Chapter 9
Love
As the days seemed to flash by, Kyoko got bigger and bigger. As the baby grew, Kyoko only got more tired from heaving around the baby everywhere. Mikio helped her with everything. In this way he was able to repay Kyoko for all the times she helped him in the lab. Mikio's love for her was renewed again with an even greater passion than before. Every move stopped Mikio's heart in its track. Every time she reached out to him with her hands calling for help to climb the stairs or when their shoulder's would brush accidently in the hallway, Mikio swore that his heart would beat so loud, Kyoko would have to be deaf not to hear it. When Kyoko woke in the morning and her silver hair fell over her eyes, Mikio felt the desire to brush it behind her ears, and whisper comforting words to wake her from her deep slumber. He wasn't able to take his eyes off her the whole day, even her overlarge stomach, which contrasted with Kyoko's twig like limbs and her bones threatening to snap from the excessive weight, made Mikio feel the need to protect her even more. As the days dwindled closer to Kyoko's due date, Mikio knew it was only a matter of time he had left to tell Kyoko his true feelings. About two days before Kyoko was due to give birth, Mikio made the decision to tell her the feelings he had had ever since he met her. He wanted to be with Kyoko forever and he knew that the baby would need a decent father. He went out to buy a ring with diamonds encrusted along the rim. He picked out the ring with diamonds that sparkled like the warmth Kyoko brought to the room with her laugh. However Mikio knew that the ring couldn't do justice for Kyoko and the light she brought to the room with her smile. Mikio walked into the house unable to keep his excitement from boiling over and creating an ear to ear smile.
He found her sitting on the bed, deep in thought.
"Kyoko" Mikio said holding the little box behind his back, hidden from view. "There's something I've been meaning tell you for a long time"
"Me too…Mikio, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. But I can't stay here for much longer…there's something I need to do"
"What do you mean? I don't understand"
Kyoko smiled and leaned up to kiss him lightly on the cheek.
"Thank you for helping me get through some tough times. I felt blind and I couldn't see where I was going any more. But you've helped me find the right path again. I want to get stronger and find Sasuke"
And that's when Mikio finally understood what Kyoko was talking about. She was still in love with Sasuke. She always had been. Their love extended far past the boundaries of sharing sweet innocent kisses and dreams of pointless love fantasies. They shared a relationship that went beyond a mutual understanding of each other. Only they were able to decipher the other's feelings and emotions. Because of their similar past, they were able to understand each other's motives and the pain they were forced to suffer through. Mikio understood that there was nothing he could do to get in between them. Their love lives beyond a first lovers flirtations to a world of cherishment and eternal companionship.
"Wasn't there something you were going to tell me too?" Kyoko said snapping Mikio out of his heart broken trance.
"I just-wanted to tell y-you that-" But Kyoko cut him off as she suddenly grabbed Mikio's arm, fear written all over face.
"It's coming" Those two words sent Mikio running around the house gathering everything for the trip to the hospital. The ring wrapped up in the little box stuffed into the back of the cupboard in the rush to get out the door, only to be found years later by Yuki.
They made it to the hospital by the time Kyoko had begun screaming in pain. Mikio couldn't be in the room at the same time, since seeing Kyoko in pain made him faint until he was out cold on the floor.
