Thank you again to those who reviewed! On to the next chapter! This one probably looks familiar to anyone who read the original! It's a little shorter, but I hope you like it!

By the way: potential spoiler alert for a certain dog related movie...you'll see what I mean.

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Chapter 3 - Meeting the Folks

Just over a week had passed since their argument. Kai was acting more civil towards Rei, but was clearly still unhappy about the situation they were in. He seemed to be at least trying. He was wearing the pregnancy clothes he'd been given, as he was told. Even though he felt weird about it. Tyson had made fun of him once. He instantly was made to regret it. And it hadn't been brought up since.

Tao had set Kai a training plan to suit his 'condition'. It was far below Kai's standards.

Only running for 15 minutes?! What was he? An old lady? No practice matches, only drills, but not too many...how was he supposed to work with that?

He'd stick to it in front of the others...sort of...he'd up it a little and just lie, telling them it was Tao-approved...for his own sanity. He'd also upped the rest of the teams work, just out of spite. If he couldn't work, they'd have to do extra.

They finished for the day. The others a lot more worn out than him...because he'd barely done anything. He was frustrated.

He and Rei went back to their house. The two of them preparing lunch together in the kitchen.

Rei kept making nervous glances at Kai.

"What is it?" Kai finally asked, annoyed at his constant glancing.

"I...have something I want to talk to you about."

"I guessed that. What is it?" he repeated.

Rei put the knife down and lead him to sit with him at the table.

"Well...we've been here coming up two weeks now."

"I'm aware..."

"And...I still haven't been to see my parents yet..."

Kai suddenly saw where this was going. He didn't like it.

"So..." Rei continued nervously, "I think it's about time I introduced you to them...you are carrying their grandchild after all...we can't hold off forever."

Kai knew this was coming. He just chose to ignore it.

"Fine...let's get this over with..." he said in his moody voice, but it held a hint of nervousness.

Rei cracked a smile and kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't worry, they'll love you..."

Kai let out a slight chuckle as if you say "yeh, right."

"Oh, they will!"

"I don't think it's me they'll love..." Kai answered, rubbing his still flat stomach.

"Well of course they're going to be excited about that too. But they're gonna like you too."

"Yes. Because I'm such a charming, loveable son of a bitch..." Kai said sarcastically.

Rei laughed, "Well...maybe it would help if you turned down the Sourpuss dial..."

"I'll do my best..." Kai gave in.

"Perfect! I should probably go see them first, let them know we're coming..."

Later that day, Rei headed to the house he grew up in. He couldn't help but smile as he approached. This was home.

He took a breath and knocked on the door.

"Just a second!" came the familiar voice of his mom.

The door opened. There she was. Rei grinned.

"Rei!?" she let out, shocked to see her boy there.

"Hi mom! I'm home!"

Tears of joy instantly brimmed in her eyes as she pulled her son in to her arms.

"It's been so long..."

"I know, I'm sorry...but I'm back for a while!"

His mom let out a little sob of happiness to here it.

She ushered him in and called up to his dad.

He quickly came down the stairs.

"Rei! What a nice surprise!"

"Hey dad!"

"Come on in! Have a seat!"

The three of them sat, catching up about the what they'd been up to since they last met.

"Actually, there's something I need to tell you both..." he began. The small talk was done. It was time to tell them.

"Oh?" his dad asked, intrigued.

"I...met someone."

They both stiffened.

"...you did?" his mom said curiously.

"Yeh! His name is Kai. We've been together a little over a year now...He's here actually...I was wondering if I could bring him to meet you...we sort of have something we want to tell you."

The parents looked at each other before looking back.

"Well...of course! Why don't you bring him over for dinner tonight?"

Rei's eyes lit up.

"That'd be perfect! Are the others around too?"

"Yes, we'll make sure your grandparents and uncle are here too..."

"Great! Well, I'd better get back and let Kai know...so see you tonight?"

"Yup...come by around 6..." his mom instructed.

Rei left. Leaving the two sat in silence as they stared at each other worriedly.

"Maybe they're not too serious..." Yui finally said, hopefully.

Rei made a quick stop at the hospital to see Aoba in the maternity unit where he was working. He knew Kai would be needing something for tonight. It was important after all.

He head back to the house.

When he got back, he smiled as Kai seemed to have dozed off on the sofa. He looked like a different person when he was sleeping. He looked peaceful.

He gently shook his shoulder.

"Kai?"

"Hn?" Kai's eyes cracked open. He stretched and sat up.

"We're going over tonight. That OK?" he announced excitedly,not giving him a chance to come to.

Kai was suddenly wide awake.

"Tonight?! That soon?"

"Yeh, why not? Get it done."

"I guess..." he said, clearly nervous.

Rei held out another paper wrapped package.

"Here. You should wear this."

Kai opened it. It was another tunic but a deep, vibrant red. Same symbol on the sleeve.

"The red ones are for formal things. Such as meeting the parents." he explained, smiling.

Kai just sighed. "Yeh...fine." He didn't seem to enthused about the whole thing.

The sun began to set. The time Kai had dreaded had come. He appeared downstairs in his new red tunic, feeling even more stupid.

Rei looked up and smiled.

"Hey, you look great."

Kai sighed, "Let's just get this over with..."he said anxiously as he slipped on his jacket, eager to get going.

Rei took him by the hand and they left.

They arrived at the house and Rei knocked at the door.

"Ready?"

"No..."

"Relax, it'll be fine..."

The door opened, Rei's father stood at the door.

"Ah, you must be Kai! Pleasure to meet you, call me Ken." he said in a friendly voice, bowing.

"Uh..." Kai panicked, "nice to meet you, sir..." he said, bowing back.

Rei loved seeing this side of him. "Tough guy, my ass..." he thought to himself.

"Please! Come in!" he said as he gestured for them to enter, taking them to the living room.

Rei's mom was just coming in from the kitchen with a tray of tea.

"Hi! You must be Kai, I'm Yui, Rei's mom!" she said politely.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am..." he said back anxiously.

"Call me Yui, please. Don't just stand there, dear. Take his jacket." Yui said to her husband as she set the cups on the table.

"Oh, sorry, of course!" Ken said as he held his hand out.

Kai nervously took off his jacket, knowing what he was wearing underneath.

As expected, he slipped it off his shoulders and the two gasped. Yui dropped the tray as their eyes clocked the symbol on his sleeve. He froze, scared of what was to come.

"Rei?! You're...you..." she couldn't get the words out.

Rei smiled, this was always going to be a shock. He stood next to Kai and put a supportive arm around him.

"Yeh...we're having a baby. That's the news we wanted to tell you."

Before they even had a chance to react. The front door opened again.

"We're heeeerreee!" came cheery female voice.

"Who is that!?" Kai asked Rei nervously, not expecting anyone else.

Three people appeared in the doorway. An elderly couple and another man.

"Reiiiii! My boy!" came a happy voice. His grandma came towards him with her arms out.

"Hey nai-nai!" he addressed his grandma warmly with her pet name as he went in and hugged her. His grandfather joined in.

"Hi ye-ye, nice to see you, too."

The other man stood staring at Kai with his mouth open. Apparently the grandparents hadn't noticed yet.

"Uh...Rei...?" the man said.

"Uncle Zhu! Good to see you too!" he said before he noticed his uncle's eyes fixed on Kai.

"Guys, this is Kai..."

The grandparents turned to take a look at him and their faces dropped in surprise.

"...Rei...is he...?" his grandma asked, pointing and frowning and squinting as if struggling to see.

"Yes. He is. I know this is sudden but...Kai is my partner and we're...well...we're expecting!"

There was silence for a moment before his grandparents burst in to joyous laughter, patting Rei on the back. His grandma made her way over to Kai. Taking him by the arms. She was a lot shorter than him, only coming up to just under his shoulders.

"I've never heard of a non-Neko man getting pregant...but let me have a look at you my boy...my, my...aren't you exotic looking! Sure are a handsome devil, aren't you?" she said as she inspected him.

"A strapping lad, I see, too! Look at that flat stomach!" she patted him on the gut, "enjoy it while you can, you'll be kissing that goodbye soon enough!" she laughed.

"Uh...yeh..." Kai answered, unhappy at the reminder that he would be a whale in the no too distant future.

Rei snickered behind his hand.

Meanwhile, Uncle Zhu and the two parents looked a little less happy.

Grandma turned around.

"Well don't everyone just stand there! Give him a seat! Trust me, son, the more you're off your feet, the better!" she said as she pulled him to the couch and gently pushed him down.

Rei's mom Yui stepped back in to the kitchen as the rest of the family got settled, she brought out an incredible looking feast. She must have worked on it all day. Rei was sat to Kai's left, his 'interesting' grandma to his right. She shovelled heaps of food on to the two boy's plates.

"Eat up! Rei, you're looking skinny and Kai, you're eating for two!"

The two did as they were told.

Kai was actually glad the eccentric grandparents were there. Weirdly glad they were firing questions at him, asking him about where he was from and what his home town was like... talking normally...Kai couldn't help but feel like Rei's parents and uncle were not approving of him at all. They barely said anything. Would have been incredibly awkward if the weird old couple weren't there.

As dinner went on, they seemed to warm...ever so slightly. Still not what Kai imagined a first meeting with the parents to be like...not that he'd ever done it before.

They finished eating and the boys helped clear everything away.

They sat and let their food go down for a while. Kai really wanted to leave. He didn't like the atmosphere coming from the parents. Rei suddenly came to Kai's rescue.

"Well...better be getting back, Kai needs to rest after all!" he smiled.

"Of course, it was so good meeting you..." his mother said. Somehow Kai didn't believe her.

"You too, Mrs. Kon...thank you for the wonderful dinner. I see where Rei gets his skills in the kitchen." it was worth a shot trying some flattery.

"Oh, stop!" she blushed.

At least that gave him some points...

Once the two had left. Grandma put her hands on her hips and frowned at them.

"Now what was that?! The three of you had faces like thunder the whole night! You barely talked to the poor boy! He's not from here, this must be hard for the lad, the least you can do is make him feel welcome! What's the matter? Don't you like him? I thought he was a dear! A little on the shy side perhaps...but I'm sure once he gets used to us..."

Rei's dad finally spoke up.

"Mom...dad...there's something we never told you about...I think you'd better sit down..."

Rei and Kai made it back home. Kai relieved to be done with the first meeting.

"So...? How was it?" Rei asked.

"It was fine, I guess...you're grandparents are..."

"Unique?" Rei finished with a grin, "I know, they'll probably take some getting used to, but they really are great people. Hilarious too."

Kai chuckled, "Yeh...they seemed nice..."

"What's wrong?" Rei asked, sensing something off in his voice.

"It's just...I don't think your parents are that happy...they seemed really off the whole night..."

Rei waved it off, "Ah, it's probably just shock! I know them, give them time to let it sink in and they'll treat you like family!"

Kai blinked...that sounded...really nice...part of family...

"You tired yet?" Rei asked.

"Not really..." Kai answered, honestly.

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Why not? Got nothing better to do..."

Lee had kindly provided them with a TV. It seemed the White Tiger village was slowly getting more and more in touch with the rest of the world. They still held their traditions and values, but in terms of technology, they were getting better. They were no longer so closed off from the rest of the world.

Rei sat himself on the couch and waited for Kai to come down from upstairs. Ready to play one of the few DVD's Mariah had lent them.

Kai came in and slumped down next to him.

"What are we watching?" he asked.

"There wasn't much of a choice, so I picked this one. It's called 'Marley and Me', I've heard good things about it."

Kai shrugged, "Never heard of it..."

Rei hit 'play'.

It started off as a heart warming story about a man whose wife wanted a baby, but he got her a puppy for 'practice'. The puppy turned out to be quite a handful. The two chuckled at the dog's antics. This wasn't even really something Kai would ever be in to, but he liked it so far.

The movie went on. The couple had children, the family grew, the dog also grew and became more of a handful, getting them in to all sorts of trouble.

...And finally, the heart warming story turned tragic as the beloved rascal dog got sick in his old age.

Rei noticed Kai pick up one of the cushions from the couch and hug it as he watched intently. Eye's filled with concern.

Then the worst happened...the poor dog had to be put down. Breaking the hearts of the whole family to pieces.

The man hugged and gently petted his best friend as he lay on the vet's table, whispering his goodbyes with a shuddering, heartbroken voice...

"You know how we're always saying what a pain you are? That you're the world's worst dog? Don't believe it, don't believe it for one minute because you know we couldn't find a better dog... I love you, more than anything, you're a great dog. I love you."

Rei's eyes widened as he heard sniffing and heavy, broken breathing coming from next to him.

….No. Way.

He turned to see if it was real.

Oh, it was.

Kai clutched the cushion tight, tears streaming down his already soaked face, trying his best to calm his breathing.

"Holy shit...are you crying!?" he said as he hit pause.

"Shut up!" Kai barked at him in a crackly voice as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

"You...? Crying over a movie?" Rei couldn't quite believe it.

"I said shut up!" he said defensively, "I don't know w-what happened!" he continued as he still sobbed, apparently equally as shocked himself. "I was fine and then s-suddenly I was c-crying like a fucking actress!"

Rei couldn't help but laugh. "Well...I mean it is a sad scene..."

"It's really sad!" his voice strained as the tears began flowing again, "That poor guy i-is devastated! He had that dog as a puppy and now he's dead!"

Rei smirked and put his arm around his distraught boyfriend.

"I think someone is starting to get hormonal already..."

Kai cuddled in to Rei, something he rarely ever did. But he had an overwhelming need to be comforted. This was new. He didn't like it.

"You tell anyone about this, you'll end up like...that..that dog!" he said weeping again as he reminded himself about the dead dog.

Rei tried not to laugh too much, and rubbed his crying boyfriend's back and pressed play again, he wondered if there were any more emotional scenes to set him off...there were.

Then they buried and had an emotional little family funeral for the poor dog.

He bawled.

"Again...tough guy my ass..." Rei thought to himself smugly, as he watched the rest of the movie dry eyed.

Meanwhile, at the family house. Things were a lot less peaceful.

"I had my suspicions at the time of how it happened so miraculously. But I never thought you'd resort to that! How could you get Rei wrapped up with those people?!" Grandma shouted.

"I trust Rei has no idea about any of this?" Grandpa asked.

They shook their heads.

"We told you...we had no choice..." Yui pleaded for them to understand.

"Maybe so, but did you really think there wasn't a risk of this happening? Rei left the village, he was bound to meet someone! He was never meant to stay here! Did you never think maybe you should do something?! Or at least tell him!?" The old woman's voice erupted.

The three hung their heads.

"Well...the situation is as it is...the question is, where do we go from here?" Grandpa said, trying to keep the focus on the problem at hand.

"I think...I think we need to tell them..." Ken said as he felt a shudder go down his spine.

"You can't be serious!" Yui argued, scared.

"Think about it...think how much worse it will be if they find out elsewhere and know we kept it from them? The whole village must know about Rei and Kai by now...it's only a matter of time before the news spreads..."

Yui hated to admit it...but her husband was right.

The next day, three strange figures, a man and two women, arrived at the Kon's home. They gathered around in the living room as the parents explained. They didn't look happy at all.

"So you let him find someone else…?" The man said in a dark, almost snake-like tone. He held an eerie aura and his dark hair and jet black eyes only added to it.

The man's stony expression made Ken feel uneasy, and so did the icy glare of the equally intimidating looking woman with him who sent chills down Yui's spine.

"I say we take back what's ours…if they refuse to keep their end of the bargain, we must force them. We can't allow this." she spat furiously.

"…Not yet, my sweet…" The man said as he petted his wife's cat-like head, "I'm too much of a generous man for that…I'll give you one chance Kon…split them up or there will be a worse price to pay…"

"B-but Aeon…how do we do that? The boy is carrying Rei's child! They are inseparable now!" Ken argued.

"Well…we can always take care of the boy and the baby for you…our way is far more productive and satisfying…but of course you people find it immoral…"

"Oh father, why must we wait? Why give chances? You know how long I've waited!" said the impatient voice of a young woman, equally as strange looking as her parents, her eyes held a mucky green colour and body moved as though a combination of snake and cat, flexible yet seemed to almost slither as she walked.

"Because my darling Ivy, patience is a virtue…plus, won't you have more fun playing with the one who's causing the delay?"

Ivy huffed, "I guess…"

"Good girl…" Said Aeon lovingly to his daughter, "Now, Kon, I trust the marriage will still be going ahead, or you know what will happen…"

"…I understand…" Ken said as he bowed slightly.

The three got up and left the house smirking.

"…What are we going to do?" Yui panicked.

"Don't worry…we'll find a way around this!" Ken reassured her.

"But you heard them! They want to do something to Kai and the baby!"

"We won't let that happen...just...we need to think of something..." he said uncertainly as he took his wife's hand. "We got Rei in to this...it's only right we find a way for him to get out of it..."

The following morning, Kai walked himself tiredly to his t'ai chi class as he did every morning. He was slowly starting to get the hang of it, but tried to keep himself to himself. He was still him.

He sometimes hung out with Aoba a little after, if he was feeling in a particularly sociable mood.

This morning happened to be one of those rare days. He followed his new...friend...back to his place and took their usual place outside the house looking at the view.

Aoba set the tea down in front of him as always.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Kai asked, sheepishly.

"Of course."

"Do you...ever...cry over things you wouldn't normally cry over?"

Aoba burst out laughing.

"Ahhhh it's started already, huh? What set you off?"

Kai blushed a little.

"...a movie..." he admitted quietly.

"Ha! That's nothing. Just wait."

"What do you mean?!" Kai asked, scared.

"Put it this way...yesterday I burst in to tears because I couldn't find a sock. People don't cry over socks, Kai...pregnant people cry over socks..."

Kai's face looked terrified. He wouldn't get that bad, would he?

"And Tao thinks it'll be worse for you since you're not Neko."

Oh holy mother of God...

Aoba laughed at his frightened expression.

"It'll be fine. Everyone knows it isn't your fault. Don't worry about it."

"Great...thanks..." Kai mumbled.

"So...Tao wanted me to tell you something."

"Oh? What now?" Kai asked, wondering what horrible blow was coming next.

"Well remember how I told you this village really celebrates pregnancy?"

"I do..."

"Well, it just so happens that the village throws a festival twice a year for all the expectant moms."

Oh God. Again.

"The next one is in a few weeks, so you'll be expected to come and be adored by the whole village with the rest of us!"

"Sounds..."

"horrible, dreadful, terrible, god-awful, humiliating, horrendous, dire..." he said in his mind.

"...great."

"They're really fun! You'll have a blast!" Aoba said, as upbeat as always.

"...I can't wait..." Kai said, a little less upbeat.

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And there we are! A short chapter, but for those who read the original...you know where this is going!

I'm sorry if anyone hasn't seen Marley and Me and I ruined it for you...

Another note. Apparently 'nai-nai' and 'ye-ye' are the Chinese equivalent of 'granny' and 'grandpa'...could be wrong...I went on Google.

Comments would be appreciated as always! Thanks for reading!