Hikaru sat at the table in her father's study coloring and drawing something.
"What are you drawing, honey?" Baatar rested a hand on his daughter's back.
"It's for Mommy," Hikaru responded. "This is you and Mommy and then me in the middle."
The picture unexpectedly brought a lump to Baatar's throat. His daughter could turn him to goo; she was a Daddy's girl. He knelt down to her level and inspected the picture all the while thinking about how he, Kuvira, and Hikaru could've been a family.
"Do you think Mommy will like it?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes she will," Baatar said pressing a kiss to his daughter's head.
Hikaru frowned, "I wish Mommy was here."
"Me too," Baatar said fingering his engagement ring. His anger and bitterness towards Kuvira had taken a slow time to dissipate. There came a point where he felt that it didn't do him any good to stay angry. Sometimes he felt like he wanted to lash out at Kuvira for destroying any chances for them to be together. However Kuvira had also given him the greatest gift, being his daughter. Baatar picked up Hikaru and sat her in his lap.
"Daddy, do you think Mommy thinks about me?" Hikaru asked.
"Hikaru, your Mommy loves you very much and I'm sure she thinks about you every day," Baatar said his face taking on a sad expression.
Hikaru saw her dad's sad face and said, "Don't be sad Daddy I'm sure Mommy thinks about you too." She kissed Baatar on the cheek and then scampered out of the room.
Kuvira lay awake in bed unable to sleep. She slid her hand under her pillow and fingered her engagement ring, which was made of platinum. Besides her daughter's absence, the intimacy she had with Baatar was also lacking. The connection she felt with Baatar whenever she was with him was strong. The two had contemplated having a family together and even discussed it in their downtime.
Flashback
Kuvira and Baatar lay in bed one morning sleeping in. Kuvira giggled a bit when she felt Baatar press kisses to her neck and shoulder.
"Hey, you're lovey today," Kuvira said running her fingers through her fiancé's hair affectionately. On the outside toward all of her subordinates she was authoritative but in private she had an affectionate side that she saved for Baatar. Kuvira laced her fingers with Baatar's.
"The Earth Empire is almost united. We can almost finally get married at last," Baatar said kissing the back of her hand.
"What's with you; didn't get enough action last night?" Kuvira smirked. "You were amazing by the way."
"I've been thinking after we get married we could have a baby or something," Baatar said.
"What brought this on?" Kuvira asked. Of course they tossed the idea around in jest but as the end was coming the speculation for the future was stronger.
"I don't know, I guess because we're almost there," Baatar said.
"I want a family with you, Baatar plus I think we'd be good parents," Kuvira said. "Do you want a boy or girl?" Kuvira asked tracing circles on Baatar's chest.
"It doesn't really matter to me. If we have a baby girl, she'll be beautiful just like her mother," Baatar said kissing Kuvira's cheek.
"I'd be happy with either one to be honest," Kuvira said running a hand over her stomach in speculation. End of flashback
Kuvira pressed a hand to her abdomen thinking about before Hikaru was born. Hikaru had been active in the womb, seemed to be always kicking and moving about. There were times that Kuvira wouldn't be able to sleep and she would think Sweetie can you please let Mommy sleep. Kuvira had carried Hikaru for 9 months only to have her taken away shortly after her birth. A knock on the door sounded, "You have some mail, Great Uniter." The guard tossed the letter into Kuvira's cell carelessly. By the time Kuvira was done reading, she was wiping tears away. Even after everything that Kuvira had done Baatar still had feelings for her. Kuvira didn't understand how Baatar could still love her. To be honest, Kuvira still had feelings for Baatar seeing as they had created a baby together out of love.
"Daddy, daddy, come look," Hikaru bounced on her toes.
"I'm coming sweetie," Baatar responded.
The two were at a summer fun fair in a nearby town Hikaru, wearing a sundress, dragged Baatar to whatever attraction was exciting her at the moment. Sometime later Hikaru had wandered off and Baatar was frantically searching the crowds. Unfortunately the child had a tendency to wander off when something distracted her. Hikaru had wandered off to see the tiger seal show. However being a short 4 year old girl, she couldn't see so she started jumping up and down.
"Sweetie would you like to be lifted to see the tiger seals?" a middle aged man asked.
"Yes mister," Hikaru said lifting her hands up. The man picked up Hikaru from behind hoisting her up with his arms around her waist, while she held onto the railing.
Baatar thought he could make out Hikaru at the tiger seal show, however he saw a strange man holding her. He narrowed his eyes at the stranger and what looked like Hikaru.
"Shit," he cursed trying to get a better view. His eyes widened a bit after he realized that man was holding Hikaru.
The duo had been watching the tiger seals for a good while, Hikaru excitedly clapping whenever the tiger seals did a trick.
"I'd suggest you put my daughter down," a voice said coldly.
"Looks like we've been caught," the man whispered to Hikaru before setting her down.
"What the hell are you doing with my daughter?" Baatar asked coldly all the while glaring at the man. He then gave Hikaru a look that said 'get over here now'. Hikaru ran over to her father's side and clung to his leg.
"I assure you that your daughter came to no harm. She was having trouble seeing the tiger seals and I only was giving her a lift so she could see them. I'm a father myself so I understand our concern, sorry for bothering you," the man walked off.
Baatar's face slightly softened but then he turned angrily to his daughter. "What the hell were you thinking? I was looking everywhere for you," Baatar was extremely upset because he couldn't find his child and she was with a stranger.
"I'm sorry Daddy, I just wanted to see the tiger seals," Hikaru's lower lip quivered.
"What have I told you about running off?" Baatar asked sternly.
"That I shouldn't do it," Hikaru hung her head.
"Another thing is that you were with a stranger even though he was nice there are some that act nice but will try to hurt you," Baatar said. Considering Hikaru was the daughter of the Great Uniter that would give people even more reason to hurt her. He had a close call years ago that was in his memory. Hikaru wrapped her legs around her father's torso when he picked her up. The two went home in silence. Baatar already was a protective father but something happened that had given him the fright of his life.
AN: I decided not to include the actual letter itself but rather a summary because it would have taken up more space than I wanted. Besides they're going to talk about it. This story actually isn't going to be that short as I initially thought. Next chapter we're going to see what the incident was.