Persona 4 Golden: Yu and Yukiko's Full and Happy Life 21

The stunned silence outside the shrine was mirrored perfectly by the soundless void the inside had become. Seconds continually flowed and yet the silence still remained, no one really sure how to react. Finally though, the grey haired youth bowed deeply to the gathered Amagi's. "I'm terribly sorry about that. It was not my intention for such a thing to happen. Please don't let this impact the rest of the ceremony for yourselves."

"You know I've been wondering as to why my sister spoke highly of you," one of the older Amagi woman chimed in. "I think I finally see why." The statement itself was small and simple but it might as well have been a gunshot with the profound effect it had on the congregation. Murmurs of agreement that soon erupted into an applause, Yu didn't know what to say. What he did know how to handle was the over two hundred pound fertility goddess that crashed into him at that moment, furiously rubbing up against his side.

"Oh hubby you were incredible! You didn't hesitate a single moment to do what needed to be done." Dojima couldn't help but gape in shock, here Yu had just disowned a family member and his wife was treating it like an annoying guest had finally been kicked out. To his immense shock though, Yu merely smiled down at his pudgy wife and lifted her chin up. "I promised I'd never put my family second ever again and I never break a promise. It's like I said, what kind of man would I be if I falter when it's most important?" Before anyone could react, he reached out a hand to place it firmly on her tummy, she made a startled noise but quickly fell into contentment as her rubbed. "And right now this is what's most important." He plunged his wife into a deep kiss and the Amagi throng let loose a gasp! How scandalous! But if anyone deserved to deeply kiss his wife in a shrine it was probably him, so Sachiko allowed it just this once.

When he pulled away, Yukiko stumbled for a moment like she'd just woken up with a lovey dovey look on her face. She was married to someone who not only echoed the ancient heroes of old but now surpassed them in some ways as well. How many history books told of people who put what they perceived was their ancestral duty over what was right? She hoped her little bun was watching intently although if he was taking a nap that was fine too! She could always fill him in later. "You were amazing too my love," Yu pointed out. "The way you didn't back down an inch, as if our baby didn't feel safe enough. He's lucky to have you as a mother." Yukiko nearly swooned then and there but her father interrupted before she had the chance. "*Er* Yu? Are you sure you're alright? Would you like to have some time to yourself?" Yu just smiled and shook his head. "I think I'd rather spend the rest of the day with my family." When his new parents looked a bit unsure, he spoke very carefully.

"I don't say things if I don't mean them. I honestly feel like a heavy weight on my chest has been lifted and I can finally breath again. Thank you for bringing me into your family." He bowed deep and long and his words were firm with conviction, finally Yukiko's parents allowed themselves to smile. "The pleasure is all ours. I wish we had you back when those paparazzi roaches were hounding us." Yu and his wife shared a quick knowing glance since in a way he was there but suddenly Yukiko turned to the side like something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. "*Um* thank you for your help as well mother." It took a moment for everyone to realize exactly who she was talking to but one by one, everyone's attention turned to Mizui Narukami. "O-oh you shouldn't thank me, I was just doing what I should have done from the beginning, yes? When I saw all of you doing your part to help my son I knew I needed to do something. If everyone else could stand up to my husband to defend their inn, then I should at least be able to do the same to defend my b-boy." The term of endearment felt simultaneously awkward and yet just right on her lips. She practiced spelling it out a little "my boy, my boy," and soon found a simple smile planted on her lips. It felt nice to be able to say that without an ounce of hesitation.

"*Hahahahaha* don't be so modest sis. This whole thing would have been way more damaging if you hadn't stepped in. You and your son...you're always so modest when you don't have to be." On the surface, it seemed as though he was just telling her she did a good thing but the look he gave her confirmed her suspicions it was something more. There really was a part of her in Yu after all, even if a small one. "You knew I'd do that didn't you? That's why you seemed so calm despite the threats."

"I never had any doubt mother. No matter how long it took, I knew you'd get there. Thank you...for protecting me."

His mother was silent for a moment and beyond placing a hand over her heart, didn't move at all. Then, with surprising speed and power for her size, she followed her daughter-in-law's lead and embraced her son. It took Yu by complete surprise and for a moment his arms hung in the air unsure exactly what to do. But at last he smiled and slowly brought them down to rest on the woman's back. Even absolutely warmed and secure like this, he could still feel a nervous frantic energy around her like it was just a part of who she was.

"This feels nice," she finally decided on although it was muffled through the fabric of his wedding robe. "I should have done this more often, how foolish of me." Yu rubbed her back a little, a small gesture but one that let her know she was welcome to do so at any time. They came apart shortly after that, both smiling more brightly at each other than probably ever before. "This is a bit awkward to admit but your father and I never should have come here. That's not to say we didn't want to..."

"That's fine, I understand. It's not everyday a company completely restructures after all." And she could tell he meant it, a world of difference between his warm understanding smile now and his downcast eyes when he was a child, mumbling that he understood and he was fine. Yu was truly a man grown now and as if to drive the point home, his wife waddled up next to him with a hand over her belly and an arm around her husband's. "Will you be coming to the birth, mother? We're expecting a mid August due date." Mizui thought for a moment and nodded. "Things should settle down a little by then so I should be able to stop by sometime during the process. Towards the end if that's okay."

"That's perfect. I mean otherwise you might miss your chance to hold the baby!" Yukiko's excitement was contrasted with Mizui's sudden nervous expression. "W-well I don't know if that's the best idea..."

The affectionate stare of the young couple eventually broke down her trepidation. "But I suppose I could give it a try."

"So you're going to go after him right?" Yu finally asked.

"I have to. This might be hard to believe but your father's always been there for me when I was my most low so it's only right I should pay him back. And I myself am nowhere close to blameless in these matters. I don't expect he'll come around to seeing things your way for a while, but hopefully some understanding can be reached. Right now he needs his space but a few hours from now I'll know exactly where to find him. Until then, I'll need to manage PR and I don't imagine you'd want someone on the phone throughout your whole ceremony oh dear."

"I was wrong about you senpai," Yukina admitted. "When it came down to it, you truly did know what was most important. Everyone, three cheers for-"

"N-no that's quite alright, I'd rather not have the applause thank you very much. I'll be taking my leave now." Despite her discomfort, she smiled and gave a quick bow around the room. "Brother say hello to Nanako for me. You two have a lovely rest of your wedding. Amagi family...take good care of my son. I leave him in your hands." And then she too was out the front door...unfortunately for her right into a crowd of curious onlookers with all eyes on herself. People like her son and husband thrived in this kind of environment, she'd never understand it personally. What she did understand was how happy knowing they could draw these kinds of crowds made her. To avoid focusing on the awkward stares, she sent a quick prayer instead.

"Dear gods, I suppose we haven't talked in awhile so I'm not sure if I'm doing this quite correctly. *Ahem* I have quite a bit to be thankful for so I imagine it would be proper to start with that..."

The prayer lasted so long and so intensely, she ended up near across town by the time she finished.

As fortune would have it, Sorano was the last one to receive the cup which meant the ceremony was over for all intents and purposes. The teenagers received the gods' blessing despite that man's best efforts and now he could do nothing as they celebrated with friends and family. "What is everyone standing around for? The guests won't appreciate being made to wait you know," said Sachiko after enough time had passed.

"Beats me! I think it's time we give the people what they asked for, right pumpkin? Yu?" The two nodded to each other, interlocking their hands and for the first time feeling the sensation of both their rings together. Their mother's last request was to enjoy the rest of their wedding and they intended to follow through one thousand percent.

The gathered crowd outside hesitated a moment, unsure if the people coming out were who they were waiting for or some random person they didn't know again. Luckily for them though, the wait was done as two distinct silhouettes quickly became visible. For such a small town, the people of Inaba sure knew how to make a lot of noise and certain members of the crowd were contributing especially heavily. A small bookish looking boy, a woman with wavy hair and a son of her own clinging to her hand, and a rather gaunt pale looking man who looked as though life was finally being breathed back into him. Namatame remembered his own wedding to a traditional Japanese beauty although she never looked quite so happy as the Amagi girl did now. Or as pleasantly plump and pregnant of course. The way they kept trying not to glance at each other, the hands clasped tight enough to turn white, all of it told the full story of their love more than any ceremony.

After being helped into her cart and while cradling her bump, Yukiko realized someone would have to carry them up the mountain, having plopped herself down as if expecting the rickshaw to start up on its own.

When her grandfather knelt down to pick up the handles, she felt a pang of guilt. "Grandfather are you sure?" she whispered barely audible over the crowd.

"It's fine, I'll just go a bit slower." She was about to protest again when her inner hubby reminded her of the futility. "You're far too ponderous and maternal for the downhill trip, what makes you think you'd handle uphill any better? A mother shouldn't put herself under any undo strain, so just let the cart take you to your wedding feast where you can get started on what you need to do." The way real hubby was looking at her let her know these were most likely his exact thoughts, patting herself on the back for knowing her husband and his wants so well!

With that though in hand and the cheering of the crowd, all that was missing was a trail of cans clattering in the back and a "JUST MARRIED" sign emblazoned above them. "We'll have some streamers and confetti when you get back!" Her father shouted over the din of the crowd.

"We absolutely will not! This is a formal event, not some cheap party. You better be joking, Fuyuhiko." But his sly smile didn't give an answer one way or the other. The slower pace meant Jiro stayed with the rest of the procession this time. Thanks to Sachiko, things were kept quiet especially as the crowds began to fade in the distance, but that was fine with Yukiko. After all, it gave her some more time to reflect on how wonderful her husband was and press against him. Even the slightest movement of her hip gave him a little bump but she knew he didn't mind one single bit.

At last they arrived back at the entrance hall looking surprisingly vacant and empty. As Yukiko and later her grandmother explained to him, apparently in a ritual similar to the western tradition of "best man" only the two closest friends of the bride and groom were allowed to be there. Their purpose was to lead them to the reception with the rest of their colleagues.

"Ready, partner?"

"More than anything in my life." The way the Amagi Inn was set up allowed for the procession to basically be split in half past the lobby. The males followed Yu and Yosuke while the girls followed Yukiko and Chie. Naturally a fast walker, it was a little awkward having to slow her roll to stay by her friend's side. "How did it go?" she whispered.

"Near perfectly. Hubby memorized the wedding vows. And-" noticing the stare of a cantankerous old woman, her mouth closed on its own. "I'll...tell you later."

The normal dividing wall between the two dining rooms had been removed and extra floor tables were brought out. Two chairs larger and more grandiose than the rest, sat towards the back of the room with two tables perpendicular to it. If everything wasn't so low to the ground, it would look like a medieval European banquet hall, but Yu had to admit he preferred it this way. It felt smaller, more intimate and cozy, less like an official gathering and more like an enjoyable time between friends and family. One thing that was noticeable were the empty seats closer to where they were standing. All the seats nearest to the head were filled up with familiar faces of friends but the others were waiting for the close family to fill them.

The second the happy couple stepped in however, a loud bang sounded throughout the room. Followed by bits of colorful paper falling all around them. Fuyuhiko pulled a party hornfrom his sleeve and blew while everyone else was still surprised. "Congratulations on your wedding snowpea. Looks like you get the confetti after all!" His daughter happily giggled and gave a little clap while his mother-in-law glared at him; unfortunately there was nothing she could do as the gathered guests began to clap. Even though there were probably only a tenth of the people there were outside, this round of applause felt much grander and triumphant.

You had your Yosuke's and Ai's clapping normally with smirks, not wanting to make too much of a ruckus but unable to hide their enjoyment. You had your Chie, Teddie and Kanji's who clapped and maybe even added a whoop or two so joyous they were at the occasion. Your Naoto's whose applause was more appropriate for a piano recital but was just as enthusiastic in her own way and your Nanako who nearly forgot herself and rushed towards them before Rise put a hand on her shoulder. Lastly, there was the awkward clapping of an artificial human. Too loud and Labrys worried she might give away her material makeup and too softly and she worried she might not be heard. Her presence was quite a surprise for a great many of the guests but of course the young parents had been planning on it from the beginning. Her sapphire blue kimono was no doubt funded by the Kirijo corporation although for this specific wedding or a more general application none could say. All that Yu and Yukiko knew in that moment was she looked lovely. A similar unfamiliarity was given towards a rather thin looking gentleman with a pencil mustache sitting towards the end of the table. Everyone knew Yu kept some diverse company as the old woman in attendance could attest, but literally no one had ever seen this guy before, not even the strange blue haired girl; even the bride herself looked quite puzzled. Explanations would have to wait though as it was currently the time to be seated. Ushered to the front of the table, the husband and wife took their seats and waited for each and every family member to be shown to theirs. Beautiful gold lights hung from the usually bare ceiling and Yu noticed a small microphone placed next to his utensils. The environment almost felt a bit like a Christmas party especially considering there would be presents to unwrap once this was all over and done with. Like a well oiled machine, money was exchanged for gifts and people were seated just in time for their return.

That snack Yukiko had beforehand turned out to be quite necessary after all, for no one in this room would be eating for quite a bit. It was time for everyone to make their speeches starting with their closest friends and ending with their family members one from each side of the table. The clapping quieted down slowly but surely until a silence fell over the dining room. Besides Yosuke on Yu's left and Chie on Yukiko's right, there wasn't a particular order to their friends as asking the two to "rank" everyone like that was completely against their natures. They looked to their friends to decide who would go first and between Yosuke's excited fidgeting and Chie's sudden nervous shyness, it was clear which of the two was more comfortable with public speaking. So without a word, Yu picked up the microphone and passed it too his best friend and after the initial feedback he was able to jump right in. Everything had been explained beforehand.

"Well I guess I'll start things off here. My name is Yosuke Hanamura and as you probably picked up, I'm the groom's best friend. You know I spent all last night trying to come up with a speech, I know I'm probably not alone on that." A few chuckles went up through the crowd and Yosuke continued. "But when I tried that way, everything seemed so stiff and formal and not the way Yu and I would normally talk. So I just thought I'd tell everyone a little anecdote. It's a little embarrassing but I'm glad it happened." Yu had a feeling he knew exactly where this was going and braced himself accordingly. Honestly, he thought his partner was doing a pretty good job so far as being the first person to go at one of these things is quite a bit of pressure. "Sometime back in April of last year, I was riding my bike to school. Now, this was partially my fault but I was going a little faster than I should have been going because I was late but the bike was a piece of junk."

"So I crashed and got myself stuck in a garbage can hahaha." He waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. "It is pretty funny looking back, but at the time I was terrified. Not only was I late for class, but now everything was dark and wet and I could hear people snickering at me as they walked by. But then I felt it lifted off of me and standing right in front of me...was my best friend." Yu could tell he was embarrassed just to say something like that but he proceeded ahead anyway. "I think that kind of sums him up really, he helped me out when no one else would. That probably sounds overdramatic since it was just a trash can but it's true! He's helped me with work, he's helped me with school, well I don't want to bore you with everything so I'll just keep things brief. He *um* well some of you might have been following the murder case last year...probably I'd imagine. One of the victims was a very close friend of mine, Yu was...he was exactly what I needed during that. He listened and, this is a little embarrassing, but he actually hugged me until I stopped crying like a baby. No matter how hectic his own life became, he always made time for me now that I'm thinking back on it...and as you can see by everyone sitting here he did that for quite a few people." He proceeded to tell another little anecdote about their fight on the river which brought things back to a more humorous mood, but Yu at least remained quite touched.

"So here's to Yu Amagi, a great friend and an even better husband!" He gestured to his partner as the room erupted into applause, catching him with a quick glance. "Still feel unappreciated partner?" he thought to himself and judging by the expression on Yu's face, that was the furthest thing from his mind. "Now for his lovely bride," Yosuke continued once the clapping died down. "I asked her out when I first got her actually...she shut me down."

Everyone laughed except one confused mama who still didn't know when this apparently happened. "I was heartbroken at the time but...I think things turned out pretty well. Actually what I really remember from that time period was when our school was trying to host a festival and we didn't have enough produce. So Yukiko here volunteered to call up a local farm her family had a contract with so the festival could happen after all." Yukiko blushed as Yu looked at her in surprise; she'd never told him about that! He brushed her cheek and she smiled sweetly as the speeches continued.

"...so she talked her mom into getting me a job here. And this was after I made her trudge up a bunch of stairs to come talk to me. Sorry about that Yukiko. And on top of all that, she started tutoring me in her free time even though she's so busy with the baby and her manager training. And that's how I know this is a great idea, I'm just her best friend and she did all that! So just imagine what she'll do for her husband and child..."

"...like the older brother I never had. This guy is *sniff* probably the best friend I've ever had and he's helped me more times than I can count. 'Scuse me I got...got something in my eye. *Um* he's *uh* he's just a hell of a guy, you know? I wish dad could have met him."

"In all my travels, I've never met someone before who was quite so understanding, patient and yet authoritative. The phantom thief story I just told is one of several examples that shows his possession of these qualities. I think what struck me most about him was how he always treated me as myself and who I am rather than the adulation or scorn I received from others. He helped me investigate places I was too frightened to look myself and I can say I'm far happier with him in my life than I would be otherwise."

"Yu-sensei and Yuki-chan are the best! Even though I'm so different, they never made me feel that way. I think they're both as sweet as honey."

"...*teehee* I feel like I'm repeating Naoto a bit but maybe that's a good thing. It just shows how awesome Yu-senpai is that even celebrities like us think he's great right? I actually thought he was going to be a psychiatrist for a little bit, I mean he'd definitely be pretty good at it right? But yeah I mean, what else can I say? They both let me be Rise while also totally supporting Risette. I speak from experience when I tell you that's pretty rare..."

"...not quite as good as me, sorry Yu you know it's true hahahaha. The things he is better at though are probably more important than playing with bal-*er* I mean playing sports. *Ahem* a-anyway I never realized until today just how busy he was and still he came to more practices than anybody except me all while helping me..."

"...to give a little perspective, if senpai wasn't around I wouldn't be able to make this speech right now. That's how shy I used to be. I don't know Yukiko very well but I know she used to be shy too...I'm happy he got a happy marriage from helping people, he deserves it..."

"...don't know what I'd be doing now if Yu wasn't here. Probably still screwing around aimlessly and acting like a big shot even though I was scared of getting shot down. You know, I have so many friends who I just talk about stupid things like movies and hot girls and stuff like that with but Yu's one of the only two guys who I don't feel weird talking about personal things. Girls in the audience, this probably sounds weird but it's embarrassing for guys to talk about that kind of stuff, even to close friends!"

"...yeah he's pretty good at getting people to turn their lives around. I actually have a real shot of going to a good college now thanks to him. But don't go spreading that around, I do have an image to maintain. His wife makes good company for sure. She got me to stop being stubborn and just talk to my parents about things and honestly even though she talks about the baby WAY too much..."

"...and he recovered the letters for me. I'm still quite not sure how he did that but it touched my old heart all the same. What teenage boy do you know who would spend so much of his time on the elderly? When I told my own children this story they could scarcely believe it happened themselves but it's completely and utterly true. He healed my pain and made it so one day I'll be able to pass on with no regrets..."

"I love you big bro! And I love you too big sis! *Um* when I was really really sick they both came to visit me at the hospital a lot, even when I didn't know they were there. Big sis gave me a peach tree from her garden and I'm helping it grow big and tall! Big bro knows all these cool magic tricks and..." Nanako went on and on, heaping praise on her big bro until the microphone was wiggled out of her hands. "Would you believe they're actually cousins?" Dojima picked up where she left off. "I remember when he first came to town and I thought of it more as a favor to my sister than anything else. But as the year's gone on, well he's become a lot more than that I'll tell you that much. Never thought I'd be giving a speech like this especially so soon but now I'm not sure I'll be able to fit everything I want to say in the time frame. I will say he couldn't have married a better match from watching them both..."

"I'll admit, I felt quite similarly to Dojima-san. When I first learned he and my daughter eloped, I feared the worst but in actuality this was probably the most fortunate thing to happen to our family in recent memory. Our daughter calls him a blessing from the gods; I don't know how true that is but it does feel like that sometimes. My daughter's increasing zest for life is directly correlated with the time they spend together, I honestly feel like I could hand the inn to the two of them right now and things would turn out fantastically. But...let's allow them a few more years to be young right?"

"...a lust filled beast and the list goes on and on. I didn't hold back one bit. I *uh* I actually tricked him into shoveling snow off the roof just so he'd have to scrape the entryway after he was already exhausted. But no matter what I threw at him, he kept coming back for more, you know why? Because he knew my daughter loved me terribly so he was willing to see the good in me and make nice for her sake; after a few months of that, I began thinking. If he can do that for her, why couldn't I, her father, do the same thing? I remember how happy she was when I finally stopped needlessly tormenting him and accepted him into the family...Goodness it is indeed quite dusty in here, I apologize I thought we cleaned it better. *Sniff*" Surprising everyone, even when he started discussing his daughter's baby babbling and her infectious excitement for the birth to come. Instead, he merely wiped at his "itchy" eyes and complained of allergies acting up, not even really believing it himself.

"*Uh* hey everybody. I'm *uh* seeing a lot of confused faces lookin around which is...well it makes since I guess. Oh geez louise no one told me I'd have to make a speech...I guess I'll start with the basics. My name is Labrys and I'm on the student council of Gekkoukan High, it's a one of them fast track schools that's a normal high school and prep school rolled into one. A-anyhow, I met these two one day on my...break and they were some of the nicest sweetest people I ever met. In that short little period, they taught me what it feels like to be alive. I'm not really too comfortable yapping about the rest of it but what they did really meant a lot to me. I can honestly say I wouldn't be sitting here right now if it wasn't for them. So thanks you two...for helping out a total stranga. *Um* that's all." If people were in awe of the mysterious storm grey boy who threw his own father out before, they were almost stupefied now.

At last things came to the strange man with the pencil mustache. Usually he'd be sat up closer to the bride and groom but nobody could tell exactly who he was. He had an invitation but he didn't speak very often and when he did speak it was hard to tell exactly what he was saying; it was said through both a thick European accent of some kind and a bit short. "*Ahem* I-"

"*GROOOOOOOOWWWLLLL*"

All eyes immediately turned to the head of the table where a blushing Yukiko was working to quell her belly. Those up at the front knew it had been "sounding off" for a little longer than that but apparently it grew tired of being ignored. It created a strange duality in Yu; on the one hand he loved his friends telling him how much their lives have improved and how happy they are for his wedding, but on the other hand he wanted them all to be quiet so he could feed his wife and child already! Did that make him ungrateful? No, he eventually decided it was more that he couldn't enjoy himself until his job was done!

To be completely fair to Yukiko, being carried up and down the mountain plus the ceremony itself and all the preparation beforehand was about two hours. And the total run time for all the speeches was about an hour and she hadn't been properly fed since breakfast with only a small snack to hold her over until now. "I know, I know sweetie I'm hungry too. But it's rude to interrupt unless...*ah* I'm sure that must be it, isn't it? Oh you're so precious..." The man passed the microphone to Sachiko and simply said, "this works out for the best, I shall make my speech after I have tasted the food." It was a bizarre request but the grandmother was desperate to end the awkward situation, and so agreed. "V-very well. now that the formalities after the way, I believe it's time to 'dig in.' Enjoy a wonderful and traditional meal provided by the Amagi Inn."

"Yukiko, you okay?" Chie asked once the servers began to hustle and bustle.

She'd had her belly growl in the middle of class before and knew the embarrassment all too well. But to her surprise Yukiko actually seemed fine with it. "Oh that's okay, it's only natural after all. I mean, he's had to listen to how wonderful his daddy is for the past hour! It makes perfect sense he wants to grow big and strong and he wants to do it as soon as possible. He's just so darling isn't he hubby?" Yu didn't know about that but what he did know was that they were hungry. The first course was brought out, a rather savory looking cut and grilled tuna fillet, with the exception of two people. One was of course his lovely wife who Yu loved to see eating better than the rest. When the big slab of meat was placed on her plate and her tummy purred in delight, he whispered "tri-trip, hope you love it. Well, it sounds like you already do." Chie looked on enviously and poked at her own tuna in dissatisfaction. Sure it was better for her and would fit in her macros put come on!

The other stand out dish was given to the strange unknown man. Stand out because it was different more than anything for unlike Yukiko's dish, it was actually quite simple. It almost looked a bit like lasagna although anyone sitting close enough could tell it wasn't quite the same. The man's eyes seemed to widen in surprise and he gave a small look to the end of the table, where he saw the groom nod back at him. "Yu, who is that guy?" asked Yosuke.

"Well he's-" before he could continue he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see one of the maids behind him and Kasai behind Yukiko. "Alright you two, it's time to get changed." When she saw their looks of surprise, she giggled. "You didn't think you'd get to eat in those ceremonial clothes did you? Especially you Yuki-chan, it's bad luck to stain the white of the gown you know."

"I'm not going to spill, I've quite proficient at eating thank you very much."

"Hahahaha I can see that but even so, it's what your grandparents want."

"Come on, up up up you two!"

"B-but my tri-trip..." Yukiko murmured despondently as she was pulled away. Yu gave her a comforting rub as they left from the room. Overcome by temptation, Chie subtly attempted to reach over and try some of that mouth watering beef before having her hand smacked by her detective friend. "*Ow* thanks Naoto, I almost cracked."

"Don't mention it. You should try the tuna, it may not be quite as good but it's far more than palatable." It certainly was! The kind of tasty where a little bit of saliva falls from your mouth that you have to catch at the last minute. "Hey Rise, you're kind of quiet. You nervous?"

"Huh? No not really. I'm just...thinking." To her surprise, she could see Kanji was in a similar set of mind and knew what she was referring to. A conspicuous absence of the groom's parents; unfortunately they weren't seated next to each other so they were left unable to chat about it. Naoto seemed to sense something was up but said nothing, going back to her meal.

"Yeah, I mean it. Those reports you showed me *mmm* really top notch stuff. Did you get your dad to do them or...?"

"Nah I got this lackey to do it for chump change. Hey don't look at me like that! I still double check them you know!" Ai looked away as Kou laughed, her eyes settling at the head of the table.

"Where are you from young lady? You have quite a...unique way of speaking."

"Born and raised in Yakushima ma'am. I guess I picked up the accent from my motha' somewhere along the way. People at school say it's a 'charm point' whateva that means."

"Hey am I crazy or wasn't there another girl who looked kind of like Ayane who Yu hung around? She was in the drama club?"

"Who Yumi? Last I heard she moved away."

"Do you think that guy at the end of the table is his dad?"

"Nah they don't look anything alike, and where is his mom?" The dinner table was quite lively even without the focus there.

Eventually that focus returned in still formal but not quite as extravagant wear. Yu wore a more relaxed and normal looking grey and black robe while his wife decorated herself in a glittering red robe similar to the one she wore for their New Years date, although bigger to accommodate her generosity; with her hair in a ponytail and her gut not quite as covered up by fabric, she looked rather rotund. By the time they returned, the others were already on their second course so Yukiko had not a second to spare. At this point her body was outright demanding she take off a hunk, serrate it with her teeth and let the juicy protein lubricate her throat as it made its way down into her stomach. Not even just the tasting but just the act of eating was what she craved as if fulfilling some deeper biological purpose. Buttery mashed potatoes, miniature burgers utterly soaked in grease and cheese if it was put in front of her it would eventually be consumed by the ravenous mama. Eventually, a hand found its way to her middle and began to make the process even easier. Never stopping for even a moment, constantly ferrying her fork between her plate and her lips, as if it was as natural to her as breathing and at this point it most likely was. It really was fascinating to watch her work and Yu found himself resting his chin on his hand with his own fork dangling as he got a front row seat to her feasting. "You're so beautiful when you're eating."

"*Mmph* phanks. *Mmph*"

"Oh, you've got a bit of sauce on your lip," he quickly dabbed at her dimpled cheek with a napkin as she shoved in another forkful of her second helping of beef. He didn't care one whit what anyone else had to say, this was their wedding and he was going to let her enjoy it to her hearts content. He spared a quick glance to see if the other special customer had finished his own meal, he'd always been the kind to eat slowly and savor after all.

Yu was delighted to find not only had he continued to eat after the first bite, but he was actually almost finished. It wasn't just a case of being polite either, he'd seen him flat out send food back before if it wasn't up to his standards no matter where they were. "Never settle for less than you deserve Yu," he remembered being told once. "Not only are you cheating yourself, but no one will respect someone who can't even respect themselves. *Phah* this is truly awful, take it back immediately!"

He smiled at the memory, someone who was confident without needing to belittle others to be so, who spent the time to help him not just in cooking but in life as well. It was the happiest he ever was before coming here. "Never settle for less huh? Well I certainly took his advice to heart I suppose," he thought giving his wife's fleshy tummy a proper squeeze. On cue, she mewed and stopped her near constant consumption and turned towards her beloved husband. Neither one needed to speak to know what to do next and both slowly moved their faces closer and closer until...

To their immense surprise, there was no chastisement, no attempt to pull them apart; instead, what happened next was Yosuke beginning to clap followed by Chie and then the rest of the dining room followed suit. A few whoops and cheers were thrown into the mix as well and while Sachiko and her daughter looked a bit miffed, they eventually relented and joined right in. It was a small moment all things considered, but one that would stick in their memories for quite a long time afterwards.

Eventually, the amount Yukiko was eating began to border on the absurd. Even after everyone else's third course was crumbs on a plate, Yu snapped his fingers had her fourth one brought in. And then a fifth one after that. If he'd brought in a sixth, he knew someone would put their foot down so he stopped at five but those who were watching swore he had the biggest smuggest smile as his wife ate without incident

His Yuki didn't seem to pay the stares any mind either, simply focusing on satiating the immense hunger inside herself but retaining her manners while doing so. Why should she? She was simply helping her baby boy grow big and strong like he wanted and most of her close friends understood this by now. Yukiko eating until there was no longer food in front of her to eat was simply a fact of life. She made the act of eating look so natural that it seemed almost appropriate to be eating so much, like a sumo training for an upcoming match. And with a husband by her side placing the occasional soft kiss on her cheek and giving her back a delicate rub, it was clear this sumo definitely had someone in her corner. All that was missing was a towel and a water bottle!

The second Yukiko seemingly put her fork down for good, crossing her hands over her belly and sitting back on her soft cushions, Teddie hopped to attention. "Is it time for cake now!?

"There's going to be a cake?"

"That's right Nana-chan a big delicious cake that your big bro made himself!"

"Really? That sounds wonderful thanks big bro!" Nanako received a little tap on the head from her father and Teddie an under the table jab from Rise for their outbursts but the damage was already done. All anyone could think about was that cake especially those who'd tasted Yu's desserts before. The bride in particular bouncing up and down and drumming her belly in excitement. But what came out took them all by surprise.

It wasn't a "cake" in the traditional sense of the word but instead what looked to be a tower of caramel coated balls of all things. Not only that but the balls seemed to have some strange artwork drawn on them; when it was placed down at the head of the table and people got a chance to peer in closer another gasp of surprise went up. "Is that supposed to be...me?"

Indeed there was a little frosting drawing of a pigtailed girl with an imitation microphone on the right side.

"Hey is that guy with the knitting needles supposed to be me? That's pretty good..."

"Hubby...what is this? I've never seen anything like it before." Yukiko's confusion was mirrored by everyone else's but Yu just went on smiling. "I think I told you before, it's you!" Now that just made people more confused and even Yukiko was looking at him like he was a bit crazy. "My adorable croquembouche," he said giving her a little tickling as she giggled like the big adorable cream puff she was. "Oh hubby so that's what that is! I do remember you calling me that...quite a few times actually. And that's me at the very top!" Indeed, the plumpest heaviest juiciest most cream filled fluffy ball of sugar was indeed placed right at the top of the stack. A little caricature of herself was on it complete with chubby cheeks and a happy smile, next to her was a baby's bottle that when she noticed made her sigh in delight. "I was thinking of putting our son there as well but I wasn't sure if you'd eat it if I did that." Yukiko placed a hand to her plump pale face in gratitude, he truly did know her quite well by this point. That being said, "she" looked utterly scrumptious and everyone else looked quite ready to dig in despite the feast just moments before. "I thought a while about what the cake should be. At first it was just going to be Yukiko and I up there but then I remembered each of you was just as important in making this thing happen. And what better way to savor that feeling than with something we can all share in?" Cheesy to be sure, but one that garnered a second round of applause.

The groom was of course allowed to serve his bride himself first and slowly took the calorie bomb from its perch. "This is just to start off of course, my betrothed can have as many as she likes." He'd heard somewhere that in the west sometimes the groom would smush the bride's face into the cake, obviously the thought of doing something like that to Yuki wasn't appealing.

Instead, he cut into it and let the flaky brown bread crackle enticingly. Yukiko looked utterly delighted this was being fed to her and closed her eyes to receive her treat. A warm sensation on her nose broke her out of it and at first she assumed it was a kiss only to hear Yu chuckling. Opening her eyes, she saw him holding up the knife and realized he'd delicately pressed it to her nose leaving a tiny drop of cream! A few chuckles from the end of the table started as Yukiko got a little flustered. "Hubby if you're going to mess around like that, I'll just feed myself!" They both knew it was an idle threat, she enjoyed being hand fed and pampered far too much to discard it wily-nily. "I'm sorry my love, I just couldn't resist. Now open wide and I promise I'll give you your just desserts. A high class lady deserves a high class feeding after all."

Blushing at the flattery, she did as she was bade and opened her full pink lips for a morsel. Luckily the wait staff knew to start serving the rest so the couple could have their little moment, they knew her almost as well as her husband did. A crispy caramel coated warm shell that crunched and broke beneath her teeth as a rush of chocolate filling delighted her taste buds. This was so much better than his birthday cake he'd also fed to her, every bite was like biting into a heavenly cloud. While in the the throes of taste nirvana, Yu got up next to her ear. "That chocolate is pretty good right? Well...you're the only one who gets to taste it. Everyone else gets vanilla." He was right, the people who'd started to bite in only seemed to be getting mouthfuls of vanilla filling. Delicious to be sure, but not quite as much.

"*Mmph* *smack* oh hubby that's so sweet." No one would ever call Yukiko selfish or a brat but there was something rather appealing about being the only one getting special treatment from her beloved husband. "But I'm going to have to share with someone if that's alright."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't. He's been good today."

"Yes he has." He stuffed her mouth full of more chocolate cream and waited until she was thoroughly chewing. "Actually do you see the blank ones on the bottom part?"

"*Grmph* mm-hmm."

"Those are all for you." She purred through her mouthful of chocolate as his voice got lower. "I got a little experimental: strawberries with chocolate, honey glaze and vanilla, all for you. You are my cream puff princess after all." Her mew was quiet enough that only he could hear it and she opened her mouth for yet another bite. And this time, there was no one to tell them that they couldn't enjoy themselves like this. "Isn't it nice not having to fret about your figure ever again? You could eat like this every day if you wanted."

"*Mmmm* I could...but then you'd be slaving away in the kitchens all day. I'd rather have you by my side. That way you can feed me more cream puffs!" Luckily, everyone seemed to be too absorbed in their cream puffs to make fun of such a pure display of affection. "Kanji! Give me your cream puff right now, you got mine by mistake."

"I mean...it doesn't really matter does it? They taste the same either way right?" Naoto found that statement pretty amusing all things considered but Rise put her thoughts into words. "This coming from the guy who obsesses over the penguin cracker! Now give me my cream puff."

"Fine fine whatever you're such a freaking brat sometimes! You wouldn't understand anyway..."

"Darling please give me my cream puff back." Yu had done quite a good job on the in-laws, Fuyuhiko having an intricate theater mask while his wife got a spooky monster mask to compliment it. However, she'd snatched his up before he got the chance to take a bite. Before he could ask what she planned to do, she bit off the top part of his head and then started laughing. "Eeeheehee don't 'lose your head' I'm just having a taste. Looks like you're 'half the man' you used to be now heehee!" Fuyuhiko said nothing in response, mearly leaning over to take a bite out of the same pastry in retribution.

Yukina gaped in horror as he did something so brazen, chuckling to himself as he did so. "What are you a child, Fuyuhiko? Behave yourself!" Sachiko's sharp reprimands were never on his side of course but he felt they were especially misplaced. They were only trying to have a bit of fun! Yukina shrugged, seeming not particularly perturbed and let her eyes fall to Jiro. "Father, what did Yu draw on yours? Is that supposed to be a radio?" The man chuckled and turned his cream puff around and around on the fork. "I suppose it is, I guess I am pretty old after all ahahahaha!"

"Labyrs dear are you alright? You've been starring at your pastry for awhile now." The bluenette blinked rapidly and smiled. "Nah I'm alright, I'm just appreciatin the craftsmanship. Yu really went all out on this shebang didn't he?" Despite the odd word choice, the relatives next to her couldn't help but agree, he did make an entire wedding cake and made it as unique as possible on top of everything else. In actuality, the reason Labrys was so taken with the cream puff was only partially do to that. The drawing of her was standard but the object next to it was what gave her pause. Judging by the quick glances at the other likenesses, it was clear he'd chosen what popped into his head when thinking of them. Two of the boys had a soccer and basketball respectively and the girl with the pretty curly hair had a mirror. Someone else had a trumpet and the old woman seemed to be an approximation of a river. When it came to hers though, she'd been expecting a battle axe as their first meeting wasn't exactly the most cordial, after all, they'd met during battle and she was created for such a purpose; however, next to the little frosting Labrys was a simple red hair band.

Such a small gesture and probably not even intentional but it still made her glad nevertheless. She almost regretted taking a nice sizable bite. Almost.

The android looked to the front of the table at her two friends, currently in the middle of moving as much of the Amagi Inn's sugar and pudding supply into Yukiko's belly. Despite the amount she was eating, she hardly seemed gluttonous at all. The slow speed at which she ate was certainly a factor to be sure, but more than that she seemed to savor the fact that it was her husband feeding it to her. It made it seem more like a married couple's bonding activity than a normal meal. Remembering back to the box of sandwiches, that probably was the case. Yu loved to cook and he loved people loving what he cooked and Yukiko loved that he loved that she loved his cooking so in a weird sort of roundabout way, him feeding her really was romantic to them.

Eventually though, the bride reached out a hand to stop her husband and those who noticed stared in shock. Yukiko refusing food? What was this world coming to? "Is something wrong my love? Was that last one not up to your standards?" She'd been cooing and purring as bite after bite were pushed past her lips, almost bouncing in her seat as he stuffed her. "No of course not hubby, don't you dare fret about that. It's actually quite the opposite, they're too good if anything." The mound of mama took a deep breath and clapped her hands to her gut, a small jiggle visible even through the slight tautness and fabric. "But I've eaten quite a bit already and if I eat too much more I'll be much too full to dance with you." Her fate was in his hands, if he brought that cream puff too much closer, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist biting into it. And if she did that well...then another bite would follow and then another and falling into a food coma at her own wedding wasn't something she wanted to try. Ever the gentleman, Yu relented and began to rub her back. "If that's what your heart desires, how could I refuse? Especially today of all days?"

"W-wait dancing? I thought it was just going to be Rise singing! Oh man, I don't know how to dance!"

"Awww come on Chie-senpai, you didn't know how to play an instrument either but you learned how. Just have someone here show you." Chie looked to her best friend pleadingly to give her an out but she was far too busy making goo goo eyes at her handsome hubby to notice. "I'm pretty sure Yukiko's family wouldn't let anything to intense in here, it's probably just a lot of slow dancing right Rise?"

"That's even worse! H-hey Naoto maybe you and I can pair up? We'll be the two left feet twosome."

"Actually senpai, I'm quite proficient at dancing. It appears you're on your own." And the barest hint of a smile flickered on her lips. "Why don't you just sit down? I don't think anyone will care."

"And give up that easily? Hey Kanji maybe you can-" but the boy looked away strangely quiet. "I-I'd rather dance with Naoto!" All day he'd been sat next to a kimono clad Naoto, an entirely new look for the lovely lady. The light blue, because what else would it be, brought out the darker navy up top beautifully and in Kanji's opinion she shone like a sapphire. Surprised but gladdened, Naoto placed her hands on her lap with a smile. "Very well, I suppose I do owe it to you for attempting to teach me how to ski. I'll try to give you the same patience you gave to me."

"Hey that's not-" looking up to him, he cut himself off and blushed. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked away and muttered "forget it..." Rise took that as her cue to shoot up like a spring and skip her way over to the normal Amagi stage where a microphone awaited her. A quick glance to the owners and a nod from Yukiko's mother and grandmother was all she needed to launch right in. "Hello Amagi Inn! How are you all doing today?"

A round of cheer went up and she waited for it to settle before continuing on. "Good good that's what I like to hear!"

The party goers began to make their way on to the dance floor and Rise took a quick peak at the main attraction. Yukiko held out her hands expectantly and Yu helped her to her feet without complaint. It could be seen as being lazy and spoiled but the girl had just been stuffed full of pastries...that her husband specifically made just for her and hand fed to her waiting stomach. Okay maybe she was a little lazy and spoiled but who wouldn't end up that way in the face of senpai's onslaught? Still, it didn't stop her from singing a little taunt in her own head.

"Here comes the bride, big fat and wide." It was mean but come on! How could something like that not come to mind when you saw her waddle her way onto the dance floor? And she knew if she told Yukiko that, her senpai would probably just laugh and laugh until she was red in the face, jiggling like a big bowl of jelly. Then Yu would give her a kiss and say something sweet and then they'd embrace...what a lovely couple. It was an honor to get to sing for them.

And not only them, this song was for everyone in the group. For all the times Chie knocked her out of the way when a shadow slipped past the others, all the times when they'd agree to press on to another floor even though their bodies were sore and aching, when they'd charged onto the scene and helped snap her out of her despair and did the same for the others who came after her...and for the concert and the beach trip and letting her know what it felt like to have a real group of friends. There was a lot of anticipation as to what she was going to sing and after Yu and Yukiko narrowed down their choices, Rise knew just the one.

"This is a little song I came up with over the last year. You guys get a little early bird preview so no cell phones okay? Alright then..." the Amagis were nice (and wealthy) enough to provide a little piano and one of the older maids who she'd seen talking to Yukiko a lot took a seat. "Here goes."

"Just a little glimpse
A moment in time
A blink, not long at all
Just a touch of sky
Planting a seed of hope in me"

If she had to guess that was the part that most strongly resonated with the bride. Far too enveloped in her passion, she couldn't exactly look but sure enough the mother to be chose that moment to move her husband's hands down to her waist, to where her "seed of hope" was resting nice and warm.

"Curious how it stings
My eyes as the light
Breaks through the clouds and falls
Round me like a spell
Telling me I'm forever free"

"Now place your hands at my waist like-" Naoto was cut off by Kanji putting his hands perfectly into position and taking the lead. It was all she could do to keep pace with him as they danced across the floor. "K-Kanji?" she whispered flabbergasted. He had a blush on his face that brightened the room but he didn't stop, he even gave her a little spin. "I-I've been practicing since last year. I thought that I could...impress you, you know? But once we started dating I had ma...take things to the next level." He pulled her into a dip before pulling her right back up, her light body even more fragile and doll like from her shock. Right up to his chest, he looked away suddenly. "She said my pops swept her off her feet and she still remembers it and that girls love that sort of thing." She could tell he was getting nervous, so gave his cheek a small brush with a smile to go with it. "I am rather fond of pleasant surprises..."

Roaming wide here I come
Setting my sights on the sky, cause I know

There are miracles waiting for me
On the weathered road that I will tread
And these wonders one by one will become just a part
of me I know, now I know

There are crazy hazards ahead yet
I don't really fear them as I should
Not that now I have unshakable faith that inside
Of me the sky is shining bright
Just because now I know

Now I know, yeah now I know it
Now I know, I know now
Now I know, yeah now I know it
Now I know, I know now

Even while slender, the type of dancing Yukiko was familiar with was always on the slower side. In Japan, traditional dance was mainly a solo endeavor, or at least almost never done with only one partner. Nothing made this more evident than the older generation seeming to not know what to do with themselves until Fuyuhiko reached a hand down and took his wife's hand. Yukiko laid her head against her husbands chest, still continuing to dance. Not quite a "ballroom" but close enough for her tastes, really dancing with a handsome brave accomplished prince was the only part that truly mattered. Three couples on the dance floor who looked like they were having fun was enough to convince others to try their hand but unfortunately it didn't go so well at least for some of them.

Daisuke grumbled to himself as the elderly woman chuckled. How did he get stuck with the old lady when Kanji got Naoto Shirogane and Yosuke got Ai Ebihara? I mean it's not like he could just say no when she asked right? Although as he quickly realized, he was actually the liability in this scenario. "D-damn it! Sorry lady, I don't mean to keep tripping like that."

"That's quite alright dear. I was what you would call a klutz as well."

"C-could you maybe...teach me?"

Things weren't going quite as well for poor Kou who while he was knowledgeable in this field, couldn't quite work up the nerve to ask a certain tomboy to a dance. She looked so fidgety and awkward, it was completely adorable and he wanted to sweep her off her feet, be her knight in shining armor. "H-hey w-what's up Chi-"

"Hey Chie. *Uh* I uploaded a dance instruction video for today and it's really helped me out a lot." Chie walked right past the devastated bluenette up to her strange foreign friend. "Really? You're allowed to just do that?"

"Well my sistah went on about how it's "frivolous" or whateva but she didn't say no. And she uploaded a calorie counting application for pete's sake!"

"Since when do my sistah and I need to worry about calories?" From what Chie remembered of Aigis, she was the stranger of the two; when her sister was a cyan haired battle axed wielding illusion employing super prototype who dreamed about going to high school, that was saying a lot. "Well I wouldn't worry about it too much. But hey that means you can help me out!" Kou was left to his own devices as the two girls took each others hands. "Blocked by a girl, man this sucks..." As if things couldn't get any worse, Chie said probably the most crushing thing she could have possibly said. "Does master...like to dance? You know just wondering that would be pretty funny hahaha."

"Not that I know of. Mitsuru-san said she tried to teach him once but he just walked out and said it was 'time he could be spent fighting'" Chie sighed deeply, as usual her master had his eye completely on the ball. But wait a minute...

"S-so are he and Mitsuru-san like an item or something? They seemed pretty close..."

"Hahahaha have you seen the way they get on each others nerves? Sides don't tell anyone I said this but Mitsuru-san can be...kinda, well, scary?" Labrys still shuddered at the memory of getting a B on that exam. Chie smiled at that although she wasn't quite sure why. She thought about asking if he had a girlfriend at all but decided she'd rather not know the answer right now either way. "I-It's not like it matters anyway. Why would I care about something stupid like that?" But she knew somewhere deep down she was going to bring it up during their next phone conversation. That momentary visible relief when Labrys answered her question though, that was enough to make a certain suitor pack it in entirely. "Master? Aw man...I'm out of my league here."

"*Ow* dammit Yosuke watch where you're stepping!" Ai hissed.

"Me? You're the one who's all over the place! *Ugh* why did I even agree to this?"

"An excuse to touch me?"

Their mutual laughter was cut off by Ai stepping right when she shouldn't have stepped right and Yosuke stepping left when he shouldn't have stepped left. The result was grumbling and untangling of legs, never in their lives did they imagine this was a skill they'd be needing for any reason. "Look at them, off in their own little world. Oh my gawd she looks so fat." A little mean but definitely true, Yukiko's swaying rump certainly cut quite the figure as Yu led her back and forth across the floor. One hand interlocked and the other around her back, it only served to add to the emphasis on her weighty buttocks. "It's like she's wearing a bustle except I know that's all her hahahaha!"

It was pretty funny but the funnier thing was the bride probably didn't even care or would actually be trying to look that way. After all, they had eyes only for each other. Her and hubby and baby made three and besides Rise's soulful song, that was all that was allowed in their little bubble. "Sounds like you're just jealous she can actually dance even at that size."

Yosuke expected a little punch on the shoulder but instead Ai just giggled. "Yeah I was nowhere near that graceful. You know...I'm actually glad you suck at dancing because I was kind of nervous." A girl with her resources could learn to dance if she really wanted to, but ever since that horrible school dance, when the little butterball waddled onto the floor only to get laughed at when she tripped and fell...she'd had a general aversion to the art form. "Luckily, I'm only the second worst here."

"Haha you're hilarious. I actually have some pretty sweet moves for your information."

"But let me guess...you can't show them to me here?"

So while Yu and Yukiko danced in their world of love, Kanji and Naoto worked with each other to create a surprisingly wonderful time, and Chie thought of Akihiko, the two of them snipped at one other and never stopped smiling.

The song eventually ended with a round of applause and request of encore. Rise did a happy little bounce and continued to bounce on her feet as she took it all in. It wasn't that she was egotistical but she knew the song would be a hit, all the songs in the album would be. It was just like Yu and Yukiko said, they came from the heart with real experience and weight behind the words. "I don't know about an encore but I have a few more up my sleeve." Even Yukiko's fuddy duddy grandma was looking at her with some measure of respect. She wondered how much of the song actually resonated with her, her husband certainly seemed to be enjoying it at any rate judging by the smile she was receiving. This next song was inspired by the periods where the Investigation Team fell into a bit of a slump only to have their brave leader put the pep back in their step and lead them right back into the light. Though this version would be a little slower than the one on the album, it needed a kind of pulse pounding intensity to really capture the waves of energy being "back in action" could produce.

"He's standing right in your shoes
And you feel like you're in his too
When did he show up right next to you
How strange that you should only notice now..."

"Jiro what on earth do you think you're doing?"

"Ah don't be like that Sachiko, just follow my lead."

"Well...alright." She didn't know what got into him all of a sudden but his enthusiasm was infectious and she soon found herself smiling a bit.

"The hero you thought was gone
Distant memory of a past life
He's back in force and he's leading the way
Has something changed?
It's an inner strength you find hard to define."

"*Hahahaha well that's certainly true isn't it? He even managed to really crack the whole case open this time didn't he?" Jiro thought to himself. Yu and his granddaughter resumed right where they left off, almost like there wasn't even a break between songs.

Just as everyone started to get into the dancing, a shuffling sound brought them out of it. A head of blonde hair peaked out from under the table and a handsome boy soon followed. Calmly, he walked up to the main couple in the middle of the dance and slapped his hands against his pants while he waited. For a fraction of a second, Yu looked slightly annoyed but quickly hid it under his usual pleasantness. "What's the matter Ted? Looking for the bathroom?"

"Maybe! Is that where she's hiding?" As amusing as Teddie could be, Yu wasn't quite so interested in playing his games at this particular moment. "Who are you talking about?"

"Kashi-baby! I've been looking all over for her and I can't find her anywhere. Did she not show up?" The dancers looked to each other in confusion wondering if the other had perhaps sent an invitation but the mutual surprise confirmed that wasn't the case. "*Um* Teddie? I never invited her in the first place. Did she tell you I did because if she goes around spreading more lies-"

"What!? She's not here? But why?" Yukiko calmed down when she realized it was just another goofy assumption on Teddie's part. "Because I don't know her all that well and whenever we've spoken she's been quite rude to me. Why would I ever want someone like that at my wedding?" A certain paternal figure already provided enough problems on that front thank you very much! "Oh and she also seems to be fond of attention and that wouldn't do on a day like today. I hope you understand, you both are welcome to come anytime as customers." Turning back to her husband as though the matter was completely settled, she missed Teddie's gaping at her usual brutal honesty. On the one hand she'd insulted his fair lady but on the other hand she'd basically offered to shack them up! Should he be mad or happy? "B-but I thought you were all about helping true love blossom Yuki-chan?!"

"I am, oh of course I am, but well...she doesn't need to be here for that to happen does she?"

"Hmph Kashi-baby is a very nice lady now and I'm sure she regrets whatever she did in the past."

"I'd like to hear it from her own lips if that's really the case."

"Okay!" That was all it took, Teddie just walked right off after that delightedly humming to himself. All Kashi had to do was apologize and then they could all be friends, in his head it was truly that simple. "Maybe it is," Yukiko reflected. "With the baby, there's no place for hatred in my heart."

Teddie interrupting their dance created a bit of a precedent and it wasn't long before Yu felt someone bump into him. This time he was surprised to see his wife's parents themselves. Fuyuhiko had just given Yukina a little spin and spun her directly into him and they both had grins on their faces. "Hello there," he said as he walked up to his daughter. "May I have this dance?" Yukiko looked between the two men before giggling and glancing at her hubby apologetically. "See you soon hubby," but he just smiled. I mean it was the girl's father, did he really seem like the type of guy who would say no. Looking around, he wondered if Nanako finally convincing Dojima to step out onto the dance floor served as inspiration. Even now, the little girl was excitedly grabbing at his two arms while he laughed, probably stirred up a few nostalgic memories for the guy having his daughter get married. Besides, this wasn't like before where he'd interrupt them in the middle of a kiss to keep his innocent snow angel pure and unsullied, this seemed far more genuine.

"Looks like you're with me, Yu. I think you'll find I'm a bit lighter on my feet than your last partner, eeeheehee."

"You're certainly in a good mood today Mrs. Amagi."

"Oh yes. I personally found your little cake idea wonderful. You think you could make me another Fuyuhiko one sometime? You should have seen his face when I..."

Their voices slowly faded into the distance as father and daughter began to dance. "You know I remember when you still wanted to marry me. You said 'if marriage is marrying the person you love the most in the whole world does that mean we'll get married someday?' you were so sad when I told you no and that I was already married to your mother. I told you that you'd find someone else that you loved more than me and do you know what you said?You told me 'that will never happen in a million years!' I think you gave me a hug and didn't let go until you fell asleep."

Yukiko did vaguely recall something like that but it was fuzzy and warm. Lots of memories with her dad were fuzzy and warm now that she thought about it, giggling at her own joke and trying not to have a fit. "It seems I've found two people," she mused aloud. "Oh! Did you feel that kick? Sometimes I really do think he knows when he's being talked about."

"Hahahaha there's certainly no need to guess who has the gold medal in your mind. He'll be a smart cookie just like his mother, I'm sure of it!" That got her to smile big and wide as they resumed the dance. "I have to respect your husband quite a bit, he knew exactly what he wanted to do and didn't stop until he got it. I was probably five years older when I mustered up the resolve to do the same." Yukiko wasn't all too surprised that this conversation was happening seeing as her mother had told her beforehand but it was certainly surprising how quickly he admitted it. "I think both you and mother are being far too hard on yourselves. Not everyone has a hubby in their lives to listen to them and help them through whatever problems they might have."

"Hahahaha the funny thing is though, I actually did. I just didn't listen to her until it was almost too late. Yukiko, do you really think because someone gave you advice that lessens how much you've matured? No no no snow pea the fact that you were willing to listen and change makes you mature."

"This probably sounds terrible but I was sort of...glad you fretted so much about your future. When I was your age, I didn't even plan out what I'd have for dinner much less what I'd do with the rest of my life. While you top the class I almost flunked out because I didn't see the point. And I had the gall to try and lecture your mother about how she wasn't living her life to her fullest potential."

"Wow it sounds like you were an irritating person to be around." He laughed at her bluntness and brushed some hair out of her face. She was already starting to get a little sweaty after seven minutes or so and would probably be asking to sit down soon but hopefully she'd be able to hold out a bit longer. "Your mother did say something like that once, it was when I was trying to convince her to join my club. At first she politely declined but then...well she certainly didn't hold back when I kept at it."

"But you kept trying?"

"I did and not just because she was pretty either. She was so shy and seemed so miserable that it didn't feel right or just to leave her in a corner by herself. Not when the spotlight is so bright and warm! She was a tree in our first production but eventually...well she became my leading lady." Imagining her mom as a particularly grumpy tree certainly got the giggleworks started but she managed to stop them when he called her his "leading lady."

"Daddy that's really sweet. I had no idea that's how your relationship started."

"Yep I was actually the one calling the shots at first. I was the dashing mysterious transfer student after all so it was only natural. But you'd know all about that wouldn't you sweet pea?" She blushed a little at being "called out" and he continued. "In return, she got me seriously thinking about my future. What I wanted to be, what I wanted to do and that as fun as the Drama Club was at the end of the day it was just escapism."

"And what was that future?"

"A nice cozy life with a family I love, where I can stretch my creative muscles without having all the fun sucked out of it. And when I realized that was right here I did whatever I could to rush back and ask for your mother's hand in marriage." He'd never admit to her but he'd actually been hoping for a son at first but the moment he laid eyes on his Yukiko that went out the window. She was his snow angel, a sweet and funny little girl who'd grown up into a sweeter and funnier young woman while gaining some real steel behind all that silk if today was any indication. "I guess that's one way we're the same you and I, when you realized you wanted a family of your own you certainly didn't hesitate!"

"I suppose that's why you were so certain, you 'felt' somewhere deep down it was the right thing. What you should be doing." Yukiko's eyes widened, she'd never had it put quite so succinctly before but it was certainly true. Ever since she could feel the slightest hint of a bump something inside her just knew it was right, that it was the way things should be. "Yes. Is...is that how you felt?"

"I've felt that quite a few times. When I put that ring on your mother's finger, when I was holding you in my arms and...well when I was walking to the shrine this afternoon. You're probably sick of hearing this by now but your mother and I are very proud of you and I apologize for ever getting between you and your happiness." She smiled at him and buried her head into his chest at that. "Oh daddy I know you were just trying to protect me. How could I ever be mad at you for that? Having people like you and mother was what convinced me this baby being born was a good thing. Even without Yu and myself, he'd be raised in a loving environment full of wonderful people. So thanks daddy...for making a nice nest for my son...your grandchild."

"H-hey well I wouldn't go quite that far *sniff* I'm...I'm glad you're happy at any rate."

"Oh I almost forgot to ask, have your allergies passed? Are you feeling better? I think I have some spray you could use." For a moment he had no idea what she was talking about before remembering his ridiculous lie when he made his speech. "O-oh no things are quite alright now pumpkin. Probably just some dust."

"Oh no! I hope the maids don't get yelled at too much if grandmother notices, they were probably just so excited about the wedding that they rushed." She bit her lip in sympathy before stopping the dance and clapping her hands together. "Well what she doesn't know won't hurt her, their secret is perfectly safe with me!" I just hope they don't let it bother them too much, I mean you were sniffling and rubbing at your eyes quite a bit earlier." As her father came back into focus, she realized another round of allergic reaction had already started up. "Oh your eyes and nose are all runny, but I didn't bring any tissues. Maybe a napkin..." but she was pulled into one of the biggest tightest hugs she'd ever experienced before she had the chance to do anything. "*Urgh* d-daddy?"

He'd managed to hold everything in during the speech itself but somehow this silly nonsense managed to get him to break? It was so ridiculous he almost wanted to laugh if he wasn't so busy weeping joyfully. All the pretty, but still rehearsed, words he could handle just fine but this one moment he hadn't planned for where his sweet baby girl was so precious was more than he could handle. "D-daddy I'm trying to hug you back but you're holding me far too tightly..."

"O-oh *sniff* terribly sorry about that. I didn't hurt you did I?" She brushed herself off and seemed perfectly happy with the results. "No, I'm built for tight loving hugs I was just a little surprised is all. Although maybe I shouldn't be..." and before he could ask what she meant, she hugged him back. Her mother had made her joyous and her heart unburdened but her father provided a much warmer comforting love.

Yu's stint with Mrs. Amagi didn't last for too long because soon a little bundle of energy came trotting up to him. "Big bro, dance with me!" And with a look to say "what can you do?" he graciously accepted. His little sister was surprisingly adept and they did a little boogie all across the room. "I'm training to be an idol!" she proudly declared. And of course someone so excitable didn't just want to dance with her big bro, no soon it was her big sis' turn and then Teddie and then back to her dad and then big bro. She certainly had the stamina for it if nothing else.

Eventually the dancing stopped although Rise did treat their ears to some more lovely music. These receptions didn't typically last very long and now was the closing action where everyone talked and caught up until it was time to leave. Though the Investigation Team did plan to go out later with Labrys in tow, for the rest this would be the end. Which made it the perfect time for a certain mustachioed man to approach Yu. It certainly attracted quite a bit of attention with people wondering exactly who he was. Yukiko was curious enough to waddle on over and attach herself to her husband.

"I assume you liked the food."

"If I hadn't would I still be here?" The two men shared a nice firm handshake to the confusion of those surrounding. "Yu who is this man?" Yukiko finally got to ask.

"He's my old cooking instructor. Monsieur Yves. I learned everything I know from him." Vaguely she remembered hearing a name like that...that's right when Nanako came to them with Adachi's letter he said it was from his old cooking instructor! But she didn't think he'd actually right him, she thought that was just to deflect her parents' suspicion. "And you must be his lovely wife. I must say I thought he was exaggerating but...I can see I was mistaken."

"Well thank you *heehee* I must say your Japanese is very good."

"It has to be when you cook in places heavy with tourists."

He said something in French she didn't understand while Yu pulled her closer to him and laughed. She had the feeling he was eyeing her belly when he said it but she couldn't be sure. They continued to talk in French for a little bit so she filled in what they were saying with her own dialogue instead.

"She's grown so much since that picture you sent me in March."

"Yes she's made wonderful progress. I have you to thank for being able to serve such delicious treats and keep her growing."

"You flatter me it's only because you're so handsome and amazing that you did so well under my tutelage. If your son is anything like you were then he'll be quite the prodigy."

"He shall be the chef who was promised. And his mother shall help him test his recipes just like she's done for me!" Towards the end she started to get a little off track and unfortunately they remembered she was there before she could work out the full details of the story in her head. "Terribly sorry madame, it's so easy to get caught catching up on all times that you forget you're in the present."

"I used to have that problem, but now there's nowhere I'd rather be than the present." Yu gave her a loving kiss on the cheek for that and even the stern looking man smiled. "Yu was always my favorite student, he had a willingness to learn that's lacking in most adults as well as the raw talent to compliment it. He never missed a single lesson even when he fell ill. He'd even practice at home once the lesson ended, and we'd been at it for hours. Even I am sometimes to lazy to cook something for myself after a service."

"And I can see you haven't allowed your blade to dull so to speak. Not only this but you've wedded and bedded a wife who truly appreciates the wonders of food. A dream of any red blooded chef." Yukiko blushed a bit, she knew the French were a passionate people but talking about their sex life out of the blue certainly came as a shock!

"How is your own wife Monsieur?"

"Oh she's quite alright and stout as ever and bids me to tell you her congratulations. She couldn't get the time off." That was too bad, she was quite the sweet woman although quite plump although in little Yu's opinion that just made her more welcoming. She'd always have a tray of cookies to nibble on before they'd use the kitchen or just when Yu would be invited over to the house. If he recalled correctly she'd been quite pregnant as well and all Yu could remember thinking was "this is what a mother should be, why isn't mine more like this?" Such thoughts faded but perhaps they'd always been bubbling somewhere under the surface...

"*Um* yes my husband's food is quite delicious. I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to regular fare even after the pregnancy is over." Even though he didn't know her that well, the tone of her voice made it quite clear she was quite looking forward to the prospect. "Keeping my lady love satisfied helps keep my skills up to date. Did you see how she bit into those cream puffs? I'd say I almost live for that look."

"I certainly did. I'm quite impressed indeed." Yukiko was starting to think her funny little internal conversation wasn't all that far off especially once Yu laid a hand over her stomach. "Hopefully the little one won't have tastes quite so rich."

"Noooo he's your son so he'll have discipline aplenty." Yukiko assured him. "And he'll be hardworking too. And handsome." They made lovey dovey eyes at each other and now it was the master's turn to be temporarily ignored. He never knew Yu to dramatize, in fact he'd been rather emotionally withdrawn, but when he described his bride as "the woman of his dreams" he was admittedly a bit skeptical. Now though? Well they went together like two peas in a pod although in their case maybe it was more like a tomato and a string bean albeit one with some muscle.

"I'm truly happy for you my pupil. This was certainly a nice surprise to be sure."

"Was that dish Yu made for you...special? Because it looked rather basic." The two shared a grin at his wife's ignorance and Yves gladly opined. "It was the first dish I ever asked him to make, a basic of French cooking but an important one. A simple casserole. It's good to see you haven't forgotten the basics in your quest to impress."

"Well you made sure to drill them into my head, sensei." And Yu actually gave him a little bow that made the man chortle.

A little while later when Yu stopped to get a quick drink from the nearby table, a voice sounded behind him. "Quite the show you put on today isn't it? You know I think I'm well within my rights to smite all of you for blaspheming in my temple like that."

"Perhaps but don't forget who helped spruce up that temple," he replied without even turning around. "How are you doing Marie? Did you maybe want a bite to eat?" The girl scoffed at the suggestion and gave her stomach a pat and that's when Yu noticed she was dressed quite a bit like Izanami. "No way, I'm absolutely stuffed from all the praying that happened earlier. I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you is all." He was surprised there was no tsundere act or quips but he supposed even she was going to let him have today. "Thanks. It certainly feels like all my prayers have been answered."

"Even the ones you don't know you've been making," Marie giggled to herself. Yukiko was truly starting to look like a nice fertile milk cow and definitely starting to act like one. Aloud she merely told him that a goddess would be remiss if she didn't give thanks to her most valuable supporter. "Who are you and what have you done with Marie? You almost sound responsible."

"Oh my gawd shut up stupidteasinghaphazardassumingjerk if you hadn't saved the town twice you'd fall down a lot more stairs!"

"Marie, I've been wondering, why a weather woman? Why work at all?" The flustered girl sighed and seemed to regain her composure. "I thought you'd be able to figure that out. My old selves, both of them not just Izanami, judged from on high. They watched humanity but they didn't understand humanity which was proven when you defeated Izanami and all her aspects. I figure if I'm going to be a proper goddess, I should learn to walk among the people. But *ah* I'm kind of bad with technology as it turns out so I had to do something where I can meet a lot of people but I don't have to use a computer. Besides, this way I can help...you." She blushed and Yu had the decency not to tease her about it. Instead he chose something else. "Well I think it's a wonderful endeavor. Have you showed any of your coworkers your poetry yet?"

"No I'm too emb-HEY! That's it! I'm leaving, enjoy the rest of your stupid wedding!" And when he turned around, she was already gone. Hopefully she'd gain a goddesses self confidence eventually and be able to read her hard work loud and proud...but that probably wouldn't be any time soon. He was so deep in thought that he almost missed his wife climbing up onto the stage with a bouquet of flowers. "Okay everyone, time to see who's destined to be married next! Good luck Chie!" Chie nearly stumbled over herself in shock, this blatant favoritism was getting to be a little too much!

"Hmmm I never understood what the connection was. Who do you think will-" Naoto paused in shock when she saw Kanji readying himself. "W-what on earth do you think you're doing? D-don't tell me you're taking such superstitions seriously!?"

"I mean after last year...I'm not taking any chances." His determination outweighed his embarrassment which unfortunately wasn't the case for Naoto, who knew there was a kernel of truth in there somewhere. "Kanji! Even still marriage is...well should we really be thinking about such things so soon?"

"H-hey now wait a minute, she said it's the next person to be married not that we'll be married immediately! Even I caught that." Naoto didn't have a hat to hide her face with, so instead buried it in her hands. "T-that's not the point!" There was no time to argue though because the "gauntlet" had already been thrown. The crowd watched breathlessly as it soared through the air, careening slowly towards the Earth. Kanji's height gave him a natural advantage so as soon as he moved forward it seemed like a foregone conclusion. Chie actively went to the other side of the floor to avoid it which confused Yukiko quite a bit. "Must be some secret sports strategy! I'll ask her about it later. Oh but it looks like Naoto's going to win, good for her she's definitely suited for it."

"Haaaaaah!" To the surprise of everyone, a blonde blur climbed on top of Kanji and positioned himself so it was almost like the taller boy was giving him a piggyback ride. Almost immediately they fell into a heap on the floor as the crowd parted to let them fall. Seconds later, the blonde jumped up and down excitedly. "I caught it! I caught it! I can't wait to tell Kashibaby, she'll be so happy!" The gatherers were shocked, either from the relationship announcement or the fact that Teddie of all people won. "Wait you're dating...Mrs. Kashiwagi!?"

"Yep and now we're going to get married. Here Kanji, I didn't mean to knock you over like that but all's fair in love and war! And the fight over the flowers was both! I guess you can call me a bee because I got a honey out of them! Huh? Huh?"

"I don't get it, that doesn't even make any sense?" Yukiko said into the microphone but he was far too excited to even care. "Here Nao-chan you two get third place!" Teddie jammed the flowers into her hands before she could even think to resist. "J-just one m-moment, this doesn't mean anything!" It was too late, she was already wed.

Without even thinking, she shoved the flowers into the closest person who wasn't Kanji. "P-please take this immediately!"

"Huh? Why would I want these?" Ai said before getting a smirk on her face. Slowly walking over to the martial artist, she shoved them into her hands before she could react. "Here Chie, the bride seemed to want you to have them."

"Urrgh you jerk! I-It doesn't even matter, I'm not going to let a bunch of flowers tell me when I can and can't get married!"

"Yeah you tell them Chie, you should go out and do it right now!"

"Yeah! I-Rise! That's not funny, here let's see how you like it!" And now it was Rise's turn to hold the flowers although unlike the others she didn't resist in the slightest. "Dang looks like I'm the last one to get married. At least it gives me plenty of time to focus on my career so maybe it's for the best."

"I can't believe you're actually taking this nonsense seriously. It doesn't mean anything!" Rise quieted the protesting lady by tickling her nose with a flower. "Oh don't be nervous. Teddie still has to get married first and who knows how long that will take." For a moment, Yu was tempted to lend Teddie his share of the money to "get the ball rolling" but decided against it. As funny as that would be, it would be way funnier if everything happened organically. "Yay I'm going to marry Kashiwagi!" The boy cheered.

"Not so fast Teddie, we only know that you yourself are getting married next. And then Naoto, Ai, Chie and Rise. We have no idea who it will be to." Teddie's mouth gaped, sensei was so smart he hadn't even thought of that!

"Never mind that, we have something more important to take care of. Rise, give the flowers to Labrys." The idol grinned from ear to ear and slowly approached the robot who began to back away. "Don't be doing anything you're gonna regret you two, hey hey you better be listening I don't wanna get married. Noooooo!"

Yu and Yukiko couldn't help but feel bad getting changed and going down to the Samegawa while everyone else cleaned up but they were repeatedly assured it was fine until they were practically forced out of the door. Maybe they'd go grab some beef bowls afterwards, a nice cozy place to sit and chat with a bunch of friends. While Yu was thinking of things to discuss, he felt a piece of paper slipped into his hand an a soft hip give him a little bump. He looked up to see his wife swaying her hips enticingly in front of him, looking back to give him a seductive wobble. It took quite a bit of willpower to pull his gaze away onto the thin strip of paper she'd given him.

"There will be a full moon tonight that I'd love for you to see. Meet me by the hot springs." He disposed of the evidence leaving none of the surrounding people aware of their plans. It was only natural though for such a traditional wedding, after all the bride and groom were expected to consummate their union.

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Mizui didn't know why she knew exactly where her husband would be, but sure enough she was sitting right where she expected. Where else would someone who hated this town and everything it stood for be than the train station out? Public drinking wasn't illegal in this country though highly frowned upon, but for someone who didn't care what a bunch of backwater hicks thought of them it was no surprise to find him nursing a bottle. He briefly looked up when she approached but quickly returned his eyes to the floor. She took a seat next to him and he didn't make a move to stop her and the two sat in silence for awhile.

"We should be getting back, everyone is wondering what you're doing," she eventually managed to say. He chuckled ruefully and took a long swig, wiping his mouth afterwards in a gross motion. "How kind of you to be so concerned for me." He didn't say it directly but it couldn't be more clear what he was insinuating, even to someone like herself.

"Why did you do it?" He finally asked. "Why did you stab me in the back like that?" Mizui swallowed nervously and played with the fabric of her skirt a bit. He turned to her demanding an answer and for the first time she saw legitimate hurt in his eyes. Strangely, she was able to meet his gaze straight on where normally she'd look away. "If you went through with the lawsuit and even if you won, Yu would never speak to you again. The way things turned out, a reconnection is still possible yes?" He scoffed and took another drink but she was insistent. "I've heard time and time again you talk about your legacy, nothing would kill it faster than making your son hate you forever."

"Oh must you both be so dramatic! Forever, never I'm sure he'd be a lot more charitable once he's having money troubles and wants back into my will."

"No."

"No?"

"That's not what our son is like at all and I think you know that. If you just apologize-"

"I'm not wrong!" Even with her newfound confidence, she still jumped like a frightened puppy at his roar. He saw that and seemed genuinely apologetic. "Why did you come back anyway? You'd probably have a much better time at the party."

"Because we need to be getting back soon." That answer seemed to not satisfy him so after a brief moment she sighed. "And I know you didn't mean what you said, not truly deep down."

"Oh yeah? And what if I did?"

"But you didn't."

"Yeah but what if I did?"

"But you didn't." Rubbing his face in frustration he couldn't help but feel they'd had a similar conversation before. "See this is what I'm talking about! You should get mad, get angry! I called you a spineless robot and you're just going to take it?" With a surprising calmness, she gently moved her hand to rest on his. "You're already hitting yourself internally over it so what good would me doing so externally do? I know you didn't mean it and I should have been clearer with my intentions regardless."

"Heh, that sounds preprepared. Did you write up a script before coming down here?"

"A rough draft of one but yes I did." That got a little smile and a genuine chuckle out of him. "I didn't mean what I said," he finally admitted. "You've always been faithful and a valuable part of my operations. I know you were just trying to help and...I'm sorry." Even though she didn't ask for it, she couldn't help but treasure the apology anyway. "You were right in some areas, it's not fair to leave the child raising and such up to you and then suddenly try to criticize your parenting eighteen years later. That wasn't my intent." She knew leaving him to think things over for a few hours before confronting him was a good idea, even an hour earlier and this conversation probably would have gone much differently. As if to prove that point, he put an arm around her and brought her close in a surprising display of affection. "S-sorano."

"I was...acting on emotion. A lawsuit against my own blood would do nothing but tarnish my reputation far more than him not going into business. But...I don't know what else I could do, Yu refuses to see reason! And then he has the nerve to disown me, little brat. Well maybe I don't want a worthless layabout for a son either."

"Sorano, didn't you see how many people gathered to see-"

"In this town? What else is there to do? Besides, being popular is a shield for the incompetent. How many unfit executives have been in our company just because they married the right person or went out drinking with the right people? And where are they now? The only thing you can ever really rely on is your own accomplishments and the way he's going he won't have any."

"He's already accomplished everything he means to Sorano."

"How can you dare to say that? He's underachieving! This is no place for him, what's here to gain? To accomplish? He has nothing!"

"He has happiness."

The intensity in her voice gave him brief pause that she used to press her advantage. "Surely even you can't deny that? He gave up his inheritance just to be here." Another drink from the bottle, this time it was long and thirsty. He wasn't sure if it was the long day he had or Mizui's pleading voice but he was inclined to agree with her on this. "Yes he's made it quite clear there's nothing I can do to change his mind. At least for the time being. If he won't listen to reason...then so be it. Let's hope he comes around in a few years, maybe then we'll be able to fix the damage."

"Y-you mean..."

"Yes. I plan on leaving him to his own devices and then when he's ready to beg for MY forgiveness we'll see where we stand. Some time to think should do him some good." Mizui did not cheer, but even she had to stifle a smile at that. Sorano wasn't quite ready to admit he was wrong but he was willing to admit pushing further would end up with him in a place he didn't want to be. Whether that was mostly because of the political fallback or the complete dissolution of the relationship with his son, even she couldn't be entirely sure; a step was a step nevertheless.

"Good things come to those who wait," he said as he clambered to his feet. The bottle was empty but the fact he didn't try to drain the last few drops showed he'd moved past it even before he threw it in the garbage. "Sorano!" He turned in surprise to see Mizui starring rather intensely at him. "I don't think you're a bad person, fundamentally I mean. And I don't think Yu believes so either. I haven't stayed by your side for a free ride." As far as encouragement went, it was rather weak but nevertheless he appreciated the attempt. "If I thought you were a freeloader you wouldn't have been hired in the first place." Probably even worse encouragement but to Mizui it was all she needed for her heart to soar.

How long ago was it when she, fresh out of college and running out of options, felt the hot tears falling on her lap in his office. Perfect grades, not a single point lower than 99 but none of it mattered one iota. She focused more on work than connections and while she searched desperately for a job and her savings dwindled with every passing day, others seemed to just step right into positions with nothing more than a laugh and a handshake. To her credit, she never became bitter but she couldn't help but wonder if she was truly so worthless. The idea of interacting with people in a non work context made her sick to her stomach, sometimes bad enough to make her dizzy, like she was defective. When she felt the harsh gaze of the interviewer seemingly unimpressed by her accomplishments, the nausea came back and all those thoughts with it. The whole interview was a mess of stumbling nerves and it just got worse and worse as the man continued to stare and she continued to vomit out words. It was a bit of a blur but she remembered blurting out that she'd work hard, the best she could say for herself.

Then she remembered the man handing her a box of tissues. He didn't smile but he did wait for her to recover. After that he simply said. "I've always preferred technical interviews, I'll give you a series of six problems and if you can solve them all in the next hour you have the job."

"B-but I'm...I mean sir surely there are better candidates? Ones who...aren't such a mess."

"I prefer ones who do their job. Besides...I don't like talking to people either. Most of them are idiots." And she smiled probably for the first time that month. What he didn't tell her until afterwards was that the problems were designed to be done in two hours, with an impressed note in his voice. "Welcome aboard," the words were simple but she remembered him throwing the other resumes in the trash. "Luckily you were my last interview for today. Now I don't need to look over those."

"See? You're helpful already." And for the first time that day, he smiled too.

"Hey Mizui? Aren't you listening? I asked you to fill me in on my messages."

"Right away sir! *Er* I mean right away, dear!" And she dutifully stepped behind him while he shook his head at her strange behavior. Even if he could be abrasive, or go to far at times, this would always be her place. But this time, she'd remember to drop in on the other place she needed to be from time to time, the birth was coming up soon and there was no doubt in her mind she was wanted there.

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It was hard work giving everyone an equal amount of attention, but Yukiko's surprising frostiness made it easier. Well perhaps frostiness would be the wrong word but she seemed near completely uninterested in public cuddling while they were there, who was this girl and what had she done with his Yukiko! All kidding aside, she probably wanted to make him more excited for the little surprise she had planned, whatever it was. Rise ended up being quite the star of the after party show for obvious reasons, everyone clamoring for an autograph or just one more song from her new album. The teasing idol kept tight lipped though but by the end of the day her hand was cramping a little bit. The unfortunate thing though was despite the milestone, the town just kept on chugging along and quite a few people hadn't done their homework for tomorrow. How were you supposed to focus when you had a party to get to? And as fun as hanging out with friends was, five hours did start to drag the slightest bit. With promises to see everyone tomorrow, the extended group went their separate ways leaving Yu to ponder the meaning of the mysterious message.

For the first time in a long while, the inn was completely closed down, the evening staff taking full advantage of their day off. Sure the owners were still there of course but after planning a wedding for months, they too were quite exhausted.

The message obviously had a double meaning, the first of which was to meet at night time when the moon was full. If anyone had a justification for putting off his homework a little bit today, it was definitely Yu. He didn't know exactly what awaited him at the hot springs but he had a pretty good guess, had Yukiko truly grown so bold? He certainly hoped so and her message led some credence to that. "Come watch the full moon with me," he'd checked and the moon was currently a thin crescent in the sky. It was obvious what she was referring to.

When the sun finally dipped past the horizon and darkness fell, Yu made his way to the hot springs as he was bid. It was a bit strange he didn't see either Yukina nor Fuyuhiko on the way there, after months of non stop work he thought they'd be the first to take advantage of this rare occasion. Perhaps they were watching a horror movie?

The emptiness and openness of the springs produced a strange echoing quality in people's voices when they spoke; Yu never quite got used to it and supposed it was probably to add to the earthly spiritual quality of the whole thing. That meant when a soft sweet voice was carried to his ears in that tinny hot springs quality, he was even more caught unawares. "*Mmph* so tight...you've helped me grow just so big! Dada's going to be so...satisfied." It was almost as though the beautiful voice was whispering straight into his ear but at the same time was far away, muffled but loud. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he stepped forward into the entrance of the springs.

"Oh! Speak of the prince and in he rides," she purred. Normally he was quite a bit sneakier but the shoes on stone made that quite difficult. "Did you have any problems finding the key?" She still hadn't turned to face him yet and already he was having trouble focusing. Some men dreamed of walking in on the site of a beautiful woman bathing her bare body in an open air bath, but he got something better.

She'd decided to put on her old white swimsuit that she probably hadn't even touched in months. Saying that Yukiko was "wearing it" was as generous as her bountiful mama body and rather like saying someone with nothing but a tie was "dressed." A terribly analogy but the only one his fried brain could come up with when met with the twin snow globes she called an ass. He honestly wasn't sure which was paler, her skin or the white of the swimsuit and for some reason he couldn't quite articulate, that thought made his erection twitch. A swimsuit made for narrow waisted heiresses didn't appreciate having to deal with a pair of thick breeding hips and so had given up not even half way up her butt. He'd seen girls in the city who'd left the top of their ass uncovered but this was a whole other level, the blubber bubbling over the top could pass for her booty all by itself! A sharp tearing sound made her shimmy them down a little more and giggle. "Oh no, I thought I could leave them resting there but it seems I've gotten too wide. Now I have to expose everything. I tried to pull it up but it tore on the side. See look?" His wife slapped her flank where the fabric of the swim skirt had torn a bit, sending a mighty ripple through the rest of her butt. She proceeded to give it a slow shimmy like a big meaty tetherball slowly coming to a stop. "Hubby, you weren't even looking at the rip were you? What were you looking at instead hmm? It couldn't have been...this." With a might smack she brought both hands down onto her growing shelf and let out an inadvertent moan. It seemed as though she was turning herself on with her little display. "Careful Yuki, wouldn't want to leave a mark. That's my job."

She had to slap a hand over her mouth to stop herself from purring or mewling at the thought. She'd been planning this for a long time and she wasn't going to let things go off the rails just because she wanted to be bent over by and taken by her muscley hubby!

"H-hubby I might need your help with my little wardrobe malfunction. Do you think you could force this skirt up for me? I think I've gotten too fat to do it myself." Her voice was somewhere between a whine and a sexual growl and Yu found himself moving forward before she was even half way done with her request. His doughy darling was entirely caught off guard when he slapped his hands deep into her sides. "H-*oooooh*-hubby p-please."

"What? I'm just getting a lay of the land. I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with here." He didn't notice from far away but up close he could see the thin pink strip of the bikini top almost completely buried in her soft back. "What's this?" He went to give it a teasing tug but found it didn't have a single inch of give to snap back. Before he could contemplate this, Yukiko backed up into his crotch, grabbing his hands and bringing them down to where her bottoms were resting. "Worry about that later, for now just try and help me get dressed. We wouldn't want to get kicked out. Don't go too fast, or they'll rip okay?" He wouldn't have wanted to go fast anyway, slowly shimmying up a pair of way too tight swimtrunks up his wife's backside was something he'd dreamed about. Getting to push down on her cheeks, slowly press forward into her while she tried not to react to the stiffness, thinking he lost progress when his fingers slipped only for the clothing to snap against her rump and cling for dear life, and this was only her backside. After he heard a few threads pop, he finally admitted he couldn't do it. "Hubby are you saying I'm too fat for my swimsuit? How could that be? Surely waddling around the inn burns enough calories. My backside isn't that big is it?" Her nimble fingers crawled back to give the waistband one last futile tug and she made even that teasing and enticing. Usually when girls would play and tease the waistband like that, they were planning on dropping it but this way was much better in Yu's opinion.

Ever so delicately, she gave it a little pull making sure to add little sounds of exertion. "*Mmm* And it just pinches so much! *Hmmph* look at how it bites into me hubby, see it left a little red line alllll across me." This time she did lower them to show her husband exactly how oversized she was for them. A can of unbaked dough slowly being squeezed out of a can with just as much room to spare, which was to say not an inch of extra space was allowed for her. "Looks like all that sitting around hasn't done me any favors. But maybe...if we tried from the front..." Step by step, she toddled around making sure the process was even more exaggeratedly cumbersome until she was facing her husband in all her glory. He backed up a little to drink her all in and sure enough, reflecting off the surface of the water, was a big round pale maternal moon of motherhood. Her hands immediately went back to their proper place and her blush burned hot enough that he wasn't sure if his sweat was from the springs or not. "Something tells me that wouldn't work."

"Beautiful," the word hammered in Yu's head over and over again. She was so breathtakingly beautiful all he could do was grin like an idiot. This was his woman and he could have her all to himself, she'd done all this setup for him and him alone. That bun in her belly was his and she bore it so proudly, absolutely beautiful. Her lifegiving breasts strained the top more than any bra or bikini cups he'd ever seen, even ones she'd tried on in the past for that purpose. Underboob, overboob, sideboob if you could name it then it was there. It didn't even cover her teats as motherhood made them prominent and bulging, the temptation to reach out and start fondling them was almost too much. The shoulder straps didn't rest on their namesake but instead on her milk makers and they rested so lazily on her wonderfully fat stomach that despite the pregnancy still sagged a bit under its own heft.

"I knew you'd like it. To think, if you hadn't milked me earlier I wouldn't have even been able to get this on. I'd just *pop* right out of it, wouldn't I? Oh and I can't drop them because the same thing would happen." She reached between the space of her belly shelf and sweaty full tits to give them a heft, her eyes taken on an almost manic look. "C-can you believe I can do this now? T-they're not even *hah* full and I can still lift them.  When I was a little girl last year they didn't bounce quite so much but now that I'm a mama they quiver with every step. Did you know that? Oh of course you did since you're watching all the time. But I can't blame you, I am too~"

"I think my belly's my favorite though. It's just so big and prominent. It's the first thing to enter a room now." Her belly was still soft no matter where you touched but lately it was undergoing a bit of a transformation. As her womb and baby became more prominent, her upper belly began to firm up while the lower part remained as soft and jiggly as ever. This led to the appearance of a precious little egg nice and snug in a nest of fat or at least that's what Yukiko liked to think. "It's the first thing I see when I look down, it's the first thing I see when I wake up, it's just so smooth and soothing to touch...no wonder we can't keep our hands off of it." Due to her skirt placement around her upper thighs and her belly's surprising perkiness for its size, that meant her quivering lips were on full display for Yu's viewing pleasure. He wasn't sure whether or not it was on purpose but decided it didn't matter, his desire was the same either way. But before he could make a move or say anything, she looked at him knowingly and began to speak.

"You want to make love to me don't you? Hold me, enter me, kiss me, tell me how much you love me, whisper sweet things into my ear whist I coo and moan?"

Yu nodded slowly. "Are you...is this okay for us to do?" Part of him wanted to throttle his more cautious half until it turned purple, here Yukiko was presenting herself to him ready and willing and here he was asking stupid questions. She didn't seem to mind though, she actually smiled from ear to ear moving closer and closer to him. "I did some thinking and I realized, you and I are destined to be. There is nothing more beautiful and natural than us making love under a blanket of stars." Guiding Yu's hands to her belly, she smiled up at him lovingly. "The first time we lay together, we produced this miracle, so how could our lovemaking ever be wrong? Oh Yu how long has it been since we've laid together?"

"Hours," Yu whispered hoarsely as though it had been months or even years. And he kissed her just as hungrily, gripping her soft motherly arms like a passenger grips a life raft. She was already beginning to sweat quit a bit so he knew he'd have to take things slow. What kind of husband would he be if he wore her out before she'd had her fill? "*Mmm* take me any way you like my love," she nearly gasped out. The pampered princess absentmindedly stroked his abs while she waited; that's when he remembered no matter how teasing or confident she got, she always loved when he took the lead.

"First...let's get you out of that top." He enjoyed the trussed up ham look her bulging curves in a thin stringed bikini top gave her, but he'd prefer if she could breathe easy. In a move that shocked even his loving wife, he lunged forward and grasped the adorable little bow tie on the front between his teeth. It was so shocking, her hands jumped off her belly and curled up near her face in surprise. "H-hubby, so bold!" She didn't mind one bit though, all that stood between him and her supple sensitive breasts was a thin layer of cloth already on its last legs. Slowly, he began to peel away the near latex like bra and gave her poor compressed nipple room to breathe.

Speaking of breath, Yu's was nice and warm on her exposed milk valves, making her legs start to quiver beneath her. While he deftly uses his teeth, his hands had their own task, pinching and lightly snapping the taut taut fabric to send little pin prickles all throughout her body. The way he'd gone from near tearing her bra off to gently heightening her arousal kept her on the edge of her seat, and made the effects of what happened next all the more intense.

"*Oooohooo*" she shuddered as his two fingers entered into her navel. And of course his surprising entrance once again fell into gentle stimulation to keep her on pins and needles. "Hm? What's this? I seem to recall my fingers going deeper last time." His other hand grabbed a fat roll where her ribs used to be and gave her double chin a caress. "You're certainly not losing weight, so what could be the cause?"

"P-pregnant!" she managed to get out through his fondling. He considered for a moment before smiling and rubbing her side. "Yes of course. You'll soon be going into labor, your body is perfectly preparing itself for birthing. In the coming months, you'll be even more gravid. I wonder if you'll become gravid enough for your navel to pop?"

"P-pop?"

"That's right. When your belly gets big and rounded and fat with child, it puts pressure on your belly button. Heavier and heavier until it can't take the pressure and it just..." at that moment, he hooked upwards with two fingers. With a resounding *snap,* the backstrap of her bra was destroyed, unable to take the pressure of her arching her back and pressing her tits forward. "...pops."

Her whine of pure pleasure was loud enough to echo off the rocky walls for several seconds and he knew he'd given her the first orgasm of the evening; the first of many he planned to give her. Withdrawing his fingers, he used them to hold her gently as the ecstasy made her a bit woozy. Discreetly, he used it to remove the shoulder straps and let the bra fall.

"You tricked me," she muttered into his well built chest. As passionate as they were and as aroused as Yu was right now, they needed a second to cool down. Unfortunately, pressing her mammaries against him didn't really help matters; especially considering how malleable and sweaty they were pressed to his own body. "Now I can't wear that swimsuit anymore,"

"Yuki if you wore that in public, you'd be asked to change. You're too fat for it darling. Besides, you can't expect me to do all the work can you?"

"Nooo it still fit. I got it on didn't I? It just took a little elbow grease as Chie would say." Yu gave her belly a light smack that still sent it rippling like the surface of the water. He heard her swallow and new her libido was swiftly regenerating. "You couldn't even force them up your thighs without my help. But is that because you've grown too fat for your swimsuit or because you've become too out of shape to shimmy them up? Hmm?" He was utterly relentless with his slapping and kneading of her blubber while he lectured her. Eventually, his hands went behind her and nestled into the fat fold where her buttocks met her thighs. "Which could it be?" He wondered aloud, hefting each cheek up alternatively and finishing off with a sharp slap. "B-both *ahhh!*"

Yu nearly lost his footing once she reached out and grabbed him "there" but managed to hold. While he squeezed her rear cushions, she pressed herself and her fecundity into him. Her navel was too shallow at the moment for a proper insertion, but her belly was soft enough to envelop the head at least somewhat. "I've just been gaining weight soooo fast, one hundred pounds in under a year, can you believe that? Did you ever think I'd get this fat? *Oooooh* that feels nice," she said referring to Yu and his brave attempt to press in deeper. She was going to be the one to break first and ask for sex he was certain of it, it made him feel a little smug as a man although he kept that to himself.

"W-with the way you eat, my fatty foie gras, I can believe it." That seemed to spark something in her and from the look in her eye, Yu knew he was in trouble. "Did you hear the way my gut roared to be fed during the wedding speeches? If that was a year ago I might have fainted from embarrassment. But when it happened all I could think of was how much I wanted something to eat. Oh Yu what have you done to me?" She gripped the soft spongy fat on the bottom of her belly with both hands and began to shake. It began with shaking her entire belly but she wanted to really show off. Not only could she cup underneath her squishy stomach and jiggle but now she could grip where her waist met her ballooning belly and jiggle the slightly sagging fold of flesh there. It was quite the struggle to not finish then and there with her impromptu rubbing session but somehow he managed.

"Dieting used to be something I could do in my sleep but now I can't deny myself a single meal. Do you know how hard it was to pull myself away from those cream puffs? I wanted so badly to devour them all...where do you think they would have ended up? Here?" she asked lifting up a tit. "Or maybe here?" she whispered as she cocked her hip and slowly ran her hand up its side. "I guess we'll never know...until I eat every single one at lunch tomorrow. Ooh Yu what did you do to my willpower? Was this what you wanted? For me to be a slave to my stomach? When it demands to be fed I have no choice but to answer you know, because that's what good mamas do. You said you were glad you p-put a baby in me because I was meant to be a mother. That's fine...but you could have at least warned me about the transformation your seed was going to put me through. You've made me a cow and you don't seem the least bit sorry..."

"A c-cow?"

"*Hmmhmm* what else would you call me? Two stomachs in need of constant filling for milk production," she stepped forward with a smirk and whispered into his ear.

"Mooooooooo." Backing up a bit, she clapped a hand over her lips in mock shock. "Oh no, you've changed me more than I thought." One look at the towel covering his waist told her everything she needed to know, he was primed and ready and just needed a little push. Curling her hands and putting them up by her shoulders, she gave those heaving hooters of her a delightful shimmy for her husband's enjoyment. Their empty state allowed them quite a bit of movement and they quivered and bounced against each other along with her meaty belly. She didn't even know quite where she'd picked up such a lewd maneuver, perhaps it was just instinctual as so many other things had been recently. What a pleasant thought!

"It's only natural though, stud. Why wouldn't bearing your child make me a heifer? Especially when I have such a strong capable mate to take care of me. How am I supposed to exercise when you make me slow and heavy? When my teats feel like they're about to burst every few days and I need a good milking? Everything's so sensitive now thanks to the baby and your pampering, I just can't resist being rubbed down anymore." Her hands moved towards the belt of his towel and started the process of removing it, she had a hungry indulgent smile on her lips as she observed his girth.

"You made me into your doughy pampered breeding mama both directly and indirectly! I hope you're ready to take responsibility! Breeding cows need plenty of sex after all or else they get cranky."

"Oh no you're not cranky are you?" He tried to play it off as a joke but he could already feel himself slipping.

"No, you did a great job keeping me well fed all day and you milked me so tenderly. You're the best husband a sweet little dairy cow could ask for. Here's to moooo. Oops, I mean Yu." That was the last straw, was he a freak for getting of to his wife talking about how much of fat bovine she'd become under his care? Maybe but it was certainly working well for him!

"I think...it's time to get you out of that swimsuit." She wiggled about in excitement and got ready for him to pull them down...but he didn't pull them down. Instead he actually began to pull them up! "Hubby! W-what are you doing? They...they don't fit!" Her frantic squirming made it quite difficult to pull them up, so he began to knead and massage her lower stomach. "It's okay, just relax. You're going to love what happens next." That calmed her and she allowed her husband to do as he pleased though it was a little painful. Her buttery thighs weren't meant to be pinched like this! There was quite a bit of friction as they were slowly pulled up her supple belly platforms that made her bite back a whine, but she knew the end would make all her suffering worth it. It was clear he'd been holding back before so as not to rip the suit asunder, now though, he had no such reservation and the skirt began to fail as it was forced higher and higher up her pampered fattened form. Without warning, he turned her around so he could shove her globular cheeks into their "container." He made sure to be as grabby and touchy feely as possible, smooshing them and jiggling them up and down with nice slaps to pepper his fondling. To say her sensitive skin appreciated being manhandled would be an understatement if her moans were anything to go by, mixed with whimpers from the unbearable tightness the springs were an utter cacophony for awhile. Finally, they were able to spread across her backside though it was really more like a white stripe painted right across the middle. Yukiko's pink teats were rigid at this point and she was beginning to pant a little from arousal. "When Yosuke *hah* bought this suit for me, it was loose...plenty of room to grow into it...*hah I'm so fat..."

"You still have plenty of room to grow into it, it will just snap off in the process." He turned her back around and traced her flabbiness with a finger as tears of arousal stung the corners of her eyes

"Hubby please!" she begged as she squirmed helplessly in his grasp. Part of her wanted to topple him over and lower herself onto him to stop the accursed needy throb down below, but how was a delicate pillow supposed to even nudge a mighty rock? If he held out an arm and told her to try as hard as she could to move it, she'd be gasping and wheezing after five minutes and it wouldn't move a single inch. All she could do was give him soft and pleading eyes to have mercy on her poor undersexed body and give her what she craved. Her pleas moved him and with a smile, his fingers danced down from her belly, to the front of the swimsuit placed near her womanhood. Ever so slowly, he tugged it forward and the already frayed and worn fabric of her bikini bottoms spread further and further apart until finally...

*SNAP*

"*Ahhhh!*" Both pleasure and relief mixed together to create a truly satisfied sounding Yukiko. Her hands went to the spot on her thighs where she'd been so cruelly pinched to rub the pain away but a pair of masculine hands soon joined in. His lovely wife was nude in all her pale well fed glory and after that display there was only one thing he was interested in.

He kissed her hungrily all over and his hands soon found there way to the sides of her gut to grip and squeeze. "*Mmmh* you weren't even planning *mwah* *mwah* to bust out of your swimsuit but it still happened anyway. You are so *mmm* hot, every inch. I want to make love to every inch of you Yukiko!" She yelped in surprise when she was lifted up as her husband squatted down to support her weight. The horny heifer started giggling at just how proactive and manly her stud was and moved forward to slide onto his manhood. There was one problem though...herself

"*Um* I can't quite...*uh* hold on." She could definitely FEEL him and there was definitely quite a bit to feel but she just couldn't get into the right position.

It didn't take them long to realize what the "problem" was. Her big pregnant belly was simply too big for that position that was no problem months ago. "You're incredible," Yu whispered feverishly. "You're everything a woman should be and more."

"But all I've done is *mmm* sit around and get fatter...let you *mmf* get me pregnant. Is that your picture of an ideal woman? " she murmured teasingly. Somehow they'd spun a negative into a positive and were now all over each other once again; they kissed and rubbed and squeezed as their sexes grew more and more desperate to be together. "I don't think I'm ideal yet though, I have so much more growing to do hubby." On instinct, they tried to become one with one another but again her belly blocked the way. "Yuuuuu! How are we going to have sex?"

"Let's try..." Yukiko felt herself get slowly turned around. He was going to have her place her feet on his thighs and ride his cock, a solution that definitely would work but there was one problem. His needy wife grabbed his hand and pouted, "I want to look into your eyes when we make love tonight...our wedding night." He was too heartwarmed to possibly be cross with her and he wracked his brain for an alternative solution. "How well can you float on your back?"

"Pretty well. Oh! Yes that's a good idea." His nice buoyant blubbery beauty began to float lazily on her back, a big indulgent sea cow who's belly towered upwards enticingly. Before he could enter her though, she suddenly attempted to lounge forward before letting out a grunt of discomfort. It was clear she was trying to reach for his chest, put her poor underused abdominal muscles were no match for the hill of indulged blubber in the way. "*Ngggh* hubby...I really want to feel your muscles during our love making..." the fact that her own complete lack of any muscle tone was what was preventing her from doing that went unsaid.

Yu seemed to find it all very arousing though. "'I want to see your face' 'I want to touch your muscles' Yuki, you've become rather spoiled. I guess I'm to blame for that too aren't I?"

"*Hmmm* yes I would say you are. I hope I'm not too much for you now..."

"Never." And in an instant, Yukiko felt his hands slink under her hefty seat and lift her up to her original position of basically sitting in his lap. "Hubby, my belly hasn't gotten any smaller you know..."

"I know, just leave it to your husband." He started to walk across the length of the hot spring, the process quite slow going due to the position and weight he'd hoisted onto himself; neither one minded though and in fact it only served to spike their already overflowing lust for each other. If they weren't underwater partially, this would have been impossible even for her beefy husband and the bred babe couldn't help but give herself a little jiggle to revel in her new size.

Finally, she realized her husbands plan. All throughout the spring were little natural outcroppings for people to lie against and relax and her husband was planning to use it for their lovemaking. Turning himself around, he used the rock as leverage and moved his hands from the bottom of her cheeks to around the middle. Yukiko felt herself go almost diagonal creating a kind of "v" shape with her husband if viewed from the side. "I need you to wrap your legs around my back," he whispered urgently.

"Need or want?" but Yukiko obeyed regardless and fixed him in a leg lock. Her belly fat still brushed against him in this position but it was nowhere near as big an interference here as it was earlier. She remembered when she'd first taken his seed, her legs wrapped around him all on their own. "Instinct, to get it all inside me. Even back then my own body knew what it was meant to become." The thought brought a warm smile to her face that was shared by her husband.

"Ready my love?"

"Always, my prince." As her shadow would say, it was time to make merry together. Her eyes fluttered and the mother let loose a shuddering sigh when he entered her, all the previous buildup making her nice and ready for him. He began to thrust making sure to take things slow even though supporting her weight couldn't have been comfortable. He couldn't quite kiss her lips in this position but he absolutely covered her breasts, those beautiful maternal spheres that even now were hard at work to feed his future child. Yukiko ran her hands through his hair, along his strong back all over his chest, he was truly hers in every sense of the word now and she meant to take all of him in. She wanted to see that handsome face because it was the man she loved of course, but also because she wanted to see him enjoy himself. The way he'd bite his lip and the way his eyes were looking at her curves, when her own eyes weren't lolling back from the pleasure it made quite the satisfying site to the dutiful wife. Their glistening dripping bodies and the heat rising from the spring served to make the experience that much more intense. For once, their surroundings matched how they felt about one another inside.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she panted as she bounced up and down. Yu was doing the thrusting but her generous body simply couldn't sit still for even a moment. The water splashed a little around them and she could actually hear the wet loud slapping impacts their hands on each others flesh made, Yu's skin making the sound of striking a stone floor while Yukiko's was dough dropped onto the counter.

He never did drop her though and he never rushed her and his sweet words filled her ears. "If I told *hah* others how beautiful you were. T-they'd think I was making things up. You're a-a *ahhh* a masterpiece of nature. You're face is dew and rosebuds and you're body is...oh god your body is fertility!"

"*AHHHH!*

Between the sweet words, her excess spilling through her husbands fingers and the attention to her breasts from his lips reminding her of her future task, she simply was overwhelmed. For Yu, sex was enduring her luscious fertility goddess body until she came and then he too could let himself go with great relief. Her legs already firmly locked him in place and let him deposit himself in the hole the gods intended. She probably gripped his back hard enough to draw blood but not once did he complain, though his grip did shake a bit when he got his own release. Yukiko raised herself from him and allowed herself to float on her back, basking in pure satisfaction as she rubbed her belly. She looked like a tremendously cute and fat sea otter, lazily floating through the water. "*Mmmmm* hubby I love you so much. You make me so...so happy *mmph*" He'd bent over to give her a full kiss on the lips then and she gladly received him as always. That gave her the strength she needed to get herself back onto her feet, with a thud that sent her body quivering, she assumed her natural tummy
patting position where she stood beaming at Yu.

"I had this whole speech prepared, but my mommy body broke my swimsuit before I could *hmph*."

"That's okay gorgeous, I prefer your birthday suit anyway." She cocked her head quizzically not knowing what he meant by that. Did he get her a bathing suit for her birthday? She couldn't recall. When he saw her confusion, he chuckled and gave her bare naked belly a satisfying smooch. "*Smack* I mean, I think you look just fine like this. Especially when you're all slippery." He wobbled the fat on her hips a little making her giggle until she slapped his hands away. "What was the speech? I'd love to hear it."

"Well you already heard part of it. When I say you made me into this..."

"Yuki we JUST finished, I need a little time to recharge-"

"No I'm serious! It's truly how I feel."

That certainly got his attention and he stowed any smart remarks to listen to his wife. "Your little trip to the old camping site a few days ago reminded me...do you remember what happened?"

"You pushed me in the river." She blushed at his bluntness but did nothing to deny it. "Y-yes. I was so embarrassed to be so exposed like that in front of a boy I...even back then I think I knew I loved. And when you said I'd grow into a fine mature woman, I got so flustered I didn't know how else to react. Isn't that strange? Now when you say that, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I want to kiss you all over. I wouldn't even dream of pushing you anywhere for saying such a kind thing...well maybe there is one place I'd push you."

"Was that an innuendo?"

"I...I think so...wasn't it? I was referring to our bedroom..."

"Hahaha I got that don't worry. Please, continue."

"Well I guess what I'm trying to say is...I feel so much more secure in myself and who I am now than I ever did when I was thin. I never would have done something like this before I had a little bun and a ring on my finger but now that I do...well twenty years is a long time and I'm sure we'll have the hot springs to ourselves again someday *heehee*" She shifted her big body about from side to side, almost like she was humming a little song on the inside; it was probably the song for the baby when he was born. "When we first started going out...there was always a little part of me that didn't believe it would last. I told myself 'it's only temporary' and 'you're rather dull compared to the other girls, thinking you can have him all to yourself is ridiculous.' Sometimes when I'd had a really bad day I'd think that if you cheated on me...I'd completely and totally understand. How could someone like me possibly keep someone like you satisfied? I was shy, awkward and dull." He knew Yukiko was going somewhere, but it still hurt his heart to hear her talk about herself like this.

"But I don't feel that way at all anymore. When we began our romance, I said I'd pray to the gods to become a woman worthy of you. I think I've finally been able to do that. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I see every single day is either you laying next to me or this beautiful baby boy in my belly and I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. So I guess what I'm trying to say is...thank you so much...for making me a mom." She smiled at him with that big beaming smile of hers and he hand no other choice but to step forward and clutch her arms. He pulled her into a deep kiss that made her body go a little limp.

*grrwwl*

The embrace was broken and Yukiko brought a hand to her tummy. "Oh sweetie are you hungry? We'll have to go to the kitchens and..." for probably the first and only time, the prospect of feeding her baby made her look a little sad. The well sexed but now underfed baby mama turned to her husband with the slightest hint of a pout, "I guess that means we'll have to leave right?"

"No." Yukiko watched her husband's cute bottom as he climbed out of the hot springs wondering what surprise he had in store for them. When he came back from the nearby changing room with a container of some kind, she clapped delightedly. "Oh hubby! I should have known you thought of everything."

"Yeah I came an hour earlier to plant this here. It's *uh* it's just some meat and cheese buns though, nothing too fancy. I was a little wiped from today."

"Oh hubby...well you can make it up to me by feeding them to me and with a belly rub, how does that sound?" He gave her gut a loving pat as he climbed back into the spring and she giggled lightly in response. He helped pull her up on another more climbable rock face, making sure to make a cheeky grab of her backside.

"*Ah* hubby, not until we feed the baby!"

"I know, just teasing beautiful." And he took his place by her side.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight." Yukiko opened her mouth for her husband to deposit yet another calorie bomb. Even though these buns were more for filling and fattening than anything else, they still tasted pretty good; her double chinned face wobbled ever so slightly as she chewed, and the fat mama had to breathe in sharply when her husband sunk his hands in particularly deeply. She'd never get sick of those strong hands cutting through her pampered flab to rub her erogenous belly and far more erogenous womb. "The moon is far more luminous," he said making her purr as her fat was cosseted and caressed. The cool night breeze of early summer felt heavenly on their skin, the heat from the bath that still lingered keeping them in a perfect Goldilocks zone of temperature. "I've heard of parents buying their children stars for their birthdays. Do you think that's something we should do hubby?"

"Well it's not like you can actually 'buy' a star right? I think he'd rather have a bicycle." He pushed another meat bun into her lips almost absentmindedly, as if her constantly eating was just the way things should be. "*Gmmmm* *mmmm* *smpf* Iwd *gulp* you're right, and that's kind of a present for us too because we get to teach him how to ride. My parents taught me in the driveway out back, mother practically had to force daddy to let go..." The belly rub felt good, really good, but like her eating it was just so natural and expected she could easily have a conversation while receiving one.

"I think for us it will be the other way around. I'll have to pry you off of him."

"Hey! Well you're probably right, at least I'll be able to kiss him if he happens to get a boo boo." He held back a snort, he never expected to ever hear Yukiko use the term "boo boo" but here she was cooing to her baby. "That's right my precious pumpkin, I'll kiss it all better if you ever get an ouchie. And then I'll make you your favorite treat...and some lemonade."

"I love it when you talk all maternal," he said. He scooped a big handful of belly and smooched her deeply on the cheek. She said nothing and took the adoration in happy silence, why had she ever worried she couldn't satisfy him? If anything, she satisfied him too much! "Well...that's not really true either," she reflected, seeing their usually composed leader completely head over heels and almost giddy towards her expanding body was kind of cute in its own way. He was just so happy to have a fat knocked up wife and honestly who could blame him? She was quite a fan of being a fat knocked up wife! While he could be so intense and manly, his excitement was almost...childlike in a certain sense, much like his modeling his wife was his "project" and he never did a project half heartedly. He'd helped sculpt her into "fertility itself" as he said earlier and she was happy to be his muse, his masterpiece, his lover and the mother of his children all in one woman.

"*Er* child, t-there's only one child," she corrected herself while getting fed again. Her husband had created the perfect environment for continued weight gain, making continued eating so comfortable and natural that even if she wanted to resist, she wasn't sure if she could. To prove her point, she turned on her side and lifted her leg up on her own ready for more lovemaking. Her plush bottom sunk into her hubby's lower stomach and crotch as he wrapped his arm around her stomach, continuing to rub. One hand fondled while the other feeded and he ever gently gave her his length. It was quite the cozy lovemaing session in all honesty, laying back against her husband while being fed delectable morsels. She'd never ate during sex before, but Yukiko was finding it to be quite enjoyable, knowing that each bite was going to make her softer and more of a proper wife, while her current size completely satisfied her hubby.

The second session ended in a loving embrace, Yu nuzzling her neck and rubbing her tummy as she finished off the last of the meat buns; she had just enough fuel to last until the morning most likely and already she could feel milk flooding back into her emptied breasts. So contented she honestly felt like falling asleep in her husband's embrace, but he shook her awake before she could. "Sorry my love, I just don't think it would be safe for the baby to fall asleep here."

"Oh no that's quite alright *mmgh* we should probably be getting back anyway. This was fun but I'd rather our final lovemaking of the evening be in our marriage bed...with something sweet." She turned to give him those pleading eyes, and Yu chuckled while pinching a fat roll. "So spoiled...but if that's what you want."

"*Hmph* you're the one who's spoiled hubby, don't you dare pretend this isn't what you want either." That got a laugh out of him after which he stood up to his full height and offered her a lift up. "Well then I'll make sure your post coital snack is sugary and filled with chocolate, for both our sakes."

"*Ahahaha!* so romantic! Now I need to go find my normal clothes...my swimsuit revealed a lot before..."

On their way out though, they heard what sounded like giggling and the frantic yet excited shushing of a male voice. "We'll get caught if you keep making noise..."

"You worry too much, no one else is going to come this way tonight." Yu and Yukiko realized who they were before they even turned the corner. Yukina was the first to realize they had company and her face turned redder than Yukiko's reception gown. Fuyuhiko turned more of a white color and everyone was frozen.

"W-we..." Yukina began, "we thought you'd have *erm* finished your business here already." That got a blush out of Yukiko, that her parents knew all along about her secret plans, although seeing as they were attempting something similar it was that difficult of an assumption to make.

"We'll *uh* we'll just be...bye!" Yukiko dragged her husband by the hand as fast as she could waddle before the situation could get more awkward.

"Well that's just great, now what are they going to think of us? They'll think we're...we're...! Maybe we should just go back."

"I don't think they have much room to judge," Fuyuhiko said, quickly recovering. They only got about one chance every few years to do this and he wasn't going to lose it because of an awkward encounter! "And they're going to think we did something here either way. If we were to go back now, we wouldn't even get anything out of the experience yet still be labeled 'improper!'"

"Hmm well I suppose you do have a point...and we did let them have their fun so it's only fair we get ours. Alright, I'm in."

"That's the spirit," said Fuyuhiko giving her a sharp slap on the rump. Yukina let out a combination of a yelp and a purr and when she turned around to glare at her husband, her heart wasn't truly in it. He remembered how freaked out she was the first time he'd ever done that, not from pain or surprise but from how much she liked it. Although she'd never ask him to do it, he threw it in every once in awhile for some spice. "You're going to pay for that," his wife said as she began to disrobe him

"Oh I hope I do."