A/N: I wanted to do a little something for Hiyori's mother and father, since when you think about it, Hiyori's unconscious spells are quite worrying. They are often played for laughs, but I can only imagine how terrifying they would actually be for her family to watch.

Enjoy!

…

Takamasa could tell his daughter was drifting off without looking at her. It appeared to be natural this time, at least. Perhaps the movie was boring her enough to cause her to fall asleep despite all the times she'd been passing out lately. He smiled at that, but it was small and without humor. Hiyori's friends had brought her unconscious form home again today, and Sayuri had succumbed to a small outburst.

"She was practically in the middle of the street this time, dear! If her friends hadn't been there, who knows what might have happened? What if she gets kidnapped or hit by another car, or worse?!"

It wasn't the first time his wife had brought up such issues, but he was powerless to offer anything but false comfort when his concerns mirrored her own. The memory of Hiyori's unresponsive body brought in to the hospital with shallow breathing and a slowed pulse still made his chest tighten with fear. Sayuri had asked the gods to let their daughter wake up, then, and he knew she still wished for Hiyori's recovery every time they walked past a shrine. Sayuri had never been one to dabble so actively in the spiritual, but now the clinking of coins in her purse was a familiar sound.

Takamasa was brought out of his musings by Hiyori's head finally drooping onto his shoulder. A soft snore announced her sleeping state, and there was a goofy, contented smile on her face. Her expression made him soften and he rubbed her shoulder affectionately, careful not to jostle her too much.

"Bedtime, eh, kiddo?"

At that, Sayuri looked up from her work in the kitchen. "She's asleep? I was going to make dinner soon..."

Bringing in a tray of tea and three cups, the woman set it on the small coffee table in front of the sofa with a dull clack, and began to pour it into two of the cups.

Takamasa watched the way her lips tightened into a thin line, though she otherwise remained composed. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"I thought we could... spend some time as a family tonight. I've been so worried about her."

"Sayuri..."

"I just don't get it... Every time we examine her, she seems fine. We're doctors and her parents, and yet..."

Why can't we do anything to help her?

The unspoken question hung heavy in the air between them. Sayuri's hands shook slightly as she brought her tea to her lips, and Takamasa reached over to gently touch her arm with his free one. She looked at him helplessly and all false comfort died on his lips. She knew he was as much at a loss as she was, and he couldn't even bring himself to tell her Hiyori would be fine, tonight. Instead he merely patted her arm, leaving his hand there until she took a deep breath and nodded at him.

Satisfied that she had calmed down a bit, Takamasa turned instead to Hiyori and hefted her slumbering form into his arms. The girl snuggled closer and mumbled something about a nice smell. He smiled, thinking she must be smelling the tea, and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. Setting her down in the center of her bed, the man stood and lifted his arms above his head to pop his back.

"You're getting too big for me to carry you around anymore, kiddo..."

The only response he received was an unladylike snore that Sayuri probably would have frowned at but it just made him chuckle as he pulled the covers over her. Almost on autopilot, he made sure they were snugly tucked around her, the way she liked to be tucked in as a small child.

As he smoothed the bedding down, though, his smile fell away and he looked at her pensively.

'I'm sorry, Hiyori... I'm sorry I can't help give you back your normal life or help you feel safer.'

Brushing back some hair that had strayed into her face, Takamasa patted his daughter's head gently, before turning off the light and closing the door with a soft click.

…

A/N: Well it ended up having less Sayuri than I thought it would, but that's okay. We see almost nothing of Takamasa in the series, so really he deserves some time.

Thank you for reading!