I sat down next to Akisame on the porch. After we had gotten home, he had treated Kenichi's wounds, bandaged the boy and put him to bed where the teen had immediately passed out. Miu was in the kitchen, cooking dinner and everyone else was off doing their own thing.

I crawled into Akisame's lap and whimpered, wanting to be held. He chuckled and wound his arms around me, holding me close.

"My love," he sighed, kissing me. I wrapped around him, pressing my face into his neck.

"Your daughter just woke up," I commented. "She slept all through that excitement and decided to wake up now." He rested his hand on my stomach, feeling the gentle flutter of her movement.

"She must have realized that her mother wanted to sleep," he teased.

"Or she was waiting until it was just Mommy and Daddy," I said. He chuckled and caressed my stomach.

"Well she needs to behave so that Mommy can get lots of rest," he said.

"You'll have to tell her that," I told him. He shifted me so I was draped over his arm and leaned down.

"Behave Kimiko," he said in a soft voice. "Mommy needs her rest so be nice to her. You can do whatever you want when you come out because then I can take you and Mommy can sleep, but right now Mommy needs some peace." Kimiko moved more, shifting towards the sound of Akisame's voice. After a while, she settled and seemed to lie there, listening to her father talk to her.

"She settled," I said. "I don't think she's asleep, but she's still." Akisame pressed a tender kiss to my stomach and straightened.

"Do you need anything?" he asked. I shook my head and curled back around him. I sighed when he held me tightly, my breast yielding to his hard chest while my stomach pressed into his side. He rubbed my back with a gentle hand and was whispering in my ear, tender words that made me smile.

I savored this moment between us. While I loved everyone at Ryozanpaku, it could get somewhat crowded and it was a rare thing for Akisame and I to get moments like this without the chaos of everyone else running around. It seemed worse since I had gotten pregnant because everyone worried over me and was constantly checking to make sure I was okay. I appreciated the concern but there were times I wanted to just have some quiet time with my lover.

I felt his lips trace my ear before he pressed a gentle kiss behind it.

"I love you," he said. I tilted my head and captured his lips in a sweet kiss. He butted his nose against mine and I lifted my hand, cupping his cheek.

"You have no idea, how happy you've made me," he sighed.

"You're the one who's made me happy," I said.

"We've both made each other happy," he said. I hummed in agreement and let my fingers gently trace the contours of his face. He smiled at me and brushed my hair back from my face. He pale eyes studied my face, looking at me with such tenderness and adoration it made my eyes water.

"How did I ever live without you?" he asked. A tear slipped down my cheek and he brushed it away, his eyes remaining gentle. He knew I wasn't crying from sadness. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close again. He buried his face in my neck and sighed.

"I love you," I said, my voice wavering, "more than anything. I can't imagine living without you." I sobbed and muffled the sound in his shoulder.

"Then marry me," he said. "Be my wife."

"I-I do-don't w-want to w-wh-while I'm p-pregnant," I sobbed.

"Then we'll wait until after you have the baby," he replied.

"Okay," I sobbed.

"Really?" he asked, excitement making his eyes bright.

"Yes," I sniffed. "Yes, I'll marry you." His grip on me tightened and his lips devoured mine in a passionate kiss. He pulled away and wiped at my tears with his thumb, giving me a heart-stopping smile.

"Did she say, 'yes'?"

I looked up and saw Sakaki, Apachai, Shugure and Kensei gathered in the doorway. Sakaki was grinning at us, while the others looked on anxiously.

"She said 'yes'," Akisame confirmed.

"WOOOHOOO!"

I laughed as they cheered and danced around. Akisame reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful gold band with an intricate silver design in the band.

"It's not much," he said.

"It's beautiful," I said, admiring the swirled design.

"I made it," he said. "I used Shugure's blacksmith tools."

"It's perfect," I said, letting him slip it onto my finger. He kissed my hand, smiling at me.

"My wife," he said.

"My husband," I replied.

"Who wants a drink?!"

DHMB: So with work and everything going on here, I haven't had a chance to check my e-mail much less remember to update. Lol. So I finally logged in because I knew if I didn't soon I'd have 500 messages to sort through and what do I find? A bunch of messages about this story! So I felt bad, knowing I had kept you guys waiting and updated, even while I'm puking my guts up in a trash can. lol. Ugh.

Reviews remind me to update! Much love to you guys and happy new year!