Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: Forever With You (#4602)
Author: isilelensar
Chapters: 17

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Archive: Haikyu!!
Category: Alternate Universe
Description: Semi played his guitar and started singing the lullaby one last time, softly this time, remembering the words his mother sang to him. At first, he didn’t hear the lady behind the hedgerow, but then her voice became a little stronger. Her mezzo soprano harmonized with his baritone, and it was perfect. They sang until the lullaby ended, and he stopped playing. He stood up and turned around slowly, seeing her face for the first time. She really was an angel.
Published: 06 Aug 2022
Updated: 29 Aug 2022
Warnings: canondivergent, semiyachi
Type: Romance
Characters: Semi Eita, Yachi Hitoka


Chapter 1 - One

“Oh! Be careful, Yuki!” Hitoka cried worriedly, reaching out to steady the wobbly little boy. But, he caught himself and was already running after his giggling twin brother Haru, as they played in the garden outside the nursery.

Lowering her arms, she shook her head at the two rambunctious little boys, so full of energy. She’d been working in the royal nursery for a year now, and she couldn’t be happier. There was no pressure to keep things in pristine condition each and every day, no expectations to do her best to please dignitaries and other royal visitors. No chance to run into… anyone.

She stayed with the children, both at Nekoma, and on the Crow Islands, which suited her perfectly. Besides, the prince consort, Tsukishima, had recently granted her request and made her a nanny for his sons. She had royal permission to stay in the nursery, and she fully intended to fulfill her duties to the best of her abilities.

From beside her, the sparkling sound of baby-ish laughter filled the air, and she smiled, turning to pick up her little girl. At ten months, Aiko was only just learning to walk, but still preferred to crawl. And she made a valiant effort to crawl toward Yuki and Haru, but made it only so far as the edge of the blanket. Aiko was an angel, laughing at the boys instead of screeching for them to pay attention to her. With bright golden curls and sky blue eyes, she was also the darling of the nursery. Second only to the boys.

Nevermind that there were only the three of them in the nursery.

“Soon you’ll be walking and running just like them, darling,” she said softly to her daughter, gently rocking her and humming a little tune. “They’ll be happy to play with you, won’t they?” Aiko cooed, waving her chubby little arms and reaching up to pat her face.

As if they’d been summoned, Yuki and Haru made their way back to her, reaching up with little hands to pat Aiko and smile at her. For a little while longer, these three would be almost like siblings to each other, and the center of her life. At least until the time came for the boys to start their education. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what would happen then, because once they begin their schooling, she wouldn’t be needed too much anymore. Her duties would be split with their tutors.

And because neither she, nor Aiko had an ounce of royal blood in their veins, the three of them would see less of each other too. Hitoka blinked away her tears. This wasn’t the time to be emotional, not in front of them.

“I see they’re doting on your daughter again,” a familiar, kind voice said from behind her, and Hitoka looked back.
“DADA!!” the boys cried, running to the prince consort, and startling Aiko enough to make her blue eyes well up with tears.
“Shhh, sweetie, it’s okay,” Hitoka swayed with her baby, calming her before she could really start crying. She would have stood up to greet Tsukishima properly, but she felt his hand on her shoulder, keeping her down.
“No, you stay there. I just came to see if you needed anything?”
He reached out with a long, slender finger and stroked Aiko’s chubby, damp cheek. Her little angel squealed with laughter, and latched onto the digit with her own.
“Oh, no! I’m fine! Thank you, your highness.”
“Yacchan, you can call me Tsuki, you know.”
She sighed. “I know.” With care, she pried her daughter’s hand from the prince’s finger.
He smiled and then tousled the hair on his sons’ heads.
“I’ll be back for dinnertime, okay, babies?”
“Okay!” Haru scampered off again, his dark head bobbing with each step.
“Want Papa,” Yuki said quietly, reaching both arms for his dada to pick him up. Which he did, as always the doting father.
“Come on, then. Papa will be happy to see you!”

Yuki snuggled his little blond head into his father’s neck. He was the miniature version of Prince Tsukishima… no, Prince Tsuki… and it made Hitoka smile. Of course, once Haru figured out Yuki wasn’t chasing him, he came racing back to wrap his little arms around Tsuki’s leg.

“Me, too, Dada! Me, too!”
“Oh, alright, you too!”
He laughed as he swung around and started walking awkwardly toward the nursery. It was difficult walking with a three year old attached to your leg, but Haru was laughing wildly, and no one would dare to deny him his fun. Before he went inside, Prince Tsuki turned to face Hitoka.
“Wanna come? Tetsu’s been asking about Aiko…”
“Thank you, but no.” She looked down at her daughter, who was sleeping soundly. “Maybe next time,” she said quietly, holding a finger up to her mouth and then pointing at her sleeping baby.
Prince Tsuki nodded and smiled gently. “Maybe next time,” he agreed. “Haru, hush now. The baby is sleeping.”
“Yes, Dada,” the little one replied with an exaggerated hush. “Bye bye, Aiko!” he waved a tiny hand at Hitoka, who giggled and waved back.

Placing Aiko on the blanket, she covered her with a light blanket, and then curled up beside her baby. The weather was perfectly warm, the breeze off the ocean was cool, and life on the Crow Islands was as peaceful as always. Hitoka smiled as Aiko gripped her finger in her tiny hand. It was a good time for a nap, after all.

~*~

“You have a few days to spare before you have to be at Nekoma, your grace,” Eita heard his advisor say from behind him. “But, until then, your schedule is clear.”
“Thanks, Taichi,” he said quietly. Leaning against the railing of his yacht, he squinted at the blue expanse of the ocean sliding by, and then up at the sky. “Isn’t there an archipelago nearby?”
He heard the rustling of paper and grinned. “The Crow Islands, your grace.” The answer came from his second advisor, Kenjiro. “The current Chieftain is Prince Kei Tsukishima, who took over for his father a year ago.”
“Hmmm…” Eita already knew all that, but he stayed silent and stared at the horizon thoughtfully. “I was under the impression Kuroo ruled over both the Crow Islands and his own principality.”
“He did for a short time. But, they changed the rules. Kuroo rules over the principality, Tsukishima is in charge of the archipelago. They rule jointly.”
“And that works?” Eita asked. He could just hear Kenjiro’s shrug.
“There hasn’t been anything to suggest otherwise, sir.”

He was quiet for a little while, scanning the water, feeling the breeze through his hair and playing with his clothes, finally seeing a hint of land far out on the horizon. His curiosity was getting the better of him. The Crow Islands were said to be almost primitive, but the young chieftain had been doing his best to ‘upgrade’ his small nation. Of course, he had Nekoma to back him up, but in the time he’d taken over the chieftaincy, he’d managed to bring them up to reliable cell service in addition to the aging landlines. All within his budget, in order to not put undue strain on Nekoma’s purse strings. Which was amusing, since everyone knew Nekoma’s vaults were, well, fathomless.

“Let’s go to the Crow Islands,” he finally said, turning to face his patiently waiting advisors. “I'm curious.”
“I’ll inform the captain, your grace,” Kenjiro said shortly, bowing crisply, and retreating down to the cockpit.
Eita shook his head at the younger man and then started walking down the stairs to the main deck. “When am I expected to be at Nekoma?”
“By the end of the week, your grace,” Taichi replied. “You’ll need at least one day to meet with Kuroo, and get settled into your rooms.”
“But otherwise, I have, what, two days?”
“I believe so, your grace.”
Eita stopped and turned to face his advisor… and best friend.
“I have an idea, Taichi.”
His advisor dropped his formal attitude quickly. “Oh really? Nothing too elaborate, I hope?” But he was smiling. “Tell me!”
“We’ll go incognito, Taichi. We’ll dress plainly, and we can explore the islands, like tourists!”
“And you’ll have your guitar, won’t you?”
“Well, yeah, duh. It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to play. My fingers are itching.”
“I’m sure they are. What else do you have planned?”
“Nothing, really. Just spending a couple days with literally no goal in mind. Stealing a little R&R, you know?”
“Right,” Taichi agreed. “Well, if we’re going incognito, what are we going to do with Kenjiro?”
“Leave him on the yacht? He couldn’t do incognito if he tried. And he’s just pompous enough to throw my title around. Due respect to the crown, and all that.”
“He’s new, Semi. He takes his role seriously.”
“That he does, and I appreciate it. But sometimes, he takes it way too seriously, ya know?”
“Is that why you acted as if you didn’t know Kuroo and Tsuki?”
Eita nodded gleefully. “Kenjiro needs to loosen up, anyway. Why not tease him occasionally?”
“On that note, he went to go speak with the captain about stopping at the Crow Islands, right?”
“Right.”
“Since he knows where we’re heading, don’t you think he might take the initiative to call ahead…?”

Eita veered toward the cockpit, immediately changing course from the stairs that would lead down to his quarters. It might already be too late to stop Kenjiro, but he hoped that any calls made would be to anyone of rank who might be there. He didn’t want to make this any kind of official, or even social, visit. He was only going to explore by day, and come back to his yacht at night. No important meetings, no discussing politics, no boring hours doing anything that resembled work. He was only going to be visiting for two days, and he meant to have fun while he was there.

“Kenjiro!” he called out when he entered the cockpit, and just as his advisor put the phone down on its cradle.
“Yes, your grace?”
“Who did you just get off the phone with?”
“His name is Nishinoya, sir.”
“Who is he?”
Taichi gave him a pointed look; Eita waved it off.
“One of Prince Tsukishima’s attendants, sir.” His head tilted to the side. “Is there a problem?”
Eita sighed. “Call them back, and then give me the phone. If I can fix it, there won’t be a problem if I can straighten everything out.”
“I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”
But he did as he was told, handing the phone over once he heard a ringtone.

Eita started talking the minute someone answered, and while he did that, he gestured for Taichi to explain things to Kenjiro. Luckily, the phone on the other end was eventually passed to Kei who understood perfectly what he wanted to do. It would cost him a visit to the main residence, but Kei assured him it would be completely informal.

“We’re looking forward to seeing you again, Eita,” Kei said cheerfully. He huffed a bit, and let out what sounded like a grunt.
“Everything okay over there?”
“Yeah, no, it’s all good. We have the boys with us for a little bit. They’ll go back to their nanny soon.”
“Got it. Well, we’ll see you in a few hours, then.”
“See ya when you get here.”


Chapter 2 - Two

“Yacchan, would you mind watching the boys a little while longer?” Prince Tsuki asked her as he walked into the nursery. This time, he was holding a sleepy Haru, while Prince Kuroo followed him in with Yuki, already sound asleep.
“I don’t mind at all,” she said as she hastily rose from her rocking chair to curtsy. “If you can wait a little bit, I’ll just put Aiko in her cradle and then get their bed ready…”
“That’s okay, we’ll do it,” Prince Kuroo told her quietly. “You sit back down. I know you’ve been after the boys all day, plus keeping up with her, so you need to rest, too.”
“They’re sweethearts,” she defended her charges with a smile. “Chaotic sweethearts, but still.”
“Chaotic sweethearts,” Prince Kuroo snorted. “Good one! Nailed them perfectly.”
“You’re wonderful, Yacchan,” Prince Tsuki said with a relieved smile. “Thank you!”

They went into the bedroom set aside for the boys for when their parents had to deal with matters longer than usual, or just wanted to spend a night together without worrying about their boys wandering in at the wrong moment. Hitoka giggled softly at that thought, as she carefully moved Aiko’s rocker cradle in place in front of the rocking chair. With great care, she nestled her daughter on her back inside, and made sure she was comfortable. Then, she settled back into her chair, put one foot on the side of the cradle, and slowly rocked them both. She rested her head back, her elbows on the arms, folding her hands on her stomach while she waited for her company to settle their children in bed.

“We’ll be back in the morning,” Prince Tsuki half whispered when they came back out. “Thanks again for helping out on such short notice.”
“It’s fine. That’s why I’m here. It’s the job you gave me.”
“But we hope you’re taking some free time for yourself, too,” Prince Kuroo said as he crouched down to peer at Aiko. “Such a little angel,” he murmured. “If she weren’t already asleep, I’d ask if I could hold her.”
Hitoka smiled at him. “You two dote on her like she was your own.”
“Just like you dote on our two little menaces,” Prince Tsuki said. Hitoka smiled at him. “Yacchan, a friend of ours will be here shortly. He’ll be docked for the next couple days to explore the islands.”
“Okay. Do you want me to keep the boys while he’s here?”
“Not anymore than usual.”
“Okay.”
“We’ll also be heading back to Nekoma. We’ll be leaving tomorrow evening.”
She took a deep breath, and then exhaled. “I’ll be ready.”
“Thank you, Yacchan.”
“No wonder Aiko’s an angel,” Prince Kuroo said as he rose to his feet. “She gets it from her mother.”
“Please,” Hitoka said, blushing furiously.
“I mean it,” he said as he took Prince Tsuki’s hand in his and started for the door. “See you in the morning, Yacchan.”
“See you. Have fun with your friend.”

Once they were gone, she pried her fingers apart and took a deeper breath to calm herself. Though, why she was even anxious about a visitor, and one they considered a friend, was beyond her. It usually didn’t matter, since she would always have the boys while visitors were here in the first place. Breathing deeply, she counted backwards slowly from ten, and closed her eyes. It almost worked.

Aiko started fussing in her sleep, and Hitoka bent to lift her out of the cradle. Her daughter snuggled into her chest, grabbing a tiny fistful of fabric, and nuzzled her little face into her neck. Hitoka nearly cried again; she loved her daughter so much. She swayed, hoping to calm her daughter back down into slumber, but little whimpers escaped, so she started walking around the room, gently jostling her baby. When that didn’t seem to work, she opened the door and went out into the little garden, walking slowly, and humming her favorite lullaby, over and over again.

The cool night breeze coming in off the ocean helped quite a bit. Hitoka made a mental note to crack open the windows a touch. She hadn’t realized how stuffy it was inside. As she walked, she looked up at the myriad of stars, a full moon, and the light reflecting off the water. She almost wished she didn’t have to go to Nekoma, that she could stay behind with the children. But she knew it wouldn’t happen. Prince Kuroo and Tsuki loved their boys too much to be that far apart from them, even if they left them with her. She would never leave Aiko like that, either. So, she’d go to Nekoma; she’d do it for her kids.

~*~

Eita and Taichi walked up the wide main path from the harbor to the main residence, his guitar case slung over his shoulder. They’d successfully left Kenjiro behind, as well as his two guards, Wakatoshi and Reon. The latter two were more difficult to convince to stay behind, but Eita assured them he didn’t intend to be gone too long, just until after seeing Kuroo, Tsukishima, and the kids. He’d be back as soon as it was over, promise. Cross his heart, hope to die.

Well, maybe not that last part. The idiom didn’t go over too well with his terribly stoic guards. Still, they stayed on the yacht, so that was a plus.

The moon was full tonight, so there wasn’t much need for the torches that lit the way, but judging on the two phone calls from earlier, it seemed they started rolling out the red carpet before being told to stop and tuck it back in. Eita grinned mischievously at Taichi as they walked. It had been a while since he’d last seen his friends, and each time, they were at Nekoma instead of here. He was excited to start exploring.

At the meeting house, halfway toward his goal, he saw two familiar faces and smiled. Sugawara and Nishinoya were part of Kei’s retinue, and his best friends. He looked around briefly, and shook their hands with a bow as soon as he met them.

“Where’s Tadashi?” he asked without preamble. “He’s usually here with you lot.”
“Nah, he came down with a cold while we were in Nekoma, and the doctors kept him there,” Noya explained.
“I hope he’s alright?”
“Oh, he’s fine… now,” Suga replied, gesturing for them to follow. They turned down a side path, one that diverted around to the back of the residence.
“Why are we going this way?”
“Figured you wouldn’t want to be noticed by anyone else,” Noya explained.
“Uh, Noya? It’s dark, and we came in late. Who’s out here to see us?”
“You’d be surprised. Anyhow, this way, you’ll get to enter the house unnoticed, and we get to sneak around like spies.”
“Okay, now I know where the boys get it from,” Taichi said ironically.
“Not from me!” Both Noya and Suga protested, feigning innocence.
“No, no,” Taichi kept up the banter. “You have to be related somehow. They wouldn’t both act like chaotic little gremlins, otherwise.”
“Uhhh… have you met their parents?”

Eita laughed as they walked along, but instead of keeping up with the conversation, he was looking around. Obviously, there wasn’t too much to see in the dark, but the moon lit up a fair amount of stuff he could see; the island at night was a feast for the senses, and he was here for it! Like, he could see the silvery light reflecting off the ocean, choppy with the incoming tide. The hedgerows on his left, that bordered the residence, were dark green with summer foliage. He could hear the palms sway with the incoming breeze. He felt the cool breeze, and shivered just a little from the chill. He could smell the soft fragrance of night blossoms, tantalizing and sweet.

Well. If he didn’t know his own heart better, he’d say he just fell in love with the Crow Islands. He was already making plans to come back, and for longer than two days.

The bantering continued from his friends, and soon they pulled ahead, walking faster as they joked and tossed insults at each other. Eita kept his pace regular, even slowing it down a bit to enjoy more. With his hands behind his back, he strolled along the path, looking, listening, letting his senses soak in all they could. So, it was only after they rounded a slight bend that he heard something else. A soft, lilting, mezzo soprano voice. He slowed his walk even more until he stopped completely.

It was a lullaby. An old one, but he knew it well. In fact, his mother sang it to him every night before he went to sleep. He even sang it for Kuroo’s children a few times, though probably not nearly as sweet as this. This singer’s (well, she was humming, really) range was slightly lower than his mother’s. Hearing it now brought back memories so clearly that he could hear both voices, in clear melodic counterpoint with each other. Following the sound, he finally saw who he assumed was the singer.

She was tiny; couldn't be more than five-feet tall, if that. Her blonde hair looked almost silver in the moonlight. It was held back by a single plait, with little wisps escaping the style. And she was swaying gently with the lullaby. Her back was to him, but he could tell she was holding something. When she spun in a slow circle, he had his answer. In her arms was a baby. A sleepy little girl with the same hair color as the lady, presumably her mother.

Her eyes were closed, so she didn’t see him. But as she swayed, her hand slowly rubbed the child’s back. Then, she stopped humming, she opened her eyes and peered down at her baby, smiling when she found her asleep.

She was an angel. They were both angels.

“There you are!” he heard Taichi say, and his friends sauntered back to him. “We thought you might’ve fallen off the path.”
Eita blinked and then looked at them, shrugging sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Why’d you stop, man?” Noya said. “Come on! They’re waiting for ya!”
“Okay, thanks,” he replied.

Eita glanced back at where she was last standing, but now she was gone. He began to think he might’ve just imagined the whole thing. He’d have to ask Tetsu or Kei about it later.


Chapter 3 - Three

The next morning, bright and early, Hitoka was suddenly awakened by two little bodies, scrambling up onto her bed. She squinted at her bedside table clock: 6:15am. Ugh! It was way too early for two little boys to be this energetic, but then again, she had no doubt their dads were already up and at ‘em. Since she was awake, and the boys wouldn’t let her go back to sleep, she resigned herself to an early morning. So, she managed to sit up in bed and proceeded to tickle the boys. Who said she couldn’t retaliate against two little early morning enthusiasts?

After she had tickled them to happy tears, she lifted them off the bed, and told them to go to the washroom. Both boys squabbled and scrambled off the bed, racing each other out of her bedroom. They weren’t children, they were monkeys! Hitoka laughed and stood up, checking on Aiko, who was clearly still blissfully asleep.

“Through all that?” she whispered incredulously, bending down to kiss her little sleeping beauty. “Wish I could, too, kiddo.”

Hitoka followed the boys into the washroom, and started helping them wash up. She helped Yuki first, since he was usually the better behaved of the pair. Most of the time. Much like Tsuki was the calm one between himself and Prince Kuroo. She took a damp cloth and wiped his face and hands, took a handful of water and rinsed his pretty blond curls, and told him to wait while she did the same for his brother. Haru, by comparison, was a child who almost never stopped moving. This child wasn’t a monkey; he was a tuna. Couldn’t stop to save his life. She just knew Prince Kuroo had been the same when he was a child.

When she was finished, she left looking more bedraggled than when she went in, but she managed to get them changed and ready for their dads to show up. She had just enough time to make herself presentable before they arrived.

“PAPA! DADA!” They both yelled, when she opened the door for them. She watched them kneel down and catch up each child in massive huggles. After a few moments, they rose to their feet, each holding their own pint-sized look-alike, and smiled at her.
“We’re having breakfast in the kitchen today,” Tsuki said invitingly. “Cook even made your favorite; rice omelets!”
“Thank you, but I have a lot to do before we go.”
“But Yacchan…”
“It’s okay! Just send me a tray, and I’ll eat breakfast here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep! I’m sure you’ve noticed the state of the nursery?” She gestured around the room, which looked like it had been attacked by wild animals.
“They’re your chaotic sweethearts, my love,” Tsuki said to his husband.
“Yours, too, my darling.”
“Oh no. Mine wouldn’t wreck a room so thoroughly.”
“True. They’d wreck it only slightly thoroughly!”
They were bickering their way out the door when Tsuki turned back and smiled. “Thanks for keeping them overnight.”
“You’re welcome!”
He waved as he left, and little Yuki waved at her over his shoulder.
“Bye, Mama!”
“BYE MAMA!” Haru yelled, too.
They all stopped in their tracks, the princes looking at each other and then at her.
“I didn’t tell them to say that,” she said immediately. “I’ve been trying to teach them my name, but they seem determined to call me ‘Mama.’ I’m sorry.”
They looked at each other again, and then Kuroo nodded.
“We don’t mind, if you don’t,” he said to her. “I mean, you’ve pretty much been the center of their lives for over a year now.”
Hitoka nearly dissolved into tears. “I don’t mind at all,” she replied, her voice barely over a whisper.
“Good. We’ll see you in a couple hours, okay?”
All she could do was nod, and they finally turned and left, with the boys still yelling their goodbyes.

~*~

By noon, Eita and Taichi had explored much of the area around the main residence and the surrounding town. Both Kuroo and Tsuki suggested they climb up the hill to the spot where they first met. He saved it for the last thing they did before going back to the residence for lunch.

“Beautiful,” he heard Taichi say as they looked out over that part of the island and the ocean. Eita was quietly strumming his guitar mindlessly.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Back home, we have cliffs and rocky shores in most areas. And the sea is dark and deep.”
“Forbidding is a good word for it,” Taichi said ironically.
“You’re not wrong. Even so, its roughness is its own kind of beauty.”
Taichi snorted. “If you say so.”
“You’ve fallen in love with this place, too, haven’t you,” he asked his friend slyly.
“What’s not to love? The water is clear blue, the weather is warm and perfect, and I’m sorry, but that black sand is absolutely fascinating.”
“But even here, they see some really nasty weather.”
“We’re in an archipelago in the middle of the world's largest ocean. There’s no way to avoid it.”
Eita laughed loudly, stopped playing, and stood up, dusting himself off. “True enough. Let’s go back.”
“Okay, but I need to head back to the yacht. Make sure Kenjiro and the stoic duo haven’t created some kind of havoc.”
“Right. One pompous little windbag, and two stoic guards looming over everyone.”
“Wait. Why did you hire Kenjiro, again?”
“He’s good at what he does, even if he’s got a giant stick up his…”
“Okay okay! I’ll be back at the residence in an hour.”
“See ya.”

He slung his guitar on his back and followed Taichi down. Then they split up near the residence. Taichi waved back at him, and went down the main route to the harbor. Eita made his way to the kitchen, which was a flurry of activity.

“Oh good, you made it back in time!” Kuroo said over the noise of the kitchen and waved him over to the giant wooden block table where kitchen staff usually prepared food for meals. Right now, it was laden with all sorts of things for a light lunch. “Come on and get you something to eat before it gets cleared away.”
“No need to tell me twice! Thanks!”
He made himself a couple sandwiches, grabbed a bento box (which had a choice of potato salad or pasta salad, and a sweet treat), and took a soda offered by one of the kitchen girls. He winked at her and followed Kuroo out of the kitchen.
“Where are Kei and the boys?” he asked around a mouthful of sandwich.
“Heathen,” Kuro shook his head at him but was smiling anyway. “Kei is overseeing the cleaning and closing up of the residence. Yuki and Haru are with their nanny.”
“Nanny? That’s new.”
“Not really. She’s been with us for a year now. The boys adore her.”
“You mean, they haven’t scared her away yet.”
Kuroo laughed at that. “Gods, no! She can handle them perfectly. In fact, they started calling her…”
“Hey, Tetsu!” Kei called to him, and Kuroo immediately gave all his attention to his husband. “We need an extra pair of hands. Can you help?”
“Anything for you, my love,” Kuroo replied and rose from his seat. “Catch you later, Eita.”
“Sure! If I don’t see you before you leave, safe travels.”
“You as well, buddy. See ya!”

He finished his lunch amid a flurry of activity, and then cleaned up after himself. With thanks to the kitchen staff, he walked back outside and decided to walk along the path they took last night. It was a little different seeing it in broad daylight, and going in the opposite direction, but he managed to find where he thought he saw that lady and her baby. No one was outside, yet, but he could hear the sounds of children screaming and playing inside. The nursery. He had to be in the right spot.

With no benches around to sit on, he pulled up a spot of ground and sat, sliding his guitar around to play. He hummed the melody of the lullaby, just like she did last night, and played the tune on his guitar. In the background, he could hear the children slowly quieting down, and then stopping altogether. Good. They heard him.

The door slid open, and he played a little quieter, making sure they couldn’t quite locate him. The boys knew who he was, and he didn’t want them to rat him out. But he kept playing, and kept humming, hoping she’d hear him, too. He got his wish a few minutes later, but not necessarily how he wanted.

“Come on, boys. Time to wash up!”
She had a sweet talking voice, too. The accent was faint, but somehow familiar…?
“But Mama!”
His fingers stumbled over the strings, but he recovered quickly, and hoped no one noticed. 'Mama?’
“No, Haru. We’re going home to Nekoma later, and your daddy’s want you to be ready. Remember?”
“But Mama!”
“Yuki, sweetie, do you want to help me get Aiko ready?”
“No, Mama. I want to hear Unka…”

Cue squealing baby from inside the house, and the angel swept her boys back into the nursery. Eita grinned at the little girl’s perfect timing. He should have known Yuki would guess that he was the one playing. That boy was definitely Kei’s child.

But… Mama? As long as he’d known them, there had been no mention of a mother for those boys. It wasn’t impossible, but surely they would have said something. Right?

The angel, the boys’ nanny, couldn’t possibly be their mother. Could she?

Eita sat there, staring out into the ocean, mindlessly playing the lullaby over and over again, sometimes embellishing it with extra chords or modulating to a different key. It almost sounded like a funeral dirge, at one point. He’d hum along occasionally, but generally just played. He wasn’t sure how long he played, either, just knew that his fingers were beginning to hurt. It was finally time to stop.

He started the lullaby one last time, singing softly this time, remembering the words his mother sang to him. At first, he didn’t hear her, but then her voice became a little stronger. Her mezzo soprano harmonized with his baritone, and it was perfect. They sang until the lullaby ended, and he stopped playing. He stood up and turned around, seeing her face for the first time. She really was an angel.

“Are…” she started to say, but hesitated shyly. He waited patiently, watching her gather her courage. “A-are you f-from… Shiratorizawa?”
Eita was speechless, but he nodded at her. She smiled shyly, and then turned to hurry back into the nursery.

Did that mean she was from his home country, too?


Chapter 4 - Four

By the time they reached Nekoma, Hitoka was almost dead on her feet, and followed behind Princes Kuroo and Tsuki as they made their way into the palace. Aiko was cooing softly, her beautiful blue eyes reflecting the way the light sparkled off the golden chandeliers, sconces, and candelabras. A little pudgey hand would sometimes reach up and grasp the air, as if trying to catch one of those sparkles. Normally, she’d marvel at all the finery along with her daughter, but tonight, she just wanted to get the children settled in bed, and then follow suit.

She was barely listening to the men as they walked, carrying their own sleeping children, but one thing snagged her attention more than she’d like to admit. They were discussing their plans for Kuroo’s thirtieth birthday celebration, and he was more excited for this year than any other (according to Tsuki).

“Eita is due to arrive the day after tomorrow, isn’t he?” Prince Kuroo asked as they went up the grand staircase.
“Yeah. He wanted to explore the islands a little more, but I think he saw everything he wanted to already.” Prince Tsuki replied as if he were hinting at something.
Hitoka wasn’t sure what it meant, and her brain was too tired to care, but she listened anyway.
“I think so, too,” the former agreed. “Anyway, since it’ll be considered a state visit, and all that nonsense, we’ll need everyone on hand to help out. So Yacchan will need extra help, too.”
“Wait. I will?” she asked as they passed through the halls toward the nursery. “I’ll be fine, your highness. I can manage all three kids like I always have.”
“Oh, we don’t doubt it,” he said. “But there will be more than our three, so you’ll need the help.”
“More than three?”
“Yeah, once the council got the idea of making Tetsu’s birthday a big party, they sent an invitation out to everyone. Only one hasn’t sent back their confirmation, yet. I should talk to Ukai if anything came in while we were gone.”
“Yeah, do that, because it’ll be better if they don’t come.”
“Right.”
“Either way, Eita will be the first to arrive out of all of those coming. We should celebrate his birthday, too. Have a little party.”

As the two of them quietly discussed making arrangements for their friend, Hitoka was struggling to understand more than putting one foot in front of the other. The door to the nursery opened, and a maid stood aside to let them in. She informed them that the twins’ bed had been turned down, ready for them to be tucked in. When she turned to Hitoka, she rushed over to take Aiko from her.

“Come on, ma’am. You’re about five seconds from falling over.”
“Oh, but I should…”
“We’ll take care of the children for you,” Prince Tsuki assured her. “You go to sleep. We’re just sorry we didn’t notice it sooner.”
“I’ll wake up,” she still tried to protest.
“Follow me, ma’am,” the maid said gently, guiding her to the nanny’s room. “I’ll take care of everything.”
“But…”
“Go to bed, Yacchan. We’ll see you in the morning,” Prince Kuroo ordered kindly.

Hitoka tiredly followed the maid into her room. It took a few minutes for her to put Aiko in her crib, and she stood there exhausted, unable to even think about moving. Smiling kindly, the older woman helped her out of her dress and into a night shift, guided her into the bed, and tucked her in like a child. She barely heard the woman whisper goodnight before she was fast asleep.

[Three Hours Later]

With a steaming hot cup of vanilla chamomile tea, Hitoka sat on the bench of her window seat, admiring the stars and the view she had. It was almost as pretty as the Crow Islands, she thought. Night dark water lightly choppy from the current and the breeze coming in. White sand beaches that almost glimmer in the faint moonlight. Palms swayed, while further inland leaves rustled on trees. There was so much… more here. Nekoma held its own beauty, but she loved it more on the islands she now called home.

Taking another long sip of tea, she tried to get herself back together. The dream that woke her had been unpleasant, to say the least. It wasn’t more than flashes of memories; of her homeland, of her mother, of being sent away to live with family she’d never met, and who didn’t care too much about her while she lived with them, of falling in love with a man who didn’t love her back… and the result of that one-sided love.

Finishing her tea, she put her teacup down and went to check on Aiko. Sleeping soundly, her little baby breaths were too adorable, and there was the faintest hint of a smile on her cherubic little face. Hitoka’s heart melted all over again. Her daughter was the best thing in her life, and she’d make sure Aiko was always happy.

Bending to give her baby a butterfly kiss, she padded quietly out of her room and to the boys’. There, she found them tangled up in the bedsheets, and each other, but both sleeping soundly. Taking care of these two little princes was an adventure, and she was glad to be a part of it, for however long that would be. Reaching down, she gently untangled both boys and bedsheets, tucked them in, and kissed them goodnight. Then, she retreated back to her room to try and sleep a little more before morning.

~*~

[Two Days Later]

Sunrise on the sea was breathtaking, or so Eita thought as his yacht slowly approached Nekoma. He was at his customary place at the bow of his yacht, leaning on the railing. It would be another hour before they docked, but already, the island gave an impressive view. White sand beaches, swaying palms, and further inland, deep rich greens on the mountains. Nestled in the middle was the castle, all white marble and shimmering glass. He could just make out the red and black banner floating in the wind from one of the turrets.

“You’re up early, your grace,” he heard Taichi say from behind him.
“Couldn’t sleep anymore,” he replied, straightening up and turning to face his best friend.
“Oh?”
Eita shrugged. “Too excited, I guess.” He took the mug of coffee handed to him. “Where’s Kenjiro?”
“Making sure everything’s perfect. Again. I really don’t think he’s slept at all.”
“Probably not.”
“I think he’s also still under the impression you don’t know Prince Kuroo, or Prince Tsuki.”
“He’ll figure it out. I hope.”
“Semi…”
“There won’t be time to tease him while we’re here,” Eita replied, a little defensively. “Not much, anyway.”
“You’re incorrigible, sir.”
“I gotta have some fun, ya know.”

The two of them laughed and turned to watch the steady approach of Nekoma. It had been a while since he’d been here, even for a state visit. If he had the chance, he wanted to revisit a few of his favorite shops in the castle town, as well as the beach, and maybe he’d get a chance to visit his favorite spot with the gorgeous view.

He wondered if she was here, too.

She had to be, right? Kuroo told him about the boys’ “new” nanny, and he did see her with them. Then again, he also heard Yuki and Haru call her Mama, so maybe the nanny was someone else, and she stayed with them all the time. But then again, when she spoke to him, her accent, though faint, suggested she wasn’t originally from the Crow Islands, or from Nekoma. She knew the lullaby from his homeland, and as far as he was aware, Shiratorizawa was the only place you could hear it. There was also the fact that she asked if he was from Shiratorizawa, too…

Clearly, she didn’t recognize him. Not that it truly mattered, really. And besides, their little meeting hadn’t lasted more than a minute or two before she was gone again.

“Your Grace?” Ah. Kenjiro.
“Already speaking with capital letters,” he groused with a grin. He straightened up and turned to face his younger advisor, who was in possession of a clipboard (terrific), and he noticed Taichi rolling his eyes. “Good morning to you, too.”
“Oh, yes, good morning to you, sir,” the man practically folded in half with a bow.
“Oh, get up, Kenjiro. It’s too early for that.”
The man snapped back up. Eita sighed as his plans for a little fun were washed away with the tide. Kenjiro was already in his element, and that meant everything had to be razor-sharp and perfect.
“Right! It’s time to get ready, Your Grace. I’ve laid out your clothes for the procession, and made sure they’ll have a horse ready for you.”
Eita smirked. No doubt the horse would be white, and draped with Shiratorizawa’s colors. This being a state visit, and all.
“Of course. But first, breakfast is in order.” He swept past his advisors, though Taichi was quick to follow.
“But, Your Grace,” Kenjiro scrambled after them. “We’ll be there soon. You have to be ready!”
“Is there anywhere in your schedule that includes meals, Kenjiro?”
He could practically hear paper rustling. He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. Taichi snorted, and then sneezed.
“Nice cover,” he murmured.
“It’s the salt air, sir,” Taichi whispered back.
“Of course it is. You're mildly allergic, after all.” He smiled brightly. “Come on, men! Breakfast awaits! We’ll have plenty of time to make me look every inch the Grand Duke, and even if we’re a little late, I’m sure Prince Kuroo will forgive me.”
That sent Kenjiro into a diatribe of making sure his liege knew the Importance Of Punctuality.

[One Hour - and a half (totally on purpose) - Later]

The crowd cheered as he rode by, throwing confetti and streamers. Dutifully, he smiled and waved from side to side, glancing wryly over at Taichi occasionally. He was indeed riding a white stallion, draped in royal purple, a black saddle adorned with silver trimming, and purple ribbons braided through mane and tail. The horse had been trained well, his gait smooth even though his step was high. The sounds of horseshoes clattering against the cobblestone avenue was nearly as loud as the people cheering.

Eita reached up and ran a finger under his collar; he really wished he could’ve worn something less… official. The silver coronet he wore sat firmly on his head, no doubt catching the sunlight enough to shine. His white coat and pants were crisp (almost blinding), and set off the royal purple sash across his chest from right shoulder to left hip (draped just so), over which was his chain of office, heavy but regal (did they add a few more links?). He had to talk Kenjiro down from wearing brand new white boots with silver spurs; his black, well-worn and comfy ones would do just fine, thank you very much. Kejiro still insisted on the spurs.

Eita had to admit, the man had outdone himself. But he was having a little trouble keeping his seat on the horse he rode behind him. Loyal advisor he may be, but he seriously needed riding lessons.

The closer they rode to the castle, the better he could see Kuroo and Tsuki standing together, arms and hands linked, with sunny smiles, waving and waiting patiently. They were also in their royal Nekoma finery; their matching red and black coats looking suitably grand. Their golden crowns and chains of office caught the morning sun just enough to look like they shone. They were perfect together, definitely happy and content, and that was something he was beginning to want for himself.


Chapter 5 - Five

“Hold on to my dress, Haru,” she said gently. “You too, Yuki.”

Each little boy reached up to grip her skirts, and they left the nursery to go see their parents for supper. Aiko was giggling merrily, sitting up in her pram, waving her favorite stuffy around and randomly throwing it out, causing one of the boys to fetch it for her. She clearly had them wrapped around her tiny finger, and Hitoka giggled at the sight.

It wasn’t unusual for Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki to send for the boys like this. In fact, it happened while they were at Nekoma due to their workload increasing more so than on the islands. The boys stayed with her a majority of the time. The princes insisted meals together were taken in the royal suite, unless it was a state affair, then the three of them ate in the nursery.

Tonight, they were celebrating their friend’s birthday, and she couldn’t think why they’d invited her, too. Kiyoko had even offered to go in her stead, but both princes insisted she bring the boys, and Aiko.

Suddenly, the boys recognized where they were, let go of her skirts, grabbed each other’s hands, and tore off down the hall. Well, she didn’t really think they’d make it the whole way without haring off in any direction, but at least they got this far.

“Yuki! Haru!” She called after them, hurrying while trying not to jostle Aiko too much. “Slow down, boys!”
“PAPA! DADA!”

They pushed open the door, which had been left open for this exact reason, and she soon heard the boys screaming and laughing. Well, at least now they’d be worn out by the time supper was finished. Getting them to bed and asleep shouldn’t be an issue. She smiled and stopped just before she reached the open door, and listened to the boys chattering away while their dads peppered them with questions to keep them talking.

Parking the pram against the wall, she reached in and picked up Aiko, who screeched happily, toy flying and one of her hands grabbing Hitoka’s braid. Then, she took the few steps needed to enter, and stopped again. Peeking around the doorjamb, she saw someone she hadn’t thought to see again. The man who was singing the same lullaby she remembered from her childhood.

His back was to the door, so she only saw his longish, messy ash blond hair with darker tips, the back of his maroon t-shirt, and he was laughing at something Kuroo had said. Was this the friend they were talking about the night they arrived? She’d been so tired that night that she couldn’t recall exactly. Still, she knew it was the man she met as soon as she heard his voice.

“I see you, Yacchan,” Prince Kuroo suddenly said. “Come on in. We were waiting for you before we ate.”
She groaned softly. “You shouldn’t have, your highness.”

Screwing up her courage, Hitoka took another two steps and was through the door. All eyes were on her, including his. She could see his face better this time, not just in the silvery light of the full moon. He was handsome, and her heart fluttered. Her arms tightened around her baby, and poor Aiko squealed with surprise. Her little angel let go of her braid and patted her face instead.

“Don’t just stand there, Yacchan! We saved a place for you.” This time, Prince Tsuki tried to entice her.
“Very well, your highness.”

Another servant was already bringing a high chair for Aiko, so Hitoka really didn’t have much choice but to sit at the table. The men rose (with a whisper from Prince Kuroo, the boys stood up, too) as she approached, and she had to pass behind him to get to her seat. She felt his dark brown eyes on her, never wavering as she settled Aiko in the high chair, and then sat down. The men (and boys) re-took their seats.

“Mama! We did good?” Haru asked her, looking around the high chair to see her.
“Yes, Haru, you were very good.”
The little boy cheered. “Yuki! We did good!”
“Yay!”
“Shhh, boys! How are we supposed to behave in front of guests?”
“I don’t mind,” said guest replied with a grin. “I’ve known them since they were babies.”
“Unka Eita play music,” Yuki said, very seriously.
“Does he?” she asked, looking at him curiously, though she knew full well he did.
“Just the guitar,” he replied, a little bit of a blush showing up on his cheeks.
Hitoka was charmed.
“Do we really need to introduce you two, or has that already happened?” Prince Kuroo interjected, looking curiously between them.
“Well…” she started to say, and felt her own face heat.
“We’ve met,” he answered. “But it wasn’t for that long.”
“Well, now my curiosity is piqued,” Prince Tsuki said, looking as curious as his husband.
“Maybe another time,” Eita replied, feeling her embarrassment as well as his own.
“Of course. Well, since official introductions are in order,” Prince Tsuki started.
“Yachi Hitoka, this is our friend of many years, Grand Duke Semi Eita, of Shiratorizawa.” Prince Kuroo finished.
Grand Duke?! She’d met the Grand Duke of Shiratorizawa that night?!
Hitoka panicked and suddenly stood up, bowed deeply, startling everyone at the table.
“Your Grace, please accept my apologies!”
“Yacchan, what…?” Prince Tsuki sounded like he wasn’t sure what to do.
“Mama?” she heard little Yuki’s worried voice. And little Haru was out of his chair and clinging to her skirts, torn between worry and giving the Grand Duke a betrayed look.
“I-I didn’t know who you were, I’m so sorry!”
She almost flinched when she felt a gentle touch on her arm.
“It’s okay,” Grand Duke Semi said softly. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to bow.”
“But…”
“No buts.”
“No touch Mama, Unka Eita!” a little hand shot out to push the bigger hand away.
“Haru!” Prince Kuroo scolded.
“No Papa. Mama scared!”

Hitoka took a deep breath, and placed her hands gently on Haru’s worried face. The poor child was on the verge of tears. She heard his brother get down from his seat, and then Yuki was looking up at her, with a tiny fistful of skirt, just as worried and teary-eyed as Haru. She took her hands and gently caressed Yuki’s cheeks. She whispered her assurances, telling them she was fine, that they were a very big help, thank you. Kneeling down, she took both boys in her arms and hugged them.

“I’m fine,” she reassured them, brushing her fingers through Yuki’s blond locks and Haru’s dark hair. “Go back to your seats, okay. We don’t want our supper to get cold.” She kissed them on their foreheads, turned them toward their seats, and patted their little bottoms to get them going. When she stood up, she bowed once more to the Grand Duke. “My apologies.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “It’s only natural for sons to want to protect their mother.”

Hitoka nearly fell into her chair. She blinked at him, and then at Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki, both of whom had a mix of emotions on their faces. She turned her attention back to the Grand Duke.

“I’m sorry. What?”

~*~

Now Eita was the one being stared at, and he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d said to earn this type of scrutiny.

“You’re their mother, aren’t you?” He asked, trying to clarify what he’d been thinking about her.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Tetsu said after a few minutes of stunned silence. “Yacchan isn’t their mother.”
“She’s not? But they’ve been calling her…”
The angel named Yachi Hitoka smiled with understanding. “I’ve been trying to teach them my name, but they couldn’t quite manage it, not with either my name or nickname. So they resorted to calling me ‘mama,’ and I can’t get them to stop.”
“Oh,” he replied, feeling sheepish. He put his hand on the back of his neck and bowed slightly. “I’m sorry.”
“No no, it was an honest mistake,” she said gently, her smile soft and kind.
“To be honest, though, I’m sure they think of her as their mother,” Kei added. “They adore her, and little Aiko, too.”
“I see,” he murmured, watching her as she started feeding her baby, and keeping an eye on the boys.

The last time he visited Tetsu and Kei, over a year ago, Yachi wasn’t here. There had been another woman taking care of the boys, instead. Eita wasn’t sure when she came, but it was clear she was firmly ensconced in the household now. And would be for sometime, it appeared. It was obvious the way she had not only Tetsu and Kei, but their sons as well, wrapped around her little finger. For a single nanny to have that much influence…

But as the night progressed, and she opened up a little more, he began to realize she really was what she seemed. A beautiful, kind and gracious young woman, who loved her daughter and the twin terrors with all her heart. He found himself staring at her, like she was some rare gemstone. He couldn’t look away. It wasn’t until Kei cleared his throat that he realized he’d been caught staring (again), and he reluctantly tore his gaze away from Yachi.

Eventually, she excused herself from the table. The boys were drooping, almost falling face first into their dessert, and the baby was already sound asleep. Even Tetsu and Kei were leaning against each other, obviously tired, but still wanting to keep the conversation going. He watched Yachi as she left the room, quickly returning with a pram. Gently, yet efficiently, she gathered up her daughter and nestled the child inside, tucking a small bedraggled looking stuffy in, too. Then, she went to each little boy, quietly asking if they could walk back to the nursery, but all she got were short little whines in response.

“I guess we should get them in bed,” Kei groaned, reluctantly easing out of his husband’s arms. “I’ll help you, Yacchan.” He lifted Yuki in his arms and stood up.
“Thank you, Prince Tsuki,” she murmured, picking up a sleepy Haru.
“May I help?” Eita suddenly asked. All eyes were on him again, and he shrugged, flailing for an excuse. “You both look exhausted, and since I have to go back to my suite anyway…” Nevermind that his suite was in the opposite direction from the nursery. And on a different floor!
“Hmmm…” Tetsu was smirking, his sly eyes moving between Yachi and himself. He reached out to catch Kei’s shirt. “Sure. Why not?”

Eita stood up and went to Kei, gently taking Yuki from him. The sleepy boy nuzzled into his neck, and damn if he didn’t just melt. He couldn’t believe that he once thought children were the bane of his existence. Of course, these two adorable little boys quickly changed his mind about that. Slowly swaying a bit, he caught Yachi looking at him, her eyes wide, and her expression unreadable. Smiling, he made his way over to her.

“Shall we go?”
“Oh! Yes, of course,” she said, taking hold of the pram’s handlebar and slowly making her way out. “Good night, your highnesses,” she curtsied as she walked.
“Yeah, sleep well,” he tossed over his shoulder. Then, he caught up to Yachi, put his hand on the handlebar to help her, and they made their way back to the nursery.


Chapter 6 - Six

“What can I do to help?” he asked her, standing inside the nursery door, still holding a sleeping Yuki.
Yachi had just finished parking the pram, and wrapping her free arm around little Haru, who was mumbling in his sleep. She turned to face him and grinned.
“You don’t need to do anything, your grace. Let me put Haru in bed, and then I’ll take Yuki…”
“I don’t mind helping,” he said. “At the very least, I can sing them a lullaby.”
Now, she was amused, too. “But they’re already asleep, your grace,” she teased as she walked by. “But I’ll keep that in mind. They do have a habit of waking up just as I get them in bed.”
“They still do that?” he asked as he followed her into the boys’ room.
“It’s not often, but yeah, they will wake up either right after I’ve put them to bed, or an hour later.”
“I’m just glad they’re big enough for a bed. It was a nightmare for Kei and Tetsu when they were still in the cradle.”
“I can imagine.”

She turned the lamp by the bedside on, and bent her knees enough to reach the blankets and turn them down. Then, as carefully as she could, she nestled Haru in bed, hushed him when he whimpered, little hands reaching up for her. The boy would’ve risen if she hadn’t quickly taken Yuki from him, and placed him beside his brother. The two of them snuggled together, and as close as they could. Yachi tucked them in, and gave them each a little kiss on their heads.

They stood there for a few more minutes, making sure the boys were still asleep, and then she turned off the light. With practiced ease, she took out what looked like a large figurine, of sorts, and flipped a switch. A gentle light faded on, just enough that the room wasn’t completely dark, and he could now see it was a sculpture of a crescent moon with a little black cat sleeping in it. He chuckled lightly; the design was so Tetsu and Kei, and they were trying to work the motif into newer designs around the palace.

“Do you want some tea, your grace?” Yachi asked when she finally turned to him, gesturing for him to leave the room ahead of her.
“Sure,” he replied. A little more time spent with her was preferable to going back to his suite and his two advisors, who were no doubt ready to scold him for not returning immediately after dinner.
“I have vanilla chamomile, orange pekoe, and honey lemon,” she offered, going over to a small tea service area set up with her tea things, including an electric kettle, and several tea cups, saucers, and a sugar bowl.
“Honey lemon, please,” he replied, taking a seat at the table.

Eita watched her move. Graceful and precise, she somehow managed to keep the clinking sounds of preparation down to barely audible. While the water heated up, she turned to check on her baby, whose tiny little hands reached up for her. Yachi picked her up, smiled brightly, and went back to preparing the tea things. She did it all easily, as if it were second nature.

Well, duh. It would be second nature, wouldn’t it? He chided himself. She probably does this every night before going to bed. He started to stand up, to go see what help he could offer, but she turned and smiled at him.

“Would you mind bringing the tray over? My arms are a little full.” The tiny angel in her arms gazed at him with huge blue eyes.
“Not at all,” he replied, going over to pick up the tray, swiftly taking in the contents, smiling down at her, and then following them back to the table. When she tried to start serving, he stopped her, gently laying his hand over hers. “Allow me.”
“But, your grace…!”
“Vanilla chamomile for you, I presume?” She blinked and nodded. Chuckling softly, he winked at her, and began to make their tea.
“My mom loved tea,” he told her quietly. “Everything from arranging the tea service, to serving her guests.” He carefully placed a full teacup and saucer in front of her, the fragrance of vanilla and chamomile gently scenting the air between them. “I learned how to make a fairly decent cup, at least according to her.”

For a few moments, she stared at her cup of tea. Not sure what to make of it, Eita went about making his own tea, adding a touch more honey to his. He lifted the teacup to his lips, and saw over the rim of his cup that Yachi had done the same. The expressions on her face were well worth the effort of making her tea: she was equal parts surprised, pleased, and a faint smile appeared.

“What do you think?”
“She taught you well, your grace.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”

At that moment, she looked past him and gave a lop-sided grin. With her head, she nodded in that direction, suggesting he look behind him. Which he did, and laughed softly. Standing in the doorway, holding hands, were Yuki and Haru. Half-asleep, rubbing their eyes, and yawning. Eita turned to see Yachi stuck with a bit of a problem and trying to think her way through it.

“Need some help?” he asked her again.
She sighed and smiled ironically. “Please? She’s usually in her bed by now, so getting them back in theirs isn’t usually a problem.”
“Okay. What do you need me to do?”
“Well, have you ever put them to bed before?” Yachi asked, watching the boys as they shuffled their way to her.
Eita smirked. “It’s been a while. They weren’t more than a year old.”
“Well, hopefully they’ll let you now.”

The boys made it to her side, and were clinging to her skirts. But, he noted, she was being a little clingy with her daughter, too. She wanted to be the one to do it all, and she couldn’t. Not easily, anyway. So Eita tried something, hoping maybe the boys would come to him. He started humming the lullaby from his homeland. He almost made it through, and began to think it wasn’t going to work. But then, little Yuki toddled over, sleepily reaching up to him.

As slowly as he could, he picked up the child, and repeated the lullaby. While he did that, he rose to his feet, and carried Yuki to the boys’ room. Without pausing, he laid the little one in bed, brushing his fingers through baby soft blond locks and trailing his fingers over chubby cheeks. Yuki was asleep again, but he was reaching for his brother. Still humming, he turned to go get Haru, but found Yachi standing in the doorway holding his hand. And she was humming, too.

As soon as he put Haru next to his brother and tucked them in, he finished the lullaby and he crept out, leaving the door open a crack.

“That wasn’t so hard,” he said quietly. “Will they stay there?”
“Yeah. With everything going on, they got a little too excited.”
“With Tetsu’s birthday the day after tomorrow, do you think they’ll have trouble sleeping?”
“It’s possible,” she replied, turning and walking toward another room. He followed her, but stayed just outside the door. “I’ll just have to make sure they retire a little earlier. All of them.”
“All of them?”
“We’re expecting several families tomorrow. Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki said invitations were sent out and children were invited to come along. I’m expecting, at most, another seven children.”
“Sounds like it’ll be difficult for you.”

She didn’t answer, but instead, began humming the lullaby again. He took a step closer to the door, and peeked inside. Yachi was rocking her baby, one tiny hand wrapped around a finger, and eyes drooping. Soon, she was asleep. Carefully, Yachi gently laid her baby in a rocking cradle, and then turned to face him. She hadn’t said anything, but he knew it was time to go.

Even if he didn’t want to leave just yet.

“I should take my leave,” he said when she met him where he stood.
“You need your rest, too, your grace.” She went around him and returned to their table, to start clearing away the tea things.
“Let me help you.”
“Thank you, but I can manage, your grace.”

He reached out to take the tray from her, and their hands touched. He shivered and his heart fluttered; she gasped. The touch was… a sparkling sensation zipping up his spine. He felt the goosebumps on his skin, and he saw them appear on hers. The tray nearly slipped out of her hands, but he quickly moved so that he had it in his grip.

“Careful.”
“I-I’m sorry, your grace.”
So, she was as unsteady as he was.
“Miss Yachi?”
“Call me Yacchan. I don’t mind.”
“Only if you call me Semi.”
He would love to hear his given name on her lips, but he’d have to wait. Getting her to even call him by his family name would likely also be a bit of a problem, seeing as how she used titles before Kuroo and Tsuki’s names.
“Oh, but I don’t think I should, your grace.”
“Why not? I just said you could.”
“It wouldn’t be proper! I’m not your equal.”
So that’s what it was?
“I understand. But… Could you say it? Just once?”
“Your family name?”
“Yeah. Or better yet, my given name.”
“I don’t know…”
They walked slowly to the door of the nursery. She opened it and he stepped out into the hall. He’d known it was a shot in the dark to hear his name from her. Well, it wasn’t like it wouldn’t happen, just not now. Facing her he held out his hand, which she eventually placed hers in it. Again, the goosebumps and sparkling sensation rode up his spine. Before he second guessed himself, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back, gently letting it go after.

“Goodnight, Yacchan,” he said quietly.
“Goodnight…” She started closing the door. But before she closed it completely, he heard her say softly, “...Eita.” And the door closed with a soft click.

He neither knew, nor cared how he got back to his own suite. He barely even heard his advisors scold him for coming back so late, and did he realize what time it was? He had to be up early for the official procession and greetings… He heard none of that. All he heard was his heart thumping, and the sound of her voice when she said his name.

“Your grace? Have you even heard a word we've said?”
“Not one, Taichi,” he said. “Not a single one.”

He left his advisors standing dumbstruck in the main room and went to his bedroom. He knew he’d have to explain later, and he would. Not everything, at least, and not in front of Kenjiro. Lord knew what he'd take it upon himself to do if he knew about his fascination with a certain angel. But, eventually, he’d say something. Until then, he’d keep Yachi Hitoka to himself. Just for a little while longer.


Chapter 7 - Seven

“Do you have your favorite stuffy, baby?” Madoka asked her, trying to act and sound calm, but achieving none of it. She was worried, and trying hard not to cry as their carriage rushed to the docks.
“Yes, mama.” Hitoka squished her favorite teddy bear to her chest. “Where are we going?”
“You’re going to see your cousins, Hitoka. Remember? Now, you’ll be there for a while, so be on your best behavior, alright?”
She was going through Hitoka’s backpack for the hundredth time.
“Yes, mama.” A beat later. “But… you’re coming, too right?”
A slight pause. “No, baby. Mama needs to stay here and help care for grandpapa.”
“Oh.” Another few beats. “When am I coming home? Will you come pick me up?”
This time, her mother stayed silent, and her frantic rummaging slowed to a stop. Zipping the bag, she set it on the carriage’s floorboard, and took Hitoka in her arms, bestowing a kiss on the top of her head.
“I’ll come as soon as I can, okay. You just be the angel I know you are, and everything will be fine.”
Her voice was shaky, like she was crying. Hitoka tried to look up at her, but her mom wouldn’t let her. Not until they reached the docks, and Madoka helped her with her bags. They hurried to the ship that would take her to Japan, and to her cousins, whom she’d never even met. They found her cabin, and her mother made sure everything was perfect for the three day journey. Then she knelt down in front of Hitoka, and started straightening clothing that was already neat as a pin; toying with locks of hair into what she thought was perfection. There was such a look of sadness in her mother’s eyes, that her own vision started blurring.
“Oh, please don’t cry, baby! Be a good girl, okay? Remember, I love you very, very much, okay?”
Why does that sound like a goodbye, and not just a farewell?
“Mama?”
“I love you!”
“I love you, too, mama.”

Her heart was racing, and she felt the tears streaming down her face. Her bed sheets and blanket were a tangled mess around her legs. How could she have had a bad dream, especially after the sweetest night she’d had in a long time?

Duke Semi was all that was charming and polite; his sense of humor was similar to that of the Princes, but a little more snarky, and she liked that. He was more handsome than her first impression of him, especially when he smiled. He even made a better cup of tea than she did! She knew she should be careful, though. Being charmed by a handsome, charming man had been her downfall, once. Maybe that’s why the dream had resurfaced? But the two were so wildly unrelated to each other. How…? As she was trying to figure it out, she felt three pairs of eyes on her. All of them worried, and one a little scared. Like her mother’s.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized, struggling to get out of bed without falling off it. She picked Aiko up from her cradle, and swayed gently, calming her down. Then, she knelt on the floor, and gestured for the boys to join her. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
They nodded. She sighed, and checked the clock. 5:47am, and there was no telling how long they’d been standing in her doorway.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized again, gathering them up with her free arm.
“Mama screamed,” Yuki whispered.
“Mama crying,” Haru reached up to touch her still damp face, which now new tears fell, because of this.
“I’m alright now, my babies, thanks to you.” She kissed all three of the children she loved so dearly. What would she ever do without them? She held them for a little while longer, and then let them go. “Come on. We need to get washed up before the visitors come.”
“Papa’s party!” Haru was already smiling and moving around, doing his little happy dance.
“That’s right,” she said. Yuki was still clinging to her, unwilling to let go. She ran her hand through his hair and smiled at him. “I’m okay, Yuki. Don’t worry, it was just a bad dream.”
“Mama screamed.”

Oh dear. When Yuki was concerned about someone, he stuck to them like glue until he was satisfied they were okay, and there was no set time frame, either. It could take a few minutes, or all day, and already he was showing signs that it might be an all-day issue. This was going to be difficult, considering they had to be in the reception hall with their dads to help welcome all their guests. And she had Aiko to consider as well. She couldn’t carry both, Yuki was too big. She had Aiko’s sling, but then Aiko would need that…

“Good morning!” a chipper voice called out from the nursery door. Kiyoko! The older maid was here to help, and judging from the murmur of voices, she’d brought reinforcements. Hitoka sighed with relief.

“I’m in here, Kiyoko!” she called out. There were footsteps, and soon, the woman was standing in the door, taking in the scene.
“Are you okay, dear?” she asked, coming forward to also kneel on the floor.
“I’m fine. Just a bad dream,” she said with a shaky smile. “But, I think I’m going to need some help.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” Kiyoko replied. “I brought Runa and Eri, too. What needs to be done?”
“First, please take Aiko for me? She may fuss a little, but she’ll be okay. I haven’t yet had the chance to prepare her bottle, and she needs to be changed and dressed.”
“I’ll take care of your little angel,” she said as Hitoka gave her daughter over. She kissed Aiko one more time, and then smiled at her.
“Be a good girl, okay?”
Aiko’s sunny smile lit the room, and almost everyone smiled back.
“I’ll bathe the boys, but I need someone to set out their clothes, and also have breakfast ready.” She checked her clock again, 6:25am. “The Princes will be here in two hours to pick them up.”
“Might be a little difficult,” Kiyoko said, nodding toward Yuki.
“Yeah, I know. We’ll have to think of something. If someone could run the bath for me? Oh! And if you could also summon a few of our burlier men servants, we need to move the boys’ bed and a few other things to the bigger nursery.”
“On it!” The three women playfully saluted, and Kiyoko stood up, taking Aiko with her as she and the ladies left.

Hitoka grinned at them, and then at the boys. She picked up Yuki and he instantly snuggled into her neck, clutching a handful of her shift. Yeah, this one was going to be difficult. Haru was exploring her room, as if he’d never seen it before in his life. Already, he’d found Aiko’s beat up stuffy, which was a care-worn old teddy bear.

“Mama! I found stuffy!”
“You did indeed, Haru.”
“I give to Aiko!” That’s when he noticed the baby wasn’t where she was supposed to be, and Yuki was there instead. “Where Aiko?”
“She went with Miss Kiyoko, honey.”
“I go too!” He immediately turned and ran to the door.
“No, Haru! Wait!” she called after him. He immediately came back to her. “In a minute, you and Yuki need to take a bath, remember? Papa’s party? We need to be all clean and dressed for his guests.”
“Oh.”
Hitoka giggled, maneuvered herself to her feet, and waited for Haru to catch her skirt. At the same moment he did, Runa reappeared in the door.
“The bath water is ready to go,” she chirped happily, smiling at both boys. “I even put bubbles in!”
“YAY! BUBBLES!” Haru was gone, running as fast as he could to the washroom. Runa shrugged, and followed him, while Hitoka walked slowly, keeping Yuki calm.

She was incredibly thankful for this sort of chaos in her life. She had no time to dwell on dreams from the past. This was the present, and there were three adorable children she had devoted herself to. With the help of Kiyoko, Runa, and Eri, Hitoka pushed everything aside, and began her day as she always did; taking care of her children.

~*~

Eita strode down the stairs, his guards and advisors trailing him, turned left, and then made a bee-line for the royal apartments. He was rigged out in his royal finery: silver coronet atop his head, gleaming white coat and pants, royal purple half cape with silver swan embroidery clasped at the neck, chains of office heavy around his shoulders and currently hidden under the cape, and his ceremonial sword strapped to his hip.

Kenjiro got his way this morning; Eita wore the new white boots and silver spurs, which chinked with every step he took. He looked every inch the Grand Duke. He felt rather ridiculous. And he’d be stuck in this get-up for most of the day, until the last of the guests arrive. His sole consolation was that he wouldn’t be suffering alone.

He slowed down when he neared the royal suite. Tetsu and Kei were already standing in the hall, their royal finery looking even more grand than his: deep red coats with buttons of gold, black pants with a stripe of gold running down the side, black boots with gold spurs, too. They each wore gold chains of office, with a huge gold sun medallion in the middle. Their golden crowns sat perfectly on each head, setting off their gold and dark heads. Tetsu was the only one to wear a deep red half cape, lined with black fur, a ceremonial broadsword hung from his hip, and he held a long gold scepter topped with a gleaming ruby.

When Eita would have greeted them, he immediately knew something was amiss. Both of his friends wore concerned, and even angry, expressions. Tetsu handed his scepter to one of his advisors, Nekomata, and started pacing, his hands behind his back. Kei stood still, arms crossed over his chest, listening to a tall, skinny older man. Ukai was gruffly informing them of a last minute rsvp.

“Do we have to admit him?” Tetsu asked as he came back. “Who invited him, anyway?”
“Yes, your highness, we have to admit him. And I’m the one who invited him,” Nekomata replied, sounding resigned.
“Why?”
“We have no reason not to, your highness.”
“We have every reason!” Tetsu yelled. He was fuming.
“Not politically. And we don’t want to create a reason, either!” The old man barked, making even Tetsu stand still. “Millennia have passed and none of our nations have gone to war. We have no reason to uninvite or even bar admittance to him or anyone from his nation!” He sighed heavily. “No matter the personal transgression, your highness.”
“He’ll be the last to arrive, your highness,” Ukai added gruffly. “And very late at that.” The older man caught sight of him, and bowed. Kei tried to smile, but it was more like a grimace, and Tetsu had already turned back to pace away from them. Eita knew he wouldn’t have bothered to smile, not while he was clearly angry.
“The only ones required to stay and welcome him would be you two, your highnesses. Anyone else can either stay or take their leave,” Ukai finished saying.
“Noted,” Kei replied, turning to Tetsu and reaching for his hand. “We’ll dismiss the children to the nursery after the Inarizaki contingent arrives.”
Tetsu took a deep breath, the grip on Kei’s hand tightening. “Fine. I’m fairly sure he doesn’t know she’s here with us.”
“No, but we do need to tell her he's coming, considering he’s the one who…” Kei cut himself off, remembering they weren’t alone. He turned back to face him, switching hands so that he was still connected to Tetsu.
“Sorry you had to hear all that,” he apologized.
“Don’t worry about it,” he waved off the apology. “Should I be concerned, too?”
His friends looked at each other, communicating silently. All Eita could catch was a slight shake of one’s head, and disappointment in the other’s face.
“Yes, but… Unfortunately, it’s not our story to tell,” Tetsu told him as he and Kei started walking toward the nursery.
“Understood,” Eita replied, falling in step on the other side of Kei. Advisors and guards filed along behind them. “May I at least know who you're talking about?”
Another few beats of silence, Then, “Yuji Terushima of Johzenji.”

And suddenly, Eita knew that Tetsu’s birthday party, planned to last a week, wasn’t going to be as fun anymore.


Chapter 8 - Eight

Because Yuki had absolutely refused to let her go, even after both his dads tried to take him from her, she was offered a chair off to the side on the dias while each nation’s representatives made their way from the harbor to the palace. She held Yuki close, rubbing his back and making sure he knew she was alright. Yuki stubbornly stayed unconvinced, and unmoveable, so Prince Tsuki insisted on taking Aiko, who marveled at her new, even higher view. And, of course, she made it her mission to randomly grab at his hair, ear, and even tried to reach for his crown. Prince Tsuki took it all in stride, and even tried not to laugh.

Their guests came in order of precedence, and Duke Semi had to come in like the rest of them. Though he’d whispered to her on the way to the reception hall that he would much prefer to stand by her for the duration. Unsure how to take that, she simply smiled, and suggested that he could once he was introduced, but she couldn’t guarantee it.

“Their Royal Majesties of Japan, King Kaname Moniwa and Queen Mai Moniwa; Crown Prince Souji, and Princess Sen!”

Hitoka smiled as they slowly made their way down the deep red carpet, with their children being looked after by their nanny. Their majesties had only visited once since she had become part of the household, so she was immediately starstruck from they’re grandeur. Even the children wore little gold circlets! After they greeted Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki, they each bent to greet little Haru, who cheered happily as he met the kids. Their majesties were obviously curious about little Aiko, but didn’t ask, though their faces remained politely… confused.

As their majesties moved off to the right, another nation was announced:

“Prince Koutaro Bokuto and Prince-Consort Keiji Akaashi, from the Principality of Fukurodani! Crown Princess Mirai and Prince Taiyo!”
“Grand Duke Eita Semi of the Duchy of Shiratorizawa!”
“Grand Duke Tooru Oikawa and Consort Hajime Iwaizumi of the Duchy of Aoba Johsai! Duchesses Akira and Daitan!”
“Barons Atsumu and Osamu Miya of the Barony of Inarizaki! Lord Isami, Atsumu’s son!”

When they were announced, a hush fell over the crowd, and everyone’s faces took on a sympathetic mien. Hitoka had no idea what was going on, because even the children were quiet. Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki spent a little extra time speaking with the brothers, and doted just a little more on little Isami, before they finally moved to the side, Baron Atsumu took his son from the nanny and held him tight. But she didn’t know who to ask, or even if she should, so she kept her curiosity to herself.

“Thank you so much for coming, everyone!” Prince Kuroo announced after everyone gathered around. “We have a late lunch waiting for you in the dining room, and you may spend the rest of the day getting comfortable in your suites. I’ve been told supper will be served at 8pm, also in the dining room, so please, bring the family and come prepared to eat!”
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Prince Tsuki spoke up from Prince Kuroo’s side. “We would love it if the children could come to the nursery to play! We have snacks and plenty of toys, plus, our nanny and her helpers have arranged a playdate in the garden!”

Hitoka took that as her cue to stand up, and quite a few eyes landed on her… and Yuki, who was now sleeping, still clutching her dress. Even more confused expressions crossed royal faces, but she stood still, smiling at everyone.

“Follow me!” young Runa said to the kids, who ran straight to her. The nannies and nursemaids followed behind, and Runa led them away, with Kiyoko and Eri taking turns explaining sleeping arrangements and giving them an idea of what to expect for the week. Before she left, she noticed Prince Kuroo waving at her, and she went to meet him off to the side.

“Everything okay?” he asked, stroking a hand through his son’s hair. “I didn’t get a chance to ask, especially because he’s been clinging to you all day.”
“I’m fine, your highness. I had a bad dream this morning, and apparently I screamed and woke them up.”
“Bad dream?”
“Just of when I was younger, your highness.”
“Ah. Well, maybe when Yuki wakes up and realizes there are more kids to play with, he’ll see fit to let go of you.”
“Maybe. But… I don’t mind, at all.”
“I know.”
She started to turn away, thinking she was free to leave, when Prince Tsuki and Duke Eita joined them.
“Yacchan, would you mind it if we asked you to stay in the nursery tonight?”
“No, of course not,” she replied, but he looked concerned. “May I ask why?”
“We didn’t think about the invitations too much before we left for home,” he started explaining. “We had so many other things to tend to that we didn’t consider our guest list. Of who to invite… and who not to invite. And because we authorized the invitations to be sent while we were gone, they were.” If Prince Tsuki could fidget he would. As it was, he toyed with Aiko’s little hand after she tried to pat his face. “We couldn’t uninvite him. I’m sorry.”

She felt the blood drain from her face and she swayed on her feet. She had no idea why she thought she’d be able to be here and not eventually have to see him again. This was bad; this was really bad! Was there a way to stay in the nursery the entire week? Could she get away with it, even though she was the host nanny, and therefore in charge of everything? She wanted Aiko; she needed to hold her daughter. Her daughter, not his. Never his. And if she had her way, he’d never find out about Aiko. She swayed again, the edges of her sight fading to dark. She felt her arms slackening; she was losing her grip on Yuki!

“Help me,” she pleaded, but she wasn’t sure if anyone heard her. Not before her world went entirely dark.

~*~

“Yacchan? Yacchan!!” Kei cried out as she started to crumple to the floor. “We need help!”
Tetsu snatched Yuki from her, doing his best to calm his son who was suddenly awake, screaming and crying and reaching back for Yacchan. Eita was immediately there, catching her before she fell. He eased her to the floor and sat down beside her.
“What happened? What’s going on?” several people asked, gathering around them, seeking answers.
“She was lightheaded,” Kei lied gracefully. “Hadn’t eaten yet today, and stood up a little too fast. She’ll be fine, we just need to wait for her to wake up and we can get her to her room.” He turned to a servant and gave him an order. The man ran off, presumably to fetch a physician.
“Lunch is still waiting for you in the dining room, if you wouldn’t mind going to eat before our cook gets cranky?” Tetsu suggested, with just a hint of steel in his voice. The others took the hint and began filing out of the reception hall, but not without looking back at him, audibly wondering why he wasn’t coming, too.

Eita refused to budge, and paid zero attention to anyone; all of it was centered on Yacchan. There was quite a bit more to her story than he knew, and he couldn’t help but want to know what it was. What happened in her past to give her bad dreams, to make her panic like she just did? He didn’t dare move her, now that she was on the floor, so instead, he held her hand, and tended to her, brushing her hair from her face, wiping away the tears that fell before she passed out.

“Your grace, is she okay?” he heard Taichi ask from beside him. “Do we need to send for a doctor?”
“I think Kei already took care of that,” he replied.
Taichi didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and then, “you’re half in love with her, aren’t you, Semi?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” he hedged, glancing around for Tetsu and Kei. “Consider me… greatly intrigued.”
“Oh, right, okay,” Taichi humored him. “Greatly intrigued totally explains why you’re holding her hand, and being so protective of her.”
Eita rolled his eyes, and leveled his best friend with a look. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t offer her something to hold onto? Wouldn’t make sure she was comfortable?”
Taichi hummed. “To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have been quick enough to catch her like you did.” He chuckled and then nudged Eita’s shoulder. “You owe me a story,” he said as he rose to his feet. “I’ll divert Kenjiro and your taciturn guards. See you later?”
“Yeah. Later.”

He stayed with her while the physician looked her over for any injuries. When he pronounced her safe to move, Eita carefully lifted her in his arms, holding her close to his chest. Tetsu, who looked almost as ragged as his exhausted and sleeping son, gestured with his head that he should follow, and they led him out of the room and into the hall. He followed them up to the second floor, and to the smaller nursery near the royal suite. The one he’d spent time with her just last night, making tea and helping her with the kids. He didn’t need anyone to tell him which room was hers; he went directly to it, pushing open the door and gently laying her on the bed.

Another servant followed him in, and quietly suggested he leave while she made Yacchan comfortable. He did so only so far as stepping out of the room and turning his back. When the servant was finished, he went back into her room, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

“Oh, but your grace, I can stay with her,” the girl insisted.
“It’s fine. I’ll stay with her,” he said, his tone brooking no refusal. He reached out and took her hand in his again. The servant curtsied and left quietly.
“We really should go back down,” he heard Kei say. Whether it was to him, or Tetsu, he neither knew, nor cared.
“I’ll stay with her,” he insisted. “I’ll keep an eye on her, and let you know when she wakes up.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am. Give everyone my apologies. I’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Right.”
“Hey, Eita,” he heard Tetsu this time. He glanced back to see his friend standing in the doorway, his eyes glimmering with silent warning. “Be careful with her. Don’t scare her anymore than she already is. She’s under our protection…”
“I get it, Kuroo,” he replied, using his friend’s family name to stop him from whatever he might say in anger. “I’d never hurt her, or scare her. You have my word.”
“Right. Sorry, it’s just…”
“Don’t worry, Tetsu. Go. Take care of your son. If he still wants to stay with her, let me watch him.”
“You’ll probably get Haru as well,” his friend warned gently.
“That’s fine. Oh! She’ll definitely want her daughter when she wakes up. You can leave her with me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Kei reappeared and came to hand over the baby. Eita took her in his arms, happy to hold this little angel, and smiling at her wide-eyed curiosity.
“Her name is Aiko, in case she didn’t tell you,” Kei murmured.
“Aiko,” he repeated, smiling at the adorable little cherub in his arms. “Your name means ‘beloved one,’ did you know that?”
“Never thought I’d see the day when you’d be holding a baby, much less cooing at one,” Tetsu teased him.
“Liar. I did the same with your kids when they were babies.”
“True enough. Well, I’ve got to go. Kei will make sure Aiko’s bottle is ready, and lay out a few more items so you don’t have to hunt around for them.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll take the boys with us. You don’t need their kind of chaos right now.”
“Thanks again.”
“Good night, Eita.”
“Yeah. Good night.”

Tetsu was gone first, and then a little while later, Kei followed. The only way he knew was from the soft click of the door behind him.


Chapter 9 - Nine

“You’re going to be a daddy,” she said in the afterglow. She smiled happily and waited for his response.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“You’re going to be a daddy. We’re going to be parents. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“You’re kidding.” He pushed her off and rolled away from her, sitting up and putting his feet on the floor. “I don’t believe you.”
Hitoka sat up in bed, covering herself with the blanket. This was not at all what she expected. She never thought he’d act like this.
“I’m not lying, Yuji. I’ve never lied to you.”
He snorted and stood up. “That’s true, I guess.”
“The physician confirmed it this morning,” she said hopefully, trying to reclaim the euphoria she felt when she found out. She’d been so happy, and thought he would be too. She started toying with the blanket. “I thought you’d be happy,” she whispered.
“Yeah? Well, I’m not, Hitoka. Weren’t you even being careful?”
“Of course I was! How could you think I wasn’t?”
“Women have tried to trap me before,” he said calmly, as if this wasn’t anything new.
“I’m not trying to trap you, Yuji!”
He chuckled softly, and it was the worst sound she ever heard. Especially when he turned back to face her with a smirk and a cold glint in his eyes. Eyes that had once looked so warm and loving…
“I’m leaving in two weeks, Yachi. I have a Baronetcy to run.”
The use of her family name sent an arrow to her heart. Realization finally set in. Clearly, she was mistaken about their entire relationship, and all she’d ever been to him was a bed warmer. Her vision swam, but she fought back the tears.
“You never loved me, did you?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” He laughed when he said it. She flinched. “I never said anything to make you think I did.” He tossed her clothes at her, and started dressing himself. “The room is paid up for the next few hours. Do whatever you want, but you’ll have to pay if you stay later than that.”
“Right.”
“Goodbye, Yachi.”
“Yeah. Goodbye.” She couldn’t bring herself to utter his name in return.

Her head hurt like hell, and she felt hot all over. She knew she wasn’t sick, so why…?
Then it all came back, every last little detail. Prince Tsuki had told her they didn’t restrict the invitations, couldn’t stop them from being sent, couldn’t uninvite anyone, especially not him. Yuji Terushima, also known as the biggest mistake she’d ever made in her life. Yet, from that mistake, her greatest blessing was born. Literally. A beautiful baby girl who had inherited most of her looks, and her temperament, from her, thank all the gods. The only thing Aiko had from her father were her blue eyes.

Aiko! Hitoka struggled to sit up, fighting the blankets that had tangled themselves around her legs. She needed her baby, needed to hold her, to hear her laughing, to know she was happy.

“Easy, there! Hey, Yacchan, calm down. Calm down!”
She knew that voice! It was a rich baritone, and when he sang, it was so beautiful. She almost wished he was singing when she woke up in a panic. Her head might not be pounding and feel as heavy as a boulder. He spoke to her, soft and soothing, and she stopped, but only to catch her breath. She groaned; the pain in her head was excruciating.
“Where’s… Aiko?” she panted. “Where’s… my baby?”
“I just put her down to sleep. Should I go get her?”
“Please?”
“Be right back.”

Dizziness hit her hard, and she slumped down on the bed. It was taking forever for him to come back with Aiko. Where was he? Why was it taking so long? Surely her cradle wasn’t on the other side of the castle? The world spun faster, and she reached a hand out to grab hold of something, anything to anchor her. What she eventually latched onto, and held with all of her strength, was his hand.

“Your grace?”
“Shhh… I’m here. I have Aiko, but she’s still asleep.”
“Okay.” It was enough to know he was here, and that he brought her Aiko. “Let me…”
“Hang on a sec,” and he gently took his hand back before replacing it with Aiko’s tiny one. She tried to smile, but instead, she started crying.
“I sent for medicine for your head, Yacchan,” he said soothingly. “And I have the water going for tea, if you think you can handle it.”
“Yeah.”
He stayed quiet for a few minutes longer, and then, “What else can I do?”
“Lullaby?”
“Gladly, but also, if I may?”

He started singing the lullaby she remembered from her childhood, the one they’d sung together several times before. She was beginning to think it was their lullaby, now, and her heart skipped a beat. In addition to his beautiful voice, he began to rub her back, something she’d missed so much after her mother sent her away. More tears fell, but they weren’t sad tears. Or happy tears. He was doing so much for her, and they barely even knew each other. But she didn’t want him to stop, and she didn’t want him to go away. Hitoka lost herself in the lullaby and gentle back rub.

~*~

“I think she fell asleep,” Kei whispered when he arrived with the headache powder. He leaned against the doorjamb, watching Eita comfort Hitoka even after she’d fallen asleep.
“Yeah,” Eita replied quietly, lifting Aiko into his arms and slowly rising off the bed. “She woke up in pain, and could barely sit up. I’m just happy she didn’t get sick.”
“Yeah, that would have been worse. Are you sure she didn’t hit her head or anything?”
“Yeah, I caught her before she fell.”
He moved past Kei and put the baby back in her cradle, then he went to shut off the tea kettle. It had been a long night, and it looked to go even longer.
“Taichi gave me this,” Kei said, handing over a bag. Inside was a change of clothes, his toiletries and a brush. “I turned down the boys’ bed and there’s a fresh pillow and blanket.”
“Thanks. I might sleep like the dead once I know she’s okay.”
“Hmmm,” was all the answer he got. Kei was staring at him, scrutinizing him with those golden brown eyes of his. Eita once thought it was unnerving, but now, he just stared back, waiting. Whatever Kei was looking for, he found it, and smiled.
“I’ll make your excuses again at breakfast,” he said, pushing off the doorjamb and walking toward the door. “I doubt I can keep the boys away too much longer.”
“Will you try? She needs rest and plenty of quiet.”
“Yeah. Hopefully, the other children will provide enough of a distraction. Especially for Yuki.”
“How's he doing?”
“He finally calmed down enough to sleep. Tetsu is sleeping with both of them, right now.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, same.” Kei was almost out the door before Eita called out to him again. “Hey, Kei?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
Once again, he endured Kei’s scrutiny, and then the man smiled rather cryptically.
“I think she’ll tell you. You only need to ask.”
“You don't think it’s impolite?”
“It’s impolite to ask other people about someone’s past, don’t you think?” He stepped into the hallway, and slowly closed the door. “Sleep well, Eita. We’ll see you later.” And the door shut with a soft click.

~*~

When next she woke, she cracked open her eyes and discovered herself alone. The sun was shining, and very obviously high in the sky, and it was pleasantly warm in her room. She moved tenderly, just enough to squint at her bedside clock. 12:26pm. How long had she been asleep? Yawning, she stretched as much as she could, and then slowly sat up, bracing her arms behind her on the bed.

“Morning, sunshine,” his rich baritone voice broke the silence.
Hitoka looked over and smiled at Duke Semi, who held her baby in one arm, and a steaming cup of - she inhaled deeply - coffee with chocolate in his free hand. He walked toward her bed, and she noticed he was in plain clothes now, not any of his royal finery. He wore an indigo colored t-shirt, a pair of cargo shorts, and was barefoot. He sat down beside her on the bed and smiled.
“Which one first, baby or coffee?”
She chuckled. “Baby, please.”
He set the coffee on the bedside table, and handed Aiko over to her.
“How’s your head?”
“Better,” she answered. “Not as bad as before.” She cuddled her daughter, who chose to grab a fistful of her hair, screeching happily.
“Glad to hear it. Do you think you can eat something?”
“I feel hungry, so I’ll try.”
“Anything in particular?”
She thought for a few minutes. “Buttery scrambled eggs, toast, and juice.”
“Sounds pretty good, actually.”
“Haven’t you eaten already?”
“Just woke up about,” he glanced at her clock. “Forty-five minutes ago.” He watched them for a few minutes and then stood up. “I’ll go see about breakfast.”
“Okay.” And then, before he could leave, she called out to him. “Thank you!”
He stopped and turned to face her. “For what?”
“For staying. You didn’t have to,” she wasn't looking at him, but at Aiko instead, gathering courage from her happy little girl.
“I wanted to,” he replied quietly.
Hitoka nodded, and held Aiko just a little tighter. “Thank you… Eita.”
When she looked at him again, his face was flushed, and he was smiling shyly. It was sweet, and he looked incredibly handsome. He scrubbed a hand through his ash blond hair and turned that smile on her.
“Anytime, Hitoka,” he replied softly. And then, he left.

The nursery, and her room, felt a little emptier without him here. Oh, she was well aware that he’d be back, but right then, she felt his absence. It still didn’t make any sense to her, that she should feel this way about a man she’d basically just met. And she knew he had questions about quite a few things, but didn’t ask. Well, depending on how long he’d be staying with her, she decided she would answer his questions.

She just hoped he wasn’t gone too long.


Chapter 10 - Ten

“Breakfast is served, my lady,” Eita said grandly, placing a small plate, with a very small serving of scrambled eggs in front of little Aiko. Hitoka watched her daughter as she reached for the eggs curiously, and giggled when she finally touched them.
“And also for you… my lady,” he murmured just over her head, placing an adult sized plate in front of her, filled with a bigger portion of eggs, and lightly buttered toast on the side, cut into half diagonally. He also placed a glass of chilled juice beside her plate, and made sure everything was perfect. Ironic, that he should be picky about how everything looked. Maybe he should thank Kenjiro for that. Maybe.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, keeping an eye on her baby, and watching him serve himself. “You… surprise me.” She blinked and blushed. Eita kept his amusement in check; it was obvious she didn’t mean to say that out loud. Still, he had to know what she meant by that.
“I do? How so?”
She fell silent, and focused on feeding her daughter.
“Yacchan?”
She finished feeding Aiko a bit of eggs, and then turned to face him.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to say that, your grace.”
“So formal,” he chided gently. He smiled so she knew he was teasing her, and she visibly relaxed.
“You surprise me, your grace,” she repeated. “With the exception of Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki, you’re the only other royal to not insist on having a servant do the work for you.”
“Well, why make someone else do what I’m perfectly capable of doing?”
Eita saw the color bloom on her face again. “That makes sense, I guess,” she added quietly, turning back to Aiko.

Kei told him he should just ask, and he really did want to ask her about… well, everything. Where is she originally from, what brought her to the Crow Islands, what was it that made her panic so much that she passed out? But… it felt like he’d be intruding upon her privacy, and it hadn’t even been a week since he first met her. Eita stifled a sigh, and slowly began to eat his own breakfast.

They ate in silence, broken only by Aiko’s babbling and laughter. It wasn’t uncomfortable by any means, just a little awkward, maybe. Eita finished his breakfast, and watched the pair. From all that he’s seen so far, Hitoka seemed to draw strength from her daughter. Aiko was her entire world. It was a beautiful sight, and he couldn’t help feeling just a tiny bit jealous. Which was utterly ridiculous. Still…

“Your grace?”
Just from the slight shake in her voice, he could tell she was nervous.
“Yeah?”
She exhaled slowly. “I know you want to know about me, right?”
“Yeah. But only if you want to tell me.”
She bit her lip, and Eita’s heart stuttered at the sight. Hitoka was beautiful, and he couldn’t help staring.
“Well, since you’ve been here with me…”
“Please don’t think I did any of this to get answers out of you,” he said quickly.
“I don’t,” she assured him. “But, you’re curious, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
After she was silent for a few more minutes, she reached over and took Aiko out of her high chair, and held her in her arms, slowly rocking the baby.
“Ask me,” she told him simply. “Ask me what you want to know.”

~*~

Hitoka waited nervously for his first question, wondering if he’d ask about yesterday. She fought the urge to start playing with Aiko to calm herself.

“Where are you from? Originally, that is.”
She sighed with relief, and he smiled gently to encourage her.
“Shiratorizawa,” she replied. “I was born there, but I was sent away and haven’t returned.”
“Sent away?” When?”
“I was eight years old. My mom…” she took a shaky, pained breath, “my mom sent me away to live with family in Japan.”
“Did she ever tell you why?”
“No, but I found out several months later. There was a fever that was making people sick, all over the island.”
“Right. I remember,” he said, nodding at her surprise. “I was sent away, too,” he told her. “My parents sent me here, actually. It’s how I met Tetsu.”
“Really? That explains a few things,” she smiled wryly.
“Yeah,” he chuckled, and then grew serious again. “So… why haven’t you come back?”
Hitoka shrugged. “ I didn’t have a reason to come back. After the fever swept the island, and they finally found a way to combat it, I found out that I was an orphan. No family left to speak of, other than the people who took me in.”
“Didn’t you say…”
“We are just related, Duke. I don’t consider them family, and vice versa!”
Hitoka startled herself by speaking loudly, and she noticed him wincing when she used his title.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me.”
“It’s fine. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” though she cuddled Aiko a little closer. “My mom always sent money to them to help with my care and things like that,” she explained. “For several months, everything was fine. I was on my best behavior, like my mom told me to be, and they were at least friendly and kind.”
He nodded, understanding where this was going.
“But then the money ran out, didn’t it?”
She nodded, burying her nose in Aiko’s hair, and kissing her head. “Yeah. It wasn’t like they stopped caring for me completely, but it just… wasn’t the same anymore. Things started changing; instead of new clothes, I got hand-me-downs, and they didn’t always fit. They fed me, but I had to take my meals either before the rest of them ate, or after. I wasn’t allowed to sit with them anymore. They weren’t mean. It was more like they were indifferent. They didn’t really care about me anymore.”
“Yacchan…”
“Once I realized they’d only cared about the money, I stopped caring, too. When I was old enough, I got a job to earn a little money. I couldn’t be officially on the payroll, because my cousins would want their “fair share,” so my employers paid me cash. It was hard, I couldn’t have a bank account, so I had to find a way to save the money I didn’t spend on myself.” She smiled. “My teacher from high school, Takeda-sensei, helped me out. He kept my money for me.”
“You were lucky to have him.”
“Yeah,” she sighed and stood up to walk around. Duke Semi did as well. “Oh, you don’t have to stand, your grace!”
“I don’t mind. I need a little stretch, too.”
“And you should at least try to help Prince Kuroo celebrate his birthday,” she said sweetly. “He was looking forward to you being here, you know.”
“He was?”
“Yeah. One would say he was excited you were coming.”
Duke Semi smiled, and Hitoka couldn’t look away. He was entirely too handsome when he was happy. Luckily, Aiko broke the moment by patting her face and whimpering. And she noticed something else, too.
“If you’ll excuse us a moment, your grace?” she asked as she went to her bedroom and began to change her daughter’s nappy.
He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “I’ll wait right here.”
“I think you should at least go to his birthday dinner, your grace,” she called from her bedroom. She glanced at the clock. 3:17pm. “They’re all probably wondering what happened to you.”
“Kei made my excuses,” he answered. “Besides, I’d rather be here with you. And little Aiko.”
“Don’t let me keep you here and away from Prince Kuroo’s party. I’m fine now, thanks to you. Besides, I’m no one special, your grace,” she said as she came back out. His lovely brown eyes were focused on her.
“I think you are,” he said softly.

Hitoka couldn’t think of a single thing to say after that.

Which turned out to be a good thing, because the next thing she knew, two little boys burst into the room, past Duke Semi, and wrapped themselves around her legs. She smiled down at them, little hands clutching her skirts and trying to pull her down to them. When she looked back up, she found Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki standing alongside Duke Semi, all of them watching her and the boys.

“Told you I couldn’t keep them away for long,” Prince Tsuki said to the duke.
“I’m amazed you managed it this far,” he replied with irony. He turned to Prince Kuroo and smiled. “Happy birthday, Tetsu. How’s it going so far?”
Prince Kuroo snorted. “Excruciating,” he replied sarcastically. “They keep asking questions without trying to look as curious as they are. Our excuses for you aren’t working as well as we’d hoped.”
Duke Semi’s amused gaze fell on her. She shrugged, and he rolled his eyes again.
“I guess I should put in an appearance,” he finally said.
“Nah, don’t worry about it.”

Hitoka listened to them chat while she knelt down to give all her attention to the boys. Haru was all smiles and chattered a mile a minute, telling her about his friends, and then switching to saying how much he missed her and Aiko. Yuki, by stark contrast, was quiet and serious. It seemed he was still concerned about her by the way he tried to gain her attention with little tugs on her skirt and pats on her leg. But with Aiko in her arms, she couldn’t hug her boys like they wanted her to.

“Need some help?” a familiar voice asked her, sounding amused.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, passing Aiko to him, and ignoring the startled looks on all of their faces to gather up two little boys in her arms. “I missed you two so much!”
“Mama okay now?” Haru asked, and both boys looked up at her, waiting for her answer.
“Yes, I’m okay now that you’re here.”

~*~

“What have you done to our Yacchan?” Tetsu asked as soon as Eita came back to them with Aiko in his arms.
“What do you mean?”
“She hasn’t looked this happy in quite a while, which leads me to think you’ve done something.”
“Unfair assessment. I’ve done nothing.”
“Liar,” Tetsu said gently, holding out his hands for Aiko. She squealed and held out her arms to Tetsu and he took the baby from him. While he doted on the little girl, Kei came to stand next to him.
“You stayed with her, even when you didn’t have to. You cared for her, made sure she had whatever she needed. Before that, you gave her time to get used to you being around. She never gives her child over to anyone she doesn't trust.” Kei placed a hand on his shoulder, something he rarely did, and Eita gave him his full attention. “She trusts you. I’d even go so far as to say she cares for you.”
“Yeah, well…” he was at a loss for words, and turned to look at her playing with the boys.
“You like her.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’d say it was more than that,” Tetsu added.
Eita shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Love can happen anytime, and anywhere. Trust me.” Tetsu's gray eyes found those of Kei’s golden brown, and Eita almost had to take a step back from the force of their love for each other. “Love doesn’t follow any rules but its own. It can be instantaneous, or take a while for the spark to ignite. All it really needs are the right two people in the right place at the right time.”
“And you’re saying it happened for Yacchan and I?”
“Yep.”

All Eita could think about was that he hoped so. He really hoped so.


Chapter 11 - Eleven

“They kicked you out, didn’t they?”
“Yeah.”
Takeda-sensei tsked, and looked both disappointed and angry. “Do you mind telling me when…?”
“I was suffering a bad bout of morning sickness. My cousins figured it out, and within days I was out. A friend let me stay with them while I figured out what to do next.”
“And have you?”
“Not beyond coming here. Sorry, sensei.”
“It’s okay.”
He was silent for a while, and Hitoka finished her meal while she waited. Almost mindlessly, he gathered up her dishes, took them to the sink and washed them. Then, he went to a drawer, pulled out some paper and a pen, and began writing.
“Sensei?”
“I know someone who’ll be able to help. I don’t know if you remember him or not, but he was also a former student of mine. Kei Tsukishima.” He looked up at her questioningly.
She shook her head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Ah, well. Anyway, this letter will introduce you to them, and I’m giving you a reference for any job they might have for you.”
“Thank you, sensei.”
“You may stay here for as long as you need to, alright? However, I don’t know how long they’ll be there…” he was thinking, talking, and writing all at once, so she was confused rather quickly.
“Sensei?”
“Yes, Yacchan?”
“I’m sorry, but ‘they?’ And where is ‘there’?”
“Terribly sorry!” He apologized quickly. “ ‘They’ are Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsukishima.”
“What?! But I can’t…”
“I’ll withdraw all your money from the savings account I opened for you, and it should be enough for a first-class ticket, plus expenses. You’ll go there when you’re ready.”
“But sensei…!”
He came around to her, placing what he’d written in a large envelope, and then giving it to her.
“Hand this to them, Yacchan. I assume you’re close to your due date, yes?”
“Yes, but…”
“They’ll take care of you.” When she tried to protest again, he shushed her, crouched down, and looked her squarely in the eyes. “Life has been throwing everything it can at you, testing you, making you stronger. It may not feel like it right now, but this is an opportunity for you to start over. A new life, if you will. One for you, and your child.”
“Sensei, I…”
He shook his head. “I'll get your room ready. You need to warm up properly, and I’m willing to bet you need a decent night’s sleep.”

“Taichi?”
“Yes, your grace?”

Eita paced the main room in his suite, dressed formally for Tetsu’s birthday dinner. Yacchan finally shooed him out of the nursery, claiming she was “absolutely, perfectly fine, thank you very much, and you should go spend time with Prince Kuroo.” She was laughing as she ushered him through the door, and they spent at least another five minutes saying see ya later, both unwilling to say goodbye.

“I need you to access our archives, specifically genealogical records.”
Taichi nodded. “I assume I’ll be looking up information for your lady friend?”
“Yeah. But I only want to know the family tree.”
“Okay, but, Semi? Shouldn’t you ask her?”
“I got the overwhelming feeling that she wants nothing to do with the surviving members of her family. That as far as she’s concerned, she and her daughter are all that’s left.”
“Ah.”
“I just want to confirm a few things.”
“Alright. I’ll need her family name.”
“Yachi. Her name is Hitoka Yachi, and you might be able to narrow down the search if you start around the year we were sent away during the outbreak.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you.”
“Does this mean I don’t have to go as your aide to the dinner?”
Eita laughed til he almost cried. “I knew you’d ask that! Yes, you get the night free from your duties. Just look up that information for me. I’ll take Kenjiro.”
Taichi muttered. “Oh, he’ll love that! You might not, though…”

At that same moment, the subject of their current conversation walked into the room. Taichi snickered, wrote down a few notes, and then left to go start his assignment. Eita rolled his eyes, and then faced Kenjiro.

“It’s your turn to be my aide at dinner,” he said unceremoniously.
Kenjiro looked like he’d been hit over the head, but was quick to recover.
“Alright, your grace. I’ll go get changed.”
“You do that. Oh, and Kenjiro?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Let’s keep the pomp and circumstance to a bare minimum, alright?”

Eita tried not to laugh as the man left in a huff and muttering something about Proper Protocols During A State Dinner.

~*~

For her first evening with all the children, Kiyoko insisted she relax as much as possible. But, Hitoka was just happy to be here, and would often sit with the kids on the floor as they drew their pictures, made sculptures with their colored clay, or, in Haru and Yuki’s case, ran circles around everyone, occasionally luring another to follow them.

It was the kind of child-like chaos Hitoka loved. And so did her daughter, who was happily screeching as she wobbled on her little feet, her tiny hands gripping her mother’s fingers tight. She’d lift a foot, and set it back down again, as if she wanted to walk, or rather, run, after the boys. Then, she’d fall on her bottom and giggle, completely unbothered.

“She’ll be running before you know it,” Runa said from beside her.
“I know. We’ll have to baby-proof the castle.”
Runa giggled. “And keep a supply of bandages and stuff handy.”
“True.”

Runa was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the door opening. Hitoka could smell the savory scents of their dinner, brought to them by the kitchen staff that could be spared. Her stomach rumbled, and she laughed as she picked Aiko up and then accepted a hand up to her feet from Runa.

“I thought the children were to join their parents,” Eri said quietly as they quickly cleared the table and set everything up for the kids to eat.
“I guess plans changed,” Kiyoko replied. “I’m sure Prince Kuroo will want to spend some time with the kids.”
“Yeah,” the other agreed. “Isn’t there something planned later in the week? An outing to the theme park?”
“I think so…”

Hitoka only half-listened to the two nursery maids chatter. She was busy helping a few of the visiting nannies get their charges dressed and ready for their own dinner. It wasn’t to be as formal as the one their parent’s were attending, but they still made the effort to look nice. Eventually, she was given little Isami to wash up and make presentable. With two squirming little babies, she literally had her hands full. And yet, with all the effort made by Runa to keep them, she also had a pair of three year olds to wrangle. So, she gave Aiko to the younger maid. Isami's nanny came over and apologized for the inconvenience, to which Hitoka kindly assured her she was more than happy to help, if needed. Once the lady left with her charge, Hitoka realized a few things:

She didn’t feel the twins clutching her skirts like they always did.
She didn’t recall asking them to hold her skirts like she always did.
She didn’t see the boys around her, or anywhere in the nursery at all.

She double checked each room, searching for the boys in every possible hiding spot, and still came up empty. And then she noticed the open door. Oh. Oh no. Surely, they didn’t just…

“Kiyoko, the boys…”
“Right. Probably went to the royal suite to find their dads.”
“That’s not even on this floor!”
“I’ll go after them, ma’am.”
“No. I will. They might not listen to you. If I go, they’ll treat it as a game, but eventually come back to me.”
Kiyoko smiled kindly. “It’s no surprise to anyone that they think you’re their mother.”
Hitoka flushed. “I don’t know why anyone thinks that. I have explained countless times…”
“Go get your boys, hon. Hopefully, they haven’t gone far.”
“Right.”
She was out the door in seconds, hoping against hope that the boys wouldn’t find a way down to the dining room. And, in all likelihood, knew they probably would.

~*~

“See? I told you they were super curious,” Tetsu muttered to him as the birthday feast went on. The dishes from the first remove had been cleared, and now the second was being placed on the table.
“It’s only by the barest threads of politeness that they aren’t asking me outright about her,” he replied, reaching for a serving spoon from the nearest dish.
“Your Grace, allow me,” Kenjiro interrupted, and swiftly moved to serve him. Once he was finished, he handed him his fork and stepped back.
“Is he always like that?”
“Dear god, yes. He’s new, so he’s taking the job seriously. Taichi and I have been trying to loosen him up, but, well…” he gestured at his plate.
“Get him drunk,” Tetsu offered playfully.
“Good idea. But if it backfires, it’s all your fault.”
“Duly noted.”

Eita had to admit that, formality aside, it was nice to see friends he hadn’t seen in a long while. Years, in the case of both the Miyans. And… definitely not long enough in the case of Terushima.

The brash young ruler of Johzenji was, as some in their circle liked to call him, and ‘acquired taste.’ If that were the case, then he’d never formed a liking for him. The man had taken rude, crude, and socially unacceptable as a challenge, and somehow made it into something tolerably passable. He was borderline everything. Pushed as far as he could, and yet somehow managed to toe the line.

If Eita had to nail down what he thought of the man, he’d instantly say Terushima embodied the reputation everyone pinned wrongly on Tetsu before he married Kei. The playboy who had his fun wherever he went, leaving broken hearts in his wake. Male, female… it didn’t matter to Terushima. He’d stay for as long as he wanted to, and then leave if things became too messy. He considered it his right to do so, using his rank and privilege to get what he wanted.

Eita had no use for him. Had no desire to do more than nod politely in his direction, and then be off to do his own thing. He couldn’t say he hated him; he felt nothing towards the man. As long as he didn’t try to stir up any trouble with him, Terushima could go fling himself off a cliff, for all he cared.

And it was clear that Tetsu and Kei felt the same way. Forced to be all that was polite and hospitable while he was here. In fact, the man had just burst out laughing at one of his servants, who had the misfortune of tripping and falling to the floor. Beside him, Tetsu practically growled.

“I hate him.”
“I see,” Eita replied, taking in the molten silver gaze his friend leveled at Terushima. “Clearly, you’re not alone,” he added, looking across the table at Kei, whose expression was cold as ice, and his eyes even colder. “Maybe you can tell me…”
“As Kei said before, it’s not our story to tell,” Tetsu returned. “It’s not good.”
“I gathered that.”

Moments later, the doors to the dining room opened, and two little boys ran pell mell for Tetsu, screaming ‘happy birthday, papa’ as they went. Instantly, Tetsu’s mood lightened, and he was out of his chair and kneeling on the floor to scoop up his boys. He was so absorbed in watching his friend laugh and play with his sons that he didn’t notice what else happened. Not until Kei moved to his feet, his stance that of someone ready to run, if necessary.


Chapter 12 - Twelve

“Yachi? Is that you?” she heard Terushima call out.

The man was on his feet and moving toward her, but she was already maneuvering to the side, giving him a wide berth, and making her way to Prince Kuroo. She thanked all her lucky stars that she didn’t faint this time. Not like she meant to last time, either, but still. Seeing him again was… still too much to handle.

“Yachi? I know you heard me.” His voice was taunting her.

Hitoka stopped in her tracks. She had to. She was nothing more than a nanny in the royal household. She couldn’t ignore those above her, not without repercussions. Even if she knew Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsuki would forgive her for ignoring Terushima, they weren’t the only ones here right now. Slowly, almost painfully, she turned back to face Yuji Terushima, her biggest mistake, and Aiko’s father.

“My apologies, my lord,” she said quietly as she curtsied deeply. “I did not notice you.”
He waited for a beat. “A pretty little liar, just as I remember you.”
“Rude,” someone else said in her defense. She didn’t recognize the voice. Either way, she stood up straight but kept her head bowed.
“Rude, and uncalled for,” a very familiar voice said. She bit her lip and tried not to shuffle her feet. Moments later, she felt a slight touch on the small of her back. “Go on. The boys are waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, and turned to go to her charges, but not without stealing a glance up at Duke Semi. He winked at her, and then focused on Terushima.

“Come back here, Yachi! I wasn’t done talking to you.”
She almost stopped again, but Prince Kuroo gestured for her to come to him. When she got there, he placed a hand on her arm to keep her there. She knelt down, and gathered up Haru and Yuki, both with watery eyes and scared faces.
“Yes, you were,” Duke Semi said, but it was echoed by Prince Tsuki.
“She has you under her spell, too, I see,” Terushima sneered. “Trust me, Yachi isn’t the angel she makes herself out to be.”
“Bastard,” Duke Semi growled.
“On the contrary, I’m legitimate.”
“Willfully misunderstanding the meaning and intent behind the slur,” Prince Tsuki said quietly, his arms crossed over his chest. “Typical of you.”
Terushima’s eyes narrowed on the Prince. “Are you accusing me of something, your highness?”
“Did I say anything to make you think I was?”
Hitoka was shaking. The boys in her arms were beginning to whimper. All of this because they all had the misfortune to be in the dining room in the first place.

“Prince Kuroo, please,” she looked at him imploringly. “Let me go. I need to take the boys back to the nursery.”
“Good idea. I’m sorry for keeping you.”
She shook her head, and put the boys down momentarily. Neither of them liked that, and were soon holding up their arms to her.
“Mama, up!”
“Mama, please, up!”

An audible gasp ran through the entire room. Hitoka ignored it all, picking up Yuki, and then taking Haru from Prince Kuroo. It was awkward, holding both boys, but if it meant getting them out of here faster, she’d do it. Turning slowly, she started walking out the way she came. Eyes forward, looking only at the doorway in front of her, murmuring comforting words to her boys, who clung to her like baby koalas.

She didn’t notice it right away, but she knew when one more person joined her. From that point, until she was safely out of the room and to the staircase, she wasn’t bothered by anyone, much less Terushima, who’d growled something at her as she passed. She didn’t hear it, ignoring him completely.

“May I help you, ma’am?” a deep voice said from beside her. She looked up at the speaker; one of Duke Semi’s guards. He looked taciturn, but his eyes were kind.
“Haru? Will you let this man carry you, please?”
“Noooo!” He clung even tighter.
She sighed. “Yuki? Please? I can’t carry you both up the stairs.”
Yuki, bless him, clung tighter for a few moments, and then gave her a sweet butterfly kiss before letting go and holding his arms out to the guard. Hitoka tried not to laugh as the two regarded each other warily, and went up the stairs.
“Thank you, ummm?”
“Ushijima, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Ushijima.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”

~*~

“Always knew you were a slut, but I didn’t think you’d reach this high, Yachi.”

Eita was moving before his brain caught up to him. He was only stopped by Kenjiro grabbing a handful of his dinner jacket, and Reon stepping in front of him so he was forced to stop, or run over the man.
“Your Grace, stop!” Kenjiro was muttering under his breath. “Calm down!”
“Let go of me, Shirabu,” Eita growled, using the man’s surname. Immediately, he felt his jacket loosen. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Your Grace.”
“Next time, don’t stop me.”
Kenjiro smirked. “I’ll keep it in mind, sir, but I will stop you if it’ll keep you from creating an international incident. Besides,” he said, leaning over and jerking his head toward Terushima. “It looks like you weren’t the only one to start moving.”

Eita turned back to find Kei had moved faster than anyone knew he could, and was towering over the man, who looked like he couldn’t care less.

“I will accept your apologies, now, Terushima.”
“Apologize? What for?”
“You’ve slandered a member of our household.”
“By telling the truth?”
“Truth, huh?” Tetsu drawled, sauntering over to Terushima, also towering over the man like his husband. Anyone who was smart would have backed off by now, and done what was decent. Clearly, Terushima was not smart. “And what would that be?”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you’d take her into your household, Kuroo. The little opportunist got her claws into you, too, huh?”
Tetsu and Kei shared a look, and then Kei nodded.
“First you call her a liar, then a slut, and now an opportunist. It sounds like you know her well enough to throw those insults at her.”
“Are they really insults if they’re the truth?”
“You keep saying that.”
“I mean it.”
“I’m sure you do,” Kei smiled devilishly. “But… I know you’re lying.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”

Kei would have continued, but the rustling of fabric from the other guests had him pulling himself up short. He stood back a step, spun on his heel, grabbed Tetsu’s hand, and stormed off to the far end of the dining room. Nekomata and Ukai came over to respectfully offer apologies and assurances that nothing more would happen tonight. Then, they turned to the other guests and bowed, offering more apologies. Damage control at its smoothest.

Terushima looked all that was smug, and somehow vindicated. His attention went from the two princes talking in the corner, to him. There was a slight head tilt, and then he started walking forward, until he was a few feet away.

“Duke,” he said snidely.
“Baronet,” Eita replied in kind. “Are we playing name the titles?” He continued sarcastically, and waved a hand at the table of avidly interested guests. “We have several in our midst…”
“Smartass. I like that.”
“Funny. Can’t say the same about you.”
Terushima had the nerve to look surprised. Then, he dropped the act and looked angry.
“You were going to defend her, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, I was. Problem with that?”
“Not at all! I just figured you’d be less gullible, that’s all.”
“You keep alluding to something you seem to be so sure of,” Eita tried to sound calm and reasonable, but a tug on the back of his jacket suggested otherwise. He took a deep breath. “Why don’t you tell me your truth.”
Terushima snorted. “Why should I? I mean, you have my word, plus the evidence is right in front of you.”
“Frankly, I don’t trust your word, Terushima. I’ve heard too much about you already to know you’d lie to save face. And there’s no evidence in this room to prove your truth to be factual.”
“Not anymore.”
“Whatever, dude. Go on. Tell me. Tell all of us.”
“Why should it matter? It’s her word against mine, and she’s nobody special.”
Someone stood up behind him, and when Eita turned toward the table, he saw Tetsu and Kei had returned to their seats, but remained standing. As was Moniwa, Bokuto, Oikawa, and Miya.
“Enough with the side-stepping, Terushima. Either tell us why you’re insulting a member of Kuroo’s household, or return to your seat and shut up,” Moniwa commanded. As king, he had the right to pull rank, if needed, and he had the support of all in the room to do so.
“Fine.” He retreated and went back to his seat. Nearly everyone waited until he was there before they started sitting down. However, it seemed Terushima wasn’t finished.
“I insulted her because she’s all that I said she was. She charmed her way into my bed, threatened me with her pregnancy, and then disappeared. Now, I find she’s wormed her way into Kuroo’s household, and succeeded with him, or possibly both him and Tsukishima, by having their children. Although, I still haven’t figured out why she’s just a nanny and not a consort. Well, no, that doesn’t work out since you two are…”
“Terushima of Johzenji, you will leave my castle, you will leave Nekoma, and I hereby ban you from ever returning.”
“You can’t do that!”
“I can, and I will.”
“I also ban you from Karasuno Archipelago, Terushima of Johzenji. You will not be allowed to step foot on any of my islands,” Kei pronounced.
“You can’t! It’s against the law!”
“You forget, I make the laws here,” Tetsu growled. “My husband, similarly, makes the laws for the Karasuno Archipelago. You dare to dispute our laws, while standing among us?”
“Keep talking, Terushima. Dig yourself into a deeper hole,” Kei said with a wicked smile.
“BUT I TOLD YOU…!!”
“You lied.”
“Prove it!”
“They don’t have to,” a small, quiet voice said from the door. Eita, and everyone else looked to see who spoke. “I can tell them everything you didn’t… Yuji.”

She’d changed her clothes into something a little more formal than that of a nanny, but still leagues from the finery that surrounded her. Her hair was down, left in wavy tendrils that flowed around her neck and shoulders as she made her way slowly into the dining room. In her arms, she carried Aiko, who was, for once, quiet and cuddled up against her mother, tiny fingers in her mouth. Hitoka walked with her head held up high, refusing to be cowed by the seething glare Terushima sent her. But, her eyes… Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and he could see it was taking everything in her to not turn tail and run back out of the room filled with royalty.

She slowed to stand beside him for just a moment, long enough to reach for his hand and give it a squeeze, and he felt how much she was shaking. But before he could act on it, she let go and went to stand next to Tetsu and Kei, who were now standing together as co-rulers of their nations. She had their complete support and backing.

“And who would believe you, Yachi?” Terushima sneered. “You are nothing. A nobody from nowhere, who couldn’t get what she wanted from me!”
“I never wanted anything more than for you to return my love, Yuji.”
Terushima started laughing maniacally. “As I said before, you’re a pretty little liar.”
“Let her speak,” Miya quietly said from his seat.
“Yes, let’s hear her side,” Bokuto agreed.
“We’re all ears, my dear,” Oikawa grinned at her.
And then, she looked at him. Eita nodded his support and encouragement, and gave her a little smile.


Chapter 13 - Thirteen

“Please, wait here,” the man who introduced himself as Yamaguchi told her. “I’ll let them know you’ve finally arrived.”
“Wait,” she reached out to tug on his shirt. “They knew I was coming?”
He blinked. “Well, yeah. Takeda-sensei called ahead to tell us.”
“Oh. Right.”
A few minutes later, she was seated in a cushioned chair, her wagon and bags absconded with to wherever, and the letter Takeda-sensei had given to her was open and now in the hands of Prince Tsukishima. Grimly, he handed it to his husband, Prince Kuroo.
“I already knew he was a shady bastard, but…?”
“Yeah, this goes beyond anything I’ve known him to do.”
“Your copycat, but worse.”
“I was never that bad.”
“I know.” Prince Tsukishima smiled fondly and then turned his attention to her. “Let me first say that we’ll help you. You’re home here, and at Nekoma.”
“Thank you, your highness.”
“Now, Takeda-sensei kindly explained your situation to us, but I want to hear it from you.”
“Yes, your highness.” With a halting voice, she recounted everything that happened between herself and… Terushima.
“And the child is his.”
She wasn’t that sort of girl, she wanted to scream, who else would it be? But she simply nodded.
“Yes, your highness.”
After a few minutes of silence, which felt like forever stretched out before her, he rose to his feet, and Prince Kuroo did the same. Struggling, she tried to rise, too, but the prince was beside her in an instant, gently laying a hand on her shoulder to keep her seated.
“No, stay there. It’s fine,” he assured her. “We believe you. There have been rumors of other incidents surrounding his name, and none of it any better than this. You, and your child, when it comes, will be more than welcome in our household.”
“T-thank you, your highness.” Her voice was tight with the tears that were suddenly falling from her eyes.
“Takeda-sensei gave you a glowing recommendation, Yachi. And, as it so happens, one of our nursery maids recently married and moved to Aoba Johsai. You may have her position, including her room.”
“I’ll have to check with Nekomata, but there may also be an opening for you to fill in our nursery at Nekoma, as well,” Prince Kuroo added. “It’s yours, if you want it.”
Now, she couldn’t speak at all. Her teacher had been right about him, about them both.
“Thank you,” she managed to whisper.

After she went to the nursery, Hitoka consoled the boys for a little bit and made sure they would stay with Kiyoko, Eri, and Runa. Then, she took Aiko, and went to the family nursery, where she cleaned up herself and her daughter, changed into her finest dress, and dressed Aiko in her cutest onesie. She was as ready for this as she’d ever been, and so she left to return to the dining room, Ushijima meeting her at the top of the grand staircase to escort her down.

She knew this was something she had to do. If she didn’t, there’s no telling what else he might say, how much worse it might be. Who else he’d lure into his bed; who else he’d leave without a single care about the consequences. She was well aware that he could have had more women fall into his trap since he left her, but she was damn well going to try to stop him from doing it again.

She stopped just before the doorway, listening to everything being said. Listening to Terushima lie to everyone, and the blushing when Prince Kuroo, Prince Tsukishima, and Duke Semi tried to get him to incriminate himself, and also defend her.

“Takeda-sensei, you were right,” she whispered to herself, and kissed her baby, before standing in the doorway, and announcing her presence. “They don’t have to, I can tell them everything you didn’t… Yuji.” When she saw everyone’s attention on her, she took a deep breath, exhaled and stood up as straight as she could, slowly making her way into the room.

She endured his words, calling her nothing, nobody, a liar, but she stayed strong. When she reached Duke Semi’s side, she impulsively reached for his hand, seeking strength and receiving it when he squeezed her hand in return. She wanted to keep holding on, but this was her mission. Plus, he was about to find out the part of her life she had hoped to keep secret a little while longer.

“The floor is yours, Yacchan,” Prince Tsuki whispered to her. “Tell them everything you told us. Leave nothing out. We’ll make sure there are no interruptions.”
“Thank you, your highness.”
“Kai! Yamamoto! Please close the doors,” Kuroo called out to his guards. “What is said within these four walls remains within these four walls. Am I clear, gentlemen, and lady?” Everyone agreed. “Yacchan will speak her piece, and there will be no interruptions.” He glared at Terushima. “No one is on trial here, but I expect everyone to respect Yacchan and let her speak until she is finished.” Everyone agreed again.

Well, everyone except Terushima, who sat fuming in his chair like a petulant child. Unable to look at him, she focused on everyone else, before her eyes finally stopped on Duke Semi. He was standing behind his chair, holding the back, and smiled at her. She took it as encouragement and started to talk, as if she were telling him her story. Just him, and no one else.

She gave a brief history of her childhood, and the struggles she faced being sent away to live with people who were distantly related, but not really family. And then, learning to fend for herself after her mother died and the money she sent for her care stopped. She made it through high school, but had difficulties with her college education. It took her several years longer than usual to make it through, only able to take a few classes at a time per semester, even with a part time job.

Then, during her final year in college, she met a charming exchange student who was kind and attentive, something she’d been lacking for years. She told everyone how she fell in love and thought he felt the same, though he never truly admitted it to her, not even after her confession. She told them how she would have preferred waiting until after marriage to consummate their relationship, but he charmed her more, finally professing his love. Or at least, that’s what she’d thought.

And then, she told them about his rejection, shortly after she told him she was expecting. About how she tried to hide her pregnancy from her caretakers, but was eventually kicked out to fend for herself. About how, with the aid of Takeda-sensei, Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsukishima, she was finally able to start over as a nursery worker first, and now as a nanny.

“May I present my daughter, Aiko,” she said, turning so that everyone could see her sleeping angel. “She’s ten months old, and my ray of sunshine, my comfort, and a source of strength.” She kept her eyes locked with Semi’s. “One of my sources of strength.” There was that shy smile she loved to see, along with a light dusting of pink across his cheekbones.

The room was silent, even Terushima, who hadn’t refuted her even once. Which was a surprise to her. He stewed in his seat, but he also looked wary, like anyone could attack him at any moment. Indeed, a few of those at the table looked like they were waiting for someone to give the word.

“Alright, we’ve heard her side of the story,” King Moniwa spoke up, using his authority as the highest ranking royal present. “By law, we are allowed to ban any individual from our nations as long as the majority is in agreement. Baronet Yuji Terushima of Johzenji has already been banned from Nekoma and the Karasuno Archipelago. However, that decision was made prior to an agreement, so it is suspended… for now.”

Hitoka swayed on her feet, and she was immediately sat down in the nearest chair. Holding Aiko close, she rocked her baby and listened to the rulers discuss what needed to be done. And still, Terushima hadn’t said a word. It annoyed her almost as much as it unnerved her. She knew he wasn’t the type to back off or give up so easily, so why wasn’t he doing anything? Why wasn’t he pushing back?

She looked from side to side, at both Prince Kuroo and Prince Tsukishima, both of whom were still talking with the others. She felt herself calming down, but she found herself searching for another. One who had been seated across the table, but wasn’t there anymore. Where was he? She didn’t see or hear him leaving. Where…?

“Here,” his voice said softly from beside her. He took her hand and placed a glass of water in it. “Drink this. It’ll cool you off a bit.”
“T-thanks,” she whispered, relieved. She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip. Then, she drank a little more. She handed the glass back to him, and he reached to set it on the table.
“How are you holding up?”
“I’d rather be back in my room, to be honest. Or with the children.”
“Not just yet, but soon we can go.”
“We?”
He shrugged and smiled. “It’s getting way too stuffy in here.”
“I heard that,” Prince Kuroo whispered.
“It’s true,” Duke Semi replied unrepentantly.
Prince Kuroo snorted and then smiled at them. “Like he said; not too much longer.”

“So, are we in accord, gentlemen?” King Moniwa asked after discussions seemed to end, his gaze going from each representative to the next as they gave their answers. “We have a majority agreement. Baronet Yuji Terushima is hereby banned from Nekoma and Karasuno Archipelago indefinitely, and all other nations present have unanimously voted to severely limit his visits however they see fit. Effective immediately.”

Terushima rose from his chair and snapped his fingers. His advisors and guards, along with the two servants he’d brought to do his bidding, rushed to stand behind him. He turned and bowed to the men, and ladies, at the table, and then started for the doors, which opened ponderously slow. Hitoka waited; she still didn’t trust that he would simply accept his sentence so easily.

At the door, he stopped, turned slightly, and smirked.

“How do I know the child is really mine?” he said curiously, as if it just occurred to him to ask. “She looks nothing like me…”
“Thank god,” Duke Semi interrupted.
“Small miracles,” Akaashi-san said.
“She’s way cuter, anyway,” Duke Oikawa chimed in.
“She’s yours,” Hitoka ground out. “I said she was.”
“Yes, but all we have is your word. No verifiable proof.”
“That can be easily remedied,” King Moniwa said briskly. “I’ll send for a physician to administer a paternity test.”
“I refuse,” Terushima said. “The child isn’t mine.”

He turned to leave again, but Duke Semi was on his feet and walking steadily around the table to Terushima’s place setting. He made a show of being thoughtful, and then picked up a glass, which held a little liquid leftover from his drink.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but we don't need blood work for a paternity test, do we?”
“While it’s optimal,” Iwaizumi-san, Duke Oikawa’s consort answered, “it’s not necessary. We can get a DNA sample from that glass, or even a strand of hair.”
“Cool,” Duke Semi said with a lop-sided grin, aimed at Terushima, who was finally looking very uncomfortable, as well as angry.
“I still refuse!” Terushima tried to protest as Duke Semi walked over to his majesty. “I won’t allow you to use that!” Suddenly, he started running toward his grace, and several people cried out in warning.

Calmly, almost as if he was expecting this to happen, Duke Semi placed the glass down on the table, curled his hands into fists, and waited until just the right moment. Then, he turned around quickly, and hit Terushima in the face, dropping the man in one blow. Crouching down to the barely conscious man, he said something low enough that only a few people heard.

“That was for Yachi and her daughter. If you try anything, send anyone, or even breathe anything against her, I will find you and stop you.” He rose and bowed to King Moniwa, and then the rest of those around the table. “My apologies. I lost my temper for a minute there.”
“Quite alright,” Prince Kuroo said, nodding his approval. “You only did what I’m sure everyone here has wanted to do for quite a while.”
“I’m hoping this won’t escalate?”
“Whatever are you talking about, your grace?” King Moniwa asked innocently. “You were defending an innocent young lady and her child. Nothing to worry about.”
“Thank you, your majesty.” He bowed again, and then came around the table to her side. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Yeah,” she replied, taking his hand and rising out of the chair.

No one saw fit to stop them, and they were followed by his advisor and two guards.


Chapter 14 - Fourteen

“Let me see your hand,” Hitoka said, after putting Aiko down in her cradle. She held her hand out expectantly.
“I’m fine,” he replied gently. “It’s really nothing to worry about.” Eita held up his hand and showed her, trying not to show how much pain he was actually in.

Except, it didn’t work. She saw the way his eyes squeezed shut for a brief moment, and heard him stifle a gasp. All she did was lift a single eyebrow, and his hand was in hers. With great care, she started to inspect his hand.

“Nothing seems broken, or out of place. Can you make another fist?”
He tried, and inhaled sharply. “Damn! Sorry. Hurts like hell,” he grumbled. “It’ll be fine in a few days.”
“I know. Please, let me help you.”
“Alright.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, she asked him to sit down at the table and wait while she gathered up a few things to patch him up. While she put what she needed on a tray, and started the kettle for tea, she calmed herself as much as she could.

“Thank you,” she said softly, once she made it back to him. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did,” he replied as she took his hand in hers once more. “What he did to you was wrong. He hurt you…”
“It was my choice, my mistake…”
She cleaned his hand and rubbed the tiny splits in his knuckles with an antiseptic. He winced again, and she apologized softly.
“He took advantage of you, Yacchan. I wouldn’t be surprised if he targeted you.”
“That may be true, but still…”
“No buts, Hitoka. Terushima is a slimy bastard who went after a girl desperate for any sort of love and affection, preyed on those needs, used you, and then left you without a single care when you needed him most.” He paused for a moment. “It’s not your fault.”

She knew that. She did! There hadn’t been a single day that went by during her pregnancy that she remembered his rejection. After Aiko was born, she buried the memories as much as she could. What’s done is done, right? All in the past? They should fade with time and happier memories to replace them, right?

She startled when she felt his hands gently cup her face, as if she were something precious to him. He slowly swiped a thumb along her cheek, and that’s when she felt the wetness of her own tears. And they kept falling, no matter what she tried to do to stop them.

Shaking free of his hands, she stood up and walked away, but she stopped about halfway to her room. She couldn’t stop crying. It wasn’t just what happened at dinner; it was more than that. It was everything that had happened in her life since her mother put her on the ship to Japan.

With one little phrase, everything came rushing in to swallow her whole. She only ever had time to keep acting like everything was normal, to keep landing on her feet every time the rug was ripped out from under her. To keep moving forward when she wanted to curl up in a corner and disappear. Remembering that she couldn’t do that when she was now the mother of a beautiful baby girl.

She doubled over with heart wrenching sobs. She would have fallen to her knees, if it weren’t for a warm pair of arms surrounding her, holding her tight. Swaying gently, as if he was rocking her like a child. Humming the lullaby from their homeland and gently rubbing her back to calm her. Even going so far as to sift his fingers through her hair, massaging her head with each soft pass.

Duke Semi… no, Eita… had been there when she needed someone, at least recently. For reasons she couldn’t yet understand, she knew in the instant they met that she could trust him. She could trust him with her daughter, and perhaps most of all, she knew she could trust him with her heart.

Her sobs quieted, but she still cried, soaking his shirt with her tears. Her hands gripped that shirt tight, refusing to let go. And Eita held onto her through it all.

~*~

A few hours later, Eita walked into his suite and found both his advisors waiting for him, along with one of the palace physicians to look at his hand. While the doctor examined his hand, applied a cooling ointment to the reddish, bruised areas, and then wrapped his hand, Eita took Taichi’s report and read it.

“Your hand is fine, your grace,” the doctor told him, gathering up his stuff. “Just keep it wrapped up for at least another day, or until it doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll send some more antiseptic up for the cuts.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”

The man left and Eita went to sit in one of the chairs in front of the unlit fireplace, reading the report again. Hitoka’s family really hadn’t been that big, and from the look of it, most of them were old, so the main branch was dying out. Hitoka and Aiko really were the last in the line. The cousins she’d been sent to live with were so far distantly related, it was a wonder they even knew about her in the first place. Clearly her mother had formed some sort of connection in the past, but a tenuous one at best. A connection that broke as soon as the money stopped coming.

The following pages went further into the family’s ancestry, and Eita nearly gave up on reading what’s left, until he found a small highlighted section.

“Hey, Taichi?”
“Found it, huh?”
“Yeah, but what…?”
“I don’t know. Someone obviously didn’t understand the assignment. Or, they just failed to do their homework correctly.”
“A misunderstanding, or something else?”
“Without anything to go by, sir, we won’t know.”
“And you looked?”
“As far as I could with the resources I had here. I’d have to go back home to dig deeper.”
“Right.”
Taichi came over to sit next to him, and nudged him with his shoulder.
“Worried, Semi?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” Eita admitted quietly. “I mean, I’m still getting used to being the Duke in the first place.”
“Even after five years?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t something I ever thought would happen, you know? One day, you’re helping your dad out in his music shop, the next the regent and captain of the guard are telling you you're in line for the throne to the Grand Duchy.”
“For someone who never thought he’d be Grand Duke, you’re doing a pretty awesome job at it. Some of the changes you made have been beneficial to our country.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, tourism and trade have been the biggest changes. Somehow, you’ve made Shiratorizawa less like visiting a mausoleum and more like a… a vacation destination.”
“Mausoleum… good one, Taichi.”
“I try.”

They sat there for a while longer before Eita excused himself to go to bed. Once the door was closed, he leaned against it and sighed, running his hand through his hair. On nights like these, he’d typically play his guitar until he was relaxed enough to sleep. However… he looked at his bandaged hand. Guess that wasn’t happening tonight.

Pushing off the door, he went to go take a shower and get ready for bed. A soft knock on the door sounded, and he went to answer it. On the other side, Kenjiro held a tray with the ointment the physician sent, a fresh bandage, and a steaming cup of tea. It wasn’t his usual honey lemon, or the bergamot blend he liked as well. He inhaled the steam; vanilla chamomile, Hitoka’s favorite.

“How did you…?” he asked, picking up the mug while Kenjiro brought in the tray and set it down on the little table by the window.
“A maid brought it by while you were in the shower. There’s a note on the tray,” his younger advisor said. “How’s your hand?”
“Still hurts like hell, but it’ll be fine soon.”
“Good. Sleep well, your grace.”
“Same to you, Kenjiro.” The man bowed and was almost out of the room when Eita called out to him. “Thank you for stopping me,” he said. “The first time. I might’ve done more damage then.”
Kenjiro looked surprised, but then smiled and bowed again. “You’re welcome, sir.”

Alone again, he took a few sips of the sweetly scented tea, noticed it was lightly sweetened (just the way he liked it), and he couldn’t help smiling. She had praised his tea making skills and claimed his tea was better than hers. He politely disagreed; her tea was top notch. Taking another sip, he walked over to the table and picked up the note. Eita chuckled; her handwriting was a charmingly endearing… mess. It was legible, he’d give it that, but still.

I hope this helps, your grace. Eita. Thank you. For everything.
Hitoka

He set the note back down, finished his tea, and began smoothing some of the ointment on his knuckles and fingers. Tetsu hadn’t planned much beyond his birthday dinner and a few outings for everyone to enjoy while on his island. He announced a do-over for his disastrous dinner, which would be held the night before everyone else had to leave at the end of the week. He’d jokingly added that it would certainly be less eventful, to which everyone else laughed.

However, Eita had already decided where he wanted to be. Tetsu and Kei would just have to make his excuses once again. Taichi was going to tease and laugh at him as much as he could. Kenjiro might just have an aneurysm. Wakatoshi and Reon won’t know what to do with themselves. None of that mattered. The Nekoma royal household was about to acquire a temporary nursery assistant in the form of one Grand Duke Eita Semi.

It would give him an excellent excuse to wear comfortable clothing.
It would mean he could play his guitar, once his hand felt better (which it was).
It would mean he could relax and just be himself, even around a small herd of children.
It would also give him time to be around two angels who had somehow managed to tuck themselves into his heart.

Which might actually be made easier to accomplish, he thought as he finished wrapping his hand with the bandage. A distant rumble had caught his attention, and he went to the nearest window and waited. If he was right, then… In the dark of night, and still far off in the distance, he saw a flash of light that illuminated the clouds. Lightning. And, another few minutes later, thunder.

Just to make sure his hunch was absolutely right, he went over to the desk he rarely (okay, never) used, booted up his laptop (also very much neglected), and accessed Nekoma’s wifi. He found the local weather page and checked out the forecast. Indeed, it looked like the rest of Tetsu’s birthday week would be a wash. Literally. In fact, it looked like they might be stuck here at least a day longer than planned.

The storm in the distance was already listed as a category two cyclone, gaining strength as it moved, and its trajectory would bring it close to Nekoma, if not right over the island. By morning, it would be too late for anyone else to leave safely. Thankfully, Terushima and his people had already left.

And, right on cue, there was another knock on his door. Shutting down his laptop, he was about to answer it, when the door opened and Tetsu walked in.

“Well, at least you knocked,” Eita said sarcastically.
“I also waited for you to holler if you were indecent or whatever, but since you didn’t, I figured it was safe.”
Eita snorted. “I’m gonna guess the weather brought you here?”
“Yeah. We’re informing everyone now. We’ve already put the castle on lockdown, so even if you thought about leaving, you can’t.” He waved a hand as he said that. “You already know the drill.”
“Yeah, but thanks for letting me know anyway.”
“No problem. We’ll be keeping an eye on the reports, but I’m already having everyone get ready to move down to the castle shelter.”
“Right.”
“Sorry to disturb you.”
“Bit late to tell me that, don’t you think?”
“Bah! See you in the morning, okay?”
“Right.”
Tetsu was on his way back out when he stopped at the door. He looked back over his shoulder and winked.
“You’ll be staying in the suite next to the nursery. Figured you’d want to be close to a certain nanny and her daughter.”
“How did you…?”
“Eita, my best friend, and hopeless romantic fool,” he said with exasperation. “Do you honestly think anyone here doesn’t know where your heart lies by now?” His smirk grew wider as Eita floundered for an answer. “Dude, we all know you’re in love with Yacchan, and it’s quite possible the same is true for her.”
“Yeah, well…”
“See ya in the morning,” Tetsu said as he left.


Chapter 15 - Fifteen

By morning, the cyclone had gathered strength into a category three, and the winds were howling through the trees. Anyone in the castle town who hadn’t moved to safety within the castle walls and the shelters designed for such weather, were hunkered down in their homes. Citizens on the other side of the island were protected by the mountains, but prepared their homes for the possibility of taking in temporary guests. As was typical and done with ease.

This was how Nekoma handled storms of this magnitude. Within the castle, guests and staff withdrew to a sub-level shelter of sorts which was designed with the utmost safety in mind. Because there were no exterior windows, special air vents brought in fresh air, and generators ensured that if the island lost power outside, they’d have enough to withstand the storm, if carefully used. Water storage tanks provided clean water, but it was limited so guests had a rationed amount per day. Nekoma also chose to keep its old landlines in service and working flawlessly for situations like these. They could only hope the wifi signal held up.

With Aiko in her sling, wrapped snuggly against her back, Hitoka devoted herself to helping everyone else first. With the help of her crew, they gathered the kids’ things together so that they were ready for their parents when they arrived. The older children, bless them, did their best to help with the younger. All of them had experienced bad weather, but several had never experienced it away from home. Thank goodness it wasn’t long before parents came to collect their children.

With little time to spare, she finally managed to get everything together for herself and her daughter. They were the last ones, from the nursery at least, to head down to the castle shelter. Unwrapping the sling, she placed Aiko in her pram, and grabbed the handle of the wagon. She was about to leave the smaller nursery when her baby started screaming. And it wasn’t her usual happy baby screaming, either. She was red-faced and distressed, and Hitoka was at a loss.

She picked up her baby and tried to soothe her with little success. She checked her nappy (clean), and looked for anything that might have scratched or pinched her child, but came up empty. Unsure what had caused it, Hitoka was nearly in tears herself. It didn’t help matters that until she figured out what was making her daughter scream and cry louder the further they moved away from the nursery, she was stuck. And it sounded like things were getting worse outside.

“Shhh, baby,” she soothed gently, though her voice shook. “We need to go. We can come back as soon as the storm passes, okay? Shhh, baby, shhh…”

This was awful. She jostled Aiko gently, rubbed her back, and tried to at least hum the lullaby for her. Nothing worked. Little hands stretched out, back toward the nursery door. So, whatever it was Aiko wanted was in there. But… they had to go. Now that the cyclone was close, it was moving faster than she thought. The wind was howling almost as loud as her baby. Big, fat, raindrops pelted the windows. Small bits of debris joined the rain, and she could swear it sounded like hail fell, too. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed loudly overhead, scaring both herself and her baby.

The castle was built to withstand the strongest storms, and it had for generations. Long before Prince Kuroo’s family became the rulers of Nekoma. Surely, they’d be okay while she tried to figure out why Aiko was inconsolable? Leaving the wagon where it was, she settled her hysterical child in the pram, and wheeled it back into the nursery.

~*~

Downstairs, it was a controlled sort of chaos as the nobility gathered in the common room, while Tetsu and Kei directed them to their temporary suites. Eita, not having much to do but watch, and having already moved into his suite, decided to help out. And he ordered his advisors and guards to do the same. It wasn’t as quick as he thought it’d go, but when it was all over, everyone was ensconced in their rooms for the duration of the storm.

Servants and other staff had smaller rooms down another hallway, but everyone was safe and sound. It was only while the cook and kitchen staff were laying out a light dinner, consisting mainly of veggie and fruit platters, sandwich bread and everything you could possibly put on a single sandwich, and a variety of chilled drinks, that Eita realized someone was missing. Two someones, in fact. And, it seemed he wasn’t the only one to notice.

“Tetsu, where’s Yacchan?” Kei called from their suite. “The boys are getting restless, and are asking for her.”
“Didn’t she come down with the others?” he asked, looking over at the few nannies that were in the common room with their charges.
“She was supposed to, your highness,” one of them answered him. “She told us she’d be right along. She just had to get her own stuff together before coming down.”
“Thank you,” Tetsu said, running a hand through his hair. “She’s probably still up there.”
“But it’s not like her to take so long,” Kei came out of the room with the boys, both of whom had watery expressions. He handed Haru over to Tetsu, and bent to pick up Yuki. “You know she’s very efficient. Something’s keeping her up there.”
“What could possibly keep her from coming down, though?” Tetsu asked.

Eita was already on the move. He’d go get Hitoka and bring her and Aiko down safely. Piece of cake. But, he was stopped when someone else tried to block his way.

“Taichi, what…?”
“Sorry. You need to hear this,” his friend said. “Your highness, I have news!” Taichi called from his place. Both Tetsu and Kei turned their attention to him, and the former nodded for him to continue. “The last weather report stated that the cyclone is now a category four. It's still several miles out from making landfall, but it’s moving fast.”
“Damn,” Tetsu swore as others made their way out to listen.
“What else did the report say,” Kei asked urgently.
“It’s huge,” Taichi answered carefully. “It’s big enough to swallow up most of Nekoma. They say it could make category five before landfall,” he finished with a hushed voice.
“It’s been years since we’ve had one that big,” Kei reminded his husband. Then he turned back to Taichi. “Anything else?”
“Not much. They don’t expect it to hover over us for very long, but we’ll definitely be down here for a day or two,” he reported dutifully.
“Did they say when landfall would be?”
“At least within the next hour or two, but that could change with the way it’s moving.”
“Too fast,” Eita muttered. Then, he moved past Taichi and headed for the stairs. “I’m going to get Yacchan and Aiko. I’ll be back shortly.”

He left before anyone could protest. As soon as he hit the first landing, he was startled to see his two guards behind him.

“You see to the lady and her child,” Toshi said as he came up beside him. “We’ll gather her things and take them back down.”
“Thank you, but…”
“Don’t argue, sir,” Reon interrupted. “We’ll also be there to make sure everyone gets back to the shelter unharmed.”
“Thank you,” he said again. “Let’s go get my lady, shall we?”
He didn’t see the two of them share a smile at him calling the nanny his lady.

Up another flight of stairs to the ground floor, and it was literal chaos. Debris from the storm had blown in and several of the large floor-to-ceiling windows had shattered. This left the castle’s grand entrance hall open to the elements, and they were all getting soaked and pelted with small bits of debris being blown in from the wind. Shit. He wasn’t wearing the right shoes for trekking across broken glass. But he had to. There were two Very Important people upstairs, and he needed to get to them. Somehow.

“Is there another way?” Toshi yelled over the noise.
“Not directly. The only other way will take much longer,” Eita replied. “We don’t have that much time.”
“Considering the damage here, I’d rather work with this than discover our way blocked by a blown in tree somewhere else,” Reon added.
“Okay, so what do we do?” Eita asked. “We can’t stay here!”
The moment he said that, the wind blew in another window behind them, and shattered glass flew everywhere. “Everyone okay?!”
“Fine,” Reon replied.
Toshi hissed, and removed a piece of glass from his upper arm. “It was small. I’ll be okay.”
“We’ll take care of that in the nursery.”
Toshi moved to stand in front of Eita, his back facing him.
“A piggyback ride?”
“You have a better idea? Your shoes won’t make it across the glass.”
“Right,” he sighed, laughed at himself and the immediate situation, sacrificed his dignity and jumped onto Toshi’s back. “One word of this to anyone, and I’ll demote you.”
“Noted, your grace.”
“We’ll take the long way back.”
“Right.”

Reon moved ahead and cleared the way of branches for Toshi, and they eventually made it to the grand staircase. Eita was on his feet again and running up the stairs, with his men right behind him. He raced along the hallway, and up another flight of stairs to the next floor. The closer he came to the nursery, the more he heard Aiko screaming. All manner of thoughts ran through his mind: was Hitoka hurt? Was Aiko? He couldn’t tell if Hitoka was crying, either. Was she knocked out? Was she…?

His heart squeezed, and he had to slow down so he could breathe and think straight. She might not be making noise right now, so maybe she’s trying to calm her daughter. He knew she’d do anything to keep her baby safe, so she’s probably hiding in the safest place in the nursery: the washroom. Spotting her wagon in the hallway, he directed his men to take it downstairs. Reon took the handle and started around the corner, taking the long way so he could clear anything out of the way if needed. Toshi stayed with him.

“Hitoka?” He called her name as soon as he opened the door to the nursery. Aiko’s screaming grew louder. “Hitoka!”
“Eita! I’m here!”

He made a bee-line for the washroom, passing the pram on the way. Opening the door, he found Hitoka as red-faced as her daughter, watery-eyed, and looking both distressed and relieved. Eita went in and knelt down in front of them.

“What’s wrong? Is she hurt? Are you? Why is she screaming?”
“I’m fine. She’s not hurt, but she won’t stop crying, and I-I don’t know w-why.”
The tears she’d been holding back finally fell. Eita reached up to wipe them away.
“We're all worried about you.”
“I’m sorry, but she was crying so much, and she hasn’t stopped.”
“Okay. Well, the bad news is, we have to get out of here now. The storm is going to get worse before it makes landfall.”
“But, she's screaming…”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but it’s not safe here. The main hall is already a wreck. We need to leave.”
“Pardon me,” a deeper voice said from the doorway. “Is there anything specific I can look for?”
“Oh! Ushijima. No, not anything I can think of immediately,” Hitoka said thoughtfully as Eita helped her to stand. She walked slowly out of the washroom and toward the pram. “I was in a bit of a hurry to get our stuff together…” and she paused. “Wait. Is her stuffy in there?”
“Her stuffy?” Ushijima asked.
“Yeah. An old, rather care-worn teddy bear. It used to be mine, but I gave it to her. Is it in her pram?”
Ushijima gently pawed through the contents of the pram. “It’s not in here,” he pronounced.
“It’ll be in our room, then.” She looked up at him and smiled, though it fell the moment she caught sight of his bleeding arm. “I’ll get the first-aid kit.”
“I’m fine, ma’am,” he protested, but she was already on the move, crying baby and all.
“I’ll get her stuffy,” Eita went without a second thought.
The light was still on in her room, so he searched through the bed sheets, and came up empty there. Then, he searched the floor around the bed.
“I’m not seeing it,” he called. “Not on the bed or the floor.”
“She may have thrown it. It’s her favorite game to play with the boys.”
“Got it.”
On his hands and knees, he looked under the bed, the bedside tables, and finally under her dresser. He almost gave up, but a tiny glint caught his eye, and he reached for it.
“Found it!” he called again, getting up off the floor and bringing the stuffy out to Hitoka and Aiko.
The moment the little girl realized he had her favorite toy, she started calming down. Eita grinned and let her take it from him, and she hugged her bear to her chest, and snuggled closer to her mother, who had just finished wrapping a bandage around Toshi’s arm, with a little help from the guard.
“Come on, angel,” he said quietly to Hitoka. “We need to go.”
“Okay.”


Chapter 16 - Sixteen

“Oh, thank god!” Prince Tsuki exclaimed as he hurried over with Yuki in his arms. “You’re both alright! We were worried, Yacchan!”
“I’m sorry, your highness,” she dipped a curtsy, and then another when Prince Kuroo came over with Haru. “Someone wouldn’t let me leave without her Very Important stuffy.”
The two of them gazed at her child fondly, sound asleep with her tear-stained face, snotty nose, and her stuffy practically squashed between her baby and her chest. Prince Tsuki reached over to play with a little curl of blonde hair.
“I’m glad you’re both okay,” he said softly. “We’ll let you get settled in the nursery before unleashing the boys on you, if that’s alright?”
“Thank you, your highness,” she curtsied again. “Am I keeping them overnight, or…”
“Up to you. You know how they can be.”
Hitoka smiled as she gazed at two worried little faces. It looked like she had her mind made up for her already. Chuckling softly, she nodded.
“Just let me put Aiko down for a nap, and I’ll get their futon ready.”
“Wait a sec,” she heard Eita’s baritone interrupt quietly. Hitoka turned around to face him, smiling. “When was the last time you ate?”
As if on cue, her stomach growled, and she flushed so hard, averting her eyes with embarrassment. Eita chuckled and then looked behind her at his friends.
“Think you can spare us some time for her to get settled and eat something?”
Hitoka grinned and ruefully shook her head. Prince Tsuki looked bemused, and Prince Kuroo raised an eyebrow.
“It’s fine, Eita,” she said, gaining a surprised smile from him, and then turned to find two pairs of princely eyebrows raised in astonishment. “I can still put her in her cradle, and spend time with the boys.” When they didn’t respond right away, she tilted her head, befuddled. “What?”
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” Prince Kuroo said, taking hold of his husband’s arm and pulling him back. “You two go do what you need to do. We can keep the boys for the rest of the day.”

Hitoka watched as the pair made their way back to their suite, playing with their sons to distract them, all while Prince Kuroo whispered something into Prince Tsuki’s ear. The door started closing, but not before Prince Tsuki turned and winked at them with a look of complete understanding. Though, she wasn’t exactly sure what he understood at all. She was about to turn back to Eita, when she found him standing next to her.

“What was that about?” she asked him. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his hand settle at the small of her back.
“I can only guess,” he replied, walking with her as they went to the nursery.

She walked in and went straight to the cradle, carefully settling her daughter inside. Noticing Eita watching her, she suggested he sit down for a bit while she puts her things away. Instead, he left to go speak with someone, and then came back into the room. Since they were only supposed to be down here for a few days, she was nearly done with putting her and Aiko’s stuff away. What she was currently pondering was the stuff she’d brought for the kids.

“Need some help?” Eita asked quietly, just a few steps away. Hitoka had to keep herself from squealing.
“You startled me!” she chided him, though she was grinning. “I was just trying to figure out where all this,” she indicated the toys, blankets, and other accoutrements, “needs to go.”
His eyes widened a bit and he exhaled dramatically, looking at everything like it was some sort of monumental task, and making her giggle like a smitten school girl with the boy she had a huge crush on. Which wasn’t that far from the truth, really.
“Well, if we split it, maybe Tetsu and Kei will take some of this to their room?”
“Maybe. Though, I’m not sure if they will.”
“Why not?”
“They need their rest to be able to run the principality and chieftancy with clear heads, especially now with the storm raging around us. Besides, I usually have the boys with me most of the time, anyway.”
“No wonder they call you mama,” he teased. “Well, then, I guess we got our work cut out. Let’s do what we can,” he said, moving past her and picking up a few toys. “Got a toy box handy?”
“Over in the corner,” she laughed, gathering up more toys.

~*~

“You mean to tell me you’ve only been Grand Duke for five years?” Hitoka exclaimed as they finished folding the spare blankets and towels. She looked at him like she couldn’t believe a word he just said.
Eita chuckled, felt his face heat with a flush and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck “Yeah. And to be honest, I never thought I’d inherit. It still feels surreal. I mean, I only ever thought I’d take over for my dad at his music shop, not be the Grand Duke.”

He watched her face as she processed what he just told her. Her eyebrows scrunched up adorably as she tried to think of more questions.

“I thought the line descended from Washijo?”
“It does, or rather, it did. The Washijo line was the trunk of the tree, you could say. Good memory.”
She blushed and shrugged. “My mom loved telling me about the Grand Dukes of Shiratorizawa. Sometimes, she’d make the story into a game and we’d dress up. I remember her calling me her little duchess sometimes, but that was just part of the story.”
“Now I wish I’d met you when we were kids,” he said. “I bet you were adorable dressed up all fancy.” Plus, he couldn’t lie to himself and wonder what her mother knew of their family history.
Hitoka smiled gently. “Just my ballerina outfit, complete with plastic gold crown and fairy wand, dancing with my mom and my favorite teddy bear.”
“Yeah, adorable.”
“Stop. I was just a little girl who liked to play princess, with a mom who indulged her.”

She didn’t say anymore about it, and seemed a bit melancholy, too. Eita knew she still missed her mom terribly, so he quietly helped her put away the blankets and towels. The little glimpses of her past were like glittering pieces of gold. He normally wasn’t a greedy man, but with her… He wanted more. And he’d seen the curiosity in her eyes, wanting to know more about him, but unsure how to even ask.

A knock on the door startled them both, and they turned to see a maid bringing in a tray loaded with their lunch, and Taichi behind her with another tray of drinks.

“Let's eat,” he suggested, waving a hand toward the table where their meal was being set out.
“Okay, I’ll just get Aiko.”
“She’s finally awake?” The last time he’d looked, baby girl was still snoozing away in her cradle.
“Not too long ago. Be right back.”
“Okay.”

Eita panicked briefly. He didn’t think to ask for anything for the baby, and a quick glance at the table showed him they didn’t have anything that could be mashed up for her. He looked up at his advisor, who smirked at him, and whispered something to the maid. She curtsied and left. At that moment, Hitoka came back with her daughter, happily gurgling around several fingers in her mouth. And holding her teddy bear.
When she saw him, she held out two chubby arms and screeched merrily, surprising everyone. Eita glaced at Hitoka, who grinned and handed Aiko over to him.

“Guess she’s picked out a new favorite person,” she said as she sat down in the chair Taichi pulled out for her. “Thank you, uuhhmmm…?”
“Kawanishi, ma’am. But you can call me Taichi.”
“Thank you, Taichi,” she repeated with a smile.
“My pleasure,” he answered, and then blinked as if shaking himself from a spell. He covered his little faux pax up by moving the high chair closer to Eita. “My apologies for not bringing anything for the baby. I’ve already sent for something softer.”
“Thank you,” Hitoka said again, brightening up. “She can have a few solid foods. She loves scrambled eggs, and little pieces of bread.”

Hitoka smiled at him, remembering their breakfast the other day. Eita scanned the table quickly, and found bread. He tried not to make it look like he was desperate for it to cover a mistake she didn’t know he made. Breaking up the bread into baby sized pieces, he made sure Hitoka was good with them, and then handed a piece to Aiko. At first, she just stared at his offering with those big blue eyes of hers, and for a moment, he was afraid she’d push it away with a chubby hand, refusing to take food from someone who wasn’t her mother.

But then, she snatched the little chunk of bread from his hand and stuffed it into her mouth, chomping away at it. Eita sighed internally. He didn’t even know why this was so nerve-wracking. He’d been the one to take care of Aiko (with a little help from Kiyoko) while Hitoka was recovering from her panic attack. But even then, he knew Hitoka wasn’t watching him take care of her baby. Now, she was. When he looked at her across the table, her smile was gentle, almost wistful. He could honestly say he’d never felt so relieved in his life until this very moment.

“You look so surprised,” she giggled as Taichi set a bowl of soup and another roll in front of her. “Oh! Thank you, Taichi. You didn’t have to. I can serve myself.”
“Don’t worry about it, ma’am,” he said with a little wave of his hand. “It’s part of my job.”
“Hey, Taichi?” Eita looked at his friend. “I think we can manage.”
“But, your grace! As your attendant, I must…”
“Taichi?”
“Yeah?”
“Get out.”
“Fine. I’ll just go keep Kenjiro company or something.”
“You do that.”
The maid came back with a warm bottle of formula for Aiko, and a bowl of what looked like mashed carrots.
“For young mistress Aiko,” he said grandly, giving both to Hitoka before bowing his way out behind the maid.
Eita watched his friend go with fond exasperation, and then returned his attention to Hitoka, who looked like she was caught between amusement and confusion. She was just so expressive, it was hard not to sit there and watch her face. Stifling a laugh, he coughed politely and then tried to school his features.

“Are you always like that with him?” Hitoka finally asked, passing him the bowl of mashed carrots and a baby spoon. “She won’t eat it all,” she told him.
Eita grinned, put a bib around Aiko’s neck, and started feeding her. “We’re friends,” he explained. “Practically grew up together. His family has always served as advisors, or counselors, so when I was invested as Grand Duke, naturally I thought of Taichi to serve in that capacity.”
“Ah. But… he wasn’t with you at dinner last night?”
“That was Kenjiro, my newest advisor. Takes his job way too seriously, but he’s good at it, so we just end up teasing him.”
Hitoka smiled. She was about to say something else, but ended up nodding at her daughter. “I think she’s finished.”
“Yeah. She isn’t so much eating as she is trying to make mashed carrot art,” he quipped, regarding the tray of the high chair currently decorated in orange smears and tiny handprints.
“I’ll go get a washcloth,” she said quietly and left the table.

Eita placed the nearly empty bowl and baby spoon on the table, and grabbed a few paper towels to wipe up what he could of the mess. Including the baby, who was giggling all the way through it. Then, he had the brilliant idea of taking her out of the high chair and away from the mess, but somehow managed to forget he didn’t fully clean her hands, and forgot to take off the bib. When Hitoka came back, he had to watch her fight not to laugh too much.


Chapter 17 - Seventeen

“We’re a mess,” Eita said, smiling helplessly at her.
“Yeah, you are. Sit down and I’ll help you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He sat back down and adjusted Aiko so that they both faced her.
“I suppose it’s a good thing I thought to bring two washcloths,” she said as she took the carrot-stained bib off her daughter, and cleaned her up quickly. “Looks like she got your shirt, too. I can take her so you can change…”
“It’s fine,” he assured her, hitching the baby a little higher. She immediately crowed with delight and reached up to pat his face. Hitoka chuckled, put down the used cloth, and picked up the clean one.
“If I may?”
“Please do. I kinda have my hands full,” he replied.

His voice cracked just a little, and Hitoka was charmed, but she bit her lip and started gently cleaning Eita’s face and neck. She tried not to look into his dark brown eyes, even though his were fastened on her. They flickered from her hair to her face, and then back to her eyes. As she finished, with one long sweep along the side of his face, his eyes slowly closed and he tilted his head, as if to lean into her touch. And then, he caught himself with a mumbled apology and that sweet, shy grin she loved to see. Her heart fluttered, and little butterflies trembled in her stomach. Catching herself before she could fall any further, Hitoka stopped and eased away.

“All done,” she whispered.
“Are you sure?” he grinned at her, clearly attempting to lighten things between them.
“Yeah. Oh, let me take her and get her changed.” She held her hands out for her baby, but instead, Eita slowly stood up and winked at both her and her daughter.
“I can do it. You should finish your meal.”
“Oh, but…”
“Don’t worry, I got this!” He walked over to where they’d set up a changing station for incidents like this. “I’m a pro, just watch. Preferably while you eat.”

Hitoka sighed with exasperation and sat down in the chair he just vacated, and served herself some raw veggies, and made a few small slider sandwiches to nibble on. She wasn’t used to this, being taken care of or having someone else help with her baby. It was nice, if she were honest, but it still felt weird. And as she watched Eita expertly change her daughter into a fresh nappy and clean clothes, cooing at her, tickling her to make her laugh, letting her grasp his fingers, smiling at her, she was even more captivated.

“You’ve done this before,” she said without thinking. But he grinned at her and nodded.
“I’m an only child, but my parents weren’t. As soon as I was old enough, I was asked to start helping with my smaller cousins.”
He picked up Aiko and settled her in his arms, briefly looking about until he found her stuffy, which he gave to her. Almost without thinking about it.
“I grew tired of it, naturally, when I was a teen,” he continued his story, sitting down across from her, with Aiko facing away from him. “By then, some of the older children were given the duty of looking after their younger siblings, so no one really cared that I stopped.”
“Sounds like you stopped liking children.”
Eita shrugged. “I guess I did. They’re super loud, race around constantly, don’t understand closed doors for privacy,” he listed. “Always wanting attention when you have other things to do. Typical kid stuff.”
Aiko squealed happily, and tossed her stuffy, giggling like she always did. Eita rolled his eyes and bent down to get the stuffy, holding her tight so she didn’t fall.
“What changed your mind?”
“Honestly? After my investiture, I visited other nations. Mostly as a formality, to meet the other nobility, get caught up on current affairs, and so on. Most had kids that I was able to meet, but also avoid. It wasn’t until I met Tetsu and Kei’s twins that I started to think kids weren’t so bad after all.”
“How did they manage that?”
“I can’t really explain what it was they did, but just watching them with each other, so different in personality, yet can’t bear to be apart for any amount of time. Seeing how they interact with their parents, and with others close to them. It was fascinating, and also endearing.”
“They call you Uncle Eita, and they love when you play your guitar,” she added softly.
“Yeah. Which completely surprised me, to be honest. I was just playing one day, and the next thing I knew, two little boys had toddled up to me, and sat down, listening to me.”
“They love you.”
Eita blushed. “I guess so.”
Aiko yawned, and they both chuckled when she rubbed her eyes and laughed like she hadn’t just let them know she was tired.
“Looks like someone needs a nap,” he said, turning her daughter so that she faced him. “Would it be alright if I did the honors?”
“Sure.”

Hitoka watched as he rose from the table, and began walking slowly toward the cradle. Aiko had already curled herself up in his arms, with one little hand grasping his shirt. He rocked her gently from side to side, rubbed her back, and hummed the lullaby, his baritone voice so smooth and soothing. Her daughter’s eyes drooped more and more until they stayed closed, and still he hummed and rocked her until she was fully asleep, her little hand loosening its grip on his shirt. Aiko was an angel, but she rarely let anyone else hold her when she was tired. Eita was the first one. Not even Prince Kuroo or Prince Tsuki were able to hold onto her without her fussing sleepily.

Eita crouched down to lay Aiko down in the cradle, settling her again when she whimpered, and then tucked a light blanket around her. Hitoka almost cried when he placed Aiko’s teddy bear beside her, too. It was almost as if Aiko was his baby, too, the way he took care of her so carefully. He rocked the cradle until he finished humming the lullaby.

How in the world was this amazing man not married yet, with a family of his own? How was it that no one had caught his eye? Eita was Prince Kuroo’s age, and still single, with no sons or daughters to continue the line. And it didn’t seem like he was being rushed to, either, or he’d have been kept busy enough to stay away from her. But even so, she doubted he’d let anyone make his decisions for him.

“Did I pass the test?” he asked quietly as he stood up to face her again.
“It wasn’t a test,” she chided. “You were wonderful, though.”
“Was I?”
“Yeah. You’d make an amazing dad one day,” she said, not thinking at all about it.

And then, she did.

~*~

Eita was stunned. She’d said it so wistfully, as if she could just imagine seeing him taking care of his own children. Little did she know that he’d only recently decided he wanted a family of his own. Yet, her face burned red with embarrassment, and Hitoka buried her face in her hands, trying to make herself as small as she could while still sitting in her chair. He had to fight not to laugh.

“I’m so sorry!” He heard her muffled voice through her hands. “I didn’t mean…”
“Don’t say that,” he said reassuringly, going over to her. He took the chair next to hers and scooted it closer. She hadn’t moved. In fact, she was trying to curl even further into a ball. “It’s alright, Hitoka.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be out loud.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“I don’t want you to think that I…”
“Hitoka, look at me,” he interrupted insistently. He waited until she at least peeked at him through her fingers. “I’d like to think I know you better than Terushima ever did. I never once thought you’d try to trap me.”

He waited for her to say something, and then reached up to lightly brush his fingers through her hair. It might be incredibly forward of him, but he had to do something to comfort her, reassure her that he didn’t think the worst of her for saying what she thought, even if she didn’t mean to.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You’re welcome.”

She brought her hands down from her face, and wrapped her arms around her knees, still tucked in a ball. Her eyes were watery and her face wasn’t nearly as red as before, but still, at least now she was looking at him again. He reached up to run his fingers through her hair again, falling just a little bit more as the soft, golden tendrils weaved through his fingers.

Then he felt it. A feather-soft touch on his face, light as angel wings. It came and went so quickly, he wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not. But, he acted like he didn’t notice, and continued soothing her. He wasn’t looking directly at her face, just her hair, but he did notice her hand slowly moving hesitantly, and then… she touched his face again. From the corner of his eye, brushing back a bit of his hair, and then to the corner of his mouth.

He dared not move. If he did, she might take her hands away, and he didn’t want that at all. In fact, he wanted more, wanted to lean into her touch, to feel her whole hand caress his face. But he knew that her first, and only relationship (if one could even call it that) left a mark on her heart that would be difficult to heal. So, he had to take it slow. Let her decide when to move. He’d wait for her. Because she’d been right, in a way. He wanted to be a father, and be an awesome dad… for their children.

“This is the smile I like best,” she said quietly, her fingers once again softly touching the corners of his mouth.
“Really? How come?”
She bit her lower lip, and Eita had to close his eyes for a moment. The urge to kiss her was so strong.
“It’s sweet and kind of shy. It brightens your face, almost like dawn’s first light. Your eyes shine with happiness…” her voice faded away and he mourned the lack of her touch. “I like all your other smiles, too, but that one is my favorite.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” he murmured. He focused on her face again, and saw that she was back to normal color. And a little sleepy. “Someone else may need a nap, I think.”
“I should, but I can’t. I really need to get back to my duties.”
“Not even for a nap?”
She sighed and uncurled herself to sit properly in the chair, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and took a few deep breaths. Then, she looked at him, and she was once again the royal nanny.
“As much as I’d love to stop everything for a few hours rest, I can’t. The boys need me, too. I’ve already taken too much time as it is.”

He wanted to argue that passing out from panic deserved more rest than she’d had, but then again, she was right. He couldn’t stand in the way of her livelihood, her job. It was something he should remember, considering he’d been working in his father’s shop not too long ago. He rose to his feet and helped her to hers, squeezing her hand just a little before letting go.

Eita went to the door and called for a maid. Hitoka started gathering their dishes and leftover food so that the maid could take it away. It seemed she wanted to get things back to normal, at least as much as she could while they were all stuck down here in the shelter. And her determination to do so made him remember he really should talk to Oikawa and Miya, both of whose nations he intended to visit after he left here. Plus, he was sure Tetsu and Kei would likely ask for some assistance with storm damage clean up and help getting Nekoma back to rights. Which meant they’d all be rearranging schedules.

Eita guessed his plans to become an assistant nursery worker, even unofficially, were now scrapped. They both had jobs to do, and he couldn’t really take a break from his, either, no matter how much he wanted to.

A light knock on the door sounded, and Eita stood back from the table as two maids came in to clear away the dishes, and take away any leftover food. They were fast and efficient and were gone before he could thank them.

“Thank you, again, your grace.”
She’d caught herself just before saying his name and corrected it, like their stations demanded. He understood it, but hated it, too.
“You’re welcome. Always,” he replied quietly. “Yacchan?”
“Yes?”
He opened his mouth to tell her to use his name, he didn’t mind. He wanted to ask why she was putting up a wall between them, though he could guess her answer. He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Nevermind. If you need help, or… anything at all, let me know, okay?”
“I'm sure I’ll be fine, your…”
He looked at her, silently begging her to say his name.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Eita.”
“Just… let me know, okay?”
“Okay.”

Seeing that there was no longer a reason to be here, he put a friendly expression on his face, straightened his clothes, grinned and chuckled softly when he found a spot of mashed carrot neither of them knew about, and then smiled at her. He bowed a little, and then fought his feet to leave the room, to leave her. He quietly shut the door behind him, ignored everyone else, and went to his room.
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