A/N: Hi there! Senna here! I don't normally write fanfiction anymore unless I'm truly inspired. Gosh, I've written some but never really posted any on the internet. To tell you all the truth, I was never really a fan of School Rumble until a few weeks ago. Saw the anime few years back and thought the series was okay and went on with my life. Recently checked out the English dub which I adore a lot and I was hooked again. (Brandon Potter is awesome as Harima.) When I realized San Gakki had never been fully animated, I quickly read what was left over in the manga and came to love SR for the first time, shipping EriXHarima way too much as well.
Read the ending and wasn't satisfied. Still, I went on to read SRZ, hoping it would late fill in on some stuff. Read SRZ and was fully... eh... left with an endless void of questions in my head. However, I do believe several SRZ chapters were indeed canon and take Chapter 10 as fully canon, meaning I do believe Harima does eventually get over Tenma. I do believe Harima and Eri finally get together and have a baby in some far future. I don't believe that was part of Max's imagination. So this little future one-shot came into my head. Enough of me talking, please enjoy.
Warning: I guess there's a lot of fluff. You still have a chance to turn back.
I don't own School Rumble and never will. Send all fanmail and complaints to Jin Kobayashi.
With two heavy grocery bags on each hand, Eri Sawachika closed the door behind her with her back and exhaled. She then set the bags down and took off her coat, enjoying the warmth of the apartment for a moment. Although she wore a red turtleneck and a pair of dark blue pants with another pair underneath, it still wasn't enough for the cold outside. However, the cold certainly didn't stop her very happy mood. She went towards the kitchen to put the groceries away.
The apartment Eri lived in was simple. Her living space consisted of a living room, small kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. She thought it was small, since she used to live in a mansion and was accustomed to big spaces; but it was a big enough according to her husband. However, she came to grow content with her home and life (although she still did plan to move sometime later).
It was December and the holidays were coming up. Sure the holidays meant she was on vacation, but that wasn't the only reason she was in such a happy mood. Once she was finished putting her groceries away, she decided to go to her bedroom and greet her husband. She went to her bedroom to find her husband, Kenji Harima, sitting on his desk inking one of his manga pages. How odd. None of his assistants were with him. She found it strange he was alone and still working. The two assistants that worked with him weren't in the apartment either. He probably sent them home for the holidays, she thought. The man was way too kind-hearted, especially if the matter dealt with him.
Satisfied by the fact they were alone, she decided sneak up on her husband and catch him in surprise. She quietly walked to his back and saw the the page he was working on was entirely inked. He was only working the smaller details and didn't notice she was behind him. Looking at him closely, he wore his usual head band to keep his bangs out of his face and an old green shirt with a few ink stains and some faded jeans with more ink stains. She decided to wait until he put his inking pen down, not wanting to interrupt his work. In a moment, he put the pen down. He lifted the page up, extended his arms to look at it from afar and set it down. Seeing he was done, she leaned down to hug his shoulders from behind. She lifted some of his hair and placed it behind his ear, which had grown up to his shoulders, and kissed his cheek. He sat still, surprised from her actions but smiled and touched her arm.
"Hey." he greeted.
"Hello. How's your work coming along?" she asked.
"I'm pretty much done. All I have to do is send this manuscript in tomorrow." he responded, picking up the page and putting the page in a big envelope.
"Is that so?! That's great!" she told in a very calm but happy tone. She let him go and took a step back. Kenji wheeled his chair around to get a good look at Eri, who was still smiling. Something must of happened, he figured, seeing as she was still in a very happy mood.
"What're you so happy about?" he asked.
"Guess." she told, still with a smile on her face. He pouted.
"Are you serious?" he asked, not wanting to think of anything at all at the moment.
"Of course." she said quickly.
Guessing games weren't his thing and she knew that. However, something big was clearly making her very happy and he didn't want that odd mood of hers to go away. He knew that she was overjoyed that they both had time off for the holidays, since they both had busy schedules with their jobs. Ever since Eri quit being a stewardess, she had gone into a business management career and had attained a job without her family's help. She was doing pretty well for herself working for in a small company in Yagami. He, on the other hand, had stuck with his mangaka career. Luckily for him, his work had gotten serialized a couple of months earlier. Kenji did his best to keep his story interesting each chapter, it was tiring enough when his manga was a weekly series. His work had paid off, there were even talks in the Dakonsha office about an anime being in the works. With two hectic busy schedules, they didn't have any time to spend with each other. Holidays were the only chances they had. Still, he knew all that so it had to be something else.
"Hm." he stroked his hairy chin. What could make her happy, especially in this day? "You got a surprise promotion at work?"
"Nope." He groaned. Now he had to make another guess. Ah! Something came to his mind.
"Are we attending one of your family's parties for Christmas? A big one?"
"Try again."
He paused.
"Are we spending Christmas somewhere nice and fancy? Just like you like it?"
"No. C'mon, think harder."
He couldn't think much now. He just blurted out the last thought on his mind.
"Um... we're having curry tonight?" he said looking a bit tired from guessing. They haven't had curry in a while.
"Now you're not even trying." she whined, sounding bored at his attempt. He put his hands on pockets and leaned back on his chair, revealing how tired he was from drawing all day to reach his deadline.
Eri groaned and folded her arms. She decided to go easy on him now. "I'll give you a hint: it's something we've thought about every now and then."
"Give me a minute." Harima put his hand to his head and closed his eyes. "A new TV?"
"Is that all you can think off?" she asked, now sounding mad.
"Can you blame me? I've been working all day and all I can do is think about my manga." he explained. Eri folded her arms, not satisfied with his response.
"Manga this, manga that. It's always manga with you. Can't you think of anything else?" she said, her giddy mood gone. She was plainly irritated.
"That's what happens when you marry a mangaka. Manga's our top priority." he explained.
"Don't mangakas have anything else to think about in their lives? I'm your wife for crying out loud." Eri retorted.
"Not when they've been working for so long." Kenji let out, partially annoyed.
"You could at least put something else into your thoughts."
"What are you talking about? Of course I have."
"Doesn't look like it." she said, turning her head. Why couldn't he be more thoughtful? She really hated it when he was totally clueless. On the other hand, he really hated it whenever she did something like this. Having her at complaining and whining at the moment wasn't something he wanted. Suddenly, an idea sprung up to his mind. It explained why she was so moody now. It wasn't a satisfying one but it did explain her behavior. Eri sighed and decided to tell him anyway. "Well forget it. I wanted to tell you-"
"Wait! I think I get it."
"You do?" she asked surprised. He set both his hands on his knees and held a serious look.
"The change of mood... you breathing... your face... there's only one explanation!" Eri held her breath. Did he get it? He pointed at her. "You're on your period!" he stated loudly. She froze and her face quickly turned red. However, she quickly got to her senses.
"What?!" she said, surprised at his statement.
"I'm right aren't I?! That means you bought something expensive! You always do that when it's that time of the month!" Eri clenched her hands. He was such an idiot. Putting her on the spot like that. Sure, no one was around but still. Her irritation had come back from the embarrassment he gave her. Although they had been married for two years, it was still awkward to talk about her period with him in the open and truth was she did buy a rather expensive Christmas gift for him. Kenji didn't notice and still kept on talking. "Damn, don't get so worked up for buying something you like woman. The least you could do is spend our money on something worthwhile. And don't even think about saying that stuff is for Christmas."
Without hesistation, Eri grabbed a manga book from the bookcase where Kenji stacked every volume of his published manga series and threw it to his face. Kenji fell with his chair onto the floor with a huge thud. He lay there still and twitched a little.
"NO YOU MORON! I'M PREGNANT!" she shouted as he lay on the floor.
He lifted his torso off the ground and sustained himself with one hand. With his other hand, he rubbed the area where Eri threw the book. She expected him to be confused or over react to what she told him. But instead, he looked angry. She tensed, thinking he didn't like the news.
"What the hell is wrong with you Eri?! I work my ass off all day today and all I get from you is a freakin' fit! Just- Wait!" Kenji blinked, letting the information sink into his brain. Did he hear right? He quickly stood upright and walked over to Eri, putting his hands on her shoulders. "W-what was it you said?" He looked very concerned but not angry. Feeling relieved, she sighed and looked up at him.
"I'm pregnant stupid." She smiled. "We're having a baby."
His mouth hung open at the news but it soon turned into a smile. "No way!" He leaned in closer to her face. "I-I'm gonna be a dad?" he asked again, wide-eyed from the news.
"Yeah!" Eri confirmed. "We're going to be parents!"
He embraced her and lifted her up the air, celebrating the news. They both laughed. He immediately set her down gently and kneeled down to put his ear to his wife's belly. He also set his hand on it, feeling the warmth of her belly. Although the news still felt sudden to him, he wanted to see this new child somehow. Eri didn't look pregnant and he didn't hear anything in there but the fact there was life inside her womb made him excited.
"I think I feel it." he told looking up at her.
"I doubt that. The doctor said it's only been two months." she said with a smile.
"Forget the doctor. I'm the father and I know when my kid is trying to communicate with me." Eri raised an eyebrow but still kept her smile. Sure, he was clueless sometimes but he was a good husband.
"Hey kid, I'm your dad. Grow up and get out of there soon so you can play with us." Eri felt her cheeks warm up. He looked really sweet and caring this moment. She couldn't help but feel she loved him this very moment. Here he was, talking to their unborn baby like it was already there. Honestly, she was a bit nervous before at how he would take the news since the pregnancy was sudden for her as well and it seemed like they were both only focusing on their careers. Not only that, but she still couldn't believe she had his child inside her. And to think, they were just Hige and Oujo a few years before. Now they were more than that. This child proved it.
"I love you." she said aloud, blushing a bit. Surprised, he looked at her to see she was blushing a bit and showing a a face of sincere happiness. He stood up and held her close.
"I love you too." They shared a small kiss and soon broke it only to stare at each other, still happy with their current news. He cupped her face with his big hand and she brought her hand up to his.
"Hey. If you don't let me go, then I can't make dinner." she said. He widened his eyes.
"You? Cook dinner? Oh no you won't." He immediately let her go and headed for their kitchen, leaving her alone in their room and slightly confused. Unlike back in high school, she could cook a decent meal now. She had enough practice at the beginning of their marriage too. What was his deal now? She followed him making sure he wasn't going to do anything unnecessary.
"What? Why?" she asked running to their kitchen. Eri found him already pulling out a pan and food from the refrigerator.
"You need to get strong so the baby can grow. From now on, I'm not letting you move a muscle."
"But... you've drawn all day."
"No buts. Just sit down and watch some T.V. or something while I do the cooking."
"You mean I can't even help?"
"Nope. I also want this baby to get a taste of my cooking. He's already had your cooking for the past few months."
"Fine. We'll do this your way." she said walking to their sofa. Kenji expected a boy huh. "Guess she will also judge Papa's cooking." she teased.
"Whatever you say!" he yelled back with the sounds of kitchen utensils at work. Eri crossed her legs on the couch and got ahold of the remote. Turning the television on, she made a mental note to contact Mikoto, who already was a mother, later and see if there was any advice she had to be taking. If Kenji was going to be taking care of her, then she might as do so for herself with vitamins or something. Then again he was cooking for her, she could take advantage of the situation.
"Hey Kenji!" she called.
"Yeah?" he asked, poking his head out of the kitchen.
"The baby wants some pasta. Stat." she ordered with a sweet smile on her face.
"Comin' right up!" he obeyed and went back cooking.
Eri snickered as she went back to watching television. Kenji cooking throughout her entire pregnancy didn't sound so bad now that she thought about it. He was going to cook in the future anyway but having him as a personal slave did sound good at the moment. This was going to be fun couple of months.
Fluff. Fluff. Fluff. I guess this is the part where I have to explain a few things before I leave.
I know that in Japan it's traditional for a wife to take in the husband's last name. Did some research, I can promise you that. However, the reason I didn't write down Eri's last name as Harima was I felt she would be proud to discard her maiden name, especially if she's working in the big business world where her family is known. She and Harima are married for sure but I feel Eri would use her family's money and power whenever she feels like it to get what she wants. (That includes keeping her maiden name legally.) As for her job in business that I made up, I also feel that she wouldn't stick too long in being a stewardess. She had plans on becoming someone big in the series and I don't think a stewardess would fill that position. Besides, she only became a stewardess to look for Harima in the first place.
As for Harima, being the narrator, it felt weird for me addressing him as Harima since Eri calls him Kenji here so I thought I would do the same. In my head, she still does call him Hige on occasion. Job-wise, I felt that he would still be working as a mangaka throughout his entire life. He's already had experience doing numerous one-shots for Dakonsha being a high school student and all, so coming back to the business wouldn't be so hard as long as he presents a good story. Though I have a feeling those stories would all be high school romantic comedies. This time, with actual fictional characters.
And if you're all wondering, no, Yakumo doesn't help him in his manga anymore. They're still friends but she went her own way and became and editor in another company. *cough*Shonen Bump*cough* At least in my head anyway.
Well that's all folks! Hope the rest of 2013 is good to y'all!