Characters: Koizumi Akako and Hakuba Saguru

Title: Something a Husband Should Never See

"Uh doctor?" Hakuba whispered cautiously from behind the obstetrician, causing him to turn around with a raised eyebrow

"Yes Hakuba-san what do you need?" Hakuba darted his eyes around the hallway in front of his wife's operating room, searching the depths of his mind for the right words

"I just…think you should know, my wife she's not…normal" the doctor chuckled lightly at Hakuba's seemingly melodramatic concern

"Hakuba-san relax, I understand your concern but it's best if you try to calm down and leave this to the professionals" Hakuba's anxiety grew further at the doctor's overly composed demeanor

"No doctor you're not listening I-"he was cut off by a nurse who walked out of the room beside them and tapped him on the shoulder

"Sir Hakuba Akako is going into labor we need you in the room" the doctor turned and nodded to her then turned back to Hakuba

"Well, this is it Hakuba-san. I think it would be best if you were there with her at this time, she'll be in a lot of pain" a stream of sweat streaked down the side of Hakuba's face as he swallowed hard and nodded to the doctor. The doctor smiled comfortingly at him, empathizing with his situation and led him into the delivery room. He was welcomed into the room by an ear-shattering shriek from the mouth of his usually beautiful and soft-spoken wife

"Saguru!" he felt a strong tingle work its way up his spine at the sight of his lover. He hesitantly approached her and, in a bold move reached out and grasped her hand. He was relived to see the pain and fury in her features subside and give way to a subtle grin

"How are you doing?" he solicited with genuine concern, staring deep into her eyes. She turned her head to face to the ceiling and pressed the lids of her eyes together

"It hurts, Saguru, but it's nothing too serious yet" Hakuba kissed her hand and began to caress the top of it with his thumb. She let out a soft sigh and turned back to him "did you tell the doctor?" Hakuba knew what she was referring to but feared the answer he knew he had to give her

"N-No…" she looked at him in a combination of disappointment and confusion

"Why not? Do you know what that means?" Hakuba hung his head in shame as his wife scolded him

"Gomen Akako I was trying to tell him but we were interrupted when the nurse told him you were going into labor" Akako rolled her eyes and pressed the back of her head firmly against her pillow

"This is going to get very bad Saguru…" Hakuba continued his ministrations and set her a worried gaze. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced when her grip on his hand tightened ten fold and her face contorted in pain. Without thinking he responded to her grasp by squeezing her hand with just as much strength. After a few strained groans of pain the contraction passed and Akako slowly caught her breath.

"How far apart are the contractions?" the doctor asked professionally as the nurse thumbed through the clipboard in front of Akako's hospital bed

"Um…approximately three minutes sir" the doctor grabbed his chin and mulled over the information. After a few moments of silent thought he strode forward and approached Akako on the side of the bed opposite Hakuba

"How are you feeling?" Akako's eyebrows curved as she was understandably annoyed by the ridiculous question

"Wonderful you idiot! How do you think I'm feeling!" Hakuba quickly brought his head up beside hers and began whispering encouragements into her ear. The redness in her face gradually faded as his words of comfort seeped into her psyche. She leaned her head against his and kissed his temple gratefully. Their pleasant moment was brusquely impeded upon by another contraction which caused Akako to roar out in agony. As her pain drew on a few utensils on the operating table beside the bed began to shake and the fluorescent lights above their heads flickered a few times. Once her misery subsided these phenomenon ceased, leaving all those present on the room thoroughly terrified.

"Uh n-nurse go to maintenance and have them bring someone up here now" the obstetrician commanded with horror and concern laced in his voice. The nurse complied with his request and rushed out of the room. Once she was out of sight the doctor turned back to face the pregnant woman

"Gomen Hakuba-san, we'll have this matter cleared up in a moment. Until then just try to control your breathing and stay calm" Akako still had her eyes gripped shut as she slowly recovered from the contraction. Once her breath had leveled she once again glared at the doctor angrily

"Could you please remind me why I'm not being given any pain remedies" the obstetrician gazed at her in fear, analyzing her face which was worn and sweat ridden. He choked on the saliva in his throat and hesitantly muttered

"B-Because you refused morphine…" Akako's eyes lit up in rage and her hair literally stood up. Hakuba cringed as his wife's 'darker' side came forth and made itself known. Her eyes darkened and she tweaked her head to the right

"I told you I couldn't use your medicine, that's why I have my own" she barked, never breaking her stare with the now trembling doctor. By this point he had already backed up to the wall on the opposite end of the room and was clinging it for dear life

"B-B-But ma'am as I told you earlier we can't allow the use of holistic medicines here, it's a hospital" hardly an instant passed after he finished his statement before the lights in the room began to flicker again. While this was going on the table beside Akako's bed which had previously quivered for no apparent reason began to shake violently, causing all of the equipment on it to scatter on the floor

"Akako…" Hakuba whispered gently in her ear, trying to calm her down. Unfortunately his thoughtful attempt had no effect on her as her eyes rolled back into her head. Observing this the doctor did as any wise man would do and sprinted full speed out of the room waving his arms in absolute horror. Hakuba placed his head in his hands as the gravity of the situation slowly dawned on him 'my wife is a witch, she's minutes away from giving birth and our doctor just abandoned us. What am I-'his thoughts were interrupted by an ear-piercing scream from Akako. Although she had no way of communicating her condition considering her…condition, he knew that the time had come and he had to do something. Thinking quickly he, by the grace of God, managed to release his hand from Akako's death grip and walked around to the front of the bed. Her legs were already in position and a sheet was draped across her lower body to block any unwanted viewing. Hakuba shuddered at the thought of what he was about to witness but as another shriek escaped the lips of his wife he knew what he had to do. In a moment of courage, love and a degree of stupidity Hakuba lifted the sheet hanging from Akako's lower legs and peered into what a husband should never have to set eyes on. He held back any feelings of disgust or uneasiness and focused on the task at hand. Though he had absolutely no experience with delivering children Hakuba was an intelligent man and he possessed enough common sense to know what he needed to do. 'There's the head' he confirmed internally as he wiped the sweat from his brow "Okay love, push!" he roared demandingly, hoping his voice might penetrate the trance she currently in. Whether by his words or by her own intuition she pushed and a much more pleasant cry filled the room. With that sound the lights in the room normalized and the quaking on the ground ceased. Akako's eyes returned to their usual red and her hair gently trickled back down into its regular place, though not without some ruffles.

"Saguru…" she whispered with an innocent look in her eyes. Without any need for an explanation Hakuba brought the child, which was now clad in a white towel over to her and placed it in her arms

"You're a mother now" he said with a warm smile which returned without taking her gaze off of the baby

"And you're a father" the room fell silent as they both basked in the ambiance of the moment. However the sound of a door creaking was soon heard in the room

"Uh I was told there's a problem with the lights…"