After the ceremony, Kuon and Kyoko walked out of the castle and out into the light of the setting sun. They kissed on the castle steps and held each other, soaking in the moment… until Julie appeared at Kyoko's elbow.

"We have to go get you changed for the reception!"

Kyoko stared at her blankly. "Wha-? But, this dress is fine!"

Julie shook her head. "It's a beautiful ceremony dress. Your reception dress has to be something you can dance in!" She detached her from Kuon and dragged her away toward the trailer, shouting, "Be right back, sweetheart!" to her son.

They changed Kyoko into a gown reminiscent of Cinderella's. It was a silvery white sparkling ballgown with a massive full skirt, petticoat and puff sleeves. Kyoko hopped up and down in front of the mirror, turning this way and that to admire the skirt. "It's so poofy!"

Julie laughed, pleased to see her having so much fun. "We'll get you back to Kuon, and we'll get some pictures in front of the castle and then head to the reception."

When they got back to Kuon, he smiled warmly at Kyoko's dress. He took her by the hand and spun her in a slow circle so he could admire the whole thing.

"You're gorgeous, Princess."

She blushed and curtsied. "Thank you."

The guests had filtered out into the castle garden where the reception was being held, except for the wedding party, close friends, and their families that had been wrangled for pictures. The photographer started organizing everyone, calling for family first. Kuu and Julie came to stand near Kyoko and Kuon. Julie's father, Eltra, squeezed into the picture as well. "Is that everyone?" asked the photographer.

Kyoko looked around and found Saena standing off to the side. She had her cellphone out, rapidly taking pictures. "Mother," Kyoko called to her, "Do you want to be in the pictures?"

Saena cleared her throat and pocketed her phone. She wore a simple black business suit, her hair in a bun at the back of her head. "If you want me to." She came to stand on the other side of Kyoko, feeling a bit odd to be in a picture with Shuuhei Hozu and his wife. She wasn't entirely certain how Kyoko had come to be adopted by them. She whispered a quiet, "Thank you" to her daughter before the photographer started taking pictures.

They took pictures of the whole family, then Kyoko with Kuu and Julie, then Kuon with Kuu and Julie, and then Kyoko and Saena. The photographer tried to get Saena to smile, but only managed something akin to a pained grimace. Kyoko didn't mind, however. She knew that her mother was going to continue to be herself, and that was just how she was.

They finished the family pictures and moved on to friends. Kyoko struck a handful of silly poses with Kanae and Chiori, and even Ayame in her sexy red dress. She took a picture with Sho, who was forced into it by Shoko. Kuon took pictures with Yashiro and Kijima, who struck a gangster pose with Kuon's bump.

Once they finished with the pictures, Kuon asked that they all head to the reception to give Kyoko and himself some time alone to get ready for their grand entrance.

The Dayjowey Land castle garden was made to look like the maze from Allie in Underland, with character topiaries throughout, and colorful flowers, many of which Kyoko was unable to name. Kuon and Kyoko walked hand-in-hand toward the center of the maze, followed closely by a videographer and the photographer.

Kyoko felt like she might float out of her shoes. She couldn't believe that she had just married the man of her dreams in the venue of her dreams, surrounded by all of her favorite people. She leaned against his arm as they walked. "This is so amazing, Kuon. Thank you."

He squeezed her hand as they continued deeper into the maze. "I'm so glad you like it." He felt like the luckiest man in the world. They had a lot to overcome, regarding raising three children and announcing their relationship to the public, but he knew that they were going to be okay.

The hedges broke into an open archway in front of them, and Kyoko gasped as they passed under it. The center of the maze was a massive open area with a white tile dancefloor. Fairylights hung in strands overhead, glowing softly against the darkening evening sky. The guest tables were set up all around the outside of the dance floor, and a live band was playing a light classical tune.

"Please welcome the newly married couple, Ren and Kyoko!"

Kuon walked Kyoko to the middle of the dance floor and twirled her so that her skirt floated out around her, to much applause and whooping. The band changed the music to a slow dance, and Kuon and Kyoko had their first dance. She petted his belly as they danced in a slow circle, content in the moment. When the song ended, the guests clapped, and the emcee boomed out over the mic again.

"And now, the bride and groom will cut the cake!"

Kyoko looked around for it, and Kuon chuckled and pointed to the corner where their cake stood on a massive table. Her mouth fell open as she hurried over to look at it. It was massive, covered in scrollwork, roses, and glitter. It was topped by a huge bouquet of pink and white roses with ivy that trailed down the sides. Her eyes filled with tears. "It's so pretty! Do we have to eat it!?"

Kuon appeared at her side, laughing. "If we don't, the ants will." He kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry, they're getting plenty of pictures of it." They picked up a beautiful silver cake knife from the table and cut the cake together. When they finished, they took their places at the head table to await their dinner. The servers wheeled out several golden carts and began bringing plates to the tables. Kyoko's mouth watered as they put a plate of tempura and sushi before her. She paused for a moment and looked around at the tables, then she looked over at Kuon, who was inhaling his sushi.

"Corn, where are Yashiro and Ayame? I don't see them." She wanted to locate them so she could thank them for taking care of so many details, including the menu.

Kuon looked over the tables and shrugged. "Probably taking care of something. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

They ate their dinner and then went around to the tables to talk to the guests and thank them for coming. Most everyone was pleasantly surprised that they had gotten married, though a few of them had accurately predicted that outcome. Itsumi Momose was gloating a bit at the table for their fellow Dark Moon cast members. "I told you," she said, "I said they were cute together all the way back then!"

The mood at the Yappa Kimagure Rock table was less festive. Shinichi and Yuusei were present, but Hikaru was conspicuously absent. When questioned about the whereabouts of their missing brother, Shinichi had blushed and chuckled a bit. "Hikaru isn't feeling well. He decided to call it a night early. But, he said to congratulate you guys and give you his best." Kyoko expressed her wishes for Hikaru's speedy recovery before moving on to the next table; Kuon surmised, from the daggers stared at him by the other Ishibashis behind Kyoko's back, that Hikaru was probably nursing a broken heart. He felt a little bad… but only a little.

Kyoko stopped Kuon for a moment. "I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back." She grabbed Kanae away from the head table, where Kijima was doing his best to flirt with her, and they followed the little wooden signs through the maze to the bathrooms nearby.

They went to the end, to the larger stall for people with disabilities, where they would have more room to work with the skirt of the dress, only to find that it was closed and locked. Kanae cleared her throat, shamelessly.

"Excuse me, but will you be a while? Kyoko-chan has to go and her skirt is too big for the other stalls." She knew that the inhabitant had to be a wedding guest; the park was closed to the general public for the night.

There was a brief pause and then a feminine voice spoke. "...Right. Just a moment."

There was some shuffling of multiple sets of feet, the straightening of clothing, and the zipping of zippers. The door opened a minute later and Ayame stepped out… followed closely by a bedraggled-looking Yashiro, who was doing his best to look innocent.

They said very little to Kyoko and Kanae, who were staring at them, awestricken, and disappeared out of the bathroom.

Kyoko stared after them, her mouth agape. "Were they–!?"

Kanae hurried her into the stall, trying not to think of what had been happening within it only a few minutes before.

When they got back to the reception, the emcee called Kyoko over to get her ready for the bouquet toss. They called all of the single ladies out to the dance floor. Kanae hung back; she had zero desire to be 'next'. Maria Takarada also stayed seated at her table, pushing her sushi around her plate with her chopsticks; she had planned to grow up and marry Ren, and if he was already married, what was the point? Not that she could be angry with her onee-san. She knew she'd get over it with time.

Kyoko tossed the bouquet high up into the air behind her. There was a frenzied bit of pushing and shoving to get under it, and then it landed… in the hands of Jelly Woods. She waved it victoriously over her head to a round of applause from the other guests. Lory, who had changed out of his pope robes and into a tailored suit watched, smirking, from his spot beside Maria. He hadn't intended on getting married again after Kouki's mother, but…

Kyoko went to Kuon, who was grabbing another piece of cake, and slipped her arm around his waist. "How are you feeling?"

He smiled down at her and gave her a squeeze. "Fine. My feet are pretty swollen, so Kijima helped me get my shoes off, but otherwise, I'm good." He gestured around at everything. "Are you having fun?"

"It's everything I ever dreamed it would be!," she answered, the fairy lights dancing in her eyes.

He kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad." He took a bite of his cake, and then grimaced and set the plate down on the table. "Agh."

Kyoko tilted her head. "Something wrong with the cake?"

He shook his head, steadying himself on the table with one hand and cradling his belly with the other. "Another cramp. It'll pass."

Kyoko frowned. " Another one? How long has this been going on!?"

He gave her a sheepish smile. "A couple of hours." By 'a couple of hours' what he really meant was 'all day'.

"Kuon…"

He smiled at her. "It's okay, I promise. It's not–" he winced as the cramp sharpened. He had wanted to say 'it's not serious', but the pain drove the breath from his body. Then it felt like something was separating, ripping open, between his legs. He fell to his knees.

Kyoko dropped down beside him. "Kuon!"

Julie appeared on his other side. "Baby, are you okay!?"

He shook his head, unable to speak. He had once been kicked in the balls on the playground as a child; that pain paled in comparison. His former thought of giving birth like a hyena, his penis splitting like a hotdog that had been microwaved for too long, overtook him. He began to panic.

Kyoko yelled over her shoulder to Kanae. "Moko-san! Call 119!"

Kanae called an ambulance, and one appeared within just a few minutes. They loaded Kuon up and drove to the hospital.

When they got there, they admitted Kuon and put him in his own room in labor and delivery, and changed him into a hospital gown. Kyoko paced by the bedside in her wedding dress, panicking. It was still a week out from when the babies were due to be born. They were already going to be early at 32 weeks. At 31 weeks, they were even earlier than that.

Doctor Kojima entered the room and pulled some gloves on. "Tsuruga-san. I hear that you're in some distress."

Kuon lay in the bed, doubled over like a shrimp, barely able to speak. The pain between his legs had subsided, but the pain in his abdomen had grown. Doctor Kojima took his silence as confirmation that life was not being kind to him, and approached the bed.

"Feet in the stirrups please, Tsuruga-san."

Kuon lifted his head and stared at the Doctor. "I thought you said I was having a c-section?," he said weakly.

The doctor nodded. "You are. But we need to confirm something first."

Kuon rolled over and did as the doctor asked. Doctor Kojima peeked under his gown. "Ah. Yep. There it is. The Mangina."

Kyoko's eyes widened. "The–the mangina!?"

The Doctor nodded. "In some cases of mpreg use, a pseudo-vagina erupts when labor begins."

Kuon sat up in bed, despite the pain. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN MANGINA!? NO ONE EVER MENTIONED TO ME ANYTHING ABOUT A FUCKING MANGINA!" If he could have, he'd have throttled the doctor.

Doctor Kojima nodded. "Because it's such a… rare… situation. It only happened in less than 1% of the clinical test subjects."

Kuon's eye twitched. "You should still mention it, even if it's only a REMOTE possibility!"

Doctor Kojima gave him a warm smile. "I'll keep that in mind for next time. Now, I need to check your cervix, Tsuruga-san."

Kuon blinked. "Cervix? I–wha–WHOA WHAT!? HEY!" He shuddered in discomfort as the doctor checked the cervix that he had apparently grown.

"You're dilated to 7 centimeters. I'm going to suggest an emergency c-section."

Kyoko took hold of Kuon's hand. "Is there no way to stop it until next week?" She was terrified for their babies.

The doctor shook his head. "Not this late in the game. We'll take good care of them, though. Don't worry about it."

They made Kyoko change into some scrubs while they gave Kuon a spinal block, and then they wheeled Kuon back to the operating room. They set up a screen so he couldn't see what was happening, and Kyoko sat down next to his head. She held his hand while they waited for the operation to begin, both much too scared to make small talk.

"I'm beginning the incision now, Tsuruga-san. You may feel some pressure."

Kuon's hand tightened on Kyoko's as the doctor worked behind the curtain. Within just a few moments of the first incision being made, there was a soft whimpering noise as the first baby made his way into the world.

"A's out." The doctor handed Kuzen Eric Hizuri off to a nurse, who whisked him away to an incubator that was on standby.

Not a moment later, the doctor was handing the second baby to the nurse. "And here's B." Jiro didn't make any noise at all upon being born, which made his parents extremely nervous. The nurse moved quickly to bring him to the NICU team across the room, and then hurried back to the doctor's side.

"And Baby C. Who is a girl, by the way."

Kyoko's eyes filled with tears as she watched the doctor pass her tiny newborn daughter to the NICU nurse. She was even smaller than the two boys had been, and looked so fragile. Kyoko wanted to burst into tears, but she had to remain strong for Kuon.

He looked up at Kyoko. "Do they look okay?"

She nodded. "They're really small, but they're okay." She kissed his forehead. "You're doing great."

The doctor removed Kuon's uterus and closed him up, gave him the vasectomy that he had asked for, and they brought him back to his room to recover. Kyoko held his hand as the anesthesia began to wear off.

"Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?"

He groaned. "They did the vasectomy, right?"

Kyoko blushed. "Yes."

He smirked. "Then I'm good." Never again, he thought with great relief.

Kyoko kissed his forehead. "You did great, you know."

He gave her a druggy smile. "Thank you, Kyoko-chan."

An hour later, Doctor Kojima appeared.

"I've just been down to the NICU to see the babies. All things considered, they're doing well."

Kuon and Kyoko breathed a matching sigh of relief. They had been worried that something would go horribly wrong. The doctor continued.

"Tsuruga-san, I want you to rest for about the next 12 hours, and then we'll have someone come help you walk a bit. If you would like to visit your babies in the NICU at that time, you are welcome to do so."

"Uh…" started Kuon, "Doc… is the uh… mangina gonna go away?" He hadn't wanted to ask about the mangina in front of Kyoko, but he absolutely had to know if it would go away on its own.

The Doctor nodded. "It should close soon, within the next couple of days. As long as you don't put anything in it."

Kuon looked at the doctor with a thousand yard stare. He most certainly would not be putting anything in his mangina.

The doctor did a quick examination of Kuon's staples and made sure he was comfortable. "Ah," he said, "Before I forget. Half of your wedding party seems to be in our waiting room. Would you like me to let them know that everything is okay, or would you…?"

Kyoko got to her feet. "I'll go tell them everything's okay. I have to get my phone from Moko-san anyway so I can get pictures of the babies." She leaned over Kuon and put her forehead against his. "Are you going to be okay without me for a few minutes?"

He nodded. "Go ahead. I'm gonna nap, I think." It was about 11:00 pm, and he had just gotten married, had a c-section, hysterectomy, and vasectomy. He was completely fried.

Kyoko kissed his forehead. "I'll be back soon." She left the room and followed the signs to the waiting room. When she opened the double doors, she found Julie pacing. Kuu was leaning against a wall nearby, much to the amazement of some of the other people in the waiting room. Saena sat in a chair, her back ramrod straight, the River Mogami running deep across her brow. Kanae was gathered with Yashiro and Ayame in a corner having a discussion.

When Julie saw her, she raced over to her. "Is he okay!? Are the babies okay!?" She was frantic. Kyoko took her hands in an attempt to calm her down. The others came to stand around them.

"He's fine, and they're doing as well as can be expected."

Julie burst into tears of relief and hugged her. "Oh, thank goodness!"

Kuu blinked. "Wait… does that mean that they're here, then!?"

Kyoko nodded over Julie's shoulder. "He had an emergency c-section. The babies were born about an hour ago."

Julie held her at arm's length, her face grave. " What is Baby C?" Julie had been dying to know if she had a granddaughter. She wanted a little girl to put in tiny dresses and bows in her hair and take her to fashion shows and spoil her absolutely rotten…

Kyoko smiled widely. "Baby C is a girl."

A cheer went up and Julie hugged Kyoko again.

Kuu patted Kyoko's head as Julie released her. "Any idea when we can visit yet?"

Kyoko frowned. "It… might be a while. I'll let you know when they say it's okay. We want to announce their names once everyone gets to meet them."

Kanae pulled Kyoko's phone out of her purse and handed it to her. "Well, if I can't see them, I'm going to go home for the night. Let me know if you need anything." Kyoko hugged her best friend who, grudgingly, hugged her back. Ayame and Yashiro came next.

"We'll be in touch later to figure out what you want released to the public and when." Yashiro said.

Ayame nodded. "And I'll stop by your place and get you a change of clothes so you can get out of those scrubs."

Yashiro nodded and looked at Ayame. "I'll come with you. I have to get something for Ren, as well."

Kyoko hoped that they would not have sex in her and Kuon's apartment. "Thank you both."

Kuu put a hand on Julie's shoulder. "We should go back to the hotel for the night, love. Give Kuon some time to rest, and we'll come see him later."

Julie sighed. "I know you're right. It's just hard to leave when I know what he's been through."

Kyoko wiggled her phone at Julie. "I'll have him call you when he's feeling up to it."

Her mother-in-law smiled at that and nodded. "I'll take it."

They all said their goodbyes and left the room, leaving Kyoko alone… with Saena. Her mother got to her feet and came to stand in front of her, looking a bit stiff and awkward.

"I'm glad they're all okay," she said, not quite sure of what was expected of her at that moment. She did care about them; she just wasn't sure how to show it, or if she were really allowed to.

Kyoko nodded. "Thank you for coming. I want to tell you… we decided to name our daughter Yukina."

Saena blinked. The name 'Yukina' meant 'forgiveness'.

Kyoko continued. "I want us, Yukina and I, to have a good relationship. And I think that starts with me forgiving you, and us moving forward. I know that we're never going to have a very close relationship, but I want you to know that I forgive you."

Saena swallowed her feelings down. Though her eyes were misty, she would not, could not, cry in a public place. "Thank you." It was almost a whisper. She cleared her throat. "Please let me know if you need anything."

To Saena's surprise, Kyoko hugged her. "I will."

Saena hugged her back, and then whispered, "I'm proud of you, Kyoko."

Kyoko pulled back, her eyes wide. "I–what?"

Saena wiped a single tear off of her cheek; it was the only one that she would allow herself. "You've done well, and I'm proud of you."

Kyoko clenched her jaw so she wouldn't burst into tears, and bowed to her mother. "Thank you, Mother." It was almost midnight on December 25th, and finally after so many years, Kyoko's birthday wish had been granted.

I hope you all will forgive me for the two week gap here. We got hit by a storm two weeks ago that included FIVE tornadoes, and much of where I live was left without power for the better part of a week. THEN, I also have had a shit ton of doctors appointments, so it's been hectic. We should be back on schedule now, though. Thank you to my readers. I hope this chapter was well worth the wait. - BO