1627 Hours, July, 2558 (Military Calendar) /

New York, URNA - Earth, Sol System

"Why are we doing this again?"

Haru's question came out as more of a grunt than a clear statement as he pushed the twins' stroller up a hill. His breath came out in heaves and he felt a constant need to blink sweat from his eyes. Visiting Central Park was a wonderful idea - but doing it in the middle of the summer was starting to seem like poor planning.

"We need to help the girls make memories!" Aimi responded chipperly. "Lea and Kendra will look back on these trips and remember them someday."

"Right," Haru panted, thoroughly unconvinced. "We took them to Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the top of the replica of the Empire State Building, and now Central Park . . . great memories."

Aimi beamed at him. "Exactly!" she crowed. "They'll remember this for the rest of their lives!"

Haru raised a skeptical eyebrow. "They're two years old," he grunted. "They'll have forgotten the whole trip in the next ten minutes."

Aimi frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess that it's a good thing we've taken so many pictures then," she grinned, before lifting a camera and snapping a photo of him. "They'll never be able to forget after they've seen all these pictures."

As they finally crested the hill, Haru groaned in relief. "No more hills," he panted, fighting to regain his breath.

His wife smiled again. "Come on, it's worth it. These are memories we'll all cherish forever."

"Says the one who hasn't been pushing the stroller everywhere," he answered sharply.

Aimi hummed happily, resting a hand on her belly. The bump there was almost nonexistent, but it still made her happy to feel it. "You're the one who insisted that I don't get to push the stroller while I'm pregnant," she reminded him. "Now quit complaining. Let's get the girls and take a family picture."

Haru knelt in front of the stroller to peer in at the twins. "They're both asleep," he grumbled. "I don't think they're doing much cherishing."

The Spartan looked at her husband with a bashful grin. "We'll just have to have fun for them, then," she said quickly.

Haru sighed, but he couldn't keep the smile from his face. "Alright," he finally conceded. "We'll make sure that this trip is memorable.

With a happy noise, Aimi wrapped her arm around her husband's shoulders, turned her camera around, and took a picture.