Nearly two days after the festival night, she wasn't feeling well -

Nausea: a clear sign of the indicator of fear that now swept through her being. As she realized what she has, she broke down.

"No...No, No nonononono NO!"

She used her powers to search inside of herself...and found it in her body' s systems -

A developing cell...an embryo cell - about a day old.

She stumbled, running to the bathroom as a wave of nausea washed over her, and she nearly gave in. She tried to use her powers to calm it, but she couldn't, and when the next wave came, she caved in.

Why? she thought. Why didn't my powers work on me?

Before they ended up 'doing it', Meiko tried to use her powers to manipulate her systems to avoid getting pregnant. Now, it seemed as if she had discovered another limitation - she couldn't do that to herself, or, at least in reproduction terms.

Now, she could hear her parents outside her door. "Ughhh" she groaned. Now was not the time to bug her.

"Meiko sweetie, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm okay. Just not feeling well, that's all." She replied to her mother, standing outside the door. The middle aged woman stepped away from the door, only to meet a blue haired man near her bedroom hallway.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Of course. Everyone knows what throwing up in the bathroom means." Came his reply. "She's a good girl, but she did stay out the other night, and I'm pretty sure she was at someone's house"

"Reiji's, I believe" he quickly finished. "I know she's got a close connection with him. Just like her mother. Going after boys with dark blue hair" he joked. Nozomi shot him a look. "So do you think she's…"

"Pregnant? Definitely" Aki sighed. "all we can do now is...*sigh.. stand by her. She's already stressed, probably trying to think of excuses to hide it from us" he said. Nozomi could only agree.

"You're right. For us it'll be like raising her all over again, that is, if she looks like her mother" she cracked a light smile at Aki. "I wasn't ready to be a father figure all over again, but... If the child inherits her powers, then it is important that we help her teach her to make sure she doesn't end up usin -" she quieted as the teen stepped out from the bathroom.

Meiko didn't say anything, but had a clear look of distress on her face. She looked up in surprise to see both of her parents looking at her with authority and disappointment in their eyes. "Dad, Mom, I'm.."

"..." Aki said. "We know."

"I…." she saw no reason to hide it anymore. In a few months, everyone would see something bulging from her abdomen. The gossipers would lay down a fresh wave of insults and teasing, alongside what they already picked on her about. Being a lone wolf wasn't really a good choice - they'd make fun of her and follow her around, and only Reiji was there for her, but he couldn't stop all of them. If anyone found out about this, both of them would be the lowest of the low. Reiji would leave her. The kids would never stop. The wonderful image that her sensei on campus had of her was going to be destroyed.

"Yes" she said. "I…I slept with Reiji two nights ago, my first time and only time" she began to tear in her eyes. "I'm sorry I disappointed you, and I accept it if you disown me" she said.

"Well" her parents surprised her with what they said next. "Although you're a good student, and a good daughter, we are very disappointed in you - We taught you better than that!" Tears flowed silently from her eyes. "But we won't stop being your parents over this. This happens a lot in other parts of the world, but you just did something wrong, and we're glad that at least you can acknowledge it" said her father. Nozomi nodded, stroking her hair to calm her daughter. "We still love you, and we have agreed to stand by you with this child" she glanced over at Aki. "Even if it kills us" she ended it with a sigh.

If they didn't stand by her, she might bring her up incorrectly, and the child might have become a powerful one bent on destruction and end up hurting others. They trained her when they found out, and if they didn't, the world could be at stake - fortunately, she had come out as an amazing daughter. The church they went to was to help her know what she should act like, as well as to follow 'godly' standards to keep her in line with doing good.

"Thank you" she said in a tear strained voice. "For being understanding with what I've done" she said.

"Does Reiji know?" her father asked.

"No" she said. "I don't think I can tell him…" she said. "I…I was thinking of putting the child up for adoption" she said sadly. Aki and Nozomi looked at each other. "Are you serious? The child will never know her parents! She'll end up doing bad!"

Meiko cast her eyes down. "I know, and I hope that doesn't happen" she said. Nozomi shot him a look that made him become soft. "But, originally, I was thinking about an abortion" she admitted through shame as they gaped at her. "But I realized it was my child"she said, suddenly thinking about Rei. "Our child"

"Well dear, I think you made the right decision - I certainly hope you know what you are doing" she said, patting her on the back. In this situation, she was going to have a lot to worry about.

Later that day, Meiko's mother had a long talk with the principal of her School, in which she explained everything, and spoke to both Meiko and her father. Knowing Meiko personally for being a good kid softened the blow, but inevitably, there was arguing and some disagreement. After the heated conversation, he worked out a cover to keep Meiko away from school during the pregnancy for obvious reasons. Not only that, but he was one of those who knew Meiko was a Shaper, and she had done some things for the Principal to benefit the school and community that no one knew about, so it was time for him to pay her back - not only that, but the presence of a new, infant Shaper in this world needed care as to avoid mass destruction.

"How long will she be gone again?" The principal tapped his hand on the desk. Nozomi and Aki sat in their chair, trying not to fidget. "A year and a half" they said. "Or, at least until the baby is due."

"Well" he took a pen and scratched a date from his book. "You are really breaking my back" huffing, he rewrote something into a box in the next month. "But I didn't see this coming. Not from Meiko" he sat back. Nozomi stole a quick glance at Aki, giving a worried look. "She's a good kid. I didn't think she'd...you know"

"We know" they said together. Aki made the move to speak next. "Up until a few days ago, she was acting like her normal self. I mean, we didn't know she had planned this out with him!"

"Yeah, well..." he gazed out the window. The bell had rung, and the students were bound to make it outside soon. "This kind of thing...it happens a lot in the western world" he stood up, making his way towards the sunlight. "People don't take pregnancy seriously, which is a shock to me, because Meiko is extremely smart and shy, though she's a loner. If she really thought that myth about it being impossible to get pregnant after a period is true, then, well...I'm sorry, but she's stupid"

The words shot through Aki's heart, but found a spot in Nozomi. They really didn't want to argue, since he was the saving grace in this situation. "I know" Aki said with a tone of shame. "We had a talk about it, and, she knows better now" he coughed. "Hopefully she doesn't do it again"

"Well, I hope not" he watched as Reiji walked with his friends to the parking lot. "This...I shouldn't even be doing this. It's really going to mess things up, well, academically for her, at least. Unless she's really good at teaching herself, this is going to be lots of work"

"And we aren't going to have to check that, right?"

He thought for a second. "Wait...I tell you what. Every weekend, see if you can drop it off over here" he pointed to the main office on a desk map. "Or, if that's not possible, have her use her powers to do so"

"Got it. Thank you so much, Principal" Nozomi said in a whisper. Ishii closed his eyes and nodded. "Please call her in. I'd like a word with her."

Meiko was outside of the office, in the secondary waiting room. Since it was joined to Principal Ishii's office, only he could stick people in there, and that was good. She was used to being alone. Suddenly, the principal talking about her powers perked her ears. A short time passed, and the door opened, where Aki stood, motioning for his daughter to come forward.

"Mr. Ishii wants a word with you" he said. A slightly grim look was in his face, and she braced herself for whatever was coming next. Meiko walked out into the office with a shy, guilty look in her eyes, holding the front of her uniform with two hands. She sat down where Aki sat, and Principal Ishii blinked a few times. An awkward silence drifted through the room, and no one was able to blow it away.

"Meiko" he said solemnly. "I understand the trouble you're in right now...Nevertheless, I want you to think about what you're doing, or for that matter, who you're doing" he smirked. Meiko let out a nervous laugh. "But really" he straightened himself out, losing the smirk. "I can only hope that you won't do this again, since I don't control you, but please, please don't repeat this even again" he said. "I worry not only for you, but for the people around you. I am breaking my limits in what I can help you with, so your current teachers will suffer as well, and I am also concerned for your child as well" he pointed to her stomach. "I will do everything I can, but I want you to be more wise in these decisions" he raised his eyebrows. "Reiji is the father, right?"

"Yes, and I love him very much" the truth in her voice reached his ears and his heart. "I see. Does he know he's going to be a father?"

"No, and for now, I don't want him to"

"Why? The child is his responsibility too."

"I know" she said. "But, with the current circumstances, I was thinking of adoption" she said. Although he knew at heart she was kind and loving, Meiko sounded pretty selfish, ditching her child for reputation and relationship. The principal's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure a family could take care of her or him, better than I can now" she said. Even though she was strong in her answer, he could see the regret in her eyes.

"Well, I hope you make the right choice. Like I said, I can't control you" he picked up a paper and gave it to her. "Get this signed by all your sensei before you return it to me" he said. The buzzer rang, and he gazed in it's direction. "Well, Meiko" he stood up and brushed himself off. "You take care now. I have to run, but I'll be back. Get that paper signed" he said. Meiko bowed. "Thank you Principal Ishii" she said. Her parents did the same. He offered a smile, and ran out, leaving the three of them standing there, looking at each other.

After dinner, the family reviewed the plan of action, with Nozomi talking. She explained what would happen now that Meiko had a child on the way.

"Okay, so the principal is working with your student teachers to make a lot of work for you, as well as an excuse for you under the guise that all of us are going to see my father, who is 'dying', and will be gone for a year and a half to take care of him" she said. Meiko nodded. It sounded convincing, and it would probably work with the students. However, she sighed as the thought of a mountain of homework was about to fall on her.

"It's just…I don't want to tell Reiji because, I don't want our relationship to be broken apart, and, I think I want to tell him when our child gets older, and then we can see him or her" Her parents understood. Reiji was a great boy – he had earned their trust and favor in her parent's eyes. After all, both were pretty good kids. "Alright. Now, enough of this, let's get ready for tomorrow" Nozomi smiled and stood to leave. Aki patted Meiko on the back as they stood. "It's alright sweetheart" he said. "I know you have a lot going on in your mind, but your mother and I don't want to add any bad energy to that right now" he hugged her as she smiled. "Thanks Dad" she said softly. He put a hand on her stomach, which held a developing baby inside. "In here is my grandchild" he said. "And we will always love it - boy or girl"

Meiko smiled. She wondered what it was going to be. She didn't even want to use her powers to spoil it for her, so she decided she would just wait.

The next day, after church, Meiko called all her friends and told them the 'news', to which they all replied with empathy - or at least she hoped.

"I'm sorry about your grandfather"

"I'll pray he gets better!"

"Good luck, and tell him I said to keep strong!"

And finally, she scrolled down to the last person on her phone contact list.

Reiji.

"Hello?"

"Reiji"

"Meiko"

"I'm sorry, but…I won't see you for a year and a half. I'm sure you heard about it from everyone"

There was audible shuffling heard on his side of the line. "Are you" A loud shuffle resounded. "Please don't tell me..."

"No. I'm just taking care of my grandfather for a year and a half. The doctors don't give him much longer to live" she said sadly. "Ahhh" he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll miss you"

"I'll miss you too" he said. "Can you at least come to say goodbye to me one last time?"

Meiko hesitated. "Oh..Okay" she said. "How about at twelve?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon, darlin'"

Three hours later -

A knock was heard on the door. Reiji answered it, to find a tall, sky blue haired teen at it.

"I…I just came to say goodbye"

"Ahh" he hugged her. "At least call me sometimes, let me know how you're doing" he patted her two times. "Let me know how he is, okay?"

"I will" she smiled. "You call too" A feeling of hunger began to gnaw at her, letting her know her developing embryo was hungry.

He smiled and hugged her again, pulling her into a tight kiss. "Don't worry - remember I'll always be with you, no matter what!" he said.

Even if I'm pregnant? She thought, but brushed the thought aside as she reveled in his warmth. "I'll always love you too" she smiled. "I hope your grandfather gets better, I'll keep him in my prayers at church" he let go of her hand. "Thank you" she said softly.

"Hey" he said. "What about I visit you once in a while and see how you're doing?"

Uh oh. Meiko wasn't really prepared for this.

"Mmmm...I...I can see, but I don't know if they would let you come over..."

"Oh" he felt a slight feeling of rejection. "I'll just call you, okay?"

"Yeah" she got slightly closer to him.

"Oh wait!' he smiled "I'll see you in my dreams"

Meiko was about to reject, but she remembered it was a dream - she could change whatever she looked like to avoid his suspicion. "Alrighty" a smile graced her.

Reiji bid her one final goodbye, and they both parted.

It would be a while until they met again.

.

.

.

A lot had happened during the coming four months: Meiko had gone to live at her cousin's house three miles away from home, and had been developing more, as Aki and Nozomi saw her mature and change into a different person (Although she still had a selfishness bout here and there), as well as experiencing a lot of emotional stress - from the changes in her body, continuing to maintain her moral, and from the work she had to do.

"URRHH!" she snapped the pencil in half, and used her powers to put it back together. The problems were painful to look at, and her hunger wasn't exactly helping either. Aki came into the room holding a pack of Pocky sticks. She thanked him and took it from him in an almost animal-like craze.

"You having problems with that hon?"

"Yeah" she demolished five sticks. "I don't know how to answer this - I can't even think right now"

"Why don't you use your power to help you?"

"I can't" she groaned. "I've tried to do that, but I can't mess with my mind or anyone else's"

"Heh" he sat down. The writing was definitely hard to process. "Is this something Reiji would know?"

"Yeah" she said. Meiko's expression changed as she realized something. "Hey" she straightened up. "What if our child has his power and mine? It'd be set for life"

Aki winced at the use of 'It' in her sentence. Then again, his interest steered towards Reiji's powers. "Why? What kind of power does Rei have?"

"Mmm...Telepathy" she stuck a Pocky into her mouth, breaking it. "He can get information off of people and he uses it for his classes" she noticed her father raising an eyebrow. "No! He doesn't use it for harm! It's not like he can erase things or literally 'take it' away from people!"

"Alright" he said. "Besides, I know he's a good boy" he ruffled her hair. "I wish I could help you with that, but... I don't know anything about the kind of work you're reading up on" a light grin appeared on his mouth, unbeknownst to the tealette.

"Well, thanks for the pocky sticks" she noticed he had a smile on his face, but she didn't know for how long.

The smile widened, and he stood up, running away. "You're welcome...Kami-chan" Meiko gritted her teeth and growled.

"DAD!" she threw the box at him, but he was gone. She could hear her mother and father giggling around the corner. Oh, how she hated that name. It made her feel like she was something other than human.

Meanwhile, at her school, Reiji was reading by the windowsill when Makoto and Hiro sat near his desk. "So" the redhead said. "You gonna tell us what happened?"

"Hmm?" he lowered his book and saw their grinning faces. "What? Haven't you heard?"

"What?" Rei called back, annoyed. "There's a bunch of people saying you two are going out"

"And who's saying that?" he raised his voice. Some of the kids looked at him, some of them whispering.

"Well, I don't know - I'm just hearing it" Hiro said. "And some say you got her pregnant"

"No way!" he tossed the book down. "We didn't do anything!" he looked like he was going to pull out his hair. Hiro saw something in his eyes that told him otherwise. "You sure?"

"Yes, and I'm not joking! We just spent the night together at the festival, and that's it!" everyone was looking at him now.

"Shhhh" Migita Sensei in the corner of the room raised her hand in front of her face and extended a finger, signaling for the blue haired teen to simmer down. "Ah..." Makoto nodded. "I saw you two at the Kingyo sukui stand"

"And I saw you running away from it" he shot back telepathically. Makoto's eyes widened and he jumped back upon hearing that voice, and he collided into a desk which sent both of them to the floor.

"It was you" Makoto said stunned. At this point, the three students were the main focus of the class, and Migita Sensei simply stood and planted a detention note on Makoto's chest. Hiro grimaced, his eyes showing jealousy through his dark purple bangs. "I'm the only one of us without powers" he said, raising his hand to look at it. "You guys got lucky"

"No" he put a hand on his shoulder in a pat. "You're lucky to be normal. Zeroes like Makoto and I are treated worse than a normal person." he said. Hiro nodded. "I know. I'm sorry" he said. Rei shook his head. "Don't be" he said as Makoto got up. "And you" he pointed. "Stop looking at girls' underwear"

The redhead blushed madly, and he made his way out of the room despite judgmental stares. "I wonder why he's so immature" Rei said. "I dunno. I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier."

"You're fine" he said. At that moment, the pink haired flying girl came up to him. "Hi Rei" Chi barely whispered. "Could you help me with this problem?"

"Sure" he thought quickly. The problem wasn't too hard. He looked over at his sensei. "What's the history of Tokyo?"

Reiji used his powers to 'Peer' into his sensei's head. "I'm not going to answer that" Migita Sensei put down his paper for a slight while. Even though he wasn't going to answer the question, Migita was already thinking about it. Reiji took that thought and shoved it into his head. Turning back to Chi, he assumed a smart tone. "Well, to start off, Tokyo began about 400 years ago... "

Back at her cousin's house, Meiko was sitting down on the bed, cradling her swelling stomach. Nozomi came in and sat next to her. She laughed when she saw the tealette rubbing her belly.

"So" Nozomi asked. "What are you going to name your child?"

"I have no idea" she said. Nozomi understood. This was going to be a hard part of the pregnancy.

"I have a life inside of me" she said, cradling her bulging stomach. "My baby" she smiled, thinking of the wonderful life that she would have if things weren't different. She would have used her powers to make life easier, but everyone would know, and it wouldn't be a secret she was a shaper anymore. They would take her and her daughter away and experiment on her, or kill them. The only option was better than that.

Aki came in, holding a paper. "So" he sat down next to Nozomi. "I got a private nurse to help with the delivery" she nodded. "I'll see what I can do about a birth certificate" he put his hands on his knees.

"It will be legal, right?" she whispered. Aki nodded. "Your child will have a name, don't worry" he reassured her. "Thank you" she smiled at them. Aki and Nozomi nodded. "You're welcome" they swallowed her with a group hug. It would only be a few months until she had a new life in her arms.

Five months passed, and soon Meiko began to feel the birth pains that signaled the end of a pregnancy.

A sudden pain ripped through her, and she let out a cry of pain, prompting Nozomi to run to her side.

"Ohhhh it hurTS!" she yelled as she gripped her stomach. Aki came to see his daughter, and he slowly put two and two together. "Get the phone" Aki didn't have to be told twice. Nozomi kept her hands on her daughter. "Breath easy" she petted her. Meiko wheezed and bellowed, feeling the pain arching through her. She heard a buzz on the table above her, and pointed to it.

Nozomi retrieved it. Reiji was the caller.

"I'M NOT HERE!" she screamed in agony. Nozomi nodded, and pressed the answer button.

"Hey Mei" Reiji's voice resounded, containing perkiness. "Meiko's not here - can you call later?" Nozomi asked. "Oh..Sorry" Rei's voice cut off. The call ended , and Aki came out. "The nurse is coming, jus hold on!"

"Good" Nozomi clenched Meiko's hand as another wave of pain went through her. "AHHHGGHH!" she hollered, face contorted in pain.

"Just hold on sweetie" she whispered. Meiko nodded as a car was heard pulling into the garage.

"Babe" Aki said, holding Meiko's hand. "You may want to change into your other form" she shifted into her sky-blue palette. "And you may want to numb yourself"

The nurse ran into the house, and the process began.

Seven hours later, Meiko was holding her newborn child.

And it was a girl.

Which made her very happy and sad at the same time.

"Hello!" she smiled with joy as she took her child from the home nurse's hands. As the nurse left, she bid the new grandparents and Meiko a great time, and the best of luck. A birth certificate would be delivered in a few days, but they'd have to come up with a name for her within the next twenty hours.

The tiny baby resembled her mother, but she also looked like Reiji. A birthmark on her inner wrist confirmed it, and she looked closer. It was Reiji's family birthmark, so he would definitely know it was his daughter if he saw it...

"She's so adorable" Nozomi said, as the baby used her tiny hands to take hold of her mother's hair. "I'm proud to be her grandmother" she smiled at Meiko, who smiled back. "There's my granddaughter" Aki said as he finally joined the new mother and her child.

"Oh, look at her!" Aki was beaming with pride. "She has blue eyes from my side!"

"Umm, Dad, all babies have blue eyes for the first few months of their life" she said, letting the child take a look into her eyes. "So she has your eyes" Nozomi said.

"And your hair" Aki finished. He stroked the cheek of the little girl, who looked at him in wonder. He kissed her, and she scrunched her face in a smug look.

"Meew"

Everyone "awed" at the tiny noise her daughter made, which sounded like a kitten's mewing for it's mother. She began to cry, and Meiko unbuttoned her shirt to breastfeed. Aki and Nozomi gave her privacy as the tiny girl began to suckle. Meiko felt her heartstrings pull as she fed her only child. "Ooh, you're so cute" she cupped her daughter's face. "I'm really sorry" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes, as she thought about what she was going to do with her.

Nozomi came back in, and sat next to her daughter and granddaughter.

"I was thinking Senju" Meiko said, laying down. "After Reiji's mother. I wonder what the look on his face would have been if I said 'We're having a daughter, and she's named after your mother!" Nozomi laughed.

"Well, she'll definitely have the Hatsune name" she added.

"What about First sound of the Future?"

"Huh?"

"Our family name, Hatsune, means 'First sound', but why not name her Miku - it means "future" she said. "That way, she will have a good future, and success" she said. Meiko agreed. "That is a beautiful name" she said. The newborn's eyes seemed to pierce her soul with the irises that reminded her so much of Reiji.

"Then Miku Hatsune is her name"

She cradled the beautiful child. "Hello, my beautiful little Miku" she pressed her forehead up to her own, and she held the baby close before she pressed her daughter's nose to her own. She let out a tiny noise, and closed her eyes as she began her descent into slumber. A feeling that Meiko never felt before radiated through her, and her eyes watered. Could this be the feeling of being a loving mother? The shaper closed her eyes and rocked her daughter back and forth. The maternal love felt so amazing - she no longer thought that anything was more important than her new baby.

Although she thought that now, her view of being a loving mother would disappear when the hard work began. Until then, she would bask in this amazing feeling.

Meiko laid down on the bed, which was clean now, and fell asleep with her daughter on her chest.

"Goodnight sweetie"

Timeskip: Two months later.

Meiko was preparing to go to the orphanage, feeling sick from her choice.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Meiko nodded. If she didn't do this, she would be the scum of the society - then Reiji would leave her - and she was the love of his life.

Then again, she already was the scum of society for what she was doing.

But wait - what about this baby? Her own daughter?

It was one or the other - Reiji, or Miku.

"I'm sorry" she put the baby in the carrier. There were many words going through her head, but none more than the word 'SELFISH'

Nozomi pulled up near the edge of the orphanage, where it would be difficult to see them. Nozomi took her granddaughter once more in her hands, and looked the tiny girl in her grasp.

"I'm going to miss you, and although I disagree with your mother, I can only give you the best of luck and wishes." She kissed the tiny infant on the forehead. "I love you Miku" she said softly. With that, she handed Miku back with a hint of a frown on her face. Meiko took the tiny girl, and she hugged her in her bosom in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry" she let her tears fall from her beautiful face. "I'm so sorry"

Meiko stepped out from the car, shuddering, and held Miku once more before she set her carrier near the door.

"I'm sorry sweetheart" she caressed Miku on her forehead, running a finger over her soft, adorable cheeks.

"I love you, but…It's just that I can't…" she began to cry softly. "I can't..be for you" she heard Miku coo lightly. "I love you so much, dear" she set Miku's carrier on the steps. "I'll miss you" she cried loudly now. Miku began to cry for her mother, and Meiko could not bear it, running into Nozomi's car as it took off. Meiko couldn't control herself, and Nozomi pulled off onto an empty street to comfort the troubled teen.

Moments after the crying, the orphanage opened, and a green haired woman came out to see where the crying had come from.

"Oh!" the Vocaloid perked up, and bent to pick up Miku. Miku stopped crying when the emerald haired woman grasped her. "You sure are a cutie" Miku grasped the locks of green hair, and stopped when she discovered that it wasn't her mother's, causing her to cry.

"There, there, it's alright…" she stared at a small envelope in the carrier, squinting to read it.

"Miku Takahashi Hatsune" she whispered. Holding the crying bundle close, she grabbed the carrier with the note and shut the door.

"Don't worry" she made ticking noise and smiled to calm the infant down. "I'll be your new mother now"