Alone in mourning
Chapter 1: Welcome Home, Megumi!
Taruto took Megumi to Pudding's house. Alone. No one was there, they both knew Taruto wanted to be alone. He set Megumi down in her crib in the nursery and slumped off to his own room. He lay on the bed for hours, but no matter how tired he was he couldn't sleep. He wanted to scream, he wanted to die. No. He couldn't commit suicide, Megumi had to have at least one parent. How would Mrs Fong tell her that her mum died when she was born and her dad committed suicide?
Taruto heard soft wails coming from the baby monitor, 'she needs feeding.' He thought. He got up and went across the hall to the nursery. He was right. He quickly went downstairs and prepared the milk, returning without a second thought. He scooped Megumi up in his arms, sat down and let her suck the bottle until it was empty. Pudding never got the chance to feed Megumi, or hold her, or even look at her properly. A lone tear slipped down Taruto's cheek and onto Megumi's. She giggled.
She didn't seem sleepy at all so Taruto carried her downstairs, put her in the carrier he had brought her home in and decided to call the others, starting with Zakuro. "Hello?" Zakuro said into the phone, "hey, Zakuro. Would you mind calling all the others to invite them over? I want you all to meet her!" Taruto replied.
"What about Pudding?" Zakuro asked.
"She... She didn't make it." Taruto replied, he couldn't bare saying her name.
"Oh. Well I'll call everyone and tell them to meet up at the Fong household in fifteen minutes, ok?" Zakuro changed the subject tactfully.
"Ok." Taruto replied, he hung up. He went into the kitchen where he and Pudding had cooked together, he frowned, eyes brimming.
He shook his head wildly, searching in the fridge/freezer for food. He found a cake he had made recently, some fruit, some ice cream, jelly cubes, some scotch eggs and some pork pies. Perfect. He iced the cake with 'welcome to the world, Megumi!' And used the fruit to make fruit salad. He arranged everything neatly on plates and set them on the table beside Megumi in her carrier. Megumi clenched and unclenched her fists cutely, her golden eyes looking up at Taruto.
He smiled, taking her little fist in two fingers. At that moment the doorbell rang. Taruto opened the front door. Zakuro, Ichigo, Lettuce, Mint and Kisshu stood there. "Hi!" Taruto said, trying to sound happy. "Hi!" Everyone replied. Taruto moved and everyone crept in. "Don't worry, she's awake. She's in that room." Taruto said, pointing to the room where Megumi was. Everyone went in.
The Mew girls went straight to look at Megumi, "kawaii!" They cooed. Kisshu hung back with Taruto. "Are you ok? You know, with looking after her alone?" Kisshu asked. "I'm not alone, Mr and Mrs Fong are always there, and I have you guys. If only Pai could have seen her." Taruto sighed. Kisshu went over to the table and picked up a jelly cube. He studied it, "can you really eat these?" He asked. Zakuro laughed.
"It's called Jelly, you can eat it. It may look weird but that's because you're not from Earth, I guess." She said.
Kisshu popped the jelly cube in his mouth and grinned.
All the mews wanted to hold Megumi, and Taruto had no objections. By the time Ichigo held her she nodded off to sleep. Taruto gently carried her upstairs, put her in her crib and made sure the baby monitor was working. When he returned a few slices of the cake, some of the fruit salad, some of the ice cream, some plates and some bowls were gone. Ichigo was eating messily, Mint was delicately eating grapes, Lettuce was eating a slice of cake, her head in a book and Kisshu and Zakuro were talking, eating cake and ice cream. Taruto picked up a plate and put a slice of cake, some salad, some pork pies, a scotch egg and some jelly cubes on it.
He would have loved to feed them to Pudding playfully, a lone tear slipped unnoticed down his cheek, the sudden red in his eyes clashing with the gold. 'What am I celebrating? I can't get rid of my sadness like this.' Taruto thought. He heard whimpers coming from the baby monitor and was about to go to Megumi when Zakuro stood up and went instead. She nodded at Taruto and he nodded back, slumping in the seat beside Kisshu. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it he was asleep.
"He's exhausted," Zakuro whispered, returning. "I'll stay and look after Megumi, I'm guessing he hasn't rested since..." Zakuro trailed off uncertainly. Ichigo, Lettuce, Mint and Kisshu left. Zakuro carried Taruto to what had been Pudding's bedroom and laid him down on the bed.
*Dream*
A cry was suddenly heard, Pudding loosened her grip on Taruto's hand and lay back. The midwife lifted a tiny baby up into view for Taruto. 'No ears,' Taruto thought.
The child had Pudding's blonde hair and Taruto's golden eyes, a perfect fit. "You have a healthy baby girl," she said, Taruto smiled.
"Guess that means we'll call her Megumi, right, Pudding?" Taruto said, looking down at Pudding. Pudding's eyes were closed and she was deathly pale. "Pudding?" Taruto said, shaking Pudding, "Pudding?!" He panicked, still no reply. Pudding opened her eyes slightly. "Ta..ru..ta...ru..." She replied weakly, Taruto took hold of Megumi and held her in Pudding's view. "This is our child, Pudding! Look!" Taruto said frantically, he didn't take his eyes of Pudding.
"Thank... You... Taru-Ta..." Pudding almost whispered, she slowly closed her eyes. Her breathing stopped. "Pudding!" Taruto sobbed, bursting into tears. Pudding didn't even open her eyes.
*Dream over*
Taruto woke with a start, his hair damp with sweat. He stood up and wandered out into the corridor, the clock on the wall said 3PM. Taruto had only slept less than an hour. He went to check on Megumi and then went downstairs. Zakuro was in the kitchen, preparing a bottle of milk and some soup. "You're awake. I'd hoped you'd sleep longer, did you have a nightmare?" Zakuro asked, Taruto nodded. Zakuro handed him a tea towel, he took it great fully and wiped his forehead.
"It was... About Pudding."