Forever With You

“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.