When Mizuki woke up on Thursday morning, Sora told her hesitantly, "Takumi called yesterday afternoon. I forgot to ask last night, but he wanted to know if we would like to go out with him and Eri on New Year's Day?"

Mizuki objected uncertainly, "But then you'll have to drive back and forth?"

He grinned and assured her, "I wouldn't mind doing that, but Takumi offered to bring Eri here."

"Oh," Mizuki replied with a surprised expression. "It sounds fun!"

--

For the New Year, over Minori's mutters about how the year had turned at a different time in her grandparent's day, they dressed up. Visiting the temple with Eri and Takumi was enough of a special occasion, and Mizuki gazed at Sora in his yukata admiringly.

She informed him smugly, "You look absolutely gorgeous Sora."

He grinned down at her, and asked, "Why are you so smug?"

She squeezed his hand and replied even more smugly, "You're mine."

Sora laughed and then assured her, "You are also very cute like this and I'm glad to be yours."

Her hand tightened on his before she took a breath and banished the echoes of contradictory words that she knew Sora would never tell her. She hated that their echoes still popped up on such a joyful day, but knew that as long as she didn't dwell on it, the memories would fade with time.

After Eri and Takumi arrived, Mizuki barely glanced at them before telling Sora, with a touch of jealousy, "I'd rather be beautiful than cute. Even so pregnant, Eri-chan looks both beautiful and comfortable dressed this way."

Sora shrugged, and gave his friends a much longer and more appreciative survey than Mizuki had. Then he grinned, and informed her, "Eri-chan is also cute, but if you're talking beauty, I think Takumi wins?"

Mizuki couldn't help laughing, despite the way Takumi glared at Sora. She pointed out, "If I had said that, you'd be mad." She snuck another look toward Eri and Takumi. "But he does really look beautiful, like a painting or something dressed like this."

Sora gave her a wry grin and agreed, "Yeah, when we were younger people would mistake him for a girl, which he hated, but the last couple years of high school, girls were all over him."

Mizuki gave Sora a long look, while Eri reached out a comforting hand to her husband, who immediately smiled warmly at her. The two of them headed back down the stairs toward their car.

Sora returned Mizuki's gaze for a moment before asking, "What?"

"Nothing," she replied.

"Another I-don't-know nothing?" he asked warily.

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She grinned up at him as she explained, "Probably an I-don't-want-to-know nothing."

He objected softly, "Mizuki."

Mizuki reached up and placed her hand against his chest. "I mean it Sora, I don't need to know. You're mine now." She pressed her face against him and he hugged her for a moment before she pushed back and told him, "But that doesn't mean you can't tell me whatever you want to, just that I don't need to know?"

He grinned suddenly, and assured her gently, "I understand. Don't worry."

"Okay," she replied with relief.

Sora took her hand and they caught up with Takumi and Eri.

--

Eri and Mizuki coaxed Takumi and Sora into taking more pictures on the temple grounds when it started snowing heavily, before they agreed to retreat into a restaurant.

As they left, Mizuki complained reluctantly, "I'd rather eat steamed buns outside in the snow. It hardly ever snows this prettily, with hardly any wind and such huge flakes."

Eri patted her belly and said laughingly, "I'd agree with you Mizuki-chan, except I don't want to get chilled."

"Oh, right," Mizuki responded a little nervously, eyeing Eri's belly. "Being pregnant is pretty inconvenient in some ways I guess."

Eri laughed and asked a little bitterly, "Is there any way that it is convenient?"

Sora looked at Mizuki and raised an eyebrow. She blushed and stared at the table while replying shyly, "You don't have to use condoms, you can wear stretchy old clothes anywhere," she glanced up and added, "and Aka-nee-chan says that people are more polite?"

Eri blinked at her and then laughed a little, "I guess that's all true, but I don't think it's worth all the discomfort." Takumi reached out and squeezed his wife's hand affectionately.

"Sorry," Mizuki apologized quickly.

"It's okay," Eri assured Mizuki, but she gazed into her husband's eyes while saying it, and he leaned over and kissed her affectionately.

Mizuki looked away in embarrassment, and saw Sora smirking at her. She blushed again.

They talked, laughed, and traded little stories of other years across the table. Several assortments of small traditional dishes were consumed, and several tea pots were emptied before they gave up their table again.

A bit before midnight the bells began to ring, and everywhere with a good view of the temple filled. The four of them soaked up the sound of the hundred and eight tolls of the bells that were supposed to ring out the year's troublesome desires as midnight rolled past.

Mizuki put more of her heart into the ritual than she had in preceding years. Her desires and fears had given her a rather chaotic year, if you looked at it that way. Not that she intended to avoid having desires, she admitted with a glance at Sora, but letting the old year roll away and starting this one fresh sounded very comforting this year.

--

When it was time to say goodbye, Mizuki told the other couple cheerfully, "This is the first time I haven't spent all of New Year's Day with my family I think. It was pretty fun! Thank you both for driving so far to come out with us."

"No problem Mizuki-chan," Takumi replied promptly.

"I had fun too," Eri agreed.

Sora and Takumi grinned at each other and said their farewells casually, while Eri and Mizuki struggled through them politely.

After Takumi and Eri left, Mizuki puffed clouds into the cold air and Sora asked with amusement, "What are you doing Mizuki? Pretending to be a dragon?"

"Trying to make a ring," she explained. After a moment she admitted, "But when I was little I did pretend to be a dragon."

Sora laughed and informed her, "You are still little."

Mizuki glared up at him and replied with mock anger, "Be glad I'm not a dragon, I'd bite you for that kind of comment."

He bent down and kissed her, then whispered into her ear, "You can bite me if you want to."

Mizuki rolled her eyes at him and he laughed.