Mur...(Blushes) I had meant to write something for Easter BEFORE Easter, but I just got caught up in other things and before I knew it, I was receiving Easter tulips from a friend of mine and I realized (stupid, stupid, stupid!!) that Easter was here! I began writing that very night, but I ended up not posting that night because I wasn't sure how to end it. And so it got put off—again. Well I was checking through my files on April 1st for something suitable for a group that I joined a year back or so that requires you to have a story for every month, and I found this. Ugh. So forgive me for being so late. But hey, a few people asked for more Kaori and they got more Kaori, so be happy for that.
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You know, Spring has got to be my all time favorite season. The weather's nice, with plenty of summer's sun and just a hint of winter's cool to keep things from being too warm. And everything is in full, brilliant bloom so the scenery is incredible wherever you happen to go. Even the occasional rainy day isn't enough to knock the good mood of Spring. Rain just means puddles and lord knows Kaori at least loves those.
"Momma? I think I squished one."
And of course, Spring means Easter egg hunts.
"You squashed one?" Riku asks our five year old incredulously, swinging Ryo up higher on his hip as he walks over, "How did you manage that, K—they're rocks, not eggs!"
"I dunno," Kaori says with an adorable shrug as he thrusts his little hand out to show Riku the gooey remains of what appears to be an actual hard-boiled egg, "See? Squished."
"Oh, yucky," Riku exclaims dramatically, taking Kaori's arm just over his egg-splattered hand and leading him over to where I am sitting on the porch swing—right next to the spicket. Ryo is passed to me—he giggles through the entire suspension until I seat him on my lap—and Riku twists on the water to wash the egg off Kaori's palm. Once done, Riku pats both their hands dry on his jeans and winks at the grinning child before swooping down and giving him a loud kiss on one chubby cheek.
"Mmm-wah! Oh I love you!" he announces playfully, prompting a wave of giggles from K as he stands on his tippitoes with lips puckered to return the sentiments. Riku leans back over obligingly and Kaori plants a big, wet kiss on his cheek that shines bright with drool.
"Mmmmmm-wah! I wuv you, momma!" Kaori replies laughing before scampering around Riku to run and jump next to me and, wrapping his arms around my neck, squeal the same thing to me, replacing momma with daddy, but giving just as drolly of a kiss. I press a quick kiss to his cheek and he slips back off the swing and resumes rooting around the yard for more brightly painted, yup, you got it, rocks.
After several years of crushed eggs in Kaori's overeager little hands, Riku finally got the idea to paint some of the large gravel rocks lining the stepping stones towards our pond and substitute them for the usual boiled eggs. Aside from when, last year, Ryo thought that one of the bright yellow ones was one of his yellow cream puff candies and jammed it into his mouth, they've been a success. It's not as if Kaori even likes boiled eggs, so he doesn't complain. It's the hunt that's fun for him.
"Remember, don't go into the neighbors' yard, K!" Riku calls over his shoulder as he comes to sit beside me. Ryo bursts into calls of "muma," upon setting his sights on his mother—his lack of practiced speech is evident in comparison to his year and a half older brother—to which Riku blows him a kiss as he pulls his feet up to sit Indian style on the swing.
"I think that must have been one of the eggs that Mrs. Agnese set out for her grandkids. They're a little bit older than Kaori, I think."
"What were they doing over here?" I ask him conversationally, "Or rather, what was Kaori doing over there?"
Riku shakes his head and shrugs.
"I have no idea. I didn't see him go over there, though. I think maybe she just put that one a little too close to the yard line. K probably saw it toeing the line of bushes and thought that it was one of ours."
"Hm," I hum back dully. Beside me, Riku quirks a brow and holds his arms out to take Ryo from me. In response, I cross mine over Ryo's back and lean away from Riku to tell him silently that I'm not yet ready to give up the boy. Ri shrugs and instead put his own arms around us both and lays his head on my shoulder to watch Kaori crawling under a lawn chair to retrieve a blue "egg." On my lap, Ryo blows spit bubbles in my ear and I make an affronted face as I wipe them and Kaori's kiss from the side of my face.
"Ugh. Drool," I grouse as Riku chuckles.
"Yes," Riku mock sighs, "Drooling is one of those things kids never seem to grow out of, no matter how old they get." He shrugs as if to say 'what can you do?' and then looks over towards me and smirks.
"I mean," he says grinning, "look at you; you're in your twenties and you still wake in a drool spot. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it, Sora?"
I stare wide-mouthed at him, unsure whether to take true offense to that statement, ignore it completely, or tickle him half to death until he apologizes. He just smiles snarkily.
Then I think of how to respond and I smirk right back at him.
"No," I say, shaking my head and leaning over to give his cheek a long sloppy lick, "it doesn't."
Riku looks revolted but I ignore it, standing up with Ryo to go join Kaori in the yard.
Ah, they may be few and far between, but the times I can get Riku back are beyond wonderful. His revenge, unfortunately, is equally un-wonderful. I really hope I can hide that girly leg wax of his well enough this time.
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Again, please forgive me for being so late—not to mention not at least writing something spectacular if I was going to be late. I really don't want to wait for next year though.