FicWad

Momiji had fallen asleep later in the afternoon, still in his pajamas. "Kaoru-san, where might I find some sheets?" Michiko asked, walking briskly down the hall. She backed up and looked into Momiji's room, seeing if he was there. "Kaoru-san?" She saw Momiji curled up in a small ball, like a rabbit, his feet twitching every few seconds and his arms wrapped around his pillow. She quietly smiled, and noticed that his covers lay at his feet. Assuming that Momiji was cold, Michiko walked over to him and covered him up. "You shouldn't be cold when you sleep, Momiji-chan." And with that she silently left the room.

Later that night, Michiko made dinner to show her appreciation for Kaoru and Momiji's letting her stay. She made leek soup, and everyone was overjoyed except for Momo, who didn't seem to like leeks. She simply sat at the table, using her finger to stir around the watery food. "Momo-chan! Tu das nicht! (Don't do that!)" Michiko stared down angrily at Momo, who looked up sheepishly and replied, "Es tut mir lied (I'm sorry)." Kaoru looked at Momiji and smiled. "She's very smart, at her age," Kaoru told Michiko. Michiko laughed, "Yes, well, as soon as she was eighteen months I began teaching her both Japanese and German. I was born in Germany, and so I wanted Momo to learn the language also." Kaoru pretended to be surprised and asked, "Then how did you arrive in Japan?" Momiji knew that his father had actually heard the story many times, but obviously this was unbeknownst to Michiko and so he let her continue.

"Oh, I studied abroad in Japan when I was in my early years of college. It was here that I met Ayuto-san, in fact!" Momiji looked at his father, whose relentless smile sat on his face. In reality, Michiko had met Kaoru in Japan, and three years later they were married.

Michiko's face sank as she mentioned her late husband's name. Momiji saw it and jumped at the opportunity asking, "So, who would like some dessert? I think there are some bean cakes in the refrigerator." "Yes," Kaoru agreed, "it would be nice to have some bean cake. Would you care to join us, Michiko?" Michiko nodded, and Momo licked her lips in anticipation.

Momiji, Michiko, Kaoru and Momo sat beneath the stars, laughing and sharing stories as they ate bean cake. Momiji sat next to Momo, helping to feed her only to have the cake mostly spill down the front of her jacket. "Momo-chan," he said in frustration. She nodded up at him. "Ja?" Momiji took a napkin from the nearby table and wiped the bean cake off of her. She looked down at the stains and said, "Is Momo messy?" Momiji was surprised that she was at last talking in Japanese, but didn't want to say anything to silence her. "Yes," he replied smiling, "Momo is messy."

That night, Momiji could not fall asleep. He lay awake thinking of Momo and his mother, and their loving relationship that he could never experience. He turned over anxiously, and heard a knock on his door. Momiji sat up, and watched the door creak open to reveal Momo in the dark. "Momo-chan? Was ist los (What is wrong)?" He asked, noticing that she was in her small nightgown and carrying a stuffed bear in her left hand. "Momo can't sleep," she replied, and rubbed her eyes. "Can Momo sleep with Momiji?" Momiji uncovered himself and walked over to meet her. "Well...I guess so, just for tonight." He returned to his bed and patted the spot next to him. "Come on." Momo smiled widely and ran to jump into the bed next to Momiji. "Momo is happy!" She cried. Momiji smiled and whispered, "Shh...let's go to sleep now." Momo wiggled under the covers. "Yes. Momo will do what Momiji says. Momo will go to sleep." Momiji laughed, and joined her under the covers.