Part Four


Chapter Forty-Two

How do people live without psychic powers? I've been without mine for less than four months, and my life is already a complete disaster; more so than it ever was with my powers.

Yare, yare.

I guess it's true what they say: be careful what you wish for.

It just figures that the one-time God decided to give me what I wanted, it turned out so disastrous.

But what if He'd not granted my wish? Or if my powers had miraculously returned? Would things really be that much better?

My dad would still be alive, and so would Yuuta's parents, but Yuuta would still be hunted by Dark Reunion, I would still be living in discontented ignorance, and I wouldn't have Kokomi or…

Yare, yare.


Never in Question

Kusuo stared at his bedroom's closed door, his palm pressed flat against the sturdy wood. He could feel Kokomi moving around inside, doing who knows what, and carrying her precious little cargo along for the ride.

Except, would she see them as precious?

They'd never talked about children before—not even the possibility of it. They hadn't even talked about marriage, though that had more to do with external forces bearing down on them than it did any unwillingness, at least on his part. It may have taken him six years to get a clue, but now that Kusuo knew Kokomi was his one and only, what was the point in pretending he wouldn't spend the rest of his life with her?

But children…

On some subconscious level, Kusuo had known children were not only possible but largely inevitable. That's what normal couples did, after all; they got married and raised children.

But right now?

Kokomi was barely eighteen, and Kusuo wouldn't be eighteen until tomorrow. And sure, his parents had kids young—Mom was only 18 when Kusuke was born—but at least they'd done things in order.

Then I'll just have to reorder things, won't I?

Taking a steeling breath, Kusuo slid the door open with far less force than he'd done less than an hour before.

Kokomi looked up from the kotatsu table where she was folding Yuuta's clothes. Her posture was guarded, her face pale and eyes wary.

"Hi?"

Kusuo let out an explosive breath and crossed the room in one energy enhanced step. He dropped to his knees beside her and gathered her to his chest, knowing all the while that Chiyo's soul shard had taken center stage in this performance because Kusuo, on his own, had no freaking clue how to handle any of this.

"I shouldn't have left like that," he muttered against her neck.

Kokomi sniffled, her hands curling hesitantly in the back of his shirt. "It's okay—"

Kusuo shook his head. "It's not." He pulled back to cup her face and stroked a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "I hurt you."

"It's…it's not that…exactly."

Kusuo quirked a brow. Kokomi bit her lip and looked away.

"I looked for the energies you said were here. After you left, I mean."

He stiffened. "And?"

Kokomi licked her lips, her eyes flicking toward him before dropping to her lap. After what seemed like hours, she covered his hand cradling her face and guided it down to the flat plane of her stomach.

"I found them."

Twin flames of spirit energy flickered beneath Kusuo's palm, sending a shock of unexpected awe through is whole body.

He'd already known the babies were in there, but this was more than just knowledge, it was as close to a spiritual revelation as he'd ever received.

"Kokomi…"

Her lower lip trembled as she finally looked up to meet his eyes. "Are…are you mad?"

Startled, Kusuo jerked back. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

"Because I just…you left, and…"

"No." Kusuo pressed his fingers hard to his brow, hoping to stave off the forming headache. "I mean, yes, I left, but not because I was angry."

"Then why?"

He huffed a self-deprecating laugh. "Because I was scared out of my mind."

Wide-eyed, Kokomi repeated, "Scared?"

"Aa." His expression softened into a pudding-mush blob he hadn't even known he could make—Thanks for that, Chiyo—and he took her hands in both of his. "I was already afraid of losing you, but now that fear is so much bigger. What if something happened to the babies?"

Huh, guess I can say it.

Hope dawned on Kokomi's face, and she clutched his hands in earnest. "You mean it?"

Kusuo frowned. "Mean what?"

"The babies." Kokomi leaned forward, her dazzling eyes a blaze of indigo fire—Damn it, Chiyo! "You really want them?"

Not sure how she extrapolated that, specifically, from what he said, Kusuo was smart enough not to contradict her; not the least reason being that she wasn't wrong.

"I've never thought about it before," he confessed with an absent shrug, "but they're here now, and I wouldn't change that."

"Oh, Kusuo!" Kokomi threw herself into his arms, her forehead pressed hard against his collarbone. Kusuo hushed her as she sobbed, mildly terrified that her pregnancy hormones had already taken over.

"I'll be a good mom," she gushed, "I promise."

"That was never in question."

Kokomi giggled and pulled back to cradle his face. "And you'll be a good dad, too."

"…Aa." Kusuo felt a bit uncomfortable agreeing to such a thing, but in all honesty, "I had a good example."

"Yes, you did." She pulled him down for a gentle kiss. "He'd be proud of you."

Kusuo snorted. "He'd lecture me about being irresponsible, then gush about having such adorable grandbabies because his daughter-in-law is so pretty."

Kokomi laughed. "And then he'd run out to the store to buy everything—" She drew back, wide-eyed, and in a barely audible whisper asked, "Daughter-in-law?"

Kusuo eyed her with barely disguised exasperation. "You don't think I'll marry you?"

"It's not that! It's just, I don't want you to think I expect it, you know? Marriage is a huge deal, and—"

He pressed a finger to her lips, and she froze beneath his touch.

"You—" He stopped before the demand could fully escape because Chiyo had gotten wind through their soul bond of what exactly was going down, and she was throwing an absolute fit.

Don't you dare tell her she's going to marry you, Saiki Kusuo! Even if she'd agree on the spot, every girl deserves to be properly asked.

Yare, yare.

"Kusuo?"

Taking both of Kokomi's hands, Kusuo drew her up as he stood. She looked confused—as well she should—and he had to fight the urge to just do things his way. Yes, it would be easier on him, but it wouldn't alleviate her fears that he only offered to marry her because he felt he had to.

"You're perfect."

Disappointment furrowed Kokomi's brow, but Kusuo shook his head and reached up to smooth away the wrinkles with his thumb.

"Not because you're Perfect." Somehow, he knew she heard the difference between the capital and lower-case 'p's. "You're perfect because you try so hard to show genuine respect and care for everyone you meet, even though, on the inside, you're overflowing with pride at just how Perfect you are."

Kokomi blushed, her lips turning down in a scowl. He dropped his hand to her chin to massage the scowl from her lips with his thumb, and her blush deepened.

"You're perfect because when you love, you love with every part of yourself. You're perfect because you get jealous and snide but hide it behind your Perfect Pretty Girl smiles and cutesy gestures. You're perfect because you never gave up on me; because you saw in me things I never even knew were there."

Realization dawned, and tears sprang up in Kokomi's eyes.

"You're perfect because you never allow yourself to be pulled down by depression or despair, but instead fight, tooth and nail, for your happiness; not because it's owed to you, but because you feel you owe it to everyone around you to be a beacon in the dark."

"Kusuo…"

"Marry me, Kokomi." Ugh, Chiyo's damn emotions are messing with me again. "Be my beacon, and I'll spend the rest of my life coming home to you," he dropped his hand to her stomach, "and to the family we've made."

Oh my gosh, Kusuo! That was so sweet!

Yare, yare. Don't you have anything better to do?

"Yes!" Kokomi's exuberant response was all Kusuo needed to put Chiyo well out of his mind. He caught her as she barreled into him hard enough that they tumbled to the floor.

"Careful!" Kusuo cradled her as they hit the ground, then sat up quickly to probe her with his spirit wave. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? The babies are okay?"

Kokomi giggled and took his questing hand in both of her so she could kiss his fingertips. "We're all fine, Kusuo. Trust me, it will take more than that to break me."

Relieved, Kusuo set her aside with a roll of his eyes. "I'd rather not find out how much more, if it's all the same to you."

She giggled again, and he shot her an annoyed frown. "Kokomi—"

"Yes, yes." She raised her hands in mock defeat. "I'll be more careful, I promise."

"Hn." Standing, Kusuo offered her his hand, which she took with a curious smile.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Aa." He opened the door and led her into the hall. "We need to talk to my mom and…" He frowned. "Your brother."

"Eh? Nii-san too?" She quickened her steps to keep up with him, but Kusuo shortened his stride so she wouldn't accidentally trip. "Why?"

"Because we're still underage. We're going to need their consent."

"Well, yes, of course," Kokomi said, bewildered. "But do we have to do that right now?"

"We do." Kusuo stopped outside his mother's door to knock. "We're getting married tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Mother." Kusuo slid the door open and nudged the small of Kokomi's back so she would step inside with him.

Kurumi sat on the engawa, as always, with the open shoji doors framing her from behind. She didn't turn at the sound of his voice—she never did—and Kusuo felt a pang in his heart. His hand shifted to Kokomi's waist to pull her close, needing the feel of her comforting touch. Kokomi rested her hand on his and laced their fingers together. Like always, she knew exactly what he needed.

More grounded, Kusuo crossed the room with his brand-new fiancée to kneel beside his mother on the engawa. Kokomi did the same, though when he came up from his polite bow, she kept her head lowered out of respect.

"Mother." Kusuo resisted the urge to clench his fists to hide the minute tremors in his fingers. "Kokomi-san and I wish to be married tomorrow."

Silence.

Kusuo was tempted to speak, to extrapolate or even explain, but he bit his tongue. His mother heard him, now he just needed to wait for her to Hear him.

The change was gradual. A gentle straightening in her posture, the slightest downward tilt of her lips, the vague creases at the corners of her eyes.

"…Married?" Her voice croaked after weeks without use, and Kusuo almost cried to hear it. At his side, Kokomi bowed deeper, and he knew she was hiding tears of her own.

"Yes."

"…Why?" She didn't sound disapproving, merely curious, but the question still made Kusuo's heart skip a beat. What if she said no?

"Mother," Kokomi said. "The reason is that I—"

Kusuo put a hand on Kokomi's, stopping her. She glanced up, and he shook his head.

"That is a reason, Kokomi. Not the reason."

Kurumi's frown deepened. "Kusuo…"

He winced at the sound of his full name on her lips, but still turned back to her, back straight and proud with Kokomi's hand clutched in his. "Mother, I love Kokomi. I'll never find another woman who makes me feel the way she does, and I don't want to lose that."

He clutched Kokomi's hand tighter and looked down at her with a barely repressed frown. "I can't."

"Kusuo…" Kokomi clutched his hand just as tightly. She turned back to Kurumi with a respectful dip of her head. "Mother, please give your son to me. I promise, I will do everything in my power to make him happy."

Kurumi watched the pair for a long moment before turning back to the view of her private, fenced-in yard. She sat silently for a long moment, but Kusuo and Kokomi were patient with her.

"There is nothing in this world more precious than love. I think I forgot that these last weeks." Sniffling, Kurumi turned back to the pair with a soft smile and tears in her eyes. "I'm so glad you found it, Kuu-chan. It's all I've ever wanted for you."

The sound of his nickname and the sight of her smile—both long missed—made Kusuo choke up. "Mom…"

Kurumi wiped away her tears before reaching out to grasp Kokomi's hands. "Oh, Kokomi, dear. I'm so happy it's you. Papa and I so hoped it would be."

Kokomi sobbed and bent over Kurumi's hands, pressing the backs to her forehead. "Mother!"

"Now, now, dear, none of that." Kurumi nudged Kokomi's face up with one finger. "You're getting married in the morning! The last thing you want is swollen eyes."

"Y-yes," Kokomi managed, but her tears continued to fall. Kurumi opened her arms, and Kokomi fell into them, sobbing.

"Hush, dear. It will all be just fine."

Kusuo watched the two women he loved most in the world, and prayed this was the last time he would ever see them this way.


Kaliea: So you could probably guess by yet another new update so soon, but I am still sick in bed. Still. Because after (finally) getting over my cold, I caught the freaking stomach flu (sigh). But life is what it is, and there's no use being upset. I just hope you guys don't think these super frequent updates will stay the norm once I'm better. I'll do my best to be more consistant than once every six months, but it all depends on how much time I have to write. A good 90% of my job is driving around the country (as in, I'm the one doing the actual driving), so I don't usually have very much time for anything. Still, we're getting super close to the end now, and I really want to see this story done, so I'm gonna do my best to power through it as quickly as possible. Fingers crossed!