A/N: Hiya! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

o-o-o

Ten.

o-o-o

Sora giving off the cold shoulder for the next two weeks was definitely expected, and completely justifiable. Kairi, however, was pretending like nothing happened. She absentmindedly had her hands folded across her stomach and her legs were stretched out underneath the desk. She smirked at me from across the room, and I suddenly felt like regurgitating the scrambled eggs that I ate for breakfast that morning.

I wasn't sure if she was cold-hearted, or just a really great actress.

I had debated revealing everything to him. Sora didn't deserve to be just thrown aside, but I just couldn't. It seemed like everyone was onto me for something. I noticed their eyes following me more than usual. It was like they just knew that something was going on, even if it wasn't exactly what they thought. I had managed to become so reclusive, that even Aqua was starting to suspect me. I gave her a quick wave and a nervous smile this morning, but she just returned an uneasy look before heading into her classroom. Aqua was a very observant person, so I definitely had to be careful in her presence.

Finals were merely a week away. I liked to think that by having an entire three and a half months out of school that I would get a small break for a while, but I really wasn't sure.

"Alright, I said I would let you know if you're exempt from the exam, and that will be done by passing out this homework from the other day. I wrote it next to your grade if you are or not, but you should pretty much already know. Don't forget that your semester projects are still due on the day of the exam. You can turn them in earlier, if you'd like."

Only about five students were exempt, but I didn't want to glorify them or anything. It was a drastic change from last semester—since about thirteen were exempt then. I wondered if it was because of me. I tended to blame myself a lot for my student's mishaps. As much as I tried not to let my personal life interfere with my work performance, this semester has just been too hectic so far. I couldn't even imagine how I was going to feel once November rolled around.

As expected, Olette got a passing grade. Kairi missed a few assignments, but all of her other work had pretty good markings. However, that didn't make up enough to get her past the "C" that she currently had. She was going to be here on exam day. As I handed her paper to her, she smiled at me. I returned a courteous one and moved along.

"Now, we're starting the final chapter of the semester," I said as I circled back around to the front. "Anyone know about the Keyblade War?"

I didn't receive any immediate answers, which was okay, because this was actually my favorite chapter to talk about. Class seemed to go pretty smoothly from then on. Even Kairi was paying attention to me, and a spark of confidence rose in me for the first time in a long while.

This was what I loved to do. I couldn't lose it.

o-o-o

Once class was over, Olette stalled for a while before actually leaving. Her eyes averted back and forth from me to her papers as she packed everything up. She was still upset about her grade, and the supposed favoritism that was displayed for Kairi. She left without saying anything to me.

Kairi remained in her desk, and as usual, Riku was trying to get her to go somewhere with him. I was really starting to question Riku's motives around her. He seemed to be a little more interested than he initially let on, and now that Kairi and Sora weren't together, he was a little more persistent.

"Kairi, would you like to come to the movies with me tonight? They're showing this really neat sci-fi flick that just came out. I remember you saying that you liked those."

She stiffened as her eyes met the silver-haired man's. "I have other plans." Riku sighed in defeat. Maybe Sora's suspicions weren't too far off, but he may have had it the other way around. Kairi always seemed to tense up around Riku, and I wasn't really sure why. I thought she lived for the attention.

"Well, I guess I'll call you later, then," Riku forced a smile as he waved to me and walked out of the classroom, leaving just me and Kairi alone once again. Just then, Kairi got up and strolled over the door. She shut it, locked it, and then turned to me as she leaned against it with a half-smile. Perplexed, I waited for her to elaborate on her actions in the midst of my desire to leave.

"Guess what?" Kairi began; her smile widening.

"Uh…?"

She turned to her side and outlined her stomach with her finger. It wasn't as flat as it used to be. "See? I'm already showing a little. I'm actually kind of excited."

That's nice. Good for you.

"Kairi," I said firmly, "tell me why you broke up with Sora." She scowled at my sudden change of subject, but then shrugged it off.

"It just didn't feel right, you know?" She said as she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. "Want to touch?"

"N-Not really," I gulped as I finished stacking some papers. She was brushing the break up off as if it were nothing.

"I made an appointment for this afternoon. We get to find out what the baby is going to be!" She exclaimed as she came over to me with her hands behind her back.

"What time is the appointment? Thanks for the super short notice. It wasn't like I had any plans, or anything."

"You're welcome. It's at two," she answered nonchalantly as she disregarded my sarcasm.

"Kairi, my afternoon class ends at 2:15," I hastily explained.

"So, cut it short. This is important and it was a hard appointment to get. I planned it several weeks ago."

Oh, so nice of you to tell me now. An influx of emotions had been visiting me lately, and this time, my anger got the better of me.

"What is with you?" I groaned as I threw my bag over my shoulder. She gave me an innocent look.

"What do you mean?" She questioned as she stepped closer to me. A little intimidated, I took a step back and nearly tripped over my own chair. She giggled at my mishap. "Are you alright?"

She was acting really weird.

"F-Fine," I said as I went past her, but suddenly, she grabbed my arm and tugged me backward.

What was she doing?!

"Don't you care about this baby?" She asked as her glossy eyes trailed up to mine. I pulled my arm away from her grasp.

"I do, but you need to calm down," I said as I made my way over to the door. "Let's go."

"What are you doing now? When are you going to buy me breakfast like you promised, oh, back in February?"

Damn it, woman.

"You want something? I'll give you money and you can get it in the cafeteria. I already ate."

"No, I want to go out somewhere. I'm hungry and it's not good for the baby to starve myself," Kairi said. She must have thought she was being funny or something, but I obviously wasn't laughing. This was very uncomfortable. She came up behind me and spoke again. "You were able to take me to the pet store with you. Why can't we go somewhere to eat?"

"Are you out of your mind?" I grunted as I reached for the door handle, but just then, I felt her arms wrap around me from behind and a weight on my back that nearly made me lose my balance. As if out of nowhere, she started sniffling as she clung tightly to me. Sweat formed all over my face as I attempted to process this sudden and disturbing act.

"I'm really upset right now," she mustered. "Can't you just… spend the day with me?"

I felt sorry for her, but this was really out of line. I tried tugging on her arm, but she didn't budge. My entire body was warm with fear as my mind wandered with possibilities of us getting caught like this. I may not have wanted it, but it looked wrong no matter what.

"K-Kairi," I said dryly as I placed my hand on her arm, "p-please get—"

"No, not until you agree to take me somewhere. You owe me," Kairi sniffled. I knew her emotions were out of whack due to pregnancy changes, but really? What was up with this chick? Had she fallen for me or some crazy shit like that?

Sora did say she was always eager to get here…

I thought that I should clear the air right here and now, but when I went to open my mouth, of course, I couldn't get the words out. She was crying, and I didn't want to make her feel any worse. A woman crying was a major weakness of mine, no matter who was doing it.

I was too freaking nice. Maybe I should have had Vanitas teach me a thing or two about having a freaking backbone.

"I'll take you across town, but I have to be back here by eleven-thirty."

"R-Really?" She asked as she lifted her head off of my back, but still held on.

"Yes, now, will you let go? You're acting very immature."

Her hands slithered out from me and I felt a huge sense of relief. I wasn't prepared to hear more sobs, but that was exactly what happened.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled as her eyes familiarized themselves with the floor once more. "It's just… everyone seems to hate me but you, but now you probably hate me too."

"I don't hate you."

"But you don't like me, either."

Bingo.

"I didn't say that. Let's just go and get this over with. Keep your distance," I warned as I opened the door. No matter what, a promise was a promise.

Ugh…

o-o-o

We were somehow miraculously able to go undetected on the way to my car. There weren't many people outside around this time because this was class time, which made me feel a lot better. Kairi put her seat belt on and slouched in her chair as she placed her hands on her stomach again. I glanced down for a moment before starting my car.

I wondered how the baby was. I guess I was going to find out at the appointment that I knew nothing about today.

"When am I going to feel kicking?" Kairi asked as we left campus. "I think it has been moving around some, but I'm not sure."

"I don't know when that starts."

"Do you want to know what sex the baby is or do you want to be surprised?" Kairi massaged her stomach.

"I… haven't really thought about it."

I didn't want to be here with her right now. I knew I was being distant, but at least the driving eased the pressure a little.

"I want to know so that I can plan for it."

"I see."

"I want a girl."

I did too, but I wasn't going to give her any reason to continue this conversation. Frankly, I was way more upset than I needed to be. This was too much of a risk, and although I swore to myself that I would never be caught with Kairi outside of class, I still was too weak to say no. I hated myself for it.

"Maybe we can—"

"Kairi," I interrupted, "Can we please just… have silence?"

Okay, weird choice of wording, but I really didn't like doing this. I even debated on going through a drive thru, but that probably would not fly over well with her. After about the longest ten minutes ever in the history of my existence, I finally pulled into a small café on the other side of the islands. Not too many people came here and the food was decent. Kairi thought it was a little weird and was probably wondering if the place was even open, but I didn't give her time to question it as I turned off the car and got out. I had an hour and a half before I had to be back and I didn't plan to stall longer than I needed to. I waited for Kairi to get out before going inside, but I at least held the café door open for her.

Old manners died hard.

A bell rang above our heads as we stepped into the dim-lit café. The aroma of fresh coffee filled the room. Nobody was around, and that was just the way that I liked it. Kairi was a little iffy, though, as she scanned the area with her cat-like eyes. I didn't know what she was expecting, but there was no way that I was about to take her anywhere that received a decent amount of customers. I thought I explained the conditions well enough, but maybe she was still a little rough about the details.

I gravitated toward the last booth, but Kairi stopped near the middle and pointed to another. I wanted to fight it, but I decided to go along with it. She let me into the booth first, but then, instead of going to the other side, she trapped me in by sitting right next to me.

I didn't know what to think anymore. It was obvious that she wanted to be closer to me for whatever reason, but I…

This was mind-boggling.

She paid no mind to my obvious discomfort as she opened a menu and started browsing through it. I didn't know whether to be irritated or not, but I was definitely getting there. I glanced up at the register, where a waitress was just putting her phone away.

"What should I eat? I want everything," she whined as she drooled over the menu. This was my normal breakfast time, so I was pretty hungry too, but my uncertainty with this unpredictable girl was distracting me from my grumbling stomach. Yeah, I ate some eggs earlier, but it had been a few hours. The waitress finally made it to the table. Maybe if she wasn't paying so much attention to her phone, we could have been out of here by now.

I think it was quite obvious that I was here against my will, even though I brought her in the first place.

"Well, hello! You're the first customers of the day!" She exclaimed as she held onto her notepad. I didn't doubt the truth in that statement. She was a bit on the older side. "What can I get you two cuties to drink?"

God, she probably thought we were a couple, all because Kairi didn't know the meaning of 'two feet at all times.' She was probably going to slide the bill in my direction when this was all over, too.

"Oh! I want some orange juice, but can I get milk too?" Kairi asked sweetly.

"Of course you may, pumpkin," she said as she jotted it down. "And you?"

"Water… would be fine."

"No milk? Nothing?"

"Water," I repeated. My throat was pretty dry. She got the memo and walked off. I leaned more toward the window as I looked at Kairi.

She seemed to be doing a lot better than before.

"What are you going to get? I don't want to spend all of your money."

Thanks for that. I'm so grateful.

"Kairi, do you get out much?" I wanted to ask if Sora took her out often, but I guess I just assumed that he did. Other than that, I wasn't really sure if she knew how to act in public. Everyone had their own personal bubbles, but I guess she shattered that boundary when she decided to use me for her lustful desires on that fateful night.

Woe is me.

"I think you know the answer to that. I don't have a lot of good friends."

I wanted to ask her to move, but that just made me feel like a jerk.

"Are you left or right handed?" I asked instead.

"I'm right-handed."

YES! I had the perfect excuse!

"Oh, well I'm left-handed, so you being next to me like this won't work when we eat."

She shot me a glare, but it didn't faze me.

"Then we'll switch," she stated in a rather demanding tone as she moved out of the booth, so I could apparently follow her wishes.

"Why can't you just sit on that side?" I asked in a hushed voice. The waitress was coming back.

This was too freaking much.

I obliged and let her scoot in toward the window, but then in a last effort attempt, I hurried over to the opposite side. In the process, I regrettably bumped straight into the waitress and orange juice came flying toward me, drenching my white dress shirt with its contents. The milk just barely missed me and the glasses shattered on the floor.

Damn it!

The waitress immediately started apologizing and ran to get some napkins. Kairi, however, found this amusing.

"I like that color on you." She giggled. "You're so plain all the time."

I glared daggers at her as I reached for some napkins on the table to clean it up. The waitress came back with a mop, broom and everything. Kairi just watched as I helped her.

"I am so, so sorry!"

"No, it was my fault. Could we just order take out?" I said irritably, and although it was more directed toward Kairi, it probably made the waitress feel even worse.

Once the mess on the floor was wiped up, I made sure to leave the waitress a decent tip before leaving. Kairi waited for me at the door as I carried the to-go boxes. At least she was nice enough to hold it open for me. We made it to the car and I noted that I only had about an hour left.

"You can eat in the car, just don't make a mess. I'll drop you back off on campus," I said as my expression soured from the stickiness of the orange juice.

"I want to see where you live. Plus, I miss Caesar," Kairi insisted.

"No way in hell."

"Please?" She pouted. "Besides, I need to know where my baby is going to stay."

"Oh, no, you're not pulling that one on me. You're not going to see my house yet, and that's final."

"Yet? What's the difference between me going now as opposed to going later?"

"The difference is, after next week, you will no longer be my student."

I had to stand my ground on this one. I couldn't risk letting her know where I lived, especially not when I felt like she had some sort of crush on me. As I drove back to campus, Kairi seemed visibly upset that I didn't trust her enough to take her there. A few minutes of silence passed.

"Do I really get on your nerves that much?"

"Kairi, I can never understand you. One minute you're nice, the next you're flipping out on me. That's what gets on my nerves."

"I'm sorry. I grew up in such a shitty household that I never really had the opportunity to learn any sort of manners."

"That's no excuse," I answered quickly, but instantly regretted it when I heard her sniffling.

"I really don't want to stay at home. My dad… he…"

My sympathy meter rose as soon as she started talking about her abusive father.

"You know, he makes me clean all the time, even now. I have to polish his shoes, make up his bed, dust every inch of the house every single day, and so on."

I wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"If I don't obey, I get hit. If I miss a spot, he punches me in the face."

"What about your mother?" I asked. Kairi scoffed.

"My mother left me with that monster. I have no idea where she is, but she obviously didn't have the decency to take me with her."

"That's terrible," I said, genuinely concerned at this point. Even though I wasn't really into hearing sob stories, I couldn't help it. We were getting closer to campus.

"I just need a place to stay. I can't physically or mentally take it. I promise I won't tell anyone or act up…"

"Kairi, as much as I'd love to help you, I—"

I glanced over and saw her holding tightly onto the small hump on her stomach. Tears rolled down her cheeks and almost instantly, it was like possession took over and I was trapped in a wave of guilt. I didn't want my unborn child to be in danger, but that meant that its mother needed to live in a safe environment.

"Can't you just stay with Sora?" I asked as a last resort, but I knew it wasn't the right thing to do.

"You want to know why I broke up with Sora?"

"Some clarification might be nice. He was willing to accept it."

"Sora is too good for someone like me."

"That is such a cliché answer."

"Sora is going somewhere in life. Despite his past, he made something for himself. I would just tear him down again. He doesn't deserve to be held back by someone as pitiful as me."

Oh, and I do? Kept that to myself, because after the thought passed, I felt bad.

"You just have to learn how to… be nicer."

"How can I be nice when everyone hates me?"

She made everyone hate her.

"I don't know, you'd just have to work on it. Starting with a smile could go a long way."

"This baby is the only thing I have to smile about," she said as she pursed her lips together, and although she had that appreciative look in her eyes, it was still one of the saddest things I had ever seen. "At least my child will love me."

"Kairi, you can only be happy if you let yourself be happy. Isn't there anything that you like about yourself, other than the baby?"

"Not really."

…Namine was the same way for a long time—at least, as far as low self-esteem went. She wasn't nearly as troubled as Kairi was, but her confidence levels weren't the best when I first met her. Therefore, I was able to be more empathetic with Kairi. She was nothing like my Namine, but yet, I found myself comparing the two like this.

I must be going mad.

We pulled into campus, and Kairi made one last attempt to convince me that she should stay at my house. She did it without words, and I had to admit, I almost gave in. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't risk it. I'm sure that there's someone—"

"Fine. Meet me back here at 1:45," she snapped as she got out. She hesitated for a moment before slamming the door and stomping off.

Some things just never change.

o-o-o

Walking back into Dr. Gainsborough's office for the first time in a few months was definitely hard for me at first. I knew that by coming here, I was no longer seeming like just a concerned teacher anymore, so I came prepared. I had changed into more casual clothes instead of my work attire, (that I was thankfully able to grab when I went home) so that I could possibly throw off the workers there if they happened to remember me. No one said anything, so I felt a little relieved.

After the initial vital signs were taken, Dr. Gainsborough came in and asked Kairi a few things about how she had been feeling, how the pregnancy was going for her, etc. This appointment seemed to mirror the last one I went to, but the only difference this time was we would get to find out the sex of the baby. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know. I liked the element of surprise, but at the same time, I also liked to be prepared. Although I didn't really care for gender stereotypes, it would be nice to know.

"We'll get you into the ultrasound room," Dr. Gainsborough said. "Follow me."

I felt like she knew that I was no longer just the teacher, but Kairi and I kept our mouths shut. We were met with the same sonographer as before as soon as we entered the room.

"So nice to see you guys again! How are you?" She greeted as she shook our hands.

"I've been okay," Kairi said shyly as she made her way over to the bed. I just nodded. As I sat down, I noticed that I was tapping my foot more than usual. I thought I would be better at coping with this by now, but every time I looked into Kairi's hopeful eyes, I felt a mix of dread and excitement. She made herself as comfortable as she could onto the bed and I just stayed quiet as the sonographer prepared for the ultrasound. I couldn't remember her name. Shooting a glance at her name tag, it read Xion. Ah, that was it.

"We're going to listen to the heartbeat again and make sure everything is alright. Also, we need to run some tests to detect any sort of genetic defects. This is your sixteen week ultrasound, so we may be able to find out the sex of your baby! Aren't you excited? Would you like to know or do I need to keep it a secret?"

Kairi looked back at me. All I could do was shrug.

"I would like to know, but I don't want him to know yet," Kairi told her. I raised my eyebrow.

Why was I here, then?!

Xion gave me a sympathetic look. She had to go along with the mother's wishes, so she just started the ultrasound. The baby was more formed now and I could clearly make out the head. After the normal ultrasound view, Xion switched to a 3D view and everything sunk in. 3D imaging was truly amazing, and I was stunned that I created such a perfect little being. Xion pointed some things out, but I couldn't hear her. I was too focused on the image in front of me. The baby's eyelids were shut, its tiny index and middle fingers were crossed over each other and it just looked so peaceful inside of its temporary resting place. A slightly curved smile embellished its face and I absentmindedly did the same. It wasn't until Xion called my name that I snapped out of it.

"This little life form will only continue to grow. You may feel some butterfly kicks here and there, but your baby can also completely flip around if it wants to. Anyway, are you ready to learn the sex of your baby, Miss Kairi?" She asked, giving me an apologetic look. Kairi nodded. Xion leaned in and whispered one simple word to her and a huge smile illuminated her face. I was so glad that she made this decision without me. After an emotional and grueling fifteen minutes, we were out of there.

Once we got to the car, I tried not to ask her why she decided at the last minute to keep this from me. However, I didn't want to ruin her glowing moment as she stared at the ultrasound picture. I pulled my seatbelt over me and reminded Kairi to do the same before we left. A few minutes later, Kairi spoke. She could no longer contain her happiness.

"It's a boy!"

o-o-o

Wow.

I returned to campus after dropping Kairi off at a store that she wanted to go to. She tried to get me to come inside with her, but I couldn't. I had to get back and retrieve some assignments that I forgot to grab before we went to the appointment, and then I would swing back by to take her back to her dad's house, even though I really didn't want to now that I had a realistic visual of the precious child growing inside of her.

My steps felt lighter as I headed over to the History building. I'll admit—I was happy. In six months, I was going to have a baby boy. Although I originally wanted a girl, that didn't matter because I would love my child no matter what it ended up being, and the revelation didn't faze me in the slightest. I texted Vanitas and informed him on the news, and he messaged back almost instantly.

"Congrats!"

It was finally starting to occur to me that I was way more excited than I originally anticipated. It wasn't the most ideal situation, but I had to work with what was given to me. As I unlocked the door to my classroom and then shut it, I took a moment to breathe in everything that has happened up to this point. I had been very fortunate so far, and my mood didn't falter as I went over to my desk.

I started to reorganize as I searched for the papers that I forgot earlier. I needed to have those graded tonight, but I wasn't sure how I was going to focus on anything right now. I found them under the array of study guides that I so kindly made up for everyone. As I tucked them into my briefcase, I heard a knock on my door. Who could possibly be here so late? I really didn't want to talk to anyone. As I walked over to the door, my excitement drastically dwindled.

Olette and Riku stood there, and I instantly got a bad feeling. I had no choice but to let them inside, but I hid my glum expression as I went to sit back down. It was weird to see these two together; as far as I knew, they had probably never even spoken to each other before this.

"Mr. Ishida, could we have a moment of your time?" Olette asked politely, but her voice was tainted with hints of anger as she meandered toward my desk. Riku kept his arms crossed as he followed behind her. He was watchful, and it only made me more nervous.

"Uh, yeah, sure," I said as I loosened my collar some. W-was it hot in here, or what?

"An issue has arisen that has come to my attention," Olette began as she pulled out her phone. She entered a few things on there before handing it over to me. "Could you tell me what is going on with this post?"

I gave her a strange look before taking the phone out of her hand. I tried not to shake as I glanced down at it.

It was a picture of me and Kairi at the café earlier. Above it was the caption, "Cute couple. They were the first customers of the day. I love my job."

…

WHAT THE HELL!

"Somehow, that picture got to a mutual friend of mine and she showed me," Olette explained as her phone shook in my hands. I had absolutely no explanation for this photographic evidence, even though it was not what she thought it was. My hand trembled as I handed it back to her.

"I'm a little disturbed by it," Riku finally cut in. "I thought it was illegal to date a student. Is this why Kairi broke up with Sora?"

"We are not together," I said hoarsely. Neither of them seemed to believe me, and they had every reason not to after a picture like that. I was staring out the window in the picture, and Kairi was happily looking through the menu as she sat next to me. I guess that was right before I noticed that the waitress had her phone out. I had no idea that she was uploading us onto social media.

I was appalled.

"You can either tell me the truth right now, or I can bring this to President Eraqus' attention. It's probably going to get to him, regardless, because this picture has been shared quite a few times and I believe we all know the impact of something going viral. Apparently, you two are the cutest couple ever. I believe you know that it's against University policy to participate in this sort of relationship?" I couldn't help but think that there was a tinge of jealousy hidden in her statements.

"Listen, there is nothing—" My heart stopped and my mind went blank as soon as Sora entered my peripheral vision. He leaned against the doorway with his hands in his pockets. I couldn't quite read him.

"Sora, have you seen this?" Riku asked as he took the phone from Olette and showed it to him. Sora didn't even bother to look and calmly pushed it away before setting his view back on me.

"Yeah, I have."

o-o-o
o-o-o

A/N: Whoa, even I felt a little nervous writing that last part! What goes up must come down, right? Your thoughts! Tell me in a review! What will happen now? What will Sora say?

'til next time!