When Riku and Akari woke us up early in the morning, Kurenai and I groaned as we rolled out of bed and started to feed the two little girls.
Akari would be the one to start crying, and moments later Riku would join her; so far, in our very limited experience with the babies, Riku never cried on her own, instead crying whenever Akari did.
Rocking Riku back and forth in my arms, I smiled gently at the small baby and poked her nose, making her giggle as she reached for my finger.
My daughter was quiet most of the time, taking her waking moments to investigate the world and interact with it, whereas Akari focused mostly on the people around her, the purple haired, red eyed girl beaming when she was surrounded by all kinds of people.
Humming softly with Riku in my arms, I made sure to feed her as much as she wanted before cleaning her off, walking into the bathroom and ignoring the sight of Anko pleasuring herself quietly.
Glaring slightly at my wife, I sighed as I muttered "If Mikoto can watch over them for a few minutes then I can help you, so... wait until then."
Anko nodded, her features softening as she glanced down at Riku, who was taking in the sink and counter, her head swiveling around cutely as she laid on her back.
Changing her, I scooped her back up and left Anko alone, nodding to Kurenai as she finally calmed Akari down enough to move her around.
Whilst she went to clean her little one, I made my way out into the kitchen, where an excited Karin and cooking Mikoto awaited.
Before the red eyed Uzumaki girl could squeal when she saw Riku, I flashed forwards and pressed my finger against her lips, keeping her quiet as I whispered "Inside voices, Karin. They're still easily scared..."
Nodding, Karin took a deep breath before gushing over Riku, gingerly stroking the girls cheek.
Riku tilted her head and stared at this new person for a few moments before turning away, instead finding the stove and boiling pot more interesting.
Following her gaze, I sniffed the air and nodded to myself at the scent of miso soup, while a few slabs of filleted fish were being grilled beside it.
"You need protein, and lots of it, so the miso is being boiled with some pig bones, and I added some small chunks of pork. Though, your vegetables are still important, so I made a spinach and lettuce salad as well as some steamed broccoli."
Nodding at the experienced mother, I moved over to the stove and took another deep breath of the miso soup, my stomach grumbling slightly at the rich scent that wafted out of the pot.
As for Riku, she was enamored by the pots and pans, and she reached her small, chubby hands out towards the stove, prompting me to take a step away, just in case.
Patting her back, I asked "When will it be ready?"
Humming softly, Mikoto shrugged as she said "Whenever everyone else is ready. The fish was the last part, and its just simmering now in the sauce, soaking up flavor."
Nodding, I thanked Mikoto before moving towards the small room next to the kitchen, Karin following me in.
We had no use for the room, but when I had decided to get pregnant, and we had sufficient funds, I had the Nara's come over and convert the room into a padded, child friendly, Nara certified 'chill out room' as they called it.
The entire room was covered in a mixture of blankets, pillows, and other soft padding, and it all felt incredibly comfortable to lay on.
Scattered around were basic toys for the moment, since we had no idea what Akari and Riku might enjoy playing with.
Building blocks, rattles, dolls, stuffed animals, and more were stored neatly in accessible containers, and small pillows and cushions were stacked by the wall, for actual seating for us adults.
Placing Riku on the ground, I pulled out all the toys and placed them before her, the girls amber eyes curiously following me around before turning towards the objects.
Crawling around, she investigated each toy, picking them up and poking them, trying to figure out what they were.
After a few minutes of investigation and thorough observations, Riku moved the other toys away and grabbed the blocks, her small hands grasping the soft wood as she maneuvered them around.
Karin had helped her sort through the toy, and she started stacking a few of the blocks, which made Riku's eyes widen so much I grew worried for a moment.
Turning towards her own blocks, Riku began to stack hers as well, a smile growing on her face as she giggled.
Though, what made her giggle more was when she crawled over to Karin's tower and grabbed the middle block, causing the rest to fall down.
Raising a brow at how she seemed to enjoy the destruction more than the building, I sighed as I smiled wryly, knowing that she really was Anko's child.
Seems like she'll look like me and be a rather curious, disastrous girl...
Continuing to watch Riku play, we were eventually stopped when Kurenai came over, her brow also raised as she watched Riku giggle hysterically as she once again knocked over Karin's tower, making the girl pout aggrievedly.
"Let's eat, then come back and play some more?"
Nodding, I moved forwards and gently lifted Riku, the girl staring at me curiously as I lifted her up, before she turned and looked at the room.
Reaching out, she made a few noises as she tried to grab her blocks, before pouting cutely as I began to walk away.
Whispering to her soothingly, I kissed her brow before reaching the table, where the rest of the family was gathered, waiting.