Akiko P.O.V.
I take a deep breath as I look at the big doors in front of me. "Are you nervous?" Mao Mao asks besides me. "How can I not be? I never did these things before. You did" I say. "That is true. But you are the mother now. That means more responsibility" Mao Mao says. "So I was told" I say. "Don't worry, Gyokuyou is quite kind and Lihua is too" she says. Mao Mao knocks and the door opens. We're being led to a tea room where Gyokuyou is already, Lingli and The Crown Prince are already playing with a boy that seems to be just crawling. "Welcome" Gyokuyou says smiling, and offers us both a seat. "You didn't bring your wet nurse?" Lihua asks, curiously. "I feed him myself" I say, with a smile. "He seems sleepy. You can let him sleep over there, It's his old crib, but he doesn't use it anymore. I had it brought over, so you can have your hands free for a bit" Gyokuyou says, gesturing to a crib near us. "Thank you" I say, about to stand up. "Let me" Mao Mao says, she stands up and takes Taio. "Thank you" I say softly. I watch her place a kiss on Taio's head before carefully placing him in the crib. He continues to sleep without a worry. "Thank you for inviting me" I say, bowing my head to both Lihua and Gyokuyou. "We know how overwhelming and even lonely it can feel" Lihua says. "That's why we come together from time to time. You're a mother now too, of course you're welcome" Gyokuyou says. "I'm not a mother and I was always invited...what's that about?" Mao Mao asks dryly. "We enjoy your company" Lihua says amused, while she and Gyokuyou look at each other with the same amused smile. I glance at my sleeping baby that's in the crib. I feel uncomfortable, very very uncomfortable. I glance at the other women who just seem to enjoy their tea while watching the kids. Is it just me? "Everything alright?" Mao Mao asks. I look at her and smile. "I'm fine" I say. I take the tea and take a sip. Calm down, nothing is going on. "How is he been sleeping?" Lihua asks. "He does wake up a couple of times per night. But not nearly as much as I expected" I say, with a smile.
I look at Jinshi's back as he walks around with Taio on his shoulder. "I see" I whisper, looking away. "I'm not doing this to hurt you" Jinshi says. "Get out" I say. Jinshi turns around. "If you start saying stupid things like that, leave!" I say, and throw my pillow to Jinshi, and he quickly turns around so it won't hit Taio. "Leave, and don't ever come back!" I scream. "That's a little bit of an exaggeration..." Jinshi says. "Leave!" I shout so hard that it starts to hurt my voice. Jinshi leaves with Taio. Crying I fall back on my bed and curl into a ball. "Akiko-sama?" I hear Kazue ask. I hear her Footsteps but ignore it. "Akiko-sama, what's wrong?" She asks and places her hand on my shoulder. "He took Taio" I sob. "He did what?!" Kazue asks. "He took my boy" I sob, placing my hands on my face. "Why?" She asks. "I don't know" I sniffle. "Do you want me to go after him?" Kazue asks. I sniffle again. "No. He owns us so I don't want to know what he will do with your insubordination." I say and wipe my face with my sleeve. "I will survive this also" I say, after taking a deep breath. "You shouldn't have to" Kazue says softly. "I shouldn't have been send here also, but it still happened" I say. I turn to Kazue and smile slightly. "Don't you worry. I will survive this" I say even though my heart is broken into a thousand pieces. "Akiko-sama..." Kazue says softly with a slight frown between her brows. "Do you want me to get oniisama?" She asks. "You don't have to bother Minato-kun" I say. "But if you can make me something to help me sleep" I say, and turn back on my side again. "I just want to sleep" I sigh. "You do need to eat, Akiko-sama" Kazue says. "I get that you're trying to look out for me. But right now I just want to sleep, and hope that this all is just a bad dream. So please just give me something to help me sleep and leave. And if you don't want to, that's fine but at least leave me alone" I say. Kazue sighs softly. "As you wish, Akiko-sama" Kazue says softly, and I listen to her footsteps depart.
The past week I haven't been able to sleep. I just longed for my son. I seat in a chair near the window, and the sun is shining through. Usually this would make me happy but the world just seems dark and gray. I hear the door open, but don't respond. I do turn my head when I hear a baby fussing. Kazue walks in with Taio in her arms. I stand up slowly. "Mao Mao brought him back" Kazue says with a smile. I sit down when Kazue walks over, and places him in my arms. "I missed you so much" I whisper as I hold him close to my face. "She said to tell you that she's sorry. And that she didn't agree with him and that's why she brought him back. I don't respond and just hug my son. "Why don't you lie down huh? You haven't been able to sleep at all" Kazue says. "No need" I say, inhaling Taio's scent. "Why don't you then lay in bed with him. He might nap too" Kazue says. I shake my head and Kazue walks to the door, and opens it just slightly. I didn't even hear a knock. "You're not welcome here" Kazue says. There's a respond but I barely hear it. "Please leave" Kazue says. "I just need to talk to her please" Jinshi says. "You have hurt her too much. I don't care what you do to me for insubordination, but I won't let you near my lady. Not while she's in this state. You need to leave, and she needs to sleep" Kazue says and closes the door. "Thank you" I whisper. "No need" Kazue says. I press soft kisses all over Taio's little face. "You need to sleep, Akiko-sama" she says. "I can sleep later. I need to hold him now" I say. Kazue sighs and pours me a cup of tea. "Fine. You hold and hug him, but in an hour you're going to sleep, both of you" She says strictly. I look at her amused. "You're deciding that?" I ask amused. Kazue blushes. "I-I am!" I say. I chuckle. "Let's listen to auntie Kazue. She's usually right. In an hour we'll sleep" I whisper to Taio. There's another knock on the door. Kazue walks over and just locks it. "She's good to us" I whisper to my son.