-06-

Month 3

"The third month of pregnancy is typically one of the hardest, usually because you feel so rotten and yet don't feel pregnant."
Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, Guide

XXX

Looking at her face in the mirror, Shinobu sighs happily. It has been a while since she felt legitimately good. The past month has been quite rough as she's suffered from headaches and nausea, all clear signs of her early pregnancy. Interestingly, at least to her, was that her symptoms seemed to have diminished with the return of Keitaro several weeks prior. They became manageable instead of debilitating.

But today was the first day in a long time that she felt normal, at least as normal as a woman can towards the end of her third month. She steps back from the mirror, looking at her reflection critically, and frowns. Turning to her left, the blue haired girl pulls her black shirt up and pushes down the belt of her plaid miniskirt, exposing her stomach. Much to her chagrin, it is still flat as a washboard. Experimentally, she pushes her abdomen out in an effort to see what she might look like in a few months.

Sighing in frustration, she begins rubbing the area where the tiny life is growing. There is no way of knowing what is going on in there, yet. Since confirming her pregnancy, she has not been back to the doctor. Keitaro promised to accompany her on the next visit, which is scheduled for later this afternoon, but it does not seem like it is going to be possible. While her own symptoms diminished over the past weeks, the dark haired love of her life's wife is going in the opposite direction due to her own pregnancy. Constant headaches and vomiting are the order of the day right now, and it is keeping him on his toes.

A knock at her door startles her, and she pushes her shirt back down, haphazardly tucking it back in. Turning to the door with her hands behind her back, she announces that it is ok to enter. It opens, revealing a haggard looking Keitaro wearing blue jeans and a casual dress shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. He glances over at her with a slightly suspicious look on his face, then shakes it off. "Are you ready?"

Shinobu blinks in surprise. Keitaro had been running up and down the stairs since before breakfast fetching ice packs and washrags for Naru as she suffered through her pains. He had been so preoccupied that he even missed breakfast, so she is surprised to see him standing in her doorway ready to go. "What about Naru?"

Keitaro cringes at the sound of his wife's name. "Shhhhh! She's sleeping," he says after putting a finger to his mouth. "Do you have your shopping list as well?"

Shinobu gives him a quizzical look before understanding what he is asking. It is the excuse they need to get out of the Hinata Sou without raising any suspicion. Nodding in agreement, she steps over to her desk and picks up a piece of paper she used earlier to jot down some meal ideas. She can use that to come up with an ingredients list for when they arrive at the market. Keitaro waits patiently, then follows her as she leaves her room and enters the hall.

"KEITARO!"

The sound of his name echoes through the building as they reach the bottom of the stairs. The dark haired man sighs heavily. "I'll be right back," he says in defeat as he turns and runs back up the stairs.

Shinobu hears some snickering from the lobby. When she peeks in, she finds Naru's sister Mei sitting on the couch with Ema in front of the television. Both have their heads poked up above the back and were looking back at her. Shinobu smiles at the pair and stepped up to them. "What's so funny?"

"Naru and Keitaro," replies Mei, adding a small giggle for emphasis. "She's had him hopping up and down those stairs all morning!"

Ema nodded in agreement. "It's been pretty entertaining!"

Feeling a sudden wind, Shinobu turns just in time to see Keitaro dashing into the kitchen. The girls on the couch begin snickering again. "Probably after more cherry pie filling," comments Ema.

"Which is funny because Naru HATES cherries!" replies Mei before both girls succumb to giggling fits.

Moments later, Keitaro emerges from the kitchen with the predicted can of cherry pie filling in one hand, and a bottle of soy sauce in the other. "Looks like she wants to 'take it up a notch'," quips Ema as he rushes past them and back up the stairs. Both of the girls giggle and turn back to the television show they were watching before all this began.

As she watches him disappear, Shinobu's mouth begins to water. That actually sounds pretty good right now! She shakes her head to clear that thought. Her cooking senses tell her that there should be no way that combination could ever taste good. But she still cannot shake the idea that she should definitely try it, and makes a mental note to grab some more at the market.

"Shinobu?"

Hearing her name breaks her out of her ruminations. Glancing down, she sees both of the girls staring at her with nervous expressions. "Yes?"

At first they seem to teeter on whether to respond or bolt for the door before Ema seems to gather her courage and speak. "Umm, we were wondering…um…" The girl pauses as if to gather herself. "…um…have you been doing anything different….you know…to your face lately?"

Now it was Shinobu's turn to be nervous. Truthfully, she had seen some changes in her mirror, but was not sure if anyone else noticed. One symptom of pregnancy was that the influx of hormones it the mother's system could cause increased blood flow to vessels in their cheeks, which results in an attractive 'blush'. Additionally, the pores in the skin increase oil secretions, resulting in a waxy sheen on the face.

Mei nods in agreement. "Yeah, because your skin is so shiny right now, it's almost as if you are glowing!"

Reflexively, the blue haired woman touches her face. She so wants to run and hide, concerned that the two adolescents might be able to put two and two together. She understands their inquiry though, especially in Ema's case. When the girl arrived the year before, she suffered from acne problems that have since cleared up with the assistance of the other women staying in the Sou. The brown haired girl is still subconscious about it, though, and is always looking for something she can do to improve herself even more.

"Umm, I-I-I don't know w-what you mean?" stammers the bluenette, hoping that the girls did not press further.

Ema frowned at her and was about to respond when they were interrupted by Keitaro returning from upstairs. "Whew, hopefully she should be ok for…"

He gave a yelp as Shinobu grabbed his hand and quickly dragged him to the door and throws it open, shoving him out in the process. "That'sawemsometimetogobye!" she exclaims as the door shuts behind them, leaving the younger girls behind with perplexed looks on their faces.

XXX

"Nothing suspicious about that!" quips Ema as she turns back to the TV show her and Mei were watching before.

From the back corner of the lobby, Kitsune smiles at the remark from the younger girl. The fox woman had been there most of the morning, watching with growing amusement as the Kanrinin ran up and down the stairs tending to his pregnant wife. This last exchange, though, was most enlightening. I wonder if they are still….. The thought rattled around in her head for a few moments. She had to admit, going to the market was as good excuse as any for them to sneak around behind everyone's back. Sitting back, she goes over the route to the market in her mind, but cannot think of any love hotels that are along the way.

Jumping up, her first instinct is to follow. Stepping past the TV, she goes and opens the door, only to find that the duo is no longer in sight. Cursing to herself, she hurries down the long Hinata Sou staircase and heads off in the direction of the market.

XXX

Unbeknownst to Kitsune, Keitaro and Shinobu went to the train station and caught one heading in to town. The doctor Shinobu chose is deliberately out of the way in order to avoid accidentally booking the same one as Naru. As the pair sit on the mostly empty car, Shinobu leans in to the dark haired man, taking advantage of one of the few chances she gets to be close to him without being under the gaze of so many of their friends.

The weeks since Keitaro's return from America, she had made efforts to get close, but someone was always there. This kept anything more than friendly greetings out of the question. In the past, she could have counted on some accident bringing her into intimate contact with the man she loved. Even those incidents are now few and far between.

As she puts her head on his shoulders, she looks down longingly at his hands, which are clasped together in his lap. She so wants to take one of them into her own, wants to do something that makes them look like a couple. But his nervousness about the situation is apparent when she feels him stiffen when she makes contact.

Picking her head up, she looks at him. "What's wrong?"

Keitaro flinches slightly, as if he has been caught in something. "I'm sorry, it's….it's nothing."

Yeah, she has seen that look on him before, usually after returning from a trip provided courtesy of Naru Air. Obviously concerned about his feelings, a small part of her is happy at the opportunity to play girlfriend with him, if only for a moment. "Keitaro, I can tell something is bothering you."

As she presses, he cringes. Whatever it is, Shinobu can see it's bothering him quite a bit. "If it's about the baby, I already told you that I'm ok with whatever role you can provide." The bluenette reaches over and puts her hand on his, grabbing hold and squeezing. While she wants so much more, she knows that he cannot devote himself to her and their baby like he would to Naru. There is also no way she can ask or force him to be with her, either. That would hang over them for the rest of their lives, and likely end up with him resenting her for it.

So a few days after she told him about the baby, they discussed the situation and came to an agreement. While he would do what he could, when he could, his wife always had priority. In the intervening days since, he had done his best to sneak in when she was not feeling well to fetch her washrags for her head or massage her back. However, now that Naru is on summer break, his attention has been on her, leaving Shinobu to fend for herself for the most part.

Keitaro purses his lips, looking like he is having an internal debate about what to tell her. "It's just that….. forget it, it's stupid," he says as he looks away. Shinobu is about to retort when he turns back to her and smiles, disarming her completely. "Really, I'm fine." He punctuates that my turning his hand over and interlacing his fingers with hers.

So shocked is Shinobu at that simple gesture that she completely forgets what she is about to say. Instead she returns his smile and leans her head back on his arm, reveling in the closeness he is affording her. As the train stops at the next station, she hears an elderly woman remark to her husband about how the two make a cute couple as they depart. The blue haired woman sighs contentedly as the train starts up again, and they pass the rest of the trip in silence.

XXX

At the market, Kitsune wanders around aimlessly as she tries to find Keitaro and Shinobu. "Where the hell are they?"

XXX

Sitting in the waiting room of her doctor's office, Shinobu fidgets nervously. There are four other women waiting along with them. All of them are obviously well on the way with their own pregnancies, causing her some embarrassment. She knows it isn't logical for her to feel this way, but the fact that she is not showing at all makes her feel somehow out of place.

At least Keitaro is with her, though. On multiple occasions, she caught what looked like envious glances from the women at her and the man she loves. They are by themselves, most likely because their husbands are too busy with their careers to be here with their wives. Well, at least they have husbands.

"Shinobu Meahara?"

The sound of her name breaks her out of her thoughts. Looking up she sees a nurse standing at the entrance to the exam area. She smiles warmly as Shinobu stands and follows her, Keitaro right behind. After being weighed and her temperature taken, another nurse comes along and takes a blood sample. At first, the blue haired woman gets scared at all the tests that are being done. She calms down after Keitaro assures her that it is normal, having gone through the same procedures the week before with his wife.

Finally, they are left alone in an exam room. After what seems like an eternity, there is a knock at the door. Before anyone can respond, it opens.

"Greetings Mrs. Meahara, I am Doctor Ko," says the balding man as he enters, not bothering to look up from the chart he is reading. Under his white lab coat, he is wearing a dark blue polo and black pants. After a moment, he looks up and realizes that there is someone else in the room besides his patient. "And you are?"

"Keitaro Urashima." The dark haired man stands and bows respectfully.

The doctor gives him a slightly puzzled look after looking at the chart again. Shinobu can only imagine what must be going through the older man's head right now as he sizes them up.

"And you are…..?" asks the doctor, letting the question hang for a moment.

Before Keitaro can say anything, Shinobu blurts out, "The father!"

Doctor Ko looks at her, then to Keitaro, then back to his chart, frowning. Shinobu cannot help but think that the bald man may be judging them. Having a child out of wedlock was certainly frowned upon in certain circles, and she is afraid that the doctor is somehow looking down upon them as a result.

"Well, its confirmed kids, you're going to be parents! Congratulations!" Where once there was a questioning frown, now the doctor is all smiles. Shinobu lets out a breath she did not realize she was holding. The past few weeks, she had not really 'felt' pregnant, whatever that means. Having someone confirm it makes her feel a lot better. She looks over to Keitaro, who is smiling warmly back at her.

"So, Shinobu is it? Can I get you to lie back on the bed, lift up your shirt to just below your chest and unbutton your skirt?" She castes a questioning glance to Keitaro, who simply smiles and nods. After she does as the doctor asks, he pulls out a sheet and covers her legs and hips with it. He then proceeds to massage Shinobu's stomach, apologizing when she jumps a little when his cold hands touch her. "And when was the start of your last period?"

After Shinobu tells him, he simply nods and glances at the ceiling as he continues to massage her stomach. After a moment, he looks down and smiles. "Everything seems to be progressing well for the eleventh week. Uterus is just the right size. Any instances of bleeding to report?"

Shinobu shutters slightly. "No, why?"

"Well, bleeding is normal, but it can be a sign of a miscarriage. Almost a quarter of all first timers lose the fetus before the end of the first trimester." Doctor Ko steps back and washes his hands at the sink behind him. "My wife lost our first. It can be really hard on you even if you know it can happen."

"Was she able to have a baby later?" asks Shinobu.

"Oh yes, we have four children now," replies the doctor as he wheels a stool around to the side of the bed and sits down. Reaching into a drawer in the side, he produces a small bottle, setting it down beside the blue haired woman. He then produces a small device from his pocket that has a long coiled cord attached to it. On the end appears to be a microphone. "Ok, now, would you like to hear the heartbeat?"

Shinobu is suddenly apprehensive. After hearing the story of the doctor's wife's miscarriage, she worries how she might react if he cannot find it. "O-o-ok," she manages after a moment.

"Sorry, this may be a little cold," says the doctor as he squirts a small amount of clear jelly out of the bottle. He then explains that the microphone is called the transducer, which picks up the sounds of the baby's heart. When he turns it on, a sound almost like static fills the room. Shinobu's anticipation grows as he presses the microphone like device into her stomach and starts to move it around.

Only static can be heard.

The blue haired woman's hopes begin to sink as the doctor continues to move the device around without any results. Worriedly, she looks to Keitaro again, who is intently watching the doctor. Somehow, after this started, he has taken her hand and is holding it firmly. After a few minutes of probing, Doctor Ko removes the transducer and smiles. "Little guy must be hiding today."

A lump forms in Shinobu's throat as the doctor turns and writes something in her chart. "Is there anything wrong?" asks Keitaro. Silently, she thanks him as right now, her voice was failing her. Truth be told, she is terrified. What if that meant the baby wasn't really there? Or worse….

Seemingly reading her thoughts, Doctor Ko smiles at her as he reaches for a Kleenex to wipe off the clear goo. "This is not unusual," he says. "There are times, especially early on, where the fetus is just not in the right position for us to hear it. Based on what I felt plus the fact you have not seen any bleeding tells me that everything is alright."

Shinobu is terrified as she watches him reach down with the small cloth to clean her up. She bites her lips as a number of scenarios run through her head, none of them good news. She is just starting to get used to the idea of being pregnant even though she has yet to feel that way. Even though it was not expected, the idea of not hearing the heartbeat now is something that scares her. Yet she cannot seem to gain her voice.

It is Keitaro that comes to her rescue. "Doctor Ko," he says as he reaches across and grabs the older man's hand, stopping him. "Can you try again?" As he says this, he nods in Shinobu's direction. The fear must be written on her face as the doctor nods in understanding. Throwing the disposable cloth away, he picks up the transducer again. As he places it against her stomach again, her anticipation starts to grow again. Please let it be there! Dread starts to permeate her being as one again, there is nothing. She feels tears start to well up in her eyes as the static starts to become deafening.

After a few more moments…

Whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp.

The new sound seems to echo in small room they are in. At first she wonders what it means, but the huge smile on Keitaro's face tells her everything. The tears of sadness she felt welling up give way to tears of joy. "Is that my baby?"

"Yes it is," replies Doctor Ko with a smile of his own.

As the heartbeat continues to drone on, she can barely contain herself. Her lips quivering, Shinobu beckons Keitaro to her, and he obliges. The dam that is holding back her joy breaks as she wraps her arms around him, shedding tears of happiness onto his shoulder as she snuggles into the crook of his neck. "That's the most wonderful sound I have ever heard in my life!"

XXX

"Sorry toots, trains full and I gots nowhere else to go."

Shinobu groans in frustration as the man behind her presses against her. Unlike when they were heading to the doctor's office, the train cars on the trip back are filled to over capacity. This is severely dampening the euphoria of hearing her baby's heartbeat for the first time. In the intervening time, the doctor had given her another prescription for pre-natal vitamins as well as instructions to visit once a month until she reaches the seventh month. After that, she would meet every two weeks until the start of the eighth month, then weekly until the baby was born.

The only concern the doctor had is her petite size. He assured her that many women her size and smaller had taken babies to full term, so it was only a minor one.

Now, Keitaro and her are on a standing room only train car where everyone was pressed in like sardines. As the train comes to its next stop, she hopes that enough people get off that she can sit down. However, her hopes are dashed as even more people get on. As they are pressed together even more, she feels as if the guy behind her is actually grinding his hips into her. If only she could move to get away from him.

As the car starts to move again, she feels a growing bulge in the man's pants as he actually presses into her even more. When she looks back again, he smiles and gives her the excuse that the momentum forced him in to her. Not buying it for a moment, she tries to move away, but cannot. Pervert.

She feels the man begin to maneuver himself more behind her, using the rocking motion of the car as cover. When he finally stops, he bulge in his pants is tucked right between the cheeks of her bottom. Groaning in frustration, she looks over to the dark haired man that is accompanying her, who is just to her right. "Um, Keitaro?"

Shaking his head as if he had been lost in thought, Keitaro looks over to Shinobu. He opens his mouth as if to ask a question, then closes it. His eyes narrow as the man behind the petite woman actually leans his head in and sniffs at her hair. Immediately, he leans over and puts his arm around her shoulder, blocking the man, who looks at him incredulously. Before anything can be said, he hooks her arm and twists his own body, leaving a small opening that Shinobu escapes to and putting himself between her and the lecherous creature behind them.

"What the hell, dude!"

Keitaro looks back at the man who made the comment and gives him a withering stare. Shinobu smiles at the display of chivalry, or what would be considered normal behavior for the man she loved. He was a few inches taller than the other man, and while he may look like a nerdy wimp, his years of archeology digs and martial arts training gave him an air of confidence that was not hard to pick up by others. Where the other man was puffing up like some jackal, he immediately deflated under the dark haired man's gaze.

The issue resolved, Keitaro turns his head back to the front. Shinobu, whose back is to Keitaro now in the new arrangement, smiles with pride. Years before, he lacked any semblance of self confidence, and could not fight off a fly. Now, at least in her own eyes, he is this Adonis like figure that, unfortunately, is just out of her reach.

But that doesn't mean she would not keep trying, and have some fun in the process. As they stand there waiting for the next stop, the blue haired woman has an idea, ironically spawned by the actions of the perverted man that was even now maneuvering around behind them, looking for another victim.

Standing up on her tip-toes, Shinobu leans back against Keitaro, grinding her hips in to his as she does so. Her actions do not go unnoticed by him as his grunts slightly. This only encourages the blue haired woman as she moves in a slight swirling motion against him.

After a moment, she is rewarded when she feels a growing bulge in his pants, followed by an almost inaudible groan. Smiling to herself about the idea that she has been successful in getting him to react to her like that, she moves around slightly so that each side of the crack in her ass was around his erection. Grinding into him even harder, she can feel it become larger. At the same time, she can also feel herself starting to heat up.

The other passengers around them start to notice as she continues to move against Keitaro, but she does not care. Oh how I want him right now! Her cheeks flushed and her womanhood screaming for more, she barely notices as the train comes to a stop. Suddenly, strong hands take hold of her and drag her towards the door through the throng of people. As they burst out into the light, she regains some of her wits and realizes that it is Keitaro dragging her along. A couple of people cast knowing glances at the couple as he takes her aside.

As the train starts to roll past them, they stop and face each other. Keitaro looks at her, she can see he is about to say something, so she does the only thing her body would allow her to do in that instant. Before a word can escape his mouth, she throws her arms around him and pulls him in to a passion filled kiss. At first he tries to escape, but Shinobu is persistent and is eventually rewarded as he relaxes and begins to kiss her back, his tongue seeking and being granted access past her own.

It seems to last forever. Finally, they break contact due to lack of air. They stand there panting with their foreheads touching for several minutes before Keitaro breaks the silence. "You know this can't happen," he says matter-of-factly.

Shinobu's sighs. Of course she did. He had made it very clear the day after that it was a onetime thing. But still….

"I never said I would stop trying, though," replies the blue haired woman. She looks up at him with a mischievous grin.

Keitaro looks down into her brown eyes and smiles. He reaches up and tries to mess up her hair. "What am I going to do with you?" he asks.

Shinobu can only smirk back up at him, knowing exactly what, but not verbalizing anything, letting her facial expression do the talking for her.

XXX

For over an hour, Kitsune searched for the wayward couple in vain. After finally giving up, she finds herself sitting in one of her competitor's tea houses, sipping on a steaming cup of their house blend. She, of course, does not find it nearly as good as the one Haruka had imparted on her before leaving with Seta and Sarah. This one is much more bitter. As she stares at what is her third cup, a familiar man with dark brown hair strolls by. On his arm is an equally familiar blue haired woman.

Quickly settling her bill, she races out and begins following at a respectable distance, being careful not to be discovered. The first thing she notices is that, even though they have been gone for a little over two hours, they have no groceries to show for it. Surely they didn't!

Silently, she gets closer, trying to get a better look. Because of where she is, though, she can only see their backs. While Shinobu would reach up and take his arm from time to time, Keitaro is not reciprocating, though he is not exactly shunning the attention, either. After a few moments, the blue haired woman turns, and Kitsune gets a better look. The first thing that stands out is that her hair is slightly messed up. Squinting a little harder than she usually does, the fox woman also sees a rosy color to the petite cooks cheeks. Oh my god, they did!

Her cheeks flushed with anger, Kitsune stalks off in the direction of the Hinata Sou. So that's her game, is it? Since the announcement of Naru's pregnancy, she decided to back off of Keitaro out of respect. She thought that the others would as well. Apparently, the little minx did not get that memo.

Who does Shinobu think she is? What is she trying to accomplish? Those thoughts plague the fox woman as she marches back. As she approaches the Hinata, her thoughts turned darker. Since she met Naru, she has played second fiddle to her. Since coming to the Sou, it only continued. Now it seems as if she is still on the outside looking in when it comes to Keitaro's affections as well, and somehow, Shinobu has weaseled her way ahead of her in line, and that just would not do.

Oh how she loved that man, just as much if not more than most of the others that live in the dorms. As she reaches the bottom of the long staircase that would lead to home, she stops to contemplate. Naru is her best friend, and the right thing to do would be to tell her. If she left him over that, then it would open an opportunity for her.

But would that ruin any chances of being with Keitaro? He would know who ratted him out, as Kitsune was the only other one that knows anything is going on. She also must think about Shinobu. She has the inside track, literally and figuratively. He would be more likely to seek her out if anything were to go wrong between him and his wife. So that was not an option.

That leaves her with few options. She could say nothing and suffer in silence, which is not going to happen, of course. She could try to drive a wedge between Keitaro and Shinobu, but that just seems like it was destined to fail.

The third option is the most intriguing; Get what she can, when she can, and hope that it turns out right! Yep, that was just the right plan for Kitsune. She smiles as she contemplates what she can get out of it. After watching everyone fawn over Naru, why wouldn't they do the same for her if she was pregnant? For a moment, she imagines herself holding a baby while sitting in the lobby, all the other girls there catering to very need of her and the bundle she is carrying. They would not need to know it was Keitaro's.

Then she could step away and let Naru have him, knowing that she has her own piece of him that she can love.

XXX

The trek up the Hinata Sou's impossibly long staircase was quite taxing on Keitaro, mainly because of the eight bags of groceries that he was carrying. When they finally reached the market, he and Shinobu set a fairly brisk pace as the gathered the supplies they would need for the next couple of day's meals. As he reaches the top step, he lets out a sigh of relief. He glances over to Shinobu, who is carrying one bag. He was about to ask her to open the door when the entrance bursts open.

"Where have you been?!"

In spite of the fact he recognizes his wife's voice, he is startled and starts to lose control of the sacks he was carrying. He is forced to ease them to the ground so that none of the glass containers he has break. "Um, sorry honey, it took longer than we thought."

Naru is standing in the doorway still wearing the tan pajamas she had on when they woke up this morning. Her hair is a disheveled mess, with no evidence at all of the antennas she normally sports. On her feet are her Lido-Kun slippers. She glares at him through sleep deprived eyes, which causes a lump to form in his throat when he starts worrying if she suspects anything.

"Did you get what I asked for?" she demands.

"Yes," he squeaks out as the prospect of impending doom wanes. Immediately he dives into the bags and starts fishing for what she wants. As he does, she steps forward and glowers over him, causing his already shot nerves to nearly short circuit.

After what seems like an eternity, he finds what he is looking for. With a smile, he hands Naru a jar of pickles, a box of Oreos, and a bottle of sweet and sour sauce. Her expression turns to one of mirth and she accepts the items, then steps up and kisses him on the cheek. "Thanks honey!" she says as she disappears back into the Sou with her spoils.

Shaking his head in both relief and amusement, Keitaro starts to gather up the grocery bags again. The cravings had started about the same time the headaches and nausea, and it made him wonder if they were somehow connected. As he collects the last sack, he glances over to Shinobu. The blue haired girl is seemingly fixed in place, a far off look in her eyes. He is about to say something when he notices a line of drool coming from the corner of her mouth. He sighs, then smiles and makes his way into the building, knowing that he might have to make another trip later.

XXX

Midnight in the Hinata Sou. In the second floor hallway, Ema steps out of the room she shares with Mei with her chameleon Leon perched on her shoulder. She pauses for a moment when she hears a noise. A light moaning sound is coming from the upper floor. She sighs and rolls her eyes. Keitaro and Naru were at it again. She ignores it and pads over to the stairs, descending into the lobby. Quietly, she walks over to the kitchen and turns on the light.

"EEEP!"

The noise startles her for a moment, but she cannot make out what or who may have made it. She does hear what sounds like someone rushing out the back entrance, but the brightness of the lights in addition to her inability to see very far without her glasses conspire to mask whoever it was. "Anybody there?" she inquires. When no response is given, she shrugs, enters, and heads to the refrigerator, hoping for some leftovers from dinner. Before she gets there, she notices something strange and approaches to investigate.

Sitting on the counter is a bowl of cherries. As she picks up and examines it, she notes that there is a black liquid mixed in that smells like soy sauce. Turning her nose to the concoction, she sits the bowl down and glances around, wondering who had rushed out so quickly.

"That's not suspicious at all, now is it?" she says to Leon as she reaches up and scratches him behind his neck. The chameleon simply rolls his eyes, scanning the room. Turning back to the left over evidence, she smiles. "Nope, not at all."

A/N: Reminder that I try to update my progress on stories in my profile! Please review if you like the story, I see a lot of Favs, but no reviews.

I know I promised some of you a particular scene involving Keitaro and Kitsune, but I just did not make it there yet. I was planning for this chapter to be a lot shorter and to span multiple months, but it just kept going and going. Hopefully you didn't find it too boring. I plan on more skipping around in the next couple of chapters. Kind of day in the life snippets until we get closer to when the ladies are due. I mean, you don't want to read about the entire 270 or so days, do you? :)

I have not decided what the sex of the babies will be yet, nor do I have any idea what to name them. If you have any suggestions, let me know!