Author's Note: Here is chapter 1 of Koharu II. It is a sequel of my other store, Koharu. If you have not read Koharu, I suggest that you go and read it first. Basically, Koharu's age will vary. It starts from when she's still one years old, and then it skips around to different ages. It's almost like journal entries at first, but not exactly. For the majority of this story, she is eleven. I know, at first, it appears ironic, because well, that's when Sana and Akito got to know each other, but trust me, Koharu's life is slightly different. Well, here is part of chapter one. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kodocha, but I DO own Koharu. Thank you.

Chapter One: Illness

"Talking"

"Thoughts"

(One Year Old)

"I know, sweetie. I know." Sana said, soothingly, while rubbing Koharu's back. The clock ticked 4:45 am, and Sana was trying to keep herself awake with the TV on, along with a cup of coffee. Koharu continued to whimper and whine in Sana's shoulder, her fists gripping her shirt like a lifeline. Poor, little Koharu was sick with an ear-ache, which was very rare. Koharu didn't get sick. Maybe, occasionally, she would get a twenty-four hour stuffy nose, or a cough, but that was it. Now, she has an ear ache, along with a fever. "Mama." Koharu mumbled. Sana sighed to herself. She didn't know what else she could possibly do. She and Akito took her to the doctor two days ago, and the doctor prescribed medication for her, but they could only give it to her twice a day. They also had to keep cotton balls in her ears, which was not a simple task. Koharu constantly wanted to pluck them out, but they could not let her. It seemed that all Sana could do was comfort her, and pray that the medicine would work its magic. Taking care of a sick baby was a hassle; Sana never got to sleep. Sana kept one arm around Koharu, while she quickly took another sip of coffee. You'd think the caffeine would keep her awake, since it typically just made her more hyper. Although, things change when you've been awake for nearly three days straight with a sick one year old. Suddenly, Koharu nearly screamed. Sana held back a suprised gasp. The scream was unexpected, and it was breaking Sana's heart. "I'm sorry, baby." She whispered. She thought to herself, "I'm giving it until tomorrow. If she's not, at least, making progress at getting better by tomorrow, I'm taking her back to the doctor."

"What's going on?" A groggy voice brought Sana out of her thoughts. She turned her head around to see Akito at the entrance of the living room, along with a dog slightly nudging him along. "Akito, what are you doing up?" Akito just walked towards her and Koharu. "I could ask you the same question..." He started, but then stopped himself. He knew full well that his daughter was sick. He showed the baby monitor that was in his hand, and then pointed at Shiro. Apparently, Koharu's constant crying, and then screaming, woke him and Shiro up. "Akito, I thought I turned that off." Sana stated. Akito set the monitor on the coffee table, and sat beside Sana on the couch, while Shiro laid at his feet. "Yes, but I turned it back on." Sana's eyes widened. "Why did you do that? You have school!" Akito shrugged it off. "Yes, but I don't think it's fair for you to be up with her all night, while I sleep." Sana rolled her eyes. "How many times have we gone over this?" Koharu's cries increased, once again. "Koharu, baby, I know." Sana said, yet again. She was running out of words of comfort. "Here." Akito said, offering to hold Koharu for a minute. Sana handed her to him, giving her arms a rest. All the while, Koharu continued to cry. "Shh." Akito said. The same as before, Koharu's little hands gripped his shirt as tight as she could. "Akito." Sana started, and he listened. "Not that I don't appreciate your help, because I do. But, I really wish you would go back to sleep. Don't you have that huge test?" Akito just nodded. "Don't worry about it." Sana just couldn't let it go. Sure, she didn't have to worry about school, since she got her GED, but that didn't mean Akito's education didn't matter. He was almost finished. "The test will be easy anyway." Akito said, confidently. Sana sighed. "That's not the point, Akito. You have your well-being to consider. You'll be too exhausted to simply sit up in your chair, let alone pass an "easy" test..."

"Sana." Akito said, cutting her off. "Don't worry about it." He said, obviously ending that conversation. Sana was about to fight back, when Koharu let out a pitiful cry again. Akito and Sana, both reverted their attention to their little girl, who struggled with pain. "Daddy." Koharu mumbled, desperately, it seemed like. Akito rubbed her back, and rocked her gently. "She's not getting better, Akito. What are we gonna do?" Sana asked. Akito mumbled, "I don't know," while trying to comfort Koharu. Shiro had been quiet the whole time, but she heard Koharu's cries again, and she stood up and placed her head on Akito's leg, and sighed in a whimpery kind of way. It seemed that Shiro was worried about Koharu too.

Shiro at first, was a typical puppy; had lots of energy, chewed on shoes, needed potty training, and at times became a pain in the butt. Luckily, she was easy to train. Now, even though she's still technically a puppy, her exterior was that, of an adult-sized dog. She had grown tremendously fast, and she became the greatest companion. Akito thought that, if trained right, Shiro would make a great guard dog for Koharu and Sana.

Since Akito had his arms full, wrapped around Koharu, Sana rubbed Shiro's ears, and then patted her on the head. "We know, Shiro. We're worried about her too." She said. Shiro kept staring at Koharu. Koharu's crying volume started to decrease, but the whimpers were still there. This time, Shiro put both of her front paws on Akito's legs, and propped herself up, to get a better look. "Shiro." Akito warned. He didn't have to say anymore. Shiro sat her paws back down on the ground, in disappointment. Sana suddenly patted her leg. "Come here." She said. Shiro was hesitant at first, but then she hopped up on the couch, on the other side of Sana, and used Sana's lap as a lever to see Koharu better. "Sana, I don't want Shiro getting too close to Koharu." Akito warned. Sana smiled. "Don't worry. She just wants to see, she's worried." At that moment, Koharu's head moved away from Akito's shoulder, and looked to her left to see Shiro on the couch next to Sana. She sniffled, and pushed against Akito's chest, trying to detach herself from him, and stretched her arms out towards Sana and Shiro. Akito gently forced her arms down, and said, "No, Koharu." Shiro happened to be close enough, that she pressed her nose against Koharu's leg. "Shiro." Akito said, sharply. Sana lightly slapped Akito's leg. "Stop it. She's fine." She snapped. Koharu's eyes started to droop, and she rested comfortably against Akito's chest. She kept watching Shiro intently, and her nose was still pressed against Koharu's leg. Shiro suddenly licked her leg gently, and Koharu let out a giggle. That giggle didn't last, though, because she started whimpering in pain again. "Daddy... Mama..." She complained. Those two words basically said this: "Mama, Daddy, help me! Make it go away!" Akito didn't know what to do either. Then, he spoke. "We're taking her back to the doctor tomorrow. That medicine she gave us is crap. It's done nothing." Sana nodded. "I was thinking the exact same thing. Let's take her as soon as you get out of school." Akito nodded.

He started rocking Koharu again, hoping that it would help her sleep. Sana kept her eyes on Koharu, while she continuously ran her fingers through Shiro's fur. Koharu's quiet cries started to become random sniffles. Her eyes were closing, and Sana was sighing with relief. Sana would give anything just to see Koharu sleep soon. She didn't get her hopes up, however. Sure, Koharu's eyes would close, but maybe three minutes, and she'll be awake crying from pain again. Akito was able to see that Koharu's eyes were closed, as did Sana, he asked, "Should we put her to bed now?" Sana shook her head. "There's no point in that." Sana knew too well. "She won't be asleep for long." Akito went to give Koharu a light kiss on the forehead, but he suddenly flinched when his lips made contact with her skin. Akito abruptly stood up. The movement caused Koharu to wake up, and once again, she started to cry. "Akito, what?" Sana asked. Shiro was off the couch, and she started barking up at Akito for his sudden movements. Akito didn't respond, and he rushed into the kitchen. Sana and Shiro followed, and Shiro was still barking. "Shiro, be quiet." Sana said. Sure, they were all awake, but everyone else that occupied the househole were very well asleep. Akito ended up in the kitchen, and he started running water in the sink. "Akito, what's wrong?" Sana asked again. Akito picked up a clean wash cloth, and started running cold water over it. "Feel her. Her fever spiked." Sana put her hand on her forehead. She pulled away, and gasped. "Oh, my gosh. Poor, Koharu." She whispered, as Koharu was crying again. Akito turned off the water, and sat down in a chair, bringing Koharu into a cradled position. Sana took a seat across from him, took the cloth out of his hand, and placed it against her face. One of her hands was still on her plain forehead, while her other hand ran the washcloth against Koharu's face. "Her fever has gotten so much worse." She said. Fevers had to be so dangerous for babies. About this time around, Sana started to get even more worried about Koharu, if that was even capable.

Koharu was starting to push Sana's hand away, but Sana wouldn't have it. Akito already knew this, and he held onto Koharu's hands, keeping them in place. Sana ended up taking the cloth away, to put more cold water on it. Akito took the moment to feel Koharu's forehead again. Nothing was changing, if anything, she was getting warmer. "Sana, hurry up with that." Akito rushed. Sana rushed back to them with the cloth, dripping with water. The cloth was uncomfortable to Koharu, but at the same time, it was cold, which made her feel better, just a little. She still continued to cry, it was cold, but she was still uncomfortable. She felt extremely hot, not to mention the constant pain in her ears that just wouldn't go away. "We know, sweetie. We're trying to fix it, baby." Sana said, soothingly.

After five minues of constantly running fresh water on the wash cloth for Koharu, nothing was changing for the better. Akito and Sana had switched positions. Sana held Koharu, while Akito ran the cold washcloth against Koharu's skin. He ended up getting a bowl, and filled it up with ice and water. This way, he could constantly keep the washcloth cold. Akito watched Sana carefully, and he noticed that Sana's eyes never left Koharu. Her eyes were filled with so much worry, Akito was concerned that Sana would suddenly lose it. He heard her sniff, and he questioned it. "Sana?" He asked, but Sana just shook her head. He went to feel Koharu's forehead again, and this time he stood up. He should do this now, before anything gets worse. He left the room, and came back with Koharu's carseat. "Akito, where are we going?" Sana asked. He said simply, "We're going to take care of this before she gets any worse." Sana's head fell. "Akito, this means we'll have to wake up Rei to get us there." Akito happened to pick up the telephone that resided in the kitchen. "Not necessarily. I'm calling a taxi." It sure does stink when you can't just drive yourself. (A/N: I have no idea how the driving laws work in Japan.) "Now, hurry and get Koharu ready to go, and then put Shiro in her kennel." Akito instructed. Sana nodded, and stood up, but then she stopped. "Wait, but the doctor's offices aren't even open this early in the morning." Akito rolled his eyes at himself. "That's why we're taking Koharu to the hospital." Sana held back a gasp. "The hospital? I haven't been to the hospital since. . . since. . ." She cringed at the thought. Now was not the time to think about events of the past. She had to take care of the present issue at hand, and that was getting her daughter well again. She nodded to Akito, and quickly scribbled down a note to her mother, if she were to wake up before they returned. Then, she rushed up the stairs, with Koharu and Shiro in tow.

Akito had already called the taxi, and was in the living room putting on his shoes, when he noticed the tv that was on. Of course, when taking care of Koharu, what was playing on TV payed no mind to him, until now. There happened to be a commercial playing, but there was a rush of words trailing at the top of the screen. It said, "Sana Kurata: A bad influence on teenagers and children?" The words continued to show up in a loop, and it was making Akito angry. He wanted to watch more, and see what the News people would say about Sana. However, once the commercial had ended, Sana had already appeared at the door, ready to go. Akito quickly turned off the TV, and found enough will power to ignored the Newscast, for now anyway. Right now, taking care of his daughter was the most important thing.

"Akito?" A voice questioned. "Akito?!" The voice said again, followed by urgent poking. Then, he heard a bell ring. He ignored it. He was just way too exhausted from the night's events. On the other end of sleep, a young man continued to poke him. Tsuyoshi was relieved when the teacher took a moment to leave the classroom to accept a phonecall. Now, he could wake him up, and talk to Akito. When he first saw Akito walk into the classroom, Akito's expression was absolutely horrible. His eyes were bloodshot, and they looked like he had seen a ghost, or some form of an unpleasant experience. His eye also held sadness and complete worry. Tsuyoshi wanted to ask Akito what was wrong, but couldn't because the bell rang, and class was in session. The "difficult" test was passed out, and the entire class began, except for Akito. It didn't take maybe five minutes, and he had fallen asleep. Tsuyoshi was paying attention to his test, but at the same time, he couldn't help but watch his best friend, and worry about him. Once the teacher left, Tsuyoshi started to wake him up.

"Akito, come on." He said, while shaking him harder. Akito's face had moved, and it faced Tsuyoshi. His eyes were still closed, but his mouth was moving slowly. "Did he say something? Tsuyoshi wondered. He got a little closer, to see if he was saying anything. Sure enough, he was mumbling something in his sleep, but Tsuyoshi was having a hard time at making out the jumbled words. The words he did hear, however, gave him a shock. The following words were: "Koharu... Hospital... Sana... Heart attack..." Tsuyoshi's eyes widened. He shook Akito even harder. "Akito! Wake up!" This time, he smacked him. Akito's eyes opened slowly. His eyes narrowed at Tsuyoshi. "What?" Akito sat up, and realized where he was. He was at school, not at the hospital. Now, he could remember. While they were at the hospital, they managed to get ahold of Natsumi. It was almost 7:00, and Akito had to get to school. Since Natsumi was at the hospital, Akito felt just a tad better at leaving Sana there. Besides, Sana wouldn't have it. She was almost acting like his mother, when she pretty much ordered him to go to school.

Now, here he was at school, worrying sick about his daughter and Sana. "Akito, what happened to you?" Tsuyoshi asked. Akito's eye rose in question. "What are you talking about?" Tsuyoshi's face fell. "I'm sorry, but I heard what you were saying in your sleep." Akito thought about it for a second, but then he realized it. Akito figured he might as well tell him now, so he won't be questioned about it later. As Tsuyoshi waited for Akito to begin his story, he kept thinking, "What in the world happened?"

(Flashback)

They had finally arrived at the hospital, Koharu's fever spiked, once again. Now, she was screaming. Everything seemed to go in their favor, when the hospital was pretty much empty, so there was no wait. However, everything took a turn for the worse, when the doctor proposed doing tests on Koharu. Sana had been holding Koharu the whole time, while the doctor looked her over; took her temperature, looked at her ears, and every other check-up a doctor had to do on a patient. But, when the doctor wanted to do actual tests on Koharu, like blood draws, Sana hated the idea. She kept mumbling, "No," and tried to hold Koharu closer. Koharu's cries didn't stop, they got worse. The doctor said, "We have to do this now, or she'll only get worse." Sana nodded, and she and Akito stood up, to follow the doctor to a different room. The fact that the doctor had to take Koharu's blood was spooking the young parents to no end. Once they got to the room, there was a table, and two other nurses in there, with the equipment needed. Sana stopped at the entrance, and she was suddenly changing her mind. She only held Koharu even tighter, in a way to protect her. The doctor walked closer to Sana, and spoke. "I'm sorry, but you two are going to have to leave the room, and leave her with me." This time, Akito spoke. "What?" The doctor nodded. "Yes, if the parents are in there, she could get distracted, and won't sit still. It's only for the best. Now..." He started to reach out to take Koharu from Sana, but Sana didn't budge. "But..." Sana started. The thought of having to leave her baby in there alone, it was making her sick. The doctor smiled, to make her feel better. "It won't take long." He said. Sana backed away from the doctor, she was about to make a run for it. But, as she was about to pass the door, Akito was the one that stopped her. She had water rimming at her eyes. Akito hesitantly, but carefully took the still, crying Koharu out of Sana's arms. That was a bad idea, Koharu latched onto him like velcro. He quickly hugged her, and sighed to himself. He had to be strong, and he knew that it was for the best. He pulled her away from his chest, and started to give her to the doctor, but Koharu started to fight it. "No." She said. Akito swallowed and said, "Koharu. Stop it." It was said, with all seriousness in his voice. Before he knew it, Koharu was in the doctor's arms, and her screaming increased. "Mama! Daddy!" Akito looked away from his daughter, who was reaching for him, and Sana was already crying in his arms. Akito shut the door, and brought Sana to sit down at a row of chairs that were near the door. He sat with her, and held her. That was one of the most toughest things he ever had to do. What made it worse, was they could still hear Koharu's screams through the walls. Akito covered Sana's ears, and kissed her forehead, to somehow reassure her.

About fifteen minutes passed, and Akito could hear Sana's shallow breathing. She had cried herself to sleep. He scooted away from her, and gently laid her on the row of chairs. He looked at a clock that was hanging on the wall, and it read 6:43am. "Oh, no." He thought. There was no way he was going to leave Sana alone here. At the same time, Sana would still make sure that he went, even if it meant she had to be here by herself. Akito had to think of something. He should call Sana's mother, or someone that could be with her until school was out. The only person that kept striking into his mind, he used one of the hospital phones to call her. He called his one and only sister, Natsumi.

It didn't take ten minutes, and Natsumi was running through the hospital doors. So that Natsumi wouldn't wake Sana up, Akito ran to meet her halfway. "Is she okay?" Natsumi asked. For a second, Akito didn't know if she was talking about Koharu or Sana. So he answered about both of them. "They're not finished with the tests yet, and Sana..." He stopped, and just pointed to the girl sleeping. He didn't say anymore, and Natsumi was running towards Sana. Instead of running, he walked back to the chairs. Once he got to them, Natsumi was sitting by Sana's head, and stroking her hair back. Akito remained standing, and Natsumi whispered, "Poor thing." Once again, he couldn't tell if she was talking about Koharu or Sana. Of course, he was more than worried about Koharu's condition. Now, he was worried about Sana too. "I wouldn't be surprised if she had a heart attack throughout all of this." He shook his head, as he flinched at the thought. "By the way, Akito?" Natsumi asked.

Akito looked at his sister, and answered, "What?" Natsumi was about to continue, but she stopped herself. "What if he doesn't know?" Natsumi thought. "Spit it out." Akito said, abruptly.

"Okay, have you or Sana seen the news lately?" She asked. He already knew why she would ask this. He nodded, and was about to answer, but someone interrupted him. "Yes, I have." Sana's voice. With Akito and Natsumi's attention on Sana, they waited for her to continue. Natsumi helped her sit up, and she spoke again. "Apparently, I'm a bad influence now. Parents don't want their kids watching me on TV anymore." Sana said, solemnly. Natsumi gasped. "Why would people think such a thing?" Akito already knew the answer, and decided to tell Natsumi himself, rather than have Sana explain. "It's because of Koharu." He said, quickly. Sana's head fell in confirmation. She nodded, and said, "It's because I'm a teen mother. Parents think that I'm promoting teen pregnancy. Some were already complaining that their daughters are wanting babies, because I have one. And, even some parents say that their daughters are already pregnant, and they're younger than I am." She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "I didn't mean it." She whispered. Since Natsumi was closer, she pulled Sana into a reassuring hug. "Sana, that's awful." Natsumi said. Akito just stood there, and watched them. In all honesty, this whole thing was ridiculous. Just because other teens in the world are reproducing, that gives their parents no right to blame Sana. And she didn't ask for this, it just happened. Akito knew more than anyone that they weren't trying to promote anything. They are just living their lives, and being a parent is part of their lives now.

A gasp from Sana brought Akito out of his thoughts. She was staring at the wall. He turned around, and noticed that she was staring at the clock. "Akito, you have to go." Sana said, standing up. She got closer to him. "Natsumi's with me now, you need to go." She hugged him tightly. He knew she didn't want him to go. "Sana, I don't have to go." He said. Sana nodded against his chest. "Yes, you do. I promise, I'll be fine. Go ace your test for me, okay?" She pulled him tighter one last time, placed a light kiss on his cheek, then shoved him away from her. Akito released her arms, and turned around, running towards the door.

(End flashback)

Tsuyoshi's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it, but it was indeed, true. Akito had returned to his test,and since Tsuyoshi had already finished his, he couldn't help thinking about all of the things Akito had told him. He felt bad for that whole family. As if hours had passed by, the bell rang ending the class. Akito and Tsuyoshi stood up from their desks, and walked out of the class room. However, once Akito got to his locker, with Tsuyoshi following, four girls tackled Akito. He had his back against the lockers, and the girls were bombarding him with questions. This was because Fuka happened to be at the Kurata household when Koharu's sickness started. This is why all of Sana's friends knew all of the details.

"Oh my gosh, Akito, what's wrong with Koharu?"

"How is Koharu? Is she okay?"

"What about Sana? She must be so tired!" And the questions and exclamations went on. Akito just stared at them. He was too tired and worried to answer anything. Suddenly, a voice shouted over all of them. "Quiet, all of you!" The girls turned around to see Tsuyoshi. The girls had shut up, but Akito paid no mind. He simply looked to his left, which led to the exit of the school. Tsuyoshi already knew what was wrong. "Akito." He said. Akito turned his head back, and glanced at Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi nodded. "Go." He said. Akito's eyes widened. "What?" He whispered.

"Get back to the hospital. You don't have any other tests today. Go on." Then, he walked closer to Akito, and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry. I'll tell the girls everything." Akito stole a quick glance at the four girls that were just itching to question him again. He looked back at Tsuyoshi one last time, and said, "I owe you one. Big time." He turned on his heel, and ran out of the school.

Akito reached the hospital in record time. This time when he got there, Misako was in the waiting room, along with Sana and Natsumi. Misako and Sana were seated beside eachother. Once Akito got closer to them, he noticed that Sana was curled up against Misako, fast asleep. He also took note that her cheeks were still a bit wet. Before he could ask questions, Misako put a finger up to her lips, to keep Akito quiet. Natsumi, who was sitting on the other side of Sana, stood up, and grabbed Akito's hand. She whispered, "Let's go get something to eat in the cafeteria. I'll tell you everything." In truth, he wasn't really hungry, but he did want information on what was going on. He kept staring at Sana though. Natsumi tugged on his hand, pulling him away. She whispered, "Come on. Sana will be fine." Akito finally gave in, and followed her to the cafeteria. He pulled his hand away, and said, "You are aware that the food here sucks, right?" Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. But, I don't want to leave the hospital. I'm pretty sure you understand that." Akito just nodded.

They both got something to eat: Natsumi was honestly hungry, Akito got something just so Natsumi wouldn't bug him about not eating. He had no appetite what so ever. They were seated opposite side of eachother, and before Natsumi could scoot her chair all the way in, Akito was already asking questions, "So, what's going on?" Natsumi didn't answer to his demand. She waited until she was comfortable, while her little brother glared at her. She could also hear his foot tapping. "Akito, relax, please! Can you give me thirty seconds, at least?" Akito kept tapping and glaring. She picked up a pair of chopsticks, ready to eat, and Akito stopped her. "Are you kidding me?" She put them down, and looked up at him. He was angry. "You're just going to sit there and ignore me? My daughter is sick, Sana is probably about to lose her mind, and all you want to do is, stuff your face?!" Natsumi sighed, and put her chopsticks down. "I'm sorry." She said, sincerely. "What do you. . ."

"Tell me what's going on!" He demanded. Natsumi briefly closed her eyes, then opened them. "Okay. Okay." He sat back, and relaxed. "Well?" He asked. Natsumi smiled. "Well, Koharu should be fine. She's in surgery right now." Akito's eyes nearly bugged. "Why?" Natsumi hesitantly touched one of her ears, and said, "Ear tubes." Akito sighed with relief. Ear tubes aren't really that bad. As a matter of fact, he remembered Natsumi having to get those when she was little. It should more than, fix Koharu's horrible ear infection. Natsumi took one bite of her meal, and then spoke again. "They should be done anytime now." Akito just nodded again. For some reason, he felt a bit better. Natsumi went to pick up another piece of her food, but then pointed at Akito's plate. "Now, will you please eat something?" Akito sighed with defeat, and picked up a pair of his own chopsticks. He still didn't have an appetite, but just so Natsumi would cease the nagging, he ate in silence.

Twenty minutes passed, and Natsumi and Akito were back with the family in the waiting room. Sana was still sleeping, with her mother's arms still wrapped around her. Finally, a doctor was slowly approaching them. Misako gently shoved Sana aside, bringing her to attention. Sana's eyes widened, as she took in her surroundings, remembering where she was. Akito figured it must've been days since she's had any form of rest. As Sana quickly glanced around, she saw Akito and Natsumi standing close to her. Her eyes were questioning, as to why Akito was there in the first place. He was supposed to be in school. He quickly sat down beside her, and whispered, "Don't worry about it." But, before she could say anything, the doctor had arrived. He smiled gently, and noticed the newcomer, that was Akito. He said, "There's no reason to question, you're definitely Koharu's dad." Akito didn't feel like making a sly remark, so he just nodded his head. "Well?" Sana started, "How is she?" The doctor's smile remained, and he answered. "She's just fine now. She hasn't woken up yet. You are all more than welcome, to come see her now." Sana immediately stood up from her seat, and grabbed the doctor's hand in gratitude. "Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you so much!" She started shaking his hand over and over again. Once he got his hand free, he laughed sincerely. "It was no problem at all, Ms. Kurata, or is it. . . " He started, then made a quick glance at Akito, wondering if she had already taken his last name. Sana just shook her head. "Kurata is fine." Even though Sana still had the ring, there had been no plans or talk of a wedding just yet.

Sana broke the quick silence, and started walking down the hall. "Well, let's go! I want to get her home!" But, then she stopped short. "She can come home today, right?"

"Yes, we should be able to release her in a few hours." Everyone, that included Sana, Akito, Misako, and Natsumi followed the doctor into a room, that was probably for recovery. Sana didn't hesitate, and she literally ran towards the only bed that was in there. Akito wasn't too far behind her. Just seeing her almost made Sana's heart melt. She exhaled a huge breath of relief. "Thank goodness." She whispered. Akito couldn't agree more. His hand was now resting over Koharu's forehead, and lightly touched it, hoping not to wake her up. At the moment, it was sort of an examination. As he hoped, her fever was gone. Her skin was no longer that scary shade of red, that she had earlier that morning. So that Koharu would not wake up from the slight touch, he removed his hand. Sana couldn't contain herself anymore. She didn't even bother asking for permission. As quietly as she was able, she picked her daughter up gently. Koharu was cradled in her arms, still sleeping soundly. Sana noticed a chair close by, and took advantage of it. Akito grabbed a different chair and sat beside her. She placed Koharu against her shoulder, and unconcsciously rocked her. She started whispering so quietly, that only Akito could hear her. "My baby. My baby." Sana kept repeating those two words over and over again. Everyone could realize now how scared Sana really was. What made Koharu's sickness so dangerous, was the outrageous fever.

Akito looked at Misako long and hard. She quickly caught his attention, and with one quick flick of his index finger, Misako was escorting everyone else in the room, out into the hallway. Once the door was shut, Akito felt more at ease, to be alone with his family. Sana's head was now sort of bent over Koharu's shoulder. Akito knew her well enough, to know why she was hiding her face. He reached out towards her face, and used his thumb to remove the wetness that was now on her cheeks. It could be the smallest of gestures, and Sana knew, without words, how much Akito truly loved her. She looked up and smiled brightly, as she wiped her other cheek that Akito could not easily reach.

Akito wanted to, but he didn't think it was the right time. However, that thought was quickly betrayed. He slowly stretched his arms out, asking permission to hold Koharu. Then, he quickly felt bad for asking, so he put his arms back down. Sana chuckled quietly. "Akito, you're so silly sometimes. Here." She gave Koharu to him without hesitation. He resituated Koharu, cradling her in the crook of his arm, then he did something unexpectedly. Holding Koharu with one arm, he stretched his other arm out towards Sana. He used his finger and curved it to him, motioning her to move forward. She already knew what he wanted. She scooted her chair closer to him, and without hesitation, his arm immediately wrapped around Sana. She rubbed her cheek again, and sniffed. "I'm okay." She whispered, reassuringly. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple, and pulled her closer with his left arm. For some reason, he couldn't explain how, he just wanted to be close with the two people that gave him meaning for life; his fiance and daughter. His chin now rested on Sana's head, and Sana spoke softly. "I love you." She mumbled. Akito wanted to say this, but didn't think it was appropriate. What he wanted to say was, "I love you more."

I'm going to end this chapter with that, because I don't know where to go with it. Happy ending, yay! Lol. Another chapter will be up as soon as i get ideas. I am open to any ideas for this sequel. Please, people any ideas, address them, because I could use them. Thanks for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter.

-Stephanie