I don't know sweetie," Baatar said. There was just so much that his daughter didn't understand.
"Daddy why do my cousins get to see Aunt Opal, their mommy all the time, but I don't get to?" Hikaru asked.
Baatar really wasn't in the mood for questions; his daughter was nearing five, the questioning stage. The little girl was becoming more and more perceptive.
"Honey, there's just some grown up stuff that's just too complicated," Baatar wanted to put off telling Hikaru all the details for as long as possible. Hikaru pouted but didn't say anything else for which Baatar was thankful.
Flashback
When Hikaru was about 2 years old, the two's routine was disrupted. Baatar Jr. was his aunt's police station with his daughter when he heard a voice, "Baatar." Baatar froze; he hadn't heard that voice in a long time.
"Mother," he said.
The last time the two had been together was when Hikaru was born and they were discussing the custody of the baby. His mother had told him that he didn't have to raise the child, that he could put her in the orphanage. Baatar Jr. wanted to get back into his family's good graces but this was one issue he and his mother disagreed upon. After hearing about Kuvira giving birth, Junior had time to think. He decided not to abandon his daughter because his daughter wasn't at fault for his and Kuvira's transgressions. When he held his daughter for the first time, he knew he'd made the right decision.
Hikaru hung onto her father's leg and peered at the tall grey haired woman wearing metal pieces. She gave a little whine and lifted her arms wanting to be picked up.
"I've got you sweetheart," Baatar said softly to his child bending down to pick her up.
"What is this about?" Baatar asked. He'd never thought his mother would ever want to speak to him again. Su explained that he had been far from family for too long. It took a lot of convincing but Su was able to convince her son to come back home. She also regretted pressuring her son to give up Hikaru because of who her mother was. Su was blinded by all the hurt that Kuvira caused her family and the pain was fresh.
"Huan, Opal, Wei and Wing will never accept me back," Baatar sighed rubbing Hikaru's back. "I don't even know how they're going to react to Hikaru considering her parentage."
"Your siblings will take time to come around, but it's preferable to not speaking to someone for 30 years," his mother said.
Hikaru babbled incoherently and stretched her arms toward her grandmother. Suyin looked at Baatar for approval before taking her grandchild in her arms. Hikaru smiled and reached for Su's stone head piece.
"Oh you're such a cutie, yes you are," the smitten matriarch cooed tickling Hikaru's tummy.
Hikaru proceeded to play with Su's metal necklace. Su explained that Baatar would work on reconstructing the Zaofu domes.
"I don't know why you'd want to help me after everything I've done," Baatar said.
"You're my son, nothing is going to change that," Su said. Baatar and his baby girl moved back to Zaofu. End of flashback