Rating: PG-13 (has some, well... perhaps inappropriate parts)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (although I created Kae), which is probably good, since I'd end up making their relationship more bizarre than it already is. :p
It seems hard to believe now, really, that Kae is four years old. Kojiro and I have ultimately decided that one child is enough for us to handle, and besides, we probably couldn't support a second. The way things are going now, we would like a nicer (not to mention bigger) place to live, in order for Kae to have more room to grow. But that will just have to wait, for now.
As for Kae herself, she truly must be the most fascinating child in the world. In appearance, she very much resembles her father, which, as one would imagine, pleases him very much. Her hair has grown in a distinct lavendar shade, and is usually pulled down into two low pigtails secured with ribbons at the base of her neck. Her eyes are large, a beautiful shade of emerald green; and hanging between them, a curling wisp of hair similar to Kojiro's. All told, she must be the cutest little girl I've ever seen. Or maybe I just think that way because she looks so much like Kojiro.
Fortunately, she seems to have an attitude at this stage of her life that is very much her own. She is rather serious at times and not at all demanding, behaving so well that you would have thought she was much older than four. And she only needs to be corrected once over something before she has learned a lesson and doesn't do it again.
Kae is very curious, as children naturally seem to be, and is fascinated with Pokémon in general, spending hours poring over her picture books as if she was memorizing them, even though she can't read the names beneath the pictures yet. She has a particular interest in grass types, since she loves flowers.
Ootachi is now her constant companion and apparently closest friend, even though it still likes Kojiro best. After all, it still jumps on him first in the morning to wake him up. Overall, we are a very close and happy, if small, family, and are enjoying life together immensely.
I am musing over all these things in the early evening as I stand in the kitchen, carefully slicing carrots with a knife. I am beginning to fix supper myself sometimes, now that Kojiro has shown me a little of his cooking knowledge, and I do alright, if I say so myself. I smile to myself as I hear footsteps approaching me from behind, the heavier tread of my husband rather than the lighter of my daughter. So it is no suprise when he looks over my shoulder a moment later, grinning down at my carrots.
"Great, Musashi... Almost through?"
"Of course not. I just started." I elbow him gently in the ribs. "So what do you want?"
"Nothing. Just watching."
"Okay. Oh, did you get those pictures developed from Yamato's wedding yet? I think it's so wonderful that I got to take all the pictures for them..."
"I guess. They're just too cheap to hire a professional, really."
"You're asking for it now," I say, waving the knife a little. "So is that a yes or a no? You promised you'd do it yesterday, and they've been asking for them. They want them pretty badly."
It might be my imagination, but I think he hesitates briefly before replying, "Oh yeah, I took them."
"But, Daddy? How could you take them when you were with me all day?"
We both stop and stare down at the previously unnoticed presence of our daughter as she stands close to Kojiro's leg, her tiny fingers clutching at his pants. "What are you saying, honey?" I ask her gently.
"Daddy didn't take them yesterday... I know because we didn't go anywhere while you were at work. Besides, they're still sitting in your bedroom 'cause I saw them."
I turn to look at Kojiro. He looks embarrassed, as well he should be. "Then why did you say you did?" He shrugs noncomittally and doesn't say anything. Then he steps around me to finish what I had started for supper without so much as looking at me. I frown and am about to say something else when Kae speaks up again.
"Mommy?" she asks plaintively, holding out her hands to me.
"Yes, what is it?" I reply, coming to kneel in front of her and taking both hands in my own.
"Are you going to punish Daddy?"
This question makes me blink and the knife almost slips out of Kojiro's hand. "Why?" is all I can think to ask her.
"Well... You see, he... he lied. You told me that lying was bad, didn't you, Mommy? And I know that when someone does something bad, they should be punished."
Hearing these wise words in such a childish voice almost makes me smile, but I quickly take control of my face so that Kae won't think I'm taking the matter lightly. "You know, you're very right," I say seriously. "I think that I will." I turn calculating eyes to Kojiro, who is apparently trying to listen to our conversation while still working, which results in him not doing such a good job. I look back again at my daughter.
"Thank you for reminding me. Otherwise I might have forgotten."
She nods solemnly, then gives me a small smile. "It's okay. But please don't be too hard on him... Maybe he just didn't know any better."
This time I can't help but smile at her honest concern for her father's welfare. "No, I'm afraid that he knows better. Quite better."
"I was afraid of that..." she sighs. I stand up and smile down at her.
"Would you like to take Ootachi right outside to play in the grass for awhile? I know it would like it."
"Oh, yes!" she giggles, instantly happy and forgetting everything else except the chance to play outside. She runs off to find her "pet", as she calls it, and I turn back to Kojiro, who is now chopping carrots like there was no tomorrow. I place a hand on his arm to stop him.
"And what do you think you're doing?" I ask calmly.
"I'm just... see... Helping you with... with..."
"What you are 'just' doing right now is coming with me," I tell him firmly, grabbing his ear to pull him around to face me directly. "You are going to explain some things to me, and then, as your daughter has so rightly suggested, my dear Kojiro-chan, I am going to punish you."
"What? You can't... do that, can you?" he whimpers as I twist on his ear.
"And what is going to stop me?" Without waiting for an answer, I lead him along by the ear through the main room and into our bedroom, where I shut the door tightly behind us. Only then do I let him go, not feeling the need to have him sit down as he rubs at his ear sulkily.
"What's the matter with you?" I ask him quietly to begin with. Lying about something so trivial? In front of our daughter? What kind of example are you trying to set? Kojiro, I had thought we were both broken of such bad habits a long time ago. You're not thinking about joining up with Rocket-dan again, are you?"
"Musashi," he interjects, blowing off all my questions with an angry expression, a mistake he will regret very soon. "What is the point of all this? Have you looked at me lately? I'm 25 years old, I just made a little mistake, and you're treating me like this?"
I fold my arms tightly against my stomach to keep myself from lunging at him right then and there. Instead, I cock my head to one side, staring straight at him through slitted eyes. "You know, Kojiro, I am looking at you. And what I see right now is a spoiled, stubborn little boy desperately in need of some firm discipline. And as you know, I love you too much to let you go without something you absolutely need."
My speech has shocked him, that much is certain. He shakes his head slowly, mouth wide open and gaping at me. Finally he asks again, this time in a much meeker voice, "You can't... do that... can you?"
I smile at him bitterly. "And what is going to stop me?" I pause for a moment. "Maybe it's something you've needed all your life and never got." In the silence that follows, I simply watch as his head lowers and he stares at the floor, looking ashamed. I sigh gently. "Listen, we can sit down now and talk about this like two adults, or you can act spoiled and scream at me, and then you won't have any other option." I wait for his nearly imperceptible nod before I walk over to sit at the edge of the bed, where he follow a short time later to sit beside me, leaning forward tensely.
"Now. This isn't even about those pictures. I want you to tell me why you would lie about something so little, and in front of an impressionable young child that we've been trying to bring up right so that she doesn't end up making the same mistakes in her life that we made in ours. And I don't want any stuttering, nonsense answers or I can promise you that you will be very sorry." And I can see from his face that he believes this.
"I guess..." he begins slowly, speeding up when he sees the angry look growing on my face. "I mean, it's really pretty stupid. It was just the first thing that came to mind, when you asked... I didn't want you to get upset because you seemed so happy. And... it was just the first thing I could think of to say. I didn't know Kae was there, either."
"So are you saying you that the only time you won't lie to me is when Kae is around?"
"No! I didn't mean that!" he says anxiously, nervously spreading his hands in front of him. "I just... It was stupid. I said the first thing that came into my head."
"You know, I wouldn't have been that mad at you even if you had told the truth. So you've got yourself to blame for all this. This is why I tell you to think before you say or do things. Think carefully. And I don't ever want you to do anything like this ever again."
He looks up once I am finished, relief plain on his face. "I won't.. trust me, I'm sorry. Now, if that's all..."
"Oh, but that was only the lecture, Kojiro-chan," I say with a wry smile. "I told our daughter that I was going to punish you. Not doing it now would be... bad, wouldn't it?"
"Yes... that's... that's right," he replies, visibly tensing once more. But then he relaxes quickly, even smiling, if a bit shakily. "So what's it going to be? Am I grounded? Do I get to stand in the corner and 'think about what I've done'? Maybe hold a bucketful of water on my head in front of the apartment building for an hour?" He laughs as though it is a joke, watching me carefully to see if I think it's funny as well. I make sure that he can tell from my expression that he really won't be laughing shortly.
"Kojiro-chan?" I say sweetly.
"Y... yes?"
"Tell me... Look behind you. Is my hairbrush still sitting on the nightstand?"
"Yeah, it's there. Why would you want to brush your... hair..." He trails off as it dawns on him.
"Be a sweetheart and get it for me," I say with an extra-sweet smile.
"Y... you... no way! You can't... And besides," he scoffs, eyeing my lap dubiously, "I'm too heavy."
"Oh... We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"
I truly do hope that our neighbors in the apartment below us weren't terribly inconvenienced by the amount of noise coming from the room above them.
"These carrots are really yummy tonight, Mommy."
"Why thank you, Kae."
"You're really good now that Daddy's been teaching you." Her little face beams happily at the both of us; I return the smile while Kojiro continues to eat mechanically, bent down a little lower over his food than usual. "Maybe he can teach me next! Right, Daddy?" "Daddy" just mumbles something around his chopsticks.
"Why is Daddy being so quiet? And he keeps wiggling funny."
I smile at these childlike observations. "He's still just a little upset over his punishment. He'll be alright, though." I really am satisfied with my choice now, especially since kneeling at the table and sitting on his heels is probably reminding him of his lesson quite well.
"Well, at least he's learned to behave now, right?" Kae asks happily. Kojiro's face is blazing red in embarrassment about now, while Kae looks on in puzzlement. "Daddy? Is your face hot when it gets red like that?" His lack of response causes her to come around to his side of the table to find out for herself. Seeing Kojiro's pained look at me while Kae's little hands are pressed up against both sides of his face makes me fall over laughing, literally.
We are soon finished with supper, and because of the late hour at which we ate due to the... events... of the evening, it is already time to put Kae to bed. I attend to this task myself before coming back to help Kojiro finish cleaning up the kitchen. We exchange no words as we work, but as he is about to leave the room, I reach out to grab him around the waist and pull him back. He turns to face me in confusion while I slide my arms up around his neck.
"I love you, Kojiro."
"I... I know, but... Why are you telling me now?"
"Just to make sure you know. Even if I have to treat you like a five year old sometimes, I still love you. Besides..." I continue, my serious exterior breaking down, "I kind of enjoyed having you over my--"
"Musashiii... Please don't talk about that anymore," he mumbles into my neck as I hug him closer. "Leave it to you to take the violent route... Although I must say, you have quite an arm," he finishes weakly.
"It wasn't any more than you deserved. I felt it very appropriate, and I'd do it again if I had to. I mean, it doesn't hurt any that you have a cute a--"
"Musashi!"
"Okay, okay... Unnecessary comments are your forte, not mine. But, you know..." I sigh breathily as I begin to gently massage the area in question, "I wouldn't mind getting another look at it about now..."
"Now who's being bad," he grins down at me.
I grin right back. "Shut up and let's go," I murmur, pulling his head down to kiss him deeply.
I don't think we were really all that loud, but I'm not sure if the downstairs apartment got much sleep that night.
