After the nurse had shown him to the room where Julie was meant to stay, she had Kuu sit down in a chair and unbutton his shirt. She set Kuon on his chest and covered him with a blanket.

"Skin to skin contact is important for the baby. It will help his heartbeat stabilize and keep his temperature normal."

She showed Kuu how to cradle his son's tiny head and put his other hand under his butt to keep him in place. He had never held a baby before. Though his son was almost ten pounds and was apparently large in terms of newborn babies, Kuu marveled at how tiny and delicate he was. They had cleaned him off a little, but he still had some drying gunk in his hair and on his skin, which was bright red from being rubbed vigorously with a towel.

Thankfully, his vitals had returned to normal, so he was able to stay with Kuu. Kuu was glad for this; he didn't know how he would get by if both his wife and son were in distress. His thoughts turned to Julie, who was still in the operating room. His eyes threatened tears, but he would not cry. He would not lose his composure when he had to care for Kuon.

The nurse finished up explaining some things to him, and Kuu took a breath. "What about Julie? Is… is she going to be okay?"

She gave him what she hoped was a calm smile. "Mama's just getting stitched up. She'll be out here soon. Would you like me to stay until she's out?"

Kuu considered it for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, that's okay."

The nurse pointed at a button on the wall. "If you need anything, just press this and someone will be in to help you." She left the room, and for the first time, Kuu was alone with his son.

He looked down at Kuon and smiled. "Hello, my precious son."

Kuon looked up at him with light gray eyes. He had calmed down significantly since settling in on Kuu's chest. Kuu rubbed his tiny back. "It's just you and me for right now, buddy. Your mom will be here soon." He knew he wasn't just saying it for the infant's benefit. If he said it aloud, maybe he would start to believe it himself. He kissed the top of Kuon's head, and the baby squirmed like he was trying to get away. He chuckled. "Not into kisses, huh? You'll have to get used to that. There's plenty more where that one came from."

Kuu spent close to an hour marveling at his son and whispering reassurances to him as he waited on Julie. Finally, there was a knock at the door and they wheeled Julie's bed into the room. They parked the bed, and Kuu got up from his chair very, very carefully. He approached the bed and looked down at his wife.

Julie was more pale than he had ever seen her. She looked up at him with a weak smile.

"Miss me?"

He allowed a few of the tears he had been holding back to fall. "Tons," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Do you want to hold him?"

She nodded.

The nurses had left the top of her gown down. Kuu placed their son gently on her chest and pulled the blanket up over his back. Julie looked down at him with tears in her eyes. He's actually here. I can't believe it. She caressed the back of his head, her fingers running gently over the soft golden down that covered it.

"Well, hello handsome. It's good to see you." She kissed his forehead, and Kuon snuggled up against her like a warm kitten. She was familiar; she was mom.

Kuu pulled a face. "Mama's boy."

Julie smiled. "Don't make me laugh, Kuu. They had to Frankenstein me back together. It'll hurt."

He smoothed his hand over the golden waves at the top of her head and kissed her forehead. "You really scared me in there, my love." Kuu would never be able to articulate the fear that he had felt in the last hour. He never wanted to imagine a world where Julie was not present in it ever again.

Another knock came at the door and the doctor stepped in. He approached the bed with a smile. "How are you feeling, Hizuri-san?"

Julie smiled. "My baby is healthy. I feel wonderful."

He gave her a knowing smile. "But really, how are you?"

She winced. "I feel drugged up and like someone beat the hell out of me."

The doctor nodded. "That is normal."

Kuu frowned. "May I ask what happened in there?" He was still not happy about being removed from the room and not really told what was going on.

The doctor nodded again. "That's what I'm here to talk to you about. The placenta was attached too deeply into the wall of the uterus. Upon trying to remove the placenta, you began to hemorrhage. The blood loss was life-threatening. The only course of action left to us was to perform an emergency hysterectomy."

Kuu reached for Julie's hand and squeezed it. Though she had joked about not wanting more babies, he knew that it was definitely just a joke. Julie looked up at the doctor in disbelief. "So… I can't have any more babies?"

The doctor frowned. "I'm sorry, Hizuri-san. The risk to your life was too great."

Julie's eyes filled with tears. Though she had joked about Kuu getting a vasectomy, it had always been her intent to have another child. Julie looked down at her son, the only one she would ever have, her most precious gift, and cuddled him just a little closer. "I understand."

After checking hers and Kuon's vitals, and showing Julie how to nurse Kuon, the doctor left the room. Kuu kissed Julie's hand. "I'm so sorry, Julie. God, I'm so fucking sorry."

Julie gave him a tearful smile. "We have Kuon, and if he's not enough of a handful, we can adopt. I'm okay. I'll be okay."

She wasn't okay, and Kuu knew that. He rubbed her hand. "I want you to know, I'm not going anywhere."

She took his hand and pressed it against her cheek. "I know that, silly. I do need you to go somewhere, though."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Can you go out to the waiting room and get Mama? Let her know that we're okay?"

Kuu's palm smacked his face. "I completely forgot about Mama! Shit!" He got a nurse to sit with Julie and the baby for a few minutes and then ran out to the waiting room, where he found Tatiana, and now Tora, waiting. Both of them were pale and sick with worry. They jumped out of their chairs.

"She's fine, Kuon's fine, I am so sorry I didn't get out here sooner."

Tatiana hugged him and burst into tears. "Oh, thank God!"

Tora shook his hand. "Can we see them?"

Kuu nodded. "Of course."

He led them to the room, and Tatiana went to the bedside. "Oh, another blonde! How precious." She kissed her daughter's forehead. "You did wonderfully, Julienna."

They visited for a few minutes, and then Tatiana noted Julie's heavy eyes. "You're exhausted. We will come back later, okay? Have Kuu give us a call when you're ready." They took their leave, and Kuu took Kuon back from Julie. He placed him at the end of the bed in the bassinet so they could all get some sleep.

Julie slept fitfully throughout the rest of the night. Nurses flitted in and out of the room to check on her and Kuon and to help her nurse him. He didn't want to eat much when he did nurse, which drove Julie nuts. Kuu slept through most of this; no one was waking him up to check his vitals or to put a baby on his nipple. When he did wake up, however, he changed Kuon's first diaper with the assistance of a nurse.

When morning had truly come, he helped Julie out of the bed. She needed to get up to use the bathroom and walk to aid in her recovery. After she finished, Kuu helped her clean up and then another nurse came into the room to give Kuon his first bath. She washed him in a shallow basin with mild soap. When she finished, she set him on the bed, where Julie put him in a diaper and changed him into his first outfit, one of the soft blue footie pajamas that she had picked out months before, and a matching tiny blue hat.

Kuu helped her back into the bed so she could nurse Kuon again. She sat up against the pillows and then she froze. "Oh. Oh god."

Kuu leaned over the bed in alarm. "Are you okay? What's wrong? What do you need?"

She looked up at him, a wild look in her eyes. "Food! Oh my GOD, Kuu, I'm so hungry!"

He nodded and ran out of the room to find food for her. He returned with two breakfast trays, neither of them for himself. He set them on the bedside table and grabbed his coat. "That's all they'd let me get. I'll be back. Do you want fried chicken? Italian?"

She spoke, ravenous, through a mouthful of scrambled eggs and sausage, "Iduncarejustgetfood!"

He returned half an hour later with Lory in tow to help him carry all the food. He had gotten two buckets of fried chicken, a bag of hamburgers, sushi and grilled fish, and ice cream. Julie demolished a whole bucket of chicken, and was halfway through the bag of hamburgers before she finally came up for air. She wiped her eyes on her hospital gown. "This is so good! This is the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Kuu laughed. "I should think so. Kuon didn't let you eat for nine months."

She took a sip of her iced tea and nodded. "I feel like I haven't eaten at all in nine months! Oh, god, Kuu, I want mochi!" The way she said it sounded so erotic that Kuu blushed.

"I'll get you some later, my love, I promise. Have some ice cream."

Lory laughed from his seat by the window. He was holding Kuon, who was asleep, in his lap. "How on earth did the two of you make a kid that doesn't like to eat? Make it make sense!"

Kuu shook his head. "I have no idea." He could only hope that maybe Kuon's appetite would change as he got bigger. The doctors didn't seem overly concerned, so he just assumed that maybe it was just a weird Kuon thing.

Lory poked Kuon's cheek. "C'mon, kid. I came across town to see you and you've been asleep this whole time!"

Kuon scrunched up his face in annoyance, but kept his eyes shut. Kuu laughed. "He's not even a day old yet and already sick of your shit, Lory."

Lory chuckled. "He's not the first and won't be the last. He should feel lucky to have a godfather like me. He can tell me things he can't tell you two and I can bail him out of trouble if he needs it."

Julie shook her head. "I don't know what trouble you think my perfect angel is going to get into, Lory. He's going to grow up loved and be a sweet boy."

Lory smirked. "He's going to grow up with every girl in the states chasing him. He'll probably be a gigolo like his father."

Kuu side-eyed Lory. "I resent that."

Julie wiped her mouth and held out her hands. "Kuu, get my baby away from his weird oji-san." Kuu laughed and took the baby from Lory. He handed him to Julie, who held him in her lap. "My Kuon won't be dating anyone until he's at least 20."

Lory chuckled. "I'm telling you, you're going to have to put bars on his bedroom window. I thought Kouki would be lovely his whole life, too, and now, constant sass."

Julie giggled and whispered to the baby. "Are you going to sass me, Kuon? I don't think my baby is capable of such a thing." His tiny lips curled into a sweet smile as he slept and Julie's heart burst. "Oh, Kuu, quick! Look, he's smiling!"

Lory laughed as the Hizuris beamed down at their son. "He's probably pooping."

Julie looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Someone else to harass, maybe?"

He smirked and grabbed his coat. "Actually, I do have a meeting to get to. Anyway, congratulations, you two. He's really cute."

When Lory left, Kuu took Kuon from Julie. "You should rest, my love. You've been busy all day."

Julie leaned back against her pillows. "I've just been so excited that our son is finally here, and I can look at him, and touch him, and cuddle him. It's everything I've been dreaming about since I found out I was pregnant. Actually, it's even better, because he's even cuter than I imagined he would be."

Kuu smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "He'll still be here when you wake up, you know. He can't run away. Not yet."

Julie nodded as she nestled into the bed. "Not ever."

They spent four days in the hospital while Julie recovered. On the morning of the fourth day, the doctor pronounced her ready to go home. They packed up their belongings and Kuu wheeled her and Kuon downstairs to the front of the hospital in a wheelchair. When they got there, Julie tilted her head, expecting the Jag to be parked under the carport outside. The only car there was a plain-looking silver four door Bitsumishi. "Where are you parked, Kuu?"

Kuu rubbed the back of his neck. On one of his many runs out for food in the last four days, he had stopped by the car dealership… and traded in the Jag. It had crushed him to do it, but he knew that Tatiana had been right; it wasn't safe for Kuon. He gestured at the Bitsumishi. "I figured this would be safer for our son."

Julie gaped at the car. "You got rid of the Jag!?"

Kuu knelt down beside the wheelchair. "I loved that car, Julie. But I love you and Kuon more, and I want our son to be safe."

She wiped her tears on her sleeve. "I'm so sorry about your car."

He got up and kissed her forehead. "There will always be other cars, my love. Come on, let's go home." He loaded their bags into the trunk.

Kuu took Kuon and fastened him into the car seat in the back of the car, making sure that the chest strap was up high enough on his tiny chest. He covered him with the blanket that Tatiana had knitted for him and made sure he was snug and warm before going to help Julie into the back seat. It took a moment for her to get comfortable; her body still ached from her surgery. When he was sure that she was settled, he got into the driver's seat.

The way home was a test of Kuu's nerves. He had always been a drive-fast-and-take-chances kind of guy. That had changed as soon as he buckled his son into the car seat in the back of the car. He had never driven that slowly or carefully in his life, or been so irritated with other drivers on the road.

Julie winced and hissed through her teeth at every tiny bump in the road. The staples in her belly were pulling her skin and she was sore. The doctor had told her to expect a recovery time of at least six weeks. She sighed, wishing that it wouldn't take so long; this was the most pain she had ever been in. She smiled as Kuon's light gray eyes opened to look at her, and she booped the tip of his nose with her finger. Totally worth it, she thought.

When they got to the apartment building, Tatiana met them in the parking garage. She took Kuon's baby carrier while Kuu grabbed their bags and let Julie lean on him for support as they made their way to the elevator and then to the apartment. When they opened the door, they found Tora putting the finishing touches on a welcome home banner and setting the table for dinner.

"Welcome home! Your Mama made dinner."

Julie smelled the air and began to salivate. "Is that your chicken with the creamy white sauce and noodles?"

Tatiana laughed as she set Kuon's car seat down beside the couch and unbuckled him. "It is. I know how much you like it, and in Russia, it's important for a mother to eat lots of meat after the baby comes. The protein is good for you."

Kuu led her over to the dining table where a huge pot full of the dish in question was sat in the middle of the table. After helping her sit down, he ladled a bowl out for her and put the bowl in front of her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head in ecstasy as she took a bite. "Mama, it's amazing. Thank you."

Tatiana sat down in the chair beside her, cradling Kuon. "It's the least I could do after you gave me such a beautiful grandson."

Tora looked over her shoulder with a smile. "He is beautiful, isn't he? Like a baby angel, or a fairy."

Tatiana giggled. "A fairy, huh? I suppose there is some magic about him."

They ate dinner and then Tatiana watched Kuon while Kuu helped Julie to shower and change into her pajamas. He helped Julie unwrap her dressing and frowned at the mass of purple and green bruising on her abdomen around the staples near her pelvis. It pained him to see her have to go through something so painful.

Julie winced as she stepped into the shower. Kuu helped her wash her back and her hair. He watched as she washed over her wound as gently as possible. He kissed her shoulder. "I'll get your pain meds as soon as we get out. I'm so sorry you're hurting."

She smiled over her shoulder at him. "I'm okay. I'm sad that we can't have another baby naturally, but I'm going to be okay, Kuu. So, please don't worry."

He smiled back at her and kissed her lips. "I will try not to." It was a lie. He would continue to worry, whether she wanted him to or not, because he loved her.

They got out of the shower and got dressed and went out to the living room. Tora had the baby, after having begged Tatiana to relinquish her hold on him for just a few minutes. Kuon was beginning to fuss just a little bit, moving his head back and forth and whimpering. Julie sat down on the couch slowly and then took him from her father. She opened the top of her pajamas and nursed him.

"Sorry for taking so long in the shower."

Tora shook his head. "Not a problem in the slightest. We've enjoyed spending time with him." He ran his hand over Julie's hair. "How are you feeling, sweetheart? Do you need anything?"

Julie shook her head with a small smile. "I'm okay, Daddy. Kuu has been taking the best care of me."

Tora fixed his eyes on Kuu and nodded his appreciation. "I see that. I'm glad that when we go back to the states in a few weeks that we're leaving you in capable hands. You've really stepped up to the plate, Kuu."

Kuu shook his head. "I have a family now. Either I step up, or I lose them, and I don't want to lose them. It's that simple."

Tatiana patted his hand. "Oh, never change, sweet boy."

The phone rang, and Kuu got up to answer it. He plucked it off of the charging station. "Hizuri residence."

"Ah, am I speaking to Hozu-san?"

Kuu had been thinking about that. After spending so much time with his beautiful son, he had realized something about himself. Kuu Hizuri was no longer ashamed of being Kuu Hizuri. If he was capable of making something as beautiful as Kuon, then maybe being a bastard Hizuri from Kyoto wasn't so bad after all. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle that going forward, but he was ready to put Shuuhei Hozu to rest.

"...Uh, yeah. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Producer Maeda. I'm calling to inform you that you've got the part as Kai in our upcoming picture."

Kuu's knees went weak. "Really? Are you serious?" He had expected that they wouldn't hire him. He had run out on the audition, after all.

The producer laughed. "You were very impressive, Hozu-san. And I've never seen a man move that fast. I hope everything went well with the birth of your child?"

Kuu smiled. "It did, thank you for asking."

"Well, I'll have my people call your people and set up a meeting to go over details. We're very excited to work with you, Hozu-san. Take care."

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it." Kuu hung up the phone and turned to his family with a huge grin.

"We're going to LA."