Forever With You

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?