Denji woke up on the couch alone. Sunlight sneaked through the miniscule spaces between the slats of the bamboo blinds creating thin lines of gold illumination on the floor. The aroma of coffee filling the room prompted him to get up because that meant Mari must be awake and in the kitchen.

Groaning and stretching, he stood in the middle of the living room trying to ease the soreness from his muscles and work the kinks out of his neck. Sleeping in Mari's big ass bed was definitely preferable to the small couch. He missed not waking up with her in his arms.

She had already spoiled him way too much. Not only with her soft body and comforting presence but also with her wonderful food. The scent of vanilla and frying meat drew him to the kitchen to see what she was cooking this morning.

"Good morning, Loverboy," Mari greeted him, throwing a flirtatious smile his way.

"Morning," he yawned, scratching his belly. "Where's Nayuta?"

"She left some time last night to go sleep with the dogs. She said she didn't want them to be lonely," she told him, unable to stop herself from smiling. "I tried to wake you up to get you to come to the bed with me."

"I hope you weren't too lonely without me," he murmured, stepping up behind her to put his arms around her waist. He placed a kiss on the back of her neck. She shivered in his arms. Her reaction made him smile with mischievous delight. He mentally moved the back of her neck to the top of his long list of favorite places to kiss her.

"Oh, I wasn't alone," she returned, flipping the pancake in the pan. "I slept with a short, hairy man last night. Like you, his favorite place was sleeping on my boobs. He's still asleep in there. I think I might have a new roommate."

Denji chuckled lightly understanding that she was talking about Meowy. She definitely kept him on his toes with her quick wit. Usually her subtle little jokes left him clueless and confused, but this one he picked up on quickly. However, he didn't get it until shortly after an unexpected jab of jealousy punched him right in the gut.

"I think I'm jealous," he joked, tightening his arms around her waist. "Well, he will have to vacate the premises the next time we have a moment alone together. Ooooh, pancakes," he murmured, snatching the piping hot one she dropped onto the stack piled high on the plate.

"Don't forget those are for everyone," Mari sweetly reminded him when he snagged a second one. "There are sausages to go with them."

He took one of the sausage links as well, putting the entire thing in his mouth.

"The jams and preserves are in the fridge."

"Ah, you know exactly what I like," he mumbled with a mouthful of pancake while opening the fridge to retrieve them.

"Will you get the syrup as well, please?"

After pouring more batter into the pan, Mari picked up her cup of coffee to take a sip. Turning on her heel, she watched Denji dig two fingers into the jar of blackberry jam then shove the jiggling blob into his mouth.

"Are you being serious right now?" she asked, a disapproving eyebrow rising toward her hairline.

He shoved his fingers back into the jar to coat them, then held them out toward her.

"Want some?"

"Hmmm, well, they say sharing is caring so..." She opened her mouth and covered his fingers all the way down to the knuckle on the back of his hand.

Denji's mouth dropped open when she sucked lightly. He could not stop his gut from clenching or the throbbing between his thighs from the sudden rush of blood. Biting his bottom lip, he stifled his moan into a grunt.

Mari's eyes drifted closed, breaking their intimate contact with his. Her tongue slid between his fingers and she sucked a little harder to make sure she did not miss a drop of the sugary substance. She slowly drew her lips down his fingers, gradually opening her eyes as she removed her mouth completely.

"So should we kick Meowy out of your bed now?" Denji asked, leaning toward her to receive a light kiss on the lips. He found the brief kiss teasing and enticing, making him want another.

"Yeah, we should," she confirmed, flipping the pancake onto the plate and turning off the burner.

Breakfast would have to wait. There were other appetites to fulfill.

Meowy met them at the door of her bedroom. He meowed at them as if to say good morning. Receiving a pat on the head and scratch behind the ears from Mari, the cat got a stroke down the back and push out of the door from Denji. The door was swiftly closed behind him so he could not join them. Three would definitely be a crowd at the moment.

Speaking of three being a crowd...

"I gave Nayuta the code so she could open the door if we were still sleeping," Mari warned him.

"Shit," he grumbled, grabbing her and kissing her hard. "I guess we better hurry."

Denji stripped off his clothes, well Mari's clothes, that he was wearing while she did the same. There was a time for romantically undressing each other, and this wasn't it. When Mari got onto the bed on all fours, he grabbed her by the waist to hold her still before she could flip over onto her back.

"Is this okay?" he asked, pressing his body against her to ask for further permission. "Can we do it like this?"

"Of course," she said, lowering her shoulder to the bed.

Denji thought she was about to lie down on her belly until her felt her fingers enclosing his cock to position him better for entry. There was a little resistance at first since she wasn't quite ready. Discovering that she was so ready and willing to please him excited him even more.

Leaning over her, he reached around to fondle her breast. Her nipples instantly responded to his touch, contracting into firm little bumps of flesh in his palms. There was also a rush of lubrication allowing him to slip easily into her body.

"Oh, god," he groaned, straightening up to stand behind her. Holding on to her hips, he pushed in and out of her. Being able to watch himself move inside of her made him climax that much faster.

"We should go take a shower," she declared when it was over, sliding from under his body.

"Are you okay? You didn't enjoy that at all did you?" he asked, following her out of the bedroom.

"No, I didn't," she replied a little too honestly. "Doggy style isn't my thing."

Mari turned once in the inside the small room, grabbing his face to kiss him squarely on the mouth. The tips of their noses bumped together lightly then she rubbed hers affectionately against his.

"But that's okay. I'll make you pay me back later," she said, reaching around to slap him on the ass.

"Oh," he gasped, leaning into her and kissing her again.

"Mmm," she grunted in protest, pushing him back. "We need to hurry before Nayuta comes back."

"So this is what life is like with kids, huh?" he remarked when she flipped on the faucet to heat the water.

"I suppose. I've never had any myself."

"Not yet anyway."

Her silence and lack of reaction made him wonder if she had not heard him or was simply ignoring his implication of a future with her.

"Do you want them? Kids? Some day?" Denji inquired, placing his hand on her bare ass when she bent over to get the towels from the cabinet.

Mari stood up, hugging the towels to her chest.

"I think I want to have kids. Some day," she sighed. "I'm just not sure what kind of mother I would be. I suppose you're getting in practice now being a Dad."

"I'm not Nayuta's Dad. I'm her guardian...her caregiver," he corrected her, stepping into the shower behind her.

"What do you think a Dad is?" She turned to face him. "They care. And they give. It's obvious you care about that little girl, and you're giving her a good life." She pressed her hand to his chest.

"I want you to be a part of that life," he said.

"You've given her a part of your heart."

Denji placed his hand over hers, kissing her on the forehead.

"Part of it belongs to you too."

How much still belongs to Makima?, she pondered silently, searching his eyes as if her answer lie in their warm brown depths.

"Is it because...is it because she's Makima's reincarnation? If she wasn't...would you have refused to take care of her?" Mari asked, turning her back to him.

"Does it really matter? She is what she is, and part of Makima lives inside of her."

"Would you still love her if part of Makima wasn't alive in Nayuta?"

He exhaled noisily, sounding agitated.

"I want her to be different from Makima. That is the reason I agreed to take care of her. Why do you always ask such hard questions?" he asked, dragging his fingers over her shoulders through the sheet of water beating down on them.

She handed him the washcloth full of bubbles from the body wash. Peaches and cream scent today.

"Will you wash my back?"

Mari closed her eyes, pressing her palms against the tiled wall while he gently scrubbed her skin from her shoulders down to her waist. She believed Denji would be a good Dad. He was so sweet and loving. But some people would dare to call him a monster. He is far less of a monster than her own father. She had no doubt Denji would go through Hell and kill every devil there if someone lied to and hurt Nayuta.

"Any man can be a father. Hell, even sperm donor's don't have to be present to create a child. Raising one, loving that child, well...that's takes a special person," she murmured as if talking to herself.

"Your Dad, I mean Father," he quickly corrected himself, "kinda sucks, huh?"

"Yeah," she scoffed. "He sucks."

Mari turned to face him, kissing the hollow of his neck. Grabbing a fistful of of his hair, she pulled downward until he was on his knees in front of her. She brought her face within mere inches of his.

"Who's your Mama now, Denji?" she ground through her clenched teeth.

"You're my Mama," he breathed, his eyes growing bigger and rounder as he stared up at her looming over him with a sneer on her face.

Mari let him go, throwing back her head to laugh. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she shoved his face between her breasts while she embraced him.

"I'm just messing with you, I hope you know that. I'm not really into that." She stepped back, shaking a finger in his face. "Don't ever expect me to call you Daddy either. In a sexual context anyway. That's not my kink."

"What is your kink? Dom teacher and naughty student?" he asked, standing to his feet.

"I thought we were already all over that one," she said, giving him a wink. "And I won't tease you about the Dad thing again. I'll call you Big Brother."

"Won't that be even weirder?"

"Okay don't be gross," she chuckled, giving him a light slap on the cheek. "You know what I mean."

He laughed, taking her into his arms to kiss her. The warm sensation flooding his chest was a bit disconcerting because it was so intense. He loved this woman. And he never wanted anyone - or any Devil, certainly not one from the past - to take her away from him.

"Denji? Mari? Where are you?" they heard Nayuta call out.

"Oh, shit," they muttered in unison, huddling together in the shower and staring at the door as if she might burst through it any second to find them.

"You're explaining this," Mari said, pushing him out of the shower and shoving a towel against his chest.

"What? Why me?" Denji hissed after she shut off the water.

"Because you're the Big Bro," she said, giving him a peck on the lips before wrapping a towel around her body.

"Dammit," he muttered, wrapping the towel around his waist. He would have to walk to his apartment this way to get clothes. "Fuck me."

"Already did."

"You're just too funny his morning," he snapped.

Denji inhaled a deep breath and stepped out into the living room. Nayuta stood there with Meowy purring happily in her arms.

"Where were you?" she asked. As usual, no emotion registered on her face or in her voice.

"Taking a shower."

"Where's Mari?"

He gulped.

"She was..." He rubbed the back of his neck, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "Well, she was taking a shower with me."

"Okay," she replied simply. "Is there anything for breakfast? I'm hungry."

Denji exhaled. That was easier than he thought it would be.

"Yeah. Mari made pancakes and sausages. There's milk and juice in the fridge. Help yourself. I'm going to our place to get dressed. Be right back," he said, exhaling a sigh of relief as he walked past her.

Mari peeked through a crack in the door from the bathroom. Since Nayuta was in the kitchen with her back turned and her head in the refrigerator, she tiptoed the few feet to her bedroom. After putting on a pair of denim shorts and a white t-shirt with a big strawberry on it, she grabbed a red ribbon to tie in her hair on her way to the kitchen.

Nayuta had taken a seat on the stool Denji always sat on. She was busy digging in to the tall stack of pancakes on her plate.

Mari saw that there were not enough pancakes left for both her and Denji. She wasn't hungry anyway. While making the sandwiches for the picnic, she had taste tested plenty to fill her belly. There were egg salad, ham, and cucumber sandwiches. She had sliced up the cake and packed the extra strawberries as well. The bottles of water, lemonade, and tea had already been packed in a cooler. Denji slept like a rock, never stirring once while she was busy in the kitchen.

"You and Big Brother had sex didn't you?" Nayuta asked bluntly without looking up from her food.

Mari nearly spewed the coffee in her mouth on the forthright child. Instead she forced it down with a hard gulp. The large air bubble that went down with it made her chest ache. Beating on her chest, she stared at the girl who was still intent on scarfing down her food.

Nayuta stabbed a sausage link and stuck the entire thing her mouth. She had certainly picked up Denji's eating habits.

The girl looked to be about ten years old. Maybe it was the devil within that gave her an aura of being ancient and possessing knowledge beyond the years of her young appearance. Truly an old soul.

Mari decided she might as well be truthful since the girl had asked the question without mincing words. Surely there would be no point in lying to this child. She took a sip of her coffee to wet her dry throat so she could speak.

"Yes, we did," she admitted.

Nayuta did not even glance up from her half eaten plate of food.

"Okay." She speared the triangular shaped bite she cut off of the dwindling stack of pancakes. She looked up, blinking her large yellow and red eyes with the target pattern. "Because you love him?"

"Yeah," Mari sighed, feeling her cheeks heating with a blush. "Because I love him."

"That's why you did what mamas and daddies do."

"Oh, shit," she muttered, drinking more of her coffee and wishing for a shot of Irish whiskey or two. Nothing wrong with an Irish coffee in the morning. Especially this morning.

At least she didn't say the word sex. There was something particularly unsettling about a child saying sex so bluntly. Mari didn't think her heart could take if the cute little girl said the s-word again. What she did say was stressing her enough to make her sweat. She wiped away the dampness from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Am I going to have a little brother or sister soon?" Nayuta asked.

"Oh, dear...oh, dear, oh, dear."

Where the hell is Denji?!, her inner voice screamed.

Mari bent to retrieve the bottle of whiskey from under the sink. She had not lied to Kishibe about not having whiskey; she just didn't tell him she had it . Now that she no longer worked as a hostess, she refused to enable a drunk. Besides, this was her emergency stash.

"I think it would be nice to have a big family. Lots of brothers and sisters to love. That would mean more hugs."

Mari let go of the neck of the bottle and stood up. She poured herself more plain black coffee. Unable to meet the girl's eyes which seemed to look straight into her heart, she stared into the cup, tracing the rim with her forefinger.

"Maybe someday, many years from now, if Denji and I get married - "

"If?" Nayuta interrupted, blinking her big eyes as if she did not understand.

Denji stood in the hallway listening. He had walked in to hear Nayuta questioning Mari about having a little brother or sister. Curious about their conversation and having no qualms about eavesdropping, he remained hidden on the other side of the wall in the entranceway.

...if Denji and I get married... The statement ran through his head again and again. The tiny two letter word was always the loudest. Holding his breath, he waited for Mari's reply in literal breathless anticipation.

"Nayuta, I love Denji. And he loves me. But neither of us know what the future will bring. Things might happen that...," Mari said, attempting to explain but failing miserably.

"Things like what?" Nayuta kept her eyes on Mari's face which was changing from pink to red swiftly.

"Well, honey, I don't know. Stuff comes up, things happen. Circumstances change. People change. People d-" She bit her tongue to stop speaking. "Sometimes bad things happen in life we never could have imagined."

"I don't understand," the girl replied, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Neither do I," Mari sighed, taking a big swig of her coffee. Her throat was parched again.

"But you're my Big Sister. Are you going to leave me? Why? Why would you leave Denji?"

"I don't want to ever leave either of you. I want to be with you always, but it's not..." She exhaled in exasperation, taking a drink of her coffee. "Life's not that easy. Relationships aren't that simple."

"Why not? Can't it be that easy? Relationships should be simple if you love each other," she said, her eyes becoming shiny.

Mari pondered if she was seeing the first spark of intense emotion in Nayuta. She could not tell if the girl was perplexed, struggling for understanding, or if she was annoyed by Mari's resistance to what was a simple fact in her mind. She placed her mug down on the counter. Reaching to take Nayuta's hand, she squeezed it. When the child looked up at her, no tears fell which made her think perhaps she had been seeing things.

"You're right," Mari agreed wholeheartedly. "If we love each other, nothing else should matter. But - "

"Hey!" Denji exclaimed, walking into the kitchen. "Miss me?"

"Of course," Mari said, extending her other hand to him while still holding on to Nayuta's.

He bypassed her hand and stepped up to her to hug her. He reached over to ruffle Nayuta's hair. The girl pulled her hand out of Mari's to push his hand away from her head.

"Stop it. I'm eating," she said in her typical no nonsense manner.

"You about ready to go, kiddo? The doggies are ready to go," he informed her, keeping his arms around Mari as if she might run away at this moment.

"You should eat while I finish packing up lunch," Mari suggested. She tried to move but Denji held onto her tightly. He looked so sad when her eyes met his. "How much of that did you hear?"

"We can make life that simple. I want to be with you. Always," he added, touching her cheek with his fingertips.

"Denji, we don't know what might - "

"You're right. We don't know what might happen a day from now, a month, a year. Hell, we don't even know what will happen a minute from now."

"You're right." She smoothed her hands over the red t-shirt he was wearing. "A week ago I never would have thought I would be standing here, with you, like this." She cast a glimpse at Nayuta and smiled. "About to go on a family picnic with - "

"Seven dogs, a cat..." He smiled when her eyes met his. "And a partridge in a pear tree."

She started giggling despite wanting to cry.

"Yeah. All those things." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Now, I should pack the picnic basket, and you need to eat breakfast."

A wicked grin touched his lips.

"Yes, Ma - "

Mari pressed her finger to his lips.

"Say that and you won't be getting anything for a week."

"No food?"

She shook her head.

"No..." He glanced over as Nayuta who had finished her breakfast and slid off the stool to go play with Meowy. He whispered, "No nothin'?"

"Uh uh, no nothin', " she repeated, pushing him away while giggling. "Eat your breakfast. You need your strength to wrangle the husky herd."

~\'/~

Nayuta and the dogs were in the fenced in dog run where they could be free to run and tumble and chase as they wanted. Children began to gather at the fence to watch the dogs due to all of the motion and noise. Some kids stuck their hands through the fence to pet the rambunctious animals. The dogs enjoyed tasting sticky fingers flavored with melted ice cream, hot dogs, and other assorted foods.

Nayuta did not seemed bothered by the interactions with the children and carefully monitored the dogs to make sure no little hands seeking to pet them got nipped. She watched the faces of the children as they smiled and laughed, sometimes mimicking their expressions.

Denji, Mari, and Meowy lounged in the sun on a blanket nearby watching the antics of the dogs and the onlookers. Some of the children took an interest in the sleeping cat and came over to pet him. Occasionally he would stretch and yawn, but mostly pretended to sleep through the attention showered on him.

Nayuta came over to retrieve the bowls they had brought with them to provide the dogs with water.

"Are you thirsty?" Mari asked her, reaching into the cooler. "Do you want lemonade or tea? Or water?"

"Water," she replied.

"Want a few bottles for the dogs since it's cold? Do you need help filling the bowls?"

"Nah. I'm used to this. Water from the spigot is fine for them." She took the bottle from Mari, tucking the collapsible silicone bowls under her arm.

"She really does love those dogs doesn't she?" Mari remarked, watching as they followed her to the bare pipe with a spigot on top.

Surprisingly, the rowdy bunch stood quietly, tongues hanging out and tails slowly swinging while waiting for the bowls to be filled with refreshing water.

"She has an affinity for animals. I think it's easier for her to connect with them than humans. But she's trying to get better with people. She wants to have a lot of friends. And a big family," Denji reiterated, noticing Mari's face becoming very pink. "I think you're getting a sunburn."

She slapped his chest lightly, chuckling.

"You know damn well it's not a sunburn. And you also know what we discussed earlier," she added.

"What are you so afraid of? Huh?" He poked her side to make her flinch away from him. "I'll never leave you. You're mine now. You're stuck."

"There's no one I'd rather be stuck with," she laughed, laying down beside him and propping up on her elbow. "It's me and my stupidity I'm afraid of. I'm worried I'll make another bad decision and lose everything and everyone that means anything to me."

"Your Dad is an asshole because he wouldn't help his own daughter. And your mother...well, she's had to put with your Dad a whole lot longer than you have. Maybe that's made her weak and she can't help herself...or you."

After an initial flash of anger, Mari had to admit to herself he was right. The truth sometimes hurts and when it does it can make one furious.

"God, you really are so smart Denji," she said, leaning over to press her lips to his.

"Not all of your bad decisions were all bad really. If you hadn't taken that bogus job offer, you wouldn't be here with me now," he reminded her, rubbing his hand down her arm.

"You're right...again," she admitted, rolling over to press her face into his shirt.

Although Autumn was almost upon them, heat enveloped her like it was summer time. He smelled like summer - peaches and sunshine. That's exactly what he reminded her of, from his peach toned skin to his sunshine colored hair.

"Did you ever think you'd become someone's ray of sunshine?" she asked him.

"What are you talking about now?" he scoffed. "You say some of the craziest things. I don't understand you at all sometimes."

"Good." She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a hug. "Then I'm doing my job as a woman."

"Hey!" Nayuta exclaimed, hopping on Denji's back. "I want a hug too!"

"Oh, my God!" Mari yelled before Denji flattened on top of her and the weight of his body and Nayuta's pressing down on her prevented her from breathing.

Denji performed a modified push up to lift his upper body to keep from crushing Mari while allowing her breathe. Despite still being trapped under them, she started laughing like a madwoman when he rolled from side to side in a half hearted attempt to shake off the girl clinging to him like a baby monkey.

Nayuta climbed off his back to begin checking out the food in the picnic basket. Denji sat up to pick out the sandwiches he wanted. Meowy curled up in Mari's lap as she sat cross legged taking several deep breaths to refill her lungs.

Denji pinched off a piece of his egg salad to feed it to Nayuta who held her mouth open like a hungry baby bird. She returned the favor with a piece of her ham sandwich. They left the cucumber sandwiches for Mari. She kind of expected that.

As she nibbled on the bread spread with herbed cream cheese and layered with thin slices of cucumber, she continued to quietly observe them. The two chatted about Nayuta's upcoming introduction to school. Nayuta seemed a bit excited but hesitant. Denji assured her she would be fine.

"I'll be there with you if you need anything," Mari promised her.

"I'm not a little kid," Nayuta said huffily - just like any other kid her supposed age would when someone tries to "baby" them.

"No, no you're not," she agreed, taking a bottle of lemonade out of the cooler. "Want one?"

"Yes."

"What about you Big Brother?" Mari asked. "Tea or lemonade?"

"Tea, please."

"Oooh, please. Nice. Here ya go." She lobbed the bottle at him which he easily caught.

"Can I have a piece of cake...please?" Nayuta added.

Mari cast a glimpse at Denji who beamed with pride. She took out one of the slices individually wrapped on a small paper plate to hand it to her.

"Thank you," Nayuta returned politely.

"Well, well," Mari murmured, leaning over to Denji. "You should be very proud."

"I am." He looked up at her, one of his eyes squinting shut from the bright afternoon sun. "I am very proud of our little family."

"Oh," she gasped, her heart filling up so rapidly she thought it might burst. "Our little family."