It was late when he got home.

As usual when he came home late, he did not anticipate anyone to be up- no little voices, no thundering footsteps, and certainly no sweet smiles. And more than that... There would be no gentle laughter, no shy smile, and no soft hands to touch his own. In truth, nights like these were the worst of them all, the ones where he came home to a dark and sleeping house.

Seiji had become quite accustomed to the life he'd lived these last few years with the twins. Once upon a time, he'd thought he'd go mad with trying to care for them... But then, that sweet but shy smile had fallen upon him and something inside of him knew she was special. The day he had met Shiharu had been a day that changed his life for the better. Of course, he'd known she was a teenager, a young girl still yet in school, but he'd brought her on as a babysitter all the same, eventually going as far as giving her a key to their home. He'd caught himself sneaking glances at her, hoping to see her already looking at him. Their age difference had prevented him from delving too far, but unfortunately for him, it didn't seem that it could really be helped.

Not that it mattered much, now.

Three years had passed since then and Seiji found himself coming home to her on a daily basis. It had been only but a month before that he'd invited her to live there, with him... With the twins. Upon her eighteenth birthday, her days at the institution were over, and she had no where else to go. This was a day he'd been waiting for, in truth, a day when he could offer her his home and tell her to call it hers as well. She'd not had a real home since she was but five years old and she deserved it more than anyone else in the world. Besides, the twins adored her and having her there with them all the time was only that much better. There wasn't anything else he loved more than those three, his precious little family that had come so suddenly into his life.

Dropping his belongings onto the table, Seiji smiled as his eyes fell upon the plate of left overs left at his usual place. That was so like her, to leave him his dinner no matter how late it was that he'd come home. Deciding he'd much rather go straight to be then eat, he placed the left overs into the fridge and made his way down the hall, shedding his suit jacket as he went.

Opening the door to the master bedroom, he flipped the light on and it was revealed to him the lovliest sight possible. There, asleep in his bed wasn't just Shiharu as it usually was, but nestled on her either side was the twins. Seiji felt his heart skip a beat as it so often did when he was met with a sight such as this and he silently tred closer to the bed, dropping his suit jacket over his dresser top as he went. Stripping from the rest of his clothing, he changed into pajama bottoms and then, carefully as he could, slipped into bed with the three. Neither of the twins stirred as he slid into place, being the heavy sleepers that they were, but Shiharu murmured softly as he shifted Aoi to a more comfortable place between them. "Sorry to wake you..." He whispered as she turned her head towards him, her sleepy-eyed gaze bright in the hazy lamplight.

"You're late," she whispered back, one arm over her head as she stretched, a yawn keeping her from speaking on for a few more seconds. "You said you'd be home by ten." She went on, her gaze piercing, and Seiji offered her an apologetic smile. "You're working too hard."

"So are you," he shot back with a grin as she blushed beneath his words. She had been working incredibly hard this last month since school had ended, her entire focus on the daycare center she was building from the ground up. Taking the twins with her every day, she over saw everything, from hiring two addtional teachers and planning every moment of every day that the children would experience. This had been her dream since childhood and Seiji felt honored to be able to stand beside her as she finally accomplished that dream. "You were up just as late last night." She blushed again and turned away, resting her hand atop Akane's head as the little girl snuggled just a bit closer to her side. "What's with them, anyways?" It wasn't often that the five-year-olds slept in bed with them, citing that they were much too big for such things anymore.

"They insisted on watching a scary tv show, it gave them nightmares. They were in here by ten thirty." Shiharu's soft laugh brought a smile to his face and at once Seiji was imagining her calming their tears and fears with but a simple touch. She had that ability, to calm even the loudest of tantrums, even the darkest of fears. Unable to help himself, he reached out to touch her cheek, drawing her gaze back to his. "Seiji...?" Hearing her voice speak his name sent chills down his spine and he fought to keep his face from betraying the emotions rushing through him.

Just how had he become so lucky?

"Get some sleep, love," he finally whispered, his fingers tracing the curve of her cheek one last time before he reached over to turn off the lamp. Plunging the room back into darkness, he felt the movements of Aoi between them, heard Akane's soft breathing, and he knew without a doubt... There was no place he'd rather be.