Forever With You

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.