Title: Know
Main Character(s): Droite, Kaito Tenjo
A/Ns: BABY INSPIRATION GO
This was harder than I thought it was. The timing was all wrong, considering I had just torn Kaito away from the activities the rest of our... friends were doing. The place, too, was wrong; the middle of the park, just a little ways away from Yuma's birthday party. I could just barely hear Gauche and Yuma getting into an argument over food.
Kaito stared at me expectantly as I leaned back against a tree trunk, looking up into the gentle pink foliage above. I could sense his impatience, which only drove my anxiety further.
"Droite?" he questioned, slightly harsh due to wanting to get out of this uncomfortable situation. "What do you need to tell me?"
I drew in a deep breath of warm air that stung as it entered my lungs. Still, I couldn't make eye contact with him. "Do you remember that night, after bringing the people back from Barian World...?"
"You have to be more specific," he answered, putting a hand on his hip. "There were many nights after that."
"The night right after," I said. Irritation began to slip into my head. "When we were together."
"...Oh." Kaito looked away from me. It was obvious that he hated bringing the topic of us having slept together that one night; his posture was tense and a scowl was present on his face.
I took a deep breath and just threw the news out there. "I'm pregnant."
That one short statement had Kaito looking back up at me with an angry, slightly horrified expression. "What did you just say?!" he demanded, scowling even more.
This was expected of him, so I simply ignored his reaction. "I said, I'm pregnant," I stated clearly once more, frowning slightly.
"How?" he almost yelled. It was clear that he was not happy about this situation at all.
"I thought I was infertile," I slowly explained, thinking back to the defect my pediatrician had told me about when I was first dumped into Heartland Tower. "Apparently I can still get pregnant despite the defect."
Kaito stayed silent, looking anywhere but me. He would glare at the ground, then at the party activities going on back in the small clearing, then at the sky. Once he seemed to come to a conclusion, he simply locked gazes with me and practically growled a single sentence to me.
"Get rid of it."
I blinked. Well... that certainly was a bit extreme, wasn't it? Either way, it pissed me off that he'd order me to do something like that; this was our child, so how could he possibly say that vile sentence?
"No," I answered simply, crossing my arms. Maybe it was hormones, maybe it was my own temper, but I was not going to let him win this argument.
Kaito was angered by this. "Get rid of it!" he spat, glaring strongly at me. In turn, my temper flared.
"No," I spoke as calmly as I could manage, sending him a glare with equal coldness. "This is our child, Kaito. It probably hasn't dawned on you just how large of a situation this is, or that you'll be a father in seven and a half months, but once it does, you'll feel the full negative force of that statement."
Kaito simply shrugged. "Fine, whatever the hell you say," he muttered angrily, but I could tell he was shocked a bit from my cold outburst. I would have said more, but he trudged back to the party in a foul mood, not looking back at me.
...
...
The three month mark passed and Kaito was still ignoring most of the world, most of all me. He despised the fact that I was carrying his child, but at least he didn't deny it. I half expected him to, but I guess the full weight of this little predicament was starting to press down on him.
Once I started to show a slight amount, I decided to pay a visit to the Tenjo family. Unfortunately, this meant I couldn't go back to Spartan City until the child was born, but I didn't mind. There were lots of allies that I had in Heartland that would let me occupy their residence until I gave birth.
I knocked lightly on the door a Heartland Tower employee had told me to go to. Then I sat there for a few minutes, rocking back and forth on my heels, considering leaving and trying again later, when Kaito's little brother, Haruto, answered the door.
He looked up at me happily. "Droite-san, it's nice to see you!" he said cheerfully with a large smile, golden eyes twinkling.
"Hi, Haruto," I said, kneeling down to give him a gentle hug. The boy was just as precious to me as his older brother was.
Pulling away, he looked up at me. "You came here to see my older bro, right?" he asked, tilting his head in an adorable way. I stood to my full height and nodded.
Haruto bounced away, calling his brother's name in a very happy voice. I giggled quietly to myself; Haruto was so adorable when he was running around and calling for his brother.
Finally, I saw the boy dragging an exhausted Kaito down the hall. Haruto was ecstatically telling his brother about my visit, jumping up and down. Sheesh, the boy had a lot of energy!
However, when Kaito looked at me, his mood seemed to drop and he stopped walking towards the door. Anger seeped into those light blue eyes of his, but it didn't phase me.
"Why did you come here?" he questioned after sending his younger brother off. "I thought I told you a while back to not speak to me, ever."
I stared blankly at him, then removed my jacket. Instantly his gaze went to the small bump that was now my abdomen. "I thought I'd try to convince you again that I'm not getting an abortion."
He just continued to stare at my stomach, making me slightly uncomfortable. But then his eyes widened and he looked up at me, as if finally realizing that he was going to be a father soon.
"I..." he trailed off, backing up until he bumped into a wall. Then he remained silent, shutting his eyes to think.
It was then that I figured out that he was now fully aware of the shared life that was ours growing in my womb. It took him nearly a month and a half, but I didn't mind the wait; I'd knew he'd come around eventually.
"Kaito..." I murmured softly. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. "Just ignore what I said," he said bluntly. "But still, as soon as that thing is born I want it up for adoption."
I sighed. Here we go again. "Kaito, I'm not doing that," I said in a tone that let him know my decision was made and he couldn't change it. Though I quietly agreed with the unspoken fact that we were very young to have children, I felt a connection to the child and I was not planning on giving it up to another couple.
Kaito remained silent, so I added in quickly, "Also, I can't go back to Spartan City until our baby is born, so you wouldn't mind me staying in the tower until then?"
He sighed, still tense. "Fine. I'll ask my father to get a room where you can stay in. Until then, feel free to use our place."
I nodded, watching him stomp off.
Kaito, why the hell are you so annoyingly dense...?
...
...
I had begun to spend time with the Tenjo family more and more often, until it was decided by Faker that I would live within their place of residence in the Tower until decided otherwise. Haruto was ecstatic about it, but Kaito was less than happy about it.
At six months, it was getting harder for me to move around. Since I was carrying more towards the back, I didn't show nearly as much as others, but the added weight on my lower spine was killing my nerves.
I sat at the table, my deck spread out in front of me, one hand placing cards in different situations, the other on my tummy. Mine and Kaito's baby was moving a lot at the moment; I could feel the press of a limb as it brushed against the side of my womb, the hiccups from the baby, the backflips and front flips. Our baby was certainly an active one.
Haruto looked at me curiously, then at his brother, who was glowering at me from the living room. The boy had an innocent look, a small smile on his face.
"Hey brother?" he asked, making me stop for a second to look at the two.
Kaito quit his anger-channeling and softened his expression to look at his brother. "Yes, Haruto?"
"Where do babies come from?" the young boy questioned, innocence still on his face.
I couldn't help but start laughing quietly as Kaito suddenly blushed redder than scarlet. The blonde just sent me a desperate look that said, 'Help me!' I shook my head and mouthed to him that he was on his own on this one, and went back to coming up with strategies for my deck.
Kaito let out an exasperated groan when he saw that I was not going to help him out of this one. "I... Haruto, uh..."
Suddenly the boy burst into hysterical laughter. "Don't worry, brother," he said, smiling slyly. "I already know how."
I watched as Kaito's jaw dropped. "Wait, how-?"
"Ryouga explained it to him," I deadpanned. Since I had babysat Haruto one time, I had taken him to the park, where we had bumped into the former Barian twins, Rio and Ryouga. It was funny how the now fifteen year old had explained the whole "babies come from this" situation, but I had never thought of telling Kaito. Payback, in a sense. Of course, Haruto was all for this little gag we'd come up with.
"Droite?!" the blonde growled, making me raise an eyebrow at him.
"Yes?" I said, smirking slightly. Haruto was giggling to himself as he watched the exchange.
"Why the hell didn't you stop that idiot from telling Haruto?" Kaito was clearly frustrated with me, which made my humor grow. I didn't know exactly why I found it so funny, I just did.
"Because he had to learn eventually," I said matter-of-factly. "He'll be in the sixth grade soon, so he'll learn about everything eventually."
Kaito sighed in defeat, then grumbled something as he returned to reading his book. Haruto gave me a high-five underneath the table.
...
...
Almost nine months. Yippee.
Everyone in the residence was getting restless with the impending fact that there would be another life in the world soon. Lately I'd been confined to the place where Kaito and his family lived, for reasons that I knew were for my safety.
I was excited. The baby's gender remained unknown so I could surprise Kaito (and myself). I doubt, however, that he'd be very happy with this entire thing.
I knew I was going to go into labour soon; the Braxton Hicks were becoming an often recurrence, and today they were particularly irritating. I'd specifically said that I was not to be taken to a hospital when the labour started; I despised hospitals because they frightened me greatly. I'm not entirely sure why, but they do.
Kaito had just reentered the room, carrying an empty cup of water to the kitchen, when I felt the first major contraction. It made me groan and lean forward, the pain in my lower back intensifying for a few moments before decreasing in pain, but still hovering at a barely manageable level.
Kaito looked at me, paling slightly, before hurrying to the kitchen to dispose of the cup. Now my temper flared again, and I glared off in his direction.
"Kaito, get your father," I ordered him, accidently sounding harsher than I'd intended it to be. He glanced to me with a questioning look.
"Why?" he asked, raising a brow.
I was just about to answer him when another strong contraction hit, making my reply sound like a choked squeak. "I think... it's time."
Kaito blinked again, then scurried off to find Faker. I held onto the side of the couch as the contraction became worse, filling my abdomen with pain. Deciding to stand, I bit my lip and shoved myself onto my feet, instantly regretting the decision when I felt a steady stream of pinkish fluid drip down my legs and onto the floor.
Goddammit, we did not have the time to screw around here; the labour was moving faster than I expected it to. Where the heck was Kaito...?
The blonde nineteen year old came back with his father behind him. Faker took one look at my shaking form and set a determined expression on his face.
"Kaito," Faker began, "Get her to your bedroom. I'll go get a couple nurses to help."
Kaito grumbled a couple curses under his breath, but came over to me and slung one of my arms over his shoulders, wrapping one arm around my waist. I felt another contraction coming on, so I leaned heavily onto him, trying to push myself forward as the pain increased.
As Kaito had me lay in the black sheets of his bed, I reached out and gripped his hand, nearly crushing the bones in his palm as I cries out in pure agony. I could feel something starting to move inside me, which not only made the pain worse, but made the urge to push more intense.
Kaito gasped silently at my action, but he didn't move away. It was as if he now completely understood that I needed him there no matter what he thought.
Another contraction, more powerful than the last, made me scream until my throat was raw.
A blue haired nurse I knew as Mizuru came into the room. She looked at me and Kaito quickly before draping a sheet over my lower half and removing the clothing below my waist. Hiking my knees up, I could only guess as to what she was doing down there.
"Droite, you better prepare yourself," she said, making me look at her with a questioning gaze.
"W-Why?" I coughed out, my throat sore. Kaito was tense beside me, not at all disturbed by the fact that I was practically half naked in his bed; rather, it seemed that he was scared to know exactly what was going to come out of me once this situation was all done.
Mizuru pulled a towel out from nowhere and set it under my rear. "You're dilated all the way," she said simply, a slight smile on her lips.
"Okay...?" I said before yet another contraction stole my breath away from me. I could feel Kaito's heartbeat in his hand as I crushed his palm into mine.
"Alrighty, Droite," Mizuru then spoke when I had a second to actually listen to her. "Get ready to push. Next contraction, I want you to push."
"Got it," I said, looking up at Kaito a final time. Our eyes met and something passed between us. I don't know what it was, though, because another contraction came and instinct took over, making me scream as I pushed. I felt something slowly starting to slip out, making my panic rise.
Mizuru nodded and smiled at me and Kaito. "One more push, Droite! One more!"
Gathering any strength I had left, I pushed once more, as hard as I possibly could, and then an infant's cry pierced the air. Mizuru caught the little bundle in her arms and slowly came to her full height, holding the child in her arms.
I fell back against the pillows, my eyes drifting towards the baby. "Is it a boy or girl?" I asked weakly.
Mizuru smiled. "A girl," she murmured, wrapping the baby in a soft cream colored blanket after cutting the umbilical cord. The soft cries slowly began to die down as Mizuru handed the girl to me.
I held her tight to my chest, seeing that she had a full head of black hair, tiny tufts of violet and green above her forehead. She sniffled and snuggled towards me, relaxing in my embrace.
That's when I realized I was still holding Kaito's hand, our fingers interlocked. I looked up at him, seeing that he was gazing at me and our child.
"Do you want to hold her?" I asked. Mizuru had disappeared somewhere, therefore leaving us alone for the moment.
Kaito hesitated as I unlocked our hands and offered our child to him. Then he nervously put his arms under the bundle of tiny warmth and brought the baby up against his chest.
Instantly, I saw the change in his expression; his eyes softened, a small but visible smile curving his lips. He cradled the baby in his arms, unable to tear his gaze from her.
"She's beautiful..." he murmured softly, as if to himself. From my viewpoint, I could just barely see the baby's face, but I watched as she opened her eyes, an identical match to her father's.
I couldn't help but beam when I saw their eyes meet, and the little girl stopped crying altogether, calm in her father's arms.
"She's ours, Kaito," I whispered, more to myself than anyone. He paid almost no attention to me, instead focusing on his new daughter.
Leiko.
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A/Ns: :3 Cute. ;)