View source for 2025-11-27: 'Shichusaa', Our Baby's Heartbeat

*'''Log: ''' 'Shichusaa', Our Baby's Heartbeat
*'''Cast:''' [[Yua Ooshiro]], [[Miho Ijuuin]]
*'''Where:''' Rengedai Fertility Clinic / Aoba Penthouse
*'''OOC Date:''' 2025-11-27
*'''IC Date:''' Fri, Aug 17 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Miho does what she must to get the time off she needs to take Yua to another of her antenatal appointments... where, for the first time, they're able to hear their baby's heartbeat. Dr. Matsuhashi gives Yua some help with her terrible morning sickness, but when she gets home and realises she ought to put the appointment in her calendar, she pulls out Akechi's card instead. Miho gets an explanation on who he is and why he was worried... though Yua expresses concern over the Ijuuin's nationalism more broadly, as she discusses the impacts of Japanese occupation on Okinawa. Yua offers Miho Akechi's card, but finds herself worrying over whether Miho's viewing Kimitake as a threat instead of help.''

----

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        Miho's had to book some ''more time off'' -- because it's time to go to the Rengedai Clinic for Yua's checkup! Midway through her seventh week, it would be early for a low-risk pregnancy -- but nothing about Yua's life, including this, is particularly low in risk.

        ... it is ''midway'' through the seventh week, though, because it's not always ''easy'' for Miho to get time off of work to come attend to the woman who ought to be her wife. Blackmail helps... but the system always wins, in the end, with a dozen cries of 'we can't do without you until this is done.'

        So is it done. And so --

        Dr. Himari Matsuhashi herself is here in the room today to attend to Yua's checkup; she's heard that they have a ''cover husband'' lined up, now, but she's also sensitive to the fact that the beard really isn't involved in this, so she hasn't asked them if he ought to be here.

        She has veiled Yua for her modesty, of course. And on the screen --

        "At this point, the heart is still in the process of developing," Dr. Matsuhashi explains, kindly, seeing the anxiety on Yua's face as she tries to parse the meaningless noise on the screen. She grasps Miho's hand tightly, but utters no word of complaint. "But we can see the facial features forming, and the organs appear to be developing well... and... there," she says, as she presses a button to focus the machine in on the embryo's heart.

        It sounds as if underwater -- a wub-wub-wub which is traced through a waveform at the bottom of the screen, far faster than Miho or even Yua's hearts. Yua tears up, visibly, as her other hand clasps Miho's too.

        "Mimi!" She cries, more emotional than she even ''usually'' is right now. "Mimi, that's our baby...! Our baby's alive! Mimi!!"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

No, Miho had to work for this particular time off, and work 'out of office' for it at that. There is so ''much'' to be done, and Miho would rather see it all hang, but that's not an option for the moment. Still, she is here now. 

The husband isn't particularly involved in this part, no. Miho has no intention of stepping aside for him when it comes to ''this''. And on the screen... 

Miho pets Yua's hand with her spare. Facial features... 

Ah, there. 

"Ah..." 

Yes, Miho can tell how emotional Yua is. She smiles. "Yes," she says. "He's quite alive." 

"And you and he are both working hard, I can tell."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        Yua wants ''Miho'' here, and surely that's what matters.

        "I-I was suh-so ''worried,''" Yua blubbers, clasping Miho's hand tight. "Like-- like what if I got too stressed and, and -- or what if I pushed myself too hard or -- b-but he's right there, Mimi!!" Despite the tears in her eyes, she's smiling, too. "Oh... he's so little..."

        "About the size of a grape," Dr. Matsuhashi contextualises it, for her. She's used to matching the speed of the parents, so she assures them: "But he'll get bigger fast. Let's talk about how you're exercising when we're back in the office... would you like a recording of his heartbeat to take home?"

        There's a little cleaning up before getting back to Dr. Matsuhashi's office -- luckily, Yua came in to provide samples for the ''tests'' already last week -- and luckily, there's a nice couch where Yua and Miho can sit together. "You're still very early in your pregnancy," Dr. Matsuhashi says, as she swivels away from her computer. "Exercise isn't harmful to your baby... but given your circumstances, I don't want you exerting yourself too strenuously. I'm concerned about the risk of you falling. If you're out of breath, you need to slow down, all right?"

        "I-I haven't been using our gym equipment or anything!" Yua insists, though that's been giving ''Eiko'' earlier hours so that someone will be present to spot for her while she's working out before breakfast. "I've just been dancing a little..."

        "That's fine," Dr. Matsuhashi smiles, to her. "Now... has there been anything else worrying you?"

        "I'm a little worried about the marriage, but that's normal, right...?" Yua wonders. "A-anyway, um, it's been a little harder to feel like I look good with all these things that are happening to me... I've been really tired, and I'm sick all the time..."

        "I have noticed your weight dropping," Dr. Matsuhashi frowns, glancing over at the records on her screen for a moment. "Ketones in the urine... how often are you ill each day, Ooshiro-san?"

        "Um... it's at least after meals a lot of the time, but sometimes when I'm just going about my day, too... so... maybe five times...?"

        "It's likely an early presentation of something we call 'hyperemesis gravidarum'," Dr. Matsuhashi says. "That means that you're sick more often during pregnancy."

        "Oh -- like what A-- like one of my students mentioned yesterday," Yua recognises the word. "Mama said she got sick a lot, too, but she didn't use that word..." and ''Yua'' doesn't use the ''name of her student,'' because of course she promised months ago to keep his involvement quiet.

        "We do think it might run in families," Dr. Matsuhashi says. "For now, I'll prescribe you an anti-emetic and thiamine supplements to manage the symptoms. I'd like you to drink fluids with electrolytes, because getting sick can impact the balance of them in your body. You should increase the protein in your diet... and make sure you're eating bland foods."

        Yua sighs. "Maybe Myucchi can make some suggestions..."

        "Please try to bear it for now," Dr. Matsuhashi says, sympathetically. "We need to make sure you're able to keep your electrolyte levels balanced so that your baby will be born healthy... if we're not able to manage it with pills and diet, you'll need to get a needle and have fluids put into your body directly."

        "I--I don't want that," Yua says, growing a touch ashen.

        "I know," Dr. Matsuhashi says. "We'll be doing our best to keep it from getting that bad. Now... I'm a little concerned about your heart, as well, so please continue to wear your compression socks."

        "My feet prisons!" Yua huffs, beside herself, with a mighty pout. "Moouuuu..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

In theory, what Yua wants here matters the most, followed by what Miho wants--specifically in that order, and perhaps, sometime after that, what Kimitake would like. Maybe. 

But Yua is crying, and Miho pets her hand some more. "He's right there," Miho says with a smile back. "A grape! And yet you can find so many little details," Miho says. "Thank you, Doctor. This means a lot." 

And then, "Yes, please," Miho says, polite about the recording--but she wants it. Of course, Yua assuredly does too... 

Btu there comes the interview. "Hm..." A risk of falls. Miho is thoughtful about how to minimize that risk. "I suppose it's unreasonable to ask you to sit down all the time..." 

Suppose??? 

Dancing a little. Miho smiles, too. But the wedding... 

"I think worrying about that is normal," Miho says. "Even under typical circumstances." 

But ill... Miho had noticed this, of course, but wasn't sure what to do about it. Miho remembers the stories of Yua's mother, as well. 

"And she should experience fewer symptoms?" Miho prompts at that. "I will ensure that we have more protein," she says. "And I suppose they might be able to..." 

She considers. If she were a teenager, she might consider boiled chicken as a way to get protein. But that would be ridiculous. 

"Let's avoid that if at all possible," Miho agrees, and squeezes Yua's hand. 

But--

Feet prisons... Miho gives Yua a sickly-sweet adoring look for a moment because she is SO CUTE. 

"Your feet will be free eventually."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        "He's going to get so big...!!"

        Yua ''does'' assuredly want the recording, but she's too busy watching the screen to actually verbalise that. Luckily, Miho's here!

        And Miho is here, as well, when they sit down.

        "Sitting down all the time isn't good for the baby," Dr. Matsuhashi advises Miho, kindly. "So long as Ooshiro-san takes a seat when she's feeling tired, low-impact exercise will help her to maintain a healthy body and mind. Particularly given how important dancing is to her self-image, it would be far more dangerous to restrict her."

        Dr. Matsuhashi, as it happens, has dealt with ''many'' nervous parents-to-be, and recognises quite easily the signs of an overprotective father... even if that overprotective father is, in this case, an overprotective ''mother.'' Reassuring Miho, then, is an important aspect of maintaining the family's health.

        (Because Miho is, tangentially speaking, ''also her patient.'')

        Boiled chicken and steamed vegetables... wouldn't a teenager grow bored of such a meal...? Any youth who embarked on such a diet must have ferocious strength of will!!

        "That's right," Dr. Matsuhashi says, when Miho prompts her on the medications. "If these ones don't work, we have other options we can try, too... these days, this condition is very treatable." She looks to Yua, again, as she adds: "But I'd like you to speak up if it becomes difficult, all right? This can be one of the more challenging complications a woman can face... so I really need to know if you're having a hard time."

        "Y--yes!" Yua squeaks, though she is at least calmed by Miho's squeeze.

        Yua's cheeks flush, prettily, when she realises Miho is giving her ''that look,'' her petulance wiped away by a lovesick smile of her own. "Mm... you're right! It's just for a while, so I can bear it!!"

        "Elevating your legs when you're at home can help, too," Dr. Matsuhashi advises her. "And massages can help you manage the discomfort. Now... I'd like to see you again soon, so..."

        Once their next appointment is booked, it's time for Miho to shepherd Yua home; conveniently, they've shifted the glass coffee table to make room for a ''footstool'' for Yua to put her feet up, by now, just as their doctor's directed them. (For all Yua's fear of doctors, she is, as most women in Japan are, someone who follows her doctor's instructions without voicing concerns or doubts easily. ... which is also why Dr. Matsuhashi had to spend extra time urging her to ''speak up.'')

        "Mimiiiii," she yowls, to the kitchen, where Miho is of course getting her some water, now ''plus electrolyte powder.'' (Not orange juice. Dr. Matsuhashi took an extra minute to counsel them that the citrus in ''that'' is doing nothing to help her ''heartburn.'') "I'm hungryyyyy..."

        Luckily, there are just, so many bland crackers in the kitchen.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

"Yes," Miho agrees. "I'm looking forward to that." Big!!! But Miho is there, still, when sitting. 

"I see," Miho says. "True, it wouldn't be right to stop her dancing when she can. I wouldn't want to unduly restrict you," she says to Yua. "But do tell me if anything is wrong." 

The doctor can read Miho too... 

Such powerful teenagers would be fearsome. 

But this medication, "I see," she says. "I'm glad to hear that. I have been... concerned," she says. "Don't worry. I'll ensure Yua feels able to speak up." She smiles. 

As to that look... "Indeed," she says. Just for a while. 

However, ''Miho'' is willing to be Trouble, because she's rich and gets to do what she wants, so between the two of them it may be possible to get Yua the care she needs. In the meantime, though... 

Miho adds some of the crackers to her burden, and brings out those and the electrolyte water both. 

Tiger will be curious about the water. 

"Here you are," Miho says. "You did very well today."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        Yua smiles, to Miho, squeezing her hand. "It's okay," she says. "You're worried, too, right...? Don't worry, Mimi! I can tell you anything!!"

        Well... ''almost'' anything...

        But Yua can tell ''Miho'' anything, and Miho will make sure the ''doctor'' knows if anything's wrong, and in this manner perhaps they will know harmony. Miho is rich enough to flaunt expectations, after all!

        "Thanks for coming out with me," Yua smiles, to Miho, as she takes the water and crackers. "I know it's hard, with work... but it's scary when I go on my own."

        For the moment, she puts the crackers on the side-table, as she sniffs at her water. Her nose wrinkles. "It smells weird," she whines, though of course that's been her complaint about ''most'' things over the past couple of weeks. "Right, Tiger? It's weird, isn't it?" She holds the water out for Tiger to sniff, and Miho may need to act quickly to avoid it being a ''Tiger snack.''


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

Miho smiles back. "Of course." 

It is not that Miho ''can't'' tell Yua anything; there are just things they have mutually(?) decided it's better not to burden her with. ...Or maybe Miho made that determination more and more. Don't worry about it. 

Instead... 

"I'm glad to have gone," Miho says. "It's worth the trouble. It's for our child, too. If it's for both of you... how can I do otherwise?" 

She notices the nose-wrinkle, and quickly interposes her hand over the glass's rim and in the way of Tiger's ''nose''. 

"Electrolytes are not for Tiger," Miho points out. 

"Weird or not, it's good for you."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        Yua would be... upset, if she heard what Miho had to do to secure her half-day off. She is still so easily shaken by blood and darkness; she is gentle, adorable, and ''emotional,'' even moreso now she's feeling for ''two.''

        It isn't difficult to leave some things unspoken, with Yua being as she is.

        "You take such good care of us," Yua smiles, to Miho. And part of that care is --

        Tiger says MAAWWWWW, because he wanted to partake of the people food!! "Maaaauuuuuuu," Yua echoes him, because sometimes she just meows like Tiger does, that's a normal thing for Yua to do. (Really, she has all kinds of animal noises she keeps at the ready. Some of them are more convincing than others.) "Okay, okay... you sure?"

        Nose wrinkled, Yua drinks down the water. "It tastes weird, too..." ... and Miho, who has surely drunk enough electrolytes in her days as an athlete, might recognise that there really ''isn't'' that much taste in electrolyte powder. Yua would have to be ''remarkably'' sensitive to insist it's such a notable thing.

        She drinks the whole thing, anyway, because the doctor told her to and Miho wants her to and she ''really'' doesn't want an infusion. Once she's done, she can put the glass aside and pick up the plate of crackers, instead!

        Nibble, nibble...


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

Tiger makes his noise, and Yua makes hers. Miho laughs softly. "No," she tells Tiger. "Not for you. We'll give you yours." It is a normal thing for Yua to do. But it's still very cute. Miho is fond, when she answers, "I'm sure." 

Yes, Yua would have to be very sensitive... but then, it's not unreasonable to think she actually ''is'', considering the diagnosis she just received. "I'm glad you pushed through," she says. "It's important." 

Nibble nibble... 

"Right, not too fast. You want to be easy on yourself." 

Miho pets Tiger, idly. 

"..." 

She smiles. It's one of those moments that just strikes her as important, in some way.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        Mrrooouuuu... Tiger does not understand why he cannot have the fancy water. :(

        "So many things are important now... it's a lot of work! It's going to be tough when school comes back into session... like I'm working two jobs..." Yua sighs, though she smiles, to Miho. "But that doesn't mean I want to quit," she insists. "Some of my students really look forward to dance class, you know...? I can't just leave them... I'm helping them stay in school."

        Nibble, nibble... "It's a lot easier with your help, Mimi," Yua smiles, sitting there and enjoying being beside her ''before'' it gets late at night for once. Tiger is purring, Yua is smiling...

        and then --

        "Oh!" Yua straightens up, a little, as she remembers something which the fog of fatigue kept from her mind. "I had better put that appointment in my calendar!" So she grabs her handbag off of the side-table and pulls it onto her lap, digging through the cards...

        ... only to pull out one which distinctly ''isn't'' from the Rengedai Fertility Clinic. "Oh," Yua blinks, looking it over. "That's right, Akechi-kun's card..."

        She hasn't mentioned him by ''name'' before.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

Tiger will recover. Perhaps he will get additional scritches instead. 

Yes, that seems likely. 

"You will be," Miho says. "Your work with our child is full-time, too." A smile. "But I think you can do both. It's so important to you, after all. ...And you are clearly helping." 

She has gathered that impression, in any case. 

But easier with her help? "I'm glad." 

But? 

"Oh, yes, do that..." A pause. 

"...Goro Akechi?" she wonders, looking over the card. "The young detective?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        ''Tiger will accept this.''

        "Mm!" Yua nods, cheerful in the face of Miho's belief. "And you know, if I can help these youths, I'll learn more about how to help Hiroki, too!"

        Yua is glad for Miho's help. But she grasps the card, and --

        "Oooh, I was doing so ''good!''" Yua puffs out her cheeks, as she leans against Miho, handing her the card. "He gave it to me, yesterday. Actually, he's the young man I've been tutoring early in the morning... but he was very anxious about no one knowing he was learning to dance. I think he's worried about people thinking he has unmasculine hobbies, since he's on TV so much, everyone talks about him... still... I guess he wouldn't expect me to keep it a secret from ''you,'' right?" Yua can justify this, just give her ten minutes and a crowbar. "Just... don't tell anybody, okay? I think it's hard for him to rely on people... even though he's so reliable at his age."

        But why would Akechi give Yua his card now...?


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

"That's true." So she can bring it all back to that, too. Yua is very diligent... 

She works so hard. 

But Miho accepts the card, and looks through it. No one should learn the truth... Hmmm. 

"Consider it secret," Miho says simply. "Perhaps he simply enjoys his privacy. A life in the spotlight... there are few things you can keep for yourself." 

"Maybe this is one of them." 

Under that model, of course, he definitely would've wanted it kept secret from her. But that's not Miho's issue; she'll keep the secret. 

"...Hmmm," Miho reflects. 

"But if he's been keeping it secret, why would he give you his card?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        "That's true," Yua says, thoughtfully. "I only went on television once, and it was still so much pressure... haa, I worry about young people like him, being in the spotlight all the time..."

        Which explains why Yua kept it secret, even from Miho...! But clearly, she knew she had no chance of thinking of a good lie when it came ''up.'' Lying by omission is different to lying directly, you know!!

        Yua sighs, leaning a touch more heavily against Miho's side. "He was worried about me," she says, her gaze growing troubled. "Since, your family... mm... they're a bit... nationalistic..? And since Kimi-san really wants me to wear your ''shiromuku'' and ''iro-uchikake,'' and... and he knows what he wants the wedding to be, so I haven't really, you know, felt like I can tell him how we do our ''eisa'' dance at weddings and stuff... well, Akechi-kun's a very well-informed boy, so he knows about, about the ''history.''" Yua would rather not invoke the comfort women Akechi did, though. It's... a little too close to home.

        "He offered to investigate him... to see if he was hiding anti-Okinawan sentiment, I guess...? Well, I guess he looks into, you know, prospective in-laws a lot... it was sweet of him to worry, but I really don't think it's that bad? I mean -- like -- like onee-san can have very positive feelings on Japan, but she's never made ''me'' feel unwelcome..." Yua sighs, her brow knitting. "I don't know... I feel like I know what he'd say, but it's not really fair to expect everyone to change their minds on everything all at once. So long as they're nice to me... I know you're not looking down on me, and that's what's important, right?"

        Miho is hardly the first bi woman to ever come from a conservative family, after all.


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

"That's fair," Miho says. "But he might not appreciate being worried over. It's important for a young man to be able to prove himself." 

Miho will keep the fact that Yua revealed it a secret, too. It's good to have pieces of information, of course--but not at her darling Yua's expense. 

Miho puts an arm around Yua and listens. Hmm... Nationalistic. 

"That is true," Miho assures Yua, mostly to reassure her because talking about her family in anything but positive terms must be a trial for her. And these are still mostly positive terms. 

"Yes, I don't imagine he'd feel much flexibility towards your traditions, as I would." Akechi knows, though. 

"Hmmm..." 

She considers. "I'm not," Miho assures Yua. "My family is in general quite proud of Japan. And with good reason; we have done much to support this nation in our own ways. We are invested in Japan's success. However..." 

"I am not blind to our nation's excesses, now or in the past. We know full well there is rot within that must be cleansed--and even before I knew it in such detail, I appreciated your customs, as distinct from my own; we adopt many of them here." 

"...But I ''do'' know," she says. "Our 'ideal world'... I do not believe it is one where your own culture must fade." 

"...Of course, my older sister might be somewhat perturbed to hear me speak so..." 

"But I can share these secret feelings with you. And even then, I still competed for Japan. Perfection... is not a thing I expect in the mortal realm." 

A smile. "Except for our child's little heartbeat, of course. I find... I can sense no greater perfection than that."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        "He's very capable," Yua agrees, "so you're right, I'd best not fuss..."

        She might still fuss a ''little,'' though.

        Yua feels safer in Miho's arm; she reaches over, to stroke her opposite arm, idly, quietly appreciating her as she listens to her thoughts. She knows how much Miho loves her family, so it is, indeed, difficult to bring up that some of their beliefs ''aren't'' so positive from where her islands are standing.

        "There's a lot of things wrong," Yua sighs, affirming Miho's view of the ''rot.'' "And that's... why the world they're talking about can't be ours. Right?"

        Yua frowns. "People like that... think it's perfectly ideal to conquer Okinawa."

        When Miho brings up Hiroki's ''heartbeat,'' though, Yua smiles, placing a hand at her belly. "He's perfect," she sighs. "I was so worried... but our baby boy's okay." And it's only reasonable she'd be so worried, when she's been so ''worried.'' Stress is bad for the baby, but Yua has so ''much'' to be stressed about...

        ... which is all the more reason for Miho to take care of things before she even realises they're a problem.

        "''Shichusaa,''" Yua murmurs, and Miho knows that this, too, is a way to say she loves them; the way they'd say it in Okinawa. "But when my mother and grandmother were children, they were punished for saying that, in school... Japan took over, and insisted we speak Japanese. Grandmother even had to wear a ''dialect'' tag around her neck to shame her for speaking it... they put her name in a register because she spoke it too often, and when she went to the post office and asked for her mail in Okinawan, they weren't allowed to help her. They said it was because it was safer to be Japanese, because it was the Americans who were insisting we were different, but... because of that... because of that, my ''aakeejuu,'' my baby, he'll really struggle to..."

        It's not hard for Yua to start crying, these days; even so, it must be a little heartbreaking, watching those tears well up. "K--Kimi-san said -- back in the Edo period -- how the Ryukyus were a vassal state of the domain the Ijuuins were serving in, back then... that was a different kind of takeover to the one that messed us up now, but... but what if that's how your family sees me?" Yua sniffs, looking up to Miho, lip wobbling. "Is -- is that really what Father thinks of us? I-I don't want to just be... I don't want everyone to really be looking down on me!"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

A little is fine. He probably won't even mind! Probably. 

A lot of things wrong... "Yes," Miho agrees. "This 'world without sin'," she says, "It is not mine. It is not ours." 

But people like that... "They do. And more." 

She smiles. "I'm happy to see it," she says, rather than saying whether or not she ''was'' worried. That's not the point! For this, though... 

Miho knows Yua loves her. But when she speaks of them... Yes. 

"Yes," Miho says. "There were many injustices done to your people. There still are." 

She pauses, before going on about that--instead she holds Yua closer, because it is awful to see those tears. And what he said--

"It isn't," Miho declares, simple and cutting, a denial that brooks no uncertainty. 

"Father would not welcome you into the family were that so. He sees you as the woman I love; that, I'm sure of." 

"I would certainly not look kindly on any of my blood espousing such views." She turns up her nose at the very idea. 

She shakes her head, then. "He should be more careful than to worry you so..."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        "It isn't perfect," Yua insists, wrinkling her nose.

        Yua can imagine what the Powers that Be would do with her people... though she scarcely ''wishes'' to.

        And they are happy for their son -- surely he will be a son, Yua prays to the Hinukan every day! -- but there is something weighing on Yua's heart, ever since Akechi worried over her. But ''Miho'' knows them to be injustices, and Yua lays her hand at Miho's chest, hiding her face against her shoulder. 

        But Miho's decisiveness has always been reassuring to Yua; she looks up to the woman who should have been her wife, clearly relieved. "He wouldn't... oh, of course he wouldn't," she says, with a small smile.

        "Kimi-san... I suppose he's just not used to being considerate about this kind of thing, right...? He seems really proud about the long history the Ijuuins have... maybe he's just trying to include me. There's a lot of Japanese people who don't know... mm, even some Okinawans still prefer to be Japanese, you know? Grandmother's always been very proud, but if everyone felt that way, there'd be much more serious independence movements..." Yua might support them, but she's got enough perspective to recognise that it's far from the universal opinion.

        "... I feel so silly for crying so much," Yua admits, fingers curling into Miho's suit. "Not just about this, ''everything'' feels like... so much, the most... and everything is always the most for me, so now every little thing makes me so... so... oh, I even keep crying over the commercials!!" Like that poor little duck...


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

It sure isn't. And Miho can imagine, too. 

But the way that weighs on her... Yes. Miho sees that, too. She is glad to help Yua's feelings, though she does wonder, in the back of her mind, if there is something more to it... 

But surely, that must be petty jealousy. It would of course be ''best'' to make Yua her own wife... 

"Maybe that's so," Miho says. "He does have reason to be proud. Perhaps he thinks it's best to 'include' you in that way. But I will not forget that you value your own ways, too." 

She hugs Yua close. 

"Of course it does. The state you're in... Everything is most important. Even more than usual." 

That duck... 

"So long as you cry, I'll be here to dry your tears. So don't worry." 

"I love you."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        Yua would be happier if she were Miho's wife, too. She's been... more insistent than usual, since the announcement, that she only wants to be with ''Miho,'' and it's not impossible to intuit that she's having some kind of struggle about it.

        Though... she hasn't said what that struggle ''is.''

        Then again, pretending to be ''his'' wife...

        Yua sighs, sinking into Miho, with a little scrrrape of that footstool as her feet adjust to her sideways position too. "You've always been interested in how we do it, too... that's why I felt so safe joining you, Mimi. Since I'm becoming an Ijuuin, but you'd never ask me to stop being Okinawan to do that..."

        It's so much. Everything is so much! But Miho assures her that she's there, and Yua gazes up to her, reaching up to cup her cheek with a hand. "Oh, Mimi," she sighs, and once again she is struck by the enormity of her ''love.'' "''Shichusaa!''" She chirps, this time far less tremulous.

        "... why don't you keep Akechi-kun's card?" She suggests, her eye tracing the details of Miho's face. "That way... if something comes up... you know? This kind of thing, I don't think it's the kind of big mystery that needs someone prying in... but maybe it'll make you feel better, too, you know?"


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
<poem>

Miho is sure she's seen some of those struggles, but there are things she can't know if she's not told. 

...But that one, that one is pretty clear. 

"I'm glad," Miho says of her safety feeling. "I would not." Maybe that's something she can get away with because she's not the heir; it's not as if the pressures that exist never ''occur'' to her. All the same, she will fight for that one. 

And Yua's hand finds Miho leaning into it, and her own love is very large, too. 

But the card? 

"Hmmm..." 

"I'll do that," Miho says, and the details of her face shift into a thoughtful mask. "Just in case. ...I don't see a need to inquire right now, but perhaps, if that changes..." 

"Yes. I would like the option."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
<poem>

        It's all contextual. Yua can come from such an established family in Okinawa and still fall in love with a mainlander; Miho can take Yua into her family without viewing hers as lesser for it. Yua doesn't struggle to look directly at the Ijuuin's nationalism because it would be ''rude'' -- rather, it's because the family's political opinions don't really align with her experiences as Miho's precious partner.

        And first amongst those experiences is Miho's appreciation for all that she is.

        Yua smooths her fingers across Miho's cheek, as her face shifts to thoughtfulness. "Then you'll have it," she assures her, gently. "But it's okay, Mimi... it's nice that Akechi-kun was worried about me, but I'm not in any danger. I'm okay," she repeats, again, in that same gentle tone.

        She can see Miho shifting towards regarding a Threat... and she doesn't want that, for her.

        He's her ''family.''
</poem>