Some changes have been made in regards to what I had planned involving this part of the storyline, but with how the last chapter went, I think this works for the best. So the next few chapters are going to follow some Airi related plot points, and soon I am going to introduce everyone's favorite overly perceptive eccentric and a few other fan favorites.

I know you guys miss them and I do too. I just felt a few characters needed development before other aspects kicked in so you guys cared about them. So soon it will feel much more like a typical...insane Citrus story, not that it takes much. XD

WOO!

Also two job interviews Wednesday. *Crosses fingers* wish me luck.

Chapter 7

"So what's this surprise you have planned?" Mei set her phone down and propped her head up on her hand as she watched the mountain scenery pass by as Airi sang quietly to herself as she read one of the books Suzuran had given Hideki when he was a baby. "And please don't say that telling me will ruin the surprise, I'm not in the mood for bad jokes."

"It's a town up in the mountains," explained Yuzu pointing wide expanse of forest, fields, and hills that surrounded them. "I thought that much was obvious considering where we are."

"Both hands on the steering wheel," sighed Mei, pushing Yuzu's hand away, but not bothering to repeat herself when Yuzu held onto it and rested it on the console. "I remember you saying that it was a town in the mountains, but why the mountains? Couldn't we have stayed somewhere closer to home? I have to stay somewhere where there's phone reception in case the school or Himeko call."

"We'll be fine." Yuzu squeezed Mei's hand and gave her a quick smile before returning her focus to the somewhat busy freeway. "I made sure they have good reception where we're staying, and there are plenty of pay phones and places that we can borrow a landline. There's even a small business center on the property in case you need to send an email if your phone's not working. Besides, you forget that I left a newbie manager in charge of the restaurant to train the new hires so don't think you're the only one who's got a lot on their mind."

"I'm sorry." Mei gave a heavy sigh and gripped Yuzu's hand tightly. "I'm only thinking about myself again and that's not fair to you or Airi."

Mei turned her gaze back toward their daughter, releasing Yuzu's hand so the blonde could better control the car while she inspected Airi who was smiling happily as she sang happily along with a song. It'd only been a week since the fight and physically Airi was fine. But she was still waking up to bad dreams about it and the only way they had been able to sleep was by letting her sleep with them or in Hideki's room with most of the stuffed animals to keep her company.

While they'd been patient with her, the fact was that Airi's sleep had been so fragmented that even when they put her in a place where she felt safe, she spent her nights running up and down, meaning that Mei and Yuzu had to sleep in shifts. It had made them both irritable and they'd snapped each other a couple of times with them taking turns sleeping on a futon at the foot of their bed. But there was a silver lining as once Airi heard about their trip she got so excited that it'd become easy for Mei and Yuzu to get her to stay in bed making the previous night the only full nights sleep they'd gotten in the past week. MOstly because Airi was so excited that she wore herself out helping Yuzu prepare.

Thankfully, Airi had slept through the night, allowing Mei and Yuzu to finally recover after their harrowing week, even though their worry had yet to subside.

Even with Airi's temperament on the upturn, Hideki had barely been in contact since the day he'd left which they took as a good sign considering the looks he'd gotten from Harumi, Abby, and Matsuri when they'd come to see him off the following morning. But it was little consolation thanks to their worry about how he was acclimating to the cultural differences between Japan and America.

Not to mention that Mei and Yuzu had their hands full since Udagawa and Rena had to leave with the kids to handle a family emergency and since Ume and Shou were busy with work they had no one to watch Airi. Meaning they had to adjust their plans and workloads to include her, but the smile on their daughter's face was the only thing Mei needed to see to confirm that bringing her along was the right thing to do.

"Hi, Mommy," said Airi, pulling her headphones off, creating a somewhat noticeable dent in her hair.

"Hello, Airi." Mei smiled back shyly and waved at her daughter. "What are you listening to?"

"A movie." Airi picked up the tablet and showed Mei a screen with a bunch of computer-generated animals that were walking around dressed like people. "It's a movie about a fox and a bunny cop that Hideki put on the tablet for me. It's good and has a couple of songs I like, but it's kinda scary. Do you want to watch it with me?"

"I'll watch it with you after we take a break," answered said Mei with a smile. "I know the movie you're talking about thanks to Mama and Hideki, and I think it would be best if one of us watches it with you."

"I think you should watch it with her," chuckled Yuzu spotting a sign that mentioned an upcoming rest stop. "Since we got a bit more driving to do."

"I can drive," said Mei looking affronted. "I've had my license for seven years, and I've never once gotten into an accident or gotten an infraction."

"That's true." Yuzu gave Mei a side smirk before pulling off and heading toward the rest area. "I know good a driver you are, but that's only when we're in town. Unless you forgot about what happened the last time you tried driving on the freeway."

"I remember," offered Airi, bouncing up and down in her car seat. "Mommy almost hit a couple cars because she thought she saw a kitty and then almost drove into the wall. Then she said..."

"Thank you, Airi." Mei turned to Airi and gave her a look that warned the girl to not continue with her story.

"Kay," giggled Airi before pointing out the window. "Are we there Mama?!"

"Not yet." Yuzu parked the car and let out a loud, long sigh as she stretched and shut off the engine as a few more cars pulled in next to them and several kids screamed ran around in a grassy play area. "This is a pit stop. We got a couple more hours before we reach our vacation spot. But we're going to take a short break to stretch our legs and then get back to it. Do you want to go and play while we're here?"

"Yeah," Airi began fiddling with the straps on her car seat while Mei and Yuzu exited the car with Mei taking over to relieve their daughter from her restraints.

"Airi, slow down." Mei reached out and barely managed to grab a sprinting Airi by the scruff of her shirt and pulled her back to the car, rolling her eyes. "There are a lot of cars and people around, and we don't want you getting hurt or lost."

"But I gotta pee," whined Airi running in place and pointing at the bathroom.

"Give me a moment to check with Mama, and we'll go." Mei held up a finger and turned the corner to see Yuzu going through the cooler and tried to see whatever it was that Yuzu had packed in the back of the car but couldn't make it out because of the suitcases and coolers.

"Looking for something," grunted Yuzu, twisting her back and groaning in satisfaction while Mei flinched at the sound of her wife's back popping.

"I was," answered Mei placing a hand on a familiar spot on Yuzu's back and began massaging it. "But now I'm beginning to think it'd be wiser for you to take a break and sit in the back with Airi."

"I'm fine, Mei." Yuzu let out a sigh at the relaxing tingle that spread across her back before shivering at the sensation of Mei's lips on her neck. "Mei, stop."

"Why," whispered Mei kissing just below Yuzu's ear and smirking, ignoring the few looks and giggles they were getting. "I only want you to feel better. Is this helping?"

"A bunch," said Yuzu, managing to break the hold Mei had on her and removed her hand. "But we gotta get on the road soon, and I promise once we're settled I'll take a long hot bath and once Airi's sleeping you can touch me as much as you want."

"I'll hold you to it." Mei kissed Yuzu's ear and turned around to find Airi hopping up and down in place and pointing at the bathrooms.

"Mommy, let's go!"

Rolling her eyes, Mei smiled and took her daughter's hand and led her to the bathroom while Yuzu finished fishing out a few sandwiches and some fruit for them to have for lunch and dried her hands on the leg of her jeans just as her phone began playing a familiar ringtone.

Slamming the cooler shut, Yuzu began pulling her phone out of her pocket and nearly dropped it, but managed to catch it before it shattered across the ground and answered with a breathless, "Hello?"

"Mama? Are you okay?" Asked a concerned Hideki on the other end. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Sweetie," said Yuzu grabbing the bag she'd loaded the food into before closing up the car and heading to an empty picnic table. "I almost dropped my phone when I got it out of my pocket. How are you? Your mom and I have been worried. It's gotta be what...one, two in the morning there? What are you doing up? Don't you have practice? I swear to God if you..."

"Relax Mama," yawned Hideki and Yuzu could hear the squeak of a bed and the sound of a plastic bag and the hiss of a carbonated drink opening. "Tomorrow's an off day, so me and a few of the other kids went out and got a late dinner since we put in a lot of extra practice tonight. I knew it would be tough, but I'm sore in places I don't even want to think about."

"Oh...okay."

Yuzu opened herself a bottle of tea and took a sip while thinking over a couple of questions to ask him before blurting out, "So what'd you have for dinner?"

"My first real chance to talk to you guys all week and that's the first thing you ask me?" Hideki laughed, and Yuzu smirked when she heard the sound of a television in the background.

"We're worried about you," said Yuzu as Mei walked out of the bathroom with a relieved and chatty Airi who was pulling at the straps of her overalls and pointing at her shirt. "We haven't heard from you, and we wanted to make sure nobody's giving you any problems. Did the teachers say anything about your injuries?"

"The teachers didn't," groaned Hideki and Yuzu heard the sound of a door opening and a boy's voice on echo through the phone and her son took a moment to welcome him back in English before switching back to Japanese. "But a lot of the other kids and older students did. It was helpful as an ice-breaker and got me some credit with them, especially when I told them that it was me fighting against two other guys. But other than that, everyone's been pretty nice. The teachers are tough, but it's fun, and I kinda like it here."

"That's good." Yuzu felt a weight lift of her shoulders at hearing that her son was fitting in but felt like a nagging sensation in the back of her mind when she remembered the tri-fold picture frame Hideki had taken with him holding photos of their family. "Have...has anyone asked you about us or given you any trouble about it?"

"My roommate knows," chuckled Hideki before yawning again. "I mean I put the picture up on my nightstand, but all he said was 'cool' and let it go after I told him. His dad coaches baseball and teaches gym and raised him alone, so he gets it. Plus a few kids that I went out with, one of them's gay and his boyfriend is in the program with him, they're pretty understanding, and one girl says that she doesn't know anyone with a family like ours but doesn't have a problem with it. So based on that, I don't have to worry about anybody messing with me because of family, just if they see me as a threat for taking one of the spots in the program."

"Nothing wrong with a little competition," said Yuzu, standing up and waving at Mei and Airi before popping a slice of watermelon in her mouth. "But you still haven't answered my question about what you ate. You're not eating just junk food, are you? I heard you opening a soda and messing with a plastic bag which means you went to a convenience store, didn't you?"

"Yup," belched Hideki making Yuzu groan in disgust and her son's roommate laugh. "There's a convenience store across the street from the dorm they have us in, and since I have a day off, no curfew and I'm gonna relax and stay up and.."

"No, you aren't," snorted Yuzu, rolling her eyes as her son tried to sound cool. "You're going pass out once you hang up the phone."

"Who's going to fall asleep," asked Mei as she helped Airi sit down and serve her a sandwich and some fruit.

"Hideki," answered Yuzu before popping a slice of watermelon in her mouth. "Here Sweetie, talk to your mom before..."

"I wanna talk!"

Airi nearly knocked over the food in her attempt to grab the phone out of Yuzu's hands, but her moms managed to get it high enough off the table that it passed into Mei's possession without incident.

"You're mean, Mama!" Airi dropped into her seat, a scowl on her face. "Why can't I talk to Hideki?"

"Because you're acting up," answered Mei, pointing at Airi's lunch. "Now no more complaining and eat your lunch. Sorry about that Hideki, how are you? Are you eating well? What do you mean why am I asking you that?"

While Mei drifted off into her conversation, Yuzu smiled at Airi and asked, "Are you still excited about our trip?"

Airi shrugged and took a large bite of her sandwich, swallowed, and asked, "How long are we gonna be gone? I wanted to stay with Uncle and Auntie."

"We're going to be gone a week," said Yuzu smiling and wiping some sauce off Airi's cheek, "and you'll get to stay with your aunt and uncle when we get back. Your aunt's sister is sick, and they had to go and take care of her until her husband comes back from his trip. Besides I thought you liked taking trips with us?"

"I do like it," whispered Airi after swallowing the last bite of her sandwich and resting her chin on the table. "But I miss Hina and Reo and wanted them to come."

"Is it because you miss Hideki?" Yuzu began gently rubbing Airi's head, watching as her green eyes shined and her mouth turned into a shy smile.

"I guess." Airi moved her head along with Yuzu's hand, her eyes turning to Mei who was in the middle of lecturing Hideki to remember to soak and use his muscle ointments. "Are we gonna do that stuff you and Hideki do when we take trips like this? I wanna learn how to do that so I can show Hina."

"Of course we will." Yuzu stopped rubbing her daughter's head and smiled at her and winked. "Maybe we can get Mommy to do it too. You think she'd like that?"

"Yeah." Airi giggled but stopped when she saw Mei turn her gaze toward the pair of them, eyes narrowing when she saw mirrored images of fake innocence on her wife and daughter's face as she finished her conversation.

"Just make sure you don't eat too much junk food," said Mei while readjusting the phone. "Also promise me you will eat something besides ramen for din...yes I know it wasn't from a package but you're in a city known for having some of the best restaurants in the world. It's a waste of an opportunity if you only eat foods you grew up with. I don't care if they're asking you for recommendations; find something else to eat."

Airi and Yuzu both laughed at the looks Mei's flustered voice and the sight of her ears turning bright red.

Realizing that she was getting a little loud, Mei lowered her voice and sighed saying, "I want you to take care of yourself Hideki. It's hard enough having you halfway across the world and considering the past couple of weeks I don't want you to lose out on an opportunity like this. I...no I'm not saying that you have to get the scholarship, but I also don't want you to hate yourself for thinking you didn't take it seriously and you missed out on a life-changing experience. "

There was silence for a moment, and finally, Mei's body relaxed, and Yuzu felt a warmth spread through her body when she saw Mei smile.

"Thank you, Hideki. Regardless of the outcome, we'll be proud of you, and if you want, we'll have a nice welcome home dinner when you get back, anything you want. No not ramen!"

Yuzu and Airi began laughing at the blush that spread across Mei's face when she realized how loud she'd gotten and they could hear Hideki's laughter on the other line.

Scowling at her wife and daughter, Mei turned her back on them and softly said, "I...okay Hideki...I understand. But please think of something besides that for your welcome home dinner."

There was a moment of silence, and Mei sighed before nodding and quietly said "All right if you can't think of anything else I will entertain the idea and discuss it with Mama. Okay, that's better but keep thinking of things and remember to keep an eye out for those items I asked you for and let me know if you need me to...no I will pay for them...oh...oh fine if you find them you can buy them with your own money if it's what makes you happy."

Mei looked over her shoulder at Yuzu who was smiling expectantly at her and wiggled her eyebrows while caressing Mei's jeans with her foot, making Mei's blush even brighter and distracted her to the point where she couldn't make out what Hideki was saying.

"I'm sorry Hideki, what was that? Your Mama needed something." Mei cast a glance at Yuzu who was in the process of resting her chin on her hands and giving Mei a stare so doe-eyed that she was confident that if she'd been standing, she'd have fallen into her seat.

"Not funny," whispered Mei, turning Yuzu's pleading gaze into a snicker before returning her attention back to Hideki. "Yes, I heard you Hideki. No, your mama is being her normal annoying self. I'll make sure to tell her that for you, I'll do it right now in fact."

Mei briefly dropped the phone and turned her attention to Yuzu and said, "Hideki would like me to tell you that he knows it's hard, but you need to stop being a pain and leave me alone."

Yuzu's face turned to one of shock and in a rare moment that Mei was able to chuckle and while Airi giggled and pointed at Yuzu.

"You look silly Mama!"

"Oh be quiet," snorted yuzu poking Airi in the cheek. "Mei are you done or does Hideki still need to talk to you or can Airi have a turn."

"I think we're almost done." Mei's face dropped at the prospect of hanging up and said, "Hideki I'm going to give the phone to Airi. Promise me you'll take care of yourself and remember that we love you."

There was a moment of silence and Mei's smile returned briefly before she looked at Airi and held out the phone.

"Airi, Hideki wants to talk to you."

"Yay!"

In her excitement, Airi snatched the phone from her mother before getting an answer and ran a few feet away dropped onto the grass and began chatting excitedly with her brother about everything that had happened since he'd left, including her taking up residence in his room. While Airi giggled as she told Hideki about what happened in music class, Mei took the opportunity to take a seat next to Yuzu and press herself against her wife as they enjoyed their meal.

"Hello," said Yuzu happily, placing a hand on Mei's jean covered thigh and began making small circles with one of her fingers. "You feeling better?"

"Much," replied Mei after swallowing some of her sandwich, her ears burning with embarrassment at the contact, but grateful that Yuzu kept her hand in one location. "It sounds like he's having a lovely time, but I'm still worried. A lot can happen, and we won't be there to help him, and he said that if he does well he may have to stay until the end of next month and I don't want him to fall behind in his schoolwork."

"He'll be fine." Yuzu wiped her mouth and placed a soft kiss on Mei's cheek before lifting her hand and placing it on her wife's. "He's a smart kid, and I'm sure they'll put his education first. If it becomes a problem, we can talk to the school about doing online courses if he has to stay longer."

"That's only part of the problem." Mei shifted her head and rested it against Yuzu's and closed her eyes. "I'm worried about him living alone and having no one there to help him. I may have gotten through it but Hideki's different. He's not used to being alone; what if he begins to break down and can't pull himself up?"

"That's not going to happen." Yuzu rubbed her head against Mei's cheek and squeezed her hand tighter before continuing. "I mean, you're right that Hideki's never really been alone. He's always had someone there to watch him and save for that stunt he pulled earlier this year he's a good kid. But I trust him, and I think he'll be fine. Besides he knows that if he screws up and gets sent home for doing something stupid he's going to have four pissed off parents getting on his case, so I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"I suppose you're right," said Mei, resigned to the fact that some of her worries were somewhat unfounded, "and you're right that he's never given us a reason to distrust him. Though stealing beer and liquor from you and Udagawa and going out drinking with his friends in the middle of the night shouldn't be written off as a mere stunt."

"You're right." Yuzu popped one last piece of watermelon in her mouth before stealing the last bite of Mei's sandwich, swallowed, and said, "He was a complete dumbass."

Despite her disapproval of the word, Mei managed a smirk and nodded in agreement.

"He was." Mei shifted her gaze to Airi and smiled when she saw how happy their daughter was as she sat up and began saying goodbye to her brother. "But he's learned his lesson and if you think we can trust him then so will I. But I am curious about if you'd be reacting this way if it was Airi?"

"That depends on what kind of teen she turns out to be." Yuzu waved Airi her to them and smiled when she came running. "But I'm not worried. Not with you as her mom."

Mei tried to find the words, but before she could, Airi climbed across them and handed Yuzu back her phone and said, "I'm all done!"

"Thank you."

Yuzu took the phone and pinched Airi's nose before checking her phone and wasn't surprised to see that Hideki had hung up.

Putting it in her pocket, Yuzu turned to see Airi sitting in Mei's lap with her mother holding their daughter in the same comforting manner she carried Kumagorou when she needed to relax in an attempt to hide her beet-red face.

"All right," grunted Yuzu as she stood up and began picking up their trash. "We gotta get moving or else we're going to be wasting time driving when we can be having fun. Airi, you take this and the rest of the trash while Mommy and I pick up the food."

Airi nodded and climbed out of Mei's lap and gathered the trash Yuzu had picked up and grabbed the remaining trash before running off to the garbage while Yuzu helped Mei with the leftovers and managed to sneak in a quick kiss before Airi came back and began pestering Yuzu for her phone.

"Why do you want Mama's phone," asked Mei as she climbed into the back seat with Airi and began trying to figure out where Airi had hidden the movie she was watching earlier.

"Cuz Hideki said he'd send pictures before he went to bed," explained Airi as she attempted to buckle herself in only to have Yuzu take over for her. "He said they take pictures of him and the other kids practicing and I wanna see them."

"Pictures, huh?" Yuzu pulled out her phone and watched as Mei's hands stopped moving across the tablet at the possibility of seeing pictures of Hideki dancing. Taking a moment, Yuzu checked her email account and text messages but saw nothing from Hideki.

"Sorry, Airi, no pictures yet." Yuzu put the phone back into her pocket and stopped when she saw the massive scowl that had spread across Airi's face.

"Quit it," commanded Yuzu, flicking Airi in the forehead. "Making that face isn't going to make him send the pictures. He's tired, and he probably fell asleep while sending it. I'm sure he'll send it when he wakes up, he made you a promise didn't he?"

"I guess," huffed Airi as Yuzu ruffled her hair and Mei handed her the tablet with the movie ready to play. "I miss him."

"So do we," said Mei while buckling herself in. "But for now why don't we spend this time enjoying our trip and let your brother relax."

"All right."

Resting the tablet in her lap, Airi remained mostly silent for the remainder of the trip, save for occasionally telling Mei about something she saw in the movie or the show they'd switched to once the film was over.

Yuzu, on the other hand, remained focused on the road and allowed Mei and Airi to have some time alone which was good as it kept Mei from probing for any information about where Yuzu was taking them, that is until they entered the town mountain town where they were supposedly staying.

"Wow," exclaimed Airi staring out at all of the pre-festival decorations that were being set up. "Are we staying here Mama? Are we staying at a hotel? Or an inn with a big bath."

"Sort of," answered Yuzu, rolling down the window to allow the fresh air and delicious scents from the street stalls to enter the car and sighing happily. "But we're gonna be staying at a traditional inn when we're done with all of our other stuff."

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Mei turned the attention she'd had focused on one of the local shrines to her wife, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And what do you mean by 'other stuff'?"

"You already know part of that answer," chuckled Yuzu with a wink. "But you'll see in a few minutes what I mean about the rest of it."

"I think I already have the answer," sighed Mei pointing out the front of the car at a sign saying they were only a few kilometers away from a local campsite.

"Dang it." Yuzu laughed as she took the exit leading to the small check-in station that led to the campgrounds. "Guess I should have realized you'd figure it out once we left the town."

"It's all right," said Mei as she ran her fingernail along the back of Yuzu's neck making her wife shiver, "I'm glad we're spending a few days in a quiet place. It'll give us all some much needed time alone."

"Glad you approve," chuckled Yuzu nervously brushing Mei's hand away as the attendant came out, handing over her license and their reservation.

After a quick examination of the car, they were given a map to their spot and waved through just as another car pulled up.

"This is pretty." Airi's voice grew as they forest housing the attendant's office opened up to reveal a vast expanse of fields and tents hidden inside a valley. "See Mommy? There's a big river over there and some mountains and look there are kids here too."

"There certainly are," said Mei, smiling at Airi's amazement, though worried about the drop in tone that Airi made when she mentioned the kids while Yuzu parked the car and let out a loud groan. "Do you want to try and make some friends while we're here?"

"Maybe." Airi's voice trailed off from excitement into uncertainty which neither of her mothers blamed her for after everything they'd heard.

Before they left, they'd made it a point to spend some time with the head of Airi's music school discussing some of the issues she had been having with the other kids.

At first, she'd been a little unsure of their concerns, but after discussing it with the instructors most familiar with Airi's temperament that there were times Airi shied away from having to sit next to certain students. Though initially, she wrote it off as kids being kids until she heard just how often it occurred.

After ensuring that the woman would put in the energy at investigating the situation under a thinly veiled threat of removing Airi and Hideki from their courses and the prospect of having to face the lawyers Mei had at her disposal, they left with their minds slightly more at ease, though worried if they'd made things worse.

However, they couldn't change the situation and as Yuzu prepared to let them out of the car, Mei asked for a few minutes alone with Airi which the blonde was willing to do, though she did take a moment to ask Mei if there was a problem.

"I just want a minute with her. Is that all right?

"Sure." Yuzu nodded and grabbed the map the attendant had given them pointed off in the distance. "Airi, I'm going to go check how long the bathhouse is open so we can take one after we're set up and have dinner. You stay with Mommy okay?"

Airi nodded, staring out the window at a large group of kids playing and gasped when a few of them pointed at her causing her to slide down into her car seat.

"You'll be safe Airi," said Yuzu unbuckling her seatbelt and turning her to face her daughter. "Mommy and I are and so don't be scared, okay?"

"Okay." Airi unbuckled her seat and hugged Yuzu and whispered, "Come back soon."

"I will." Yuzu squeezed Airi, kissed her cheek, and winked as she messed her daughter's hair. "Be good for Mommy, and I'll be back in a few minutes with a cart, and we can go set up the tents and start having some fun."

Airi nodded and Yuzu winked at Mei before getting out of the car and waved at them as she ran off toward a large building in the distance while Airi watched her retreating.

"She'll be fine," said Mei lifting Airi into her lap and cuddling her. "But she's worried about you. Are you sure that you don't want to play with the other kids? They seem friendly enough."

"They were pointing at me."

Airi began playing with the rings on Mei's left hand and leaned back to look into her mother's purple eyes as she quietly said, "The kids at music class point at me before they pick on me."

"I know." Mei clutched her daughter tighter, remembering how scared Airi had looked explaining to her music school director about what the kids would do to her. "But you have friends at your kindergarten, friends that come over and play and spend the night some times. They don't pick on you, and you have fun playing with them, so why don't you try giving these kids a chance?"

"Maybe." Airi turned her attention back to Mei's rings and let out a loud sigh. "Mommy did you have lots of friends when you were in school?"

"No," answered Mei honestly, remembering how lonely her life was before Yuzu had entered it. "I only had one friend, your Aunt Himeko, and it was like that for a long time until I met Mama. But I have friends now because I learned to open myself to trusting people and I want you to try that as well, so you don't end up as lonely as I was."

"Do I have to?" Airi looked out the window and saw that some of the kids who'd pointed at her previously were still staring at the car, perplexed why no one else had come out. "What if they trick me by being nice then pick on me later?"

"That's possible." Mei heard Airi groan at the possibility of being teased, but honesty was the thing Mei felt Airi needed most at the moment. "But it's also possible that they'll be genuinely nice to you which is the most likely situation. Nobody's perfect Airi, and sometimes people are mean because they get mad or because they think a joke is funny when it's not, and there's no avoiding it. But I can promise you that the reward is almost always worth the risk Airi, but only if you're willing to take it."

"I don't know." Airi watched as one of the kids waved at her, but refused to acknowledge it and instead focused on a smiling Yuzu who was pushing a cart and practically bouncing with each step. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course you can," Mei smiled when she saw Yuzu waving at them and pointed out the windshield at her approaching wife, "and if you decide that you want to try, and you're scared Mama and I will go with you to make sure nothing bad happens."

"Promise?" Airi shifted in Mei's lap and proceeded to rest her head on Mei's breast, hearing the familiar, comforting sound of her mother's heartbeat.

"I promise."

Mei held her daughter close while Yuzu disappeared around the back for a moment before rounding the car and opening it, her face filled with a smile.

"You two have a good talk," asked Yuzu climbing in next to them and stroking Airi's hair.

"Kinda." Airi climbed out of Mei's lap and into Yuzu's and proceeded to listen to her mother's heartbeat. "Mommy said I don't have to play with the other kids if I don't want to. Is that true?"

"Sure," answered Yuzu, holding her daughter close and resting her head in her daughter's soft hair. "But if they come up to you, you have to promise me that you'll be nice and try to get along with them."

"Okay." Airi sighed and gripped Yuzu's shirt. "Mommy said that if they're mean you guys'll protect me. Is that true?"

"You know it is." Yuzu lifted Airi's face towards hers and pressed her forehead against it, hoping that it helped her daughter calm down. "Mommy and I will always protect you.; Hideki too. And you'll protect us, right?"

"Uh huh," giggled Airi rubbing her forehead and nose against Yuzus. "I'll grow up big and strong so I can protect you and Mommy."

"That's my girl." Yuzu kissed Airi's forehead and tickled her cheeks making her giggle even more before pulling her back into a tight hug. "Feel better?"

"A little." Airi turned to Mei who was smiling at her. "I'm sorry I'm not feeling all the way better."

"That's nothing to apologize for Airi." Mei stroked her daughter's cheek and smiled at her. "Feeling better doesn't have to come all at once; what matters is that we make an attempt."

"Yes, Mommy." Airi shifted to Mei and pressed her forehead against Mei's while wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Good girl." Mei nuzzled Airi back and when they parted was happy to see Airi smiling at her.

"There's our little girl," said Yuzu brushing some hair out of Airi's face and kissing her cheek. "You ready to have some fun?

Airi nodded excitedly and smiled as she shouted, "You bet!"