A/N: I realized that Tidus as Seifer's lawyer wouldn't work considering he was in the first chapter as someone else, so, uh, Zack Fair will do. Hehe!

o-o-o-o

12.

o-o-o

Seifer Almasy didn't like disobedience.

Frustrated, he had an idea as to where his wife was going. He received a tip from the private investigator he hired about Sora Yamada, her ex and recently appointed lawyer. He was the only person she seemed to know in town.

"Blaine," he said to the driver, "Go to the Yamada Law Firm downtown." Seifer looked over at Jin, who'd been crying for the last ten minutes. Seifer stroked the child's soft, black hair. "What did your stupid mother put you through? You've had a rough past few months. Don't worry, son, we'll be back home soon."

Why did he marry her in the first place? All she ever did was cause problems. She was fun at first; would do almost anything once, but ever since she got pregnant, it was as if she was a completely different person to him. If it weren't for Jin, he would have left her a long time ago. Unfortunately, divorce was frowned upon when you're a Senator. People watched you all the time, and image was the most important thing.

He grunted and looked out the window. Rumors had been flying around about her for several years now, and he was always able to sweep them under the rug. The people adored Jin, and have been begging to see him since before Xion ran away. Seifer was great at coming up with excuses, but enough was enough. Only so much time could pass before suspicions settled in.

What about an accidental death?

He could have it done at the snap of a finger. She would meet an unfortunate demise, and he would be able to raise his son on his own. His status as a widowed single father could really do him some good. People pitied those that lost their spouses. Seifer couldn't help but contemplate the possibilities.

Either way, it was time to put her in her place.

o-o-o

Xion thanked the taxi driver and hurried up the stairs. The law firm was on the 3rd floor, and they just opened not long ago. The lobby already had a few people waiting, and they seemed to all be staring at her. Did they know who she was? Surely being all over the news with her asshole of a husband just two hours before didn't help. Shiki greeted her at the counter.

"Welcome to Yamada Law Firm, do you have an appointment?"

"I don't, but I really need to see Sora. Is he here?" Xion looked around desperately, still trying to catch her breath.

"No, I'm sorry, but he won't be in until Tuesday due to some personal matters. It's not like him to call out, so I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. I can make you an appointment for next week?"

"Damn it!" Xion slammed her first on the counter, causing Shiki to jump. She could hear them whispering behind her, only stressing her out more. "I'm a really good friend of his, and I seriously need his help…"

Okay, so they weren't exactly friends, but this girl didn't know that. She didn't have time for this. Her son was in danger. She would go to the police if she could, but…

"Xion? Is that you?" a voice asked behind her. Xion saw Shiki stand up and bow. Mr. Yamada stood there, perplexed. He hadn't changed much over the last five years or so, other than more grey in his hair.

"Mr. Yamada," she said nervously with a bow, "it's nice to see you. I'm sorry to cause a commotion; I came to see Sora. I'm having some legal troubles…" she realized that stating the obvious didn't help, but nevertheless, Mr. Yamada always intimidated her, even now.

Mr. Yamada looked to Shiki. "Where is he?"

"He called out about an hour ago, sir. Said there was an important personal matter that he had to attend to and that he'd be back on Tuesday."

Mr. Yamada didn't know what to think of that; it had not happened for years. Sora was always here and on time. What could have been so important? Regardless, seeing his son's ex-girlfriend at the law firm was puzzling enough.

"Xion, step with me into my office," he said, then headed down the hallway. Xion didn't want to be rude, so she followed him. There was no way she could afford him as a lawyer, and she highly doubted he would cut her the same deal Sora did.

Mr. Yamada definitely had the nicest office she'd ever seen. It was airy, filled with natural light from the window. There were red leather couches off to the left side of the room, complete with a dark wood coffee table between them. His certifications and awards lined the back wall, and to top it off, a bamboo plant flourished in the corner. His desk was huge, neatly organized and presentable. She sat in one of the cushioned chairs across from his desk.

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked, pointing to the mini fridge off to her right. "There's water, soda, and I think even some orange juice in there."

"No, thank you. Listen, sir, I…"

"So, you're hanging around my son again, huh?"

Thrown off by his question, Xion shook her head. "No, not really. I've just run into some trouble recently, and he said he would help me. It took a lot of convincing on his part, though. He didn't want to at first, which I completely understood."

"I saw the news report," he said. Xion lowered her head. Should she tell him what was going on? Right now she was desperate, and no offense to Sora, but he had a lot more experience. "So, you're married to Seifer Almasy?"

Xion nearly gagged at the name. "Unfortunately. We have a son together, but…"

That was it. She needed help, and she didn't care who heard it at this point.

"How did that come about?" Mr. Yamada was genuinely curious.

"I don't feel comfortable discussing those details. I'm sorry."

Mr. Yamada leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully. He was great at catching someone in a lie. He wasn't too fond of Xion back then, and now she just seemed worse off than before. It was a pity, really. He figured she had a chance to get herself together.

In fact, he remembered attending a high-profile banquet in Twilight Town. He was representing someone else at the time, and was invited as an honored guest. She and Seifer were both in attendance, and she was in the middle of her pregnancy. Mr. Yamada was rather surprised to see her, especially with such a respected man. He'd talked with Seifer on occasion, but Xion was never around when he did.

"Just so we're clear, this is not a session. I am neutral in the matter. Seeing that I am the sole owner of this firm, I like to know what my employees, especially my own son, are working on. What kind of cases, how things are going, the usual. I have that right. Details that are sensitive to our client's cases, I am not in on due to the confidentiality our firm provides. But this is a different matter, Xion. You see, Sora didn't inform me that he would be working with you, which all of my associates are supposed to do. They send me a brief summary with the conditions of the agreement between lawyer and client, and I approve or deny."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get Sora in trouble. I just didn't know who else to trust." Xion knew that Sora and his father weren't exactly close. "I have to get going. My son needs me."

If Sora wasn't here, she could probably find him at his apartment. She hated to do it, especially when he seemed to be going through some things of his own, but Jin couldn't wait. If she had to, she would find a way to steal him back herself. Xion bowed to Mr. Yamada once more, and then left.

She wanted to cry on her way down the stairs, but the tears wouldn't come. All she could feel was a mix of anger and sadness, but she forced herself to keep going. She pictured Jin's cute little laugh and his beady, blue eyes lighting up at the sight of her. He meant everything, and without Jin she was nothing. Xion took a deep breath and balled her fists as she came to the first-floor entrance but stopped in front of the doorway. A black limo was parked off to the side, just close enough that she could see. Xion gasped and moved out of sight. He was here. He knew she would be here and he followed her…

In a panic, Xion noticed that there was a back door. Did he have someone waiting there, too? She could just see it now; someone would abduct her and that would be the end of it. Just as she was nearing it, she heard her name once again.

"Xion? It's me, Pence!"

Pence? Sora's friend and colleague? And the girl from the reception desk was with him, holding two coffees. Xion chuckled nervously, keeping her eye on the door and trying to stay out of sight.

Opportunity.

"H-Hello! Yes, it's me, how are you?" Xion didn't give him a chance to respond. "That's great, hey, listen, can you two help me out real quick?"

Shiki and Pence exchanged weird looks. "Sure?" Shiki said, still a little uneasy about her. She didn't like the scene she caused upstairs.

"See that limo out there? It's waiting for me, but I don't want to go. I can't explain much, but I need to get out of here without the people in that limo seeing me. Is there another way out of the building?"

"Yeah, there's an employee exit, but you have to go back up to the second floor, cross into the next building over and then back down again. You'll come out on the street around the corner. We can take you there," Pence said, flashing his badge. "But, um, are you in danger? Do we need to call the police?"

"No need to call the police. I just need to get out of here…"

"I have to get back," Shiki said, "but like Pence said, he'll take you." Shiki went on her way.

"Thank you so much," Xion said, following Pence back upstairs. As they crossed over into the other building, Xion looked down through the glass windows. Blaine was smoking a cigarette outside of the passenger door, just waiting for her. Xion gulped and caught up to Pence.

"It's been so long. I remember the three of us going to bars every now and then."

"Yeah, it was fun at the time."

"Sorry about Shiki. She's kinda stand-offish around new folks," Pence said.

"I didn't leave the greatest impression on her earlier. Hey, any idea what's going on with Sora?"

"Not a clue. He hasn't called out in at least three years, so it must be something really bad."

This made Xion worry a little; she almost didn't want to impose. Pence led her down to the side building exit, and she made sure the coast was clear. "Thanks again, Pence."

"Sure thing. Be careful out there. Hey, why don't I give you my number?" Pence handed her a card. "If you need anything else and Sora's not around, don't hesitate to call."

"Okay," Xion replied, and for the first time in what felt like forever, cracked a smile.

o-o-o

Sora sat next to Kairi in the abortion clinic. She was staring blankly at the forms in front of her, trying to muster the strength to write.

Was this really the answer?

"You alright?" Sora whispered, putting his arm around her. He didn't like this at all, but it was her decision. Personally, he felt like they could figure something out if she decided to keep the baby. It only took her one day to come to this conclusion.

He still wasn't over it. The chance of a miscarriage scared him.

At the same time, maybe it was for the best. He had his life together for the most part; he was finally back on track. He loved his apartment and his freedom. He didn't want them to grow apart if anything were to happen. This had to be something they both wanted, and right now just didn't seem like the right time.

Kairi wrote her first name in the box provided but couldn't bring herself to continue. She felt horrible for this. There were so many cons if she didn't go through with the abortion, but yet she was still holding onto something. The fact that Sora was here with her really helped, but she couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. She felt selfish, not only to him but to the unborn child. If she were to do this, it wouldn't even have a chance to live. She would be killing this fetus, and she would have to live with it for the rest of her life knowing it was her choice, all because she didn't feel confident. It may have just been a collection of cells right now, but she didn't care. It wasn't political, and she definitely would not judge anyone else for doing it, but for Kairi, she just didn't have it in her.

Telling her mother and grandmother about the pregnancy was too much to bear. Kairi had no idea how they would react, but disappointment would be on the top of the list. They would probably end up hating Sora, the one guy she'd ever really liked and was happy with.

Why was this so hard?! There was no guarantee on her future, be it her career, her love life, or anything else for that matter. The unknown was terrifying. She didn't know the first thing about children. Could she really be a good mother?

But yet, she couldn't write anymore.

Maybe it would be okay. She never even considered having a child, especially not with Sora. What would the child be like? Playful and inquisitive? Will he or she like sports, or take up dance lessons? What sort of foods will they like? Will they make a lot of friends? Would they be closer to her, or will Sora steal the spotlight? Judging how great he was around Riku's kids, she could just see it now: this child would absolutely adore him, and vice versa.

It was a cute thought, really. No matter which way she looked at it, she could see Sora being a great father.

But did he really want to? That fear of him leaving her all alone certainly played a part in all this. Kairi looked back at the paper, and then set her pen down.

"Sora, I…" she started, "I don't think I can do this."

He rubbed her back. There was nothing more he could say at this point. All Sora could do was be there for her.

Kairi scribbled over her name and returned the forms to the front desk without a word. She hurried out of the clinic, wiping the tears from her eyes. Sora caught up to her, taking her hand in his.

"I'm sorry for dragging you here with me and wasting your time. I know you're very busy."

"Kairi, it's okay. I called out. I wasn't going to let you do this alone."

Kairi stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, trying to pull herself together. This meant that she was keeping it, and now she had to figure out what to do about it. They both did. Sora hugged her tightly as she cried.

She might as well rip the band aid off and tell her mother and grandmother. The longer she waited, the more stress it would bring, and the angrier they'll be.

"Let's go to my mom's. I can't hide this from her."

"W-wait a minute," Sora said, now even more nervous. "Let's calm down first. This is like one extreme to another. Your mom hasn't even met me. That sounds like a great first impression. Hi, Ms. Hikari, yes, I'm Sora. Nice to meet you. Also, Kairi is carrying my child."

"How do you think I feel about meeting your parents?"

"Do we have to get married now?" Sora groaned.

"You're making this so much worse!"

"Sorry, I'm only halfway joking…" Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Um, okay. I guess… but isn't she working? Why don't we wait until tonight? That will give us both some time to chill out."

He had a point. Kairi sighed and started walking in the direction of the park. "I'll send her a text." A few minutes went by, and neither of them said anything. Kairi felt so guilty for even stepping foot into that office and planned to keep it a secret from this child forever. If her mother ever considered aborting her, that would hurt so much. Her father walking out on them was bad enough.

Which made Kairi really wonder about Sora. How was he so supportive? Sure, they knew of each other most of their lives, and only got to know each recently, but for him to be by her side even at the abortion clinic? Most of the girls in there were either with their mothers or by themselves, and here she was, fortunate as can be. A mix of appreciation and sorrow tormented her, and she wasn't sure what to even say to him.

"Thank you," she muttered, and he almost didn't hear her. Sora tightened his grip on her hand.

"I know it's not easy. Look at me, I'm sweating over here," Sora said, wiping his face. "We just went from not having a baby to… having one." They found a secluded bench and sat down.

"I guess I should figure out which doctor to see and all that."

"Let's think about that later. We just need—" Sora paused when his phone buzzed in his pocket. "Great, it's my dad. I thought he would call sooner than this."

"I hate that you had to miss work for me."

Sora shook his head but then answered his phone. "Hey, Dad."

"Son, what's going on?" His calm demeanor threw Sora off a little. He looked to Kairi. There was no way he could tell his dad anything right now, especially not without some game plan.

"Just some personal things, but don't worry, I'm working it out."

"What sort of personal things are more important than your job?"

"I can think of a few," Sora said, now with a little irritation in his voice.

"Anyway, your ex-girlfriend was here."

"What?"

"We'll need to talk about this later. You'd better be back on Tuesday. I know this barely happens, but I really hope your priorities are in the right place."

Sora cringed at the thought of Xion showing up at his workplace. That meant she got out of jail somehow, and she was probably looking for him.

"I'll be there. You don't have to worry. Shiki already called my clients and rescheduled. You know, you really should give that girl a raise."

Mr. Yamada scoffed and hung up.

Great, now he had more things to worry about. He never had the chance to tell Kairi about her, either.

Might as well get it over with. It may not have been the best time, but he couldn't think of a better one at this point.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you, but of course we got caught up in all this."

"Something bad?" Kairi asked, confused at the sudden change of subject.

"Well, depends on how you take it."

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean."

Sora sighed. "You know those news reports about that woman that left her child alone at a hotel?"

"I saw a headline about it, but I didn't have a chance to read it."

Great, Sora didn't want to explain more than he had to. "Um, well, I kinda know her. She's my ex-girlfriend."

"Okay…" Kairi wasn't sure if she could handle such a sensitive topic right now. She was already a mess.

"Before you say anything, I swear it's not my child. I haven't talked to her in years, and things didn't exactly end on good terms. But she came to me and begged me to help her with some legal matters, starting with that incident at the hotel. I didn't want to at first, but… to be honest, I felt bad for her. Some things happened back then between us and…" Sora couldn't finish his sentence. This was the worst time to talk about this, he realized, and he was only getting deeper into the hole.

"What things?" Kairi crooned, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Given our current situation, I really hate to bring this up. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, if I was even thinking."

"You can tell me, Sora. You freaked out at the hospital for a reason. You at least owe me an explanation for that, and I feel like this connects."

"Yeah, it does. Again, I'm sorry for running out on you like that. Honestly, you being pregnant scares me to death. Xion and I were together for about two years, and in the second year, she got pregnant too, but… she lost the baby."

Kairi hadn't even considered that aspect of it yet, and it made her even more emotional. But it was good to know why Sora nearly left her, at least.

"It killed me when it happened. Our relationship was already bad to begin with, but this really caused a drift between us. She ended up cheating on me and that was that, but I don't think I ever fully recovered from losing that child. She was five months along, and we just got new ultrasound pictures. Everything was falling into place, plans for the future were made…"

"Yet you came with me to the abortion clinic? Gosh, now I feel even worse…"

Sora wrapped his arms around her. "No, no, please don't feel bad. I am choosing to be by your side, no matter how much it hurts me. I can't let what happened then get in the way. You are not her, and our relationship is so much better. She and I fought all the time over trivial things. She was irrational and brought out the worst in me. You're the complete opposite, Kairi. You seriously make me happy."

Kairi nodded, trying to hold back her tears. Pregnancy sure did escalate her emotions. "So, why are you helping her now?"

"I saw that kid of hers. She said he was in danger, and it felt unfair for him. There are circumstances that prevent her from going to the police, and she tells me that her husband is a horrible person. It took me a while to believe anything that came out of her mouth, please understand that. I guess I just have a weakness for children, and since we went through that miscarriage back then, I know that boy means the world to her."

Kairi still wasn't sure how to feel about all this.

"So what happens to us if, God forbid, I lose this child?"

Sora gulped, unable to look her in the eye. "I don't know, but I hope we can get through it no matter what."

Although the timing wasn't great, Sora actually felt a little better after telling her this. He hated hiding things from her, and hoped they could have an honest and open relationship, something he wasn't quite used to. He hoped Kairi could trust him just as much as he trusted her, and was optimistic that they could make this work.

"You seem to be looking for approval of some sort. Okay, so she's your ex-girlfriend and she has a child. I'm a little confused, though, and maybe it's just because I'm not understanding the intensity of the situation, but why do you feel like you owe it to her to help her out when it has nothing to do with you?" Kairi asked.

"Because that's my job, Kairi. I help people. I hate it when children are stuck in situations they can't do anything about, and if I can do my part to make their lives better, I will do everything I can. I just happen to have a history with this woman, and I wanted to let you know because I didn't want any secrets between us."

"In other words, it doesn't matter whether I approve or not because you want to help this child?"

Sora blinked several times. "That's not what I'm saying. If you don't want me to do this, I'll opt out. You're way more important to me."

"I don't want to be selfish, Sora. Do whatever you think is right." Kairi shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. Sora talking about an ex-girlfriend did not ease her anxiety. She tried to understand his reasoning behind it, but it only brought on more terrible thoughts.

She wanted to trust him; she really did. But the fear of him leaving trumped all, and she didn't know how to handle it.

o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o

7/9/2019
A/N: Phew. It's done. Some developments going on here, as well as tying Pence and Shiki into the mix even more! I would say this is about the halfway point of the fic.

Leave a review if you wish. So sorry for the long time between updates!