Chapter 11

Natsuki sat in Yuri's lap on the couch, nuzzled close with her arms around her neck.

Natsuki giggled at something Yuri said, hugging closer to her wife.

Nimani walked into the room and tilted her head.

"Why are you sitting on her lap?" Nimani asked.

"Because she's comfy." Natsuki chuckled, kissing Yuri's jaw from below.

Yuri blushed softly and giggled, rubbing Natsuki's back.

"But why?" Nimani asked again.

"Because I love her. And if she wants to sit in my lap, she can." Yuri said softly with a smile.

"What's that?" Nimani wondered.

"What's what, sweetie?" Natsuki asked, motioning her over.

Nimani sat on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest.

"What's that word you said?" Nimani asked.

"What word, baby?" Yuri asked.

"That um... You said you 'lub' her." Nimani scrunched her face in thought.

"Oh, you mean 'love'." Natsuki chuckled.

Nimani nodded rapidly.

"That's it! What's that? What is love?" Nimani asked, fascinated.

"Well..." Yuri began.

"Baby don't hu-" Yuri slapped the side of Natsuki's head, making her yelp.

"Kidding, kidding!" Natsuki groaned, rubbing the side of her head.

Nimani rocked back and forth, looking at them as she rested her head against her knees.

Yuri sighed bitterly at her wife, glaring at her.

"Well, Nimani... Love is... Hard to describe. It can be a lot of things." Yuri said slowly, looking towards the girl.

Just then Sayori burst into the house with Summer on her back.

"Hey, guys." Monika chuckled as she and her children came in afterward.

"Hi..." Nimani looked down.

"Is this Nimani?" Jessica asked as she walked closer.

Nimani looked up and blushed, nodding slightly.

"Hi, Nimani. I'm Jessica." Jessica kneeled down and smiled at the girl.

"Hi..." Nimani smiled softly.

"Sayori, Monika... Perhaps you can help us explain something to Nimani." Yuri said.

"Sure! What is it?" Sayori slid Summer off of her back as the girl grinned and stood between Marcus and Jessica.

"What is... Um... That word it's... Hrm... Love!" Nimani smiled.

"You don't know? What about your par-" Jessica said.

Summer roughly nudged her, silencing the poor girl.

"Well, Nimani... It's hard to explain." Summer smiled warmly at her.

"Thats what she said, too." Nimani pointed to Yuri.

"Well, that's cuz it is. It can be lots of things!" Marcus chimed in quietly.

"I don't get it..." Nimani scrunched her face up as she shook her head.

"Well... For us," Monika began, gesturing between herself and Sayori.

"It means that we always have someone to talk to. A hand to hold." Monika grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Or it can mean that person makes you really happy. They make your head spin and your heart beat really fast, like 'doki doki doki'." Jessica said next.

"You dork." Summer snickered, blushing softly.

"Or... Um... I-It means you really admire a person. You think they're great and you wanna know a lot about them." Marcus blushed, looking at the ground.

"Or, Nimani..." Yuri called her attention.

The girl looked at them curiously.

"It means you feel sad when they aren't around you. You want to make them laugh and smile. You want to hug them and talk to them and all kinds of things." Natsuki said and kissed Yuri's cheek.

"Exactly." Yuri finished, giggling as she hugged her wife close on her lap.

Nimani nodded and looked at the ground silently.

"I think I get it a little bit... I think..." she turned back to the couple on the couch and blushed.

"I love you..." Nimani said softly.

Yuri and Natsuki felt their hearts flutter in sync, grinning at the little girl.

"We love you too, Nimani." Yuri said sweetly.

"Come 'ere." Natsuki patted her lap.

Nimani eagerly scurried onto Natsuki's thighs, nuzzling against the two.

She let out a sigh of relief as she felt two pairs of arms encircle her.

"You know what? Since everyone's here, let's have a big family dinner." Natsuki declared.

"What's that, Yuri?" Nimani asked.

"It's where everyone you love gets together, sits down, and we have a meal together." Yuri explained, combing a hand through her pink hair.

"I like that." Nimani whispered.

"Me too." Yuri kissed the top of her head.

"Kids, table." Monika snapped.

Jessica pulled Summer along into the dining room, Marcus limping behind them on his crutch.

Nimani hesitantly followed and sat as well.

"Race ya to the kitchen." Sayori smirked.

"You're on." Natsuki giggled and sprinted to the room with Sayori on her tail.

"You know she isn't your kid..." Monika sat beside Yuri.

"I know..." Yuri nodded.

"And soon she'll leave to go to another home." Monika said sadly.

"I know..." Yuri whispered.

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself caring for this kid... Especially Ski..." Monika nodded towards the two women laughing in the other room.

"I know... She loves that girl so, so much..." Yuri bit her lip, keeping a tear at bay.

"I know she does... But you need to remind her... Nimani is not your child... She's only staying here until she finds a home..." Monika rubbed her back soothingly.

Yuri turned and hugged her cousin close, crying against her shoulder.

"Shh, shh... It's okay... It's okay..." Monika cooed.

Natsuki glanced over, her smile instantly vanishing.

"Be right back.. You go ahead and start the sides..." Natsuki said absently to Sayori, who nodded and turned to do just that.

"Yuri? What's wrong, gorgeous?" Natsuki asked quietly, concern laced into her words.

Monika gave her a sad smile and stood, Yuri clinging to her as she didn't want to lose the warmth.

Natsuki took her place, pulling the taller woman into her lap as Yuri cried into her hair.

"Hey, hey... What's wrong, hun?" Natsuki wondered.

"Nimani..." Yuri said breathlessly, her voice almost inaudible.

"I know..." Natsuki hugged her tightly.

"She... She isn't ours, cake pop... She... She'll have to... She'll leave us soon..." Yuri continued sobbing.

"I know, baby..." Natsuki rested her head on Yuri's shoulder.

"But... But I..." Yuri coughed.

"Me too, sweetheart... But like you said... She just doesn't belong to us... We get no say in what happens to her." Natsuki sighed.

"What if they hate her? What if they're worse than her birth parents? What if they don't stop at neglect? What if... What if they-" Natsuki cut her off with a long kiss.

"Don't think about that right now. We have a room full of family and as of right now that includes her. Now stop crying. She wouldn't want to see you sad, okay?" Natsuki wiped her tears off using her thumbs.

Yuri nodded and let out a shaky breath.

"Yeah..." Yuri wiped her face dry, "Let's go."

They stood together and walked towards the table, their hands intertwined.

"What's wrong, Yuri?" Nimani gasped.

"Nothing, sweetie. I was just a little sad but I'm okay now." Yuri smiled softly at the girl.

"Mmkay!" Nimani grinned back and went back to talking to Summer.

Yuri and Natsuki sat down as Monika and Sayori came into the room with steaming food.

Natsuki couldn't help but grin as she gazed around her.

To her left, Monika kissed Sayori's cheek and made the woman giggle and blush.

Across the table Summer sat smiling on the far left beside Nimani, who was playing rock paper scissors with Jessica.

Marcus was beside his sister, blushing softly as he cheered her on despite the fact she was losing every round.

Her eyes wandered to the beautiful woman to her right, her loving wife.

Yuri flashed her a smile, squeezing her hand beneath the table.

Natsuki rested her head on Yuri's shoulder as everyone began eating.

I wish things could stay this way forever....

~~~

(I can be deep and poetic when I want to be XD)