Forever With You

“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.